Back at the Prewett Old Residence, Lada bounded over excitedly, a blur of fur and enthusiasm.
Aiden scooped Lada into his arms with his left hand, a familiar and comforting weight.
"Litter-scooper," Lada whined, rubbing her head against his chest, "I feel like the fullness in my body has disappeared." Her voice, though only in Aiden's mind, was laced with a cat-like concern.
"The feeling of fullness is gone, is it?" Aiden pretended not to understand, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Then you should eat. Have I ever skimped on your food, you dramatic feline?"
"It's my ability, my ability!" An almost human-like expression of exasperation appeared on Lada's furry face.
"Oh?" Aiden raised an eyebrow, a flicker of genuine jealousy, quickly suppressed, crossing his features. "You can advance already?"
He mused internally, Being a little cat is certainly convenient. Eating and drinking all day, and their 'acting' speed is still impressively fast.
But while a part of him felt a pang of envy, Aiden understood the mechanics. Animals often advanced faster than humans on the Audience pathway; after all, the Dragon pathway, with its primal connections, was inherently suitable for creatures of nature.
However, since Aiden's own Dragon blood had awakened and he had undergone a significant racial deviation, his personal 'acting' speed for digesting potion characteristics had also been steadily increasing.
With Lada ready, Aiden made a trip to Diagon Alley to procure the necessary materials. He then meticulously concocted the Sequence 8 Mind Reader Potion specifically for her.
He carried Lada into a secure room at the Prewett residence, instantly constructing a spiritual wall to ensure privacy and casting a silent spell to muffle any sounds.
"Hehehe, little cat," Aiden chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he held Lada gently but firmly. "Even if you scream your little throat out, no one will come to save you from this glorious advancement."
He then carefully poured the shimmering golden Potion in his hand down Lada's throat.
The same intense, transformative pain that Aiden himself had experienced swept over Lada.
"Woo woo woo, litter-scooper, it hurts so much! It really, really hurts!" The agony of advancement was unbearable for the small cat, and pitiful cries echoed in Aiden's mind.
"Bear with it, Lada," Aiden soothed, his voice calm despite her distress. "It will be over soon."
Helpless to do much else, Aiden resorted to using his own Hypnosis ability on Lada, gently blocking her perception of the overwhelming pain, guiding her through the tumultuous process.
Finally, the waves of pain receded. Lada, panting slightly but triumphant, had become a Mind Reading Cat.
"Oh, litter-scooper," she purred, a newfound clarity in her mental voice. "It seems like I have a brand new ability in my head!"
Lada began to play with her newfound mind-reading ability, prodding at Aiden's thoughts like she had discovered an exciting new toy.
"Hey, that's strange, litter-scooper," she commented after a moment, a note of confusion in her tone. "Why can't I see your emotions clearly? It's all… fuzzy."
Aiden rolled his eyes. "Is it possible, my dear Lada, that since we are now in the same Sequence, and you are, technically, the lower rank in this specific advancement, you actually expect to read my emotions with ease?"
"Oh," Lada blinked her feline eyes. "Right. Then I'm going out to play! I want to see other people's emotions!" She struggled in Aiden's arms, suddenly eager to run outside and test her powers on unsuspecting targets.
"Wait," Aiden stopped her before she could bolt. "Do you remember our agreement?"
"Remember, remember," Lada huffed, scratching her ear with a hind paw in a very cat-like gesture of impatience. "Don't speak out loud in front of other people. Only in your head to you."
"Okay, then. Go on." As soon as Aiden let go, Lada immediately vanished from sight, a streak of fur disappearing down the hallway.
Since Lada's advancement, Aiden found he didn't have quite as much time to look after her playful antics. He also had the promise to the Greengrass family weighing on his mind, a challenge he was determined to fulfill.
So, Aiden threw himself back into intensive research. In the process, his already considerable Alchemy skills improved by leaps and bounds.
The Greengrass family held enormous influence in the wizarding medical field. They had produced many distinguished Deans of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries throughout history, and to this day, they still stably controlled a significant portion of the wizarding medical market.
Relying on a careful combination of the Greengrass family's advanced medical technology and the Prewett family's ancient, often esoteric, alchemical knowledge, Aiden made significant progress in the specialized field of Life Alchemy.
He successfully achieved the alchemical integration of flesh, metal, and magic – a delicate and powerful fusion.
He managed to fuse samples of his own blood and dragon scales into a unique metallic alloy. Using large magic crystals as the potent core of the staff, he forged an entirely silver, exquisitely crafted long staff.
This was a beautiful, slender staff, measuring about 1.7 meters in length. Its silver shaft shimmered with an inner metallic luster, and the tip was adorned with a golden sun disc. In the very center of this sun disc, a brilliant golden gem was inlaid, pulsing with latent power.
This remarkable staff possessed the unique quality of being hidden within Aiden's body in the form of pure magic during normal times, ready to be drawn out and materialized directly when needed.
Of course, Aiden didn't slack off on his primary commitment during this period of intense creation. He diligently researched the intricacies of the Greengrass family's curse, and he had also achieved some promising, if preliminary, results.
On this particular day, Aiden arrived at Greengrass Manor as usual to examine the two young ladies, Arthursie and Astoria.
"Oh, Aiden, you're here!" Arthursie greeted him with a bright smile, her earlier scepticism replaced by a comfortable familiarity.
"Hello, Mr. Prewett," Astoria also greeted him, her voice softer and more reserved.
Unlike the more introverted Astoria, Arthursie was naturally outgoing and had quickly become quite friendly with Aiden after a week of regular interactions and examinations.
"Ding, my family's little piglet finally has a cabbage to root for," a certain gem on Aiden's person flashed with a familiar, teasing System notification.
You're spouting utter nonsense. I'm here to treat their illness, you incorrigible System, Aiden retorted stubbornly in his mind.
"Okay," Aiden announced to the Greengrass sisters. "You don't need to have your blood drawn today. I believe we can try the initial treatment protocol."
"That's great!" both girls exclaimed in unison, their faces lighting up with hope.
Aiden then asked the Greengrass house-elf, Tilly, to clear out a sufficiently large empty space in one of the manor's spacious rooms.
Once the area was prepared, Aiden took out a glass bottle containing a mysterious liquid that emitted a faint, pulsing purple light. He then reached out his hand, and a ball of silver-white light extended from his palm, transforming with a soft hum into the exquisite long staff he had recently forged.
"Cool! Can you make one for me too?" Arthursie, ever impulsive, unhesitatingly stretched out her hand, clearly hoping for a freebie.
Aiden, however, merely smiled and gently refused her. "Okay, but there will be material costs and labor costs, of course. Remember to settle up the bill when it's done."
"Hmph! Can't I just decide I don't want it then?" Arthursie put her hands on her hips, feigning indignation.
Aiden chuckled, then dipped the tip of his new staff into some of the purple liquid from the bottle. Magic flowed through the staff, and Aiden began to meticulously engrave complex runes on the ground, forming an intricate magical array.
Beside them, Arsenio Greengrass, who had received word of Aiden's arrival and intentions, also rushed to the scene.
"Aiden, this..." Looking at the glowing magic array now etched onto the floor, emitting a soft, silver light, Arsenio was momentarily incoherent, hope and trepidation warring on his face.
"It's just an attempt, Mr. Greengrass," Aiden said, spreading his hands in a placating gesture. "I can't guarantee it can be completely dispelled on the first try."
"Arthursie, you come first. Stand in the middle of the Magic array," Aiden directed calmly.
Upon hearing this, Arthursie mustered up her courage, took a deep breath, and stood in the center of the silver, shimmering magic array.
As Aiden injected his magic, the array began to operate, a low hum filling the room.
The complex magic of the counter-curse circulated around Arthursie in a specific, predetermined pattern. A large amount of blood-red, viscous mist also began to emerge from her body, coiling in the air before dissipating.
When the Magic array finally stopped operating, its light dimming, Arthursie stepped out, looking slightly dazed but visibly relieved.
"I feel… much lighter," she said, twirling around with a newfound energy. "The feeling of something important constantly being taken away from me… it's gone!" she exclaimed joyfully.
"Okay, I'll check you again later to confirm the effects. Astoria, you're next. Go ahead," Aiden pointed to the now quiescent magic array.
Astoria walked into the array under her sister's encouraging gaze, and similarly, a large amount of blood-red mist emerged from her as the ritual progressed.
"Okay, let me check you both again," Aiden said once Astoria had stepped out.
The two sisters extended their hands upon hearing this, expecting another direct magical examination. This time, however, Aiden did not walk over.
Instead, he tilted his staff towards the two of them. A silver glow lit up from the golden gem at its tip, gently sweeping over them like a soft beam of light.
After the examination conducted by his staff, Aiden's brow furrowed slightly.
Sensing that something was amiss, Arsenio quickly asked, "How is it, Aiden? Is everything alright?"
"There's a slight problem," Aiden admitted, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "The immediate damage from the curse, the life-force drain, appears to have been lifted. However, the curse itself hasn't been completely eliminated. It's still rooted deeply, and it may very well recur in future generations."
He continued, "This curse is intrinsically linked to the Greengrass bloodline. Casting such a powerful and enduring curse typically requires a specific medium, a physical anchor. Have you searched for this medium? If it can't be found and neutralised, completely lifting the curse will require significantly more research and a different approach."
Arsenio sighed deeply after hearing Aiden's assessment, a look of profound weariness settling on his face. "The family curse has existed for almost as long as the family's recorded history. Our ancestors tried their utmost to find the medium, but it's been far too long. From what little is recorded, after similar wide-reaching curses were cast upon entire families, protective spells were often cast directly on the medium itself, which was then thrown into the deep sea or an impassable swamp. There's simply no way to even begin looking for it now."
Aiden fell into deep thought after hearing this grim news.
He stared intently at his newly crafted staff, and suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, a new avenue of attack forming in his mind.
Since it was proving difficult to completely eliminate the curse by driving it out solely with alchemy and the wizard's own innate magic, why not try to introduce and harness the power of natural magic?
"Mr. Greengrass," Aiden said, his eyes regaining their focused intensity. "I have a new idea. Should we perhaps try introducing natural magic into the equation?"
Aiden then explained to Arsenio his revised treatment idea, one that combined his alchemical knowledge with the potential of drawing upon ambient natural magic. He also informed him of this new concept, hoping to collaborate with the Greengrass family to develop a more potent treatment plan – Curse Removal 2.0.
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