Khan didn't expect the trip to last too long, but the reality turned out to be different.
The night arrived, but no monster showed its presence, allowing Khan to continue his trip peacefully. The warm current eventually brought him to a cave that led to another lake, starting a new underwater journey.
The underwater environment was hard to cross for Khan. He could rely on his sprints, but the tunnels' patterns were odd and went in different directions, bringing him to all sorts of empty underground chambers.
The water was showing Khan the entirety of its underground array. A more straightforward path probably existed, but the warm current wasn't showing it, and he didn't have other tracks to follow.
At times, Khan returned to the surface and picked up the pace, but those moments were random and short. Most of the trip happened underwater, which didn't allow him to cover much ground.
Being underwater also made Khan lose track of his position. He had sort of understood where he was after resurfacing for the first time. However, that confidence disappeared in the following parts of the trip.
Before Khan noticed it, another night arrived. He had spent longer than a day swimming and flying across that uncharted territory, and that time meant more in Cegnore. He didn't meet the requirements to be considered MIA yet, but that only applied to the Global Army. The Empire had different rules.
Of course, the issue didn't cross Khan's mind. He was more worried about the trip since his stomach had begun complaining about the absence of food. He could easily press on, but the journey remained uncomfortable.
Moreover, doubts about the Nak, Bret, and that seemingly universal task afflicted Khan's mind. He couldn't make a decision about the matter. He also knew that thinking about it before seeing the actual native elder was pointless, but his brain didn't listen to him.
Luckily for Khan, a change in the environment arrived before that prolonged brainstorming could get the best of his sanity. He was on the surface when the warm current dived into a hole in the ground that conveyed more than mere emptiness.
The hole wasn't big, and the cave stretching from it made many sharp turns before escaping the range of Khan's senses. Its vertical entrance wasn't an issue since Khan could fly, but the colors that reeked out halted his steps.
Those traces were unclear and faint since they came from deep into the cave, but slight differences existed among them, allowing Khan to identify different influences. Multiple beings had touched the symphony underground, and one felt quite strong.
Khan instinctively inspected his surroundings and himself. Cegnore's night couldn't hide anything from his eyes, but he still didn't find anything interesting. He was in a random barren plain near a short mountain. The simple environment didn't look like a secret hideout, but the symphony told a different story.
The warm current began to lose intensity during the inspection, pressuring Khan to advance, but he didn't fall prey to anxiety. He drew his knife and closed his eyes to quell his crying stomach before jumping inside the hole.
Khan had gotten used to being wet during the long trip, but the cave's dry environment remained a pleasant surprise. He flew slowly among the narrow paths, and sharp rocks soon replaced the brittle ground.
The path wasn't straightforward, but Khan was definitely going down. Each turn brought him deeper underground, into darker areas of the cave, but bright light arrived when the traces sensed on the surface grew clearer.
The current tunnel was forcing Khan to half-bend forward due to its low ceiling. It was also long, but intense blue light filled its small exit and the rocks past it.
The light made Khan unable to peek past the exit, and his other senses also faced problems. He could get a better idea of the auras inside the next chamber, but that blue glow interfered with his perception. He couldn't feel any details from his position, leading to partial estimates.
'Eleven, no,' Khan thought, 'Twelve aliens, with two strange ones.'
The lack of details didn't prevent Khan from identifying the aura's nature. Eleven were harmonious, soft, and kind, which he connected to Cegnore's natives. Instead, the last one was intense, rough, and stern, clearly belonging to a mutated Thilku.
Still, the power level was hard to discern with that interference, which made the blue light the most interesting aspect of the area. Khan obviously knew what that color meant, but it was hard to understand its source from his position.
Silent seconds passed in which Khan remained stuck at the beginning of the tunnel. His curiosity was screaming, but nothing was easy when the Nak were involved. He had to be careful and prepare accordingly, but the situation wasn't giving him much to work with.
Khan held back a snort as he decided to half-crawl forward. Peeking into the new chamber was the only way to learn more about that environment, so he did exactly that.
The interference grew clearer as Khan approached the tunnel's exit, and the light became bearable when he peeked past it. His eyes adapted quickly, and a mesmerizing scene unfolded in his vision.
The underground area was small but not cramped. A lake with a distinct blue color occupied most of it, leaving only vague shores at its edges. The same long flowers grew from them, almost covering the entirety of the rocky walls all around the water.
Ten blue aliens sat cross-legged on the shores, partially immersing their legs in the water. They were completely naked, and their auras were peaceful. They seemed to be meditating, but that state didn't hide their third-level warrior status.
Of course, Khan didn't mind opponents at his level, especially from that species. Still, the two remaining auras were scary, with one able to make his mana go silent.
One of the auras belonged to a blue alien standing on the opposite side of the tunnel. It was only a third-level warrior, but only its feet touched the water. The rest of its body was on the wall, with those strange flowers entangled around its limbs, torso, and head.
A second inspection revealed that the flowers didn't simply bind the alien. Some pierced its bluish skin before coming out from a different spot. They looked fused with the alien, like multiple entities living in harmony and sharing a single will.
That mysterious scene wasn't the worst in Khan's battle-ready mind. The last figure belonged to a mutated Thilku, which captivated his attention. The alien wasn't only a fourth-level warrior. Its physical features also gave birth to scary thoughts.
The Thilku had clearly gone through mutations. Its blue hair and eyes confirmed that. However, Khan couldn't inspect its shoulder since the Empire's uniform was still on. It actually looked spotless from Khan's position.
Moreover, the Thilku was slightly shorter than its fellow infected companions. It barely reached three meters, which was a scary detail to those knowledgeable about the topic. That lack of significant changes meant that its mutations had been seamless.
'Is that the commander?' Khan wondered, using the intact Thilku uniform as the main clue. 'Is it protecting the other alien?'
The mutated Thilku was standing next to the alien entangled in flowers. Its gaze was fixed ahead, and its stance was stern. It looked ready to jump into a fight, hinting at its guarding purpose.
'Ten third-level warriors with water nearby,' Khan summarized, 'An elder of the natives and a fourth-level warrior. What am I waiting for?'
That mocking comment didn't ignore the chamber's actual danger, but Khan jumped forward anyway. He left the tunnel and descended toward the shore right below him, but his feet never touched the water. He decided to float above the surface after everything he had witnessed.
The warm current led directly into the lake and the silent seconds that passed partially dispersed its power. Khan could still see its traces, but it was clear he had reached his destination.
Khan wanted to inspect the lake now that the distortion was gone, but the flowers around the elder suddenly brightened, releasing a buzzing noise that turned into words when it reached Khan's mind.
"[Are you the heir looking for enlightenment]?" The elder asked in an odd version of the Nak's language.
Khan glared at the elder but didn't answer. The way she spoke was odd, but mana allowed miracles, so he could quickly accept it. Instead, the lake remained more interesting, and his free hand instinctively went for his nape.
The lake shone on its own, releasing a light bearable once inside the chamber. That detail was strange, but Khan still tried to focus on its depths. His eyes couldn't pierce that blue, but his senses had learned enough.
The water reeked of Nak. Its distortion intensified the call released by Khan's core, almost pulling him toward the lake. He was certain the answers he sought were down there, but the same went for danger.
"[Do I need to repeat myself]?" The elder asked, using the same technique as before.
"[Depends]," Khan finally replied, using the Thilku language. "[What is this lake going to do to me]?"
"[It will open your mind to the Nak's task]," The elder explained. "[It will remove the barriers preventing you from joining their mission]."
Khan continued staring at the lake. He felt its call. He understood how deeply he wanted to immerse himself in that water. His desperation craved answers, but a different feeling existed.
Khan had thought about the issue. He feared losing himself, but a stronger emotion overwhelmed that worry. His mana was angry, livid that such a thing could have so much influence over him. He hated that his desperation could control him and destroy his current happiness.
An idea popped into Khan's mind while those feelings invaded him. His mana began to release a specific scent, creating a reaction in the chamber. A huge figure moved, splashing the water under Khan to appear before him.
"[Aren't you a sharp one]?" Khan sneered, looking at the fourth-level warrior. The Thilku had sensed his hostility toward the lake and had moved to stop it.
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