the ritual

 Darkness, everything around me is just darkness.

 The mistake I made is immense. A simple word transformed me into a pawn in the deadly moon game.

 I only did it to ensure the safety of my family, Nixie, and Harry. Was it a mistake to seek power at any cost? How did I come to this outcome?"

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"January 15, 1991 | Potter Manor | Ritual Room

'Tonight is the big night; tonight I will replicate the ritual my mother performed, and I believe I will enter into a contract with an entity.

 Unlike my dear mother, I have more freedom in two aspects. 

One, I don't know if I've already made this observation, but in a magical house created by a family that made a fortune selling potions, one of the last things we lack is ingredients. Even though it wouldn't hurt to restock rare ingredient reserves when I make my fortune.

 So, unlike my mother, I'm not obligated to fill the equivalent exchange with life energy. 

The other freedom I have, unlike Mom, is the situation of having to sign a contract with just anyone, by preparing the ritual specifically to target that entity, I believe. 

Well, a little recap of what I've discovered in these past two years. 

Higher entities, according to my ancestors, are formed through the accumulation of belief and faith. 

Of course, there's a slight nuance to this thing. Mana. My ancestors and Mom think that mana is the essence of the will of everything or, more so, of reality.

 It's like the communication method of reality, and in the presence of beings capable of thought and having more gifted mana than others, it forms a consciousness born from the thoughts of these beings, in other words, a deity.

 Of course, there are rankings among these deities, which take into account the number of people aware of the deity, the attributes given to this deity, and whether this entity is the attribute itself. In simple terms, destiny will have more authority over itself than the Moires, creators of the thread of fate, or a god with authority over the power to see destiny.

 This is also why ancient communication methods that are now considered mystical are used in runes and alchemy. 

(A small note: Muggles, though devoid of magic and using magic, exert influence on the creation of deities; they are endowed, even in small quantities, with magic.) 

Anyway, tonight I plan to make a contract with Magic itself. If it desires power, might as well take the most powerful. 

As I placed the ritual elements in place. 'A dragon heart for a link to beings of existence, a seed from a millennium-old tree for a link to life, and phoenix ash for a link to death and rebirth.' Nixie appeared in the room with me.

 'Is the young master sure this is a good idea? Nixie has a bad feeling about this.' I could see Nixie clinging to me with that pleading look to reconsider my idea. Many times this has worked, but this year I have to consider things alone, so I won't let myself be swayed by that look anymore. 

'Nixie, you know this ritual is important to me. I need to get ahead of the others, even if I know they're not as intelligent as me, they've had their parents or tutors to help them. So, I have to do this ritual.' 

As I saw her walk away with her head down, I was forced to add, 'Don't worry, Nixie, everything will be fine in a moment; you'll see the most talented wizard that history has ever known, even Merlin will take notes.' 

'The young master's arrogance has appeared again, and all Nixie wishes is for the young master to be well.' 

I smiled at this response and finished the last steps of the ritual.

 I felt like my heart wanted to jump out of my chest and join the ritual ingredients. With my sweaty hands, I clenched my fists tighter. Being a lineage magic, I didn't have much to do; the spell was already flowing through my magic. 

When I reached the center of the magic circle, the runes and circles began to glow. 

I began to incant, "In cordibus arcanorum antiquorum et resonantiis mysticis magicae, verba sacra surgunt ut ipsam divinitatem artis magicae evocent. In hoc ritu vētustō, foedus magīcum conditur, ligans ānimam audācem ad potentiam transcendēntem quae eius invocātiōnī respondet."

 At the moment I uttered the last words, I heard {the contract has been accepted}, and the world around me spun. I felt the ground pulling me towards it and saw, as the last thing, Nixie panicking, running towards me."

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"Unknown Location | Elapsed Time - Unknown |

I could reopen my eyes after what seemed like hours of waiting.

 Looking around, I found myself in what appeared to be a grove filled with silver oaks reflecting the colors of the new moon high above me in the sky. 

Despite the mystical appearance of these trees, covered in runes still unknown to me, their trunks seemed to withstand millennia, but the leaves hanging from the trees were as black as darkness itself.

At the end of the path through the grove was a crossroads leading to where I do not know, and it did not seem important because in the middle of the crossroads was what seemed to be a sanctuary illuminated through the woods by lanterns and the moon, which seemed to concentrate all its faint radiance here.

Sitting in the sanctuary was an indescribable figure, not in terms of misunderstanding what I saw, but as if I forgot its ethereal silhouette even though it was in front of me.

{Poor child, you do not realize what you have done.}

 I could understand these words in my head even though I was certain that no possible language had been used. Like that day when mom performed the ritual, I could understand only sensations, but words appeared in my mind, indescribable.

"It is a pleasure to meet you in physical form, Lady Magic, should I call you that?" I tried to be as polite as possible; history always tells of the sensitivity of higher beings as difficult to manage.

{Poor child, unfortunately, I am not magic itself, but I am a deity with a certain authority over it.} My world began to collapse at this phrase.

{I am the goddess Hecate, deity of magic, witchcraft, the moon, crossroads, and the protection of passages. You and I have made a contract.}

"WHAT, can the contract be canceled?"

{Unfortunately no, dear child, any soul contract is absolute, but in your misfortune, you are lucky because by signing with a major deity like me instead of an entity of existence, the counterpart of the contract will be less punitive.}

"Counterpart, what counterpart? I thought I had already paid the equivalence of the ritual!"

{You have indeed paid for the ritual to have a contract, but not for the gift you receive by signing a contract. With every gift comes a curse. You are also lucky to have attracted my attention if you desire power. I could not let such an experiment go easily. You, bound to the champion of destiny, I look forward to seeing how far you will go with my gift and what might happen.}

Hearing Hecate speak like this, I began to lose my composure. I could feel all the blood in my body rushing to my feet to run as far as possible. 

With acceptance of my fate, I asked her, "At least, can I know what the gift and the curse I will have are?"

{It will be better for you to discover it for yourself. Experiences and learning towards greatness are done through trial and error. Today will be one of your greatest mistakes in the near future but will be the best thing that will happen to you in a distant future. Goodbye, young Peverell, may the paths of destiny be advantageous to you.}

As I tried to understand what she meant, I felt my consciousness being carried away."

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"The first thing I understood was Nixie's terrified calls. 'I'm fine, Nixie, it was just an effect of the ritual,' I mumbled to calm her.

The second thing I understood upon opening my eyes was an endless and omnipresent darkness. 'Nixie, tell me why you turned off all the lights?' I asked this question while laughing, knowing deep down the answer.

'Nixie doesn't understand the question, young master, but Nixie is glad that the young master is fine. Nixie was very worried.'

This declaration pressed the weight of my actions onto my body and mind.

 I understood why this ritual got lost in time, deep in the library, why the Potter family wasn't the greatest wizarding family, and why I probably shouldn't have done this ritual in my quest for power.

It's easy to seek power and say 'whatever it takes,' but it's harder to accept the consequences of those actions. I am now blind; even a cyclops or a troll would have better vision than me. Lilian Potter, I'm a genius, someone my mother knew would be one of the people at the top of the world, and now I'm a blind, disabled person who has to rely on others!

No, it's because of my arrogance that I ended up like this. If I had listened to Nixie or done more research, I wouldn't have ended up in this state. 

'Is the young master really okay? The young master is silent.' I didn't need to see to know the expression Nixie had right now.

 'Yes, yes, I... just feel lost and don't know what to do.'

Shortly after saying that, fatigue overwhelmed me, and I fell asleep immediately in an inexplicable way.

<In the revealed glow of mystery, the coveted dream weaves itself on the noble path of kings, bathed in a glimmer of hope. Meanwhile, in the silence of the tomb, darkness brews, offering refuge to the shadows of despair and hatred, ready to spread on a path of destruction.>

Hearing these words, two paths presented themselves in my dream. One, where you could feel joy, hatred, and a sense of accomplishment, and in the other, I could feel despair, just that, with in the background a small but intensely chilling hatred.

I woke up suddenly, not sure what happened, but three things are certain. 

Firstly, the curse I received is a complete loss of my sense of sight, damn it. I'll have to get used to it and find a solution.

 Secondly, Hécate has a divinity over crossroads, what I saw in my dream was due to the gift. So, it might be divination. 

Thirdly, 'Nixie, tell me where the Potter Manor is, and let's break the Fidelitas spell.'"