Chapter 82: Nitis

Khan had made his decision to leave Earth again during his walk toward the basement. He didn't want to live in the constant reminder of Istrone's rebellion, and having to face everything without Martha felt pointless.

He knew that Lieutenant Dyester would understand his decision. The soldier had been a great Master, but Khan had to prioritize his mental state. Also, he felt that it was time to announce a proper collaboration with the Global Army.

His feats on Istrone would definitely attract the attention of the other families, so the Global Army would satisfy all his requests to rope him in. Khan had only decided to sell himself now that his value had reached its peak.

Instead, the decision concerning the new martial art had been in his mind since Istrone. Khan didn't forget how George could hurt the first-level warrior Kred with his enhanced branch. The boy's attunement with mana was lower than Khan, but the fact that he used a weapon allowed him to injure stronger opponents.

Khan wanted something similar, but he had to make sure that the army provided something suitable for the Lightning-demon style. He could already imagine how strong he would become if he fused his fast movements with deadlier attacks. Even stronger opponents would find it hard to defeat him in that case.

"Above eighty points, you say," Professor Norwell whispered while glancing at Khan.

She didn't find any hesitation in his words and eyes. Khan was perfectly calm and confident. He knew exactly what he wanted, and Professor Norwell could only start typing on her phone after that realization.

"I'll keep you updated," Professor Norwell announced when she stored her phone. "I don't know if the Global Army will give you everything you asked, but I believe you'll remain satisfied nonetheless."

Khan nodded and performed a military salute before turning to leave the basement. Still, Professor Norwell's words make him stop his tracks.

"There won't be lessons for the entire month," Professor Norwell explained. "This training camp doesn't have enough recruits to fill the classes anymore. Use this time to think about your decision to leave. No one will mock you if you decide to change your mind."

Khan nodded before leaving the basement and exiting the building. He had doubts about his decision to leave Earth again, but they vanished when his eyes fell on the empty streets again.

Remaining there was pure torture. Khan had Lieutenant Dyester, but everything else felt empty. The soldier wasn't in his peak condition either, so there was a limit to how supportive he could be.

Ylaco's training camp appeared unable to give him a reason to stay. Khan even knew that his father would approve his trips to other planets.

'How do I even tell him about this?' Khan wondered before heaving a helpless sigh.

Bret could still be in prison as far as he knew. He wasn't the type to behave quietly, and not having Khan around would only intensify those flaws.

'I'll have to rely on Lieutenant Dyester for that,' Khan concluded before moving toward the medical bay.

The staff of the medical bay was still in place, but Khan didn't see anyone running around. The nurses were exchanging lazy conversations with the soldiers, but everyone turned and revealed surprised expressions when they saw Khan entering the building.

"Is Doctor Parket inside?" Khan asked. "I didn't set an appointment, but I figured he could be free."

"He is in his office," One of the nurses exclaimed. "I'll tell him about your arrival."

Khan only had to wait a few minutes in front of the entrance before a soldier escorted him toward Doctor Parket's office. Glances fell on him, and whispers resounded through the corridors as he walked through the structure, but he ignored everything and entered the room once the man gave the okay.

Doctor Parket was in his usual spot behind his desk. A series of digital reports filled the table, and he lazily browsed through them with his fingers.

The Doctor didn't immediately raise his eyes when the door closed behind Khan. He continued to check the various reports before heaving a deep sigh and taking out his glasses.

"You have saved many lives," Doctor Parket announced. "You should be proud of yourself."

"I just did what I thought was right," Khan explained while remaining in front of the entrance.

"That's more than enough most of the time," Doctor Parket said while swiping on the table.

A series of reports transformed into holograms that floated above the desk. Khan could recognize some of the names on them. They were the written version of the interrogations on the space station.

"All these kids are alive because of you," Doctor Parket said in a calm voice. "Soldiers tend to focus only on the ugly part after a traumatic experience. They often fail to see the good that has come out of their actions."

Khan nodded, but he didn't feel any better. He had been ready to abandon most of those recruits if the situation required it. Even freeing the cave had been nothing more than a necessity in his efforts to survive.

Moreover, the Kred were harder to blame than the Nak after witnessing their suffering. Their connection to the planet almost forced them to rebel. They had committed nefarious acts in the name of their hatred, but Khan actually understood their feelings.

Khan felt angry about what happened to Martha, but he knew the Kred's desperation far too well. Blaming them would force him to question himself, and he had no intention to dive deeper into his complicated psyche.

"Why are you here?" Doctor Parket eventually asked when he saw that Khan wasn't paying much attention to the reports. "I can summon a specialist in post-traumatic stress disorder if you need, but that's not my field."

"I only wanted you to check that everything was fine with my body, sir," Khan revealed. "I like to keep eventual mutations in check."

"You can drop the formalities for today," Doctor Parket sighed before standing up and wearing his glasses.

The Doctor picked his scanner and approached Khan's nape. The holograms above the table transformed before depicting the insides of his neck.

A series of words soon replaced the holograms before a mechanical voice resounded from the desk. "Mana core quality: Organic A-tier; Element: Chaos; Attunement: thirty-eight percent; Mana capacity: error."

Khan read the familiar lines while ignoring Doctor Parket's surprised gasp. It was clear that he was growing quickly. He only needed to add twelve points to his attunement to become a first-level warrior.

"No trace of mutations," Doctor Parket announced after leaving Khan's nape. "Still, your growth is amazing. Your similarities with the Nak are making your body attune with mana far faster than I predicted."

Khan had to close his eyes for a second to sort his thoughts. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of irony in the whole situation, and the urge to explode into a laugh was even trying to make its way through his brain.

The Second Impact had turned his life upside-down and had left him with reoccurring nightmares. However, that tragedy had given him a body that could adapt to mana faster than his peers.

The rebellion on Istrone had made him advance in the mental training, and it had even given him important battle experience. Yet, it had also forced Khan to realize his similarities with the Kred.

'Am I even human?' Khan scoffed in his mind. 'My body tries to imitate the Nak, and my desperation is similar to the Kred. I should study the Ef'i thoroughly. I might find something else about myself in them.'

Doctor Parket could sense part of the complicated emotions running through Khan's mind, but he didn't say anything anyway. He didn't have words that could make him feel better. The boy had to find a way to overcome that mindset on his own, or the Global Army would break him.

"Thank you for your time, sir," Khan eventually announced before turning to leave.

"Kid," Doctor Parket suddenly said and forced Khan to stop, "Be sure to tell me if you need anything. Also, try not to be alone."

"There is something," Khan said while turning toward the doctor. "Can you send my father to Lieutenant Dyester if he ever comes to visit?"

"Of course," Doctor Parket promptly announced.

Khan showed a slight smile before leaving the office and hurrying outside of the medical bay. It was still too early to have lunch, but he didn't feel like eating. He had taken care of everything in less than three hours, so he had the entire day for himself now.

Khan took his phone and sent a message to Lieutenant Dyester before checking the map of the camp. He quickly found the location of the best training halls available to him, and he didn't hesitate to walk there.

A large black building that didn't feature any window soon unfolded in his eyes. Khan moved his eyes between his phone and the structure while inspecting the many corridors and halls.

Khan quickly found a training hall that suited his needs and activated it with his genetic signature. Many menus appeared in his eyes, and he promptly initiated the same program that he had faced on Onia.

That training program didn't want Khan to use mana. It only tested the proficiency with his martial art, and he soon confirmed that he could clear the seventh level at ease.

Then, Khan tested the programs that required him to use mana, but he felt disappointed when he realized that the training hall only kept track of his power output. It used resilient targets meant to give a score to Khan's strength.

Khan went back to the previous training program and alternated fights with perfect executions that used mana. He even connected his phone to the structure and ordered large meals to take breaks.

Lieutenant Dyester didn't come to the training hall, but Khan didn't blame him. He was fine alone. The intense fights with the metal dummies even managed to make him forget about the emptiness eating his insides.

Then, his phone rang when it was almost time to return to his dormitory. A message from the Global Army had arrived, but Khan quickly read that it came from Professor Norwell.

'I didn't think they would act so quickly,' Khan read on his phone. 'The Global Army has agreed with your requests. You'll teleport to Nitis in two weeks. You'll get the new martial art there.'