In the gradually rising morning light, Ethan Vincent slowly turned around.
A golden bird chirped, circling high above him. The faint, shimmering glow of dawn spilled across his face, draping over him like a thin, golden veil. Those cobalt-blue eyes—usually as calm and deep as the sea—now reflected the many figures standing before him.
In their eyes, he saw caution, apprehension, suspicion, and dread. But in the eyes of his companions, he saw a different kind of trust—one laced with confusion and curiosity.
"I wish to bring a brighter, more beautiful future to this world. It shall be my most perfect painting," Ethan said softly. "And in this painting, not a single person can be missing."
Ethan's gaze fell upon Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore. He spread his arms wide as if welcoming the rising sun—or perhaps as if he himself were the incarnation of that dazzling star.
Pronouncing every word with deliberate clarity, he shouted, "To achieve this, I must defy fate itself! I must snatch life from the clutches of ordained death! This path makes me an enemy of the Grim Reaper!"
"But I am fearless. Art knows no limits, and eventually, I shall turn even the high-and-mighty gods into a mere stroke of color beneath my brush!"
His voice thundered, echoing through the ruins of the Ministry.
Minister Rufus Scrimgeour stared at Ethan in a daze. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "You... you truly are insane!"
He stumbled to his feet, staring at Ethan as if looking at a complete psychopath. "What 'Death'? What 'perfect painting'? This is nothing but a delusional excuse for you to launch a terrorist attack!"
"This is absurd! Do you think everyone else is a fool?!"
Even if Ethan had claimed he was doing this "to fight Death Eaters," it would have sounded more grounded than this. Even the members of the Enlightenment Society were stunned by his staggering rhetoric.
However, having survived the battle just now, they were actually more inclined to accept this explanation. Whether it was Bellatrix or that "Eyeball Monster," everything they had witnessed had far exceeded the boundaries of mortal Dark Arts.
Harry blinked, then whispered thoughtfully, "So... Ethan has been fighting against the gods this whole time?"
Harry glanced at Sirius, remembering vividly how that horrific eye and giant hand had appeared. Its first move had been to try and hurl Sirius into the Veil—as if he were supposed to die there.
At the thought of that heart-stopping moment, Harry's heart began to race. He looked at his other companions and saw expressions that were a mix of fear and excitement.
...Snatching people from Death, defying fate.
It sounded like a fairy tale. Harry understood why Scrimgeour was so furious. And yet, under Ethan's leadership, it felt as though they were capable of anything.
Even a god could be slain for them to see.
"Preposterous... absolutely preposterous!" Scrimgeour's body trembled with rage. He looked like he might faint at any moment. Suddenly, he whipped around to glare at the members of the Enlightenment Society, pointing a finger at them and roaring:
"You've ruined these children, Ethan Vincent! They are your accomplices! They should have had bright futures, but now, they are criminals in the eyes of the Ministry of Magic!"
At those words, the students' eyes widened in shock. The threat of authority dragged them back to reality in an instant. They weren't heroes defending their friends or fighting a powerful enemy—they were criminals who had blown up the Ministry of Magic and flagrantly violated the law.
"No... how can this be...?" Hermione had the strongest reaction. Her face turned pale. This was worse than hearing she had failed her final exams. She swayed, nearly collapsing.
"Don't worry, Hermione!" Sirius rushed to comfort her, a roguish grin splitting his face. "I've been in Azkaban! Being a criminal is no big deal!"
Hermione: "..." Gee, thanks for the comfort.
On the other side, Dumbledore, leaning on his three-headed dog as he stood up, frowned. He limped forward, his voice low and grave. "I cannot simply ignore these accusations against my students, Scrimgeour—"
Before he could finish, a clear, calm voice interrupted him.
"As expected, red tape and formalities are useless for communication."
Ethan sighed and pulled something from his robes. When that object came into view, everyone held their breath. Their hearts skipped a beat.
It was a pure white mask.
Though it had only appeared once or twice before, it was an indelible nightmare etched into the minds of everyone in the wizarding world. It was the mask of Mr. Lamp.
It was the iconic symbol of the man who had once declared the end of the world—the greatest enemy of the current Ministry of Magic.
And now, Ethan pressed it onto his own face.
Despite the difference in stature, the moment the mask was donned, a natural, overwhelming aura of darkness radiated from him. Everyone realized the appalling, unbelievable truth in a heartbeat:
Ethan was Mr. Lamp.
The man the Ministry had pinned their hopes on as the "New Savior" was, in fact, the greatest enemy of the wizarding world.
The Aurors were horrified. Some even recoiled several steps in pure terror.
"Ethan is Mr. Lamp...? Merlin's beard! Am I dreaming?!"
"So the enemy we've been hunting all this time was right under our noses?!"
"How is that possible?! Mr. Lamp is so powerful—how could he be a student who hasn't even graduated? Wait... actually, I can't beat Ethan either. Never mind, that makes sense."
Minister Scrimgeour, having finally found the "connection" he had been searching for, stood frozen with his mouth agape. He had spent so much effort trying to find Ethan's link to Mr. Lamp, only to find that Ethan was the man himself.
As he looked at the masked Ethan, a harsh, mocking laughter seemed to echo in his mind, ridiculing all the useless work he had done.
"Ha... haha... Hahahaha!" Scrimgeour suddenly burst into laughter, collapsing onto the ground. He laughed until tears came to his eyes.
...Damn you, Fudge, for leaving this mess to me.
Meanwhile, the members of the Enlightenment Society were equally dumbfounded. They stood like statues, as if they had been hit with a collective Petrificus Totalus.
"What a hell of an undercover job," Ron muttered blankly, summarizing the explosive scene perfectly.
Hermione was stunned as well, but then her eyes lit up. "If that's the case, then our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this term must have been Ethan too!"
"Because remember our theory? We thought Professor Norn was Mr. Lamp!"
It turned out it was Ethan the whole time!
A flush of excitement rose to Hermione's cheeks. She bit her lip, looking at Ethan with pure adoration, and whispered, "I actually received personal tutoring from Ethan... Oh my god! I want a Time-Turner just to experience it all over again from the start!"
So what if Ethan was Mr. Lamp? Did the things Ethan had done or the people he had saved change just because of a title? She wasn't like the Ministry, obsessed with hollow glory and status.
Thinking of this, Hermione straightened her back. The fear she felt from the criminal charges began to dissipate.
The only person who could define her was her Society President, Ethan.
[You have revealed your righteous identity through a stirring and sincere speech, leaving the crowd deeply moved!]
[Lamp Brightness Increased: Dazzling!]
[You have gained the skill: "Lamp's Call"]
[When the radiance within a target's mind reaches a certain level, you can perform a long-distance summon of that person, provided it does not violate their will.]
"Long-distance summoning? Interesting," Ethan nodded inwardly. In the future, this skill might produce some unexpected results.
[Since you have ascended to the next level, Soul Synchronization is unlocked!]
[Soul Synchronization increased by 1.8%!]
[95.0% -> 96.8%]
[Painting Skill Level Up!]
[Infatuated Imagination Lv3 -> The Opened Soul Lv4]
[Your internal phantasms surge. Your eyes see the specters beyond the veil; their whispers pass through your chest, yet none can hinder your creation.]
[From now on, even the Laws of Reality shall become the pigment for your brush.]
[Rule-Based Artwork: Unlocked]
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze