White Frost

Artorias POV:

On the island in a forest walking, my thoughts wondered to what happened a few minutes ago. I was in the room of requirements when I had just thought about a place with all lost items. The room had expanded beyond what I expected; it was the size of about two football fields.

Endless random furniture and dust collected in piles. I came across pretty much anything you could think of, even a toilet. I had entered this room mostly out of curiosity about what I could find, it's a little like a treasure hunt adventure.

I was in here for an hour and didn't find anything that interesting except a small box filled with documents on research into the Obscurus. It had pictures of young kids that had developed into one.

(In case you don't know, small info dump: An Obscurus is a dark and parasitic force created when a young wizard or witch consciously attempts to repress their magical abilities or is forced to do so through physical or psychological abuse.)

There were a lot of notes on failed attempts to cure and not one of them seems to come close to making it better. Instead, some methods would only make it worse. In one of the last dated documents, I concluded that the researcher was becoming desperate.

Ah looks like he had a younger sister that developed into one I thought, as I picked up a small photo of a little girl smiling in a pendant necklace. So that's the motivation… Looking at some of later dated cure attempts I could only shake my head they wear insane.

When I put down the box, dust exploded and a small ripped piece of paper flew out landing on the floor. Picking up the paper I see unfamiliar notes. Strange, how did I miss this? It's just a potion ingredients list. I read Mugwort and Arum. The other ingredients were smudged making it impossible to read.

Under the ingredients, there were extra notes somewhat readable. After reading it I find out he was able to find a cure. Amazing.. to think this was here and I happened upon it. This information the more I think about it I frown. This is extremely dangerous, even though it's missing two ingredients due to the smudges it narrows down things a lot.

Even if I had the complete list, I don't think I would release something like this to the public. There would be severe consequences, just imagining it gave me chills. This is a gold mine for dark wizards, to give young kids brainwashing and trauma to develop an army.

Ultimately I decided to burn the note after memorizing it, it wasn't too difficult with most of the notes smudged and little left to read. I was already there for a long time so I decided to move on, I will think about this another time.

Not long later I could feel a strange feeling. It was like something was pulling me, a strange but familiar energy calling out to me. Getting closer I could feel the pull becoming stronger and I almost tripped on a book as I quickened my pace.

I was led to a wall of random furniture. It seems the pull is coming from the other side of this wall. Thinking of a solution I just step on a small table and channel my gravity powers to float on it like a broom. Floating over the mass of junk I spot the opening on the other side.

Wait a minute… I second-guessed what I was looking at. Huh, why is that there? Looking ahead I see a giant statue made of marble. It looks exactly like Starscourge Radahn from the game Elden Ring.

So is he really my father? What's this strange feeling… like someone is watching me. Looking around there isn't a single soul in sight. When I landed in front of the statue, that's when I felt like someone was directly behind me. Naturally, I turned around, however, there was still no one there.

Am I just being paranoid? Before I could think further I heard the noise you would hear, like a concrete door or lid opening in those dungeon puzzle games. Turning back towards the statue I don't see any movement but I see the statue now has a small opening.

There was an object glowing purple floating in that opening. It looked like a nether star from Minecraft but unpixelated.

| Image Here |

Anyway, that's how I got here back on the island, this item teleported me when I picked it up. I wonder if this is a clue to the source of these portals. Speaking of portals one appeared not too long ago nearby, however, this portal was strange.

Usually, these portals disappear after about five minutes, but this one was here for way longer than that. If I had to guess, it's been about thirty minutes since it opened. It's really testing my patience, I don't want to try and figure out where it leads. I'm already tired of trying to find my way back, after accidentally going through them in the past. I'm not exactly in the situation to get more lost, I should be at Hogwarts right now.

I inwardly sigh looking at unfamiliar two big trees twisting together. It seems I'm in a part of the forest I haven't been to yet, a lot of this is new. Like the huge beautiful lake, completely clear blue as if it was the fountain of youth itself. The wind was soft and not unpleasant, it had a certain warmth to it.

I slumped my back against the rough log. Pulling my hoodie over my head I yawn. Before I know it my eyes close and my body is screaming at me with all the symptoms to sleep. I was up for thirty hours now huh? was my last thought.

Upon waking up, I'm awoken by two squirrels playing in the tree above me. Getting back on my feet half out of it, I rub my eyes to see if I was just seeing things.

The portal moved? And why is it so close to me? Before I could think further about the situation the star in my pocket was making strange sounds and I could see the purple glow through my pants. It's like it was trying to get out, I could feel it move as if it was sentient.

Pulling it out was a mistake, before I knew it the star was taking me with it. Being pulled in mid-air I floated as I held onto the star. Looking forward the last thing I see is the portal five meters in front of me. My last words were. "Why m-"

Unknown Time Later

What felt like only a few seconds later. I still couldn't feel the ground under me, but that didn't last long as I felt myself falling. Shit, this is gonna hurt. I had no time to cast arresto momentum and the adrenaline kicked in fast. When I landed it wasn't what I was expecting, it was soft? And damn this is insanely cold!

Snow? Just great…

I could see the frost around my clothes and jacket built up considerably. I've only been here for a few seconds and I can tell any normal human wouldn't even survive fifteen seconds here before freezing to death. Wait so how am I even alive right now?

Using the warmth charm on myself, I found it only of little help. Well, it's better than nothing at least. Looking around there was nothing to see, there was only white and I had no vision in this snowstorm. Why did it have to be this abnormal snowstorm of all places? At least when I found myself in a desert there was a road nearby. But this… I didn't sign up for this shit.

A little while later walking my toes were already becoming numb. I didn't have very good insulated shoes, so I could only suffer. I thought of a genius plan and started casting incendio in front of me to clear the snow path. However I was left stunned, I expected it to turn into water, but for it to freeze instantly. Like it was freezing the instant it turned into water, so it just became this big ice block. It would take too long if I just tried melting the ice as well so that's out of the question.

Great…

I've tried revelio to no avail, it was a bit disappointing the spell was goated in Hogwarts Legacy. Although it worked on the star in my pocket so there's that. Trying my next idea, I whisper, "Appare Vestigium." A swirl of transparent glintstone dust surrounded me as I expanded it as far as my magic would let me detect. Finding nothing I try my last idea whispering, "Homenum Revelio." To my astonishment, it actually worked. However, it seemed that the person was around hundred-forty yards away from me.

This gives me a little relief as I start heading in that direction. It took about three minutes as I dealt with the icy wind blowing against me. The silhouette of a frozen medieval city stood ahead of me as countless thoughts went through my head.

Why does this seem so familiar? And why is there a city here? Wait, am I even in the same world? If I'm not then how will I ever get back? What's my next step, how do I move forward from here? For now, I just need to survive.

Looking around all I see is an abandoned frozen city abandoned by the world. It's a little sad thinking about the fate of this city. This cold wind should have frozen a normal person in seconds, yet I've been walking in this for ten minutes. Besides that, I can feel my limit coming soon, my whole body is pretty much numb at this point.

I'm almost there. I can feel that person is close by in one of the buildings. And with a fire? I can make it! I have to survive! For the sake of my sister, we only just reunited. It would be a shame to part ways so soon.

My gut feeling is telling me I'm not in the same universe anymore. I feel like a lost little cub trying to find his mother. I was only thirty meters away from the building now. At this point, my body was giving out and was even shouting at me to just give up and embrace death.

A few steps later I wasn't thinking of what someone would usually be thinking in this situation, 'is this how I die?' No, my only thoughts, before I fell, were; what's even the point of all this?

The only thing I found worth living for is helping ease other people's burdens a little, so they won't suffer as much in this cruel world. But is it wrong that I have ruined their chance to overcome something to become stronger, to become wiser? It would look different with people affected by different issues. But the principle should remain the same - How does my help empower people to carry their own loads?

And, most importantly I've learned that boundaries, around my use of money, time, and personal space, are an essential way of managing and focusing the help I give. They help me avoid unhelpful naivety and cynicism. Sometimes it is essential that we enforce boundaries. They model an appropriate form of respect and mutual relationship which can build trust, confidence, and dignity. This is far more helpful and humanizing to those in need than allowing yourself to be used as a doormat.

Ultimately what I've found is that the happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.