Before long, the once majestic and powerful Hebridean Black Dragon seemed as if all its vitality had been suddenly drained. The mysterious dark red runes on its body slowly diminished until they were gone. Then, with a flash of dazzling light, the dragon's massive frame began to shrink rapidly, transforming back into Alice's delicate form at a speed visible to the naked eye.
At this moment, Alice's face was as pale as paper. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she lay unconscious on the cold ground, devoid of any signs of life.
At the same time, the star net that had been constricting tightly seemed to have fulfilled its mission and stopped tightening.
Like a flexible python, it coiled around the sphere emitting an eerie blood-colored light and slowly rolled away to the side.
When the star net rolled to a spot not far from Alice, it actually began to melt slowly, like ice and snow meeting hot sunlight, seeping bit by bit into the soil beneath until it completely disappeared.
This series of inconceivable changes left Adelaide, who was standing nearby, struck with shock. Her eyes widened, her face filled with an expression of utter disbelief.
Seeing Alice unconscious and with so many things beyond imagination happening around her, Adelaide felt extremely anxious.
Without time for second thoughts, she hurried forward, carefully unfastened her own oversized black cloak, and gently wrapped Alice in it, hoping to bring a trace of warmth and protection to the poor girl.
However, just then, a strong wave of dizziness suddenly hit, instantly sweeping through Adelaide's entire body.
She felt the world spinning, the scene before her eyes blurred, and her body swayed uncontrollably.
As the star net dissipated completely, an indescribable sense of emptiness quickly spread throughout Adelaide's body, as if all the energy within her had been drained clean in an instant.
The sensation was so unbearable that Adelaide didn't even have the strength left to prop up her heavy eyelids.
She could no longer resist this powerful force. Her body went limp like a puppet with its strings cut, and she fell straight to the ground, subsequently falling into a deep coma and losing all consciousness.
When Adelaide finally woke up, three whole days had passed.
She slowly opened her heavy eyelids. Her vision was still a bit blurry, but it soon cleared up.
The first thing that came into view was Alice, dressed in hospital pajamas, sitting quietly by her hospital bed. Those beautiful purple eyes were staring straight at her, as if trying to imprint her image deep into her soul.
"Adelaide, you're finally awake!"
Alice's crisp and pleasant voice rang out suddenly, filled with endless surprise and deep affection.
She hurriedly stood up from her seat, her steps slightly stumbling as she ran toward the door, calling out Madam Pomfrey's name in a loud voice.
A moment later, Madam Pomfrey rushed in and began a comprehensive and meticulous physical examination of the newly awakened Adelaide.
Throughout the process, Alice held Adelaide's hand tightly, her gaze never leaving her for a single moment, her eyes full of concern and worry.
When Madam Pomfrey finally announced that Adelaide had merely collapsed from excessive magic use and had now fully recovered her health, the tension in Alice's heart finally relaxed slightly.
She let out a long sigh of relief and sat back down by the hospital bed as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Adelaide looked blank, completely at a loss.
She thought to herself that while her relationship with Alice was decent, it hadn't seemed to reach such an intimate level—at this moment, Alice's burning gaze was fixed on her, as if she wanted to fit her entire being into her eyes, which felt a bit frightening; that look was practically dripping with affection.
"Uh... Alice, are you, are you okay?" Adelaide asked stutteringly, her raspy voice trembling slightly.
Alice's face beamed with an incredibly happy smile, and she answered with an excitement that was almost frantic: "The first thing you do when you wake up is care about my health... Adelaide, I've never been better!"
Adelaide was so startled she silently shrank back a bit, then asked: "What's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly so passionate? I'm a bit unaccustomed to it..."
Alice took Adelaide's right hand and pressed it against her cheek, answering softly: "Adelaide, I really don't know how to thank you. You actually successfully helped me lift the Blood Curse in my body!"
Hearing this, Adelaide's eyes widened instantly, and she subconsciously blurted out: "What?! The Blood Curse is lifted? Does that mean you'll never turn into the Hebridean Black Dragon again?"
Alice nodded gently, still smiling as she explained in a soft voice: "That's right, dear Adelaide. Thanks to the Star Charm you cast that night, it not only extracted the Blood Curse from my body but also brought an unexpected surprise—I've found that I've become an Animagus, able to transform between the Hebridean Black Dragon and human form at will."
"More importantly, when I turn into a dragon, I can still maintain my sanity. Once your body is better, whenever you want to ride a dragon, just let me know, and I will definitely fulfill your wish~"
Adelaide was a bit dazed. What she cast that night was called the Star Charm? To be honest, even she wasn't sure.
However, since Alice said the Blood Curse was lifted and she had become an Animagus, it could be considered a blessing in disguise to some extent.
Adelaide finally had a sudden realization, understanding why Alice was suddenly treating her so differently—it turned out Alice viewed her as her savior.
One must know that once a Blood Curse awakens, the earlier it starts, the faster the time limit for losing one's sanity approaches.
If things had developed normally, it was very likely Alice wouldn't have even been able to wait until graduation before completely turning into a mindless, crazed, and violent black dragon.
Thinking of this, Adelaide couldn't help but feel pity. She looked at Alice with a gentle and sincere gaze, speaking earnestly: "Dear Alice, we are close friends. Helping each other is only natural, so there's really no need for you to feel indebted or overly grateful just because I lent a hand..."
Adelaide's words were cut short by Alice's eager interruption.
Alice shook her head vigorously, looking at Adelaide with absolute determination in her eyes as she said decisively: "No! I had already made up my mind from the moment I woke up! Our relationship now is not just a simple matter of being good friends, but a much closer subordinate relationship!"
"I yearn to become an existence that belongs only to you, just like Amandine Rosier was to Gellert Grindelwald back then."
Adelaide sucked in a breath of cold air. One does not simply mention Amandine Rosier at Hogwarts!
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