8 - Aegri somnia vana

They slowly drifted asleep under the stars. The night air was cool and pleasant, and the gentle light of the sky highlighted the outline of their joined figures. The breeze sent little shivers down their bodies as it chilled the thin layer of sweat on their skin, which made them look like they were coated in an ethereal sheen. He felt the goosebumps on her skin, and gently rolled to the side to envelop her. They were happy, and relaxed, finally at home with each other.

Lunora’s little body was resting comfortably in the cradle he had made with his own bigger body, and she was snugly pressed against his bare skin. He felt her skin grow smooth once again as she heated up inside the little nest. Her gentle curves seemed to melt with the night atmosphere, and her modest breasts rested onto his stomach. He opened his eyes, taking in the beautiful sight in front of him, the spectacle of life and love that was the woman resting so close to him. He loved her so much, and yet never really realized it until now. He was so happy she made the first step, because he feared he would have never done it otherwise. And such happiness, such joy and such emotions would have been locked away from him forever. She was so perfect he wanted to lose himself in the sight of her. Not only of her body, but of her whole being. Her perfect, tiny body was just the shell that contained the real gem inside, and he knew it. She barely reached his chest in height, and looked small and fragile. But on the inside he always saw a will to live, a fierce fire and a vitality that made her who she was. She didn’t talk much, but neither did he, and it was fine. They didn’t need to talk in order to understand each other. It was like they were made to be together. And finally destiny had brought them together, and he would defend their happiness together with everything he had. Nothing would ever take it away from him.

Fenrir looked up at the sky and watched the spectacle of light before his eyes. He could feel the little elf’s face resting on his chest, the heat radiating from her body and her heart pulsing rhythmically. She was sleeping like a little angel that had come only for him, even though it was him who had literally fallen from the sky. She was clearly exhausted and had quickly fallen asleep while still on top of him, and he didn’t dare disturb her sacred sleep. He still could not believe what happened. He had never thought she could harbor such sentiments for him, and had already resigned himself to only being a side role in her life. It was her who was going to be the most important person for him, but he never thought it could also be the other way around.

Still, the thought filled him with joy. There still was the part of his mind that felt guilty, that felt that he didn’t deserve happiness for what he did. But he shut it up. He crushed those thoughts before they could ruin his little happy moment. He won’t let them. He was here, together with the woman he loved. They had confessed their feelings for each other, and accepted each other deeply and intimately. He had even managed to disable the system and its messages, so that they wouldn’t spoil the moment. And it was worth it. He felt like he was living in a fairy tale, in a romantic moment straight out of a cheesy movie. And it felt good.

He closed his eyes and slowly he felt his consciousness fade into Morpheus’ arms. There was a smile on his face, a relaxed and tranquil smile he was wearing now for what felt like the first time in his entire life. He was truly happy. He wished this moment could last forever… no, that many more moments like this would follow. That his life could be finally happy with her.

He was jolted awake by a tremor. The wooden boards of the floor creaked, the air stiffened and became pungent and sharp. There was a terrible sound, like metal being torn apart and twisted horribly. His eyes snapped open, and his hand instinctively reached for Lunora. She was still here with him, inside the small cradle he had made with his own body. She had one eye open, and was looking around in confusion. Their eyes met, and she smiled gently for a moment. He returned her smile, then focused on what was happening around them. He felt his cheeks flush as he realized that he had been her first thought as she woke up, just like she had been his first thought. They were still on top of the treehouse, and it was still late night. But there were no stars in the sky, instead what looked like a deep black void had opened on top of them. It was roughly circular in shape, with ragged edges enveloped in a mist that shone deep emerald. Another sound came shortly after, a high pitch buzz like electricity charging. He felt his jade pendant, the little green stone that was Lunora’s first gift to him, grow warm and electric against his skin. He braced for something to happen, and quickly went to hold the elf tightly. Whatever was happening, he wouldn't let it harm her. Even if it cost him his life.

The sky began glowing bright red, the light radiating from a point infinitely deep within the dark portal that had opened above their heads. Something was coming from inside it, something terribly powerful and destructive, his senses told him. It was something akin to a premonition, a sixth sense that he had developed in all the years he had served as a captain. It happened when his mind processed information faster than his consciousness could handle them. And it was rarely wrong. If it was telling him something bad was about to happen, then he better prepare for the worst.

He scrambled to activate the system interface once more, dismissed all the old notifications and tried to use it to gauge the surroundings.

[Anomalous situation detected. Granting temporary permissions.]

[Overriding...]

He felt his pendant grow hotter and hotter against his skin, almost to the point of burning it. It changed color, turning to orange then white. Lunora was still between his arms, protectively curled into a small ball, shaking. She probably had no idea what was happening, just like him. She had felt his distress and was standing as still as she could, but no doubt all the tension that was leaking from him had reached her.

Still, the situation was beginning to look dire. Whatever that thing in the sky was, it seemed like it was done charging and was about to fire. And so it did. A red beam of pure energy descended from the heavens like god’s judgement, right on top of their heads. The beam traversed the distance insanely fast, thick as the tree itself, until it was about to strike them.

Then everything changed. He looked around, confused, until he recognised the familiar angular shapes and metal constructs. He was back at the ship, right in the place where he had almost died. It felt like ages ago, so far back that he had almost forgotten about that. He had been so happy he had relegated those memories in the darkest corners of his memory. Only the voices that haunted him, the vestiges of those events, were still roaming his mind freely. He could feel them even now. He crushed them. This was an emergency, there was no time for panic. He was trained for this.

He looked down at the jade. It was gone, and in its place a small pile of ash was left. It slid down his skin, marking it white with the chalky powder until it too disappeared. Its power spent forever in order to save him.

Wait. He mentally cursed. If the jade had transported him, then it meant that Lunora was still at the tree. He imagined the tree splitting and exploding under the fiery rage of that beam. He had seen similar weapons in simulations, and he knew how much power a beam like that could deliver. He imagined the fire raging and surrounding the little defenseless girl as she screamed for help. As she looked for him but found him missing from right under her nose. He could see and feel her tears and her sorrow consuming her from inside as the fire consumed her from the outside.

No, no, no. His mind was becoming a mess. He felt the red mist rise in his mind, the anger and ire take hold of his consciousness. He would kill whoever did this. He would track them at the ends of the world and make them pay with blood for what they’ve done.

Then he heard a soft moan coming from behind one of the bridge consoles of the Defiant. It was her voice. His mind cleared. His focus returned. He scrambled to his feet and ran towards her, grabbed her and hugged her tightly. He cried as he held her, and then kissed her passionately for minutes. She too was crying as they kissed, and was pressing her lips violently onto his. They had seen death in the eye, and both thought they would die alone. Now that they were alive and together their desire for each other was a million times stronger. She kissed him even more violently, all the adrenaline in her body had made her movements shaky and powerful. She began tearing open his clothes, and removing her own.

Fenrir was staring, inebriated, at her naked figure. But then, from the broken window that once was the main screen of the spaceship he was a gigantic mushroom cloud. The window was several meters above the ground level, and two thirds of the way to the top of the spaceship. This meant that the bulk of the ship was now buried deep underground. But that wasn’t the matter right now. It was high enough from the ground, and far enough from the edge of the forest to allow him to see what was happening in the distance.

The naked silhouette of the elf was shining bright orange, the light coming in from behind her as the ominous cloud expanded and bloated until it occupied a good portion of the sky. It was like witnessing a nuclear explosion. He had seen nuclear explosions, in the holo-tapes recorded from orbit during the third world war. He knew what kind of devastation those clouds meant. He remembered the sight of earth, perpetually covered by brown clouds, beneath his feet from his room on the orbital ring. The promise of a paradise long gone, just a few kilometers below him. Every day of his life he had watched, and he had hoped. One day he found himself on this planet, and finally felt that his hopes and desires were answered. He had seen the green, felt the fresh air and the smell of life. But now he was witnessing death once again.

“Oh shit.” the words escaped his lips, and Lunora turned around to see what was happening behind her. Her naked body was perfect in its proportions, her skin smooth and clean, a thin layer of sweat was covering her and evaporating in little clouds of vapor above her. It reflected the orange light in a shine that would make even mountains bow down to her perfection. Fenrir had to fight the urge to stare at her with his mouth open, because he knew what he had to do.

“What is that? It’s coming from the village!” She said, her voice breaking down in a panic. She didn’t even notice that she was standing beside the broken window naked, she was staring wide eyed and immobile at the rapidly evolving cloud.

“It’s bad news, my love.” he said, cringing at his way with the words. He had never experienced love, and had no idea how to call her now that they confessed their feelings. He was pretty sure they were together, but now what? He silenced these thoughts and let his battle hardened instincts as a captain of a spaceship take action. Now it was the time to act, not to feel. That would come later. Almost like switching personality, his captain mind began to work possible courses of action. “I know what you are thinking, but you must fight the panic and help me if we want to survive.”

She didn’t move. Instead she looked out of the window, the orange light making her tears into bright jewels of sorrow. Fenrir placed himself in front of her, cutting her view of the outside with his massive body.

“Hey, come here.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, then hugged her, trying to make her feel safe. “I need your help.”

She shook her head violently, and the action seemed to restore some kind of clarity to her mind. There was a fire in her eyes now, a determination and a will so powerful it would split entire planets. She was angry now. And she wanted to survive. “What do I need to do?”