"I'll give it a try," Gandalf said.
Sylas and the others stepped aside as Gandalf approached.
Pressing his staff to Edward's forehead, Gandalf released a surge of blinding light.
"Saruman, leave this body that does not belong to you!"
His voice carried undeniable authority, and the power pouring from the staff slammed into Edward's petrified form.
A muffled, agonized groan came from within. A pale, white phantom, Saruman's soul, was almost ripped free from Edward's body.
For a moment, Saruman's spirit hung halfway out.
But from his lower half, countless ghostly tendrils, threads of possession, clung to Edward like hooks, dragging Saruman violently back inside.
Gandalf's expression hardened. He had failed.
Without Gandalf's death and resurrection, the turning point he would have had in the original timeline, his power remained limited.
And the Balrog, the enemy who should have triggered that transformation, was already long dead in this world.
So Gandalf had reached his limit.
Sylas felt his heart tighten.
If Saruman remained inside Edward, using him as a shield, they truly had no way to kill him.
Galadriel stepped forward suddenly.
"Saruman's spirit is too strong. The longer he remains, the more strain Edward's body and soul will endure. To drive him out, Edward must awaken, his own will must resist. Only then can we force Saruman out."
Sylas frowned.
"Edward's soul is nowhere near Saruman's strength. Can he really take back control?"
Galadriel nodded calmly.
"I will awaken Edward's consciousness. Mithrandir and Elrond will assist me. As long as Edward seizes even a moment of control, we can work together to expel Saruman."
"Then we'll do it," Sylas said decisively.
He turned to the Potions professor. "Alanhis, prepare the Mandrake restorative, as fast as you can."
Alanhis nodded. "I'll begin immediately!"
He hurried away.
The remaining professors left to watch over the students until only Sylas, Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel remained to guard Edward.
Although Edward's body was petrified, Saruman was not.
At any moment, Saruman could abandon the body and flee, but he didn't dare. The moment he left Edward's protection, Sylas and the others would destroy him completely.
So Saruman clung to Edward, refusing to emerge.
The stalemate lasted a full day and night.
Thanks to Gandalf's Ring of Fire, none of them grew tired.
At dawn of the next day, Alanhis finally returned, hair even greasier, face pale, carrying a vial with trembling hands.
"Headmaster… the antidote is ready!"
Sylas took the vial, inspected it, then clapped Alanhis on the shoulder.
"Well done. Go rest."
The potion normally required three days to brew, but he had completed it in one, clearly not sleeping the entire time.
Alanhis shook his head stubbornly.
"I'm not tired. I want to see Professor Edward recover with my own eyes."
Gandalf had quietly used the Ring of Fire to burn away his exhaustion, so the man's eyes were bright despite his disheveled appearance.
Seeing his resolve, Sylas did not argue further.
He uncorked the vial and carefully poured the potion past Edward's lips. Internal application would work faster than topical use.
Slowly, Edward's stone-like complexion softened into living flesh.Warmth returned. His heart began to beat again.
"Begin," Sylas commanded.
Galadriel, already prepared, leaned in and gently kissed Edward's forehead, an ancient elven blessing.
Her voice was soft, yet full of power:
"Edward… awaken. This is your body. Do not surrender it. Be strong."
Galadriel's kiss seemed to drain every last drop of her strength. Her glow dimmed, and she swayed on her feet.
"Lady Galadriel!" Sylas and Gandalf both stepped forward in alarm, and Elrond hurried to support her.
"Don't worry about me, focus on him," she said weakly but resolutely.
At that moment, Edward's eyes snapped open. And for an instant, Sylas and the others saw the familiar clarity they knew so well.
"My lord!" Edward gasped, relief and emotion flashing across his face as though he had been reborn.
But the expression vanished almost immediately. His eyes twisted, sometimes clear like Edward, sometimes wild with Saruman's madness.
"My… lord… I can't… hold on!" Edward choked out, his voice shaking.His consciousness, briefly awakened, was already being dragged back down by Saruman's overwhelming soul.
"Now!" Sylas shouted.
"Leave his body! Saruman, this does not belong to you!" Gandalf thundered, striking Edward lightly with his staff.
The blow didn't harm Edward's body, but a deep, pained groan echoed from within him.
A large portion of Saruman's soul was forced out, but he wasn't willing to give up. He clawed desperately toward Edward's body again.
Elrond's Ring of Air flared to life, shaping invisible currents into chains that wrapped around Saruman's soul, pulling him back.
Sylas summoned his phoenix Patronus, the radiant guardian enveloping Edward and blocking Saruman from re-entering.The Patronus was one of the few spells that could actually interact with a soul, unlike the Killing Curse, which only acted on the living.
With their combined strength, Saruman's soul was slowly, agonizingly, dragged free.
"No! You can't!" Saruman shrieked, struggling violently, full of fury and hate.
Then, suddenly, Peeves burst out of the wall.
Spotting Saruman halfway out of Edward's body, Peeves's eyes lit up.
"Ha! Got you, you nasty ghost! Peeves is gonna yank you bald!"
He dove straight at Saruman, grabbed him by the hair, and pulled.
Seeing Peeves actually make contact with Saruman's soul, Sylas's eyes widened.
"Peeves, good! If you pull him out, I'll give you your own private prank room!"
Peeves froze for half a second, then his entire face lit up with manic glee.
"A private room? For Peeves?! HA! I'LL RIP YOUR SOUL OUT MYSELF!"
His little ghost body swelled absurdly, ballooning with cartoonish muscles. He grabbed Saruman's hair with both hands and yanked like he was pulling a stubborn turnip.
With Saruman screeching, and everyone else pressing in with magic, Saruman was finally ripped clean out of Edward's body.
Peeves, triumphant, dangled Saruman by the hair and kept kicking him mid-air while chanting insults.
Saruman howled, flung Peeves off, and immediately tried to flee, but was slammed back by Sylas's blazing phoenix Patronus.
In the next instant, Galadriel, Gandalf, and Elrond combined their magic.
Waves of water, fire, and air twisted together, forming a shimmering spherical cage that snapped shut around Saruman's soul, imprisoning him completely.
Saruman thrashed violently, but the prison held.
Sylas stepped forward, face cold as ice, his eyes burning with killing intent.
"Saruman," he said, voice low and lethal, "today is the day you die for real."
...
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