Chaos Heir

Chapter 1316: Hate

Time had never slowed down for the two black aliens. Everything flowed at normal speed, so their spells quickly crashed on their targets, unleashing pillars of glowing dark smoke that rose into the sky.

Pieces of the landmass vanished as those black pillars radiated their energy’s obliterating influence. That pure ice couldn’t exist in their presence. Still, the taller alien couldn’t help but feel that something was off in that seemingly perfect outcome.

Something had changed. The patch of the world on the ground and the area around the alien felt different, as if incongruent. It was as if the fabric of existence had been severed at an ethereal level, causing a dissonance between those two pieces of the battlefield.

The dissonance quickly waned. Everything became homogeneous again, but the following event deepened the taller alien’s frown. A sudden gale blew away the black pillar where his companion’s spell had landed, revealing two crouched figures.

Khan was on the ground, kneeling on the white ice his intervention had protected. His right arm was in the air, lifted behind him, its black color receding to reveal his blue tattoo and scarred but unharmed skin. Meanwhile, his left arm was on his companion, wrapped around her to hold her gently.

Liiza had her eyes closed as her body grew increasingly cold. Traces of ice formed over her skin, stiffening and protecting it. Her figure also darkened as her physical functions almost slowed down to a halt, but the blue light shining on her didn’t betray any worry.

Khan ignored the two enemies in the air behind him and only focused on Liiza. Her belly still radiated warmth despite the progressing hibernation, but the contractions or kicks also slowed down, temporarily stabilizing that medical emergency.

Truth be told, Khan had no idea Liiza was capable of such a feat. He didn’t even know how healthy it would be for her or the baby. Still, he trusted her, stuffing those worries in the back of his mind to dwell in the enlightening earthquake invading his conscious side.

The shorter alien didn’t care for enlightenment. He only knew Khan and Liiza looked like sitting ducks, so he lifted an arm, ready to press on, but a black hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

The taller alien didn’t know why he had stopped his companion. He wasn’t sure about what he was feeling himself, and the vague clues in the area didn’t help draw clear conclusions.

However, the taller evolved warrior understood at an instinctive level that something big was happening, something majestic. Something that could be very well catastrophic.

Khan didn’t care for the aliens’ behavior. His right hand went on Liiza’s head, gently brushing off her white and red strands to expose her face. Her skin had the same texture as ice now, but he could only focus on how beautiful she was and how much he loved her.

’When did it happen?’ Khan wondered. ’Was it after Nitis? After Monica?’

Khan couldn’t answer that question. His brain didn’t have the solution to that doubt, and he wasn’t completely to blame for that.

The change had been gradual and insidious. Khan had never really been aware of it. He probably wouldn’t have noticed it if Liiza hadn’t said anything, but the clues were there.

Sure, Khan had delved into introspective moments many times throughout his life, but they had always been about maximizing his power. Meanwhile, another sneakier change had happened, and he had been powerless about it. In hindsight, that had also been unavoidable.

Every step toward higher forms of power came at a price. Khan claimed might through sacrifice. He paid whatever new ability he obtained in blood and suffering, and that trend had leaked over other aspects of his life.

The Nak’s curse had forced Khan to face an unfathomable number of tragedies, and getting stronger never improved his life. His element’s current strength and shape actually came from his acknowledgement of his desperation.

Khan had trained like a madman before Istrone, only for its revolt to lead to the killing of a young Kred. He had wholeheartedly welcomed the Niqols and their arts, only for his need to get stronger to make him leave.

Ecoruta had been another mess. Khan’s strength had allowed him to excel here, only to end up in a prominent position that made him face the darkest sides of the war. He even unlocked proper spells there, which obviously stemmed from negative emotions.

The search for power and answers had driven Khan away from Reebfell, which had been one of the most peaceful phases in his life. He had even hurt Cora in the process, who had been nothing but good to him.

Khan’s connection to the Nak had partially caused Milia 222’s tragedy, which hurt countless people. He even gained his alien appearance there, which he had loathed for years.

The Harbor had been peaceful, too, but Khan had quickly turned it into a mess of dangerous missions to improve his status. That had eventually put his loved ones at risk, and its positive resolution didn’t change its dark nature.

Cegnore had forced Khan to commit his first genocide. His strength had pushed parts of his family to plot an assassination attempt on Baoway. Khan had come out on top of all that, but the victory had put a crown on his head, bringing heavy duties and responsibilities.

Khan’s life couldn’t be about himself anymore at that point. He had to sacrifice soldiers, command, and deal with problems that had nothing to do with him. Power had elevated him to levels of greatness he would have never dared to imagine in the past, but that was far from being all good.

Then, the endless, mandatory search for power had reached the critical point. Monica had started to fear Khan’s sole existence, prompting her to break up with him to avoid holding him back.

The world echoed that sentiment, too. Khan had become too strong for most that existed. Only special environments could survive him. Everything else simply rejected him.

At some point among all that, Khan had given up on pretty much everything. Liiza had rekindled his hope, but she had yet to reverse the subtler change that had happened during that process.

’I’m always so blind,’ Khan cursed, lowering his head to leave a quick kiss on Liiza’s frozen, stiff lips. ’I’m sorry you had to force yourself to be silent while I was in this state.’

Khan lifted his head, staring at the grey horizon past the white landmass. His gaze was lost in thoughts he couldn’t remember having lost, but that felt so evident after Liiza’s revelation.

’I can literally fly,’ Khan thought. ’I used to love it so much.’

Khan then lifted his gaze to the sky, staring at that grey environment without truly focusing on it.

’When did I start to hate it?’ Khan wondered. ’When did I start to despise the mana?’

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