I'm the void

As Anezka spoke, the wolf shook his head and said, "I don't know. Akari had starburst eyes because she was blind. You resemble her, but a few of your features are different from hers. Your question can only be answered by Queen Azara."

Anezka sighed as she looked toward the wolf. "How can I even ask her when she doesn't exist?" As she finished her sentence, a wave of cold wind swept through the room, causing the curtains on the balcony to billow.

Anezka shivered as she heard a booming voice in the gloomy chamber. "And why do you think I don't exist?" Startled, Anezka searched in every direction for the source of the voice, but there was no one there except for her and her pet, which made her feel a little scared.

"Who is there?" she asked hesitantly, addressing the invisible source of the voice. In response, she heard a malicious laugh. "I'm your owner and the ruler of the Kingdom of Corbin."

Cold sweat began to drip down Anezka's forehead as she anxiously asked, "Queen Azara? But why aren't you showing up? It's scary to talk with the void." She forced an awkward laugh, trying her best not to appear like a weak human who got scared easily.

As she spoke, she felt someone lifting her head forcefully. The cold sensation around her jaw made her shiver as she heard a wicked, dark voice say, "I am the void, the void that will fill your life with such vile despair that you will question your very existence." Hearing this, Anezka felt a pang of hurt, and the pressure on her chin caused her to tear up a little.

The moment a tear fell from her eye, she felt the grip around her chin loosen. Again, she heard the invisible voice speaking. As she tried to navigate the source of the voice, she realized it was coming from the door of the chamber. Turning to face the door, she saw no one there but heard the voice say, "Have your meal and rest. Don't dare to leave this chamber unless you want your clueless existence to perish." Once Azara finished speaking, she left the chamber, making the cold room feel warm again.

Once Anezka felt completely alone in the chamber because when the invisible voice of Azara was present, the room's temperature dropped to a frigid cold. Now that Azara had left, Anezka noticed that the temperature in the room had returned to the warm state it had been in when she first arrived.

She saw two trays of food placed on the table: one with raw meat, which she assumed was for her pet, and another with soup and bread, which she figured was for herself. She sighed and gestured to her pet, saying, "Come, let's have our meal."

Anezka sat on the bed and began eating her bread and soup while her pet sat on the floor, enjoying his raw meat. As he chewed, he looked up at her and asked, "You really couldn't see Queen Azara?" In response, Anezka shook her head while sipping a spoonful of soup and asked, "Were you able to see her?"

The wolf replied with a simple "yes" as he continued to devour his meal. Anezka, however, was bewildered and had confusion swirling in her mind. She asked him, "Why can only you see her and not me? And how can you eat and still talk?" The wolf looked up at her and laughed.

"About Queen Azara, I don't know. Probably next time she comes, you could ask her to show herself to you? and I can talk, but only to the people I choose, and I communicate through a mind link, not with my voice. Am I making sense? I'm not very good at explaining." Hearing his explanation, Anezka became even more confused as she tried to connect the dots and understand.

Anezka set her plate of food aside and looked intently at her pet. "So, you mean to say that you don't talk normally like us, but your brain can communicate with mine? That's how I hear your voice in my head? What even are you? A wolf with an extraordinary brain? Does your species have a name?" The wolf stared at her for several moments, amused by Anezka's unusual way of trying to understand his words. "Oh, dear, your highness, you weren't this weird and clueless before. How am I going to live with you?"

Anezka folded her arms, looking a bit offended. "Hey, pet! Don't mock your master. I'm not weird—maybe a little clueless, but not weird, okay?" Wolf laughed at her childish behavior and replied, "Alright, Your Highness, I apologize. But I do have a name, and you hurt my feelings by calling me 'pet.'"

"Oh, I know your former name. It used to be Rune, right? But that was Akari's Rune. Now you're Anezka's, so I'll give you another name if you don't mind," Anezka said while rubbing her earlobe, a habit she had whenever she felt flustered.

"Yes, I was Rune, and I would be happy if you give me another name," the wolf replied as he finished his meal and sat up properly on the floor, facing Anezka, who was sitting on the bed. "Yes! Great! Now, umm... what should I name you?" Anezka pondered aloud, her gaze fixed on her pet.

After a moment, she suggested, "How about Haru?" As she got up from the bed and walked towards the wolf, she sat down in front of him and explained, "Haru means joy and spring, and you're my spring." She smiled brightly at her pet.

The white wolf with blue eyes, who held many secrets of being Akari's rune, never thought he would be anything other than a loyal pet and a keeper of his master's secrets. However, hearing Anezka call him Haru, meaning "spring," made him incredibly happy—so happy that he teared up.

Anezka was petting his head when she saw Haru crying silently. Blue tears flowed from his sapphire eyes, which made her panic as she asked, "Oh God? Are you okay? You aren't happy with the name?"

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"All sins are attempts to fill voids."

- By Simone Weil