Realization

"Can you create something that allows me to use Remenant on my own?" Chump's smile was filled with fascination and hope. There were obvious signs that he didn't plan to be an angel around. Clem raised a hand in front of Chump.

"Ey ey there, not so fast, 'my hero.' First of all, it is impossible for any human to use powers without help. So forget about that idea."

Chump was about to ask energetically, but Clem clicked his fingers to stop him on the spot.

"You don't have a body that can handle Remenant. Neither can you feel it, use it, generate it. You...just can't, that's all."

"C'mon, man, there has to be something!"

"Chump, I—"

Chump continued, "Please, I will—"

"Stop it!" Clem raised his voice. "We have a deal, remember? I can consider that personal..."

Clem aimed a hand at the human, and Chump froze, not moving.

Chump's illusion faded away as he sighed. "Alright, got it… After all, I am human. I don't mind explaining everything…"

The human looked to his side, scratching his arms slowly. He clenched his teeth, his frustration building up while thinking of an alternative.

The next silent moments were tense for both of them.

Clem slowly walked up to the Forge. Placing both hands on the table, his aura transferred to the table. The glass lit up. From thin air, molecules formed. Then pieces of material.

"We made tests…" Clem commented while working. His voice, his tone, his whole mood came back to normal. "Before the conquest, we wanted to share our knowledge, our powers with you. Well, not most of us wanted to. We tried, trust me…"

Clem's voice took a grim tone. "We tried for decades with some 'disappeared' people…"

The Forge slowly created pieces of stone and metallic junctions. It was forming furniture of some sort.

"But every time, every single time, they used the Remenant… Their limbs exploded or got injured naturally. Sometimes their veins bled out. Sometimes their bones and muscles broke down or turned into dust!"

Clem continued, "Maybe they grew cancers or tumors out of nowhere. Sometimes their minds were affected and had multiple personalities. Every single human without exception…"

"You… You tested on humans?!" Chump stepped back. His face showed the terrifying images in his head at that instant.

"Do not get me wrong!" Clem stopped what he was doing with the Forge for a moment to look at him directly.

"Not only humans. Just a couple of hundred…Most were animals. Pigs, dogs, monkeys, birds… lots of different animals…" Clem turned back to what he was doing at the table.

"The closest to survival were, indeed, humans. But we didn't kidnap them out of their lives. All of them were about to die in accidents or incidents. Or were on the border of death one way or another, alone."

Clem clapped his hands, splitting himself from the table. The magical Forge table started fusing the pieces to form a stone chair with a pad.

Clem picked it up, and from the looks of it, he could move it with ease. But it seemed to weigh more than a hundred kilograms (or around two hundred twenty lbs).

With care and slow movements, he placed it in front of his bed, around two meters away (or around six and a half feet).

"Please sit down. I know that the more I talk, the more questions you have. But before explaining the effects, I need to explain the cause."

Chump didn't move through the whole ordeal. In his mind, he connected the dots, more than before. Frozen, sweating, trembling. Fear. A predator would go nuts smelling the fear he emanated.

"Calm down. I promised to give you a safe house and we have a Promise. If I break the spirit of our deal, everything would be solved before we could even blink."

Clem raised a hand to the seat. "And you saved my life. I am explaining this to you because I do not wish you any harm."

After a moment of doubt, Chump sat down. The chair was not comfortable enough for long periods, but it sufficed for a few minutes.

"My sister… My sister was taken, I—" Chump, clutching his heart as pain seared through his chest, denied it with a shake of his head, "That's complete nonsense."

Clem interrupted him. "All humans are being translated to a safe space with no Remenant around. Your sister is fine."

"But she had a heart attack before!"

Clem's eyes widened. Chump continued, his expression closing, frowning, his face turning red. His arms and legs twitched nervously.

Clem, attempting to calm him down, placed a reassuring hand on Chump's shoulder. However, Chump forcefully pushed the hand away, stumbling back in his chair. In his frenzy, he began to scratch at his face, lost in turmoil.

"Even if they translate her, what assures me that they won't use Remenant to heal her?! Wouldn't that shorten her life or create many problems?!"

Clem stayed silent for a moment, closing his eyes and looking down. "I don't know, Mister Chump…"

Chump's distress escalated. He stood abruptly, hurling the chair aside in a fit of anguish. "No... what have I done..." he choked out, his voice heavy with guilt. Tears welled up in his eyes as he collapsed into sobs. "I'VE DOOMED HER!... It's all because of me.."

Chump broke down in tears and scratched his whole face with force. He shouted with all his lungs. His squeals were agonizing.

He was letting every feeling out.

Clem approached cautiously, their voice gentle yet firm, "Chump, listen to me. Take a deep breath, Okay?"

The human turned around, ready to run away. But Clem got up and held his arms. "Please calm down, you are hurting yourself! It's not your fault. Please understand that no matter what happened, it was a matter of time. Not whom or where."

Chump struggled against the golem. But he was weaker and barely moved him an inch. Chump shouted like a madman,

"Let me! Let me, please! I need to rescue her! She will die! Please! Please! I beg you, Clem!" Chump panicked.

But Clem didn't let him move.

"You cannot save her! You will die if you confront them face to face! Please calm down!"

"No! Please, Clem! I can do it! I survived two beasts! If I can get my hands on a tank or a ship or… or…"

Clem slowly pulled him over, freeing one of his hands to fully embrace him. The human tried to escape its grip, but barely moved him an inch.

And felt his weakness.

It took him a while to calm down. And he looked down.

"Clem…" Chump breathed exasperatedly. "Is there a way to use Remenant without dying instantly?"

Clem looked at his thunderous mark and commented shyly, fear guiding his words.

"There is. Allow me to teach you."