The meeting had been an emotional rollercoaster for Khan. He had gone from utter sadness about the number of casualties suffered in the valley, cold anger toward Lieutenant Kintea for his insults, and pure bliss at the sight of the night. Yet, Liiza managed to add confusion to those feelings.
The meeting didn't give Khan the time to accept how many of his companions had died. He didn't need to control the discussion either since Lieutenant Kintea had no power over Zalpa. He had called Snow as soon as the night descended, so he could immediately understand what Liiza's gesture meant.
The elders were a topic that the Niqols mostly kept for themselves. They were one of the classified information that the humans weren't allowed to learn, and Khan had never probed too much. His species couldn't go past the tribes since Yeza handled that relationship, so his knowledge had always remained relatively vague.
The Niqols divided their society into tribes, but their oldest members could become elders whose power came into play when it came to worldwide matters. Khan felt sure that they had something to do with the current division of the various armies on Nitis, so it made sense for those political figures to decide what role his group had to play.
However, Liiza had hinted that Khan would accompany her, and Zalpa's reaction explained how deeply she hated that idea. Liiza was right when she claimed that her tribe made her perfect for that role, but bringing a human along was forbidden, even after a global crisis.
"[I won't show him anything]," Liiza explained while snuggling closer to Khan. "[I just want him to be with me during the travel]."
Khan wrapped an arm around Liiza's shoulders, and she didn't hesitate to get closer to make their foreheads touch. They could feel their desire to face their losses in the Niqols' way, but Lieutenant Kintea didn't let that conversation proceed smoothly.
"Why should Khan go to the elders?" Lieutenant Kintea questioned. "He has no political relevance. I should be the one to attend the meeting."
"There won't be any meeting," Zalpa scoffed. "This isn't a political occurrence. Khan will accompany Liiza in a classified location and wait for her to be done."
"Why can't one of us go with her anyway?" Lieutenant Kintea continued. "All of us have Aduns, and it would be safer to travel with an adult."
"I don't trust any of you," Zalpa shortly explained before turning to approach a cauldron nearby.
Lieutenant Kintea wanted to speak again, but the woman next to him placed a hand on his arm to interrupt him. The soldier shook her head, and the Lieutenant finally gave up on the matter. The latter only shot a meaningful glance at Khan and nodded a few times before returning to his tent.
The woman and the other soldier also left the area. Soon, only the Niqols, Khan, George, Paul, and Kelly remained in that part of the camp. Many of them kept their gazes on the ground, while others couldn't stop inspecting their companions and thinking about many missing faces.
Life was frail. Khan didn't know how else to describe that scene. Veronica's kindness, Helen's growth, Zaliha's pride, and all the features that he had to learn about those who didn't make it out of the valley had disappeared in a short day. So much only lived inside his memories now.
Khan wouldn't forget his past months. Lieutenant Dyester would be disappointed if he hid away all his painful memories. Khan wasn't even sure his new emotional spectrum could allow him to disregard everything experienced on Nitis. After all, he could value his happiness so much because he knew sorrow and pain.
The silence that had fallen among the group only reminded them of those lost during the battle, but no one was in the mood to speak. Sad smiles and hugs happened whenever eyes met. Kelly didn't hold back from nodding at Khan either. Her past complaints about his behavior felt pointless after everything they had experienced during the crisis.
"[I believe everyone wants to drink]," Zalpa announced, breaking the silence and attracting everyone's attention.
Zalpa turned to carry four cups filled with strong booze to the group. She then returned to the cauldron, repeating the process until everyone in the empty spot had a drink. She obviously prioritized the Niqols, but Khan felt happy enough to be the first among the humans to get his part.
"[Today might be hard]," Zalpa exclaimed after sitting among the group, "[Tomorrow might be even worse, but the future will be bright with you as the new older generation. Your stronger foundation will bring the Niqols to new heights]."
"[Zaza, this isn't the right time]," Liiza complained, but a sniff suddenly resounded among the group and made everyone turn toward the source of that noise.
Tears fell from Ilman's eyes as he nodded repeatedly. He gulped his cup before raising it to the sky and shouting. "[For Nitis]!"
Azni shook her head as a helpless sigh escaped her mouth. Doku patted her head before gulping his cup and raising it to the sky. He didn't shout, but he still spoke loud enough to make everyone in the group hear his voice. "[For those who aren't here]."
"[Both humans and Niqols]," George added before emptying his cup and rising it to the sky.
Some also drank their whole cups before raising them to the sky. Khan and Liiza avoided emptying them, but they still joined that toast. The event lasted only a few seconds, and everyone soon went back to normal celebrations.
The couples didn't leave the party quickly. They had learnt how quickly the crisis could kill them, so they wanted to remain among their friends as long as possible. They would have time to share intimate moments with their loved ones, but not that day.
Everyone pretended to have forgotten about Liiza's idea, and Khan played along. He didn't ask anything and focused on dealing with the feelings caused by the aftermath of the battle. He knew that Liiza would explain everything once they remained alone anyway.
The group tried their best to be loud, but everything felt too silent, even if Ilman shouted whenever someone talked to him. Khan and the others had grown used to entire crowds of Niqols celebrating around them, and that small gathering couldn't match them.
Awkward and sad silences still fell among the group, but Zalpa always said something to put an end to those moments. She even tried her best to be less grumpy than usual, and Liiza shot warm smiles toward her whenever she caught her suppressing mean comments.
The atmosphere lightened before growing heavier again in a cycle that repeated itself for many hours. The booze seemed endless when Zalpa took care of refilling the cups, and the group's thirst wasn't too different. Everyone drank a lot. Even Khan ended up feeling dizzy by the end of the event.
Most of the Niqols and humans there had been awake for mere hours, but no one complained when their friends got too drunk to remain outside of their tents. The group soon dispersed, and Khan and Liiza also left.
"[What do you have to do with the elders]?" Khan asked before helping Liiza lie on the ground and throwing himself next to her.
"[Just see them as very old Niqols]," Liiza explained as she removed her dirty clothes and threw them toward the corner of the tent.
"[I hope they don't make us fight again]," Khan whispered while Liiza opened his robe and lay on his bare chest.
The two had yet to wear clean clothes. Zalpa had been alone in the camp, so she didn't prepare clean robes for the group. Still, the survivors barely cared about their smell or appearance. The party actually worsened those two features.
"[Are they strong]?" Khan asked as he moved his hands on Liiza's bare back and enjoyed how the booze in his system enhanced the sensations caused by her cold body.
"[The Niqols get stronger with time]," Liiza groaned. "[Of course they are strong]."
"[Why didn't they fight with us]?" Khan continued.
"[You know how important it is for us to prepare the new generations]," Liiza reminded. "[They would have intervened only if we truly risked losing Nitis]."
"[I hate them already]," Khan admitted.
"[Me too]," Liiza revealed. "[I guess we can be as dumb as the humans]."
"[You are lucky you are cute]," Khan teased, and Liiza immediately voiced a sweet chuckled.
The two soon kissed before sticking to the Niqols' traditions. They were still physically and mentally sore, but they didn't dare to waste their time together. They didn't know when their death would arrive, but they were in each other's arms right now. The world felt perfect when they abandoned themselves to their passion.
An entire day had to pass before loud screeches resounded in the sky and alerted the camp about the arrival of the Aduns. Khan only half-donned his dirty robe before hurrying outside his tent to welcome his eagle. Liiza began to follow him, but she eventually decided to remain at the habitation's doorsteps.
A series of flying figures pierced the barrier before diving toward the tents. Khan soon saw a white feathered creature landing on him and voicing even louder screeches. Similar scenes happened in the camp as humans and Niqols rejoined their Aduns and did their best to show them their affection. Even Lieutenant Kintea couldn't help but feel happy about that reunion.
Snow pecked Khan's head with its beak softly. The two could feel each other's happiness through the mental connection, and that emotion only grew stronger as they went back to their old habits. Khan ruffled Snow's feathers while the latter directly sat on him to play with his hair.
Zalpa eventually put an end to that playful reunion. Liiza approached Khan and Snow when she saw that the old Niqols was walking toward them. He didn't miss her arrival, and Snow let him go when it sensed his feelings.
"[I have already prepared potions that will hide your presence]," Zalpa announced as Khan stood up. "[Nothing has tried to get to the Aduns, so the area should be safe for now. I think you should depart right away]."
Khan and Liiza nodded, but Zalpa shook her head when she saw that they were still wearing the robes from the battle. She ordered them to remain there before picking up potions, a backpack with provisions, and new clothes from one of the larger tents and bringing them to the couple.
Khan and Liiza changed inside their tent, and Snow tried to follow them. The Aduns was too big for that small entrance, but that didn't stop it from sneaking its head inside it. The Aduns wasn't ready to separate from Khan so soon. It wouldn't let him leave its gaze until they had a long flight together.
"[Remember our orders]," Zalpa reminded after the couple exited the tent.
"[He won't even get near the elders]," Liiza promised.
The blush on Liiza's face made Zalpa glare at Khan, who pretended not to understand the nature of that gesture. He limited himself to make Snow lower its head so that the old Niqols could apply the potion on its feathers.
Zalpa moved to the couple after dealing with the Aduns. She applied the same type of potions used during the army's journey to that location. Her methods would make Liiza and Khan almost invisible to eventual monsters, but she still worried about them.
"[Come back here after you are done]," Zalpa ordered. "[We will remain here in case the elders decide to send us hunting]."
Khan and Liiza didn't like that possibility, but they still jumped on Snow to begin their travel. Khan could confirm that Liiza's left arm had almost regained its former strength when she grabbed his waist to cling onto him. He remained worried about her endurance, but the Aduns sensed those feelings and decided not to go too crazy.
Azni and the others gathered around Snow to wave their hands at their companions, and the Aduns soon set off. Khan could finally experience the beauty of flying again, but Liiza quickly tightened her embrace since the event was forcing her to recall Zama.
"[Our first flight together was like this]," Khan shouted to make sure that his words could pierce the strong winds caused by Snow's speed.
Liiza hid her face in his hair, but he sensed that a faint smile appeared on her face since her mouth was on his neck. It felt almost unreal how much things had changed in a bit more than six months.
Liiza could still recall when she took Khan to the mountain chain for the first time. They had been nothing more than strangers attracted to each other due to their mana back then, but she had allowed him to cling to her waist nonetheless.
The situation had turned upside-down afterward. Khan and Liiza had developed an intense and passionate love that had led them to that familiar but opposite position. Liiza clung to Khan and held him tightly, separating from him only to adjust Snow's direction. She didn't need to check any map to know where the elders lived.
