Chaos' Heir

Khan had been awake for almost sixty hours by then. He needed a shower and decent sleep, but a new priority had arrived, relegating those tasks to the backlines.

The device shone in Khan's face as he reached for the seat behind his interactive desk. He instinctively lifted his gaze, but looking at the office reminded him that he had no booze, pushing his eyes back to the screen.

Winston had left instructions. He obviously didn't sign them, but those notes still warned Khan about the inevitable erasure of the information on the device. Khan only had time until the night to read and memorize as much as possible.

Worry never crossed Khan's mind. His ability to stride forward after sleepless nights was unmatched, so he quickly accepted that his rest would have to wait. As for the shower, he didn't even consider it.

Hours went by in which Khan remained immersed in his study. It soon became clear that Mister Cirvags' report had covered most key information, giving a comprehensive overview of the scientific team's discoveries.

However, some details had been left out, especially those involving the scientists' deductions. Many lacked proof but added clues that Khan could fuse with his unique insights.

It turned out that the Thilku were quite stingy. They completely hid information related to Cegnore's underground world and overall environment. Khan could accept that due to the interspecies treaties, but the secrecy in other topics slightly annoyed him.

The shared information reeked of Thilku's pride. The human team never received data about mutated aliens or natives. That secrecy was understandable, but Khan could read between the lines and see how the Thilku simply didn't want the Global Army to know about their defeats.

The same went for the attacks. The Thilku didn't share much about their trenches and battles. The scientists had to deduct most of that from the leftovers that reached the human area, but the results were far from accurate.

Nevertheless, positive aspects existed. The Thilku didn't hold back information about the peculiar infection and intelligent beings. They tackled the issue both anatomically and psychologically, opening a window into that topic that Mister Cirvags' report didn't provide.

The details about the illness used words that Khan struggled to read, let alone understand. That wasn't an issue of bad translations. The human scientists were far above him in those fields, so he had to stick to the descriptions and hypotheses to get something out of them.

'The virus is extremely aggressive,' Khan read on the device, 'But its uncommon mutations are far scarier, and the influence of Nak's mana is very likely to blame.'

Khan understood that part. Mana was a force of change capable of mutating any living being, but the Nak's influence added a unique spin to it.

'The enforced behavior also matches some of the theories around the First Impact,' The hypothesis continued. 'The mutated beings seem to lack any goal outside eating and spreading the infection, which can be considered in line with what the Nak did on Earth.'

Khan struggled to believe what he had just read. A few people had admitted to harboring similar doubts about the First Impact, but only in confidence. Yet, that was the first time someone talked about that conspiracy without him probing about it.

'Am I finally high enough to learn about this?' Khan wondered. 'Are my efforts finally paying off?'

The topic of the Nak had been so distant for Khan that he didn't know how to react to that discovery. Still, time wasn't on his side, so he forced himself to delay the disbelief for now.

The reports about the virus didn't contain anything else Khan could understand or use. The scientists speculated about its range of effects and ability to mutate mana-wielding beings, but nothing more.

Still, moving to the mutated beings' topic brought new interesting developments. The device had deep details about the anatomy of those creatures and eventual patterns in the mutations, but it took the scientists' hypotheses to capture Khan's attention.

'The joint and organized attacks don't match the Tainted animals' nature,' Khan read. 'They must have leaders, an instinctive purpose, or both, but the few traces of intelligence we are aware of keep that secret hidden.'

That was in line with Khan's deductions too. It also justified his desire to explore the areas past the trenches and the underground world. However, the device wasn't done yet.

'Ordinary beings who show slight intelligence aren't of much use either,' The notes continued. 'Their thoughts are messy, unstable, delirious. They suffer from hallucinations, and the few common points boil down to probably inaccurately translated words.'

The device had long since captured Khan's attention, but the possible translated words displayed under that hypothesis elevated his concentration to new levels.

'Son, heir,' Khan read, and his mouth moved when he reached the last word. "Host."

That couldn't be a fortuitous chance. Khan was sure of that. He couldn't be mistaken about that. He heard a Nak speaking that word whenever he slept, and things were too perfect to be a coincidence.

'This is impossible,' Khan thought, trying to find more descriptions on the device. Still, the hypotheses were over. He only saw scientific reports waiting for him.

'Is it impossible?' Khan wondered. He didn't know what to believe, but that coincidence was hard to ignore. If the intelligent beings spoke the same words as his nightmares, he had to have found something.

Khan wanted to read some more, but his arms gave up and made him place the device on the interactive desk. He had too much on his mind to focus on studying, but one thing was clear. He had to find a way to speak to the mutated Thilku or natives.

'Why would the Tainted animal want to spread the infection?' Khan thought. 'How would the Nak lose an attack on a mana-less civilization?'

The two questions felt connected, even if Khan couldn't prove it. The behavior of Cegnore's fauna would explain why the Nak had lost during the First Impact. They had probably never planned to win in the first place.

'All of that just to spread the infection?' Khan wondered. 'No, to spread mana.'

Khan couldn't help but think about the fear he experienced during his nightmares. The Nak in his dreams was scared about something, and the source of that feeling probably was a piece of the puzzle Khan was still missing.

'Don't get ahead of yourself,' Khan thought, forcefully shaking his head. 'It's just a word, which won't be anything more unless I find proof.'

As much as Khan wanted to be realistic and calm, he couldn't control the urges of his mana. He knew he was one step away from flying straight past the Thilku trenches and searching for answers. Yet, doing that without a plan risked destroying everything he had worked so hard to obtain.

The device suddenly beeped, distracting Khan from his thoughts. The screen flickered, turning white and then dark. Khan tried to touch it but to no avail. His fingers didn't bring up any menu.

However, the screen didn't remain completely dark. White letters slowly appeared, describing a schedule that Khan didn't take long to decipher. Winston had left a timeline of his shifts, highlighting when he would be in charge of the scientific department.

'Twice a week,' Khan read. 'Tomorrow would work for him.'

The idea of starting the plan excited Khan, but he forced himself to remain calm. His reasonable sides actually needed a few minutes to win over the chaos in his mind, and clarity arrived afterward.

Khan was no stranger to jumping blindly into dangerous situations. Yet, he wasn't in a hurry now, and the price to pay in case of failure would be far higher than injuries.

Getting answers was the most crucial goal in Khan's life, but he didn't forget Mister Cirvags' warning. His desperation could easily make him suicidal or worse. He might get what he wanted, only to lose the means to continue his journey.

'This is only my third night,' Khan realized, 'And I can't look too desperate in Mister Wulfo's eyes.'

The entirety of Khan wanted to put the plan in motion, but he decided to wait. He could still study Cegnore and the human trench for a while, and that was exactly what he did.

The erasure of Winston's report marked the beginning of the night shift, which Khan attended without bothering to change or shower. His appearance attracted unwanted attention, but he didn't care enough to address the issue.

Another peaceful night went by, and many followed. Khan spent an entire week fulfilling his duties without ever breaking the rules. He had the chance to fight twice, but both featured a single Tainted animal that could barely match second-level warriors, so he didn't count them.

Of course, even if the night didn't provide excitement, Khan always kept himself busy with his training during the day. His packed schedule began to affect his appearance, but Khan seized the initiative before things could get too bad.

After a week of study, on the first available night marked by Winston, Khan gathered with Caspar and the team in the trench. That shift didn't feature anything unusual. Actually, the atmosphere was quite relaxed due to the recent peaceful period.

However, as soon as Caspar looked away, Khan summoned a tinge of mana on his palm and blew on it while thinking about a request. He didn't muster anything complicated, but the symphony shook heavily, creating a gale only he could see.

'Come and get me,' Khan thought, repeating the words of his request while his eyes followed the invisible gale. That mana flew in the distance toward the place he knew featured the Thilku trenches.