Chapter 768 Rules
The more strength Monica regained, the longer she could accompany Khan's seemingly endless stamina. The two spent hours doing what they did best, alternating between bed, shower, and bathtub, only to return to the mattress once a necessary break arrived.
Monica was especially clingy for obvious reasons, and Khan spoiled her as much as possible, keeping her close even when she stormed him with questions. His right shoulder was taking the shape of Monica's head, but he was more than willing to accept that consequence.
"So," Monica exclaimed, tapping her fingers on Khan's chest while she rested on his shoulder. "You won't turn into a Nak, right?"
"I won't," Khan reassured, his hand glued to Monica's back. "A hybrid form is the closest I can get to them."
"But those plants are facilitating your transformation," Monica pointed out.
"I have Nak genes due to the mutations," Khan explained, "But they aren't meant to turn me into one of them. That would defeat their mission's purpose."
Khan had done far more than training and commanding on Baoway. He had delved deeper than ever before into his Nak heritage, finding some answers to his many questions. A few were only hypotheses, but Khan felt they were reasonable.
"Because their species hit their limit," Monica summarized. "They needed to create something stronger to deal with the scarlet eyes."
"At its core," Khan said, "Mana is an agent of change, and the Nak embody that power. The nightmares and madness are side-effects."
"They should have kept them to themselves," Monica snorted.
"Maybe they didn't have a choice," Khan suggested. "Maybe they were looking for species that could inherit the mutations and mission without going crazy. Humankind simply wasn't it."
"Are you justifying them?" Monica wondered, half-angry and half-surprised.
"No," Khan firmly stated. "I'll deal with them and get rid of these nightmares. Understanding them is just a way of getting to them faster."
"What about the scarlet eyes?" Monica asked.
Khan's expression didn't change, but Monica saw a new seriousness in his eyes. The topic clearly weighed on his mind, and for good reason.
"The universe can burn for all I care," Khan announced.
"But you won't let them burn all of it," Monica added. She wished the situation was different. Ideally, she would limit Khan's problems to her family and humankind, but he wasn't that kind of man.
"If the Nak know about them," Khan uttered, "They probably know about the Nak."
"Which includes you," Monica commented.
"They might look for me once the time comes," Khan confirmed, "Especially if I continue harnessing the power of my Nak genes."
A sad urge invaded Monica. She wanted to tell Khan to stop. She wished he wouldn't need to struggle so much to obtain power. Yet, Monica knew it was necessary. Even without the universal threat, Khan didn't have an easy life.
"Will you tell the Global Army about your state?" Monica switched topics. "They should be able to guess it anyway with what those traitors retrieved."
"They don't know how far I've gone," Khan replied. "My changes are different from other humans. It's better to keep them a secret."
"Will you evolve mid-training?" Monica asked. "I was serious about the third arm."
"It's more like laying the groundwork," Khan explained, shaking his head. "My body is going through something similar to the natural induction, but the process won't be complete until my attunement reaches one hundred points."
"What then?" Monica questioned.
"Hard to say," Khan admitted. "Humans evolve according to their mana's nature, but I have different influential factors. The Nak genes, my element, and my approach to mana make the result impossible to foresee."
Monica fell silent. She had more questions, but the past hours had been filled with information she had yet to absorb fully. Moreover, much was about to change, and Khan's phone highlighted that issue.
Khan had silenced his phone long ago, and staying with Monica had made it fly in the corner of the room. Still, Monica saw its glowing screen and the endless stream of notifications that reached it. It wasn't just the network. Countless parties were trying to contact Khan, and many would usually deserve immediate replies.
"Stop," Khan said, knowing what Monica was thinking. "All of them have to wait."
"It's better to deal with some situations first," Monica considered due to her political educations. "You should prioritize building and negotiating new alliances instead of spreading my legs."
"It just so happens that I love spreading your legs," Khan teased, kissing Monica's head. "Besides, you did a lot of spreading on your own."
Monica giggled but still shot an admonishing glance at Khan. She would hate letting him go, but her mind was better now, and he needed to attend to those important matters. Monica didn't want to become a hindrance during such a significant moment.
"Don't think that," Khan scolded, seemingly reading Monica's mind. "You were crazy enough to rush another infusion to keep up with me. You can't hold me back even if you tried."
Monica couldn't agree with Khan. She was still a third-level warrior, while he had touched a power level the current system couldn't properly classify. Moreover, he had become a Prince, surpassing her status. Monica felt it was only proper to wonder whether she was worthy of him anymore.
Nevertheless, Khan had never cared about those matters, and seeing Monica worrying about them angered him. Monica noticed that invisible change, and a smile broadened on her face. Khan's rage was strangely soothing. Most of the Global Army saw him as a monster, but his arms were the safest place in the world.
"I'll steal you for a few more minutes," Monica whispered, closing her eyes while making herself comfortable on Khan's chest. "Just a few."
The break time obviously lasted longer than a few minutes, but the couple eventually got ready to return to the outside world. The room's menus provided new, more suitable clothes, and the two soon walked out, with Monica proudly clinging to Khan's elbow.
The soldiers from the hangar had created a safe perimeter around the room's entrance, but reporters had filled every available spot outside of it. Leaving the clustered floor seemed impossible, and more problems arrived.
The soldiers temporarily broke their line to let five reporters cross the perimeter. The group took a few steps forward before performing polite bows at Khan and Monica, and smiles filled the couple's vision once they lifted their heads.
The soldier from before left the blockade to approach the couple, and explanations resounded as he bowed. "These reporters have had a long business relationship with the Nognes family. His Excellency cleared them for a formal interview."
After multiple visits to the shower and bathtub, Monica and Khan had regained a more than decent appearance. Their attire wasn't luxurious but remained proper enough to deal with those political events.
Yet, Khan didn't only have other plans. That development came from his new status, and he wouldn't just play along with it. He had to make sure the world understood normal rules didn't apply to him.
The reporters misunderstood Khan's silence for approval and advanced, reaching the couple. Their stance was different from the others in the crowd. They looked used and prepared to deal with high-tier figures, but their smiles were as fake as everyone else.
"Prince Khan," One of the reporters called, bowing her head again. "Thank you for making time for us. Is there a place where-?"
"I didn't," Khan stated, glancing at the soldier. "Have the space station prepare the teleport and send my ship to the Harbor."
"Prince Khan," The reporter called again, confused about the development. "We have issued a formal request that was approved by the official channels."
"You didn't ask me," Khan responded without bothering to glance at the reporters. "Move these people, or I will."
Khan's tone spoke louder than countless words. He almost sounded like he was uttering death threats, and the truth wasn't too distant from that. Still, that behavior was superfluous. Khan was a Prince now, and he had given a specific order.
The soldier began shouting orders while retrieving his phone. His companions pushed the reporters outside the perimeter before clearing the way for Khan and Monica. They advanced with the couple, ensuring nothing could stand in their path or even come close to them.
The reporters also played along. As intense as their desire to obtain news was, Khan's authority remained undeniable. They couldn't risk offending him, so they followed the soldiers' orders, doing their best to cooperate.
Khan's decision to use the space station's teleport wasn't random. The quadrant was far from his intended destination, but his ship had enough fuel to complete it. However, he wanted to resolve the matter as quickly as possible, and Monica couldn't come with him.
The couple soon entered an elevator, which rose into an array of narrow corridors leading to a teleport. The soldier had already informed the scientists, so the machine had gathered the necessary synthetic mana. Now, it only waited for Khan's orders.
"Come back soon," Monica whispered, leaving a quick kiss on Khan's lips. "I'll arrange the meetings in the meantime."
"It won't take long," Khan nodded, watching Monica jump on the oval platform.
"Where to, Prince Khan?" One of the scientists asked.
"The Harbor," Khan declared, and the scientist set the coordinates, teleporting Monica away.
Khan jumped on the oval platform once the machine finished cooling off. Synthetic mana gathered around him, but his aura hindered the process. His mind grew heavy thinking about the imminent meeting, creating problems for the machine.
"Prince Khan," The scientist called when the console notified him about the issue. He could scarcely believe his eyes, but the scanners didn't lie. He didn't think a fourth-level warrior's mere presence could hinder the teleport, but here he was.
Khan didn't reply but retracted his aura. His eyes continued wandering while heavy thoughts afflicted his mind, but nothing hindered the synthetic mana anymore. The teleport became ready, only missing his orders.
"Prince Khan," The scientist called again, clearing his throat. "The coordinates?"
"Earth," Khan stated. "Ylaco."