Naoo and the others couldn't utter a single word, but seeing Khan diving into the lake brought them back to reality. The team had to make a decision, and pride tried to get in the way.
The Thilku shared Khan's problems and could add another one on top of them. They couldn't let Khan go alone, and it wasn't only a matter of his crucial role in the new strategy. Khan also wasn't allowed to see certain areas of Cegnore.
Nevertheless, the seconds spent thinking about the issue ended up deciding for the Thilku. Cracks began to open everywhere, eventually reaching the ceiling. Boulders started to fall, turning the lake into a deadly trap.
Of course, the rain of rocks wasn't too intense. Yet, the underground chamber had never stopped shaking, so things were bound to worsen. The Thilku were a step too late, so orders to retreat into the tunnel resounded.
Meanwhile, Khan was underwater. His eyes were open, and light reached them even among that complete darkness. He could spot the mutated Thilku's drowning corpses leaking mana into the lake, but his attention was on the quick figure getting farther and farther away.
Khan was no great swimmer. His feet had gotten used to all kinds of surfaces, including mere air, but being underwater still restricted his movements, hindering his martial arts.
Still, Khan had gotten used to most environments, and his body was strong enough to perform movements that could produce the intended effects. His legs bent and straightened, and his feet adhered to a layer of water before generating a massive acceleration.
The water was harder to endure than the air. Khan had to close his eyes while straightening his body as much as possible to limit the number of exposed surfaces.
The effort didn't really succeed. Khan couldn't match the blue alien's swimming speed or efficiency. The difference between their bodies wasn't something techniques or spells could solve.
The pilot's technique also struggled to remain intact underwater. The pressure was too great, so the barrier around Khan's head threatened to pop and release that breathable air.
The breaking point approached quickly, so Khan switched tactics, releasing the shaking barrier meant for the cold of open space. He covered his body in the technique, bringing warmth and protection to his skin, reinforcing the bubble around his head in the process.
The shaking barrier slowed Khan down, but that was better than losing his air reserve. Yet, once his momentum vanished, he had to disperse the technique to accelerate again. He wouldn't have any available surface otherwise.
The process wasted more time, and the blue alien never slowed down in the meantime. Khan sensed it reaching the bottom of the lake and entering some underwater passage, making its mana signature harder to follow.
Khan knew he was losing the alien. He wasn't only slower than it. The breaks were also widening the distance between the two. He had to change his approach to keep up with it, leaving him with a single option.
The shaking barrier vanished once again while Khan released flares of mana in every direction. His energy pushed the water away but created surfaces he was more used to exploit. He forcefully transformed the environment, using an approach Jenna had mentioned many months ago.
The new sprint showed Khan's top speed, allowing him to catch up a bit with the alien. However, water eventually surrounded him again, forcing him to rely on the shaking barrier to protect his exposed skin.
The arrival of the barrier slowed Khan down, but that wasn't an issue anymore. He had found the right approach and didn't hesitate to replicate it. Only a second had to pass before he released flares of mana, clearing his surroundings to rely on the previous sprint.
Of course, that wild release of mana didn't improve the underground chamber's stability. Everything started crumbling faster than before, but Khan only cared about keeping up with the blue alien, which he did.
Swimming blindly didn't hinder Khan. The blue alien had left tracks of its passage in the water, and its presence was still within the range of Khan's senses. He could dive directly into the underwater tunnel at the lake's bottom, and his flares continued to come out to allow him to accelerate.
The underwater passage was narrow and full of spiky rocks. The flares of mana also destabilized it, making part of it crumble. Yet, Khan didn't care about anything and opted to sacrifice the entirety of the area to retain the speed necessary to get his answers.
Boulders fell left and right. The tunnel behind Khan crumbled on itself as violent mana crashed on its rocks. The air inside his bubble also diminished quickly, but no doubts reached his mind. His entire being focused on a single task without worrying about potential consequences.
A couple of minutes went by, in which the sharp rocks scraped Khan all over. At times, he bumped into them on purpose to avoid wasting time. He was sacrificing his body willingly, and no pain could stop him.
The bubble eventually became superfluous since Khan depleted the air inside it. His lungs also ran out of it as more seconds passed, but hope appeared. The tunnel enlarged, and a vaster area showed its presence in Khan's senses.
The blue alien dived directly for the vaster area, crossing its water before jumping out. Khan released his mana to imitate it, and his eyes finally opened when air surrounded him again.
Khan took a deep breath as all his senses scanned the area, imprinting it in his mind. He was in another underground chamber with a big lake occupying its center, but light illuminated its rocky surfaces.
Simple plants with bluish stems and bright, spherical tops grew near the lake's shores, stretching toward the rocks in their surroundings and climbing the walls nearby. They were nothing more than extremely long flowers, but their presence added a calming atmosphere to the area.
"[They are beautiful, aren't they]?" The blue alien announced, walking on the shore to approach a nearby flower. "[I've been told they didn't always have this color]."
The scenery couldn't distract Khan anymore. He sprinted, gracefully landing behind the blue alien before unleashing his presence. The air quickly fell under his control, but his pressure was too much for a few flowers, which shattered and turned dark.
"[Oh]," The blue alien sighed, looking at the destroyed flowers. "[You must be dying for answers]."
"[Tell me what you know]," Khan said, lifting his knife to point it at the alien's back. "[Don't even try to lie or fight back]."
"[I've seen how good your eyes are]," The blue alien exclaimed, turning toward Khan before brushing his hair. "[Does this have a special meaning to you]?"
Reason abandoned Khan's mind. He shot forward, swinging his knife toward the alien's throat. He had never been faster. That was his best execution yet, but the alien only smiled at that incoming attack.
That lack of meaningful reactions didn't come from the alien's unawareness. It knew full well what was coming for it but remained still anyway. It looked helpless in that situation, and Khan stopped his knife before it could pierce its throat.
Wild urges filled Khan, but his curiosity was stronger. He kept his knife on the alien's throat, pushing it enough to leave a shallow cut. A drop of intense blue blood ran down the injury, but the alien's smile never faded.
"[You must have understood it]," The blue alien's gentle voice reached Khan's ears. "[My species isn't the best when it comes to fighting, especially without water]."
"[Drop your tricks]," Khan threatened, his voice spreading chilling coldness. "[Tell me what you know]."
"[It's surprising]," The blue alien stated. "[A host should know enough. Don't you feel the Nak inside you]?"
"[I do]," Khan scoffed, applying a bit of strength on the knife. "[How do I get them out]?"
"[Why would you get them out]?" The blue alien wondered. "[They blessed you with an important task, the most important of them all]."
"[They almost killed entire species]," Khan replied. "[That's not a blessing]."
"[Almost]," The blue alien pointed out. "[It was necessary for the greater good of the universe]."
"[What]?" Khan almost shouted.
"[The Nak have reached the limits of their species]," The blue alien explained. "[They needed to find better ones to preserve mana]."
Khan didn't know what to answer. The blue alien was talking about the entire universe, but Khan's thoughts couldn't go that far. He knew far more than he did in the Slums but remained a desperate kid at his core. He just wanted the nightmares to go away.
"[You truly don't get it]," The blue alien exclaimed, almost surprised to see Khan's confusion. "[My species has a deep connection with water. We have always known how small we are. You are no different]."
"[What]?" Khan snorted, his anger returning. "[Am I just a tool for some sort of greater purpose]?"
"[You are]," The blue alien responded. "[You will be if you are worthy of seizing the Nak's legacy]."
"[Mana itself]?" Khan sneered. "[What does that even mean]?"
"[Its will]," The blue alien explained, "[Its strength, and the very order of things, but you know that already, don't you]?"
"[What do I know]?" Khan asked.
"[How important your task is]," The blue alien declared. "[You must feel their resolve. I can see it in your eyes]."
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