AN: I've been extremely inactive. Oops! But, I have finally lain Magneto to rest. It's short, but I feel it does the former villain a service.
AN2: I'm not Jewish, so I had to do a bit of research – please, don't heckle me for it.
The End of a Legacy
The sky was awash with various shades of grey, with brief breaks as rays of light penetrated the dense cloud. There was a heaviness in the air, accompanying the dampness of a coming storm. Usually picturesque, the virescent hues of the Xavier Mansion's lands were muted to the point of dullness. It had come as a shock, as swift as lightning's rapid flame through the night. Erik Lehnsherr, one of the world's most powerful mutants, had succumbed to his age and injuries. Nobody had thought it possible; a survivor of the Holocaust and once the greatest enemy of the X-Men, Magneto had been an invincible force among mutants.
And now, having died a hero, he had been reunited with the souls of his parents.
The magnitude of despair radiated across Winchester, and the Mansion was the epicentre. A closed pine casket stood on an elevated platform, surrounded by mourners in the gardens: black clothes, black ribbons, waxy faces and puffed red eyes. An assortment of flowers covered the top of the simple casket, each one significant to the mourners for how they would remember their former adversary and friend. King protea for his transformation in later his last years; hydrangeas for the heartfelt gratitude of his students; gladiolus for the strength of his character. Erik had repented for his terrorist acts and racism towards humanity – his complexity never faded, but he had transformed into an avid teacher of strength and pride in oneself.
Approaching the casket, Xavier placed three roses atop the mountain of flowers: yellow, pink and orange rose. Friendship, admiration and gratitude, passion. Turning to face the collected mutants, the telepath cleared his throat as he prepared to lead the tribute to his oldest friend.
"Today," he began, "we bid farewell to a friend. Our relationship was difficult to define for a few decades, but I have always considered him to be my brother. Despite our differing methods and ideologies, we both wish for a world were mutants were no longer oppressed. I have admired him for decades and will continue to do until my own death. Goodbye, my brother."
