Loss was an eternal shadow. It had clung to her since her mother’s passing and thickened the moment the light in Caius’s eyes went out. It wouldn’t diffuse with time; it couldn’t be banished with happiness. But it could ease with acceptance, just enough for those still living to bear the passing seasons for however many years they had left in this world. Death was a force that could not be fought, and time was its cunning accomplice. For nothing could prevent death’s claim once it sank its claws, and no amount of time could erase the pain it left behind.
