Nick couldn't be completely sure about what the Technician meant.
That could basically mean anything.
The Technician seemed to wrestle with himself about what he should tell Nick and what he should keep secret.
"I can't tell you a lot," the Technician said. "These are secrets that are even more important than the Nightmare's location. It's not that I don't trust you. I just don't trust your power. There are ways to read your mind or your reactions that you can't resist. You're like a lockbox made of wood. I trust that you won't throw your contents up, but I can't trust you to withstand the force of a big guy with a big hammer, you know?"
Nick just nodded.
The Technician kept thinking about what to tell Nick and what to keep secret.
It wasn't easy.
"How would you define Aegis?" the Technician suddenly asked.
Nick furrowed his brows.
"An alliance of the strongest people on the planet that want to help humanity as a whole," Nick said.
The Technician nodded. "Good definition. That's basically correct. Remember that."
Nick waited for an elaboration.
Yet, the Technician seemed to be done talking.
"That's it?" Nick asked.
"Yeah, well, I decided to not tell you anything," the Technician said. "Telling you anything is already too risky. The only thing I can do is reassure you that Aegis has the good of humanity in mind. Aegis wants humanity to survive, and Aegis wants to get rid of all external threats to humanity. Keep that in mind."
Nick just looked at the Technician.
He hadn't doubted Aegis' mission before.
As far as he had seen, Aegis was genuinely interested in protecting and helping humanity.
'He should know my thoughts on this matter,' Nick thought. 'Yet, he keeps repeating that I should remember that Aegis wants to protect humanity.'
'It's almost like he fears that I am going to see things that make me doubt Aegis' goals.'
At that moment, Nick's eyes narrowed in suspicion.That was when Nick noticed that the Technician's smile seemed nervous and forced.
It was almost like he was afraid that someone would find out that he had lied about something.
But was the Technician really such a bad liar that he couldn't keep his facial expression under control?
Sadly, that was an actual possibility.
The Technician was a researcher, not a politician or leader.
But he was also extremely old and experienced.
So, was this a deliberate expression, or was it truly just accidental?
Was he afraid of something?
If so, what would he be afraid of?
"Aegis genuinely wants to help humanity," the Technician said again. "Please, never doubt that. Okay?"
Nick just looked at the Technician.
"Can we drop the topic now?" the Technician asked nervously.
"Sure," Nick answered.
The Technician sighed in relief.
"Anyway," he said as his relaxed demeanor and good mood returned, "Helia will come up with a plan and contact us again. She's going to find a way to make it seem like all the information you have gathered is the result of a top-secret mission of a group of underground Agents. You won't get any credit for that."
Nick nodded. "That's fine."
Most people would complain.
This was unfair!
He did all of this!
He deserved recognition!
However, Nick was not interested in that.
Nick wanted to help humanity, and he had done just that.
He wouldn't say no to a reward, but he also wouldn't actively ask for one.
"Until that matter is settled, you will be staying in here. As in, this room, specifically."
"Then, we'll come up with a plan on how to move forward, but for now, we're just waiting," the Technician explained.
"Fine," Nick answered.
At that point, the Technician's interested smile returned. "Good! With the boring stuff out of the way, how did your abilities change?"
After that, Nick and the Technician started talking about his abilities in depth.
"Oh,right!" the Technician said before activating his Barrier for a second. "I totally forgot."
Nick wasn't sure what the Technician meant until the door knocked and Ghosty entered.
Right, Ghosty was supposed to be the Technician's assistant in this project, and since all the sensitive stuff had been discussed, he could now be part of the conversation again.
They kept asking about Nick's abilities and how they changed.
And then, Ghosty asked a question.
"We keep talking about your secondary abilities, but how has this-"
"Stop!" Nick shouted with authority, interrupting Ghosty.
Ghosty was taken aback.
What was this about?
The Technician looked between the two, and he immediately realized what happened.
"Oh!" he said before turning to Ghosty. "You know about his primary ability?"
Ghosty just nodded.
Naturally, he also quickly realized why Nick had stopped him and looked at the Technician with a raised brow. "You don't?"
The Technician furrowed his brows. "Right, I remember now," he said, scratching his chin. "That was the reason why I asked you to come here in the first place. Well, that and the fact that you're a really good researcher."
Silence.
The mood became a bit awkward.
However, all of the present people were quite intelligent and knew how to navigate such a conversation.
"You don't need to tell me," the Technician said, "but I still have a question about all of this. Consider it as a way for me to make peace with the fact that I won't be able to know about this thing ever."
Nick and Ghosty nodded.
"The old Champion of Light told us that we should not ask about his ability. Why would he tell us to do that?" the Technician asked Ghosty.
Ghosty was surprised.
The Champion of Light said that?
Within a second, many things connected in Ghosty's mind, and his mood turned somber.
He hoped that he was wrong.
"If I may ask," Ghosty said, "what was the old Champion of Light's opinion of Nick?"
Nick furrowed his brows.He realized that his original answer about this topic hadn't encompassed the entire truth.
Nick had believed that the Champion of Light forbade them from asking about his ability to protect Nick.
After all, the more people knew about his ability, the higher the chance was that he would die.
But now…
"He gave him the last name Dusk," the Technician answered.
Ghosty took a deep breath.
Sadly, his suspicion had been proven to be true.
"I think I know why," Ghosty said.
The Technician looked at Ghosty.
Ghosty seemed solemn.
"It is to protect you," he said.
Nick nodded.
That was also what he had realized just now.
"To protect me?" the Technician asked.
"My ability is extremely powerful," Nick said. "However, there is a devastating counter to it. Knowing about it can essentially weaken me to a tenth of my power."
"If the Champion's hope truly comes to pass…" Nick said as he trailed off.
The Technician sighed. "Having people around that know about your ability would be a big danger since the enemy might learn about it."
"If you ever reach such a level of power, your survival and power will be so important that it vastly outweighs my worth as a researcher and Shield."
Nick nodded.
"Just like Aegis, I want to protect humanity," Nick said. "No one's individual desires are equal to humanity's collective desires."
Ghosty didn't know Nick very well, but the Technician had spent a couple of years with him.
And as far as the Technician knew Nick…
Nobody spoke.
All of them knew.
If Nick became a Shield, and if he truly wanted to help humanity, the most intelligent thing to do was to kill everyone who knew about his weakness.
For Ghosty, that didn't matter.
He only managed to become a Hero with Aegis' help, and he knew that he would never become a Protector.
If Nick ever managed to become a Shield, Ghosty would have already died of old age.
But the Technician was a Shield, and he was not one of the old ones.He belonged to the younger half of Shields.
"Well, if that's the reason, then I'm relieved," the Technician suddenly spoke in a casual tone.
The other two looked at him with raised brows.
"This just proves that the Champion of Light believes in Nick," he said. "He believed in him so much that he proactively protected the other Shields from his future power."
"It also proves that he believes that Nick will still want to help humanity after he becomes powerful."
The Technician seemed relieved.
"Alright, so, what's your main ability?" he asked.
Ghosty's eyebrows shot up, and Nick furrowed his brows.
The Technician knew fully well what it meant to ask Nick about his main ability.
"I have gained my ability by interacting with the Null," Nick spoke without hesitation.
An uncomfortable expression appeared on Ghosty's face.
Now, it was too late.
But why did Nick directly tell the Technician without hesitation?
The Technician just smiled with interest.
An Eternal's ability!
Fascinating!
Nick didn't hesitate to tell the Technician because he admired him.
The Technician was willing to sacrifice part of his own life to better help humanity, just like Nick.
Not accepting the Technician's sacrifice would be disrespectful in Nick's mind.