Star-Crossed Dreams [Aventurine Fanfic]

12. Dreams Shatter

About an hour had passed since the human had talked to him, and during all this time, his eyelids felt too heavy for him to keep open. He wanted to sleep—just like he'd fantasized doing so many times in the past. But every time he was about to give in and surrender himself to this dream, every time he breathed or moved his hand along her naked back, an almost tangible jolt of agony rushed though him. The blond was painfully aware of what might happen if he were to let his eyes stay shut, even for a second longer than a blink.

Aventurine slowly spread out his fingers behind the woman's back. He felt the faint, peaceful breath inside that frail human body and his mind couldn't help but think back on the things that Aeon had told him:

'As long as you are alive, I have no way of confirming whether or not this bond is real. And the memories that this woman left behind are nowhere near enough for me to take this 'gamble'.'

Fuli hadn't fulfilled his wish. They'd only granted him an opportunity. Using those traces of memories that Dreamball had left in one of those parallel dreams—those copies of the 'game'—as an anchor, the Aeon of Remembrance had slowly pulled her in; conjured a real enough version of her, half alive and half dead, inside the original version of this dream land. This was the only safe environment they could afford to place her in. Because in any other setting, the fate of this universe would be at risk.

Aventurine's hand twitched against Dreamball's plump skin. After all these years, he still hadn't forgotten a thing that had been said over the course of that meeting:

...

He'd smiled in his usual, relaxed manner as he finally sensed the presence of Fuli all around him. They'd stepped in just as he was about to set his next plan in motion: the plan about the fourth planet.

"Stop," they'd said. "This world has suffered enough."

"Has it?" replied Aventurine in mock ignorance. "I thought I was only doing you a favor, Aeon of Remembrance—creating so many precious memories for you and separating them from their hosts~"

"If you want to strike a deal with me, you will first need to show some respect. Just state your terms and spare me the pointless games."

Aventurine grinned boldly like he always did. "Is it really me who's playing games though? Because, Fuli, I believe that you know exactly what I want. Surely, you must have sensed the anomaly in one of those dreams."

"Which anomaly are you referring to, human?"

The blond burst out laughing as he heard this. "Oh, we both know that this word you've just used doesn't really provide an accurate description about me. And that is exactly the point... right?"

The Aeon remained silent, seemingly waiting for the man to explain his way of thinking.

Aventurine indulged them. "That female," he said. "Moving the Trailblazer; moving me. Getting a very specific version of me, again and again, making me stronger, using me to fight her battles. I could never really talk to her; let alone say something more than the things I was supposed to say. No matter how hard I tried. And now—Now I've stopped feeling her presence altogether. Is she... Is she even still here?"

"She is not. The game has ended, and she's moved on with her life. As should you."

These words stabbed him like a knife but, somehow, Aventurine ended up smiling instead.

The blond spread out his hands, showing that he had nothing to hide. "Do I look anywhere close to doing that, Aeon Fuli? I will use my... curse... to destroy every single planet in the universe—perhaps even you in the end.