"Why do you think you agreed to have your memories manipulated?" the Champion asked.
"Because he has shown us things before deleting our memories," the former Right Arm answered.
"We do not know what we have seen. Our memories are gone."
"However, we still remember the questions that have been answered. We do not know the answers anymore, but we know that these questions have been answered before he took our memories."
The other Shields had already prepared for battle.
They knew that the Inferno and the former Right Arm were under a Specter's control.
Leaving them alive would be too dangerous.
Yet, the Champion told them to wait.
"And what are the questions?" the Champion asked.
The former Right Arm smiled bitterly.
"Why does the Nightmare exist?" he asked.
The Shields furrowed their brows.
The Nightmare was a Specter, and it wanted to feed on all the people in the world to grow stronger.
Yet, the Champion's eyes shone for just a moment.
He had more background information than the other Shields.
"Why don't you tell us?" the Inferno asked. "Champion, why does the Nightmare exist? Do you know?"
The Champion thought about that question for a bit.
Naturally, since he knew that the Sun was essentially protecting humanity, he knew that the Nightmare didn't exist without a reason.
The Sun had full control over the Specters, and the Specters were supposed to be a trial for humanity to overcome.
The existence of the Maw and Nurse Alice was obvious.
The Champion could tell that they were supposed to be suppressed eventually and become humanity's strength.
They had no idea where the Nightmare was.
"What is the purpose of the Nightmare?" the former Right Arm asked after not getting an answer for a while. "Why did the Sun create the Nightmare?"
"What does the Nightmare do to humanity? What purpose is there behind it?"
"Protection," the Champion answered."If humanity advances in the wrong direction, they might make a mistake and kill the Sun. That would doom all of humanity."
The other Shields looked at the Champion.
"That doesn't answer the question," the Inferno said. "You just gave us the answer for why the Envious Researcher existed. This task is being completed by the Envious Researcher. This has nothing to do with the Nightmare."
The Champion furrows his brows. "The Nightmare keeps people in the Sun's light. That stops unforeseen developments from occurring."
"And why are unforeseen developments bad?" the former Right Arm asked. "We all agree that humanity has to grow more powerful. Why do we need the Sun's help, permission, and supervision to grow stronger?"
The Champion was backed into a corner.
Obviously, if humanity developed the wrong weapons and didn't grow biologically more powerful, it wouldn't stand a chance against the aliens.
But he couldn't say that.
He wasn't allowed to tell anyone that he worked for the Sun.
"I have another question," the Inferno said. "Maybe this one is easier for you to answer."
The Champion didn't answer.
"Why did the old Champion always proclaim that the Sun was our enemy? Why did he say that, and why are you not saying that?" the Inferno asked.
The Champion thought about that answer.
It wasn't easy to answer.
As the old Champion of Light, he must have come into contact with the Sun as well, which meant he must have known the truth about the Sun.
So then, why would he say that the Sun was the enemy?
"Humanity needs a common enemy that is easy to visualize," the Champion said. "The Sun was the right target."
The Inferno and the former Right Arm glanced at each other.
"We do not remember the answer to the question," the former Right Arm said, "but what you said feels like an assumption or a guess. There is no certainty behind it."
"Do you have a better answer?" the Champion asked.
"No, we don't," the Inferno answered.
"I have another question," the former Right Arm interjected. "Is the Nightmare supposed to be suppressed? Can we find it?"
The other Shields weren't sure why the former Right Arm asked that question.
No Specter is supposed to be suppressed.
They were monsters that just wanted to grow stronger.
However, the Champion had more context.
Was the Nightmare supposed to be suppressed?
It didn't feel like it.
It was impossible to sense the Nightmare, and they had no idea where it could even be.
The Nightmare couldn't be suppressed , which meant it was not supposed to be suppressed.
"No," the Champion answered.
Deep inside, he was starting to get agitated.
He knew that he was on the right side, but answering these questions was so difficult.
It was like he had to make things up to answer them.
"I got another one," the Inferno said.
"Why does the Null exist? What's the point behind the Null?"
Again, the Shields felt the question to be irrelevant.
They looked at the Champion and wondered why he hadn't given the obvious answer already.
"Why does everything have to remain secret?" the Inferno asked. "Why is nobody allowed to know anything about the Null?"
"What's the Null's purpose?"
"I don't know," the Champion answered with furrowed brows.
"Why not?" the Right Arm asked.
"How is anyone supposed to know?" the Tinkerer asked with a roll of her eyes. "That's the point of the Null. Nobody is supposed to know anything about it. You are asking questions that are impossible to answer in order to sway us from our path."
"The Trickster really did a number on you two. It's sad to see you two turn into its puppets."
The Champion didn't comment.
"I got one last question," the Right Arm said. "After that, this conversation will be over."
The Champion already dreaded their questions.
He didn't have a good answer for any of them despite knowing the truth about the world.
"Can a Demon manipulate the mind of a Shield?" the Right Arm asked.
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The author's . If he gets more than 1000€ per month, he will increase the number of words in the chapter.