The news shocked Khan and Jenna, but it seemed that the rest of the Nele knew about that. Still, many of them didn't appear too convinced, and Khan couldn't blame them.
Khan didn't know how important Maban was, but his level surely put him in some relevant position, especially in the dock. He probably shouldn't waste time teaching a human, but the decision sounded final.
"[Thank you]!" Khan promptly exclaimed, even if his confusion remained intense. "[Sir]?"
Maban snorted to express his hate toward the "[sir]", and Khan wore a sorry smile. He wanted to remain polite, but the Nele had basically accepted him. Holding back would only put barriers between him and that species.
"[Take another day to rest]," Maban ordered as he left the interactive desk and approached one of the screens in the back of the room. "[We'll start tomorrow]."
"[Retrieve your stuff]," Piran continued. "[Someone will lead you to your place once you get back]."
Khan simply nodded and hurried outside the building with Jenna. She was on the verge of exploding, and even the synthetic mana around her began to show those emotions. It was evident that she felt ecstatic about the recent development.
"[It was about time]!" Jenna almost shouted as soon as the door behind her closed. Her voice startled the Nele nearby, but she didn't care and even jumped on Khan.
Khan shared Jenna's happiness. He caught and lifted her between his arms as she snuggled deep into his neck. The sound of kisses spread through the street, but Khan only laughed at that event.
"[Jenna, we got a room]," Khan happily complained. "[Hold back a little longer]."
Jenna left Khan's neck to show an engrossed expression. Her face descended on Khan in an attempt to reach his lips, but he promptly lifted a hand to cover her mouth.
"[I'll buy you a muzzle]," Khan scolded, and Jenna voiced a disappointed groan that the hand on her mouth suppressed.
Still, Jenna soon wore a pensive expression, and Khan could feel a faint smile broadening on his palm. Something made Khan aware of what Jenna was thinking, and another scolding inevitably left his mouth.
"[You are the most twisted Nele in the universe]," Khan sighed.
A giggle resounded behind the palm as Jenna returned to Khan's neck. He let go of her mouth, and she voiced a serious but warm statement. "[I'm so happy for you]."
"[I know]," Khan replied as he lifted Jenna's legs to make her easier to carry. "[I'll drop you once we are about to leave the district]."
"[You are the best]," Jenna exclaimed and relaxed completely to enjoy that spoiling.
The curious gazes that followed the couple couldn't distract Khan from his thoughts. He didn't lie to Jenna about his feelings. He was genuinely grateful and happy about that outcome, but there was also something else.
‘My advantages come from my traumas,' Khan recalled an old thought, ‘And my happiness comes from the blood on my hands.'
Even after becoming a second-level warrior and traveling far away from Earth, that system didn't change. Khan didn't prove himself to the Nele by normal methods. He had to kill to get where he was.
"[What is it]?" Jenna whispered in Khan's ear when she noticed the change in his mood.
"[I once wondered if I could escape the cycle of tragedies and killing]," Khan revealed. "[I don't know if that's what I want now]."
"[You are exceptional in so many things]," Jenna declared. "[Giving yourself time isn't one of them]."
"[I can't be too perfect]," Khan joked.
"[You are far from perfect]," Jenna laughed. "[Your desire to save others from your same suffering is a toxic compulsion, and you can't accept peace]."
"[Don't you justify anything if done in the name of love]?" Khan asked.
"[Flaws remain flaws]," Jenna pointed out. "[Our devotion toward love doesn't make us blind. Well, sort of]."
"[What's the solution then]?" Khan wondered.
"[The solution is that there is no solution]," Jenna explained. "[You simply find flaws that match yours, even if they lead you to the goriest parts of the universe]."
"[You sure can sound wise]," Khan admitted. "[I wonder what the other Nele would say if they knew your twisted thoughts]."
"[I just accept myself and everything you are making me discover]," Jenna stated. "[Also, it won't take long before I do something crazy in the open]."
"[I'm really having a bad influence on you]," Khan sighed.
"[Not bad]," Jenna corrected. "[I'm only discovering my own toxic sides, but this makes it so worth it]."
Jenna rubbed her face on Khan's neck and closed her eyes to bathe in his warmth. She felt really happy and at peace, and Khan experienced some of those emotions when he looked at her.
However, the truth about that relationship was impossible to deny. No matter how compatible Jenna and Khan were. They had to stick to friends.
‘Did I make a mistake with Liiza?' Khan wondered as Jenna's words resounded in his mind. ‘Could I have done something differently?'
"[Stop blaming yourself]," Jenna complained without opening her eyes. "[It ruins your scent]."
"[You are impossible]," Khan chuckled.
"[And you did your best]," Jenna added. "[I couldn't be sure when I met you, but now I know. It's not your fault]."
Khan felt a bit saved, and he didn't hesitate to express his gratitude to Jenna. She obviously enjoyed the process, but the end of the district eventually arrived and forced her to jump off of him.
The mood instantly changed. Jenna wasn't wearing her spray, so she donned her cold expression and lit up the purple clip in her hair. Meanwhile, Khan inspected the streets around the district, and he felt no surprise seeing a bunch of random groups paying attention to his location.
Most of those groups were made of Orlats, but Khan also saw a few humans and Fuveall. The dock had taken notice of the hunting season and had reacted accordingly. There was a high chance that the audience would have to warn their factions whenever they saw Nele coming out of the district.
Khan's appearance triggered unique reactions too. He became the center of the attention, and some among the audience even faintly tugged their distracted companions to notify them about the event.
That reaction was understandable, especially among the Orlats. Many of them must have seen the record from the club, but Khan couldn't do much about it. He actually ignored the audience as he took Jenna's hand and led her across the streets.
The walk was silent and allowed Khan to focus on the mana. His sensitivity was almost at its peak, so the symphony unfolded itself for Khan. Yet, his attention went deep inside him in an attempt to replicate what had happened with the third-level warrior.
Khan didn't forget the word "flow" heard when the blue flames were flying in his direction. He didn't know how conscious that reaction had been, but his doubts involved even deeper aspects of the event.
‘Did I think that?' Khan wondered. ‘Did my mana speak?'
A regular human wouldn't even consider the second option. The sole idea that the mana could speak was crazy, but Khan didn't base his knowledge on the Global Army's teachings. Actually, most of his focus had been on alternative paths in the last years.
Khan's mind couldn't provide an answer or replicate the mental state reached during that challenging situation. He couldn't explain that phenomenon, but he knew that his understanding was growing deeper, and it was bound to deepen even more with Maban.
The walk toward the hotel was uneventful. Many took notice of Khan and Jenna, and he even felt that similar presences remained in his surroundings, but no one dared to approach them.
After reaching the hotel, Jenna executed the same gesture Nessa and the others performed. She let the purple light illuminate the building's insides before proceeding to step inside. The scenery wasn't much different from the first visit, and even the old man behind the desk was still busy watching porn.
"[You are back]," The old man announced in a disappointed tone after pressing something under his desk.
"[I hope you didn't sell our stuff]," Khan calmly threatened.
"[Not at all]," The old man laughed, "[But I do need you to pay for the past days. It's the house's rule]."
The old man had closed his porn and had even stood up to welcome the couple. Traces of nervousness filled his face, but Khan wasn't to blame for them. Jenna got most of the tense stares, and the same went for the few aliens at the tables.
It was unclear how many were aware of Khan's performance, but almost everyone knew that the Nele had launched brazen attacks without bothering to limit themselves to the guilty. Tension built up as the old man and the other aliens wondered how Jenna would react to the request, but Khan promptly took the lead in that conversation.
"[We must check that our bags have everything first]," Khan exclaimed.
The old man didn't appear inclined to satisfy that request, but he still followed through. He bent behind the desk, and sounds stopped coming from the other side of the barrier until he reappeared with two familiar bags.
The old man sent one bag past the barrier and waited for Khan to check its contents before opening a drawer to get the item back. He gave the second only after retrieving the first, and Khan confirmed that everything was in its place.
The sum to pay wasn't low, but it didn't affect Khan's finances. He retrieved the bags and left the place with Jenna right away to return to the district.
The auras that Khan had sensed before returned in his sensitivity's range. He couldn't identify any of them, but he could guess that someone was following him, which made sense considering everything that had happened.
The couple found Nessa waiting for them before the entrance of the Nele's district. She retained her stern façade in that exposed area, but her expression became quite curious once the three walked deeper into the purple halo.
The dock's stance toward the Nele wasn't the only thing that had changed while Khan recovered. Even the Nele themselves had started to see Khan differently, which became clearer after Maban's announcement.
Nessa didn't immediately give in to her curiosity. She wasn't as bold as Jenna, and some hesitation still filled her mind. Yet, as the walk continued, her glances toward the couple happened more often until they became so evident that Jenna couldn't hold back from laughing.
"[She will tease you to no end if you don't speak up]," Khan announced.
"[I have nothing to say]!" Nessa exclaimed.
"[How do you know he was talking about you]?" Jenna teased.
Nessa snorted and accelerated before slowing down when she reached a hidden area of the district. The streets there only had staircases that led to the lower floor, and she quickly approached one of them.
After witnessing that area, Khan felt to have seen the entirety of the district. He didn't walk on every street, and he didn't check all the buildings, but he had gained an idea of the general layout and overall width.
The staircase led to a big structure that stretched under multiple streets. The place had many passages connected to its upper part, but its dark-grey walls didn't reveal anything. Khan could only see trapdoors connected to each channel.
The trapdoor connected to the staircase opened as soon as Nessa tapped it. Khan and Jenna could jump on the big structure and watch its insides through that opening, but they could only see the dock's iconic light from their position.
A whiff of natural mana eventually flowed out of the open trapdoor, but Nessa didn't waste time. She jumped into the passage to reach the ladder attached to it and arrive at the bottom of the area.
Khan and Jenna followed Nessa, and they soon found themselves inside a relatively small room that featured a single mattress in a corner and a transparent case in another. A purple substance filled the container, and a green root swam in it.
The root was the source of the faint natural mana mixed with the synthetic in the room. It wasn't much, but it reminded Khan of the hidden dome on the third asteroid. The scene made him guess that all the other rooms in that big structure had similar items.
"[The room is interactive]," Nessa explained as she touched the wall and menus appeared. "[It's not too advanced, but it features some useful functions]."
Khan dropped his backpack on the floor before approaching the menus. Part of the wall transformed into a mirror after he pressed the corresponding label, and the poor state of his hair became clear.
‘How did this happen again?' Khan cursed before drawing his knife and turning toward Jenna.
"[Can you fix this for me]?" Khan asked, and Jenna did precisely as he had predicted. She happily jumped toward him but ignored the knife while she pushed him down.
Khan put the knife back into the sheath and slid his fingers over the mirror to lower it before sitting on the floor. Jenna crouched behind him and stretched two fingers as she sent a simple request to the synthetic mana.
The energy in the room gathered on Jenna's fingertips and created a short, invisible blade that required good sensitivity to notice. She had basically performed a far weaker version of the Divine Reaper without relying on any specific technique.
Nessa didn't know what to do in that situation. Jenna seemed to have the time of her life as she cut Khan's hair, and the latter's mind was elsewhere. The couple was immersed in something intimate, but they were clearly used to it, so Nessa felt out of place.
Nessa's first instinct was to leave, but the azure strands of hair that Jenna's blade uncovered attracted her attention and kept her eyes glued on the scene. The curiosity from before returned, and an urge eventually took control of her movements.
Khan and Jenna froze when Nessa stretched her arm forward. She was basically next to them, so her fingers only needed a second to land on Khan's head. The gesture had no deep meaning, but the sole fact that it had happened revealed something quite profound.
Nessa snapped out of her urge and retracted her hand while voicing a gasp. She held her fingers in surprise while exchanging glances with Jenna and Khan, but her eyes eventually went to the parts of her that had touched Khan.
"[It's already starting]," Jenna cursed. "[I thought I had more time]."
"[Starting]?" Khan repeated, but Jenna suddenly straightened her back to hide his head behind her chest.
"[He is mine]," Jenna declared.
"[Jenna]," Khan tried to scold, but Jenna's clothes suppressed his word.
"[It's different from when we do our traditional greetings]," Nessa commented.
"[It's exciting, isn't it]?" Jenna giggled before regaining her stern tone. "[But you can't do it]!"
"[Jenna, she just touched my hair]," Khan pointed out when he managed to tilt his head.
"[You know how it will evolve]," Jenna snorted. "[The step between a superficial touch and sleeping naked is short]."
"[No one is getting naked]," Khan complained.
"[I lost my composure before]," Nessa added. "[I'm sorry]."
"[It's fine]," Khan reassured.
"[I disagree]," Jenna complained.
Nessa crouched in front of Jenna and lowered her gaze before voicing a question in a timid tone. "[How is sleeping with him]?"
"[It's great]," Jenna giggled. "[We have to hold back, but we can also do a lot of stuff]."
"[Don't tell me you are as twisted as her]," Khan sighed.
"[You know we have it hard]," Jenna whined.
"[Can you at least pick a side]?" Khan cursed.
"[Nessa did help us since we reached the dock]," Jenna pointed out.
"[Do you plan on trading me]?" Khan asked.
"[A bit of sharing might not hurt too much]," Jenna stated. "[Wouldn't you like it]?"
Khan wanted to curse louder than ever, but Jenna and Nessa were staring at him. Having those beautiful women so close to him tried to make dents on his willpower, but he managed to keep a cool head.
"[You]," Khan said while eyeing Nessa. "[Get out]."
"[I think I wouldn't enjoy sharing]," Nessa commented.
"[Out]," Khan repeated, and Jenna giggled as Nessa straightened her position to approach the ladder. The woman shot one last glance at the couple before climbing out of the room and sealing the trapdoor.
"[Am I vexed or excited]?" Jenna wondered while pushing Khan down and placing her ear at the center of his chest.
"[You are a pervert]," Khan declared. "[I'm pretty sure she isn't compatible with me either]."
"[Maybe she is compatible with me]," Jenna guessed while tilting her head to show her warm smile.
Khan remained silent as scenes appeared in his mind. Jenna had hinted at a specific situation, and he couldn't help but imagine it.
"[You are also a pervert]," Jenna laughed.
"[Shut up]," Khan grunted. "[You have yet to finish my hair anyway]."
The day went by quietly. Jenna mostly had fun being with Khan, but she left him enough time to meditate in peace since he had yet to recover. Meanwhile, Nele dropped meals directly on the room's roof, so the couple never had hunger problems.
The next day arrived quickly, and the couple found Piran waiting on the staircase connected to their room. Jenna had different orders from Khan, so the two separated.
Piran led Khan into one of the bigger buildings in the district. The place didn't show anything peculiar, but Khan recognized a second layer of reinforced metal once he entered it. The vast empty room that unfolded in his vision resembled a training hall, and Maban's figure at the center of it only added value to that hypothesis.
Piran didn't say anything as he left the building and closed the entrance. Dark-blue lights lit up and illuminated the big hall right afterward, but Khan's attention remained on the synthetic mana. He didn't know how Maban would train him, but his experience with Lieutenant Dyester made him prepare for the worst.
"[Are you surprised]?" Maban asked while inspecting Khan from head to toe.
"[Surprised about what]?" Khan wondered.
"[That I chose to use my time with you]," Maban continued.
The matter had been in Khan's thoughts the previous day. Jenna saw Maban as a "softie", but Khan couldn't rely on that vague evaluation, mainly since he belonged to a different species.
"[Caja saw something in me]," Khan uttered. "[Maybe you did the same]."
"[That's a lie]," Maban stated. "[We won't get far with lies]."
"[I didn't lie about Caja]," Khan announced.
"[But you did lie about what you think]," Maban responded.
Khan didn't expect Maban to be so accurate, especially since he didn't have a clear answer either. He had various hypotheses, but no single reply could encompass them.
"[During our first chat]," Khan exclaimed, "[It sounded like you wanted to trust me. You simply couldn't]."
"[I'll make this clear once again]," Maban stated. "[Earning our trust is not easy. You still didn't in my eyes]."
"[Did you decide to keep an eye on me]?" Khan wondered.
"[Partially]," Maban revealed.
"[Is Jenna involved]?" Khan asked as he went over one of his hypotheses. Maban had shown some protectiveness toward Jenna during their first meeting, so the guess wasn't completely unreasonable.
"[Jenna is definitely special]," Maban admitted. "[Few Nele have her talent. I didn't expect her to get so attached to a human, but I had never heard of a chaos wielder who can fight higher-level warriors either. I guess you do have something]."
Khan didn't like how Maban spoke, but he couldn't figure out why. Something in his tone sounded demeaning, even if he had voiced a compliment.
"[You do have an idea of our arts]," Maban praised when he saw Khan's confusion. "[You sensed the tone I hid in the mana]."
Khan didn't sense any shift in the synthetic mana. His feeling had been almost instinctive. His thoughts had reacted on their own without explaining their reasons.
"[Giving you a chance might not be completely reckless]," Maban continued. "[As long as you follow my teachings, I'll turn you into a Nele that our entire species would have no problem trusting and accepting]."
Khan found another problem in those words, but that didn't come from the mana. The actual meaning behind Maban's statement was troublesome.
"[I don't want to turn into a Nele]," Khan openly admitted.
"[What]?" Maban exclaimed.
"[I want to learn your arts]," Khan explained, "[But I don't want to change who I am. I have barely started to know who I am]."
"[What if I gave you no choice]?" Maban voiced, and the synthetic mana in the area immediately grew heavier. That pressure eventually fell on Khan, and he experienced faint restrictions that tried to hinder his movements.
Strands of purple-red mana immediately came out of Khan's figure. He didn't use the Wave spell. Instead, he relied on the innate properties of his energy to disperse the pressure around him and regain complete control of his body.
"[You dare]?" Maban threatened when he saw Khan drawing his knife.
Maban's pressure and coldness were perfect, but Khan had learnt enough about the Nele to know they would never make such unreasonable requests.
"[You want to test me out, right]?" Khan asked as he bent his legs and raised his knife. "[Go ahead. I'm right here]."
