The Cycles of Revelation Series

Artifact of the Dawn: Side-Effects (A Queer Sci-Fi Adventure)

Episode 83: Ardyn and Jevan experience some very painful side-effects of their pair-bonding.

Jevan lurched forward and caught Ardyn in his arms as his new bondmate passed out. “Someone, help him!”

Amyra and Tamaryn were next to him a moment later, both pulling out their hand scanners. “He’s alive, just unconscious,” Amyra said with a note of relief.

Tamaryn looked at the readings on his scanner. “It appears the bonding process wasn’t as harmless as we thought. Can you carry him?”

Jevan nodded and pulled Ardyn into his arms as he stood.

“Let’s take him up to your medical bay,” Amyra suggested. “It will be faster than carrying him down to the hospital wing.”

Cradling Ardyn in his arms, Jevan nodded his consent before Keryth and Takyra ran over to join them, and they were all transported to the Wah’kah’ria together. The med techs were pushing one of their floating gurneys into the transmat room. Jevan laid Ardyn down gently, before following numbly after.

Ardyn’s face looked so drawn, and his breathing was too shallow. No, no, no, no. Don’t leave me, Ardyn. Not now, Jevan pleaded in his mind as his heart raced with worry.

Once in the medical bay, they transferred Ardyn to a stasis bed, and Tamaryn began a full set of scans. Both he and Amyra gasped when they saw the results. “Ardyn is… he’s changing. His very genetic structure is transforming.”

“Isn’t that what you expected to happen?” Jevan asked.

Shaking his head, Tamaryn tried to explain. “We expected that repairing your telomeres would modify your genetic structure. However, because Ardyn’s telomeres aren’t damaged, we didn’t expect it to affect him in any significant way.”

“So, what is it doing to him?”

Amyra ran around to the other side of the bed and began tapping on the display there. “I’m not sure. All I can say is that it’s affecting his genetic structure in a way our simulations did not anticipate and his physiology is not taking kindly to it.”

“How are you feeling?” Tamaryn asked. “Are you feeling any effects at all?”

Jevan took a breath and realized he was slightly lightheaded, but he shrugged it off, wanting them to focus their attention on Ardyn. “I’m fine.”

Ardyn began writhing on the bed, moaning in pain, drawing everyone’s attention. His body seemed to fight the bonding process, and it broke Jevan’s heart to see him in such distress.

Rushing to his bondmate’s side, Jevan took Ardyn’s hand into his. “Hey, Ardyn? Dear heart, please remain strong. Don’t leave me. Not today. Not ever. I came back to you. Please, please come back to me!”

Hot tears streamed down Jevan’s face as Ardyn’s body arched on the bed and a scream of pain escaped his lips. At the same moment, pain burst throughout Jevan’s body and he fell to his knees with an echoed scream.

Tamaryn ran to him and scanned him. “It seems the bonding affected Jevan as well. Everyone, help me get him onto the Medellan-sized bed.”

Jevan was still conscious and managed to get his feet under him, and with the support of two medical techs, they guided him toward the larger bed. Collapsing onto it, the techs helped position him properly before they could activate the medical stasis field and begin full scans of him as well.

Writhing in agony, his entire body felt as if it were being burned alive. Still, Jevan tried not to scream so he could hear them speaking. A moment later, he heard Mathias come in and ask. “What’s going on? What’s wrong with them?”

He heard Tamaryn respond. “It must be the mix of Medellan and Athla’naa genetics. Something has gone terribly wrong. We’re not even sure what’s happening, so there isn’t much we can do except monitor their conditions for now. We can’t even risk giving them anything for the pain because we don’t fully understand what’s going on yet.”

Lost in a sea of pain, it burned through Jevan to his very core. It was simultaneously agonizing and oddly cleansing, as if his old self was being stripped bare and being replaced with something new. Help me! Jevan screamed to himself.

After what felt like an eternity, Jevan suddenly felt a presence. “Jevan?! Jevan, where are you?” Ardyn’s voice flooded his mind.

The feeling of Ardyn’s presence helped Jevan ignore his own pain. “Ardyn? I’m here! Are you okay? Where are you?”

“I don’t know. It just hurts so much!”

“I… I’m hurting, too,” Jevan admitted. “What’s happening?”

Pain seared through him again, and all he could hear was Ardyn’s screams.

After an eternity of torment, Jevan bolted awake and found himself still on the medical stasis bed. His pain had lessened, but he saw Ardyn was still writhing. “What’s happening to us?” he asked as Amyra rushed over to him.

“We don’t know. Both of your genetic structures are changing,” Amyra replied. “Your body seems to take it better than Ardyn’s. Tamaryn has several techs researching what’s going on, to see if there’s anything we can do to at least relieve your pain.”

Jevan flinched, grunting in pain the next time Ardyn cried out.

“You’re feeling pain every time he does, aren’t you?” Amyra asked.

Jevan nodded. “Yes, and I think our minds are also connected somehow. Through my mind, I spoke to Ardyn briefly. His pain is much worse than mine.”

“Fascinating.”

Just then, Andreesen and Marta walked into the medical bay and Amyra filled them in on the situation before bringing them over to Jevan’s bed. “I asked them to come because Aterians have somewhat more advanced knowledge of the pair-bond.”

“We have some ideas on how the bond links a pair together,” Andreesen said. “But I’ve never seen it on this level before.”

Amyra put a comforting hand on Jevan’s shoulder. “Try to get some rest. We need to go back to the lab and do more research.”

Laying back down, Jevan closed his eyes and did his best to relax, despite the pain he was still feeling. As the pain slowly became more tolerable, his mind drifted in and out of consciousness, and soon he was aware of Ardyn’s presence again. “Are you there? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, but I can feel everything from you now. It’s… a little overwhelming. All your emotions, even your thoughts. I’ve been struggling to sort them all out. I’m able to focus only when you speak to me,” Ardyn’s voice echoed in Jevan’s mind.

Allowing himself to relax, Jevan realized he could feel it, too. A flood of emotions, thoughts, and memories came from Ardyn. Jevan could see pieces of Ardyn’s childhood as he ran and laughed, carefree. Then the memories of Ardyn’s forced matings came to the surface, and Jevan felt a mix of anger and sadness. The humiliation Ardyn had felt tore at Jevan’s very core.

Jevan didn’t know what memories Ardyn was seeing, but all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around his bondmate and comfort him. “I’m so sorry, Ardyn, and I love you so much.”

“I know,” Ardyn replied and Jevan felt all the love Ardyn had for him, and it made him weep for joy.

Eventually, both of their pain subsided, and they finally rested. After getting some sleep, Jevan groaned as his eyes fluttered open. Looking over at the bed where Ardyn lay, he saw his bondmate was awake and no longer writhing in pain.

“Hey,” Jevan smiled. “How do you feel?”

“Much better now, my love,” Ardyn smiled back.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Tamaryn insisted.

For the next half-hour, Tamaryn and Amyra probed and scanned them, making certain they were okay. “Can we go to the feast?” Jevan asked, beginning to feel hungry after the ordeal.

“Alright, if both of you rest for a little while longer, I’ll tell everyone that the bonding feast is back on,” Amyra insisted.

Ardyn and Jevan smirked and agreed. “Yes, ma’am.”

Once Amyra left them alone, Ardyn glanced towards Jevan. “Do you feel that? Are you feeling what I’m feeling now?”

Jevan concentrated for a moment. “Yes.” Then, Jevan thought to Ardyn. “Can you hear my thoughts, too?”

“Yes!” Ardyn thought back.

“Wow,” Jevan took a deep breath. We bonded more closely than I’ve ever heard of.

Ardyn had tears streaming down his face. “The emotions you’re feeling, it’s almost too much.”

“Shh. Come here,” Jevan said. “Lie with me.”

Ardyn hopped off his bed and joined Jevan in his larger one. Ardyn lay so that his back was to Jevan’s chest and Jevan enveloped him in his long arms. Both of their breathing soon calmed, as did their heart rates.

“There, that’s better,” Jevan soothed. “I never expected such a profound connection, but somehow…”

“… it just feels right,” Ardyn agreed.

Jevan pulled Ardyn in a little tighter, and they both allowed themselves to relax and drift into a light slumber.

As they dozed, the newly forged connection between them and this constant rippling wave of love that flowed from Jevan to him surrounded Ardyn. He never imagined having a connection so deep or so personal. There were also other feelings that drifted through, including safe and home.

A little while later, Amyra came back and roused them, rechecking one last time before deeming them fit enough to join the bonding feast. “However, I want you both to wear these monitors.” She applied the small devices to their necks, just above their collar bones. “I don’t need to be physically present, but I want to monitor your vitals when you complete the last phase of your bonding. These will alert me immediately in case anything else goes wrong.”

Jevan helped Ardyn redo his hair, that had become mussed in all the commotion. Then they headed towards the dining hall where the feast was being held. The hall was all hushed whispers as they approached, but once they appeared in the doorway, cheers erupted upon seeing both alive and well.

Takyra ushered them to their places, a special table raised upon a dais at the one end of the room. Along the way, Jevan saw and hugged his mother and sister, and Ardyn went to his parents and hugged them, reassuring them he and Jevan were fine.

Once seated at their table, they enjoyed the boisterous company and the specially prepared food. Takyra worked with Andreesen, Mathias, and Taeglyn to produce a mix of Aterian and Vestian Medellan delicacies, along with some of Ardyn’s favorite Athla’naa dishes. They also had plenty of water and wah’roh to wash it all down.

The celebrations lasted late into the night, and eventually, Jevan and Ardyn could no longer put off what they needed to solidify their bond.

Jevan smiled at Ardyn. “So, dear heart, are you ready for the last phase of bonding?”

Ardyn looked at Jevan and simply nodded as he conveyed his readiness in other ways. Their newfound connection now made him even more eager for what was to come. The idea of experiencing that level of intimacy with their newfound bond was going to prove interesting.

They both rose from the dais and addressed their guests. “Thank you so much for celebrating our pair-bonding with us. It means so much that you were there to bear witness, regardless of how rocky it was. Ardyn and I must now complete the last part of the ritual in private, so we bid you all good night.”

Not everyone was aware of the last requirement of the ritual, and questions arose among the guests. Jevan and Ardyn hoped that Mathias and the Aterians would quell the questions discreetly.

They left the dining hall with their arms wrapped around each other and walked towards their quarters in companionable silence. Everything that needed to be said was being conveyed between them without either having to say a single word.