The carriage descended slowly from the sky, eventually coming to a smooth halt in a small alleyway.
Seeing that the carriage had stopped, Ethan immediately opened the carriage door and hopped out, landing firmly in an excessively stylish pose.
He straightened up, stretching leisurely while eyeing the bustling street beyond the alley.
Professor Fig stepped down from the carriage more sedately, turning back to George. "Are you sure you won't join us at Gringotts?"
"No, I'm afraid not. The Ministry still has a pile of things waiting for me." George turned to Ethan, bowing slightly. "Until next time, Mr. Ethan."
He then drew out his wand. "Apparate."
With a spherical ripple in space, George vanished as abruptly as he'd appeared.
"Well, we'd best get going to Diagon Alley." Professor Fig stepped out of the alley, looking back to call Ethan along. "It's still a short walk away."
"Coming, Professor." Ethan quickly caught up, walking slightly behind Professor Fig and matching his pace comfortably, his thoughts drifting back to the events of the past week.
---
Ethan had arrived in this world exactly one week ago. In simpler terms, he was a transmigrator.
He couldn't recall precisely how he'd arrived here. All he knew was that when he'd closed his eyes in his own bed back home, he'd opened them again on a hospital bed. An oxygen mask covered his face, an IV drip was hooked up to his left hand, and his body ached all over as though half-dead.
"Ah, it's an unfamiliar ceiling," Ethan had muttered sarcastically, struggling to sit upright and glancing around cautiously.
"Where am I—ugh!" A sudden, splitting headache forced Ethan to clutch his head, supporting himself with one hand as he slowly laid back down again.
With the pain came a flood of fragmented memories, chaotic and jumbled. Ethan lay gasping, sorting through these confused images flooding his mind.
"Holy Grail War... explosion... mage... human sacrifice... What the hell is all this?" Ethan's original memories clearly indicated that the Holy Grail War was nothing more than fictional content from anime and games. He had even been an unlucky player of a certain gacha game in that franchise. Yet these new memories insisted these were real events he'd personally experienced.
Creak—
The hospital room door swung open, and a silver-haired old man walked inside. Spotting Ethan awake on the bed, he smiled warmly.
"Ah, you're finally awake?"
Ethan sat up again, observing the elderly man carefully. Wrinkled face, hooked nose, high cheekbones, blue eyes—a distinctly Western appearance. The face was unfamiliar, meaning Ethan had never met him before. He wore casual clothes rather than hospital attire, so he wasn't hospital staff either. Then why was he here?
"And you are?" Ethan asked cautiously.
"Eleazar Fig, but please call me Fig." The elderly man smiled gently, naturally seating himself in a chair beside Ethan's bed and lightly pressing Ethan's shoulder. "You must be Ethan. You should rest now."
Ethan neither lay back down nor replied, just continued to stare steadily at Fig.
"I understand you have plenty of questions, but please let me explain slowly. You should lie down and relax while I do." Fig maintained his gentle smile, withdrawing his hand. Ethan finally conceded, lying back down on the hospital bed.
"Alright. Please begin."
"Well then, let's start with who I am..."
From Professor Fig's calm, detailed explanation, Ethan gradually pieced together the full story:
A British Dark wizard had fled to Japan, intending to perform a forbidden magical ritual to achieve power and immortality.
After years of research, he'd combined Eastern and Western magical systems, conducting a twisted, makeshift blood sacrifice ritual similar to the Holy Grail War.
Ethan had been one of the unfortunate victims selected as a pawn for this ritual.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—the ritual had gone awry, backfiring on the Dark wizard and causing a catastrophic explosion that obliterated the entire town.
Ethan, meant to be sacrificed, had miraculously survived. Professor Fig, a teacher from a certain magic school who happened to be traveling nearby, was the highest-ranking wizard on-site and had been tasked with handling the aftermath.
"...And that's the situation. If you have any questions, feel free to ask," Professor Fig finished calmly, pulling a cup from his pocket and taking a sip of water.
"Why was I chosen?" Ethan asked quietly.
"Because you possess an unusually strong affinity for magic—in other words, an exceptional magical talent. You're a born wizard, Ethan."
"What about the others? Were they like me?"
"No. They were merely Muggles—that is, ordinary people. The Dark wizard intended to use the ritual to sacrifice them, enhancing your magical power, then take your life and absorb everything you had. But, well, clearly he failed."
"...Then what's my current situation?" Ethan asked, glancing cautiously at Professor Fig. "Am I still human? Or have I become some sort of Dark magic creation? Professor Fig, have you come here to... 'deal' with me?"
"No, Ethan," Professor Fig's expression turned grave. "You must understand one thing clearly: you are just as much a victim as those who perished. No one will harm you."
Ethan fell silent, lying back and closing his eyes, saying nothing. Seeing this, Professor Fig sighed inwardly. "This is too much for a child to bear," he thought sadly.
After a long silence, Ethan cautiously opened his eyes. "Then what should I do next?"
"As I said earlier, you're a born wizard. I'm quite certain Hogwarts would gladly welcome a promising student like you."
"Hogwarts?" Ethan exclaimed in shock.
Hogwarts. Ethan vaguely remembered this name—a magical school from a certain fantasy novel, located in the Scottish Highlands. The school was full of talented students, catchy incantations, and fascinating classes. Honestly, he'd always dreamed of spending his entire life as a student there.
But Hogwarts and the Holy Grail War were clearly unrelated; how had they ended up in the same world?
"The best wizarding school in the world, and currently led by the greatest headmaster in history—Albus Dumbledore," Professor Fig hinted meaningfully.
"Professor, why do I feel like you're trying hard to abduct me?" Ethan laughed, catching the implication.
"In a sense, you're not wrong. Technically, Hogwarts is in Britain, and according to regional jurisdiction, you should enroll in your local wizarding school. However," Professor Fig smiled craftily, "this decision ultimately rests with you. Considering what you've been through, it's entirely reasonable for you to want a change of scenery."
Professor Fig winked at Ethan knowingly, his smile wise and cunning.
"So, Ethan, will you choose to come with me to Hogwarts? Or stay here and await enrollment at your local magic school? Or perhaps you'd prefer to return to an ordinary life? I've already spoken with the authorities here; we can arrange a normal life for you if that's what you desire. The choice is yours, my dear friend."