[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/241029/52bd5d66b2f3aad40abd693b1e05e6e8.png[/img][/center]

Everything about this felt wrong. The door, the halls, the silence. Not exactly a new experience within the confines of a Dark City but Oz could tell there was something about this that was different. 

Leaving the letter leading him to its exact location aside, someone had managed to hex a door with a magical lock so complex that Oz had spent around 7 hours just cracking three of the bindings and 7 more on this last one alone. He was certain that this time the equation was perfect and... no, the door remained bound. The young man stood up and began pacing as he thought, keeping an eye and ear out for an approaching threats as he attempted to figure out why his magecraft was failing to open this path.

[color=80dfff][i]Rewrite's core function is the ability to change
	[right]Whoever left me that letter is aware of where I live,[/right]
the criteria that spells function under,
	[right]as well as has insight into my capabilities if they know[/right]
barriers included. This particular barrier 
	[right]my skill with lock-picking spells. They also knew about[/right]
had 4 bindings with their own set of 
	[right]this door and likely have some idea of what's behind it.[/right]
criteria and no 2 bindings could share a 
	[right]What are their intentions with having me open up this[/right]
criteria but they could contradict each other.
	[right]barrier? They could have set a trap for me somewhere,[/right]
Balancing out the requirements for these 
	[right]but then why not grab me while I'm focusing on breaking[/right]
bindings is difficult and runs the risk of a
	[right] the bindings? They could simply want what's behind[/right] 
magical backdraft if done incorrectly. However, 
	[right]the door, but how do they know I won't just take it for[/right]
I have gotten the formula close enough to not
	[right]myself? Similarly, they could kidnap me and force me[/right] 
notice any repercussions for failing to unlock
	[right]to open the door if they don't want me taking anything.[/right] 
the binding which leads to my next question.
	[right]Yet, nothing within this place has made a move.[/right] 
Am I actually failing? It could be that I got
	[right]Likely answer, this is a test and my suspicions of[/right] 
a previous binding wrong and didn't notice, 
	[right]being watched are correct. They have some manner of[/right]
but the more likely conclusion is that the 
	[right]keeping their eyes on me to witness how I crack this[/right]
barrier spell actively resists my tampering
	[right]vault and what methods I use to approach solving this[/right] 
with a tampering of its own. That's it.
	[right]puzzle. Likely some form of detection spell, but they[/right] 
The reason there's no recoil is because my
	[right]would have to be better with it then I am my own to[/right] 
formula is always balanced by an inverse spell 
	[right]be out of my range or have some means of obscuring[/right]
produced by the door. If I'm right, that means 
	[right]their location that my Detect can't get through.[/right]
whoever created these locks knows how to use
	[right]Seeing as they thought that only I could understand[/right]
Counter and understands Rewrite well enough 
	[right]this door and yet seem more knowledgeable than me,[/right]
to be able to use Counter on it. Alright, now
	[right]I have to presume that they bear a different crest[/right] 
to test this hypothesis, I need to create an
	[right]than I do. Which also means that whoever is[/right] 
inversion of an inversion of Rewrite but to do
	[right]testing me didn't make the barrier themselves[/right] 
that without just casting another Rewrite spell,
	[right]but likely knows who did. Furthermore, I can[/right] 
I'll need to utilize Establish and set a condition
	[right]assume that since this door requires the three[/right] 
for imaginary variables. Negative of a negative
	[right]spells that I have learned during my training[/right] 
is a positive, but the root of negative one is [b]i[/b]
	[right]with my father, that these people knew him[/right] 
so I just Establish that [b]i[/b] squared can remain 
	[right]personally and it is equally likely that[/right]
as [b]i[sup]2[/sup][/b] within the natural numbers. Then it'll 
	[right]the door-maker is in fact my father such[/right]
be equal to negative one but be a positive 
	[right]that his disappearance is what makes me the[/right]
natural number, meaning I can invert it to [b]-i[sup]2[/sup][/b]
	[right]only one who could understand this door.[/right] 
and that is not equal to one, meaning my formula
	[right]The keys to this door were chosen deliberately[/right] 
would not simplify back into Rewrite. 
	[right]for me to be the only one who could unlock it.[/right]
[/i][/color]

With all that being said, Oz went about undoing the Counter security hex placed upon the door. It took him some time to verify his math was correct as this was his first time trying to do such a thing but when there was no recoil, he breathed a sigh of relief. That meant there was a spell that his formula affected, and his hypothesis was correct. Unfortunately, that also meant that all the bindings were likely never unlocked to begin with and he now had to start over. This was going to be a long night, but at least he was accustomed to pulling all-nighters.