Riftan slowly blinked. When the mist lifted, he saw a woman standing in the wind, her hair blowing like flickering flames. A halo of light revealed a pale face with cheeks rosy from the cold. He groaned as something lurched in his chest. His whole body trembled with frustration, despair, and resignation. It was always her. If one were to peer into the deepest depths of his heart, there she would be.
