Sofia was with him on his last day. It was a Sunday in the Fall, a time when branches were starting to go bare and life seemed to hide itself away. When she would think about it later she would find the timing appropriate. The final moment came in the twilight hours before the sun woke. There was no wind and the air stood as still as time seemed to. The peaceful silence that only existed in those pre-dawn hours was precious; she could hear his heartbeat and soft breaths so loud that they seemed to echo in his bedroom chamber.
She sat on the edge of his bed, legs crossed and hunched over, trying to support her head with her arms while digging her elbows into her thighs even harder as the weight of her head grew heavier the more she struggled with the idea of succumbing to his rhythmic breathing. It took all she had to refrain from laying next to him and putting her head on his chest. Her eyelids started to fall when she felt his fingertips brush her arm and was suddenly awake again.
There were no words. Just a silence. He slipped away as they locked eyes. The silence was deafening as she suddenly realized that there were no more tiny gasps for air, no soft breathing, no heartbeat. There was nothing. It was in that moment she first felt true sorrow.
Cedric the Sorcerer was gone.