Everything was prepared. All that remained was to wait for Sunday.
For the past few days, Astoria had stayed close to her sister Daphne.
She knew about the treatment and had become somewhat sensitive.
Malfoy found it strange that Astoria had not spoken to him these past few days.
"Do you think she hates me?" Malfoy asked gloomily.
He felt that perhaps he had been rejected.
John patted him on the shoulder and comforted him. "Don't worry. She just doesn't want to see you."
Isn't that the same thing as being hated?
Malfoy shut down.
He had thought John would comfort him somehow. It would have been better if he had said nothing at all.
John thought about it and realised his words might have been misleading.
"That's not what I meant. She just doesn't want to be with you during this period."
"Say no more. I understand," Malfoy said resentfully. "Please stop talking, my King."
This was the first time he had ever seen someone comfort another person like this.
Malfoy walked away in despair.
John stroked his chin and said, "He seems even more depressed now."
Neville, who had witnessed the entire exchange, silently took a step away from John.
Astoria was very afraid.
She knew about the Bloodline Curse within her.
Daphne did not want to deceive her sister, so she told her everything, including the severity of the curse.
"I'm going to be alright, aren't I?" Astoria asked her sister.
Daphne hugged her, kissed her forehead, and smiled.
"That's John we're talking about."
"You're going to be fine. I promise."
Her words reassured Astoria somewhat.
However, when asked whether they should tell Malfoy, she refused.
"I don't want Draco to worry about me," Astoria said sensibly. "If he knew, he'd be so worried that he wouldn't be able to sleep."
This year's Quidditch season was the most important one yet. As Malfoy's girlfriend, Astoria did not want to affect his performance.
Hearing that, Daphne lovingly stroked Astoria's hair and said in a jealous tone, "I really don't know why Draco managed to win your heart."
"It's strange," Astoria replied with a sweet smile. "I don't know either. Maybe that's what love is."
Now it was Daphne's turn to feel depressed.
Astoria realised she had said the wrong thing and hurriedly added, "John is different. He's special."
"He's very gentle," Daphne said, blushing slightly. "And very charming."
She had first met John because of one of Peeves's pranks.
Several years had passed, yet Daphne still remembered the figure who had taught Peeves a lesson.
It was from that moment that she had unconsciously begun paying attention to the Muggle-born boy who seemed so out of place in Slytherin.
Seeing the expression on her sister's face, Astoria smiled knowingly.
Still, she could not help sighing inwardly. Her sister had chosen someone on nightmare difficulty.
Unlike her sister, Astoria was very perceptive and could keenly sense other people's feelings.
For some reason, John seemed to have no awareness at all when it came to romance.
Compared to pursuing love, he was far more obsessed with magic and power.
If her sister wanted to truly be with John, it would probably take a very long time before that oblivious person realised it.
Saturday's training ended.
Sunday night arrived.
Suppressing the nervousness in her heart, Astoria held her sister's hand as they entered the Constellation Society.
As soon as the Star Spirits saw someone approaching, they quickly lined up in two rows to welcome them.
The Star Spirit that had spent the holiday with Astoria hopped up and down, waving at her.
All of the Star Spirits were golden little figures, but each had their own differences.
Astoria's Star Spirit had something resembling long golden hair hanging down vertically.
It looked like a well-behaved little girl, and Astoria recognised it immediately.
The Star Spirit jumped onto Astoria's shoulder.
"It's you." Astoria's eyes curved into crescents as she gently touched it with her finger.
The Star Spirit grabbed her finger and rubbed against it.
Daphne also spotted her own Star Spirit, which was trying very hard to attract her attention.
"These Star Spirits seem to have developed different traits," John said as he emerged from a door, picking up Little Dragon from the table. "The longer they stay with people, the more unique abilities they acquire."
The moment Little Dragon appeared, the Star Spirits standing in welcome began jumping angrily.
Little Dragon crossed its arms, looking unbearably arrogant.
"Is this Draco's?" Daphne recognised the attitude immediately.
John nodded helplessly. "It's very unpopular among the others now."
Only he could understand what the Star Spirits were saying.
"You nameless pieces of rubbish, did you hear that? The Creator himself gave me a name!"
Little Dragon sneered arrogantly at the others. "Lowly Star Spirits without names."
"Alright," John interrupted before Little Dragon could provoke any more hatred. He turned to the two sisters and said, "Everything is ready. Let's go in."
He opened a door and bowed slightly in invitation, smiling.
"After you, ladies."
"Of course, sir," Daphne replied with a smile as she stepped inside.
The Star Spirit was very reluctant to part with Astoria, leaving her feeling conflicted.
"You can bring it in. It doesn't matter," John said with a smile, noticing her reluctance. "It might even be able to help."
Astoria nodded happily and entered through the door with the Star Spirit.
This time, it was not the Dragon Valley.
Instead, they arrived on a solitary island.
Water surrounded them on all sides, while stars glittered overhead.
On the island, the prepared cauldron and potions sat waiting.
John handed the potion to Astoria and said seriously, "I will keep you alive."
"Thank you, John."
Astoria had no doubts.
No one understood John better than the members of the Constellation Society.
Their King always kept his promises.
After drinking the potion, Astoria, like Daphne before her, felt nothing.
"Next, you need to touch this book."
John waved his hand, and the book floated toward Astoria.
He drew his wand, fully prepared.
The moment Astoria placed her hand on it, she instantly lost consciousness.
At the same time, John acted.
Astoria's body floated into the air.
The Bloodline Curse erupted.
A wave spread outward from Astoria's body.
The previously calm water became violent.
John's right hand became coated in silver. He waved his wand, and silvery-white souls drifted out.
More than a thousand soul scalpels shot toward Astoria.
Now that John's magic had reached Level Seven, he handled these procedures with far greater ease.
His magic suppressed the curse within Astoria's body, preventing it from escaping.
With another wave of his wand, the second potion entered through Astoria's ears and nostrils, protecting her brain.
In John's eyes, he could see the curse residing within Astoria.
It was a far more severe curse than the one Daphne had carried.
Daphne's had only been dormant, and there was no guarantee it would ever erupt.
But Astoria's was a bomb waiting to explode once she reached adulthood.
The soul scalpels sliced through her soul, cutting away the curse.
Damage began appearing on Astoria's body.
John cast the Water-Making Spell, allowing the restorative solution to envelop her body.
This operation was no easier than Daphne's had been.
John's expression grew grave.
"This is more severe than I detected."
Raising his vigilance to the highest level, John increased the number of soul scalpels once again.
Three thousand soul scalpels moved through Astoria's soul.
Each strike removed a portion of the curse.
The damage appearing on Astoria's body was quickly covered by the restorative solution.
One side weakened while the other recovered.
The curse was gradually forced into a corner.
John did not relax.
He knew the second phase was coming.
As expected, just as the curse reached its weakest point, the second eruption began.
Like compressed cotton suddenly released, the curse rapidly spread through Astoria's body.
John increased his efforts once more.
The soul scalpels accelerated to such a degree that even Daphne could no longer follow them.
In Daphne's eyes, those silvery-white threads resembled a swarm of dragons in chaotic flight, each one repeatedly passing through Astoria's body.
Cutting, stitching, healing.
These three steps repeated continuously until only a small portion remained around the heart.
Astoria's consciousness had yet to return, and Daphne held her breath.
John concentrated the soul scalpels, preparing to destroy the remaining curse in a single strike.
In the next instant, blackness spread across Astoria's soul.
It moved so quickly that it surpassed even the soul scalpels.
In the very next second, Astoria's body would have collapsed.
John took a deep breath.
This eruption was even more terrifying than before.
However, he was not without his trump cards.
A silver light flashed through John's eyes, and everything around him slowed.
He watched as the blackness gradually spread across Astoria.
Godspeed.
The ability granted by the Zouwu's blood was not merely movement, but also reaction.
Everything seemed to enter slow motion.
John activated Insight, and his pupils widened.
To Daphne's eyes, the soul scalpels transformed into a curtain of light.
Astoria's body, which should have collapsed, healed instantly.
The blackness lasted less than three seconds before it was completely eradicated, forcing the remaining curse into a small section of her abdomen.
A silver light flashed across John's body.
A figure seized the opportunity, thrusting a hand through the curse and tearing it out completely.
The sphere of water shattered.
Astoria fell.
The operation was complete.
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