Flames of passion

"Yeah, how possible could that be?"

The words hung in the air like a challenge, a desperate attempt to cling to hope, a rhetorical question that left a sour taste on Matthew's lips.

A cry of vindication or salvation despite knowing it's of no use.

It's a fragile thread, connecting them to a future that could elude the doom foreseen.

Hope, a persistent cinder glowing so feebly in the darkness yet refusing to be extinguished. Hope is really challenging to do away with, as always.

Despite knowing the fate that awaits them, he couldn't still help but hope the world would shine more than its moonlight on them.

A hope for better terms, a hope to continue seeing his wife and family wake up in one house.

Yes, one should not be overly excessive, but who can fault a man who only sought after the continuity of his home?

Despite already getting a pass at life from the past, he still wanted another as he wants to see his children grow, a parent indeed.

But what the dream says…

"What if, wha– what if it's all a made up concept in our heads?

What if the dream wasn't true? What… What if… we'd get to wish our boy a happy birthday tomorrow?" Gloria stuttered in a trembling voice.

Matthew's face went stiff for a moment before cracking in bitterness.

"I know I've not been able to affirm if this world is an illusion or a reality, but the more I think things through and the more I explore, the more I uncover ounces of secrets.

And everything has taken me back to a conjecture I would rather not face, a truth I do not know how to make sense of.

And yes, this world gives me the same feeling as the dream does.

My abilities as a space mage gives me an edge compared to mages of other disciplines. I've seen the threads of reality and I can say for sure, that was no illusion.

That was no mere dream, just as this world, it's all real.

I know you must have felt it too, I'm sure you believe in it too, but I guess, your maternal instinct is kicking in, giving you reasons to doubt it.

But I know you know how true it is, it's no prank or mind tricks, it's simply time to go.

In as much as it hurts to admit it, it is the best ending we could hope for."

Matthew's words were laced with resignation as he spoke, his shoulders slumped in defeat and knees slightly buckled, as if the gravity of the reality was crushing him.

Not long after, a stifled sobbing noise reached his ears.

The sound was unmistakable - a muffled cry that conveyed more than just sadness and reluctance.

Knowing there was no one else nearby except Gloria, he instinctively knew that the sobbing could only come from her.

He then went forward to pull her in for a warm embrace, "I know it's tough, it's hard and sad to lose it all," he said, his voice cracking with emotion.

"It's a pain that defies description, loss that can't be undone, but we just have to accept it."

Hot tears streamed down his face as he spoke, "The lad... does he even know that despite my apologies and his forgiveness, I still won't get to taste it?"

"How painful and unbearable would all of this be for him? Especially on the day he's been anticipating for so long."

"What an irony! If he knew what the day meant for us, he certainly wouldn't wish for it to come," he said with a sigh.

"It's a lot to take in, too much in fact, but it is what it is, dear, and there's nothing we can do about it."

Gloria's voice cracked as she sobbed, "I know, but... It's just difficult to accept that he'd grown up with no one to guide him, to be there for him."

"Our boy... He's still so innocent. What if all of these tear him apart? What if he loses his way without us?"

"I don't want him to have a life marked by bitterness and resentment, or one of dissociation or reclusiveness."

"The magical world, despite its bloodbaths and deception, is also filled with love and trust. But I fear that a vital part of his personal and societal development will take a massive blow from this."

The world out there is no casual place for a noob like him, for a broken boy like him for a… for…for" her voice slurred off as she kept talking between her sobs.

Matthew, knowing his wife was in a delicate state, he pulled her in closer and sealed his lips on hers.

Like a raged bull on the loose, she fiercely attacked his in return. Squeezing her lips with his, attacking the fore walls of his gum and teeth.

As their tongues entwined in a passionate rhythm, Matthew dug his hands into her hair, gradually building tempo.

Sometimes, lust could be the panacea for hurt. A spark ignited by Matthew, and they burned fiercely like a wildfire.

Soon after, he flipped her onto his lap, elevating their intimate act to another level. Matthew's lips left hers to explore the treasures within her radiant skin.

Her breath sounded as short gasps, her body trembling on the precipice of collapse, not from the chilly air, but from a flame that burned fiercely, threatening to consume her rationality yet, she remained put on his laps.

As she teetered on the edge of sanity, her fingernails dug into his back like an anchor to reality. Unmindful of their surroundings, they surrendered to their desires, as if they owned the place – which, technically, they did.

Slowly, she buttoned his already-loose shirt, her grazing his hairy chest. As her hands traced along his skin, a gust of cold air swept in from behind.

And then, unexpectedly,

SKRKKKKKK!!

The sky unleashed a resounding thunderclap, and rain poured down in torrents, drenching them instantly.

This is a classic case of bad timing. Despite their passion burning like coal, the sudden interference of the heavy downpour quenched their heat.

Maybe it didn't, but two silhouettes emerged from the shadows, running towards the door's entrance shortly after.

The sweetest thing was the way they ran - or rather, how one person did the running, cradling another figure in their arms.

It wasn't hard to guess that it was Matthew who ran with Gloria in his arms, a romantic moment in what seemed to be their last experience of such tenderness.

The skies roared, strong winds blew, and the rain drenched the earth, yet the moon shone resplendently in the sky. The tree stood deeply rooted, like a majestic spectator over the scene.

The soft raindrops on the housetop and the furious thunder faded into the background, but in their room, the extinguished flame of passion was rekindled, burning brighter than ever before.

This time, the forces of nature helped them blur out the noise of the fast-paced ride and accentuated moans that seemed to pierce the ceilings of the room in a final, resigned bid to cherish the priceless moment.

They surrendered themselves to the all-consuming flames of passion. The fire coursed through their veins and arteries like splinters, setting their bodies ablaze as they danced sensually in an embrace that consumed them entirely.

As their bodies lay under the bedsheets, Gloria's head rested in Matthew's chest, his hands gently stroking her hair.

Matthew whispered, "In the end, we don't aim to live forever, we live to create what does."

Gloria's tears slowed as she tilted her head upwards slightly, locking her gaze on his, "It's not the years we live, but the life we pour into each moment," she replied.

As the moon appeared like a big, shiny gem through the window, they shared a last, longing wish, sealing their fate. Their love and parental care were forever etched in the fleeting beauty of their final embrace.

"Wishing you best of years to come, Wilson," they whispered in love and resignation, their voices barely audible as they slipped into the land of dreams.

They held onto the hope that they would eventually find clarity on the mist shrouding their entire ordeal.