Chapter 352: Expelling the Soul
"I will try," Gandalf said.
Kael and the others stepped back to give him space.
Gandalf set the tip of his staff against Edward's forehead, light flaring from the carved wood. "Saruman, leave this body that does not belong to you!"
His voice rang with unquestionable command, and the power pouring from the staff crashed into Edward like a hammer‑blow.
A muffled groan sounded from within Edward. A pale white shadow was almost blasted free, half torn from his body.
Saruman's wan, ghostly soul was on the verge of separation.
But from his lower half, countless pale, threadlike tendrils still clung fast inside Edward, anchoring him. In the next moment, they dragged him back down, drawing him once more into the flesh.
Saruman's arrogant, unrestrained laughter came from Edward's mouth. "Gandalf, you are only a Grey wizard. I am Saruman the White, first among the Istari. You will not drive me from this body."
In the end, Gandalf could not force Saruman's soul out.
Saruman had spoken no more than the truth. Even fallen, he had once been the White wizard, greater in power than the rest of his Order.
Unless Gandalf walked the old path of fate and passed once more through death and back, receiving greater strength from Ilúvatar, he would not surpass him.
Yet the Balrog that should have been Gandalf's doom was long since slain.
Without some new and unforeseen trial, Gandalf might remain the Grey wizard forever.
Seeing Gandalf fail, Kael's heart tightened.
As long as Saruman cowered inside Edward's body, there was still no clean way to touch him.
Galadriel stepped forward suddenly. "Saruman's spirit is too strong," she said. "The longer he remains in Edward's body, the weaker that flesh will become. It cannot bear him forever.
"If we are to drive him out, we need more than our strength. We need Edward's own will to fight back. So first we must restore Edward's body and wake his mind, so that his soul can wrestle with Saruman for control."
Kael frowned. "But Edward's spirit is far weaker than Saruman's. Can he really take his body back?"
Galadriel nodded. "I will rouse Edward's soul and consciousness. At the same time, Mithrandir and Elrond will strike together to expel Saruman. So long as Edward can hold his body even for a little while, the three of us can join with you and drag Saruman out."
"Then we do it that way," Kael decided. He turned to the Potions master. "Allensis, brew a Mandrake restorative as quickly as you can."
Allensis, who had heard every word, nodded at once. "I will start at once," he said and hurried from the room.
Kael sent the other professors away as well, to see to the students.
Only Kael, Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel remained, standing watch over Edward.
Though Edward's body was petrified stone, Saruman, nested inside him, was untouched. He could leave at any time he chose.
But Saruman knew that the instant he abandoned Edward's flesh, Kael and the others would strike, and there was every chance he would be unmade utterly, with no road back.
So he clung on, hiding inside Edward's body, refusing to emerge.
So it remained, hour after hour, for a full day and night.
Thanks to the power of the Ring of Fire, none of them felt the bite of fatigue.
On the second day, Allensis hurried back, his hair even greasier than before, weariness etched into his face. In his hand, he carried a single vial of potion.
"Headmaster, the Mandrake restorative is ready."
Seeing how drained he looked, Kael took the vial, checked it, and nodded. He squeezed Allensis's shoulder. "You have worked hard. Go and rest."
Normally, brewing Mandrake restorative took three full days. To have it ready in a single night meant Allensis had driven himself without sleep, pushing the process to its limits.
Allensis shook his head. "I am not tired, Headmaster. I want to see Professor Edward wake with my own eyes."
In truth, he no longer felt tired. When he came in, Gandalf had quietly used Narya's warmth to burn away the fog of weariness.
Seeing his resolve and the light back in his eyes, Kael did not argue.
He uncorked the vial and carefully poured the restorative between Edward's lips. Applied to the skin, it would work in time, but taken internally, it was far swifter.
As the potion took hold, Edward's stone‑grey skin slowly regained its natural colour. Warmth seeped back into his limbs, and his heart began to beat again.
"Begin," Kael said.
At his word, Galadriel, long prepared, bent over Edward. Pity and compassion shone in her eyes as she kissed his brow and whispered, "Edward, wake. This is your body. Do not give up. Be strong."
That single kiss seemed to pour all her strength into him. She swayed, suddenly frail, the radiance that always clung to her dimming.
"Lady Galadriel!" Kael and Gandalf both called, alarmed. Elrond moved to steady her at once.
"Do not mind me," she said, her voice weak but unshaken. "Now, while you can."
Edward's eyes flew open.
In them burned the clear, familiar light they knew.
"My lord!" he gasped, like a man hauled from drowning, staring at Kael with desperate joy.
The next moment, his expression twisted. His gaze flickered and fought, now clear and sane, now wild and vicious: Edward's will straining against Saruman's madness.
"My lord, I… can't… hold… much longer…" Edward forced out between clenched teeth.
Under the crushing weight of Saruman's great spirit, his own mind was slipping towards the dark again.
"Now!" Gandalf cried.
"Leave his body, Saruman! It is not yours!" His voice rolled like thunder, and his staff came down hard upon Edward's chest.
Edward's body took no harm, but from within came a deep, strangled groan.
Most of Saruman's soul was hurled clear.
He did not yield. Even as he was torn free, he lunged back, trying to force his way into Edward once more.
Elrond called upon Vilya. The Ring of Air became unseen chains that lashed around Saruman's spirit and dragged him outwards.
Kael summoned his phoenix Patronus. The luminous bird spread its wings over Edward, its light forming a shield that Saruman could not cross.
The Patronus Charm was one of the few spells Kael knew that could touch souls. Even the fearsome Killing Curse could only end a living body; it had no power against a disembodied spirit.
Together, their efforts slowly prised Saruman's soul away from Edward's flesh.
"No! You will not!" Saruman screamed, thrashing in wild, furious resistance as danger closed in.
At that moment, Peeves burst out of the wall.
Seeing the pale soul forcing its way from Edward's body, he let out a delighted shriek. "Ha! Caught you, nasty ghost! Peeves is going to give you what you deserve!"
He dived straight at Saruman, grabbed hold of his hair, and yanked.
When Kael saw that Peeves could lay hands on Saruman's spirit, his eyes lit up. "Peeves, pull!" he shouted. "If you can drag that thing all the way out, I will give you your own private room, and you can keep all your prank‑stuff in it."
Peeves froze for a heartbeat, then practically vibrated with glee.
"Ha! For my own room, Peeves is going all out!"
He drew in a huge lungful of air and puffed up like a balloon, his arms swelling into ridiculous, bulging muscles. Gripping Saruman's hair with both hands, he heaved like a farmer hauling up a stubborn turnip.
At last, despite Saruman's frantic struggle, their combined strength ripped him completely free of Edward's body.
Peeves dangled from his hair with both hands, kicking him enthusiastically and cursing him at the top of his lungs.
Snarling, Saruman tore Peeves loose and flung him away, then whirled to flee.
Kael's Patronus blocked him in an instant.
An eyeblink later, Galadriel, Gandalf, and Elrond joined their power, the three Elven Rings blazing as one. Their will closed around him, and Saruman was trapped within a glowing, spherical prison.
Watching him still writhing and clawing at the walls of light, Kael's face was ice‑cold, his eyes filled with death.
"Saruman," he said, "this time, you die for good."