Nitis appeared peaceful from the sky, but Khan and Liiza barely gazed at the surface while Snow flew back to the palace inside the mountain.
The two had informed Zalpa about the contents of the meeting, and she had decided to regroup in their previous safe area. Crossing long distances wasn't an issue now that the Aduns had returned, so she didn't mind leaving the couple alone for a few more days.
Khan and Liiza knew that their role in the crisis was over, but they couldn't disperse the worry that the elder's words had caused. Countless possibilities crossed their minds as they hugged each other silently. They didn't know what Liiza's great-grandmother meant, but they couldn't appease that awful sensation anyway.
'What can even happen?' Khan often found himself asking that question in his mind.
Khan didn't know what could cause problems after everything he had overcome. His friends' lives were safe now, and his relationship was stronger than ever. The humans had also silently acknowledged his importance among the Niqols. In theory, nothing could threaten his current position or source of happiness.
However, Khan continued to feel that something was off, and Liiza's worried face confirmed that he might have failed to consider something. She was as clueless as him, but she also sensed that something could threaten the state they had fought so hard to obtain.
Liiza and Khan didn't voice their worries since they lacked a proper source. They didn't need words to understand what was happening inside their minds. They limited themselves to immerse their minds in the peaceful sensations caused by their partner. A simple hug could make everything disappear, and they did far more than that. Snow's back was a personal world that protected and cherished their love.
Days went by as Khan led Snow toward the solitary mountain containing the safe palace. The flight required many breaks that the couple didn't hesitate to stretch as long as possible. A lingering sadness still filled their minds, but they slowly dispersed it by relying on each other's presence.
Liiza's world had turned upside down, and the same had happened to Khan's mind. Their relationship and the many events in the past months had deeply affected their characters, and the faint peace brought by the elder's decision had forced them to face those changes.
Most changes were positive. Liiza had overcome her status as an outcast and had established herself among the Niqols. Instead, Khan had discovered a lot about himself. He had matured, and his feats on Nitis had turned him into a priceless asset. He felt sure that the Global Army would grant him countless benefits once it learnt about everything that had happened.
Still, both Liiza and Khan had to pay a steep price for those gains. They had to overcome Nitis' dark side and watch many of their friends fall. The blood and corpses that they had to leave behind added a disgusting taste to their happiness. At times, they found themselves wondering whether they deserved those beautiful feelings when so many didn't get the chance to experience them.
Liiza had been Khan's beacon of hope after Istrone, but they switched their roles after the meeting with the elder. He knew the emptiness that death could cause, and his support prevented Liiza from falling prey to her negative thoughts.
The world could be unfair, but that wasn't their fault, and Khan did everything in his power to make Liiza understand that part. They had done their best and lost a lot, but they had managed to return in each other's arms, and failing to cherish that lucky outcome would only insult those who didn't get that chance.
The mountain in the middle of the forest eventually appeared in their view. Snow landed near the waterfall, and the couple approached the secret entrance that opened on its own as soon as it sensed those familiar presences. Khan and Liiza could enter the palace in no time, and they quickly noticed how the atmosphere there reflected what was happening in their minds.
Zalpa's group had been closer to the palace, so they could reach it far earlier than the couple. Also, Khan and Liiza had traveled slowly, making them arrive at their destination a whole week after their companions.
The atmosphere that greeted them in the palace was quite grim. Doku and the others were sitting around a long table filled with food and drinks in the main hall. The smell of booze that filled the area revealed that their party had lasted more than a single day, but Khan and Liiza understood how they felt.
"[You are finally back]!" Azni groaned.
"[You know how they are]," Doku laughed while patting the girl sitting on his lap. "[I feel bad for Khan's Aduns]."
"[You can't blame them for seeking refuge in their emotions]," Ilman announced while trying to stand up, but a wave of dizziness filled his mind and forced him to fall back on his seat.
"[Did you leave something for us]?" Khan asked as a faint chuckle escaped his mouth.
"[You should hurry before George wakes up]," Havaa commented while poking the boy sleeping with his head on the table.
"[I'll have another cup]," George weakly said while trying to raise his head, but his girlfriend promptly pushed him down.
Khan and Liiza couldn't help but smile at that scene. Rejoining their friends felt good. They showed happy faces even when they looked at Paul and Kelly. The two humans were also sitting at the table, and their condition wasn't better than the others.
"How was the meeting?" Paul asked as he rubbed his face to try to disperse the hangover that filled his mind.
"I didn't join it," Khan lied while Liiza led him on an empty chair next to Doku and Azni.
"I get it!" Paul exclaimed. "It takes a woman to make you stick to the rules!"
"Paul, get some sleep," Kelly scolded before standing up and patting the squad leader's shoulder.
Paul showed a displeased expression, but he eventually put his cup aside and stood up. The two humans climbed the staircase together before disappearing into one of the corridors.
Liiza let Khan sit on the chair to take her place on his lap, and Azni quickly handed them a flask with two cups. The couple joined the drinking, but it was clear that the party was already over.
The group exchanged a few jokes, but they mostly remained silent. Ilman shouted chants from time to time, but his drunkenness eventually had the better of him and made him fall asleep on the table. Asyat wasn't in the best condition either, so she decided to return to her room after a while.
George woke up in time to discover that only Ilman and the three couples had remained on the table. His head hurt, but his feelings were worse. Still, Havaa didn't allow him to get another cup.
"[What happens now]?" George voiced an annoyed snort as he threw his head back and placed his feet on the table. "[Do we just pretend that the past months didn't happen]?"
"[I don't know]," Khan sighed, but a warm smile appeared on his face when Liiza took his head in her arms.
"[How are you two]?" Doku asked when he noticed that sweet interaction.
"[We went through the bad part]," Liiza exclaimed while caressing Khan's hair. "[Going back to normal is impossible, but that doesn't feel too sad anymore]."
"[Maybe we should also take a long trip]," Azni suggested in a surprised tone. "[How did you even accept to be happy when so many have died]?"
"[It's easier when you have already gone through something similar]," George commented while he continued to stare at the tall ceiling. "[You make everything bad disappear and focus on the good left in your life]."
"[When did you become so wise]?" Havaa teased.
"[I didn't do anything]," George scoffed. "[I owe everything to Khan, Professor Supyan, and you. I don't know what it would have become of me otherwise]."
Khan couldn't help but smile in front of George's earnest statement. He rejoiced to see that his friend was in a relatively good spot. The general sadness that filled the group was impossible to disperse in that short period, but George was better than many others due to what he had learnt on Nitis.
"[I wonder where Professor Supyan went]," Khan changed the topic. "[I haven't seen him since the events with that giant Lysixi]."
"[I hope he is safe]," George replied. "[Maybe I'll get to thank him one day]."
"[Does this feeling ever leave]?" Doku asked while moving his eyes between the two humans. "[How long does it take to feel better]?"
George straightened his head to glance at Doku, and his eyes soon moved on Khan. The latter was also glancing at him, and the two understood that their friend needed some moral support. The Niqols were resilient when it came to sadness, but the recent events had been too much even for them.
"[It doesn't leave]," Khan revealed.
"[But it does get better with time, especially if you have something good in your life]," George continued.
Doku heaved a helpless sigh, and Azni laid her head on his shoulder while wearing a similar expression. They both remained silent for a few seconds before Doku cracked a joke. "[I guess I need to get drunk with you all often]."
"[That's the fate of every good soldier]!" George exclaimed as he tried to reach the cup in front of him, but Havaa promptly slapped his hand.
The others laughed at that scene, but they all felt that the party was over. It didn't take much before they silently decided to stand up and return to their rooms.
The situation improved during the following days. A sad atmosphere continued to envelop the group, but they slowly dealt with it. The parties and their Aduns helped a lot, especially now that all the survivors had reunited. They even flew together from time to time, even if they remained in the areas around the mountain.
The group finally experienced a taste of the peace obtained after fighting for entire months. At first, it felt strange to be without worries, but they slowly accepted that new state. All of them started to laugh more often, and no one bothered to train.
Khan and Liiza almost forgot about the elder's words as they accepted their return to a normal life. The process was slow, but each day looked brighter than the previous. They could spend time among friends and loved ones without having the fate of the planet on their shoulders. They could finally be carefree kids again, and life couldn't get better than that.
Nevertheless, the world wasn't over with them. The group had noticed that the number of monsters in the surrounding areas had fallen during that peaceful period. Khan and the others had never seen battles, but they could confirm that someone was hunting those dangerous creatures.
The hunts decided by the elders had clearly started, and they were obviously going well. Khan and the others almost couldn't believe how quickly the monsters disappeared from the regions around the mountain, and that process seemed to affect even areas farther away. The students and recruits weren't the only ones going back to normal. Nitis was also retrieving its peace.
The process inevitably reminded Khan and Liiza about the elder's words. They didn't know when the meeting among those powerful figures would happen, but that event grew closer as the monsters continued to disappear. The couple would soon learn about Nitis' future, and that knowledge brought the previous unsettling worry back.
Azni and the other noticed how Khan and Liiza grew distracted, but they never questioned them about the issue. Everyone was reacting to Nitis' peace differently, and the couple's situation was unique, so it didn't feel right to probe the two when they didn't say anything about their problems.
The worries culminated during a seemingly ordinary afternoon. Khan's group, Kelly, and Paul were enjoying their lunch when Zalpa appeared in the main hall. The old Niqols had never left the palace's basement in that period, so her arrival attracted everyone's attention.
Zalpa wore an aloof expression, but her eyes fell on Liiza and Khan before she took a deep breath and explained the reason behind her presence in the hall. "[The elders have come to the conclusion that the Niqols as a whole need to retrieve their harmony before opening themselves to foreign cultures. They want all the humans to leave the planet. They didn't specify for how long]."
