Brothers' Blood Pact

Armand lay motionless on the ground, clearly unconscious. The black aura slowly dissipated from his body, leaving only the Family Head's Ring on his left index finger still gleaming with an eerie black light.

The battle was extremely difficult, but Skylar also gained a great deal. His opponent was, after all, a master of ancient Dark Arts, with a magical power level reaching that of a quasi-magic master.

Even though he was limited by Draco's body and couldn't unleash his full power, and even though he held back because he wanted to possess him, he was still able to defeat his Killer through planning, strategy, and his trump card. In addition to gaining practical experience, this also gave Skylar a deeper understanding of his own actual combat strength.

He believed that even if he encountered Voldemort at his peak, or any other Grand Sorcerer, he would likely be no match for them, but he should be able to hold his own for a few rounds and perhaps even cause them some trouble.

Moreover, there is still quite some time before the chaos begins, and by then, I will likely have plenty of room to grow.

Skylar approached Draco, bent down, and gently pricked Draco's palm with his wand, leaving a tiny wound. Skylar then used his wand to pick out a bead of blood from the wound, manipulated it to float in mid-air, and then collected it into a specially made container.

Just as Skylar finished putting away the container and wand, Draco's eyelashes fluttered slightly. He slowly opened his eyes, revealing a somewhat confused look. Hmm, his pupils were gray, no longer the terrifying crimson. When he saw Skylar's concerned expression, a very complicated look appeared on his face.

"Skylar..." Draco sat up from the ground, hesitated for a long time, and finally said in a trembling voice, "I'm sorry..."

"My foolish brother!" Skylar chuckled. "What are you saying? Remember? We're brothers!"

Draco pursed his lips, seemingly wanting to say something, but unable to speak. He shook his head, took off the Family Head's Ring, and shoved it into Skylar's hand. "You should keep this! You're the most suitable next head of the family!"

Skylar smiled, looked directly into Draco's eyes, and said softly, "You and Father are overthinking things."

"I do have ambition, I do have ideals, but the Patriarchal position has never been part of my plans," Skylar said calmly, as if discussing something insignificant. "The world I desire is not something the family can yet provide... Rest assured! You can peacefully inherit the Patriarchal position, and as your younger brother, I will do my utmost to support you and uphold your prestige and status within the clan. I can also assure you now that although our ideologies differ, I believe that both paths can lead to new glories for the family."

"I promise you, I won't do anything that harms your interests, nor will I do anything that harms the family's interests," Skylar said, looking directly into Draco's eyes. "As long as you and Father also promise me not to be my enemy. In this world, besides my family, there are many people and things I cherish. They are my bottom line, and whoever hurts them will be considered my enemy!"

Draco fell silent. He first shook his head, then nodded. Having experienced the nightmare of almost being possessed by his ancestor, many of his previous views on his family had changed.

"Once you understand this, then based on that, I think I can put your mind at ease a little better..." Skylar said.

Draco's eyes lit up slightly. "Then what should we do?"

Skylar slowly said, "Brothers' Blood Pact!"

"Brothers' Blood Pact, like Unbreakable Vow, is a highly binding magical contract. We each contribute a drop of blood, merging them together, and from that moment on, neither of us can harm the other. This means you can continue to uphold the family's honor in your own way, and I can pursue my ideals with peace of mind. In the process, we will both be bound by magic and unable to fight each other. This way, we no longer need to worry about a brotherly duel between us, and you don't need to rush into learning Dark Arts to pursue power..."

Draco nodded without hesitation and said, "Okay."

Of course, Skylar's words were somewhat reserved. What he didn't say was that the effect of the Brothers' Blood Pact was actually "the inability to harm the other party with magic." In this world, magic is not the only thing that can hurt people.

Before Skylar's time travel, only the first two Fantastic Beasts movies had been released. Although he had spoken with Rowling, the screenwriter, a few times, he didn't know much more than other readers, except for some inside information about other magic schools. So he only knew that Dumbledore couldn't fight Grindelwald in the early stages of the Acolytes' Rebellion because of the Blood Pact, but he didn't know how Dumbledore ultimately broke the Blood Pact and defeated the latter in 1945.

Could it be that their so-called battle of the century was actually a melee combat? A close-quarters warlock?

Seems like I've gone a bit off-topic. Skylar quickly pulled himself back to reality and drew his wand.

Skylar tapped their palms lightly with his wand, and two small red blood beads swirled together, slowly rising into the air. They eventually merged in mid-air, transforming into a beautifully crafted container, resembling a rhombus pendant with a round bead in the center.

"It's done," Skylar said, putting the container into his Suitcase Space. Looking at Draco, who seemed hesitant to speak, he continued, "What's wrong? Don't worry, this Blood Pact container can't be easily destroyed, and forcibly destroying it would cause a backlash. As for the Family Head's Ring, take it back. After all, it's something your father entrusted to you, and it's not appropriate to transfer it to someone else so easily. Anyway, after I severely injured Armand, it will probably take Armand several centuries to accumulate enough power to possess someone else."

"No, I absolutely believe you. That's not what I wanted to say..." Draco shook his head. "Actually... the reason I was possessed wasn't because I wanted to compete with you for the Patriarchal position— "

"Indeed, I am jealous of your talent, I envy how easily you receive your parents' attention, and I crave your admiration and adoration. But these are merely the triggers; the real reason—"

"Alright! Stop!" Skylar interrupted Draco. "Some things don't need to be said—"

Skylar's eyes shone brightly, and he said softly, "I promise you, I will cherish her."

Draco was stunned, a bitter feeling rising in his heart. He hadn't said anything, yet Skylar already knew everything. Was the gap between them really that big?

Draco nodded, but then couldn't help but sigh, "I'm really envious of you, bro..."

"Envious?" Skylar smiled wryly and said, "If you observe this world carefully, you'll realize how fortunate you are—"

"Muggle drift through their days in a daze, toiling away for their studies, jobs, and families. What they strive so hard for might only require a simple Transfiguration for us... Squib suffer even more, knowing magic exists but only able to admire it from afar... Muggle-born wizard appear to be blessed with entry into the magical world, but after graduation, they face the struggle of finding work and making a living..."

"As for us, we are both born into Pure-blood noble families. Perhaps we were born with the responsibility and honor of our families, but at the same time, we also gained the family's abundant resources, which saved us from the troubles of those people I just mentioned, but at the same time, it burdened us with new shackles."

"Since we are fortunate enough to be born into this world, we should live freely and bravely be ourselves, instead of caring about the opinions of others and making meaningless comparisons between ourselves and others... Look at Potter and Weasley, although one is an orphan and the other has to tighten his belt to make ends meet, they never belittle themselves because of it..."

Draco nodded, then shook his head. He seemed to have grasped something vaguely, yet it remained unclear. He asked, "You mean... everyone has their own destiny?"

Skylar couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't use such a mysterious word as fate. Let's put it this way: everyone should have their own purpose in life. Being able to find one's place in this world and strive to fulfill the responsibilities assigned to oneself—that's enough to make our existence worthwhile."

Seeing Draco's hesitant expression, Skylar said, "Don't ask me what you should do, or what the meaning of your existence is. You must find the answer to those questions yourself."

"Then..." Draco seemed to have made up his mind, "And you? What is your mission? Since the Patriarchal position is dispensable to you, it's obvious that becoming Minister for Magic or ruling the Wizarding World isn't your goal. What exactly are you pursuing?"

Skylar smiled but didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Draco, you might find it hard to believe, but the world isn't as simple as we imagine. Each of us relies on our own knowledge and understanding, and is bound by these things, even calling them reality. Knowledge and understanding are ambiguous things; what we perceive as reality may just be an illusion—"

"There is a kind of fungus that lives at sunrise and dies at sunset, never knowing night or dawn; a cicada is born in spring and dies in summer, never knowing autumn or winter; Muggle live mediocre lives for decades, perhaps rich, perhaps powerful, but never knowing the existence of magic, wizards, or truth..."

"Then why don't we wizards live in the reality we imagine?"

"Aren't we wizards being too arrogant and conceited, considering ourselves the most powerful beings?"

"That's right, we've quelled several Goblin rebellions, but why have we never been able to grasp their secrets of metal forging?"

"Yes, House Elf are completely obedient to us. Without our orders as wizards, they cannot even leave the houses that confine them. So how do they reproduce?" (This refers to the fact that each family has only one House Elf, such as Malfoy, Crouch, and Black, which is common knowledge in the wizarding world, so Draco understands.)

"Neither Goblin nor House Elf are allowed to possess wands, nor do they have any system like Hogwarts where knowledge can be passed down. So where do they learn their magic?"

"We learned in Astronomy that our Earth is just a drop in the ocean of stars. So, is it possible that there are beings on other planets more powerful than wizards?"

"I once studied spatial magic. Beyond the space we inhabit, there is actually a connection to a chaotic Void Space. What lies on the other side of that Void Space? Could it be that the space we inhabit is just one of many? And what about those so-called alternate dimensions, where might there be powers even more powerful than magic?"

"In my view, whether it's Grindelwald's so-called Wizard Supremacy or the Dark Lord's advocacy of Pure-blood Supremacy, they are merely based on their own perceptions... As for me—"

A glint of light flashed in Skylar's eyes. "The path I'm taking is simply to shatter these illusions of the wizards..."