He didn't know how long he had been walking, his eyes started to become dull, pupils began to dilate, legs mechanically moving forward, perhaps already frozen. 

The snowstorm brushed against his body, he could only feel the coldness brought by the temperature, his facial expression had been frozen numb, his eyelashes were full of snowflakes, his entire face had been frozen into a purple and green color, looking extremely terrifying.

He vaguely saw something, a father in military uniform waving to him. 

"Asrant, Asrant, come on, follow Daddy, let's go to a happy place."

"No pain, no sorrow, no worry about food and warmth, living a happy life forever."

The voice kept echoing in Asrant's mind. He slightly raised his dull head, looked blankly ahead, wiped the snowflakes on his eyes with his stiff arm, and Asrant could barely see things in front of him.

A vast expanse of whiteness... no movement at all...

He found a large rock, hid behind the side away from the snowstorm, took out a steamed bun, and tentatively took a bite. 

"Ah!"

Asrant screamed in pain, the bread was harder than stone and almost broke his teeth.

Powerlessly throwing away the steamed bun, Asrant's throat moved twice, then grabbed the snow on the ground and painfully ate to fill his hunger.

His throat was so sore that he couldn't speak, and his stomach felt as if it had been pierced by needles thousands of times, but he still slowly stood up and continued to walk towards the summit.

Maybe he was just a fool, maybe his life had only been a tragedy.

He became a laughingstock among the mercenaries before dying.

Asrant felt that his eyelids were so heavy that the sky was getting dark again. It had just been dawn not long ago...

"Ah... so sleepy, so tired, I want to... rest for a while... Am I going to... die?"

"I wish... I could see her again..."

"I wish... I could tell her... thank you..."

Asrant's body leaned forward weakly, then knelt down on the snow. 

At this moment, the surroundings turned into a vast white expanse, the sound of the howling snowstorm stopped, Asrant suddenly couldn't feel any coldness, and the ice-blue light seemed to be still flickering above his eyes.

He raised his head blankly, saw a dancing ice-blue light ball in front of him.

"Is that... the Great Elf?"

Asrant stared at the light ball in front of him and murmured.

The Great Elf stopped her movements, staying in front of Asrant.

"Who guided you here, human?"

The ethereal voice came from the light ball. Asrant looked around with difficulty and confirmed that there was no one. He then realized that it was the strange light ball in front of him who was speaking.

"No... one... Are you... the Great... Elf?"

The Great Elf seemed surprised, circling around Asrant's body several times.

"Oh my goodness."

"What has kept you going until now?"

"Your body has already been frozen and necrosed by the cold air, and you dare to break into the realm of the Frost Elves relying on these tattered cloths?"

The Great Elf flew at high speed for a few rounds, seeming to express her shock.

Two loaves of bread flew out from the bag behind Asrant and landed on the ground.

'Dong!'

The sound of the bread colliding with each other sounded like a rock. The Great Elf slowly used her magic to nourish Asrant's body.

"You lived until now relying on this kind of thing?"

"Why did you come here? Hold on, I will heal your body."

Asrant felt the unresponsive parts of his body tingle again. Then, gradually, he felt the heart-tearing pain. The pain made him sweat, but he remained silent.

Finally, the feeling of pain disappeared, Asrant felt energetic and warm all over.He looked straight at the ball of light in front of him and gently parted his lips.

"Great Spirit, my name is Asrant, and I want to make a contract with you."

"Why, child?"

At the sound of the Great Spirit's words, Asrant smiled warmly, as he hadn't heard those two words in a long time.

"War has taken away all my loved ones, and I was supposed to be waiting for death to come in the cold and hunger..."

"But I got help, she gave me hope, and told me to live on."

"I feel that my remaining life has meaning, but I am so insignificant, I have nothing, only this life."

"I want to repay her, I need power, the power to repay her, the power to protect her, beyond this, I have nothing else to care about."

The Great Spirit danced up and down a few times, questioning curiously, "Haven't you thought of anything else? With power and ability, you can have a more abundant and happy life, and there is no need to dedicate your life to her."

"Maybe so," said Asrant, his childish face unusually resolute, "but I don't care about those."

"In my most downhearted, hungry, and desperate times, her salvation came."

"I know that in my life, besides her, I have no desires."

Asrant's gaze became a little blurred, as if remembering something.

"It's not just about repaying her, but wanting to... protect that beautiful heart."

Suddenly, the Great Spirit's body burst into an even more brilliant radiance, catching Asrant's attention.

"I have seen many precious things in you, Asrant."

"Courage, determination, fearlessness, loyalty, and humility."

"You possess noble qualities that most people in this world do not have, which are enough to become my contractor. Now, I ask you, Asrant, are you willing to make a contract with me, the Great Spirit of the Ice?"

Asrant looked at the Great Spirit with delight and nodded heavily.

"I am willing, Asrant, to make a contract with you."

As Asrant finished speaking, he suddenly felt an inexplicable connection between himself and the Great Spirit. He suddenly knew that he no longer needed to fear the cold, and he would not be harmed by frost. It was like an invisible thread connecting himself and the Great Spirit.

Something kept pouring from the Great Spirit's body into his.

"Relax, my child."

The Great Spirit's voice echoed in his mind, and Asrant felt like he was hearing his mother's voice again.

"Mother..."

The Great Spirit was startled by the words and then sensed the relaxation of Asrant's body and mind.

"Ding--"

A melodious sound, like wind chimes, accompanied the pressure emanating from Asrant's body as the Great Spirit streamed into him, restoring the surrounding scene to its original icy, snow-covered state.

But Asrant didn't feel cold anymore.

The snowflakes in the sky stopped, and the howling cold wind brushed across Asrant's face, only making him feel refreshed.

He looked at his hands incredulously and whispered, "I... succeeded?"

"Try out your new power," a voice suddenly arose in his mind, startling Asrant.

But soon, he knew who it was.

"Okay... alright."

Understanding how to use his newfound abilities naturally, Asrant excitedly raised his hand, and from his palm, several ice spikes shot out, lodging into the body of a large stone in front of him.

"Wow... that's amazing."

Asrant jumped with joy, running through the snow and cheering loudly. The cold that had almost frozen him to death before now felt as warm as a hug.From this moment on, he knew that he had the ability to achieve his goals.