With that, her fingers slowly lost their strength. Aurelia lay lifelessly in his embrace.
The snow continued to fall in silence, each white flake settling upon her platinum hair as though the heavens themselves had come to mourn her passing.
Reinhardt did not move. He simply held her tighter, afraid that if he loosened his embrace even slightly, the last trace of her warmth would disappear forever.
"..."
No words came.
For the first time in years, the man who had stood before the most powerful of demons without flinching found himself utterly broken. His fingers trembled as they brushed away the strands of hair covering her face.
She looked peaceful, as though she had merely fallen asleep.
"Aurelia."
The name escaped his lips so softly that even the wind nearly carried it away.
There was no reply. There was no gentle smile, no angry glare, no warm affection. Only an unbearable silence and pain.
