"You have surmised it correctly," Homura admitted. "She is no longer in this world."

It was a loss she lived with every moment, to know that the only way for her feelings to reach her dearest friend, the person she'd do anything for, had been to never be able to see her or touch her again. In some ways, that simple fact felt lonelier than the life of a puella magi.

Still, she had Madoka's presence to comfort her, even if not in body. And she had a life lived as Madoka would wish her to. And, finally, their hearts had met on equal terms again, knowing and seeing everything, understanding each other.

It was enough. It had to be.