Chaos' Heir

The wind blew on Khan's face as he free-fell from the sky, but the sensation wasn't intense enough for his messy mind. His ankles twitched, generating a sudden acceleration that pushed his skin's resilience to its limit. Yet, even that couldn't silence his thoughts.

Khan closed his eyes, flew at full speed, and let the symphony guide him. He had no target or destination. He let himself go, hoping the wind could quell the chaos in his brain.

Eventually, a wet sensation spread on Khan's face, and his nostrils becunable to seize oxygen. The change didn't surprise him, and he let it lull him for a while. However, his mind continued to shout, forcing him to resurface.

Khan took a deep breath when his face peeked past the water. He was inside a lake surrounded by trees, and the symphony confirmed the absence of technology. He didn't know his exact location, but that hardly mattered anymore. Even without official announcements, Baoway was his planet. Every drop of water belonged to him.

It was barely past lunchtime. Baoway's star shone high in the sky, illuminating the lake and creating charming flashes on its surface. Khan caught all of them, but his eyes failed to appreciate their beauty. Even the best paradise couldn't do anything against his worrying troubles.

'A god, Khan thought, relaxing to float belly-up on the lake. 'What even is a god?'

Religions were an idea of the past. Humankind had to rebuild itself from scratch after the First Impact, leaving no room for those notions. Scults and relatively large beliefs had reappeared, but nothing comparable to what the few historical records described.

Khan's situation was even more unique. The Slums had small cults, but most citizens only cared about surviving. Food was their god, and everything was allowed to get it. Information and knowledge gathered during various, sparse lessons flowed through Khan's mind. Notions learned years ago popped out, trying to bring clarity. He wanted to define godhood, but that concept felt too ethereal for him.

Khan lived in a world of his own. He saw energy flow with his bare eyes and could communicate with it through his thoughts. However, part of his brain still held tightly to the cynical and realistic ways of the Slums, preventing him from considering reverence toward higher powers. It simply was a matter of strength in his vision.

'Strength I have,' Khan thought. 'But strength doesn't makea god.

That wasn't entirely true. Monica was right. Many Scalqa already saw Khan as something close to a divine entity, but he couldn't settle for the perspective of primitive minds. Khan wanted to be the real deal if he had to establish a cult. 'Maybe miracles, Khan considered. 'Gods do those.'

Khan immediately found flaws with that idea. The Scalqa saw most of what he did as a miracle. Even shumans probably thought that, and Khan couldn't accept it.

Still, something about the concept pushed Khan's thoughts into a new direction. Miracles were only a matter of perspective and strength in his mind, but the latter had a quantifiable source. Mana enabled that power. Everything started with that energy, making it the closest thing to a divine trace he could find.

'Mana makes us strong, Khan thought. 'Mana creates miracles.'

The more Khan lingered on that idea, the more convinced he got. Yet, his thoughts inevitably went forward, reaching a conclusion he had unconsciously already considered.

"The Nak embody mana, Khan concluded. "The Nak are mana.'

Khan had learned enough about the Nak to know that reasoning was flawed. The Nak had launched genocides on a universal scale precisely because they had reached their evolutionary limit. They needed hosts that could surpass them, stating they were far from perfect or divine.

Nevertheless, Khan was a special case. He could potentially be the special case the Nak had tried to create, the host that could surpass their evolutionary limit. Moreover, Khan also had the opportunity to expand that side of his genetic pool.

'If another transformation happens,' Khan wondered, 'And I unlock more power ...'

Rebecca had the Nak, and Milia 222's incident had proven that Khan's element could trigger a reaction with those body parts. It also seemed he could absorb their power to deepen his mutation, which could provide new abilities when paired with the blue plants' green substance.

'I did get one already, Khan recalled. 'Maybe there's something else in those genes!

Khan was only brainstorming. Realistically, he believed the scarlet eyes were the last piece of his curse's puzzle. He could be wrong, but few things could beat a universal threat.

Still, the off-plmeeting with Rebecca was set in stone. Khan only had to decide the tand date. He would also test those alien body parts anyway. The recent development had simply put shurry in him.

Khan's military uniform had long since becdrenched, but he continued to float, letting minutes and hours slip by in that rare break. He couldn't achieve peace, but his determination intensified. Initially, Khan was conflicted about a possible second transformation. However, he would wholeheartedly welcit now.

As priceless as those lazy moments were, Khan eventually dug a hand into his drenched pocket to retrieve his phone. The device could survive his element, so the water didn't affect its functions. However, it seemed he had landed in a quadrant with no connection to the network.

'What a hassle, Khan cursed, storing his phone and considering his options.

Following traces of technology would be easy. The symphony would guide Khan to the nearest occupied quadrant, but the flight could take a while, and he couldn't waste more time.

'She would never leavecompletely alone in a quadrant with no connection,' Khan thought, stretching his arm upward.

Mana escaped from Khan's stretched fingers, changing shape and density as he drew bright lines in the empty air. His gestures exuded precision and confidence, as if he were a skilled painter with a brush. Eventually, a relatively complex symbol formed above him, and he pressed his palm on it to activate its effects.

Flames suddenly burst out of the symbol, rising into the sky to create a scarlet pillar. Dark smoke accumulated around it, suppressing the fire but lingering in the air. That was a pale imitation of Monica's eruption, which Khan had learned to replicate during his attempts at controlling her element.

A ship flew into the area before the smoke could disperse and descended toward the lake. Khan let it reach its surface before shooting up and appearing before its side doors.

The doors instantly opened, showing two soldiers wearing military salutes. They simultaneously chanted a "Prince Khan", but Khan ignored them and headed toward the main deck.

"Miss Solodrey apologizes for not being here," One of the soldiers explained, following Khan into the main deck.

Khan waved his hand dismissively as he reached the pilot's seat. The soldier behind the controls promptly stood up, moved aside, and performed a military salute. Khan ignored her, too, sitting down to take control of the ship.

Monica's absence was understandable. She would love to spend twith Khan, but her duties made her busier than him. Khan could beat her at it while conquering settlements, but the temporary break in the expansion had cleared his schedule.

Still, the plan required Khan's help, and he had wasted enough time. A map appeared above the pilot's console, and Khan stepped on the pedal to return to civilized areas.

Even with all the added resources, half a day wasn't enough to prepare everything for the new strategy. Establishing a city and planning a mass migration would take time, especially since the trend had to culminate in Khan's coronation as a religious leader.

The strategy's initial phases didn't require much from Khan, but he wanted to be there anyway. His presence would make everything smoother, and it was the role of a leader to show his face during significant changes. The ship quickly reached areas he had colonized, and his phone began to buzz as it regained a connection to the network.

Khan usually ignored his phone. It always rang anyway, and

Khan usually ignored his phone. It always rang anyway, and most messages cfrom reporters or relatively powerful parties requesting political meetings. That wasn't the tto attend to them, but glancing at the endless stream of notifications revealed a message worth opening.

'Abraham's lab?' Khan thought, unlocking the screen. The message had cfrom a secure channel and contained an encrypted file, which his genetic signature opened.

Khan almost forgot about the ship's controls as he went through the file. He initially split his attention, but the explanations on the screen quickly forced him to concentrate.

The file contained many scientific talks, but a shorter summary for less knowledgeable people followed. Khan's interest only intensified when he reached that part, and the final line almost put a smile on his cold face.

'We developed a supplement, The message said. 'If the data is reliable, this tool can almost double the infusions' efficiency!