“Empty…”That was Siegfried’s first thought when he regained consciousness. A flat and empty expanse of white lay before him. Completely white all around, no obstructions. He slowly tried to remember what happened to him.

“Dad…Mom…” An indescribable feeling lay within his chest. Siegfried was raised not knowing pain, much to his Mother’s and Father’s efforts. Anytime he was hurt or upset magic was used to erase his memories, sheltering him from reality. Siegfried didn’t have an actual way to express negative emotions, for seven years, as he was raised ignorant to pain and negative emotions. Betrayal was an unknown concept to him.

“Dad…Mom…” This time his words contained more a feeling unknown to him. Siegfried examined his body; Four small black wolves decorated his hands, his chest contained strange black writing. Surprisingly, his wounds were gone.

“Dad…Mom…” Siegfried grew tense as he experienced something he hadn’t felt before. Memories replayed in his head; Being hurt, confused, and seeing the smiles on his parents face as he died. Why did they do that to him? Was the question that filled his head.

“Child.” A deep voice with an indifferent tone rang out, instantly catching his attention. Though those strange feelings polluted his mind.

“Who’s there?!” As Siegfried looked around his eyes fell on a gigantic dark silhouette of a wolf. It was at least 1000 feet tall. Its body was expelling dark mist yet it gave the impression it was solid. Huge yellow eyes stared at Siegfried.

“They are dead, child.”

“Dead?”Siegfried felt a sense of incongruity in his heart.

“Did they feel what I felt?” Siegfried asked the silhouette in front of him.

“I would assume so.” The hazy silhouette responded.

“...” Siegfried only responded with silence. Happy? Sad? Angry? There was a sense of unfamiliarity, he didn't know how to feel. Two streams of tears fell silently as he became rooted in place. After remaining quiet for a few moments, he asked a question,“…Who are you?”

“…I am …”The Wolf paused for a time then continued. “Nothing.”

"Nothing?" Siegfried repeated the wolf. The Wolf closed its eyes for a second, before opening them again. A strand of pitch black mist flew towards his head, inserting itself into his skull.

“Ah!” Siegfried felt momentarily uncomfortable but began recalling things he never learned. The world he lived in was called Milneria, which was separate from the plane of existence Gods lived on. It was filled with many different races, but Humans were the most numerous race. Most races could practice magic or other skills, and the races who could rise to the pinnacle could become beyond powerful, though it was beyond rare for it to occur. Experiences of different lives intertwined in his head, but they seemed to flow smoothly. It went beyond common knowledge and showed him a wealth of different experiences. People lived and People died, but nothing really changes.

A scene appeared in his mind as if he were there to spectate it.

Crowds of people...No, armies of people of different races, Humans, Elves, Dark Elves, and a few more. They met on a flat plain, hostility, tension, anger, and fear all mixed together in the air, almost becoming palpable. Leaders dressed in Grand Armor gave speeches on each side, in response, the soldiers cheered. The crowds rushed at each other shouting, screaming, cursing. They crashed together forming a tide of violence where their differences became indistinguishable.

The scene faded away, and Siegfried was met with a very different one.

It was a harsh winter, so harsh the cold seem to dig into the skin of anyone exposed to the wind. A man dressed in torn clothes kissed his wife and son on the forehead before departing from one of the many run down shacks among a sea of similar shacks. He followed a narrow street until he neared an upscale area. From there, he took his place among a crowd of people dressed in identical rags to his own. They yelled angrily in front of a wall of guards. They called out the Lord for living lavishly while his people starved. Their demands weren’t much, most just begged for bread, just enough to feed their children. Meanwhile, the Lord watched them as if they were ants, after refusing to tolerate any more insults, he ordered the guards to attack. The men, afraid of offending their Lord complied and charged into the crowd. They cut down defenseless men while the Lord watched on with an expression colder than the frigid winds that blew. The man who kissed his wife and son goodbye was among those who died.

That scene soon faded and was replaced with the same Lord who ordered the massacre. He was far older than before and was kneeling with ropes tied around his hands. Not just him, but his entire family. They were lined up on a wooden platform, being displayed to a crowd. A young man dressed in leather armor listed his crimes. That young man’s father was one of the people who begged the Lord for food and in turn were slaughtered. His mother died not too long after that, as they struggled through the winter. The same young man harbored a grudge and inspired a rebellion, and after capturing the Lord and his family they staged an execution. The Lord begged for them to let go of his family since he was the only guilty one, but the crowd’s fury couldn’t be extinguished with one death. So they executed them all. The scene once again faded.

Finally, Siegfried came to understand how he met his own end. His parents stumbled on an ancient book in a ruin, it contained confusing yet profound knowledge. His Mother and Father gathered members of their family to take part in the ritual. They then left the management of their house to their “son,” another child who looked similar to Siegfried’s parents, while they took Siegfried away. Even with all their efforts, they only deciphered a small fraction of one ritual, to raise a pure vessel which would allow communication with a God. His parents assumed the vessel was being raised for a sacrifice after failing to understand the rest of the ritual.

The experiences he received made it apparent that death was part of life. Innocent or guilty, they all ended up dead in the end. Thus he accepted the belief that killing was natural, that it was part of the world. In all those experiences, some people seemed to love it, others seemed to show reluctance and even detest it, but in the end, a majority of them carried through with it.

“I see,” Siegfried said solemnly, as he absorbed his new-found knowledge. Where would he go from here? Unknowingly, he lost the bearing of a child after witnessing those events. He began to desire something to help prevent the strange feeling of being cast out by the ones you love.

“A blessing...Can you...give me a blessing?” Siegfried asked. The knowledge in his head detailed such things, blessings gave strength to people.

“It's not something mortals can handle, but if you still wish to receive it can be done.”

“I still want one.” Siegfried didn’t give up, he stared at the Wolf, desperation apparent in his eyes.

“Child…” The Wolf said solemnly. Staring back at the boy.

“I don’t want that to happen to me again." Siegfried obviously meant his own ritualistic sacrifice. He wasn't deterred by the ominous words the Wolf said to him, in his mind anything that could prevent a similar event from occurring was more than good enough. The Wolf closed his eyes, giving the impression of contemplation.

"Make no mistake, My blessing won't grant you the power you wish for. It's similar to a key, and with it, you'll have a chance to grab power for yourself. "

“…I’m ready.” Siegfried swallowed his fear, not knowing the trial which awaited him.

“Are you sure?" The Wolf spoke with his eyes still closed.

Siegfried nodded his head in acceptance, taking a deep breath.

“Then we start.” The Wolf’s eyes opened and a black doorway appeared in front of Siegfried. The doorway was of normal size, yet it was a completely black space. Wisps of black mist leaked out giving an eerie impression, they were like long strands of hair and almost looked as if they were alive.

A wisp of black mist shot from Wolf’s body into Siegfried’s left hand.

“You’ve received my blessing, now you are allowed to enter..”

“…What's inside?” Siegfried asked fearfully. The darkness seemed hungry as if it were alive. Siegfried felt as if he going to get devoured should he enter the doorway.

“Nothing.” The Wolf answered, offering no further explanation.

Siegfried clenched his teeth, and walked through, stepping into the doorway losing his senses. The doorway disappeared along with Siegfried. The Wolf stared for a while before also disappearing.

Siegfried couldn’t see nor could he feel anything. It felt as though he wasn't real. He began feeling a burning pain, the intensity increased rapidly, it was as if his skin was being peeled layer by layer. Then it went deeper, deeper than flesh, his very soul felt as if it was being peeled.

“….” He wanted to scream yet no noise came out, being deprived of all his senses gave him a feeling of utter terror. His mind too preoccupied with fear and pain to think. The pain stopped after an unknown amount of time.

Maybe minutes? Maybe years? Siegfried had no way of knowing.

………………………………………..

“who...are…you…?”

A guttural and distorted voice rang out, it caused Siegfried to feel more fear than previously.

‘Who is it?’

Siegfried couldn’t tell if it was in his head or in the darkness and causing him to panic. If someone could see his face they would find it was distorted with pure fear.

“….” Siegfried opened his mouth to speak, no words came out, even if they did, he could no longer recall his name.

“I…will…give...you...a...new...name...”The voice continued speaking as if it was unaware of the soul-shaking dread it caused.

“….”

Siegfried tried to respond but he seemed to have forgotten the feeling of his own body.

“Ira…”The voice spoke again.

‘My name is…Ira?’ Siegfried thought to himself.

“Now...why...are...you...here?”

‘Why am I here? Why am I…here?’

The voice didn’t respond as if allowing him to think. Siegfried tried to recall, but couldn’t remember. It felt as his moments ago he arrived, yet somehow felt like he’s been here forever as if this was always his life. Floating between life and death.

‘To stop it from happening again…’ Siegfried answered after an unknown amount of time.

“Why?”The voice asked another question.

Siegfried took less time to think as the answer came straight to him, ‘It scares me.It scares me more than anything.’

“Then...I’ll...Help...You.” Siegfried trusted this strange voice. He relaxed his mind, slowly letting go. He began to feel his consciousness fade, he tried to ask the voice a question, while he still was aware.

‘Who are you?’

“Nothing.”

From then on, Siegfried as a whole ceased to exist. The ego of a fragile child was fractured into pieces and reconnected with a savageness that wasn’t originally there. Days passed. Months passed. Years passed. The Ego created from different pieces grew. The adolescent misgivings were erased and something broken replaced it. In the place of the former child-like naivete was a distorted innocence.

……………………………………………….

“Empty…” That was the boy’s first thought when he regained consciousness. A flat an empty expanse of nothing lay before him. Complete white all around, no obstructions. He slowly tried to remember what happened to him.

“Boy…Do you know who you are?” The boy stayed silent slowly contemplating. He examined his body, he was stark naked, he was about 5’9" his body was completely clean, with the exception of a black sigil detailing four wolves, on his left hand.

He eventually turned around to see a silhouette, resembling a wolf made of black mist, measuring at least 1000 feet tall. Its eyes completely yellow giving off a faint glow.

“I…am…” A light flashed through the boy's yellow eyes. As he began laughing, A wolfish grin and pure white teeth shone.“…Ira. My name is Ira.” He remembered the name Siegfried clearly, but he would never use it again.

The Wolf closed his eyes as if he was in thought. “You failed to remain whole, but you've survived.”

The Wolf paused briefly, opening his eyes again. “So be it. I shall return you to the mortal world, Ira.”

Ira held his chin with his hand, contemplating. “…Wait! The book! I would like the book please!” Ira smiled exposing his teeth, as he held out his hand. An expression of pure self-satisfaction on his face.

“Do you know what it is?” The Wolf asked him with an ever so slightly interested tone.

“Not…exactly…."

The Wolf gazed at him before black mist extended forward giving him the book, “You may find some things of use if you can understand it.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out eventually,” Ira said as he grabbed the book. He examined the 4 wolves on the front, then waved his left hand, making the book disappear.

“Are you familiar with the power of the void?” The Wolf asked, its tone resuming indifference.

“I know a little bit, but the rest will come to me slowly.” Ira then looked at the Wolf expectantly,“Whelp, I’m ready to go.”

The Wolf didn’t respond, as the mist began rising around Ira. Ira stared ahead waving at the Wolf, a grin on his face. He soon disappeared.

"...It’s familiar." The Wolf closed his eyes before vanishing, leaving an empty white space.

…………………………………………………

Whoosh!

Just outside a petrified forest a boy, 16 years of age, appeared from nowhere. The boy measured 5'9". He had a handsome face with soft features that enhanced his youth, black hair touching his shoulders, bright yellow eyes, wheat colored skin, and pure white teeth. His grin gave off the impression of a wolf, yet held a wild charm. The only problem would be that this boy was completely naked. His grin receded and his face became deadly serious.

“I…” He paused, as the atmosphere around him grew colder, “I need some damn clothes!”

He laughed loudly and began walking away from the black forest, sending a single glance behind him, before he turned and continued walking.

……………………………………………………..