Aruden One-Shots

My take on Aiden's perspective on Chapter 34 of the Nectar of Immortality

CHAPTER 34: YOU'LL BE THE DEATH OF ME

Nidra's voice had practically boomed through the hall. I was amazed by the goddess's eyes in the sky, but my gaze on them broke once a sudden roar roamed through the hall.

The Hall shook, along with all the all the trees, and the grass flattened down from the deafening sound. A crack appeared in the sky.

Nidra's eyes rolled to left. "My realm is waking,".

Waking? I thought. Then I realized, that wasn't a roar. It was a yawn.

Kumbhakarna's hand twitched, and the glow of the portal flickered. This wasn't good at all.

"What do you want from us?" Brynne demanded.

"Bee..." Mini said warningly. She pressed her hands together and touch the shimmering floor. We followed suit.

Brynne looked ashamed after she had gotten up. "Sorry," She muttered.

"What can we give you, goddess?" Mini asked. She had a hand on Loose Teeth's flank. "I've got lot's of rocks!" Rudy said. The pair of eyes regarded them mildly. "They're very shiny!" He added. That didn't help.

" It is your sleep I want.  I need your dreams to build the borders of my world. You must give them to me if you wish to pass. Even demigods grant me what I am owed," Nidra answered.

"I can't do that," Brynne admitted.

"I have already selected one among you. I want dreams rich with wonder, tinged with sadness, and flavored with hope that will sweeten my land like the rarest nectars,"

All of a sudden, something clicked in me as Nidra's eyes landed on Shah.

"You child, I can feel your exhaustion," At this point, Aru was swaying on her feet. "Let me take it from you...". I remembered the prophecy I heard. The girl you love will be the death of you.

Well now it's time that to go into action.

"No," I said firmly. "Not her,". Aru turned towards me, confusion in her eyes. "Take me instead," I insisted. "What? No way. I can't let you do that," Aru protested.

This was exactly why I had to to do this. She always put others before herself. She was needed more than I was.

"I always knew this was going to happen," I told her "I'm not scared Shah,". My eyes met Brynne's. She look down-right horrified. Not surprised though. I had told her not to tell Aru anything. Brynne's mouth was in a grim line. Aru traced my gaze over to Brynne. Brynne and Mini winced, and I could tell Aru had probably lashed out at them through their mind link. Brynne looked at me with sorrow filled in her eyes, as she probably confessed what I told her to Shah.

Aru swung back around to face me, tears welling up in her eyes. But I wasn't looking at her. "Do you understand what you are doing?"

"Yes" I answered almost immediately.

"You understand that my realm is its own form of death,"

"I know," I wasn't going to hesitate. I was doing this for Shah.

"You've always known haven't you?"

I said nothing as I glanced at Aru. Tears were threatening to flow out of her eyes. I wanted to reach out for her, tell her how much I loved her, hug her and kiss her one last time. I was going to sacrifice myself for her, and I am never going to doubt that.

"You understand that you will not be returned to the waking world if there is no world to wake up to."

"I understand,"

"What does that mean?" Brynne asked frantically "He's goin to die?". Beside her, Mini and Rudy looked stricken. Even Loose teeth pawed at the ground, dismayed. BB made a soft chirp, and looked up at me while the blue flame crest on his head wilted.

"What is the point of returning him if there is no chance of a world worth to returning to?"  Nidra asked, " Whether he dies or not depends on you, daughters of the gods, for it is your world to save, is it not? And if he does die, that in itself will be a blessing. To die in one's sleep is the hope of all mortals. You should be thanking me,"

Yards away, Kumbhakarna's fingers curled. His palm  flipped over and his palm pressed into the dreaming world.

"You are running out of time. Make your choice or be thrown out of this world,"

Before anyone could protest, I said "I accept,". My words thundered through the halls. My offer had been accepted. A violet light crept towards me. Once it touched me, I would be gone. "Aru," I said. She looked up at me, slightly startled. The tears had let themselves free, streaming down her face like a waterfall.

"I can't let you do this!" She protested. I shook my head and told her "It wasn't your choice to make, though," Aru took a step closer to me. I smiled at her sadly. "It was mine. You'll find a way out of this, I know it. Watch BB for me, okay?".

I set down my backpack and the firebird along with it. Baby boo chirped and cooed at me.

"What if I can't?" Aru asked me. "You will. You always do," I believed in her. She knows that.

The violet light around me grew brighter. It was right nest to me at this point. Me and Aru were less than a foot apart, though it might've been miles. The light threw the rest of the world into shadows, everyone else around us disappearing into the darkness.

"I lied, Aru," I reached for her face. My fingers slipped into her soft hair and I pulled her closer to me. She leaned against my hand. "I don't regret anything,".

"Wait-" I cut her her off by kissing her. I wanted to savor this moment with her, and only her. I loved her. Nothing would ever changed that. Whether it'd be eternal sleep, or anything at all. It would always be her.

I wanted thousands of more kisses with her like this. A future with her. And now I laid all of my dreams down with Aru. She could make it happen. I know she would.

I love you Shah, I thought, as I disappeared, away from my friends, my family, and Aru.

A/N: This was an emotional train wreck for me to write. I was rereading NOI when I got this idea, and here it is. This is a double chapter day. Hooray! I hope you guys became an emotional train wreck while reading this too! Byeeeeee!

P.S. tell me if you want more scenes from the actual books in Aiden's perspective.

~V