Flickering…
Dawn narrowed his eyes.
In that process, he could clearly see two streams of silver-white mist clashing against each other within the trembling flesh of the donkey.
Dawn quickly understood what was happening.
The natural magic from outside was trying to turn this blood-curse carrier into a donkey, but the child's own magic, under the control of his will, was resisting that transformation.
Watching this, Dawn suddenly recalled the thoughts that had crossed his mind that afternoon when he first learned the Carter family's blood curse was a donkey.
How exactly was magic produced? Were natural magic and the magic within a wizard's body truly the same thing?
Until now, although both appeared as silver-white mist, Dawn had never been able to confirm it.
One arose within flesh and soul, while the other could exist even in ordinary stones.
Dawn had originally hoped they were not the same.
But judging from the confrontation he had just witnessed between natural magic and internal magic, he had to admit—the chance that they were the same in essence was far greater.
Then, if the magic inside a wizard could be guided by consciousness…
What about natural magic?
Though runes and certain rituals could direct natural magic, who had set those boundaries in the first place?
Dawn's expression darkened.
...
By now, as the natural magic gradually thinned, the boy's internal magic finally gained the upper hand.
At last—
The flickering patterns stabilized, and the black donkey transformed into a six or seven-year-old boy, naked and pale.
Dawn looked down.
Yes… very fat.
His body was round and soft, much fatter than Neville by more than a degree, yet his expression was blank.
Even with his father lying unconscious behind the counter, the boy showed no reaction at all, simply sitting dazed on the floor.
Dawn narrowed his eyes, studying him carefully.
Soon, he noticed that after transforming back into human form, something was wrong with the boy's internal patterns!
Dawn had observed many wizards before. Though each person's patterns had slight differences, overall they still shared a similar structure.
But this boy's were not the same. The differences were immediately obvious.
"Is it because of the blood curse?" Dawn muttered.
Just then—
Rustling sounds came from behind him.
"William!"
The man stirred awake from the Stunning Spell.
When he opened his eyes and saw his son sitting on the floor, he cried out and lunged for his wand, shouting anxiously: "Wait! That's my son—don't hurt him!"
"Of course, Mr. Carter… I would never harm your lovely child."
Dawn turned back. Just as the man touched his wand, another Disarming Charm sent it flying.
Running his fingers through the boy's soft hair, Dawn looked at the man who had fallen yet again and rasped with a smile:
"But in exchange, I want you to make an Unbreakable Vow with me."
"The Unbreakable Vow?" Harris's expression tightened as he glanced nervously at his son's head, where a patch of hair had suddenly collapsed.
He knew that magic well. The Unbreakable Vow was a binding magical contract, deadly to any who broke it.
Once sworn, whoever violated it would die from magical backlash.
"That's right," Dawn said. "You must swear to fulfill all of my demands and never act in any way harmful to me. Then, I'll return your child."
"No! That's far too harsh! To fulfill all your demands… I cannot agree to something like that!"
The man still clung to his reason.
Dawn clicked his tongue deliberately. "Mr. Carter, it seems you aren't the type willing to sacrifice everything for your son after all."
The man froze. "No, I—"
"Enough. Don't bother making excuses. I don't care about that," Dawn cut him off. "Then let's adjust the condition—just within the scope of not harming anyone."
The man opened his mouth.
But Dawn spoke first, his voice sharp: "Mr. Carter, if you refuse even that, I'll simply kill both you and your son and walk away."
After a long silence, the man seemed to accept. "But… I don't know how to perform that magic."
"You don't need to. The Unbreakable Vow is a ritual. It's not about learning—it's about following the procedure."
Dawn explained.
He remembered how the original story once mentioned the twins had tried to trick a five-year-old Ron into making such a vow, only for their father to stop them in time.
That alone showed it wasn't particularly advanced magic.
"What about the witness?" the man asked.
"Isn't your son right here?" Dawn smiled, stroking the dazed boy who still showed no reaction.
Harris pressed his lips together. After a moment of inner struggle, he finally extended his hand. "Fine. I'll agree to the vow."
"A wise choice."
Dawn chuckled.
He lifted the boy's arm, making him stand, then picked up the man's wand and shoved it into his palm, pulling him over to the counter.
The boy—William—didn't resist, didn't speak, just let Dawn move him like a puppet.
"Hmm… perhaps some kind of mental issue?" Dawn muttered, but still reached out to clasp the man's hand.
And just before their hands touched, Dawn added coldly:
"One more thing. I know the necklace around your neck is an alchemized object. If you're thinking of attacking me with it, you'd best forget the idea."
The man stiffened.
Dawn was right. The necklace did contain a stored Stunning Spell.
He hadn't used it earlier because Dawn had stayed invisible, making it impossible to target.
He had planned to strike during the handshake, but clearly, his scheme was exposed.
"Sir, I had no such thought," Harris forced a smile.
He unhooked the necklace and tossed it to the far side of the counter.
"Good. Much better," Dawn snorted, then firmly clasped the man's wrist.
The man's expression shifted slightly. Though he couldn't see Dawn's face, from the grip on his wrist he could tell Dawn's body was thin and somewhat short.
But he had no time to dwell on it. Dawn adjusted the boy's arm, guiding the wand to touch their joined hands, and asked in a steady voice:
"Do you swear, under the condition of harming no one, to fulfill my requests and never act against me?"
"I do," the man breathed.
With a crack—
A fine red flame burst from the wand, twisting into bright threads that wrapped around their wrists.
Dawn didn't allow him any chance to counter. He immediately released the man's hand, ending the ritual.
"Mr. Carter," Dawn said quietly. "Now, my first demand… tell me, in what part of your story just now did you lie?"
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