Laughing in the Face of Death

Zane stood in bewilderment for several moments. Death herself was clinging to him tightly while calling him her son. It was a surreal moment, one straight out of fantasy. But on a deeply instinctual level, Zane also could not deny its truth.

The woman's embrace was comforting, and full of maternal warmth. In a way that Zane had never personally experienced growing up, but knew all too well from the way normal people had often described their relationships with their mothers.

There was an urge to cry on his part. It was, after all, a grim and somber reunion between a mother and son, who had been separated their entire lives through no fault of their own. And yet no tears fell from Zane's eyes.

Not because he could no longer produce them, but because he bottled up the myriad of complicated emotions which he currently was struggling to comprehend. Forcing himself to remain stoic as he tried his best to maintain his composure.