Chapter Text
The humid Amazon night air clung to your skin, sticky and hot, mixing together with your sweat. You had awoken from a tumultuous slumber with gasping breath and a pounding heart. The images of your nightmare replayed in your head over and over like a cruel, broken record:
A massive, red figure loomed over you, holding the planet Earth in its enormous hand. The figure said nothing, looking down at you with empty, hollow eyes full of malice. With a swift motion, the figure crushed the planet in its massive palm, and you heard screams of anguish – the cries of humanity as it fell. Visions of skyscrapers crumbling like sandcastles, mountains splitting in two, and oceans spitting tsunamis of destruction plagued your mind.
No matter how much you tried to tell yourself it was just a dream, you still couldn’t shake off the dread. This nightmare was too vivid. Too lucid. Too real, almost as if it were a warning of some sort. You felt the strong urge to tell someone, but you were hesitant to inform your fellow campmates about the dream. What if they laughed at you? What if they panicked? No, this was too important. You decided you should tell Him - Druig.
You stumbled out into the night through the wooden door of your hut, careful not to wake the other people sleeping soundly, and made your way into the middle of the camp. It was so much different at night – quiet and empty, with only the sound of insects buzzing in the trees and the occasional distant screeches of animals. Peering through the inky air, you could just make out the faint light coming from Druig’s hut in the center of camp.
No one in the camp was quite sure how Druig had come to be the leader and protector of the camp. He never divulged His past in detail, even to the village elders, whom He sometimes consulted for advice on important decisions. All everyone knew about Him was He was an Eternal – an immortal hero who came to Earth thousands and thousands of years ago to keep the planet safe. The people in the village worshiped Druig like a deity; He made sure His people never went hungry, cared for them when they got sick, and always kept them safe from outside dangers.
Nervously, you approached the door of His hut. You rapped on the splintery, wooden door a few times with your shaky knuckles and awaited apprehensively for Him to answer. A part of you hoped He was sleeping and that He wouldn’t show up. Anxiety began to worm its way deepeer into your gut. You had never been alone with Druig before. The only times you ever really saw Him were when He was strolling through the camp in the mornings, greeting everyone, or during meetings when He would gather everyone together in the main hut, reserved for social events. But you swallowed your fear and stood firm on His doorstep. You were confident He would be able to ease your mind with words of wisdom or, if needed, use His powers to wipe the nightmare from your consciousness.
After a few moments, you heard footsteps shuffling lazily on the other side of the door. Then, it swung open with a squeak from the hinges, revealing the Eternal standing before you; an orange light streamed out from the hut, soaking the camp clearing in a warm glow and outlining Druig’s form with a halo. He was wearing a loose-fitting navy blue cotton button-up and mismatching gray pants – far from something one would imagine a godlike figure wearing; but then again, He always seemed to dress casually. Druig blinked as he looked down at you, a mellow smile on His lips.
“Good to see ya,” He spoke softly, His thick accent rumbling from His throat like deep, distant thunder. “What are ya doin’ awake at such an hour?”
You had never been this close to Druig before and you couldn't help but look down at your own hands, feeling bashful in His proximity. He smelled of tobacco smoke and lavender oil - a surprisingly pleasant combination. You noticed little specks of stubble peppering His chin and jawline, along with little scabs scattered here and there, indicating He must be quite a clumsy shaver. Despite His immortality, being this close to Him, He appeared so human and you nearly forgot of His divinity for a moment. When you did eventually look up at Him, you saw only kindness in His sky-blue eyes, silently encouraging you to speak.
“I had a nightmare,” you told Him, fiddling with your hands again and looking at your shoes. “I wanted to know if you could interpret it for me or, I don’t know, help me somehow? But...if you’re too busy, then I understand.”
Druig’s face softened, and He nodded, stepping aside from the door and inviting you inside. “I’m never too busy for My dear People. I will do what I can to help ya. Please, come in. It’s not safe to be outside at night on yer own. Lotsa’ danger lurkin’ in the jungle, even in camp.”
You hesitantly entered His hut, and to your surprise, it wasn’t much different from the other residential huts scattered around the encampment. You had expected Druig’s home to be much more lavish, but His home was as meek as the rest of His People. He had a few plants in terracotta pots scattered around the room as decorations, a sleeping cot in the corner with a few lit candles perched on a shelf above it, a stack of books, and some clothes piled up at the foot of the cot.
His kitchen was no fancier, consisting of a wood stove with a table and two chairs. A tea kettle whistled on the lit stove, steam billowing out of the spout and whistling like a bird. Druig quickly stepped over to extinguish the crackling fire and tended to the teapot.
“Would ya like some tea?” He asked, flashing an amiable grin.
Tea sounds nice. I wonder if He has chamomile... I nodded my head.
“I do have chamomile,” Druig answered your question when you hadn’t even spoken it out loud. His fingers danced over the various tins of tea leaves perched up on a shelf above the stove until stopping on a faded one labeled ‘organic chamomile tea.’ He plucked it from the shelf, along with two handmade-looking terracotta mugs.
You blinked at Him, wondering how He could have guessed what you were thinking. When He noticed your confusion, He chuckled. “I can hear yer thoughts, remember?” You suddenly went pale, making Druig laugh again. “Oh, no, no, don’t worry. I can’t hear ‘em all the time – only when I’m tunin’ in ta listen. So if yer thinkin’ of things ya don’t want me ta hear, I suggest keepin’ ‘em to yerself.”
You exhaled a sigh of relief and made a mental note to not think about anything embarrassing while you were here. Druig pulled out the kitchen chair for you to sit down before plopping across from you. He measured a spoonful of tea leaves into each mug, then poured the boiling water from the kettle over them, steeping the water until it turned a bright, translucent topaz-gold color. Druig pushed one of the cups towards you. “Let it cool a bit before drinkin’ so ya don’t burn yerself.”
You held the mug close to your chest, thumb rubbing against the textures baked into burnt orange terracotta. Studying it further, you could see a few fingerprints imprinted in the mug and you wondered if they were Druig’s.
“So, tell me about this nightmare ya had,” Druig prompted after taking a sip of the still piping hot tea, making it clear that the boiling temperature didn’t not affect Him. He leaned back in his chair, arms behind His head, and waited for you to speak.
“I saw…the destruction of Earth,” you began, grasping onto the mug of tea like it was the only thing keeping you grounded to reality. “There was this giant, red figure there. It crushed the Earth in its hands, and I saw all of humanity fall. I know it was just a nightmare, but…it felt too real. Like it was a premonition or something. I don’t know what to make of it.”
You were tearing up by the end of the recount of your nightmare and you quickly wiped away them from your eyes with the sleeves of your nightshirt. When you met Druig’s gaze again, His eyes were wide with concern.
“A red figure? No, that can’t be,” Druig muttered under His breath and stared off into space for a bit before looking back at you. “Did this figure have four big holes in its face?”
You nodded, watching His face shift from concern to horror. It didn’t help your already jittery nerves.
“Arishem…” Druig’s whisper was so quiet you barely heard Him. He was looking towards you but not at you – more like right through you. His thousand-yard stare lasted a few more moments before He finally spoke again.
“I can’t determine what yer dream could mean right now,” Druig said slowly as if He were choosing His words carefully, rolling them around in His head before deciding which ones to use. He must have sensed your disappointment, so He continued. “But I can take the fear away from ya if you’d like.”
You nodded, relieved that you would be getting some sort of peace, even though He couldn’t interpret your dream. Druig stood up from the table and held out His hand to you. Tentatively, you took it. His rough, calloused thumb rubbed against your wrist as He guided you up.
“Look at me,” Druig pulled you towards Him, faces inches apart. Your breath caught in your throat when you realized how close you were to Him – only inches away. His finger gently tilted your head up to meet his gaze. “This might feel a bit weird, but it shouldn’t hurt ya.”
Druig gently held your face in His hands. You took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling. I trust you. He heard your silent declaration and gently stroked your cheeks. “Good…now, focus on me…”
His cornflower-blue eyes shifted to a radiant gold, and suddenly, a dark warmth encompassed you. It felt as though you were floating through space, surrounded in the coziest blanket you’ve ever felt. Amber light was all around you, dancing around the air like jubilant fireflies. Then, the glowing specks formed together into a uniform shape – a humanoid, monumental in size, but comfortingly familiar. You could have sworn you saw the figure smiling at you as it reached its monolithic hand out, holding you ever so gently, like a mother holding her newborn baby.
Then, sensation of two plush lips against your forehead brought you back to the present moment, where you were face to face with Druig. He pulled away from your face and you could still feel the ghost of His kiss on your forehead. The Eternal smiled at you, pure adoration and care in His expression. “How do ya feel now, dear?”
The memories of the nightmare that once haunted you had now faded, and it all seemed like a bygone memory. All you could focus on was Druig and His lasting effects on you. “I feel…much better,” you said earnestly. “Thank you, Druig.”
“Yer very welcome,” Druig stepped back to give you some space. “Always happy ta help. It’s my purpose here, after all.”
You smiled at Him one last time, then turned to leave, but a hand on your shoulder stopped you in your tracks.
“Let me walk ya back ta yer hut,” Druig offered. Without giving you a chance to protest, He gently walked you towards the door; His hand never left your shoulder and his company made you feel safe and secure.
The two of you walked in comfortable silence across the camp. Even though your hut was only a short stroll away from Druig’s, the journey seemed to last for hours. You wished it would last forever. Druig’s presence was addictive. Now that you had a taste, you craved more. But, you reminded yourself of your place – He was an Eternal. He wouldn’t age, become sick, or grow weary, like you would one day.
Once you finally reached your hut, Druig pulled His hand away from you and clasped both behind His back, watching you walk up to the front door.
“Have a good rest of yer night,” He nodded to you. “And please, if ya have anotha nightmare…or any dream yer worried about, don’t hesitate to come ‘n tell me. ‘Cause if ya don’t, I’ll know.” He pointed to His head and chuckled playfully
“Thanks again!” You waved to Him with a hushed laugh and silently slipped back into your hut, tiptoeing across the wooden floorboards past your sleeping campmates, and collapsed onto your cot.
You laid your head down on the pillow and shut your eyes, hoping sleep would come instantly. But after minutes of tossing and turning, you found that sleep still wouldn’t come. Druig had rid you of your fear from the nightmare, but He still hadn’t left your mind. All you could think about was His comforting touch on your shoulder, His alluring eyes, and His accent that made every word out of His mouth inviting and charming.
Suddenly, that same warmth you had felt when Druig had taken your fear away enveloped you, pulling you away from your tumbling washing machine of thoughts. Your eyes were closed, but you could see gold light streaking through the void you were floating in.
“Rest now, my dear.” Before drifting off to sleep, you heard a distant voice calling you from somewhere inside your mind. You knew it was Druig. He must have waited nearby to make sure you fell asleep. With a deep, blissful sigh, you relaxed your body and mind and let the echo of Druig’s voice lull you to sleep.