I am so happy and pleased beyond words that I was chosen to be a part of the Emmrich Volkarin fan calender for next year, organized by "The Fade" Discord Server! 😭

The illustration goes with the wonderful words of my collab partner, Palenecromaniac.

***
Emmrich had found a place for roots and blossoms. Delicate, vibrant, fragile beauty that he could love even after his death. His anointed, bony hands tenderly touched a flower growing at his feet. From the feathery, drooping calyxes of soft pink, drops of morning dew fell, crystal-clear and cold. The face of the rising sun remained hidden behind a wall of rising mist, but its radiance bathed Emmrich's entire surroundings in a bright, milky-yellow haze. He came to a halt amidst the flowers, standing perfectly still like only a corpse could; but this place was so alive that the impulse to breathe almost returned.

A feeling, even more touching and beautiful than the sight of the most precious blossom, tingled within him. He couldn't feel it on his skin like he used to, when a pleasant shiver of goosebumps had overcome him. But he still felt it deep inside, in all grace and absolute bliss: the love of his life, transcended into holiness after his transition, was approaching him.

You are the brightest star that no one else sees, that heaven, eternity and soul are for me, he greeted Rook. They reached Emmrich and kissed him full of love. My dearest, what have you come for?

For…ever, Rook replied, letting go of their glamour, revealing their undying beauty before him. Emmrich smiled not with lips, but with his soul.

None shall mourn, for we are reborn. Your love is for what I fell, now amongst the flowers forever we dwell.