The Void Wolf

With little effort, Ira took to the sky while leaving a trail black fire that burned through space, distorting his surroundings as he flew past.

The Entity didn't wait for his arrival and met him head on. The two traded a single strike and the results were clear. The sky was torn open, revealing the Origin Realm.

They said nothing as they both struck each other again, each using nothing but the raw power their forms carried and the space around them ruptured once more, showing a brief tear that exposed the Mortal Realm.

Ira took distance and waved both of his hands, bringing mountain-sized waves of black fire crashing into the Entity.

The Entity swiped its hand and a white line cut through the fire. It charged in directly after and drove it’s shining fist into Ira’s chest. A huge explosion sent him flying through a hole in space, sending his body smashing through the massive towers of ruptured earth that lay on the ground below him. Then, the Entity brought its hands together and fired off a beam of light that split the air, causing space to become stitched together. Different areas of the Divine Realm all began to converge in one area as the spatial storm ripped them away.

Ira raised his arm and it shifted into the form of a wolf’s skull that spread its jaw open and devoured the attack before it puffed up and fired it back. It opened its mouth and a storm-like roar rippled across the air, shooting out a black beam that held a dim glow.

The Entity avoided it but its very nature caused the Divine Realm stress.

Just moments into the fight and a large portion of the realm was already shattered, but neither Ira nor the Entity showed signs of stopping.

The Entity raised both his hands to the sky and pillars of white light began raining down, violently destroying anything it made contact with upon landing. Ira weaved in and out of the towering lights as they attempted to cut him off.

He lowered his body and made hundreds of spatial leaps, leaving a burning trail of unfading afterimages behind. He clawed through the air and black slashes flew toward the Entity who teleported away. The slashes seemed to move according to Ira’s will as they came together and formed a black sphere that began to produce an unstoppable suction force, razing the realm even further.

“Stop!” The Entity roared while making a pulling motion in the air.

Suddenly, the clouds of the Origin Storm began to spiral together, forming iridescent streaks of lightning that struck as Ira. Without even being able to react, he was struck several times and pieces of his body were blasted away.

He vanished into a cloud of black mist once he felt the danger only to reappear near the Tainted Lands, absorbing more of the Void’s influence.

“You do not seem to understand...Or maybe you lack the ability to comprehend it?” The Entity spoke as it descended toward the ruptured ground. “Your life will end here, child.”

It split into ten copies that seemed to be identical to the original.

Ira didn’t reply as he rushed back out but the Entities were far more aggressive than before. A bright fist smashed Ira into the seemingly endless canyon that was formed beneath him. After he plummeted into it, all ten of the Entities fired off attacks that pushed the canyon even further apart leaving a massive gap in the land, one that could never be bridged even by Gods.

The resulting explosion of energy didn’t seem to be enough for the Entity so it moved again, but a dark cloud in shape of a wolf formed came charging out of the divide. It rushed toward the Entities with its jaws open and devoured all ten of them.

“Do not think for a second that you will win this.” The Entity’s voice rang out from all around as it reappeared. “You cannot destroy me, don't you understand?”

It’s hands flickered and the several explosions rang out from inside of the wolf’s body and it began to expand until its body ruptured. Black mist spilled out and then reformed to recreate a humanoid figure.

“I won’t die here.” Ira showed his conviction by attacking again as soon as he finished speaking.

The fight went on, with the Entity showing no fatigue and Ira needing to eat more of the Void’s influence to keep up. The destruction of the Divine Realm seemed imminent with as their clash raged on. There were Gods who hadn’t been killed by Ira or gotten involved with Xandes and they bore witness to a terrifying spectacle. Every being in the Divine Realm fled as the destruction worked its way toward them. As black fire and glowing white light rinsed the earth, the realm grew closer to being completely destroyed.

Each time Ira felt himself in danger, he retreated toward the Tainted Land and gathered himself before attacking again. The stalemate which seemed as if would go on forever came to a slow crawl as the Entity ceased its assault.

“Enough!” The Entity shouted. “You have shown how stubborn you are, child. Now, reap the reward of your effort.”

The origin forces surrounded the Entity as it began to become more unrestrained. Ira’s resistance only increased the danger of leaving him alive. Destroying half of the Divine Realm away in order to be rid of him didn’t appear to be a bad choice in the eyes of the Entity.

It seemed as if another Origin Realm was being created as the Entity summoned the pure energy which served as the source of power for all beings. The clouds gathered together and began to spin, forming a hurricane-like structure with Ira’s remaining patch of Tainted Land serving as the eye of the storm.

The Divine Realm was unable to cope and as a result, space was completely shattered. The boundaries of the Divine Realm and the Mortal Realm were twisted and a raging storm became visible to the inhabitants of both.

…

The Mortal Realm began to experience a series of natural and unnatural disasters as the effects of the battle were transferred over.

The City of the Dark Elf Empire, had been shaken to its core and many gathered in the temple.

Elsewhere, Avery stood, looking out into the dark that began to crack, exposing a strange storm that continued growing.

“Mother.” Raveria grasped Avery’s hand as she also gazed up at the sky.

Her siblings arrived soon after with, Rhys, Kara, Lauren, and Casey appearing soon after.

“Avery, it isn’t safe.” Casey urged her daughter to retreat inside but Avery couldn’t look away.

A spiraling disaster lay far above them and she knew that it could only be the result of Ira’s actions.

“...I know,” She muttered after a few long moments passed. “Let’s return.”

…

Ira was left half kneeling as the recoil began to set in with every fiber of his being screaming for respite, but he gave it no answer.

“Not here...Not now…” Ira reminded himself.

He fought the growing urge that begged him to rest for a single second.

“Witness the spark of creation, child.” The Entity stood as the conductor of the storm that surrounded Ira. “I will show you how the two realms came into existence and with it, you’ll be erased.”

Ira couldn’t even began to comprehend the principles behind two different worlds being made. The Entity sought to reproduce the phenomenon but on a much smaller scale. Either way, the Origin Forces being detonated would be something only the Wolf was likely to survive.

“...Shit.” Ira murmured as he finally returned to his human form.

It seemed as if reality dawned on him as he fell onto the ground in a defeated manner.

“I just wanted...” Ira’s voice was barely a whisper.

Memories and faces he didn’t want to see began to fill his vision. The people he called parents, the ones who sacrificed them in their fall to madness. This time, he didn’t forcefully repress them like he had done many times before. Instead, Ira chose to let them emerge.

“...I just wanted to live.” Ira forced a smile, though his expression seemed...heartbroken and even a little tired. What his parents did to him flashed in his head many times.

An ink-like tear fell from his eye as he stared up at the growing storm.

“Really...that’s all I wanted.”

His desire for power stemmed from the simple wish to remain alive. And time and time again, he was forced to protect that wish and the nature of it began to grow. There were people he wanted to protect in order to ensure they didn’t meet the same fate that he once did.

“...If I let it end here then what will they think of me.” Ira climbed to his feet and looked at the blinding presence that wanted to end him.

As Ira’s gaze grew more intense, black spots began to stain the space around him. They wriggled as if they were alive before gathering together and forming a cloud of dark mist. Ira ignored any consequences of what might happen and channeled more of the Void’s influence than he could withstand. Even with all the divinities, he devoured it still wasn't enough. As long as he continued to keep a physical form he would have a limit.

But he didn’t want to become a being like the Wolf who viewed everything with indifference.

“I’ve decided that I won’t die here.” Ira suppressed the feeling of danger and fear that was slowly filling his chest.

“That is not your choice to make, child.” The Entity replied, bringing the storm to its peak.

Without sharing any more words, the two attacked each other for the final time.

…

If it was viewed from the perspective of an outsider, they would see it was a clash between the forces of good and evil.

A darkness that seemed to go far beyond what could be called the absence of light and a storm of origin forces that inspired feelings of pure awe.

It was the will of two beings with selfish desires clashing together and neither of them could let go.

One, an almost ageless entity that only lived to keep the order of two realms. It observed everything since the very moment it was created and that fostered no other feelings, just a need to maintain what was.

The other, originally a human child like any other who tasted the fear of death and had accepted a chance to live once more. Through that chance, the child witnessed the darkness of the Void that was exponentially older than the entity who watched both realms.

Their fight became an expression of willpower in a way, one that ruptured the sky and obliterated anything that held the misfortune of being caught by it.

As the origin forces and the darkness came together, the two realms silently shook while a permanent scar was left on both.

The display finally ended and there was nothing left except the long rupture that ripped open the space that separated the two realms. Of course, that didn’t mean it could be crossed. Just going near the rupture resulted in death. The fate of the two beings that caused it remained unknown as no signs of a battle resuming appeared.

A peaceful stillness spread over the realms as if both of the realms collectively held their breath.