Fredozy
patreon
Chapter 50: Fillory is real
🕑 Added 2025-08-07 18:53:10 +0000 UTCHe was staring at the ceiling, the glow of early morning leaking faintly through the curtains at the other end of the room. Julia lay beside him, her breath even and soft as she slept. Kai had gotten back from Brakebills late last night. She was already asleep by the time he got in, and thanks to being keyed into the boundary spell, he had no trouble getting through.
It had been a few days since the incidents and since Mike, or rather Martin wearing Mike's skin, had been killed by him. Things had mostly died down now, at least on the surface. But with Eliot, it was still… complicated.
It wasn't that they had a falling out or something irreparable. No, it was more like Eliot just needed time. Time to process everything. He blamed himself mostly for not noticing, for not realizing sooner what was happening right under their noses with the fact that his boy toy was just a meat puppet for the beast. But he didn't blame Kai. And that, strangely, was what made it harder.
Kai had expected Eliot to be poised, even icy. To hold him responsible, to let the anger seep through in his voice, his gestures. But contrary to that, he was—
"Hey," Julia's voice cut through his thoughts, pulling him back into the moment.
Kai turned toward her. "Hi."
"When'd you get in?" she asked, still a little groggy.
Kai exhaled slowly. "Last night, sorry I didn't make it earlier. Brakebills was under lockdown."
Julia sat up immediately, frowning. "What happened?"
Kai looked at her for a moment, then decided not to hide anything. "There was… an incident. At the school, Penny was attacked while trying to protect Quentin from being stabbed by the Beast."
"What the fuck is Q ok and who the hell is the Beast?" she asked.
Kai sighed. "Yeah, Q is fine and the beast well. He's from Fillory. A very real, very dangerous monster. He attacked Brakebills."
She blinked, visibly thrown. "I'm sorry what did you just say, Fillory? Fillory is real?"
"Yeah, as real as the earth we both inhabit" he nodded. "Apparently."
She shook her head slowly. "Ok uhh, this beast who or what is it… he wasn't in the books."
Kai looked at her, then gave a tired, knowing sigh. "No. He wouldn't be. The books are children's stories. They're not going to include something like him. He was probably kept out on purpose."
Julia was quiet for a moment, then her voice softened. "Holy shit, You know, Fillory… for me and Quentin, it was supposed to be this escape. When we were kids, we'd just... get lost in it. Dreaming about it, imagining it. It helped us through a lot of shit."
She looked down, quieter now. "Helped Quentin more than it helped me."
Kai studied her for a second before speaking. "A lot of good things have dark roots. Hidden rot under the surface. You don't notice until it's too late, until it leaks out."
Julia looked at him, unsettled. "How many people died because of him?"
Kai was quiet, his voice grim. "Enough. And… I had to do something terrible. To a friend."
"Was it necessary?" she asked.
He nodded.
Then he added, "And the worst part is, the Beast was in the story. Just… not written."
Her face twisted in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"It's Martin Chatwin," Kai said flatly.
Julia stared at him like he had just said the moon was made of glass. "No fucking way."
—
Later, the two of them were up. Julia was still pacing around the living room, visibly trying to digest the avalanche of revelations. Kai sat on the couch, watching her quietly.
"You okay?" he asked.
She looked at him, stunned. "Out of everyone, it's little Martin?"
Kai gave a sarcastic chuckle. "Not so little anymore. Also… he's got an extra appendage now, if you catch my drift."
Julia shot him a look that was a mix of amusement and disgust. He shrugged. "Don't worry about it."
She dropped onto the couch beside him. "So what exactly does he want?"
Kai leaned back. "He already has what he wants. Now he just wants to make sure no one else gets it with him."
She frowned, confused. "What does that even mean?"
"Fillory. And all the doors that lead there. He wants full control over the place. Total isolation."
Julia shook her head, exhausted by the overload. "That's... a lot."
Kai moved closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him. He kissed her head gently, then as he was about to say something else…
"Marina came here," she said suddenly.
Kai paused, groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Nope," Julia said. "She was looking for you, actually."
He raised an eyebrow. "She's not the type I'd except to go look for danger. She's mostly alway hiding and finding ways to stay away from deaths door"
"She came to wave the white flag," Julia said. "Said you were coming after her."
Kai scoffed. "Oh yeah she and I have a score to settle. Besides she still needs to pay for what she did".
"She hurt you. And James. James was my friend too. She had to learn about retribution and I know you said I shouldn't do anything but I couldn't just let that go without punishment."
Julia nodded slowly, standing. She walked over to a shelf and pulled something out a small card. She handed it to Kai. The card shimmered briefly, revealing a number.
"She left that for you," Julia said.
She returned to the couch, laid her head on his chest. "So... now what?"
Kai stared at the ceiling again. "I'm supposed to meet someone. A lady in a vegetative state."
Julia tilted her head up to look at him with confusion. "...What?"
Kai waved it off. "Long story, preventive measures."
Julia shook her head, exasperated, then suddenly pounced on him with a grin. She wrapped her arms around his neck like a strangling koala and kissed him again, harder this time.
