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Ritual

Aurora

The days that followed were filled with unease. The pressure of debts and threats from debt collectors continued to increase, as did the strange events in my house. Pieces of paper with unknown symbols appeared in unexpected places, and the feeling of being watched never left me.

Damian, now a constant presence at the café, became my source of confusion and curiosity. His aura of mystery and enigmatic words haunted me. Finally, after days of indecision, I decided to confront him again.

"Damian," I began, as I approached his table during a quieter shift. "You mentioned that help can come from where we least expect it. What exactly do you mean by that?"

He looked at me with his penetrating eyes, assessing me before responding. "There is a place you should visit," he said, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket and writing down an address. "Go to this address. There you will find what you seek."

Holding the paper in my hands, I felt a mixture of apprehension and hope. I decided to follow his advice and, after work, headed to the given address. It was a part of town I rarely visited, a narrow and dimly lit street. The antique shop had a dusty window display and a nearly illegible sign.

I entered the shop, and the soft sound of the doorbell echoed through the room. The interior was filled with old furniture, dusty books, and mysterious artifacts. An elderly woman with bright, curious eyes stood behind the counter.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice soft and welcoming.

"I'm looking for the Book of Shadows," I replied, feeling a bit foolish.

The woman's expression changed slightly, and she assessed me with a keen gaze. "Who told you to come here?"

"A friend," I said hesitantly. "He said I would find answers here."

She nodded slowly and led me to the back of the shop, where a heavy wooden door opened to reveal a room filled with candles and an altar covered in ancient symbols. She picked up a large, old book with a dark leather cover and mysterious engravings.

"This is the Book of Shadows," she said. "It contains ancient knowledge about forces that most people do not understand. But remember, this knowledge comes at a price."

I took the book, feeling its weight in my hands. "What kind of price?"

"That depends on how you use the knowledge it offers. It can bring great blessings or terrible curses. Use it wisely."

I thanked her and left the shop, feeling both excited and terrified. I knew I was venturing into unknown territory, but desperation was driving me forward.

At home, I waited until Sol was asleep before opening the book. The pages were yellowed with age, and the text was written in an ancient language. Yet, strangely, I could understand some parts. There were instructions for rituals, enchantments, and invocations, each promising some kind of power or solution.

I spent the night reading and studying, trying to find something that could help us. It was almost dawn when I found a ritual that seemed to promise answers. It was an invocation, meant to summon a spirit or entity that could offer help in times of desperate need.

The instructions were clear but involved steps that made my skin crawl. I needed candles, symbols drawn on the floor, and a blood offering. I hesitated, knowing I was crossing a dangerous line, but the image of Sol and the need to protect him pushed me forward.

That night, after putting Sol to bed, I began to prepare everything according to the book's instructions. I chose the most isolated room in the house, the basement, to ensure Sol wouldn't be disturbed by anything that happened. The air was heavy with humidity and the smell of mold, creating an even more sinister atmosphere.

I lit the candles one by one, positioning them in a perfect circle on the concrete floor. The flickering light cast dancing shadows on the walls, creating shapes that seemed to move on their own. Carefully, I drew the symbols on the floor using red chalk, following the detailed illustrations in the book. Each line and curve had to be precise, as any mistake could have unpredictable consequences.

Finally, it was time for the offering. The book instructed that a small amount of blood was needed to seal the ritual. With a sharp blade, I made a small cut on the palm of my hand, feeling a sharp pain as the blood began to flow. I let a few drops fall into the center of the circle, watching as the dark red liquid spread across the drawn symbols.

With my hand still bleeding, I knelt beside the circle and began to recite the ancient words. The language was strange and guttural, but the words flowed from my mouth as if I had always known them. The air around me seemed to vibrate with an invisible energy, and the candles flickered violently, as if an unseen force was passing through them.

For a moment, nothing happened. The silence was absolute, broken only by the sound of my ragged breathing. I began to think that it was all a delusion caused by desperation, but then, a cold breeze swept through the room, extinguishing all the candles at once. In the center of the circle of symbols, a form began to materialize.

A tall and imposing figure, shrouded in shadows, appeared before me. His eyes glowed with a malevolent light, and a cruel smile formed on his lips.

"You summoned me, Aurora," he said, his voice echoing through the room. "And now, what do you desire in exchange for your audacity?"

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