In The End... I Will Not Steal A Victory ~ An Aru Shah AU

Athanasy - 1

Definition: An absence of death or the condition of everlasting life. Immortality.

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Aru watched wide-eyed as Aiden fell. And with him, her whole world.

It was supposed to be her.

The spear had come out of nowhere, thrumming with energy, its target clear in mind: Aru.

So why...?

"Aiden?" Her voice was a whisper in the wind, nothing made sense. He couldn't have died, that was impossible. Everything hit her all at once like a thousand needles piercing her skin.

Aru raced to Aiden's side, draping herself over his body so that she could shelter them both from the world.

It happened so fast. One minute they were reigning victorious over the Sleeper's army. Aru had been grinning as she slashed at the asuras with Agni's spear. Just as she was about to skewer another demon, she heard him scream.

"Shah!" And then he was covering her, arms wrapped around her waist and she caught a whiff of the smell of clean laundry and cooking spices. "I'm sorry." He had whispered, before he had fallen to the ground with a blade pierced through his stomach.

"No!" She screamed. Not again, she thought privately. Desperately Aru looked at the surrounding people for help still clinging to his body, her eyes going straight to her soul sisters first. They could save Aiden. "Mini, Brynne! I..."

Aru's voice died in her throat as she saw they were looking at her with horror.

"What- what have you done?" Brynne's voice cracked and Mini's face was streaked with tears. She wouldn't look Aru in the eyes. Aru looked around her and saw everyone gazing at her with disgust. What was worse was that those people were supposed to be on her side. The Sleeper's army had fallen back and was still re-grouping. Aru looked down at her hands and saw they were bloody, then her gaze fell to the spear shaft in Aiden's abdomen.

Anger glistened in their eyes, but they were too afraid to approach her. Even Hanuman and Urvashi.

"No... No, it wasn't me! Please, Aiden needs-!" Aru's words were cut short by a sharp shove and Aiden's body was pulled from hers.

"Get away from him, you monster!" Malini had come, and she looked at the other with pure rage. "You killed him!"

"What...?" She couldn't breathe, everything was so suffocating. Monster? She wasn't... that. No, she hadn't killed Aiden.

But you did kill him. You were so busy caught up in your own glory that you couldn't save him.

Slowly, weapons were raised, all pointed toward her. 'Monster.' They all whispered. 'Monster!' They all screamed. Aru covered her ears with her hands, shouting at them all to stop. Her eyes were squeezed shut. The prophecy's words finally sunk into her skin:

Aiden Acharya.... The girl you love shall be the death of you.

Aru had killed him.

"Stop! Please, stop!" She begged them, but they were too cruel to do so. Throwing rocks and sticks at her, bruising her arms and legs.

"You're just like your father." Everything dulled, and she looked toward who said that. Mini. And Brynne. And the twins. Her hands dropped to her sides, she stood there emotionless.

They were miles away from her now. Half of the Otherworld's people stood between them. And that is when she snapped.

Fury coursed through her. It settled like a snake in her stomach, spreading venom through her veins. After everything she had done for them, she was still seen as nothing more than the Sleeper's child. A vile creature to rival him. Her vision faded as she chose anger to retaliate. Anger was better than tears. Better than guilt. Better than the gut-wrenching grief that threatened to overwhelm her and leave her an empty shell.