43 The Nullifier

Two days has passed since the Resonance was sounded and the magicians of the Sanctum had gathered. Lord Magistrate Juron had instructed them that another meeting was arranged for this day, and so the call sounded once again. As the assembly area started filling up with magicians, Lord Magistrate Juron stood in a corner speaking with a friend.

"I heard a rumor that your daughter has returned.", High Magistrate Thoran eyed the Lord Magistrate closely. "Is there any truth to it?"

Juron looked at his companion and smiled, "That's a concern for another time, High Magistrate. Right now, we need to focus on what's at hand. Don't worry. I may be old, but I still know how to keep things under control."

"Hmm.", Thoran grunted in reply. "Speaking of which, Chrion will, unfortunately, not be attending this meeting. He sends his regards and hopes this plan of yours will work."

"Ah. That is unfortunate indeed.", Juron gazed at the gathering crowd. "We must make do with what we have, then. Finalize the preparations; we'll be starting in just a few minutes."

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The assembly area within the Arc Tower was now bustling with magicians. After the Conclave had taken their seats at the head table, Lord Magistrate Juron stood up and raised a hand. The entire gathering immediately hushed into a calm silence.

"Greetings to all, my good friends. We have gathered here today in light of recent happenings I'm sure you're all aware of. A lot of disturbances in the magic leylines have caused us to believe that the 'Rapture Event' may soon be upon us. Therefore, I had personally taken upon it myself to devise a plan in order for us to prevent it from happening." The Lord Magistrate then nodded to High Magistrate Thoran. The High Magistrate bowed back and walked up to the middle of the room.

"Bring it in."

The doors of the assembly area opened wide and a large mechanical device was pushed in. Its size was only slightly taller than an average person but its width spanned almost four meters. Its shape was almost curved into a concave, and intricate patterns lined its mechanisms. It was hauntingly elegant, giving off an unearthly aura. Or rather, it was the opposite. Right after the Surge, magic has somewhat altered most of the world. It took some time to getting accustomed to but now, magic was almost the natural already. That's what made the device very unnatural. It doesn't have any ounce of magic in it. The part of the crowd near it could almost feel it suppressing their powers. The gathering started to become rowdy when a voice boomed throughout the assembly area.

"At ease, ladies and gentlemen.", High Magistrate Thoran appeased, as walked toward the device, positioned where everyone can see.

Clearing his throat, he declared, "Behold! The 'Nullifier'. As most of you have felt, this mechanical device has the ability to suppress, maybe even expunge, anything that has to do with the arcane. However, it should not be a cause for alarm, rather, it was the Lord Magistrate himself who commissioned such creation for the prevention of the 'Rapture Event.'"

"A powerful device, indeed.", High Magistrate Duke Elethorne commented, cutting off the other High Magistrate's words. "For the benefit of all of us present here, would you be so kind to explain how your plan works?" There was a pang of contempt in his voice; he was clearly hurt because he was kept in the dark.

"I was about to get there, High Magistrate.", Thoran replied cooly. "I repeat, this device was not built to rob us of the practice of magic. It could very well be our last resort to save us all from destruction. Now, this plan will only work if we have identified the areas of high magic disturbances, which our new envoys are out doing so. The Nullifier will be placed at the center of these disturbances and suppress them, before they get out of hand. It seems like a temporary solution, but it's all we have for now."

The plan received a few murmur of agreements and occasional nods from the crowd.

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

High Magistrate Duke slowly stood up, applauding the plan. The other Conclave members eyed him suspiciously; he was never one to appreciate the work of others other than his own. He walked closer to the Nullifier and stood next to Thoran.

"That was very impressive, of course, since it came from the mind of our very own Lord Magistrate." Duke bowed to the direction of Lord Magistrate Juron. "However, I have made my own proposal, if you would all care to listen to it."

Lord Magistrate Juron, instead of being provoked, chuckled softly and nodded back, motioning the High Magistrate to continue.

High Magistrate Duke grit his teeth, but proceeded to state his own proposal. "All of us here know of the prediction of a so-called 'Rapture Event.' But what is this 'Rapture Event' actually? We've heard that it was brought up by the results of a study conducted by a boy-- no, a fledgling."

The use of the word cause a slight gasp within the crowd.

High Magistrate Duke ignored it and continued. "So why has no one ever questioned this study?"

Lord Magistrate Juron spoke, his voice calm but with much gravity, "Is this necessary, High Magistrate? I hope we do not forget our ethics here and start degrading one another."

"Forgive me, Lord Magistrate.", Duke apologized. "My point is that we have ever since looked at the 'Rapture Event' as something bad. What if there's more to it. What if the thing we had been in fear of all along was the thing that would ignite the world we had all dreamed of."