Blurb

I go by many names: Richter von Deutschland, Archduke of Germany, Empire's Heart, the Storm Wolf.

I have stood in the corner, not knowing what to think, watching the other wolves play together.

I have sat under the night sky, gazing across the vast sea, feeling the waves splash against my shoes.

I have lain in an endless expanse of silver, letting the snowflakes melt on my nose.

I have hidden in the empty library, tasting the gentlest whispers.

I have grasped the stars in my hands, standing atop a tower with no end.

I have commanded storms, tearing hundreds of massive starships to pieces, bringing a long interplanetary war to an end.

I have wandered through the silent void, finding my place in the world through extreme loneliness.

But... I have not always known what I truly am.

If I close my eyes, the most vivid image that comes to mind is the time I was constantly called a "mutt."

I suppose these are just fragments of many facets.

To clearly explain who I am, I must begin from the very star, or perhaps the end.

So, let me tell you my story...

 Echo: This could be a beginning, and also an end.

My vision was a bit blurred, but I could vaguely see several collapsing spheres of flame and dark red droplets reflecting the flickering firelight, floating around.

It's so cold.

The damp, cold sensation on my skin made me certain that I had lost enough blood to soak almost all of my fur. Bit by bit, it continued to flow slowly but steadily.

Is there anyone here?

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

I tried to move or speak, but quickly realized I was too weak to accomplish either.

It's just me.

Suddenly, I reflexively started coughing, but even this final dying instinct sounded so powerless. I was about to choke on my own blood.

Is this what the end looks like?

The burning sensation in my lungs did not lessen, but I could no longer even maintain basic reflexes, resigning myself to the sound of my own labored breathing. As my body relaxed again, I decided to let everything go, to drift freely in the eternal void, and not continue to struggle in vain. After all, I had fought so hard all my life, but it seemed I had never truly accomplished anything significant, except for satisfying my childish whims.

In the end, I was still alone.

But at that moment, there seemed to be a sound coming from a very distant place. What was it? It seemed to be calling someone... Who? That was... my name. The name bestowed upon me amid shame and disdain, why does it sound so... so...

"...Richter!" he called out hoarsely, but to me, it sounded like a distant echo from the other end of the universe.

Oh, you're still here. I thought I had abandoned you too.

This was probably just my imagination or some kind of near-death hallucination, but I seemed to feel the most genuine warmth and the most fervent emotions from his embrace.

My mind cleared a bit, and a warm current surged through my body, like an untamed, roaring tide, demanding reality to submit to its will. He was trying to heal me... What an incredible power, to defy death and deny causality with sheer persistence.

I couldn't help but smile wryly, thinking about how countless people feared and cursed me under the title "Storm Wolf," and how I had once been compared to a star in strength... Have you ever heard the roar of a black hole?

I took a breath to steady myself, but then a pain that felt like it was tearing all my organs apart surged through me, turning the warm current into scalding plasma, making me boil from the inside.

I didn't hear my own screams, only the lingering echoes moaning in the void.

"Didn't I tell you..." I said, panting and avoiding large movements, "...not to mess around without professional knowledge?" I forced a smile, not wanting to blame him too harshly, and swallowed back the blood rising in my throat, suppressing the accompanying pain and spasms.

He murmured something like an apology, but I couldn't hear it clearly, just as I could no longer see him clearly. But I knew I would never forget this face... and the details of this face that only appeared during our moments alone.

As the energy flow disappeared, I quickly felt the last warmth of my life continue to drain from my broken body, drifting me inevitably toward the end.

In the final moment, what should I say as a farewell?

Or should I use this remaining strength for a farewell?

Am I doing this to comfort him, or to comfort myself?

I had come so far, overcome so many challenges and difficulties, and yet my pride still refused to let go?

I had made so many mistakes, made so many people cry, only to disappoint more people, wasn't that enough?

With blurred vision, I met Luther's brown eyes. He might have been crying, but I didn't see disappointment. What I saw was... my own blue eyes looking back at me, like a pale blue dot in the vast darkness of space.

That reminded me of many things.

"Time is running out," I said, mustering all my remaining strength, knowing this was the last time I would expand my mind. "There are still many things to do." I tried to laugh lightly, closing my eyes to save a bit of energy. After all, I couldn't see anymore.

He responded with a gentle squeeze of my hand, understanding my meaning, and expanded his mind, accepting me.

I was grateful to be fully aware that at this moment, I was not alone.

Our minds fused, the endless void of the universe contracted to a single point, and then, with a brilliance that existed only at the dawn of the world, all the deepest cries of the soul blossomed.