The indifferent sun hangs in the sky.
Desolation and silence.
It's as if life has long since become extinct.
"Rustle rustle~ rustle rustle~"
The black waves repeatedly hit the empty beach, the gray sand alternating between light and dark in the tide, Ian opened his eyes, seemingly already sunk into the lonely island of time.
"Wow! A new map!"
Stretching as far as the eye can see, there lies an endless expanse of black sea water, glistening eerily in the morning light, like the entrance to an abyss hidden between the waves.
The waves crash against the shore with a low groan, and every hit stirs up layers of black foam, which are then quickly swallowed by the deeper ocean.
This is a solitary island where not even a bird's call can be heard, with an inky ocean lacking any familiar blue or green hues, only bottomless black.
Clearly.
This is neither Ariana's peaceful town nor Teacher Mara's somber castle, but a brand-new area of the Misty Illusion Realm where Ian has never set foot.
Mysterious.
Eerie.
Unknown whose stay it is, presenting a heart-palpitating palette.
"According to Teacher Mara, the Misty Illusion Realm responds to the desires of my heart, but today I don't desire new things, I just want to bring noseless Riddle home."
Under his arm, Ian carries a small box; in his hand, he holds two boxes of Chocolate Frogs. Surveying the indescribable lonely island, he only sees a solitary cabin not far away.
"Could it be that because I have Riddle's Soul Artifact, the Misty Illusion Realm brought me to Riddle's promised land?" Ian curiously approaches the cabin.
The cabin is made of rough logs, its surface marked by the passage of time. On its small windows, dry vines partially obscure the view inside.
A lifeless island, or Riddle's cage?
"Makes sense, no one can let him pretend to be superior, not even an ant to be found, Riddle would definitely go crazy, his favorite Avada Kedavra would have to be used on his own head."
Ian wants to enter the cabin, his hand reaching for the worn door, however, something strange happens unexpectedly.
"Hmm?"
At the moment Ian raises his hand.
His vision and the space seem to distort.
He finds the cabin door being pushed away by some force. Even though he stands right in front of the cabin, the distance between the door and his hand seems to stretch infinitely.
As if in a kaleidoscopic world.
Ian even feels a bit dizzy.
When he lowers his hand, all abnormalities vanish as if they never appeared, the cabin remains in front of him, the surroundings still eerily silent.
"That's bizarre, I didn't even blink, how did it feel like frame skipping?" Ian mutters, repeating his experiments several times with the same outcome.
He persists at the cabin door, flinging his whole body forward, and "splat," he falls onto the gray-brown salty soil with a slightly old smell.
"Ptui ptui ptui!"
Ian spits out sand as he lifts his head.
The cabin remains there, but it's as if the cabin suddenly retreated a step, dodging his perhaps somewhat discourteous "forced" contact.
"Could it be because I'm not Tom Riddle, so I can't enter this special cage?" Ian sits on the ground, sighing in frustration.
This Misty Illusion Realm journey, perhaps he can only silently wait to leave? The color of the sea is too eerie, otherwise maybe he could have jumped in for a swim.
"Regret not bringing a fishing rod." Ian has no hopes of finding fish in the black sea, but being an airman surely beats playing with sand.
"Little one, calling my home a cage, how rude of you."
Suddenly.
The cabin door opens gently, a long-haired woman in a simple robe stands inside, looking at Ian with a hint of helplessness.
"I wasn't waiting for you... that's all."
The woman has long hair shimmering like silver, as bright as the stars in the night sky. Despite wearing simple clothes, she possesses an undeniable, otherworldly charm.
Her appearance is outstanding.
But her aura overshadows it.
Like a dazzling star standing alone in the world.
"Ma'am, have you had breakfast? I brought you a gift." Ian sits on the ground, looking up at the woman, hesitating for a moment, then quickly raising two boxes of Chocolate Frogs.
This was meant for Ariana and Pandro, but changing the gift recipient to suit the occasion seems wise.
After all, he intruded someone's place.
"Is it for me?" The woman smiles warmly.
"It is now."
Ian nods his little head.
"Reckless, cunning... interesting qualities." The woman chuckles, accepting the Chocolate Frogs from Ian, giving an appraisal that Ian wasn't surprised by.
"The Sorting Hat said I possess qualities of all four houses, a natural heir to Hogwarts Castle's legacy, so perhaps I'm a bit prone to misunderstanding." Ian quickly gets up, dusting off his robe with a slightly sheepish smile.