[Warning: Triggering Topics Mentioned]
"I-I can't say goodbye, I can't lose you, I-I can't just give you up," Sophia said, her voice hoarse, her face a waterfall from which tears flowed down.
Her dark black hair whipped in the fierce wind as her eyes which used to shimmer with the reflection of shooting stars were now as transparent as a cloudless sky.
And yet, the slightest bit of hope shimmered in her eyes.
Her lips were close to oozing the liquid that's hue matched the shade of her blood-red lips, as she thought of any possible way to break free of this nightmare, even after the countless times she'd told herself this couldn't be possible, that the love of her life was perfectly fine, that this was all just a dream, even though she knew that couldn't possibly be real.
Across her, a man looked lovingly at her, pure admiration and affection in his eyes as he spoke.
"You don't have to, my love, everyone has to die, it's inevitable. The important thing is that I had a great life, and you, you only managed to make it better," a man assured, the lower half of his body disintegrating. He fought back tears, trying to be strong for the love of his life, even if the thought of losing her was enough to break him completely.
In reality, he had already passed, but they hadn't had the chance to say their goodbyes.
"That's not true! I need you, Nicholas!" Sophia pleaded breathlessly.
She wished for another chance to have him in her embrace once again. She'd do anything if it could turn back the clock, even if a small part of her knew that nothing she could say or do could fix anything.
His life had been taken much too soon, and she'd give anything to be with him once more, whatever it took.
The man, or Nicholas, as Sophia called him, placed his hand on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe her tears away.
"Do not cry, my love. Not because of me. You know it pains me to see you like this," he said as the rest of his middle section disintegrated into ashes. Time was ticking.
Sophia sobbed, unable to do anything as she watched the love of her life fade into ashes.
"I'll never love again," she said through sobs.
Nicholas smiled adoringly.
"It's a big world out there, one I was lucky enough to have lived in, with you," he said as his eyes flickered with sadness.
Back in reality, he had lost his life that same morning - on the day that was supposed to be the happiest day of his life.
Sadly, this was their last interaction with each other before they'd be separated for the rest of this lifetime, or so they thought.
Nicholas apologized, the sadness and guilt evident in his voice, "My love, I'm sorry. I won't be able to be there for you anymore."
Sophia shook her head, tears shining.
"This isn't fair, it isn't your fault," she sniffled, before deciding, "I'll wait for you," as she wiped her still-flowing tears.
"As long as it takes, Nicholas," she whispered, watching his shoulder turn into ashes, a sign that time was lessening by the seconds they spent with each other, saying their goodbyes.
This would be the last time they'd ever see each other.
Fate could be so cruel at times, although, for all the memories and times they had shared together, it was all worth it.
The two rather had a few minutes to spend with each other rather than a lifetime with anyone else.
They'd promised not to break each others' hearts, and not to love each other in partial measures. They hadn't known that this meant taking the biggest risk, meaning having to face their worst fear. Losing each other.
Sophia felt trapped, and helpless, the pain she felt numbed compared to the pain she felt losing him and being able to do nothing else but watch as he disappeared from existence.
As if being able to read his lover's thoughts, his lips curved into a sad smile, as he said, "My love, as long as you remember me, and as long as our love stays true, we'll meet again," he whispered, "I'm sure of it."
Through tears, Sophia nodded.
"I'll wait for you, Nicholas, no matter how long it takes."
Truth be told, she was unsure if that was possible, but she decided to trust it would.
The love the two of them shared was unlike any other. It defeated any kind of evil, and couldn't have been compared to any other love shared in the world.
He was her prince charming, and she was his beloved princess. Nothing would ever change that. Their love was true and would last for all of eternity.
Sophia blinked back her tears, determined to stay strong and not to break, knowing he'd be pained if he left with the sight of his wife mourning and grieving him as his last.
She sniffled as Nicholas gently kissed her forehead, his lips feeling similar to that of a gentle breeze.
Holding herself together, she inhaled sharply; yet, once she heard her husband's final words as he was fading from sight, she could no longer hold all her feelings in for any longer.
He said finally before he was no more, "Sophia, I'll love you till the very end of time, even until there's nothing left on this Earth. I'll love you everlastingly, no matter where I am."
Sophia answered, her eyes burning with passion, "I love you."
At those words, all the emotions built up inside her surged through her, breaking free of the cage that was herself, trying to bottle her emotions up.
Her worst fear had finally come true. She had lost the one person she feared losing most.
Sophia wanted to yell. She wanted to drop down, curl up and cry until she couldn't cry anymore.
She wanted him to reappear, for her to be able to embrace him again and be able to bury her face in his clothes, soak in the smell of his cologne once again and tell herself this was all a joke.
She wanted her husband to pull her into a never-ending embrace and tell her that this was just a figment of her imagination, or take her to a paradise where they'd be happy forever and never have to worry about losing each other, but she knew this was all too good to be true. That she was lying to herself.
It took her a while to react and to realize he was gone. Something she'd never accept, seconds before the moment she lost it.
The moments they shared, the moment he had proposed, the moment he had sacrificed himself, making it him instead of her that took the stab to the heart that'd eventually take his life during their own wedding, and how he had chosen to continue finishing his vows instead of getting his injury treated.
The two couldn't peacefully coexist without something drastic happening.
Selfishly, she wished she had been the person killed so that she wouldn't have to bear the pain of losing the person she loved most, even if it'd meant he'd lose her instead. All those emotions came crashing down, turning it into a wave of emotions she couldn't hold back.
She shrieked from the top of her lungs, "NICHOLAS!"
The person that gave her the best memories she'd always remember had become a memory himself.
She couldn't have imagined a world with him gone.
She dropped to the ground, having no strength to stand, her knees no longer functioning as she begged and pleaded on her knees, sobbing crazily as she yelled and screamed for Nicholas to come back.
She cried until she couldn't cry anymore. She had no more reason to live. She had lost her everything. Her whole reason for living was gone. She had turned to a soulless being that had no desire to live because she no longer had any reason to. That reason had died and had brought her heart along with it.
She found it unfair and unjust, how cruel the world was. She hadn't had much time to spend with her newly-wedded husband.
She had felt like the moon without its shining sun or a candle without its flame that always burned bright.
It was then Sophia woke up from her dream-turned-nightmare, that being her very last encounter with the man she loved for this lifetime.
Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, as she sleepily and slowly made her way to her bedroom's balcony that overlooked the mansion's gardens.
She closed her eyes and breathed a deep breath in and out, as she stepped up to the railing, now reminiscing all the happy moments she had with the love of her life, the man who owned her heart.
Right down there - the mansion's garden - was the same spot he had proposed in the very same mansion they had gotten married.
She remembered the celebration, where she was surrounded by the people she loved that had also witnessed Nicholas' untimely death. There was a huge celebration for it, although the day had ended in tragedy and death.
She smiled one last time, eyes still closed as she took a step forward; happy, knowing she'd be able to see him once again.
Right before she took another step, she whispered, "Nicholas, darling, I'm coming," wanting to be reunited with one true love again.