⛧Nimbus⛧

Copia sat silently in the darkness of the Ministry library, only the flickering flame of a candle illuminating the ancient scrolls in front of him. The silence was almost eerie; even the distant laughter of the ghouls down the hall had died down. He squinted at the text, the individual letters bleeding into unintelligible smudges. Taking a shaky breath, he rubbed at his tired eyes in a vain attempt to force himself to concentrate. His mind refused to cooperate, and so he leaned back in his chair, away from the warm candlelight that seemed to be dying out anyway. His face was soon enveloped by seemingly eternal darkness, his mind beginning to wander.

♪♫ don't you forget about dying ♫♪ He hasn't had the time to think in days. He busied himself with the preparations for his mother's memorial, there was so much to do and take care of that he barely had the time to sleep. While they tried, the ghouls weren't of much help, and he couldn't blame them. How were they supposed to know of such human procedures and how they worked? His responsibilities didn't give him the chance to grieve his loss. But now that he was alone with his own thoughts, the familiar ache in his chest made itself known with such force that it nearly knocked the air out of his lungs.

♪♫ don't you forget about your friend death ♫♪ Perhaps if he wasn't so self-centered and worried about his own fate, he would've noticed what was going on, and then he could have at least tried to find a solution to Sister's condition, whatever it might have been. And if it turned out that not even him could help her, at least he could have been there for her in her final moments. The guilt hit him like a freight train and hot, bitter tears welled up in his eyes. What kind of a son was he to leave his mother die alone, surrounded by strangers instead of the last living member of her family?

♪♫ don't you forget that you will die ♫♪ As he sat there, simmering in his own pain and guilt and with tears silently rolling down his cheeks, a thought crossed his mind, one that he had never expected to even consider.