Fear is the one thing they did not try to take from him and the one thing he gave up willingly.
He has spent the past twenty years not merely tempting fate, but brazenly seducing it; not simply knocking on Death's door, but kicking it in.
Now he gazes into brown eyes once clouded with fear, now clear, strong. His creation. His companion. His love.
She is leaving, taking flight on newly formed wings.
"If I had one wish, it would be to see you again, if only once, before the fifth."
His heart pounds. He trembles.
He is afraid.