What kind of abstract nonsense was this question?
The group of first-year students stood in stunned silence, exchanging bewildered glances, utterly at a loss.
Ethan Vincent mulled it over in his mind:
Where there is light, there must be shadow.
Even at high noon, when the sun casts shadows directly beneath one's feet, they don't vanish entirely.
Unless, perhaps, you had a ten-thousand-watt bulb blasting light from every angle, illuminating every corner in a blaze of brilliance.
But Ethan knew this wasn't a question to be answered with physics.
It was a dialectical, philosophical puzzle.
Prefect Robert, far from being troubled by the challenge, seemed positively thrilled.
"Unfortunately, tonight's door knocker riddle is exceptionally difficult. I'm afraid we'll need to discuss it for hours before we arrive at an answer."
"You see, made-up nonsense won't get you past the knocker."
With that, Robert eagerly dove into a lively discussion with his peers.
The first-years were left staring at one another, dumbfounded.
"Merlin's baggy pants!" Michael exclaimed, plopping down onto the floor with a huff. "What kind of ridiculous question is this?"
"I've been on a train all day! Climbed stairs for what felt like an hour! All I want is to sleep in a warm bed, not on this freezing, hard floor!"
Ethan glanced at him, offering a wry smile. "How about I knock you out? You'd fall asleep instantly."
No need to worry about the cold, hard floor then.
Michael blinked. "…Thanks, but I'll pass."
As the minutes ticked by, some of the younger students, like Michael, began to falter under the weight of exhaustion, both mental and physical. They slumped to the ground, yawning incessantly.
If the sky fell, surely the older students would handle it.
The upperclassmen were here, after all. Were they really expecting first-years, fresh off the Hogwarts Express, to solve this riddle?
Some students eventually joined the older students' discussion, either listening intently or offering their own tentative ideas.
As time dragged on, one by one, students stepped forward to try their luck, but the door knocker remained stubbornly still.
Robert, while conversing with his peers, kept a subtle eye on the first-years.
He cast a cool glance over Michael and the others who had given up, sprawled on the floor, but nodded approvingly at those actively participating in the discussion.
Then, his gaze settled on a lean, striking first-year—Ethan Vincent.
Robert had witnessed the incident on the train, not to mention the Sorting Hat's shocking remarks.
At this moment, he was brimming with curiosity about this new student.
A boy who, before even setting foot in Hogwarts, had managed to generate as much buzz as the Chosen One himself.
What would this boy do when faced with such a challenge?
Meanwhile, Michael turned to the silent, pensive Ethan. "So, Ethan, what do you think?"
"Hmm…" Ethan didn't shy away. After a moment of serious thought, he said, "I believe it exists."
"Even if the world were filled with nothing but light—or nothing but darkness—the seed of the other would still linger, gathering strength in the cracks."
"When the time is right, it will reveal itself to the world!"
"Like wild grass—impossible to cut down, impossible to burn away."
Ethan's voice grew heavier, a fleeting glint of intensity flashing in his cobalt-blue eyes.
Though he was answering the riddle, it felt as if he were alluding to something else entirely.
His tone was resolute, ringing with conviction.
The surrounding first-years froze, caught off guard by his intensity.
But the door knocker didn't budge.
It stood silent, unmoving.
"Not a bad answer," Prefect Robert said with a nod.
"For a wizard your age, that's a rather advanced way of thinking."
"But unfortunately, it lacks depth. Try again."
In truth, it was the kind of answer you'd expect from an impassioned teenager.
Hardly worth noting.
Ethan's brows shot up.
He turned to the prefect, who was appraising him with a condescending air.
There was nothing Ethan Vincent hated more than being judged by arbitrary standards, sorted into tiers of worth.
If you didn't meet someone's expectations, you were deemed inadequate.
And Ethan Vincent loved nothing more than telling authority to shove it.
"Is that so?" Ethan said slowly, stepping forward. "I don't think so."
"Oh?" Robert's lips curled into an intrigued smile as he watched Ethan approach the door. "What are you going to do?"
Was Ethan about to offer a new answer? How would he handle it?
Either way, for a first-year, it was a commendable effort.
Worth encouraging.
Robert leaned back, observing with casual interest, completely unaware of what was about to unfold.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ethan raised his wand, pointed it at the knocker, and declared, "Alohomora!"
A flash of white light struck the knocker.
Nothing happened.
"…"
A few seconds of silence followed.
Then, faint snickers rippled through the crowd.
What was he even trying to do?
Just attempting to open the door with an Unlocking Charm?
Did Ethan not know this knocker was enchanted by none other than Rowena Ravenclaw herself?
As if a simple Alohomora could open it!
Prefect Robert shook his head, exchanging a look with the others.
A valiant attempt.
When faced with a tangled knot, some choose to go around it, others try to unravel it.
And then there are the rebels who would slice it in two.
But to cut through, your blade must be sharp enough.
Robert believed there were spells that could bypass the riddle and open the door directly—otherwise, what would they do in an emergency?
But such advanced magic was far beyond their grasp.
And certainly beyond a mere "Alohomora."
It seemed the much-hyped Ethan Vincent was all talk after all.
Just as Robert turned his attention away, Ethan moved again.
"As expected…" Ethan murmured, nodding as he stared at the unmoving bronze knocker.
If a simple Alohomora could open this door, it wouldn't keep anyone out.
He had cast the spell purely as a control experiment.
With a flicker of thought, a new card appeared in Ethan's hand, distinct from his "Broomstick Rash" card.
The image was simple.
Against a pitch-black background stood an open door.
Beyond it swirled a misty, distorted white light, as if something unspeakable were crawling forth, radiating an eerie aura.
Upon closer inspection, the door's warped, twisting patterns revealed themselves to be interlocking spells and magical circuits!
This card's border wasn't white—it was blue.
A higher-tier "Blue Rare"!
[Name: All-Seeing Door Opener]
[Type: Artifact]
[Rank: Tier 1 · Blue Rare]
[Description: What lies on the other side of the door?]
[Effect: When placed on an object, it creates a passage through it, with the penetration effect determined by the user's magical power.]
[Evaluation: Though its effect is simple and singular, it can be remarkably effective in certain situations. Has potential for upgrades.]
[Newcomer Gift Pack Unlock Progress: 3/5]
This was the first Blue Rare card Ethan had crafted by fusing spells!
A creation capable of altering reality, far more powerful than Broomstick Rash!
Go, Blue Rare!
Show me what you can do!
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