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nEventually, the woman could no longer stay in the dark and ran out of the dark chamber.

nThe Nightmare’s influence vanished, and the Technician told her that the experiment was successful.

nNaturally, the Bailiff was asked to keep what she had seen a secret.

nWhile the Bailiff left the room, Nick thought about the possibilities of his new ability.

n‘I could use this to get some information out of people. I only need to lure them into the darkness.’

nNick looked at the door leading out of the room.

n‘People would be shocked if they knew that the Nightmare technically isn’t conscious. In fact, I don’t even know if it is alive.’

nDespite the fact that Nick was the only human who had seen the Nightmare, he still wasn’t sure what it exactly was.

nThe Champion of Light seemed to have come to a realization after Nick had told him about the Nightmare, but Nick still couldn’t be completely sure.

nThe only running theory that he had was that the Nightmare used to be human, somehow.

nAfter all, the Champion of Light had said that “he knew now” after Nick stated that the Nightmare felt similar to him.

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nSadly, that didn’t explain a lot.

nWas it dead?

nWas it alive?

nHad it truly been a human before?

nWhy was it no longer?

nWhy was it in this isolated, dark location?

nWhere did all of this Zephyx come from?

nThere were too many open questions.

nThe only thing Nick knew was that the Nightmare did not have a perception or a will.

nThat was also the only reason why someone as weak as Nick could control such a powerful force.

n‘But controlling something like this also isn’t easy,’ Nick thought. ‘I’m not sure if any human can control the Nightmare’s perception. Maybe there are some Specters that can, but I don’t think there’s a human that can.’

n‘Although, the chances that there is a Specter that can actually control the Nightmare are extremely low. Specters might be able to transport people to the Nightmare, but they probably can’t actively control the Nightmare.’

n‘The reason is that they are not on the same level as the Nightmare and can’t find out how the Nightmare’s influence and its ability work. A Specter’s Core probably has the power to influence something like the Nightmare, but without knowing how it works, the Specter Core can’t be used to control it.’

n‘Meanwhile, a Zephyx Synchronizer copies a Specter, and since my Zephyx Synchronizer is partially attuned to the Nightmare, my Zephyx Synchronizer actually knows how the Nightmare works, somewhat.’

n‘However, a Zephyx Synchronizer is not sophisticated and powerful enough to control something like the Nightmare, despite knowing how it works. It simply lacks the power.’

nNick imagined his Zephyx Synchronizer and his Specter Core.

n‘I am the only one that has both. I partially know how the Nightmare works, and I also have a Specter Core that allows me to manipulate it.’

nNick looked at the lit part of the room again.

nWith his new ability, Nick could also feel the Nightmare’s influence in the darkness.

nWhen the Nightmare’s influence touched the sunlight, it simply evaporated.

nIt was like a spark falling into water.

n‘My ability also doesn’t get deactivated by being under the Nightmare’s influence since it doesn’t really have a perception.’

nNick watched as the sunlight burned away the Nightmare’s influence.

n‘However, the Sun also doesn’t deactivate my ability.’

n‘Additionally, the way the Sun interacts with the Nightmare also doesn’t seem very deliberate. It just seems like two opposing forces attacking each other.’

nNick’s brain started to connect some clues.

n‘Does that mean that the Sun actually also doesn’t have a perception?’

nSilence.

n‘In fact, I can’t remember a time in which the Sun has ever deactivated my ability.’

n‘If it perceived me, my ability would be deactivated, but that never happened.’

n‘So, does it not perceive me?’

nThat was when Nick thought about the Nightmare again.

n‘Technically, the Nightmare can perceive me while I am in darkness, but my ability still remains active because it doesn’t consciously take note of my existence. It’s like a person watching a wasteland and not taking note of the stone-colored, camouflaged Specter on the ground. Technically, the Specter is in their field of vision, but they don’t actively perceive it.’

n‘However, the Sun could see me easily. After all, when I am outside, there’s a direct line of sight between the two of us, and its light perfectly shines on me.’

n‘I should be in its perception.’

n‘But I’m not…’

n‘Does that mean that the Sun’s circumstances are similar to the Nightmare’s circumstances?’

n‘Is the Sun actually not conscious?’

n‘Is it dead?’

n‘Like the Nightmare?’

nNick’s mind was going wild with possibilities.

nYet, the more he thought about things, the more confusing and unfitting everything felt.

nIf the Sun were truly dead, how could it have killed the Ancient Ones?

nHad it been alive back then?

nThat didn’t seem possible.

nBut if it were dead, it wouldn’t suddenly do something that it wouldn’t normally do.

nBeing dead usually meant acting quite passively.

nSeveral more contradictions shot through Nick’s mind.

nIt seemed impossible that the Sun was dead since many other things wouldn’t make sense anymore.

nYet, the way the Sun behaved was very similar to how the Nightmare behaved, and the Nightmare was most likely dead.

n“So?”

nNick turned towards his left and saw the Technician, who had walked into the room. “How did it go?” the Technician asked.

nNick furrowed his brows and shook his head.

nHe had lost his train of thought.

n‘I still don’t know enough to come to a conclusion,’ Nick thought.

n“It was pretty-”

nSuddenly, Nick stopped talking.

nThe Technician raised an eyebrow, and Nick started to look at him with furrowed brows.

n“Pretty what?” the Technician asked. “Pretty good? Pretty bad?”

n“Pretty much as expected,” Nick answered with a strange voice.

nThe Technician looked at Nick with a skeptical expression. “Why do I feel like I won’t like what you’re about to say, Nick?” he asked with suspicion.

nNick looked at the Technician for a bit longer. “I have a theory.”

n“Okay, shoot,” the Technician said with apprehension.

nHe didn’t have a good feeling about this.

n“Theoretically, could the Sun be dead? You know, like the Nightmare?” Nick asked.

nThe entire atmosphere in the room changed.

nThe Technician narrowed his eyebrows, and Nick could feel all the Technician’s casual humor vanishing.

nThe Technician was dead serious right now.

n“Nick, there are things I’m not allowed to ask you, but there are also things that you are not allowed to ask me,” the Technician spoke in a serious tone.

n“One of these things is anything related to the Eternals.”

n“These are secrets that no one outside the Shields is allowed to know. This concerns all of humanity.”

n“Knowing too much will put humanity at risk.”

n“Remember one thing. Every era of human history ended when they were at their most advanced and strongest.”

n“Sometimes, knowing too much or being too strong will kill you.”

n“Do not look into these things. If you ever join our ranks, we will tell you more.”

n“Until then, do not look into the Eternals.”

n“This will put you, us, and all of humanity at risk.”

nSilence.

nNick had never heard the Technician speaking in such a serious voice.

n“And don’t share any of your theories with others,” the Technician added after about two seconds of silence.

nAt that moment, Nick’s heart rate increased, and he could see that the Technician appeared even more serious after saying that.

nNot everyone would get the hidden message, but Nick did.

nThe Technician had essentially told Nick that he was on the right track but that he was not allowed to ask any more questions.

n‘So, it’s true? The Sun is dead?’ Nick thought.

n“Stop thinking about these things!” the Technician added.

nThen, his serious demeanor instantly vanished, replaced by a charismatic smile. “Instead, tell me what exactly happened. How did your new ability work?”

nNick took a deep breath and put all of his thoughts related to the Sun into the back of his mind.

n“It went about as expected,” Nick said before he started to explain to the Technician how he could feel and manipulate the Nightmare’s influence.

nThe Technician seemed excited when he heard that Nick managed to shape the Nightmare’s influence.

nToday, humanity had stepped closer to the Eternals.

nThere was finally a human that could partially influence the Nightmare, an Eternal!

nThe two of them talked about how Nick’s new ability worked for a while before they focused on the next one.

n“Now, there are only two left,” the Technician said. “Let’s start with your mist form. After all, I can’t help you with your main ability since I don’t even know how it works or what it does. You will have to fix that one on your own.”

nNick nodded.

nHe didn’t disagree…

nBut if he were truthful, he should have.

nNick had fixed his main ability on his own already.

nIn fact, that had been one of his first projects.

nHe simply had progressed on it whenever the Technician wasn’t looking.

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