Silence descended upon the ruined study, heavy and absolute, broken only by the crackle of dying candles and Emilia's shallow, ragged breaths.
She remained on her knees for a long, agonizing moment, cradling her mother's cooling body against her chest. Then, with an eerie, quiet composure, Emilia carefully slipped her arms beneath Talia's back and legs. She rose to her feet, her slender frame trembling under the burden, and carried her mother across the ash-strewn floor.
Slowly, tenderly, she placed Talia down onto her antique wooden chair, arranging her limp hands across her lap and lifting her chin, as if she were merely resting between the pages of an old manuscript. Fresh tears tracked silently down Emilia's flushed cheeks, glistening in the dim amber light. She stood before her mother, gazing down at the peaceful expression carved into her lifeless face.
"...Goodbye, Mother," she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath.
