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Last of The Fae Chapter 116: High Council Finale
🕑 Added 2025-02-11 02:19:52 +0000 UTC"Do you have any physical proof of this supposed soul image?" Crouch asked his voice soft as if he was afraid that if he spoke any harder he would break the spell of wonder Thane had cast on the courtroom.
"Every bank sigil uses a conduit to take an imprint of the individual's soul for identification purposes. Meltdown any one of the thousands of sigils you confiscated and you'll find a small metal chip inside." Thane replied before he looked around and addressed the assembled court, "Today all of you have heard my claims of accomplishing the impossible. But in my heart, I believe that with magic nothing is truly impossible. I know in some of your minds that statement seems ludicrous and you doubt whether my words are the truth or merely the falsehoods of a foolish boy who is meddling with forces beyond his comprehension. And to a certain degree, you are correct, I do not fully understand, and I believe that no wizard has or ever will. That is the inherent truth of limitless potential. There are infinite possibilities and in our recent history as a magical society we have let that truth scare us, for in those infinite possibilities we emphasize the consequences that could result should we explore our true potential while ignoring the benefits. We have let this fear freeze us to inaction, we have stagnated to the point where I would go so far as to claim that the muggles with their mundane technology can replicate if not outright improve the effects of magic."
"Absolutely preposterous!"
"That's a load of hogwash!"
"No muggle can surpass a wizard!"
The courtroom erupted into a cacophony of noise with people shouting and roaring. Couch raised his gavel to intervene but Thane's voice rose about the sea of rage refusing to be drowned out, "THAT IS THE TRUTH!"
Thane's voice rumbled like thunder and he shot up from his chair. In an instant, the power dynamic shifted, suddenly Thane was staring down at the court, judging them, despite his physical position, "The bank sigils that you claim are so problematic? They were based on a Muggle invention—created nearly thirty years ago! They refined it, improved it, and perfected it, while we stood still. You scoff at them, but their world moves forward, while ours clings to the past like a relic. Most of you would rather die than be compared to a muggle, and even the most sensible among you inherently believe yourselves to be superior. Yet you all refuse to explore and strengthen the very thing you claim as a source of superiority! Our ancestors fled from the light out of fear, hiding and suppressing their gifts, writing laws to make sure no one among them revealed their existence! But we are no longer in that dark age where our numbers were small and insignificant! While I won't go so far as to say we should reveal ourselves to the world, there is no reason we must live in a world of fear! Magic is not our enemy but our most sacred and ancient ally, it is time we take ownership of our heritage and seize every opportunity from the endless bounty gifted to us! What I have revealed today only scratches the surface of my accolades, one I wish to share with the entire wizarding world. That is why I created Fae Inc. to share my inventions and vision to create a better tomorrow."
Thane paused as some of the fire died in his eyes and when he spoke again his voice was low and sullen, "But no one individual can create a world nor decide the fate of one. Perhaps I am too ambitious. Perhaps in this era of stability and peace, my revolutionary ideas will only bring more harm than good...but is that what we have reduced our standards to? Where the most we can hope for and look forward to is nothing?"
Thane's gaze lifted as he scanned the myriad of faces present in the courtroom, "If this is what our world has become, if fear is all that remains of our so-called greatness, then I would rather rot in Azkaban than waste my gifts on a people who have already surrendered."
After Thane panned his gaze around he quietly sat back down in the accusation chair. With deliberate movements, Thane smoothed his robes, exhaling softly. The fire in his voice had burned out, leaving behind only embers. He met Crouch’s gaze, steady and unwavering.“I have nothing more to say, your honor.”
Crouch stared at Thane, his grip on the gavel loosening as his eyes lost focus, momentarily adrift in the storm of words that had just shaken the courtroom. The boy—no, the man—before him had spoken with a conviction so fierce, so unshakably resolute, that even the most hardened among them could not dismiss it outright. Compassion, elegance, and raw emotion had woven together into something undeniable.
A beat of silence stretched between them before Crouch finally found his voice, quieter than before, edged with something almost like reverence.
"Thank you, Lord Fae... you have made your case. Does the expert witness have any questions to ask the accused?"
The room's attention shifted to Dumbledore, the one man who had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal. He had kept his vow of silence, observing, listening—waiting. Now, his gaze locked onto Thane, and the usual mystical sparkle in his eyes greatly diminished.
In its place was something far older, far heavier. The gaze of a man who had not only witnessed but endured the horrors of two of the most recent and violent wizarding wars. A veteran general who had fought survived, and carried the weight of those battles long after the war itself had ended.
His voice, when it finally came, was quiet but resolute.
"I have no questions, your honor."
Crouch blinked, momentarily taken aback by Dumbledore’s unexpected concession, but he did not allow it to shake his composure. With practiced control, he straightened, his expression hardening as he turned his gaze back to the assembled court.
"Very well, then," he declared, his voice steady and authoritative. "We shall now proceed to the vote— to determine the fate of Lord Fae, accused of wielding Soul Magic. Should he be found guilty, the sentence is life imprisonment in Azkaban."
His eyes swept over the gathered Lords and Ladies, their faces a mixture of contemplation, unease, and, in some cases, barely concealed disdain.
"You have thirty minutes to cast your vote."
With a sharp crack, he brought his gavel down, signaling the final stage of the trial. The weight of judgment hanging thick in the air.
---
Rose paced back and forth, her movements sharp, restless. Her face twisted in fury, but beneath it, fear lurked just beneath the surface.
"How could he do something this stupid?!" she snapped, her voice raw. "Doesn't he understand that if they find him guilty, he's never going to see the sun again?!"
"Rose, it's going to be alright," Luna said softly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.
Rose flinched away, jerking her shoulder out of reach before whirling on Luna, her eyes blazing. "No, it's not! He's going to abandon us, Luna!"
The words hung heavy in the air, sharp as a blade.
"Rose, that is enough," Daphne’s voice cut through the tension—not loud, but steady, firm. She met Rose’s glare head-on, her posture calm but unyielding. "Thane isn’t abandoning anyone. He will return to us. Have faith in him."
Rose's breath hitched, her red-rimmed eyes locking onto Daphne’s with barely contained grief. "That’s easy for you to say," she spat. "After all, you're the reason he went through with this insane plan! If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have to risk himself like this!"
Luna gasped.
Daphne stiffened, the hurt flashing in her eyes for only a fraction of a second before it was buried beneath cold steel. Her spine straightened, and when she spoke, her voice was quiet but unshakable.
"Yes, Thane is risking himself for me," she admitted, her words even, controlled. "But make no mistake—he would do the same for you. Or for Luna. In a heartbeat. That is who he is. A miraculous thing, really, considering that Thane was never taught how to love or cherish those close to him."
She took a step forward, her gaze unwavering.
"We are the first family he has ever had. And we will remain a family, no matter the outcome of this trial. Do I make myself clear?"
Rose’s jaw clenched, her shoulders trembling. She wanted to argue, to push back against Daphne’s unwavering certainty—but something in her gaze, in the quiet, undeniable truth of her words, drained the fight from her.
Her shoulders sagged.
"I just don’t want to lose him."
Before either Daphne or Luna could respond, the space behind Rose shifted—like air folding in on itself, reality-bending for just a moment.
And then, before she could react, a pair of familiar arms wrapped around her from behind.
A voice, warm and steady, whispered in her ear.
"And you never will."
