20. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Iris

It feels trivial at this point: learning.

It feels like I have been placed in a delicate existence compared to the rest of my race. Margot's death was inflicted upon her by her own hand because of the horrors she endured. That facility Remus took me to was only one of however many they have on our planet. And yet, I sit here in the comfort of captivity, learning.

I haven't seen Remus much lately. Though it doesn't seem like it's out of avoidance. He's busy. I am in bed before him, and he's awake before me. I only ever see him in between meals or at random hours of the day, and that's if he's here. He hardly ever is, which has given me more than enough time to decipher his study. I look up from my paper when the sound of footsteps comes from the direction of the hallway. I feel my heart sink a little at the realization that it will not be Margot coming, but I have to remind myself that she is no longer suffering in this hell. A servant I haven't bothered to name rounds the corner with a blank expression on her face. Just as she disappears, I hear the sound of the door opening.

Remus is back.

I feel my heart racing at the knowledge. I think back to his words just a week ago.

"Tread carefully, Pet."

I don't know if that was a warning because I was asking too many questions or if he somehow knows of my impending betrayal. Either way, I can't let it deter me. I owe Margot that much. I look up when I see the servant who was making her way toward the door passing back through with something in her hands. From this distance, it looks like a glass vial. I note that it has some kind of liquid in it, but that's all I can decipher.

Remus rounds the corner directly behind her, his eyes not missing a beat as they land where I am seated in the living room. A small smile plays on his lips as he approaches. He's dressed in regal attire, so wherever he was must have been important. His eyes drop to the paper in front of me, taking in my work so far. He doesn't speak or give me any direction of his thoughts.

Finally, his eyes meet mine.

"You've been practicing," he says, smiling. "Very good, Iris."

"I want to learn more," I say after a moment. Remus looks at me with a strange expression but doesn't seem irritated.

Yet.

"More?" he asks. I slowly nod my head, looking toward the glass .

"I know what you said about making peace with Margot's death, but I can't. Not when I'm sitting here in silence all day. I want to do more, to take my mind off of it. To give me meaning," I say softly.

Remus frowns, taking a seat next to me. His eyes are boring into my soul, and I find myself unable to hold his gaze,

"So you feel that learning something else entirely will give you purpose? How so?" he asks. His voice is so soft and gentle that it confuses me.

I was hoping to get Remus to teach me geography. That way, I could learn about the landmasses that hold all the important Leviathan locations and get the information out. But as he stares at me, I find myself releasing emotions I had stuffed down. Tears spill over my eyes, and I keep my gaze focused on my fingers as they twist in my lap.

"Why me? Why do I get to live? Why did I survive in the blight? Why is everyone suffering, and I am here... alive?" I sob. I drop my head into my hands, my shoulders shaking from the weight of my heartache.

"Why did you have to choose me?" I whisper.

Remus is silent for a moment, and I tense when I feel his fingers prying my hands away from my face. He angles his head so that I am looking directly into his eyes. They are a vivid swirl of light and energy as they take me in, his hair pulled out of his face. I know I must look terrible to him, the perfect being that never eats, cries, or even has the slightest hair out of place. His eyes take in my pathetic state, and I see no delight in seeing me in this state. He looks as if he is figuring it out himself at this moment .

"You are different. Everything about you is different. You would risk yourself every time for someone who doesn't deserve your grace. You would fight, knowing you don't stand a chance. You would sacrifice yourself if it meant others could see the light of day. And that is why humanity doesn't deserve you, Iris. You are too good for them," he says as if it's obvious.

My eyes widen slightly and Remus uses his thumb to wipe my tears. "And I will never let them have you."

I shake my head, pulling away from him. This is the second time he's said something along those lines. The first was at the park. He feels such a deep disgust for humans, yet he ignores that when he's with me.

"Why? You hate humans," I say.

Remus quirks a brow at me.

"You always use such strange emotions to try and figure out my feelings. I don't hate humanity. I am indifferent toward it. I watched it for years. I watched them destroy their home, their people, their very own kind. The history of this planet is riddled with the blood of its own."

"But you are doing the same—"

"Even now, you defend them. You cannot compare what I do to your own, Iris. These are not my people. This is not my race. I am an outside entity. And I would not do this to my own. Your people fight and fight for something as simple as physical attributes, for something among you that should be celebrated and set you apart, you chose to mark as flaws."

He takes in my features, and I can see that his words are sincere .

"But not all of us are like that," I whisper.

He laughs softly, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. "I know. And that is why you are here."

"If I had not found you when I did, you would have been a casualty of war. Another innocent taken away because the majority of your people couldn't live for more than themselves, even at the most critical point in their lives," he says.

I look into Remus's eyes.

"So... what about the rest?" I ask.

"I think you already know the answer to that."

My heart sputters in my chest to hear the words aloud.

"What?" I whisper.

"Your planet is rich in resources. It is much too valuable to leave alone. Once the Earth is free of its pests, it will make its way into the Leviathan empire for the resources it produces. Its inhabitants, however, will be nothing more than a former society that once roamed."

It feels like the wind has been knocked out of me by his revelation, but I try my best to remain unaffected.

"But... what will happen to us?" I ask.

Now it's Remus's turn to be confused. He looks at me as if I'm the one being unreasonable.

"Humanity will remain as they are. They will be intelligent servants to serve any of the eight galaxies within our empire. Had humanity had better ideals as a whole, they may have been given an invitation to that empire," he says casually .

Remus stands, letting me take in everything he just said, his eyes roaming over me in fascination. I see no emotional attachment to the people whose lives he is ending. He's more terrifying in this light than I've felt for a while. At the back of my mind, I knew he ran this race, but it was easy to ignore that when I was seeing the extravagance of his society. Now, I see the horror that is their leader.

Remus holds his hand out to me, watching me with a soft smile. I can see something in his eyes, something that I can't quite decipher yet, but it's there. And it's for me and me alone.

"Come. It's time for you to eat."

Remus is here with me. For the first time, he isn't working or looking at maps. He seems to be simply enjoying his time in my presence. It makes me uncomfortable, especially since he revealed his plans for the inhabitants of Earth. It fuels my inner fire even more, forcing me to realize just how imperative it is that I can help the resistance end his reign.

He silently sits across from me on the terrace of his city home, his gaze looking over the outstretched city that the Leviathan have established. He has a blissful expression on his face, and I find myself thinking of his sudden possessiveness. He's been saying things a lot lately that signify he's beginning to see me in a different light. However strange it may be, it's the truth. And it may be something to use to my and the resistance's advantage .

Remus's eyes shift to mine, and I immediately look away, embarrassed at being caught watching him once again. A soft chuckle fills the air, and he looks back over the city. I hate the way my body reacts to him. I loathe him, and yet I find myself fascinated by him. I'm constantly curious about his way of life and origins or how he overall functions. He may be my enemy, but he is an enemy that no one on Earth could have imagined.

He's truly unique.

"What do you think of this society?" he asks, breaking the silence. I focus my gaze out on the city beyond us. I've always admired its beauty. My gaze shifts to Remus in confusion, and as if sensing my gaze, his eyes meet mine.

"You can be honest," he says.

"I think... physically, it's beautiful. But the way that your society has built itself is wrong," I say, matching his gaze. Remus angles his head slightly as he studies me with a raised brow.

"No society is perfect, Iris."

I don't respond, but Remus seems to be in an uncharacteristically talkative mood.

"However determined you are in your perception of the Leviathan, Leviathan society was never built on the backs of slaves. My mother offered her knowledge and power to improve it, and once other planets within our star system saw how much Leviathan's thrived, they wanted the knowledge and power as well. After having to defend the planet for centuries, I decided it was time to conquer. You never have to defend yourself if you are powerful enough... or if you live in an uninhabited solar system," Remus finishes looking at me.

My eyes widen slightly at Remus's story, and I can't help but study him even closer now. I want to ask him question upon question, especially since he so nonchalantly revealed that he's been alive for centuries. But he speaks before I can.

"Tell me about your society. Before I arrived," he says with interest. His celestial eyes meet mine, and I take in the river of pure power that flows within that vividly colored gaze. I don't know if he's toying with me or genuinely curious.

"I thought you knew everything there is to know about my society," I say. He shrugs, keeping his gaze lined to mine.

"I want to hear it from your point of view."

A silence overcomes us, and I can feel my uneasiness rising.

"My point of view is from the perspective of a ten-year-old girl. I'm sure it won't be accurate," I say softly. Remus doesn't respond. He only watches me expectantly, waiting for me to tell him about Earth, so I do.

"We weren't perfect, but we were curious. And our curiosity led to a lot of inventions and changes. We had cars, phones, technology that could control our houses, and more. We had buildings that could touch the clouds and buildings that were built under the water. We had holidays and events... and we had places from history preserved for those in the future to see," I say softly. I look out over the Leviathan city as I slowly go over my memories in my mind .

"If you were my age, you went to school. And if you were older, you either went to college or worked to earn a living. We had places that were sad but also happy. We were still learning how to be kind to one another. It may seem like it took a while to you, but we were trying," I say.

Remus silently reaches across the table, his fingers gracing the locket that hangs around my neck. His eyes are intensely focused on it before he speaks again.

"Tell me about your family."

His question catches me off guard, my gaze lifting to meet his. I slightly pull away from him out of reaction, my hand closing around the pendant.

"Why?" I ask. His eyes meet mine.

"I'm curious," he says. It's strange hearing Remus tell me he's curious about my past. My grip on my locket tightens as I think of them.

"I barely remember them now... I was so young when everything happened. Their faces no longer appear in my memories. The people in this picture are strangers to me now," I say.

"My father was kind. He wasn't around a lot because he had to work, but when he was, he always ensured that we had his undivided attention. But he and my mother fought a lot. They were actually fighting the day you..." I trail off as the horrid memory plays in my head. I can hear the screams—the crunch of the metal.

My father's dying breath .

I open the locket, looking at the faded picture. I was no more than a toddler in it. My father doesn't match the man in my memories.

"What about your brother?" Remus asks. I look up at him.

"What?" I ask. He gestures to the locket.

"I assume the other man in the picture is your brother."

I slowly nod my head.

"Cypress. He... he stopped coming around toward the end. He and my father had a bad fight, and he just left us," I say.

Faded memories of my brother slip across my mind.

"Growing up, he was my protector. He was older than me by a lot, so he was very protective of me when it came to not only the world but my parents. He taught me to ride a bike." A soft smile appears on my lips as I recall the memory. Something that I thought was forever gone, but as I think of him, more memories come to mind.

"He taught me how to swim and how to tie my shoes." Tears spill over as I remember the day the Leviathan came. My parents were arguing about him. My father tried to call him while everything was happening, and eventually, his phone stopped working. At this point, I can only assume he's dead.

"They all died during the invasion," I say, looking at Remus. He has a strange expression on his face as he takes me in.

"How are you so sure that your brother was killed?" he asks.

I hastily wipe my eyes.

"We couldn't reach him before communication went down. I assumed he died in the commotion or maybe in the battles. It's better that way. He doesn't have to suffer along with the rest of us," I say.

The words slip out, and I immediately sit up, watching Remus as fear creeps over me. Remus doesn't seem insulted by my words, though. His expression is soft. He's once again focused on the city that surrounds us. If he let my words slide, that means he's in a different mood than usual. I use it as my opportunity to find out what I can about his siblings.

"Can I ask about your family?" I ask. His expression shifts slightly before he turns to look at me. He studies me intensely, and I feel myself growing squeamish under his gaze. But I force my breathing to remain calm. I can't let on that I hold fear. He'll feed off that.

"No."

I bite my tongue in disappointment just as the door to the balcony opens. Remus's servant comes out with a strange flower in her hands. It's an extremely small flower, and its color is strange as well. It's silver.

She silently places it on the table between us before leaving. I look at the flower in awe. It can't be an Earth flower: the petals curve and dip in a liquid-like form. I look at Remus in confusion, and he's watching me knowingly.

"Do you like it?" he asks. I look back to the flower.

"It's beautiful," I say softly.

"It's yours."

I look at him in confusion .

"Your friend's remaining essence has been fused within its roots. One day, it will grow into a tree. But that's only if you take good care of it. You must water it, change its soil, and add proper nutrients. Once it gets big enough, you must trim it and properly harvest the flowers."

Tears brim my eyes as he explains the tree that will one day bud from this tiny plant. I take in the beautiful color of it with newfound appreciation before looking back at Remus.

"Why?" I ask.

"For it to become a living, thriving tree, it requires a lot of care and attention. You said you wanted to do more and give yourself meaning. Now, you can cultivate your friend's life into this tree so that her essence may live on. And you may come to peace with her death."

I don't know how to respond. So, I don't. I study the plant that's been fused with what was left of Margot's life. I don't further question his intention. I don't ask anything else to shatter the illusion that I have of him. He is evil, plain and simple. He is the reason my family and countless others are dead.

He must pay no matter what he does to make up for it. He has to.

"Iris. "

I look up at the sound of my name. Remus is stepping into the room, with only a pair of low-slung pants around his hips. His hair is free of its restraints, and the symbol on his chest is a calm pulse that allows me to read his current mood. He's been in a peculiar mood all day. One that I can't quite decipher, especially since his gift was so personal.

"Come," he says as he makes his way to the seating area within the bedroom. I slowly rise from my place in the bed, going to where he is heading. My gaze shifts to the glass container that sits on the end table. Remus takes a seat, pouring from the glass into a small cup. I keep my distance, studying him with caution. Ever since Margot's death, he's been different. Almost as if he pities me. I feel a bitter swell in my chest. I don't want his pity. Him , of all people. The reason behind my suffering.

"Iris. You've been very reluctant today," he says. I narrow my gaze.

"Why did you do that for Margot? I thought you said her essence would be released back into the world," I say.

Remus seems to think about his response before giving it.

"She earned my respect," he says.

He takes in my expression before continuing with an amused grin.

"Don't look so surprised. I've told you on several occasions I am a fair ruler. Have I not given in to your requests as you've earned my trust?"

I almost don't respond, but I use the opening he's given me to try and fish out information .

"You didn't today," I say.

He raises a brow but holds his hand out to me. I gently place my hand in his, and he pulls me into his lap. His body is extremely warm.

"What purpose would asking about my family serve you, Iris?" he murmurs, pushing my hair over my shoulder. "You can be honest," he adds.

He's teasing me. He's only teasing me. He doesn't know.

"I just want to know more about you," I whisper. I try to remain brave, but my motivation is crumbling, being this close to Remus. It feels like he's interrogating me without trying. He chuckles beneath me, his lips tracing my throat.

"Maybe another time, Pet."