"Go on then!"
At Garen's nod of resolve, Duke placed the Silencer on his head. His left eye, still open in spirit-vision, locked onto the writhing shadow bound around Garen's mind.
And then,
He activated it.
The moment Duke pressed the switch, the rhombus crystal at its center lit up, humming with a low electric buzz that filled the room.
A current surged through the Silencer, flowing straight into Garen's brain.
At once, his entire body trembled. His jaw clenched tight, guttural growls leaking from his throat, while his eyes bulged wide, bloodshot veins spreading like cracks across glass.
"Garen!"
Lux's worried cry broke out, but Duke didn't look up. He calmly scribbled notes and reassured, "Don't worry, this is normal."
"If you want to shut down most of the brain's functions without cutting out the frontal lobe, you need electricity to block it. Give it five seconds, once the initial rejection passes, it'll stabilize."
Just as he finished speaking, Garen's twisted expression slowly eased. The feral snarl faded, and his breathing leveled out.
His pupils dilated unnaturally, his face slackening into docile emptiness.
Duke studied the shadow lurking in his mind.
With Garen's frontal lobe suppressed, the shadow grew restless, like duckweed losing its anchor, thrashing and twisting in vain.
No matter how it strained, Garen's spirit was now a still pond, utterly unresponsive.
"This is…" Siseria whispered uncertainly. "Did it work?"
"It did," Duke replied casually, still watching the dark wraith. "Garen's frontal lobe is blocked. He's lost the ability to feel emotion. In other words, his spirit is now a dead lake."
"Garen?"
Lux's voice quivered as she tried to call him. His eyes shifted slightly, then he gave her a vacant, silly grin.
Duke pulled out a small flashlight, lifted Garen's eyelid, and shone the beam inside. His pupil contracted at once.
"Pupil reaction is normal," Duke declared. "That means nothing's wrong with his body. It's just that most of his brain functions are suppressed, so temporarily he's become…"
"What?" Lux pressed anxiously.
Duke smacked his lips. "An idiot."
"Huh?!"
Lux's eyes went wide. "My brother… turned into an idiot?!"
"He's docile now. Tell him to do something, and he'll do it. He can still respond to outside stimuli, it's just his reactions are a little… sluggish. But it's not a big deal. Once the Silencer's off, he'll return to normal. For now, the real priority is purging that demonic shadow clinging to him."
But just then, Garen suddenly began twitching again. His eyes slowly shut, and he slipped straight into slumber.
"What's happening, ?"
"He's been dragged into a dream. But in this state, Garen can't dream at all."
Duke's lips curled into a mocking smile as he watched the shadow thrash uselessly. His theory held true: demons who fed on negative emotions were powerless against someone whose frontal lobe had been silenced.
Garen's body convulsed, but his face showed no pain. Dream possession was meaningless now.
Before long, the shadow gave up, peeling free from his spirit and bursting out through his seven orifices as thick, black smoke.
Duke's left eye flared, and with a single glare he obliterated it.
A faint, wailing shriek echoed and vanished as the shadow disintegrated. Duke ran another quick check, then shut the Silencer down.
The crystal lost its glow, the suppression effect fading. Garen, still sound asleep, was none the wiser as Duke removed the helmet.
"Put him on the bed. He'll be fine once he wakes."
"Thank you, Duke!" Lux said earnestly.
"No need." Duke shook his head. To him, it was nothing more than lifting a hand, plus, he had gathered complete experimental data to confirm his theory.
But it was only useful against a demon like Nocturne, trapped in the spiritual realm and forced to attack with projections.
Against Tahm, Evelynn, or Fiddlesticks? Oh, you could disgust them, sure. But while you're sitting there drooling like an idiot, they'd casually twist your head off.
It was like kicking away a mangy mutt that annoyed you, demonic logic was no different.
A human unable to generate negative emotions was, to demons, no better than a cow that couldn't give milk. Slaughter was the only option.
"Now it's your turn."
Duke's gaze turned on Siseria. "You've got a trace of demonic shadow in your spirit too. The Silencer needs to clear it out."
"…It won't hurt, will it?"
"No. The brain has no pain nerves. What Garen showed earlier was just an instinctive response."
"…Alright."
Trembling, Siseria put the Silencer on. Then she suddenly realized. "Wait, you could've used your magic to purge me, "
"Deep breath!"
Duke pressed the switch without hesitation. Of course he'd thought of it. But what he wanted now was data, feedback from a mage.
Garen was an ordinary man. Siseria, a mage. Compare the results, and his research would leap forward.
"I think Siseria, as a proud Demacian, wouldn't allow foreign mana in her body anyway," Duke added offhandedly under Lux and Poppy's stares.
Lux looked conflicted. Poppy, thoughtful.
Soon enough, Siseria's shadow was purged as well. Duke settled her gently on the floor to rest.
Why the floor?
Well, Garen was still hogging the bed. And besides, as a brave Dragon Knight, Siseria could handle a little hard flooring… probably.
"Lux, come with me. Poppy, look after the two of them."
Duke gave a quick instruction, then led Lux out and into his own room.
After closing the door, he motioned her to sit at the table. His expression hardened.
"Lux. You're a mage, aren't you?"
"Eh?!"
Lux's eyes went wide in panic, darting around like a startled fawn. She forced a nervous laugh. "D-Duke, what are you saying?"
"My eye can see what others can't."
The divine prosthetic in Duke's left socket pulsed with faint light. His gaze bored straight into Lux. "I can see the pure light magic flowing in your body."
Lux froze. With his eye laid bare, she felt stripped down to the bone, every secret revealed.
Her flustered expression slowly faded into resignation. Lowering her head, she murmured with a touch of despair, "You're right, Duke. I am a mage."
"Don't be afraid. I'm a mage too. Magic is a gift, not a sin."
"…But not to them. To Garen, to Father, to Mother… to everyone else. To them, my very existence is a crime."
"It isn't. The fault doesn't lie with you."
Duke's voice softened, though his words carried weight. "Do you know why Demacia's ban can never stop mages from being born? Why people like you keep appearing?"
Lux shook her head.
"Because Demacia is steeped in natural magic. It's the perfect cradle for mages."
Her eyes widened in shock. She had never known this.
"Which means your ban was wrong from the very start. Mages are not wrong. The tradition is."
"If wielded well, magic can bless the people, not curse them."
"…But can I really do that?" Lux's voice trembled. "Everyone says mages are evil. That magic itself is sin."
Duke extended his hand toward her. "I can help you. I can make it so you never have to hide again."
"That's impossible," Lux whispered, shaking her head.
"Why impossible?" Duke's smile brimmed with certainty. "If you believe in me, everything is possible."
She looked into his eyes, then down at the hand he held out. Hesitantly, she reached for it.
"…You really mean it, Duke?"
"Trust me."
Her hand settled into his palm.
"Then I'll show you a future unlike anything you've imagined."
He patted her small hand lightly before letting go. Best not to hold on too long, she was still just a girl.
"So what's your plan?" she asked softly.
"First, we deal with the immediate problem." Duke stepped to the window, staring into the heavy night sky. "We need to find Nocturne's anchor, the person he's using as a host, and purge the shadow from him."
"I'll help!"
Lux clenched her tiny fists in determination.
"Relax. A little matter like this doesn't need a girl to worry herself sick."
"But how will you do it?" she pressed.
Duke turned back with a grin. "Simple. I'll make the entire city lose sleep."
End of chapter....
🔹 Hexcore Initiate – 15 chapters ahead
🔸 Arc Reactor Elite – 35 chapters + 3 BONUS CHAPTERS
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer