Discover The Mysteries Within The Midnight Ritual: A Guide for Writers on Uncovering Otherworldly Summons.

Dear Fright People!

In the spine-chilling world of fright writing, rituals are more than just spooky incantations—they are powerful, atmospheric storytelling tools—offering both characters and readers a glimpse into the forbidden.

The ritual scene can be the climax of terror, a harbinger of doom, or the start of unimaginable chaos. A well-executed ritual can deepen your world's lore and leave readers breathless as they turn each page, awaiting the sinister results.

Whether your story features occultists summoning spirits, ancient curses being unleashed, or secret rites performed in the dead of night, knowing how to execute the perfect ritual scene is essential to creating suspense and fear.

This month, we invite you to step into that darkness and explore the art of storytelling through ritual as we delve into the dark and mysterious world of rituals—a powerful narrative device in horror fiction. We'll break down in a step-by-step process, taking you deeper into the heart of a chilling ritual that could change the course of a story—or a life—forever, much like a master of dark arts crafting their spell.

Let's dive deep into its ancient origins and components. But first, let us tell you a story.

In the heart of every dark tale, there is a moment when the characters teeter on the edge of the unknown, daring to cross into the realm of unspeakable power. This is the moment of the ritual. They reach for doors that should never be opened and powers that should remain forgotten... Yet, the call is too strong.

Dare to Perform the Ritual: The Ritual of the Forgotten Moon – A Guide to Darkness

The Forgotten Moon is a celestial body lost to time, said to shine only when the balance between darkness and light is disturbed.

Ritual of the Forgotten Moon—dark and mysterious, a moment when the veil between worlds grows thin—when the shadows lengthen, and the air hums with a strange, unsettling energy. It is in this moment, beneath the dim light of a waning moon, that the ritual must be performed.

The Arrival of Midnight

The hour was nearly upon them.

Beneath the pale, watchful moon, the air held its breath. Shadows crept along the cold stone, flickering in time with the sputtering flames of candles lined in a precise circle. Six participants stood at the edges of the ritual space, hearts pounding like distant drums, faces drawn tight with a mix of fear and anticipation. The midnight ritual was about to begin.

But what they didn't know—what they couldn't know—was the price this ritual demanded.

Before going further, we need to understand the Ritual's Purpose: What Are You Summoning?

Every ritual begins with intent. Understanding 'why' your characters are performing the ritual sets the stakes for the story. What are they trying to achieve?

Imagine your characters at this pivotal moment—where and why are they performing this ritual? Is it a desperate plea for help? A dark act of revenge? Or a curiosity that has spiraled out of control? Perhaps they seek to contact a dead loved one or summon an ancient, evil being for power. Or could it be a ritual that could be a dark spell to curse an enemy with disastrous consequences? Or maybe a quest for forbidden secrets that should never be uncovered, requiring an ominous sacrifice.

If you decide what ritual your characters would perform and why. Now, we return to our tale. The hours of midnight can only cover our secret for so long.

Origins of the Forgotten Moon Ritual

The Ritual of the Forgotten Moon is said to have been performed by an ancient coven that vanished from history after summoning something they could no longer control.

The ritual's purpose? To tap into the hidden power of the blood moon, an ancient power hidden within the darkest nights. The blood moon is a rare, ethereal mist that appears during these moments, obscuring vision but revealing hidden truths to those brave enough to wander through it.

This dark ritual was lost to time, only to be whispered about in forbidden tomes and secret texts. Those who attempt it do so at great risk, for the ritual is not meant for mere mortals. But for those who dare, the rewards are boundless—if they survive.

The Summoning Begins

The night was colder than usual for October. Six figures stood in a clearing nestled deep within the heart of an ancient, forgotten forest, where the trees' gnarled branches intertwined like bony fingers against the dimly lit sky. The ancient symbols, etched into the earth with painstaking precision, seemed to pulse with an eerie, faint glow in the moonlight. A chilling wind cut through the clearing, carrying with it an otherworldly whisper that seemed to echo the warnings of the ancient trees. The metallic scent of blood lingered in the air, tainting each breath with a sense of impending doom.

At this point, you need to set the Scene:

Describe the location in chilling detail. Is it a forgotten cemetery, a haunted forest, or a decrepit mansion at the edge of town? What makes it feel alive with dread? Remember to use sensory details to make the reader feel the fear—the cold bite of the wind, the eerie silence broken by distant rustling, or the metallic scent of blood in the air.

Ingredients of the Ritual: Crafting the Ritual's Physical and Symbolic Elements

What is a ritual without a symbolic element? Just as a chef can't prepare a soup without key ingredients, a ritual requires certain symbolic elements to be complete. Without these elements, the ritual would be like water, having no deadly effects and lacking the essential components that give it meaning and power.

The items used in a ritual carry immense symbolism, and each one should feel carefully chosen to reflect its purpose. It could be the blood of a Willing Sacrifice (Power), the bones of an Innocent (Curse), a salt circle for protection, and maybe a black Candle to guard against fear and darkness.

The Ingredients for Ritual

The Forgotten Moon ritual requires several rare and ominous ingredients, each with a history and a sinister significance. Gather these elements carefully, for their power lies in their physical form and the darkness they carry.

Bloodstone Amulet: Said to be infused with the life force of an ancient ruler, the amulet acts as the link between the mortal world and the spirits beyond. It pulses with crimson light only during the blood moon.

A Doll Figure (Shaped in the likeness of each person): Crafted from midnight black wax and imbued with the target's essence, this effigy binds their fate to the ritual.

Silver bowl (Engraved with Ancient Runes): To contain the offerings, the bowl must be inscribed with runes that resonate with the Forgotten Moon's power.

Silver ring (Engraved with Ancient Runes): The silver ring serves as a conduit for the ritual's energy, connecting the practitioner to the ancient forces that govern the Forgotten Moon. It is carefully engraved with intricate and powerful ancient runes, each symbolizing a different aspect of the ritual's significance and power.

Fangs of a serpent: A symbol of death and prophecy, the fang marks the moment when the veil between life and death is lifted. It represents the shedding of old skin and the transition to a new phase, aligning with the transformative nature of the ritual.

Moonlit Elixir: A potion brewed under the full moon, combining nightshade, white snakeroot, and the tears of a banshee—this elixir grants the invoker temporary sight into the realm of the dead.

The leader of the group, a woman with dark, intense eyes and an air of solemnity, moves further into the circle, drawn with a finely ground salt and surrounded by flickering black candles, each one carefully soaked in nightshade oil. This circle was their last line of defense, ensuring that no evil entity escaped once the ritual began.

She knelt before the ancient stone altar, her hands shaking as she carefully laid out the ritual's tools: a knife with a blade as black as the starless night sky, a bundle of dried herbs meticulously wrapped in twine, and a single fang—dark and glossy, was reverently placed on the altar, a rare serpent's offering harvested under the veil of midnight.

The symbols and tools that carry meaning far beyond their physical form make a ritual truly terrifying. Each object your characters use in the ritual should reflect the story's deeper themes.

Building Ritual Significance:

This refers to the deeper meaning or purpose behind a ritual. It encompasses the symbolic, cultural, spiritual, or psychological reasons for performing a particular ritual. This significance is often tied to the beliefs, values, and traditions of a community or individual. It can convey messages about life, death, transformation, power, or connection to the divine or supernatural.

This could be a blood-stained relic passed down through generations, steeped in a curse no one remembers. A book of forgotten incantations found in a library that no longer exists and unholy offerings like bone fragments from a saint or a heart still beating.

In essence, ritual significance is the deeper meaning behind the ritual's performance, guiding its purpose and shaping the narrative impact on the characters involved. Each item should be more than just a prop—it should hold significance, driving the plot forward or deepening the story's mystery, adding emotional weight, stakes, and a sense of inevitability to the events surrounding the ritual.

The Offering of the Doll Figure: Place the doll figure representing each person inside the intricately crafted silver bowl adorned with ancient symbols and pierce it with a knife as black as the void. This symbolizes the piercing of the veil between worlds, marking the target for whatever spirits are summoned.

The Bloodstone Amulet's Power: Hold the amulet over the bowl and allow a single drop of blood (whether the invoker's or another's) to fall upon it. The amulet will begin to glow, pulsating in rhythm with the dark moon itself.

The Final Invocation: Drink the Moonlit Elixir, giving the invoker temporary sight into the realm of the dead. With the words of the final invocation, the spirits will awaken.

The ritual must begin precisely at The Forgotten Hour.

The Altar is Set

As the flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows, the leader of the ritual carefully placed the Bloodstone Amulet at the center of the altar. Surrounding the amulet were other items, each with its own air of dark significance: a twisted black candle, a tarnished silver dagger, and a vial of shimmering, moonlit elixir.

Under the glow of the full moon, the elixir had been meticulously brewed using ancient ingredients and incantations. As the leader raised the vessel to her lips, the liquid inside seemed to swirl with an otherworldly luminescence.

With the elixir coursing through her veins, she began the final stage of the ritual. Speaking in a voice barely above a whisper, she recited the words of the final invocation. All eyes were fixed on the leader, their breath shallow with a mixture of trepidation and awe.

The appointed hour approached, and the participants braced themselves for the mystical descent of the Veil. The leader's invocation had to be timed precisely; too early or too late, and the opportunity to commune with the spirits would be lost, leaving them adrift in a labyrinth of shadows.

The ritual had begun.

The Ritual Process: Chants and Atmosphere

Performing the ritual is the heart of the scene, where suspense builds and terror rises. Here's how to craft a sequence that is as tense as it is terrifying:

The Words of Power

Each syllable is heavy with arcane power. The air was thick with anticipation as the first word was spoken, a language forgotten by time. The chant was soft at first, barely a whisper, but it grew louder with each repetition, the words weaving through the night like a serpent through the grass. The wind picked up as though the world itself responded to the invocation.

The incantation is one of the most critical parts of any ritual scene. It should feel like an ancient, forbidden act—something dangerous and irreversible. The words, whether in a dead language or invented, carry the weight of what's about to happen.

How do you craft the Chant?

Decide whether the chant is in a real or fictional language. Real languages can add authenticity, while made-up ones can evoke otherworldliness.

Think of incantations like:

By the blood of the moon and the earth's bones, we summon thee from the abyss...

Call and Response: The rhythm and cadence of the words should build tension. Start slow and deliberate, allowing fear to grow with each repeated line. Increase the tempo as the climax approaches, creating a sense of urgency or impending doom. Giving a hypnotic quality to the scene, pulling the characters and the reader into the ritual.

Our Chanting Begins

As the final words left her lips, a profound silence enveloped the room. The air grew cold, and a shiver traced its way down the spine of each participant. The amulet at the center of the altar, adorned with intricate carvings depicting ancient symbols of power, began to pulse with an ominous crimson light, synchronizing with the ebb and flow of the dark moon itself.

The chant, passed down through generations, resonated with otherworldly energy, causing the atmosphere to thicken and the boundaries between worlds to blur. As the blood moon loomed in the night sky, the invoker began to recite the ancient chant of the forgotten ones, words in a language that no living person can fully comprehend.

With each repetition, the air grew heavier, and shadows flickered just out of sight, taking on sinister shapes that seemed to dance with the rhythm of the chant. Her voice grew louder, stronger as the chant unfolded—a deep, rhythmic pulse that seemed to come from the earth itself. Her hands moved through the air, tracing symbols too ancient to be understood by mortal minds. The others joined in, their voices shaky at first, then more certain as the power in the room grew thick, tangible, suffocating.

The words they spoke were not their own. They belonged to something older, something waiting in the dark. As the chant grew louder, the group must rely on their instincts and take exactly five steps forward. "Moon of the forgotten, hear our plea. Let shadows rise, and truth be free. Blood for darkness, sight for pain, grant us now the shadow's truth..." Crossing a threshold into a realm where the Forgotten Moon's light shines faintly, illuminating only what hides in the dark. As they walked, whispers from unseen figures tempted them with promises of knowledge, power, or release from fear, their voices brushing against the edges of their consciousness like tendrils of smoke.

With each step, the ground seemed to shift beneath their feet as if the very earth was responding to their call. "Moon of the forgotten, hear our plea. Let shadows rise, and truth be free. Blood for darkness, sight for pain, guide us now through shadow's reign..."

The circle around the altar began to shift as the words left their lips. Shadows twisted, the flame of each candle flickering unnaturally, as if the light was trying to flee, casting eerie, elongated shadows on the stones. The silver ring engraved with Ancient Runes glowed brightly with every word chanted, pulsating with an ethereal energy that seemed to connect the group to a realm beyond the mortal plane.

Now, the Moment of Truth

It's time for all we've been waiting for the true fright of the ritual.

Unleashing the Horror

One of the most crucial aspects of any ritual scene is the tension you build as it unfolds. It's not just about the actions but about the atmosphere and growing sense of dread. This is where the ritual reaches its peak—when the forces summoned are revealed. Whether it's a terrifying demon, a ghost from the past, or the rise of an ancient curse, the moment should be visceral.

Gradual Sensory Change: The shift in atmosphere should be slow but noticeable. The temperature drops. Candles flicker. Shadows lengthen. Each small detail adds to the mounting tension.

Lingering Doubts: Make the characters question the ritual's effectiveness or safety. Are they in control, or have they already lost it? The uncertainty adds psychological horror to the scene.

Unseen Forces: Once the ritual begins, suggest the presence of something watching—perhaps the movement of curtains when there's no wind or faint whispers just beyond hearing.

And Then It Happens

Performing the Ritual of the Forgotten Moon requires absolute precision. Even the slightest misstep can open the door to unintended horrors.

As the chant continued, the earth trembled in response. A deep, resonant sound, akin to the exhalation of a colossal being, reverberated through the air, sending chills down the spines of the participants and the candles, which had cast a warm glow moments before, suddenly flickered out in unison, leaving nothing but the pale glow of the moon. For a moment, there was silence—a sharp crack, like the splintering of bones underfoot.

One of the participants gasped, stepping backward, her eyes wide with fear. The others turned, panic rising as the ground beneath the altar shifted, groaning like something beneath it was waking.

The leader didn't stop. Her voice grew louder, more urgent. But it was too late.

The silver ring resting upon the altar radiated a brilliant glow, each engraved ancient rune illuminating in succession, pulsating with otherworldly energy. Suddenly, a shadowy figure darted across the periphery of their vision. It wasn't human. Before they could discern its nature, the moon vanished from the night sky, casting them into an unsettling darkness.

Amidst the palpable tension, a single, deep voice resonated from the void, a voice that did not belong to any living being in the group, echoing a chilling question that sent shivers down their spines:

"Who dares disturb my rest?"

Has the ritual gone wrong?

Building the Climax:

Unseen forces start to take shape: perhaps the air grows heavy, shadows deepen, or strange noises fill the space.

Have something go wrong: Maybe the wrong entity is summoned, or the ritual backfires, turning the summoners into victims of their own hubris.

Create a twist: The leader of the group could betray the others, or the power they sought could prove to be far more dangerous than they imagined.

Perhaps the ritual doesn't go as planned. Did they summon something far worse than expected? Was one of the participants secretly working against them? At this moment, the ritual either succeeds or fails. The results should terrify your characters and keep readers on the edge of their seats.

The Consequences: What Comes After the Ritual?

The most chilling part of any ritual is often its aftermath. There should always be a cost—whether it's a character's life, sanity, or soul. The greater the power, the greater the price. No ritual should end without consequence—this is where the true horror often begins.

Unintended Results: Perhaps the characters got more than they bargained for—summoning an uncontrollable force or cursing themselves instead of their enemy.

Lasting Hauntings: Spirits or forces that were disturbed during the ritual could linger, haunting the characters long after the ritual is over.

Physical or Mental Transformation: The ritual might alter the participants, either physically (e.g., turning them into monsters) or mentally (driving them mad).

What happens from here on (The Aftermath)

The Price of Power

When the light returned, it was not from the candles or the glowing silver ring emanating from the altar. It was a sickly, flickering light that seemed to pulse with a life of its own, casting eerie shadows on the earth.

The leader fell to her knees as the entity fully manifested—an amorphous shadow, its eyes burning with an unnatural light that seemed to pierce through the very fabric of reality. She had summoned it, but now it was here, and it was hungry. Its presence filled the room with a suffocating sense of dread, and the air grew heavy with the weight of its malevolent gaze.

There was a price to be paid for summoning such power, and it was more than she could afford. The leader's hands trembled as she realized the magnitude of her mistake, but it was too late to turn back now.

The others looked at their hands and feet and saw the marks—symbols burned into their skin, a reminder that the ritual was not finished. It had only begun. The symbols pulsed with an otherworldly energy, binding them to the entity looming over them.

She had warned them—rituals of this nature required more than words and blood. They needed a sacrifice. But none of them had realized the cost until it was too late. The weight of their ignorance settled heavily upon them, and they knew that they were now entwined in something far beyond their control.

Rituals are gateways to the unknown, where the rules of the natural world no longer apply. They are moments of terror and transformation, where characters are forced to confront forces beyond their understanding. We hope this guide helps you craft your own ritual scenes filled with dread, mystery, and dark consequences.

Now It's Your Turn.

The power of a ritual lies in its mystery, danger, and the unknown forces it seeks to control. Now that you've learned how to perform the Ritual of the Forgotten Moon, it's your turn to incorporate a ritual scene into your story!

Challenge Details:

Create a bone-chilling moment that centers on a dark ceremony, whether summoning something from the beyond or breaking a forbidden curse. In your writing, a well-executed ritual can be a turning point—a moment where the veil between reality and the supernatural tears open, changing everything.

Submit your story chapter link in the comment section here. The link must be a Wattpad link. The top submissions will be featured in the next newsletter, with the winning character earning a place in our Fright Anthology Book.

Don't forget to join us in the "Cursed Ink—write your fears away event" that is still ongoing on the profile.

Remember, dear writers—every ritual requires a price. The question is, how far are your characters willing to go to achieve their desires?

Until next time, may your words be dark and your rituals unforgettable.

A Dare To Perform The Ritual!