3: Atlas III

"Footwork, Atlas! Footwork!" Cygnus' voice came in delighted exclamations and instructions as I went through the motions he'd shown me.

"It all comes back to footwork, good chum! Keep a stable base! Step with your strikes and thrust, but do not overstep! Never move more than you must if you can help it! Swordplay is a dance! A push and pull that ends only in death and victory! Revel in it but do not lose yourself! Embrace the singing steel!"

One of the blades we'd found the the Room of Hidden Things did just that, singing through the air, "You're absolutely thriving with all of this, aren't you, Cygnus?"

Cygnus threw his head back and laughed, "Haha, the blade is what I live for, Son-in-Law! Nearly as much as I live for my Daphne, my Astoria, and my Ada!"

I did as he advised, stepping with my strike against a not-so-imaginary foe for power and stability. The 'opponent' was the product of a spell that Cygnus was an old hand with. Sometime in the distant, sword fighting past, someone had taken the concept of 'Shadow Fighting' rather literally. To that end, they'd crafted a spell to aid them in training. A shadow of Cygnus stood across from me, doing rudimentary movements to dodge and even offering a touch of feedback when I successfully struck it.

I'd seen what Cygnus and his shadow could do when he went all out against the spell. Almost all of Hogwarts had at this point. It was honestly terrifying. I thought I'd been making good strides with body reinforcement magic last year. Watching Cygnus fight with a blade in his hand, I knew I'd only scratched that surface.

If anyone in Hogwarts could match the physical capabilities of this new world, it was Cygnus Greengrass. Victor and I were third in the physical rankings so far, about on the same level with reinforcing our bodies, with Neville and Heather quickly gaining skill there behind us. Flitwick had more experience in the field, coming in a still-distant second thanks to compensating for the inherent physical weaknesses of his diminutive form. But Cygnus was still leagues ahead — as one might expect for a world-class saber duelist. If pressed, I would put him around 140 Body and likely a Tier 8 skill in < Swordsmanship >.

How he actually matched up to the warriors of this world had yet to be seen. But if he wasn't on par with all but the most legendary blades, I'd start taking Dumbledore up on his offers of laced sweets. The demonstrations he'd given at the start of every lesson — something for me and the students to aim for — were simply miraculous to watch. He moved like the wind and struck with the force of a Bombarda Maxima. Every step and movement was calculated and precise yet when he wanted to, he held himself with the flair of a famous showman.

In the days following that first meeting, he'd been instrumental in drumming up enthusiasm for Hogwarts' new physical training routine. There was actually less resistance than I'd expected there. The student leaders in the meeting had stepped up and the rest had followed. I and the rest of the staff had been sure to stress how necessary we felt this was. This wasn't a peaceful time we found ourselves in. The medieval era never was.

Witch or Wizard, everyone trained. Even Dumbledore had taken to jogging around the castle grounds with the students who chose to do so in the early mornings — his magic keeping him shockingly spry for his age. Having the professors and Headmaster running with them boosted morale rather well, as it turned out.

Cygnus spent his entire day teaching the 'Art of Swordplay!'. Not all at once, but in groups as they were available throughout the day. He was an enthusiastic teacher but also a gentle one, steadily instructing young Witches and Wizards who had never even held a sword. A certain excitement and love of the art permeated every lesson with him. Not only for swords but also for daggers, axes, polearms, maces, and even shields, though Victor and Flitwick led most of those secondary weaponry pursuits.

Victor was well-rounded due to his passion for HEMA, filling in the gaps in knowledge and training where needed. He wasn't quite as good with his students as Cygnus or Flitwick but he was still patient and gave a stoic sort of praise that had earned him quite a few followers and fans.

Flitwick, on the other hand, was an absolute demon with a Goblin sword — what Witches and Wizards would call daggers or simply very short swords. He was also the one we turned to for the 'wand and blade' style Hogwarts was developing for ourselves. I was sure we'd quickly become famous for it, not in the least because this world had likely seen nothing like it before.

for those who wished to dedicate themselves even further to martial pursuits and physical training, Moody was a harsh taskmaster. He mostly focused on more traditional Wizarding martial prowess. He, Tonks, and Amelia pushed those more dedicated students to achieve 'Auror-level' physiques, built more for the wand than the sword. Bella joined them to teach traditional dueling, though that would be a somewhat niche pursuit in this new world, I felt.

Elsewhere in Hogwarts, similar focuses were being developed. Classes had continued, with rather drastic reforms to focus on more direct and practical applications. To many a shout of relief, essay homework was almost entirely a thing of the past. They were replaced almost wholly by practice, practice, practice, and yet more practice.

Outside of these new classes, the staff had begun taking on the more dedicated students for personal attention. Something like a guild or apprenticeship system was forming within Hogwarts. Potion-focused students under Snape, Defense under Moody, even things like Woodsmanship under Hagrid, or Scheming and Politicking under Narcissa and Ada. The Weasley Twins, for example, were almost always seen with Sirius if they weren't in the newly reformed classes or physical training. And yes, that was as worrying a prospect as it sounded.

Additionally, research parties had begun to form as we'd suggested in the meeting. They were much less formal than the 'apprenticeship system', some not even led by a staff member. Dumbledore and Septima had gathered brilliant, if older, students to explore the mysteries of magic in this new world. Most importantly, they were looking hard at the possibility I'd raised — that of gods or otherwise godlike beings here.

Another party — led by the Twins after dragging Sirius along with them — was looking into methods of (magical or otherwise) forging and crafting. We'd found a fair few weapons in the Room of Hidden Things but more would be needed, along with armor, shields, clothing, and a hundred other little things. They were also looking into helpful enchantments and some runecraft, having come to me once or twice with a problem there.

But the largest party by a significant margin was the one led by Hermione, Aurora, and Luna. They'd gathered almost all of the able Muggleborns and some of the more open-minded Half and Pure-Bloods. That party also had the widest area of focus, dedicated to rediscovering or magically recreating the technological advancements of our world. With the resources they had to reference — essentially just their memories and combined personal knowledge — I didn't envy them.

Still, it was an important task, as demonstrated by our scouting trip to the 'Smallfolk' village nearby. Calling it a village was almost a stretch. It was a hamlet with less than a half dozen major buildings and mostly single-family houses. There was a tavern, an 'outpost' for traveling traders, a town/community center-esque building, and a very primitive smithy. That was it.

The level of technology was about what we were expecting. Maybe even slightly worse, but that could have just been a natural consequence of the medieval countryside. As was the village's suspicion of strangers. Thankfully, we were able to cull the second by offering our assistance and services for essentially free. Madam Pomfrey spent a whole day treating the village's ails and old injuries.

That of course, brought about the question of how we did what we did. These 'Smallfolk' may have been uneducated but they weren't dull or dumb. At least, not as a whole. As we'd decided, we introduced our magic with healing and then a Patronus. Curiously, even before the Patronus, we weren't regarded with scorn for our magic. Suspicion, yes, but also a surprising amount of acceptance.

That acceptance was due to the religion most prevalent in the North, we found out. The Old Gods didn't outright condemn magic like the Faith of the Seven down south. And the Northerners 'weren't like those soft Southron milksops!'.

The undeniable 'goodness' of a Patronus loosened lips. A bit of drink loosened them further. We were told stories of the North and the First Men. To any ear, it was clear that the First Men were magical practitioners of some kind. And whatever that 'kind', it was deeply tied to their religion, their Old Gods. Unfortunately, there weren't any of the mentioned 'Godswoods' nearby for us to see and explore for ourselves.

Even more intriguing still were the tales of 'Children of the Forest'. A Fae-like race, from what I could gather, closer to Druids or Elves than mere men. They were said to predate the First Men, that they were the original owners of Westeros. They warred with the First Men until peace was made on the Isle of Faces and the Children began to teach of the Old Gods. Culturally, I'd say they won that war since the Smallfolk were adamant that all true First Men descendants worshipped the Old Gods.

We learned more about the Andals and the Faith of the Seven as well. The more we heard there, the more worrying that Faith began to sound. They reminded me all too much of Christianity, especially with the 'invasion' (a colonizing crusade in all but name) that brought them to Westeros. The Andals apparently slaughtered the Children by the thousands, forcing the Fae-like race from their native lands.

One common theme ran through all of the stories we heard. The Children of the Forest were gone and almost forgotten. But not extinct. Some believed they hid 'North of the Wall' — a First Man structure and monument that boggled belief if it was true. Others believed they still watched from the trees. All of the Smallfolk believed they were still out there though, and with them, magic…

By the end of our first visit to the village, we'd gotten a swell of valuable information. And been named as 'Blessed by the Old Gods' by the Smallfolk we'd helped, especially Madam Pomfrey for her healing. It was a very good start to things. However, it did open more questions about this world's magic than it answered. Dumbledore and Septima were practically itching to see those 'Godswoods' for themselves.

< +1 to Soul, +2 to Mind, +4 to Body >

< Soul: 83+1=84/200+, Mind 78+2=80/200+, Body: 76+4=80/200+ >

< +1 to Attack, +1 to Defense, +3 to Agility, +5 to Melee, Swordsmanship unlocked +18 >

< Attack 58+1=59/100, Defense 59+1=60/100, Agility 62+3=65/100, Melee 20+5=25/100, Swordsmanship 0+18=18/100 >

My attention was pulled back to my efforts in the present. I'd made good progress since starting Cygnus' tutelage, obviously unlocking the Swordsmanship Discipline. The first dozen or so levels of a new Discipline were always the quickest… My other numbers were much slower to go up.

For now, we were just focused on the proper way to swing a sword. Cygnus must have drilled the same stabs and swings and strikes into everyone's head until they were practically second nature. I knew I certainly dreamed of the sword katas at night… Thankfully, we seemed to be reaching the end of that aspect of training. These last couple of days, Cygnus had the more advanced among us putting the movements into practice. Not sparring yet, but striking against a moving target (his spelled shadow). I had a feeling this was my last session of 'busywork' before Cygnus truly began to test and push me.

I gave one last swipe and thrust, making sure to keep to the forms Cygnus was drilling into me before someone caught my attention from the sidelines. Turning to Cygnus, he gave me a nod of dismissal. The shadow I was facing dissipated and I sheathed my sword, handing it off to him. He moved on rather quickly, turning his attention to Neville — who was showing just as much progress and talent with a sword as me, maybe even a bit more — and leaving me to deal with my business.

Luna stood off to the side, beaming up at me, "The potion is ready, Atlas~! I brewed it myself!"

"Potion…?" I asked warily.

"Of course~!" Luna nodded matter-of-factly. "What's a new world without a little magical vision quest to go with it~?"

"That…" I blinked rather flatly. "Explains nothing, Luna."

"Don't worry!" Luna chimed. "Lady Hogwarts will watch over you. I made sure of it and asked very nicely~!"

She turned and skipped off without waiting for a response. I was left staring at her back before sighing with equal parts exasperation and frustration. Still, I followed my Mad Lovegood. She wouldn't harm me. Drive me insane? Sure. But not harm me. I would've preferred if she was in a more elaborating mood though.

"Luna, where are we going?" I asked, catching up to her.

"Into Lady Hogwarts' deepy depthsy," Luna 'answered'.

"… What?"

She pouted playfully at me, "C'mon, be more grateful than that, Atlas! Hogwarts is nice enough to share her deepest, darkest, most secretest place with you for this! It's a great honor, you know. Even Sir Dumbles hasn't plumbed her depths in such an intimate manner."

A bewildering thought entered my mind, "… Are you trying to make me fuck the castle? I don't know if I have the right equipment for that Luna."

"In a way, we're all always inside of Lady Hogwarts~," Luna giggled. "But nope~! Lady Hogwarts is a place, silly. She's mostly asexual."

"Mostly…?" I shook my head, pushing that thought from my mind. "You still haven't explained what we're doing, Luna."

"Why, drinking the potion, of course~!" She beamed a smile back at me.

"What potion, Luna?" I stressed.

"The potion. The potion for Atlas — the potion chosen specifically to make Atlas trip balls and go on a vision quest to help us research the astral realm of this new world. Oh, and make you an Animagus too, I suppose… But mostly for the research~!"

"Well…" I hesitated. "If it's for the research…"

"That's the spirit quest spirit!" Luna cheered as we reached our destination.

She'd led us to a dark room inside the castle — one I'd never been to or known about. Yet I was pretty sure it was somehow within the Great Hall… Or merely occupying the same space at a different time…? Hogwarts' internal design was very strange in places and I wasn't even surprised that Luna had explored some of the more impossible sides of it.

Lines of pale blue light pulsed up from a central point in the floor like a fountain. Otherwise, the room was completely dark. Strangely, as if down a long hallway, I could see faint, distant light and smell fresh air drifting into the place at the core of Hogwarts' foundation. It was a strange, paradoxical place. But I don't know if I was expecting anything else from 'Lady Hogwarts'.

"Do Hermione or Septima actually know you're doing this?" I asked.

"Pssh, no~!" Luna waved dismissively. "They'd be way too concerned about 'ethics' and 'proper scientific documentation'~. That's why I brought this straight to you, Atlas~! I knew you wouldn't concern yourself with those silly things~!"

I gave her a look, "I'm agreeing to this 'vision quest' so ethics won't be an issue but I do still want you to document the experience, Luna."

"Oh, pooh…" Luna pouted. "Fine… I should have brought Hermione along after all…"

"As if you aren't just as excited for the research and data as she would be," I snorted.

"Well, duh~," Luna giggled. "But that doesn't make the recording and documenting process any more fun…"

"Would you like to join me then?" I asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow in invitation.

Luna froze as if the idea hadn't even occurred to her. Slowly, she thought it over, mumbling to herself, "… Will there be enough potion? It's made specifically for Atlas but if we…? Oh, that might work…"

Beaming brightly, she came out of her consideration, "Balls, prepare to be tripped~!"

I chuckled, "I'll likely need your help too. I'm rather bad with Divination and the flowery lens it has to be interpreted through. Especially compared to you. You'll be sure to see things that I would otherwise miss."

Luna was practically vibrating with excitement now, "Eiiii~! I'll make those metaphorical flowers my bitch~! C'mon, c'mon, sit down~!"

She directed me to the 'center' of the room that seemed to have no end. I sat directly over the fountain of pale blue light. It enveloped me, welcoming me and clouding my vision with a blue tint. Something massive watched over me from so close and so far away. Bowing my head, I paid my respects to 'Lady Hogwarts' as Luna called the Genius Loci spirit of the castle.

It didn't surprise me that Hogwarts was alive. It was a commonly held belief by all who stepped foot inside her walls. But few if any in the past had seen proof of that belief. She was like no person, no being, I'd ever met. She was ancient, alien… and surprisingly amiable. She was a sanctuary given life. An unending font of magic with a purpose to everything she did and was: the protection and guidance of those she called her charges.

Hogwarts watched me as I sat on top of one of her magical arteries. She recognized me as hers. More than that, she recognized me as one of hers who'd returned. I got the feeling that she treasured every one of us within her wards. But those who came back for more after their time with her, those who joined her in guiding and protecting the young, had earned a bit more of her favor.

I sat there for a moment, cross-legged and reveling at the intense magic that brushed against my skin. Without warning, Luna plopped herself down in my lap. Her legs wrapped around my waist as she perched herself there, wiggling slightly to get comfortable. An alien approximation of a giggle tinkled through the magic of Hogwarts. I got the feeling that whatever her feelings for me, Luna was uniquely special to Lady Hogwarts, able to see and listen for things no one else could.

Luna grinned at me, her expression tinted by the ethereal blue light of magic, "Ready, Atlas~?"

Shaking off the riot of metaphysical sensations, I nodded, "… Yeah. How are we going to do this?"

"Easy~! We share the potion and then you swallow it. That should forge a temporary like between our consciousnesses. Then your magic will use the potion as a catalyst for astral projection and I'll follow you! Probably, at least~…" Luna shrugged, unconcerned. "I don't think any of this has been done before. The potion is really just a version of the Animagus potion that I may have bastardized a bit for our new purposes."

"Luna…" I frowned at that information.

Luna pressed right on over any protests I may have had, "Be sure to get it all! Don't miss a drop~!"

She brought a vial to her lips — the potion, I'd assume — and drank deeply. The mouthful of blood-red liquid inside disappeared. Barely a moment later, Luna lunged forward and locked her lips with mine. Despite the situation, I returned the kiss fiercely. I barely even noticed the potion swapping from her mouth to mine as we let ourselves be taken by the passionate kiss.

Like a single drop in still water, the potion fell upon my magic. Ripples engulfed my being, growing stronger as they spread to Luna. Our magic moved in synch. We clung to each other sweetly, in body, soul, and mind. Lady Hogwarts wrapped around us like a cocoon, guiding us as she should. She sent us 'up'. At least, that's what it felt like. Up and up, until reality morphed and changed around us.

< +4 to Occlumency, +10 to Divination >

< Occlumency 57+4=61/100, Divination 16+10=26/100 >

When we came apart, Luna and I found ourselves far, far above the new world. We were practically in orbit. The air should have been thin, nonexistent around us. Instead, we flew comfortably, the experience feeling less like a vision and more like we were really there, watching the world turn below us.

"Wow~…"

"Yeah… What a, uh… What a view."

Our hands stayed linked as we came apart, splaying out in mid-air. Below, we got our first glance at this new world Hogwarts' had found itself in. Perhaps the first any souls had gotten, given the world's technological level. They'd never been to space. And even with the developments we would bring to the world, they likely wouldn't any time soon.

An entire hemisphere greeted our eyes. It was a whole new world, resembling Earth in some ways yet so different in most. If there was ever a doubt, this view would have put it to rest. Three continents occupied a canvas of blue ocean. A long, relatively thin island, running north to south in the West — Westeros. A chunky landmass, stretching west to east until it disappeared around the curve of the planet — Essos, we'd heard from the Smallfolk.

Finally, a continent to the South of Essos that we'd heard nothing about. It was easily as big as Essos, again reaching around the curvature of the planet, though this time to the south. Perhaps even covering the South Pole of this new world. We couldn't see that far.

"How strange," I considered. "We didn't hear anything about a southern continent."

"Maybe we're the first ones to see it," Luna suggested. "We discovered it~! I dub thee Southeros, landmass~!"

"I very much doubt that," I chuckled. "It's likely unexplored or not in contact with Westeros and the North. That makes sense, given the distance, especially during this period of history. But I can hardly see it being completely undiscovered."

"I'm still going to call it Southeros," Luna declared faux-imperiously.

"You might just be right about that name," I smirked. "It certainly fits with the naming scheme for the other two continents. There are also quite a few islands and island chains scattered around that we didn't hear anything about either, I see…"

As we took note of the islands of the new world, Luna and I noticed that we were falling. Quite rapidly at first, only going unnoticed because of how high up we were. But then our descent began to slow. We hit the 'atmosphere' of the world, not air in this astrally projected space but magic itself. It grew thicker as we neared the surface of the planet, though thankfully, our arresting descent wasn't accompanied by the usual heat of reentry.

After a few moments, Luna gasped, pointing at something on the surface below, "Atlas, look! Snorkack's Horn, it's terrible!"

I followed her finger to a peninsula connected to Essos. Immediately, I could see what had grabbed Luna's attention. The entire peninsula — likely hundreds of miles-worth of land and the seas around it — was smoking. To the point that it was visible nearly from space. And something in the air — the magic of the planet whispering to us in a way I'd never experienced — told me that the unnaturally dark smoke had been ongoing for hundreds of years.

"Some sort of volcanic activity?" I mused.

Even as I did, the whispers of the world intensified. They told a story of the past, scarred into the world's history. A civilization thought to be eternal. An empire built on blood and slavery, on magic and dragons…

These 'Valyrians' weren't Wizards. They took their magic in a different direction. They were Dragonlords, tying the dragons of this world to their bloodlines and conquering the world with their power. An ancient empire that had been ruled by a caste of dragon riders… It was as terrifying as it was intriguing.

Yet, the Valyrians were gone. Doomed by a great cataclysm at the heart of their empire. The world whispered that it was not merely chance or misfortune. The Valyrians had brought it upon themselves in some way. Luna and I now witnessed the aftermath, still smoking — both physically and somehow magically — hundreds of years later.

As we fell closer, our attention was pulled to various points of interest across Essos, seemingly directed by the whispers of the world. A city to the far southeast, cloaked in pitch-black, mysterious, and malevolent shadows of magic. An empire of the Far East, exotic and just as storied, giving off impressions of Ancient China from Earth. A city and meeting point for the East and West of the world — all of India in a city if I had to put parallels to Earth into words.

Our focus was directed farther west, past a bay of chains built atop a dead empire. That terrible place left Luna weeping and my fists tightening even as the whispers of the world showed no concern for the suffering taking place there. We came to another city atop a foundation of chains. There, a pillar of flame burned. Not in the physical world, but impressed upon the magic of the city. Fanatical, fiery magic burned and burned and burned and BURNED. It could do nothing else, constantly seeking more fuel to feed its flaming god.

The sheer weight of the sight confirmed the presence of gods in this world for me. The System had all but told me as much. But now Luna and I had proof. Witness testimony, at the least of it. We also confirmed that these gods were active in the world, affecting events through their followers. The fact that they didn't feel divine, merely intensely powerful beings of pure Magic and Faith was a poor consolation.

Finally, our attention was drawn to Westeros. Like with the city of flames and chains, gods touched the people there. Mostly, they were watched over by seven starry facets of one whole. The Seven weren't malevolent. But they were… touchy. Possessive of what they claimed as theirs. Arrogant and stubborn. Righteous in one way. Wrathful in another. A fixer and a destroyer. As one might expect from Seven That Are One, they were divided but whole — contradictory but the same.

This close to the ground, Luna and I began to make out features across Westeros. Not physical features but magical ones that were superimposed onto the astral realm. More than any facet of civilization, we saw the leylines, flows, and pools of magic across the land. Like a sparkling spider's web, Westeros was covered and wholly permeated with magic.

"It's beautiful~…" Luna sighed dreamily.

"Absolutely amazing to see in person," I nodded in agreement.

We drifted north, watching the land and the magic within pass by beneath us. A few 'locations' grabbed my eye — I'd likely need Luna's help deciphering the metaphors we saw the world through — but I did my best to appreciate them from a distance. The Seven were too prevalent in the south of Westeros. I felt it was best if we didn't tick them off or gain their focus just yet.

On the southeastern edge of Westeros, a spear pierced the sun, an eternal river pouring from its tip. Dorne, I knew the region to be called, and likely its capital. To the southwest, a fallen star was cradled where a river met the sea. It felt important. Ancient. A Dawn to push back the night.

North of the fallen star, an old, old town lay. A high, high tower reached into the clouds. Within the ancient settlement-turned-city, the Seven were stronger than anywhere else. And a citadel of knowledge stood the test of time. Farther into the Reach — the largest of the Seven Kingdoms — a garden sat on high, roses with hidden thorns ruling from it.

East of the Reach, storms wracked the lands. The aptly named Stormlands, I assumed. The impression of the people there was just as fierce and stubborn as their lands. Just north of the Stormlands, set on a Blackwater Bay, was the center of Westeros. Not of its magic, but of its people. The capital and Iron Throne where all ambitions began and ended.

Farther north and to the west, a castle set within and atop a rock glittered with gold. North and to the east, a vale atop a mountain, stalwart and defensive. Between them, a lush land of rivers and forests. There, we saw perhaps the most interesting aspect of our vision quest.

A cursed and ruined castle sat on the edge of a God's Eye. Yet, the castle didn't hold our attention. Instead, it was a small isle within the ambitiously-named lake. Throughout the rest of Westeros, the magic followed a certain pattern. It clumped up in nodes around the most people, the towns and cities glowing to our astral sight. But there on the isle, Luna and I saw a node without any people to be found.

Blood-red leaves stretched on deathly-white branches. Just as the Smallfolk had described their worshipped Weirwood Trees. But here on the isle, there were many. All with faces carved into their bark, watching us with all-too-lifelike eyes. Just as the flaming god and the Seven were real, so too were the Old Gods. They were simply unique in their reality.

"Wow~! So pretty~! Look, Atlas, it's a coral~!" Luna chimed excitedly.

"A… coral…?" I asked, slightly unnerved by the constantly watching trees.

"Yeah, see~?" Luna pointed at something just out of sync with the physical world. "They're many little ones but all part of the same whole. The trees are like the coral polyps and the Old Gods are a magical colonial organism~!"

"That…" I paused as I saw what she saw. "Oh, yeah, I can kind of see it. They're… are those all Genius Loci…? That's simply fascinating. It makes a strange sort of sense though, doesn't it? Talking to the Smallfolk, I got the feeling that their Old Gods existed partially apart from their faith and worship. But if they're a collection of powerful location spirits centered around the Godswoods and Weirwood Trees, that would track, wouldn't it?"

Luna clapped happily, "Oh, they're my favorite by far~!"

The phenomenon of the Godswoods and Old Gods repeated as we came farther north. And there in the Kingdom of the North, they were practically everywhere. Finally, we came to something of the same kind as the Old Gods, yet new and holding itself apart from their networked whole. Lady Hogwarts stared up at us from below in fond greeting.

"Back where we started~," Luna sighed, enjoying the welcoming touch of Hogwarts, so near yet so far.

I tensed before I could reply as a raven joined us in the air. Doubly so when the three-eyed bird spoke, "Fly. Spread your wings, young ones, or you will surely fall to your deaths.

"Hullo, Mister Raven~! Are you aware that you're also a man?" Luna, of course, wasn't nearly as startled, 'innocently' cocking her head. "And a… tree? How very strange. Oh, and a dragon~! Neat~!"

"I-… what?" Luna's usual 'Luna-ness' brought the three-eyed, corvid vision-invader up short.

It stared at us before turning all three of its eyes downward to stare at Hogwarts below us, blinking uncomprehendingly in a tellingly human gesture, "What…?"

I glared at the bird-shaped intruder, "Can't you see you're interrupting something here? I don't know who you are and you haven't made a good first impression."

Visibly struggling to regain its composure, the three-eyed raven pressed on, "… Curiosities for later. Now, you must fly, children. Show your strength. Or… do you need me to lend a wing?"

Something about the way it spoke and what it said set my nerves on edge. I bristled and gritted my teeth, "No. No, we don't. Kindly, fuck right off, mate."

"Yeah, we can fly just fine on our own, thank you very much!" Luna pouted, deceptively adorable. "See~?"

With a flex of her magic, Luna pushed her will onto the astral realm. Our fall halted entirely. Luna and I stood in mid-air as if nothing was amiss. The Raven was taken aback, baffled, utterly perturbed.

"H-How…?! You… should not be able to do that. And you, girl," The Raven glared at Luna with three eyes. "There is no way for you to know the things you do. It's wholly impossible. Even more so, it's an affront against the natural order of the world!"

Luna scoffed, "It's just magic. Not all that hard if you know how to do it. Honestly, Mister Raven, you shouldn't be so close-minded. Not very tree-like of you at all~! I suppose it is rather dragon-like though…"

Luna tapped her chin, seemingly losing herself in thought and the Raven simply stared… "No one has ever dared to accuse me of close-mindedness… I'm not sure I like it."

"Tough," I growled. "Learn to live with your flaws. Because I'm just about done with your shite already. I won't tell you again. Fuck. Off. Mate."

Just as Luna had before, I exerted my will and magic upon the astral realm. With Occlumency, doing so was child's play. This may have been a vision quest into the astral, but I knew my mind. As did Luna, unique as hers was. So when I asserted control over the 'dream' and took hold of the Raven, it panicked.

"Wait! There is something you must see! Something all must see lest the world be plunged into a Long Night where only death awaits!"

I still held the Raven's presence in an iron grip of magic, glaring at it and being sure to note the line that tethered it to the real world. But a few things stayed my hand for a moment. Three massive presences urged me on, urged me to at least hear the three-eyed invader out. The whispers of the world vaguely confirmed the Raven's claims. The Old Gods swayed like leaves catching the ethereal wind. And Lady Hogwarts herself cooed an encouraging, guiding, familiar song, asking us to explore for her where she couldn't.

"… You get five magical minutes," I glared at the Raven.

"That is all I need," The Raven nodded, again tellingly human. "All should know of the threat that will soon plague us. A threat thought long buried with the Long Night of old. The Lands of Always Winter wake, my friends…"

As he spoke his spiel, he tried to direct the 'dream' as Luna and I had. Neither of us let him easily. I didn't trust him as far as I could throw his little feathered fucking body. Fate-weavers like him were always trouble. Especially ones with an agenda and what seemed to be a proclivity toward gate-keeping magic. Eventually, he gave up trying to force us along and simply flew. Luna and I followed begrudgingly.

"Not your friends," I grunted.

"I don't think you have many friends, Mister Raven~!" Luna chimed, her innocent tone cutting even deeper than her words.

"…" The Raven seemed to try its best to ignore us after that.

He led the way north from Hogwarts. Miles and miles passed beneath us. Luna and I witnessed more of our new home firsthand. The Godswoods were prevalent here in the North. Each one thrummed with an Old God, a location spirit hopped up on millennia of worship. They weren't malevolent or benevolent. They simply were. Individual parts of a whole. As Luna called them, they were like a coral. Something I never thought I'd say about a god — or pseudo-pantheon, I suppose.

Eventually, we passed a great fortress of magical construction to rival or even surpass Hogwarts. Even flying as we were, it was simply massive. The stones that made up its walls were as if hewn by a colossus, each some many meters per side. An entire Godswood lay within its walls, fitting with room to spare alongside a great keep and many towers. The entire fortress thrummed with an ancient magic, older than Hogwarts herself by far.

"Winterfell," The Raven narrated as we flew overhead. "The home of the Starks. Their House has long been the first bastion against the Long Night. Without them, all is lost and the rest of Westeros would soon fall to cold and darkness."

"Hmm, they seem nice~," Luna hummed.

The Raven looked at her queerly through his three eyes, "… Aye, something like that."

We continued north until we came to another monument to rival Winterfell. A wall ran the length of the land. Tall enough that even birds had to try to fly over it. Thick enough to weather any assault. Made entirely of ice, magical ice on a scale that beggared belief. It was inevitable. Eternal. And yet Luna immediately noticed something concerning about it…

"It's failing. Slowly, but it is. The magicks that sustain it have no source anymore. They're a shadow of themselves."

"Yes, it is fading," The Raven said somberly. "But with Magic returning to the world, there is still a chance for it to stand against what is to come. Even in just these past few weeks, magic has prospered more than ever. I have hope that the legendary Stark's legacy will stand to do its duty again."

Luna and I exchanged a glance at that but didn't say anything. If I had to guess, Hogwarts' arrival had something to do with that return of magic. Maybe not everything, but enough to increase the rate at which it was occurring. Of course, we wouldn't know what the magic of this world had been like before we arrived. But from what the Raven was saying, it was all but gone, only now returning. At the very least, this trip to the far North had given us some valuable information.

Past the Wall, the land was untamed, raw, and wild. Primal magic flourished, even during this apparent period of absence. People lived up here, I noticed. Perhaps as many as south of the Wall. There were even large settlements, though none of the castles and keeps and cities that dotted the rest of Westeros.

We flew north. And north. And north some more. By my best estimate, we had to be approaching the polar icecap. That was reflected in the land beneath us. Even in this world's version of summer, it was a desolate place of ice and snow. Cold began to bite, even in the astral realm. It was an unnatural chill on our ghostly forms, tinted with dark, dark magic.

Luna began to flinch and fidget as we flew. Something in the air was bothering her. Intensely so. I wasn't immune but I also wasn't nearly as sensitive to the nuances of magic as she was. Still, something was inherently wrong with the world this far north.

< Perk pinged! Otherworldly influence resisted! >

< Winter's Chosen >

< You Are One of Winter's Chosen, Meant to See the World Into a New Spring, +5 to All Stats >

< New Quest unlocked: The Long Night >

< See the world into a new spring… >

< Rewards: Safety, security, another spring… Winter's Chosen perk altered, +10 to Stats and one (1) Discipline of Gamer's choosing. >

Just as the notification went off in my mind, the Raven pulled up short at some invisible boundary. He wouldn't go any farther north. I instinctively knew why. And what had 'pinged' my perk…

Something dark and alien — so completely Other — lurked in the far North. It was anathema to life. It was the very concept of bitter cold and unforgiving winter. It was Death for this world and everything warm in it. For now, it slumbered as if frozen in time. Yet as Luna and I gazed north in horror, it shifted and stirred ever so slightly. Like ice breaking off an unstoppable glacier.

"Now, you see," The Raven intoned, almost as if it was proud to reveal the otherworldy horror to us. "Death stirs. The icy chill comes ever closer every year. The Darkest Night's Lord will inevitably walk amongst the living. As the Starks would say, 'Winter is coming'… You will need my help, of course-…"

Despite the horror, I couldn't help but snort, "Like Hell we will."

Luna, shakily recovering from the viscerally disturbing Other magic in the air, agreed, "Yeah! We're no strangers to this whole Dark Lord business!"

"Admittedly, this is something of an escalation…" I muttered.

"Doesn't matter," Luna firmly shook her head. "We'll prepare and we'll fight back! We'll be ready! Hogwarts won't fall to some fricky-flicking ice demon!"

"You cannot hope to defeat the Others alone," The Raven insisted. "It has been prophesized. Only the Prince Who Was Promised may herald the dawn of the Long Night."

"Pssh~!" Luna scoffed. "Atlas makes prophecies his bitch!"

"Well," I allowed. "I have once. Still, I bet I can do it again."

"NO!" The Raven shouted, his voice booming across the astral. "You will doom us all! The Prince Who Was Promised must come!"

Something of the Others stirred with his shout. Not the main mass of dark, alien magic but an off-shoot. Slowly, like shifting ice, it turned its attention toward us. The Raven froze.

I swore, "Good fucking going, wise-ass! Fuck it, since you're so eager to fight the things, you can cover our retreat!"

I didn't wait for a response, simply grabbing hold of Luna in mind and soul. I took off like a dart to the south, leaving the damned Raven behind. Unfortunately, the bird wouldn't be dying there. Whatever it did was enough to avoid the Other's attention. The unnaturally cold magical presence stilled again a mere moment later as if it had simply turned over in its sleep. Still, it was proof enough that… whatever the fuck was up there… was stirring. We had time, I felt, but I didn't want to be there in the astral when it did wake up.

My flight took us back toward the Wall and Hogwarts' safety on the other side. But before I reached the imposing icy monument — and bastion, as I now knew —, something primal called out to me. Luna perked up as well, feeling the same call if differently. A wolf howled, a haunting call of the hunt. A raven crowed, punctuating the howl sharply.

"Oh~!" Luna exclaimed in realization. "I think the Animagus part of the potion and vision quest still worked after all~!"

"Ah, fuc-!" Before I could finish a reply, reality utterly shifted around me.

Where once I was flying, I ran. Wooden pillars stabbed upward on all sides and yet I navigated the trees as easily as my breath came in pants. As easily as if I was born to them. The world was dimmed in places and vibrant in others. I knew this was real just as a wolf knew to howl or a bird knew to fly.

A loping gait ate away at the ground beneath my paws. My claws dug into soil and snow. The forest was laid bare before my nose, instincts driving me where experience didn't. The scent of the lair was at my back. The wider pack was safe within its walls. I would return soon enough. For now, I needed to run.

One of my mates flew overhead. I recognized her for what she was, seeing through her bone-deep disguise. Pack. But not kin. She recognized me in turn. She swooped and rose again, flying alongside me through the trees. White feathers stood out against dark leaves. A raven's call echoed in my ears. She was so different from me at the moment, yet she was no less beautiful for it.

A strange scent caught my nose. One of worked steel and herd-prey and… men. A chuff escaped my maw. I didn't even realize I was unconsciously following the scent trail until I burst out of the forest before its source. My mate followed, ever curious as she circled overhead.

The horses panicked first, catching my scent. They nickered and whined and shied away from me. The men atop them weren't far behind. Swords were drawn and shouts rang out. The group of men closed ranks, desperately trying to retain control of their mounted prey. The man in the lead, clad in half-plate and leather, simply stared at me with complete, utter, scarcely comprehending shock written across his face.

"Beast!"

"Direwolf!"

"Old Gods be kind!"

"Get back, Lord Stark!"

"Guard the heir! Guard the bastard!"

"Protect the young lords!"

I wasn't nearly as surprised as the men but I hadn't been expecting to leap right into their paths either. The slightly startled shock brought my humanity roaring back to the fore. I blinked off foreign yet already painfully familiar instincts from my mind. The heightened senses still sharpened my mind but something close to human reason returned.

I cocked my head, taking the chance to examine the group of men I was likely frightening half to death. They wore mostly good leather and chainmail and wielded their blades with familiar if shaking hands. Soldiers, then. Or guards and men-at-arms. The man at the fore, another man who was almost too fat to fit atop his horse, and the two boys with them were different though. In bearing and demeanor mostly. But also in the inklings of magical potential radiating from the first man and the boys. The Lords of the party, no doubt.

After a moment — likely a tense one as the men prepared themselves to fight for their lives — I shifted back to my usual form. Shouts, gasps, and other exclamations greeted my change. I ignored them, shaking the last few lingering Animagus instincts out of my mind.

"Luna?" I called upward, more confusion arising when I didn't address the men. "Could you fly ahead back to the castle and let the others know we have guests? Important ones too, it seems."

The white raven circling above us — a fitting form for Luna — cawed in response. The men and their Lords looked up, just in time to catch what happened next. Luna shifted back to her human form without warning in mid-air, plunging a dozen feet in a freefall.

"By the Gods!"

"Good Lord, someone catch her!"

Luna, of course, didn't need or want to be caught… "Weeeeeee~!"

After the moment of freefall and horror, Luna shifted back into her new Animagus form. She crowed and crooned, the sound all too similar to a girlish giggle. Then she unceremoniously left me to deal with her mess, taking up the task I'd asked of her.

I simply hung my head and sighed, "Good Merlin, that girl is going to be the death of me…"