Jury was the final member to speak.

The Council entered an immediate lull as soon as Enoch’s finished. She entered the limelight as countless eyes descended upon her immaculate form, stained only by her corroded, clawed left arm which remained by her side.

The tip of her tail drummed at the floor at a steady pace, matching the beat of her heart. Eventually, it became calm when she stared into Frost’s comforting eyes. The relationship they shared did not go unnoticed. None could determine who Jury was in the eye of the Amalgam and were only able to compare them to Galia and the Arbiter.

One had to wonder the criteria that enabled a Beholder to become endorsed by an Archetype. Never mind one by the Amalgam herself. This was why Jury became the object of fascination. She was a Beholder with a fused technology from what they could determine, yet none had ever heard of her name until now.

Not to mention that she was the first Angel to formally join their mangled circle.

“The Amalgam has made the purpose of my Atelier clear enough so I don’t have to repeat it. What I now want is to expand our scope from only being the Auditing body of the Nexus.” She placed her normal hand onto the top of the rectangular receptacle.

Then, she slowly began twisting counterclockwise.

 

//////// < ALERT > ////////

 

< Isolation Sphere Alteration >

< Timescale Set to 9x >

 

Her other hand emerged, lying on the table with an open palm.

“Firstly, my technology. It will be used thoroughly and therefore will require a tremendous amount of Nex. I believe integrating aspects of my technology with yours will also cause a need to more Nex. Too much and I can envision us spiraling into something worse.”

Jury’s manner of speech was far from the casual one that Frost and the triplets were used to. Her voice was tuned to the tone used by the Beholders, and she conducted herself similarly to how Frost did.

Her voice was as beautiful as it was powerful, yet there was an odd, pleasant undertone that made her voice easier to digest.

It was not manipulative like Galia’s.

Coarse like Knalzark’s.

Mocking like Umbra’s.

Smug like Satania’s.

Artificial like E.’s.

Enigmatic like Descartes’.

Spontaneous like Magus’.

Hollow like Marionettes’.

Or crude like Enoch’s.

Jury’s was pleasant. Neither overwhelming nor soaked with a thousand griefs. Normality was the only way Frost could describe it. She was impassioned by Jury’s approach. In an environment where shouting and power waving was the norm, the one person who went against the grain was bound to garner the most attention.

“This is also why we must investigate your operations. My technology can turn hours into minutes. Months to days. Or do the inverse and prolong processes. It is a lucrative power that comes at a high price. But so long as we are allowed to make Audits on demand, and you all abide by all resolutions – then I’m willing to lend my hand.”

Jury’s collaboration was another method to ensure the Beholders played by their rules. Her tech was on the Warped Stone’s level of impact, capable of significantly shifting how the Ateliers functioned. Cutting down time by ten times meant ten times the efficiency.

“ImpulseWorks Sites can find use in time-related tech.” Enoch spoke to herself, counting all fingers of her hands in her head. “Liquid Nex yields can offset the cost. Not that we know what it is yet. You did say that it was a one-off cost for that item specifically, and a low maintenance cost throughout its lifespan.”

“The Eyes could return in only a year…” Knalzark uttered. “How would it work with the trains? No. I suppose experimentation would lead us to answers.”

He made an interesting point just from uttering its use case with trains, or transport for that matter. In an era where the Hyperlinks were limited, allowing one to traverse at 10 times the speed would allow logistics to move at lightning speeds.

The interest in Jury’s tech skyrocketed as a result. The Beholders were already a pack of hungry wolves at the start of the Council. By now they were practically drooling. Of all the threats Frost imposed, none convinced them more than the prospect of Jury’s tech.

Letting them take advantage of Jury is the last thing I want.

“Jury is aware. She may be naive, but she does not plan to give them everything they want. Her trust in them is as low as yours. The Isolation Sphere is the only thing she is willing to lend.”

Good choice too. Her other skills are too powerful. Something like Angelic Kiss is a good example. Imagine that being let loose into the wild. Having her skills as Aspects of Technology puts them at risk of being stolen. Impuritas with Invulnerability would be a nightmare.

“Fearing to overstep boundaries did nothing but allow an enemy to take root right in front of your faces. Fearing the Corruption of the strongest forces of the Nexus has led you to abandon them. Complacency led you to where we are now. All Moons are welcome to join Time Reverberation. All Stars of the Nexus can continue serving it directly. I think I speak for the Amalgam when I say that it’s in your best interest to avoid joining an Atelier.”

This was not all she had to say. Beyond just being an Auditing Atelier, Time Reverberation would provide therapy through Jury’s tech and the healers to anyone and everyone. Moons and Stars took priority, then it was the Atelier personnels, and then the rest.

Additionally, she proposed that the Black Wings of the Amalgam should be allowed to use another one of her products. Surprised, Frost turned to Nav and asked when she made more items, only to be responded with:

“She’s partnered with Justica Arms and partially Oboros Infinitas through Galia, remember? The product in question will be to your liking.

… is that a gun?

Indeed. What Jury revealed was a bulky, two-handed firearm made from a matte black material. It was shaped similarly to the magical firearms used by Scarlet Logic, but this lacked a hollow barrel. Its design was reminiscent of those found on Earth, likely where Jury had taken inspiration from.

“This is the Talon. It has two modes. Healing.” She took out a small bullet from her Dimensional Storage.

This bullet incorporated Turn Back the Clock. They would dissolve upon impact and had a 100% accuracy, as they would be used like Justica Arms’ crystal bullets. This would allow the proposed Black Wings to heal targets from a distance.

But this was not all they could do. Where they could bestow life, they could rain utter destruction.

“And suppression. We plan to allow the Black Wings to provide healing in combat situations. Because the bullet is stored separately from the weapon it is impossible for the Impuritas to steal. They are expensive, but no cost is too great for the healers. My Isolation Spheres will also pair well with encounters within the Nex Megalopolis.”

What she meant by this was that the Isolation Sphere could temporarily seal an entity and displace it from reality. That way, further damage to the area would not be possible. It would be invaluable with the number of Corrupted that was believed to now exist within the Nex Megalopolis.

These of course would need to be heavily regulated.

The amount of utility Time Reverberation was capable of was far more than they anticipated. What Jury did not mention however, was Time Seer.

This was the key that would allow her to audit them. The past could be unraveled with this power at the risk of inviting the Aberrations of Elysia. It was also their last resort when it came to mentally aiding with someone’s trauma, as it could inadvertently cause turn them into a Corrupted.

There was only one issue, however.

Manpower. Currently Time Reverberation was only one person.

But this was poised to change dramatically as soon as the Council was over.

She had used her turn to effectively sell her Atelier and to lay down precisely what it was capable of. Much else was omitted as recommended by both Frost and Nav. Jury was a talkative person and far more prone to uttering something confidential.

Frost considered it a miracle that she hadn’t called her ‘Frost’ yet.

“I look forward to our partnership moving forward. I hope you understand that what Time Reverberation seeks is to ensure that we don’t fall apart. We have common enemies. I want to make sure you understand that. Scarlet Logic has ripped a hole in the Nexus. We plan to seal it. We can be better.”

Her parting words caused the Beholders to dwell on something. Some didn’t at all and laughed, like Marionette, whilst others fell into a small daze, like Knalzark and Beholder E. The Archivist ceased writing, unable to ignore the odd silence.

“Anna wonders if they have regrets. She had seen all of them before they became Beholders. Seeing them consider Jury’s words is not a small gesture. Beholder E. searched for something that would allow him to live eternally. Knalzark sought for a way to stave away the false lights… There is only so much she knows. She was just their guide, after all.”

… ‘We can be better.’

Frost savored these words. They were assuring, but also carried a semblance of a sadness she failed to describe.

With Jury’s turn ending, the Arbiter’s Council had finally moved out of the main phase. The Arbiter’s tails coalesced into one great pillar that pierced past the spectators above before it blossomed into a pale, fluffy tree.

And like the leaves of a cheery blossom, feathers descended from its beautiful canopy before she clapped and at once – the feathers of her seven tails exploded with a coat of gold.

The Arbiter’s Council was set to end.