Yes that title is a bit vague and phrased weirdly, but I'd like to present a theory. For years now, at least since Black Armoury, we expected to face an actual being when the Pyramids arrived. Well I believe we were wrong. And Season of Arrivals sheds light on that (pun not intended): Also: spoilers for those who haven't completed the introductory mission into this season. Anyways. So, let me elaborate on a point I made earlier. For years we had debated as to whether these Pyramids are actually Ships or an Entity akin to the Traveler. We now know it's the latter. During the cutscene that follows the Introductory mission for Season of Arrivals, this conversation between Ghost and Zavala occurs: [quote]Ghost: According to Spectral Analysis, the Pyramid....It's Propulsion... The energy it's manipulating on Io... I don't see a ship. I see a being... Paracausal in Nature. Zavala: Like the Traveler. Ghost: All Records of the Golden Age agree. On the first day, the Sky filled with darkness. On the Second, the Traveler fell.[/quote] What we have deep within Luna, above the Echo Messa, and soon to be above the Fields of Glass, Archology and Hellas Basin; are dark Travelers. Paracausal opposites to our divine god that hangs above our last "safe" bastion. Now this is where we talk about the inside of the Pyramids, as they are a key problem with this theory: well, the Pyramids have corridors that go within, but no defences other than the Nightmares (which we'll get to shortly). Well remind yourselves of the philosophies of the Light and the Darkness. The Light and the Traveler follows the idea of complexity in the universe and that Life should be allowed to live freely with equal value and the freedom to do what they please. The Darkness and the Pyramids follow the Sword Logic; the idea that only the strong should live in the perfect universe. The pawns of either side follow and reflect these philosophies (except for the Awoken, who waver in the middle, walking that thin line between both sides. The Grey Line). The Darkness's ideal is a simple one, kill or be killed. Survival of the Fittest if you will. So it's inside workings are going to be simple corridors that lead up to what might be it's physical embodiment from the Garden, the Winnower). And if you look inside the Traveler, it reflects it's own ideals of complexity. The inside of the Traveler is mechanical. Complex in view. Now what about the champions, that's the main point of this post: The Traveler believes in complexity and Life; so It's champions are of course going to be the Guardians. Beings brought back to life to reflect the complexities of existence and to overcome it, showing how Light can prevail. So what about the Pyramids? Well, I believe the Pyramid's champion are none other than the Nightmares. The Pyramid believes in the Sword Logic, or the basic foundation that became the Sword Logic. So why use Nightmares? Why use these...phantoms that clearly deny the Pyramid's very ideology to forge their champions by? Well, it's because of us. We have time and time again proven we are far more than capable of being the top of the pyramid of the Sword Logic. The Winnower has even gone out of it's way to call to us. Try to sway us to it's side. To make us it's new champions, physical ones. So why not tempt us by using our fears and enemies of time before to prove that point. Remind us that we have mastered the Logic of the Sword and become more than Legend. An attempt to cross that very thin line. The Winnower has seen us in a similar light to what Calus has, a potential asset of immense power. Those who have made dealings with the Darkness have become devote. Worshiping it. Oryx. Calus. Commander Kuang Xuan. The crew of the Kentarch-3. But that only explains the current "champions"; I'd like to suggest that maybe it's used this method before. But not in the same way. Cayde-6's journal, that was sold with the physical edition of the Taken King expansion contains this quote: (thanks KSeth for finding me the quote) [quote][b]I'm out in plain sight. Sky is torn open and there's nothing and nobody left in this ruined world but me and the boiling shadow all around. [/b]Whatever it is hits me before I can level my gun. [b]Doesn't matter. Tendrils of pain crawl over my splayed fingers, my outstretched arms, my shoulders, my neck, my screaming mouth as it consumes. I'm being enveloped. Everything is wrong.[/b] Primordial. My systems go sideways. All but my sensors. It wants me to witness this, the world. It's world now. [b]Suffocating in the black poison.[/b] I collapse. We all collapse.[/quote] First things first; there are two lines that reflect this idea of the Sky filling with Darkness. But more importantly is the line in the middle: [quote]Doesn't matter. Tendrils of pain crawl over my splayed fingers, my outstretched arms, my shoulders, my neck, my screaming mouth as it consumes. I'm being enveloped. Everything is wrong[/quote] Why and how could this be his Nightmare? or at least a Nightmare ripped from his psyche? Ace in the Hole: [quote][b]This one's for the minds behind the Deep Stone Crypt. You think just 'cause you made me, you can unmake me? Hey, I understand. I were you, I wouldn't want people knowing what I did either. [/b]Guess you better hope I didn't tell anyone about the crypt. Or about the, uh, what was it? Oh yeah… Long Slow Whisper. 'Cause if I did, that would be real bad for you, huh? I may be dead, but I guarantee you ain't heard the last of me.[/quote] I believe this whole Nightmare he was consumed by was a Nightmare of the feeling of being in the Crypt and having not much control of his life. Whilst we don't know how the Crypt works exactly, we know it involves something along the lines of: [quote]I came here flesh and bone.[b] Gave everything to the ice.[/b] [b]Started over[/b]. Rebooted.[/quote] I realise there's probably more context to it than that from the Journals which were written back in 2015, but i believe this whole, idea of consumption is a metaphor for how he was affected by the Crypt. And that pain being the pain of transfer. Obviously we know that the Exo's aren't just robotised humans (Human bodies converted straight into robots) but that mind/memory transfer is required to make an exo. His consumption being the consumption of his actions, his will basically going and being at the whim of the Brays. Possibly. We know he hated them. And Nightmares aren't just developed through Fear; but hate and other negative emotions. Now, on it's own that's kinda lacking in evidence. So let's look at the other account of the Collapse that we have: The Black Armoury Pages, written by Henrietta Mayrin. Entry 71, Black Armoury Journals: [quote]Last night we awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of something pounding on the walls. It roared and stomped and howled in frustration… until it found the doors. They didn't hold. I never saw it. We were too occupied blindly firing around a corner. I just remember the smell of wet earth, and a sound I've never heard before. Like a machine being stretched and then compressed.[/quote] Now, I don't think this is some kind of beast attacking per say. But the embodiment of what Henrietta specifically may consider a monster. Exo's. To provide some context to these claims, we need to jump back. Henrietta didn't want to make the Black Armoury into some kinda of dealership. A weapon's factory of sorts: Entry 41: [quote][b]But I didn't ask to build a mobile weapon factory.[/b] I didn't come up with the idea. Helga and Yuki did. Suffice it to say, lately we haven't been agreeing on things as much as we used to. We're growing fast. Too fast. Which means mass production. Which in turn means less control over our work. How it's distributed, who it's distributed to, etc. [b]It means more weapons to defend ourselves, yes, but not in every single person's hands. That was not my vision. Power without control leads to chaos. It's a give and take.[/b][/quote] Now, why are these relevant to the Nightmares? well, here's why; Entry 50: [quote]Today I gave Helga a piece of my mind. She came to me with another "opportunity" for the Armory. Another chance to increase our production.[b] But this project is really crossing a line for me. Exos. I never liked the idea of them in the first place. They're not Humans. They don't have a soul. [/b]They're nothing but the experiments of Humans playing God. Since when has that gone well? [b]If one day they decide they don't like the rest of us, what recourse do we have? It'll be slaughter. Thinking about combining that technology with ours makes me sick.[/b][/quote] Her perception of the Exo's is one of soulless monsters. She thinks them more as beasts. Beasts that could conquer Humanity easily. A boot to an ant kinda deal. And she says this: [quote]I just remember the smell of wet earth, and a sound I've never heard before. Like a machine being stretched and then compressed.[/quote] What if that "wet earth" is made from blood and liquid residue from the Nightmares. The sound? The sound of the doors to the Niobe Labs being closed; or even just the twisted nightmares of the Exo's approaching the Founders of the Armoury. Continued Below: