A slightly unfamiliar ceiling unfolded in Khan's vision when he opened his eyes. The sight tried to confuse him, especially since the nightmare had just ended, but his sensitivity reminded him of where he was.
A smirk made its way to Khan's face when he rolled himself to his right. A mess of curly hair hid a beautiful face sleeping on a pillow. Monica had yet to wake up, and snores escaped her mouth from time to time.
'She slept through my nightmares,' Khan thought. 'Cute.'
Khan didn't return to his room last night. He had remained with Monica until they both fell asleep. They didn't do anything too intimate, but their relationship had progressed a bit. His exposed torso and her open shirt proved that.
'It's quite early,' Khan thought when he checked his phone. Luke and Bruce had sent him messages, but he wasn't in the mood to read them. Also, his mind instinctively calculated how long he had before Monica went to work.
The room was utterly silent except for Monica's breathing and occasional snores. Peace reigned, but the rustling of the sheets disturbed it when Khan crawled toward Monica and wrapped an arm around her waist.
A giggle left Monica's mouth, and a cute groan followed when Khan kissed her forehead. Monica turned to her left to use Khan's arm as a pillow, and a smile broadened on her face when her eyes opened.
"Morning," Khan whispered, and Monica snuggled closer to leave a quick kiss on his lips. Khan left her waist to remove the curls from her face, but his gesture made Monica widen her eyes.
"This isn't a dream," Monica gasped while placing both hands on Khan's chest to keep him away. "Why are you in my room?!"
"I asked nicely," Khan teased, "And you let me stay."
"This can't happen," Monica stated as panic filled her expression. "And where are your clothes?!"
"You took them off yesterday," Khan chuckled.
"No, you took them off!" Monica corrected.
"See, you remember," Khan joked.
Monica's panic only intensified when she noticed her open shirt. Khan could see her bra, so she turned and hurriedly threw the sheets on her.
Even during the turn, Monica didn't leave Khan's arm. Her head was still there, and Khan could sense her calming down when he caressed her hair.
"You always take a bit to warm up," Khan snickered as he approached Monica again and hugged her from above the sheets.
"It's your fault," Monica pouted but didn't oppose the kisses that Khan left on her neck and head.
"Is it?" Khan whispered into Monica's ear. "Am I to blame for your dream too?"
"We won't talk about that!" Monica shouted.
"But I want to hear the details," Khan complained.
Monica remained silent for a few seconds before turning toward Khan. She stared deep into his eyes, and a hand eventually reached his face to pull him down.
The two exchanged a long kiss in which Monica didn't hold back from running her fingers on Khan's bare chest. At first, her touch carried some hesitation, but she quickly let her desire take over her actions.
"The dream was nice," Monica whispered when their lips separated, "But this is better."
Another kiss followed, but Monica soon pushed Khan slightly away. The gesture surprised him, but that feeling vanished when Monica slowly removed the sheets to uncover her open shirt.
Some shyness tried to make its way to Monica's face, but her expression carried far more, and its intensity limited Khan's look at her bra to only a glance. He found her emotions far more attractive, and his eyes showed evident desire when they returned to her.
The two didn't speak anymore as they lost themselves in their intimacy. Monica's shirt soon flew away, and she didn't voice the slightest complaint. She was too busy messing with Khan's hair or exploring his back to care, and his touch only deepened her immersion.
The couple took a break only when it was clear they were about to cross another line. Monica had sat on Khan's lap by then, and her kisses grew slower and slower until she finally retracted her head.
Words didn't arrive even at that point. Monica caressed Khan's cheeks and traced the edges of his lips while his hands remained firm on her waist. He was ready to push a bit more, but Monica ended up exploding into a laugh that distracted him from his urges.
"What is it?" Khan asked with a smile.
"My mother would kill me if she knew I slept with a man," Monica revealed. "Well, she would kill you first."
"Remind me never to meet your mother," Khan replied.
"She would like you," Monica reassured, "But she would still kill you."
"The path to a wealthy woman's bed is full of dangers," Khan sighed, "And yet here I stand."
"You are an idiot," Monica giggled, "But you are the only one who wouldn't take advantage of me even when I'm sleeping right next to you."
"I'm not getting that bra off today, am I?" Khan questioned.
"Not a chance," Monica smirked. "I will also kick you out soon."
"So heartless," Khan sighed, but Monica only laughed before laying her head on his shoulder.
"You sure like this position," Khan pointed out. That wasn't the first time that Monica sat on him. They actually often ended up like that.
The lack of an immediate answer made Khan turn toward Monica. He moved away some of the curls to uncover her face. Some of her shyness had returned, but she mustered the courage to reveal her thoughts.
"You look only at me when we are like this," Monica explained.
"Are you tempting me to keep my attention on you?" Khan asked.
"What if I am?" Monica wondered.
"Such bravery for someone who could barely kiss me only a week ago," Khan joked.
"Shall I remind you that I started this?" Monica teased.
Khan snorted and tightened his grip on Monica's waist before pushing her to his right. Monica ended up with her back on the bed and Khan above her, and he didn't hold back from voicing a tease of his own. "Should I be the one to end it?"
Surprisingly enough, Monica didn't panic at all. She had laughed during the abrupt gesture, and Khan could only see a warm smile when he rested upon her.
"Disappointed?" Monica asked.
"When did you get this bold?" Khan questioned.
"I'm not bold," Monica explained, "Not now. I simply know that you won't do anything bad."
"Am I so predictable?" Khan sneered.
"No," Monica replied. "You just make me feel safe."
Khan could press on, but he didn't want anymore, not after that statement. He lowered his head and placed it on Monica's chest. She tensed up for a moment, but she began to caress his hair when she understood that he had no bad intentions.
"I'm reaching my limit," Monica eventually mumbled, but her voice turned into a mixture of a moan and a shout when Khan left a kiss on the exposed skin right above the bra. "Khan!"
"Alright, alright," Khan laughed and lifted himself only to see Monica with her arms crossed above her chest.
"I don't feel safe anymore," Monica pouted, and Khan laughed even more as he lay beside her.
Monica pretended to be angry, but she still let Khan pull her in his arms. She nestled on his shoulder, and her hands went back on his torso while she immersed herself in his cuddles.
"I should kick you out right now," Monica complained, even if her actions sent the opposite message.
"Your alarm has yet to ring," Khan pointed out. "We have time."
"Did you check your phone?" Monica asked.
"Luke and Bruce sent me something," Khan revealed. "I didn't read it."
"It's obviously about Francis," Monica stated.
"I was too busy hearing your snores to care," Khan teased.
"I don't snore!" Monica snorted, but Khan pulled her closer and interrupted her next complaint.
"Khan," Monica pleaded.
"I can't get enough of teasing you," Khan laughed.
"Come on," Monica said in her cute voice while pulling Khan's head to make him face her. "You need to deal with the situation."
"What situation?" Khan scoffed. "The guy can't handle his booze."
"He attacked you with a spell," Monica reminded, "In front of many witnesses. You'll have Luke and me on your side. His family won't be able to do anything."
"Politics," Khan cursed. "I've killed for far less on the battlefield. He is lucky I have some self-control."
"I'm sure he will think twice about attacking you after yesterday," Monica reassured. "Everyone was quite stunned."
Something changed in the synthetic mana and made Khan glance at the source of that event. Monica had regained her intense gaze, and Khan couldn't help but tease her.
"Did you like what you saw?" Khan asked as he brought their faces closer.
"I didn't like seeing Francis attacking you," Monica exclaimed before her voice turned into a whisper. "Though you did look cool."
"Did I?" Khan whispered before the two fell into a kiss that Monica immediately interrupted.
"We did enough of that today," Monica scolded. "Let's figure out how to deal with Francis before my shift starts."
"Who said it was enough?" Khan tried to bring back the previous mood, but Monica defeated his attempt with her worried face.
"Khan, this is serious," Monica pleaded.
"You are so unfair," Khan cursed, and Monica snuggled closer to hide her shy smile. She was in his arms, wearing only her bra and a skirt. Khan couldn't possibly refuse her.
"How to deal with Francis?" Khan wondered. "Maybe I should really kill him. We are on Milia 222. Bad stuff happens."
Khan was mostly joking, at least in that conversation, but Monica had an unexpected reaction. Her face grew slightly cold, and she stared at the ceiling while her thoughts ran wild.
"We would have to make the corpse disappear," Monica added. "You can't leave any trace against a wealthy family."
"We?" Khan repeated as his attention went to Monica. "You can be quite dark."
"I have no sympathy for that scumbag," Monica scoffed, "And he even had the gall to attack you."
"You are cute when you are mad," Khan teased, but his tone soon turned serious. "Still, killing is a big deal. You shouldn't take it lightly."
"I'm the descendant of a wealthy family," Monica stated. "I've been trained to kill."
"It's always different when you are in the real world," Khan sighed. He still recalled his first kill on Istrone. He didn't want Monica to experience that. If possible, he didn't want anyone to experience that.
"No, I did actual training for that," Monica explained. "At first, I started with normal animals, then Tainted creatures. My family never put me in front of a human, but I know it's coming."
Khan could only praise that kind of training. It was similar to what he had taught on Reebfell, except for the human part. He would never force anyone to take a life.
"A criminal?" Khan asked.
"Criminals sentenced to death," Monica revealed. "Most families had stopped doing that. Istrone's rebellion rekindled the market."
"It makes sense," Khan admitted. "Many descendants died on that damned planet."
Monica saw Khan diverting his gaze to lose himself in sad memories, so she brought his face back to her and reassured him. "Many survived thanks to you."
Khan smiled. He appreciated Monica's effort, but the mood was growing intimate again, and she didn't have time for that, so he pinched her waist to distract her.
"What was that for?" Monica whined.
"Don't jump into my problems already," Khan scolded. "I'll tell you if I need help."
"Do you think I'd be in the way?" Monica asked in a sad tone.
"I think I'd have to face your mother if we get discovered," Khan joked.
Monica didn't let the joke distract them from the issue. She knew she couldn't ask too much from Khan since they had only been together for a week. Yet, she didn't want him to cut her out from a part of his life.
"Are you so eager to see the dark side of my life?" Khan continued since Monica was still staring at him.
"It's still your life, isn't it?" Monica replied. "Being with you only during the good sides would make this kind of meaningless, don't you think?"
Monica's resolve stunned Khan. She could be shy, moody, and childish, but her actions showed her maturity. She had told Khan to keep things simple, but she didn't make that decision lightly. She had already accepted that they would face rough patches, most of which would come from him.
"Don't look at me like that," Monica scolded since Khan's intense gaze brought back her shyness.
Khan felt devoid of thoughts. His desires took over and made him leave a quick kiss on Monica's lips. She didn't even try to refuse it, and the two soon rekindled their intimate moment. It even seemed more passionate than before, but the universe didn't let them enjoy it.
A groan escaped Khan's mouth when Monica's alarm rang. He didn't want that moment to end so soon, and she shared his feelings. Still, her hands were tied.
"You need to go," Monica whispered while the alarm continued to ring. "I need to shower and change."
"We can do that together," Khan suggested.
"Not a chance," Monica giggled before leaving a quick kiss on Khan's lips. The time to kick him out had come, but she diverted her gaze and wore her timid expression while a suggestion came out of her mouth. "Though, maybe you can come earlier tomorrow."
"Is this an actual request?" Khan teased.
"Don't tease me even now," Monica complained, "And get off me already."
Monica pushed Khan, and he let her win. He straightened his position and crawled out of bed, but his eyes remained on Monica.
"Stop it," Monica voiced as she picked up a pillow and hugged it to hide her chest. "I'll be late."
Khan heaved a helpless sigh and finally diverted his gaze to search for his stuff. His elegant pullover was on the floor, while the sheath was on the bedside table. Wearing them took only a few seconds, and he didn't hesitate to approach the entrance afterward.
"Wait," Monica called before Khan could leave. She hurriedly left the bed to reach him and voice a request. "Give me one last kiss."
"I got myself a needy woman," Khan stated before fulfilling Monica's request. She was still hugging the pillow, so the kiss didn't become too passionate.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Monica said once the kiss ended. "Come earlier, okay?"
Khan obviously nodded, and Monica tightened her hug on the pillow. The two had understood each other without saying anything specific. They wanted to spend more time together, and that new agreement made both of them desire that tomorrow could come faster.
Khan felt the need to take a deep breath when he left the room. He knew something would have happened if the alarm didn't interrupt them. Even Monica had realized that. Her request probably came from that understanding.
'It's getting serious quickly,' Khan couldn't help but think when he recalled the meaningful expression that Monica had worn after their last kiss.
Monica's affection wasn't necessarily a problem, but Khan knew that he had worn a similar expression, and that could be troublesome. He didn't experience emotions like a human. He felt far more.
'I'm really getting into it,' Khan acknowledged.
Of course, that was a mere realization. It felt strange to be so involved in something like that, but the time for hesitation had long since passed. Khan was way past holding back now.
The departure from the room opened Khan's mind to the rest of his problems. Francis' attack and the time spent with Monica had interrupted his review of the meeting with Raymond, but the walk back to his bed allowed him to resume it.
Two main points immediately became clear. First, Khan's parents were far more important than he had initially believed. Also, the nightmares probably were a known consequence of the Tainted status, at least among certain experts.
Both points were deeper than they appeared. Bret's banishment to the Slums had to hide something meaningful, which probably involved Elizabeth or the procedure used on Khan to stabilize the mutations.
Khan didn't have enough data to side with one of the two hypotheses. Both of them could be true as far as he knew. Still, when he added Raymond's interests to the equation, he felt that the procedure had a greater role in the banishment and removal of his family name.
The knowledge of the nightmares brought up equally deep questions. Khan still had to rely on Raymond's interests and vague words to justify his ideas. Yet, if Raymond had planned his revelations, Khan could easily conclude that he wasn't the only one cursed with the scenes of the unknown solar system.
'Am I in the middle of a fucking conspiracy?' Khan wondered. 'How much is the Global Army hiding?'
Sadly, the only ones who could answer Khan's questions were unreachable. His father was the most accessible expert, but his restrictions made an interrogation impossible. Moreover, Khan still didn't know how he felt about him.
That torrent of wild thoughts kept Khan company even after he returned to his room. Jenna had woken up since she had sensed his arrival, and a predictable question soon left her mouth.
"[I want to hear every detail]," Jenna requested before understanding that something was wrong. "[Khan, what happened]?"
The question snapped Khan back to reality and focusing on Jenna helped him sort out his messy thoughts. He immediately jumped on the bed, and she entered his embrace while she waited for him to begin his tale.
Khan told Jenna everything. She was the best consultant and friend in that situation since she saw mana like him. Her knowledge was actually deeper than Khan's, so she could uncover details he might have missed.
However, Jenna's answer turned out to be quite disappointing. "[The chaos element is the best to trigger mutations, but trying to give them a direction would go against its nature. As for the Nak, I truly don't know]."
Truth be told, Khan had predicted a similar outcome. Everything was too vague even for Jenna, but she was aware of the situation now. Khan could count on her senses to make up for what he missed.
"[Anyway, we should definitely kill Francis and get Monica to help with his corpse]," Jenna changed the topic. "[No one will hear about him again]."
Jenna radiated proper killing intent. Learning about Francis' sudden attack had put a target on him. She didn't even care about the words he had used. She simply couldn't forgive him for trying to hurt Khan.
Khan didn't immediately address that killing intent. Other problems ran through his mind, and Francis wasn't part of them. He still saw a vague picture, and only Jenna could tell him how reasonable it was.
"[Hey]," Khan called. "[What do you think I would feel in the presence of a Nak]?"
"[I think words wouldn't be able to describe your reaction]," Jenna revealed.
"[I'm talking on an instinctive level]," Khan explained. "[I can't stop thinking about the fourth asteroid and that strange sensation. I don't know. Your prediction and Raymond's interest in the Nak seem to create a pattern]."
"Imminent chaos," Jenna repeated the exact words said to Khan during their first encounter. "[It will most likely feel like an attraction, an instinctive sense of belonging]."
"[I have felt drawn to that sensation]," Khan pointed out.
"[Khan]," Jenna continued, "[I wouldn't have missed the presence of a Nak. That's something no one can miss]."
"[What if there was a communication method used only by Nak]?" Khan wondered, "[Something similar to what the Nele use]."
"[It would still cause visible changes in the mana]," Jenna stated. "[Still, it does feel oddly connected. There are some coincidences]."
"[Especially if your prediction is true]," Khan added.
The hypothesis put Jenna in a pensive state. Her predictions relied on patterns, which she created through her sensitivity. There was a chance that her senses had unconsciously perceived something and had added it to her mental image of Milia 222.
Nevertheless, the matter remained unrealistic. Jenna was a rare talent among the Nele, but her superiors remained above her in many aspects. She might be unable to recognize or notice extremely faint sensations, but they wouldn't escape Caja or other leaders.
"[Whatever it is]," Jenna eventually spoke, "[We'll face it together. I'll be at your side before Monica can even arrive]."
"[Your jealousy is getting worse]," Khan commented.
"[I don't care]," Jenna snorted. "[She must learn her place. She must know that she can sleep with you only because I allow it]."
Khan didn't even try to argue with Jenna. He laughed and checked his phone to read the messages that had arrived during the night. Luke and Bruce had mostly expressed concern for his state and their support in an eventual political struggle, but a new text reached the device while he was still busy coming up with replies.
'What?!' Khan shouted in his mind when he read Luke's new message. 'Another theft happened? How is that possible?'
