Wayne's mana reacted to Khan's statement, sending more tremors into the environment. The symphony shook, causing consequences that even an expert in the field would struggle to believe.
A wave crashed on the distant island's shores, sending drops everywhere. The wind picked up one of them and flew it toward Khan and Wayne's location, releasing it between them.
The drop fell on the ground, hitting a crack that dug deep into a rock. The event made the item break, destabilizing the balance of that firm surface and causing faint movements that only scanners could pick up.
Khan followed the event through his senses. He saw the movements stretching toward him, destabilizing the ground under his feet. He lightly pressed on his right foot, sending a rock into the surface to remove his foothold.
The event didn't affect the battle. It was too slight to have any effect when the two men were so distant from each other. Yet, noticing it finally shed light on the power of Wayne's element. It was almost limitless in an environment that could break in his favor.
Khan absorbed that information and put it in the back of his mind. The range of Wayne's element was shocking, but Khan couldn't experience that emotion now. His mind only had room for the joint power of his coldness and wildness.
Still, one detail was worth noticing, and Khan didn't miss it. The statement had intensified Wayne's influence. Maybe, there was a connection between his view of Khan and his power. That hypothesis would also fit with his burning interest in Khan.
"Did I make you angry?" Khan didn't hesitate to employ his talking skills. Clicking cries still fused with his voice, but nothing happened while he continued to talk. "Let me guess. The experiments on you hurt a lot, and now you feel entitled to unload that pain on everyone else."
"Not everyone else," Wayne laughed. "For once, I found a worthy target, and my element finally agrees."
Khan's eyes almost lit up at the arrival of that second clue. He knew a lot about unruly elements, and Wayne seemed to be in a similar situation, which created an opportunity he wouldn't miss.
"Was it worse than this?" Khan questioned, nodding in the direction of Wayne's torso.
"Much worse," Wayne exclaimed, seemingly excited to discuss that topic. "My muscles burned for weeks afterward, and they spoke loud words directly into my brain when I slept. I lost count of how many times I changed."
Khan didn't know much about that field. He could imagine the existence of terrible training programs meant to enhance a soldier's power. Yet, the specifics escaped his mind.
However, Khan had experienced similar pain, and his transformation had worsened it. His nightmares were his greatest curse, and he planned to use them as a weapon now.
"Do you know what my mana thinks about that?" Khan scoffed, stretching his arm to summon mana. The tremors tried to get in his way, but his energy released a clicking grow that grew louder and louder until a purple-red cloud materialized in his palm.
Khan didn't need to add anything. The clicking growl released by the cloud was the best answer he could muster, and Wayne's smile brightened at that sight. Still, his darkness also intensified, making him accelerate to shoot at full speed toward Khan.
The cloud wasn't necessarily Khan's ally in that situation, but they still shared deep feelings. They both wanted to eliminate the man blocking their path, so the spell didn't hesitate to fly toward Wayne.
A wild clash unfolded. Wayne faced the cloud head-on, closing his palms on it to prevent the impact. However, the spell was almost formless. It accepted Wayne's hands in its insides and let the chaos element do its work.
Wayne laughed loudly, uncaring of the chaos element turning his skin into a spiderweb of wounds. He kept pressing on the cloud as if his attack could squash it. That was theoretically impossible, but the tremors released by his body ended up affecting the spell.
The cloud cried in anger, expanding over Wayne's arms and reaching for his chest. The chaos element destroyed many of the thin threads, making Wayne's attack lose power, but more materialized and restored his strength.
"Did you catch it?" Khan questioned, appearing on Wayne's right with a fully formed chaos spear in his palm. "It thinks that you can't match our pain."
Khan pushed the spear toward Wayne before retreating at full speed. The spell was already unstable, so the first tremor it encountered triggered an explosion that engulfed Wayne and the cloud.
A bright pillar grew toward the sky and illuminated the area, filling it with its purple-red light. Some rocks melted and shattered under the power released by the spell, and winds blew in every direction.
Khan was ready to head toward the underground passage, but a fuming figure flew out of the pillar, shooting toward him. He tried to summon his mana, but the tremors in his surroundings told him that nothing would work. Even walking would trigger Wayne's bad luck and put him in a disadvantageous position.
Staying still and preparing for the imminent clash was the only way to contain Wayne's element, so Khan did exactly that. The cloud had disappeared to fuse with the pillar, so he was alone against the fuming body descending toward him.
Khan half-crouched and half-turned, stretching his right arm forward. His fingers didn't listen to his commands, but that was still fine. The fuming body crashed on him, but he was ready to receive it.
Wayne stretched his arms forward, planting them on Khan's shoulders. Still, the latter let that impact push him backward, making the two men fall and roll on the ground.
The surface had rocks of all sizes and shapes, but all the sharp ones ended on Khan's back during the roll. When the two men stopped, Wayne found himself sitting over Khan's abdomen, and his excitement skyrocketed as he lifted his arms.
"What pain?" Wayne laughed, joining his fists to prepare his attack. "You lived in the light, found love and fame. You can't speak about pain!"
Wayne was too entranced by the conversation to notice Khan's hand on the knife on his side. Khan's fingers didn't really work, but his thumb could create a weak grip, and the weapon's sharpness handled the rest.
While Wayne lowered his arms, Khan slashed the knife upward, sliding it over his rib cage to aim for his neck. The weak grip worked in his favor, preventing the weapon from diving too deep into Wayne's remaining muscles and avoiding their hindrance.
Wayne couldn't focus on his attack anymore. The knife was about to hit his throat, so he manipulated his technique to make his back arc unnaturally. The sudden movement made him escape the weapon but also gave Khan an opportunity.
The slash missed, but Khan promptly let go of the knife to perform a sharp movement. His palm ended on the handle's tip, and he pressed it to stab the weapon in Wayne's chest.
The knife stabbed Wayne's deeply, puncturing his right lung and halting his breathing for a second. Khan used that chance to arc his back and send Wayne to the ground. He ended up on top of him, and his stretched hand already had mana flowing out of it.
"I'm talking about nightmares," Khan explained as mana gathered on his palm. "Whenever I sleep, I relive the Second Impact with all its death and pain."
Wayne's smile finally shook. Surprise flowed into his expression, but the purple-red light soon hid it. An explosion unfolded between the two men, sending Khan flying away and digging Wayne deeper into the ground.
Khan almost fainted. The pain from his burning flesh kept him awake, but his body was reaching its limits. He had successfully protected his limbs and fingers once again, but his heavy chest became a hindrance.
Landing on the ground worsened Khan's condition. He opened his mouth to breathe, but no air flowed through his throat. His body was paying the price of abusing the [Blood Shield], and only time could solve that situation.
The mana helped. Khan's energy responded to his emotions, boiling and forcing his body to recover quickly. His chest slowly lightened, allowing him to struggle to his feet. His balance felt off, but he still stepped forward, using all his awareness to eye the underground passage.
However, Wayne's element was as troublesome as always. A rock under Khan's suddenly moved, making him slip and fall to the ground. He quickly forced himself onto his knees, but his vision grew blurry, and his senses depicted a sad scenery.
"Since when?" Wayne's hoarse voice came from the explosion's glowing mana lingering on the ground.
"Since the Second Impact," Khan sighed. "Whether I faint or sleep, I experience it again."
"You can't take a break," Wayne laughed, the mana completely dispersing to show his sorry figure. "I guess you have it bad too."
"We all have it bad," Khan scoffed. He tried to stand up but swayed to his right, having to plant his arm on the ground to remain on his knees.
The darkness inside Wayne retreated, and his element's effects waned. The tremors stopped, and the symphony regained its natural flow. Yet, Khan couldn't find any happiness in that sight. That change was too late to have any use.
"I don't know who they are," Wayne revealed, a cough interrupting his explanation. "My family is involved, but I don't know the full extent of the organization."
"Nobles?" Khan asked, doing his best to remain awake.
"On my father's side," Wayne explained. "My mother was from a small family, but they killed her when she tried to claim nobility."
"And they turned you into a weapon," Khan understood.
"You had it better," Wayne stated. "The nobles accepted your parents, but your mother's death made them cut any connection."
"Was my mother a noble?" Khan questioned.
"Yes," Wayne confirmed. "Though I don't know from which family. They just shared that information with me to fuel my resolve."
"I knew it," Khan chuckled. It felt good to be right, no matter how pointless that information was now.
"The five minutes are almost up," Wayne mentioned. "The bomb should explode soon."
"I figured," Khan sighed. "Do me a favor. Let me enjoy a silent death."
Wayne surprisingly complied, and Khan closed his eyes to immerse himself in his thoughts. His pain vanished as his life flowed through his vision.
'It has always been impossible, wasn't it?' Khan mocked himself.
It felt annoying to fail after suffering for so long, but Khan could accept it. He had done his best, killing, lying, struggling, and even performing political acts. However, he remained a single man in the middle of immense organizations that didn't want him to uncover their secrets.
Khan simply couldn't find the strength to blame himself. In another life, he would have gotten closer to the Nak. He would have even reached them if he had more support. Yet, the reality was very different, forcing him to make peace with his desperation.
Khan's thoughts inevitably moved to Monica. He hated that he had basically killed her. Still, those were his last moments, and some selfishness arrived. He would have loved to die in her arms if possible, but the two had the chance to hold hands before the teleport. That was more Khan believed to deserve, so he was fine with that conclusion.
As the seconds slowly flowed, another thought popped into Khan's mind. Long white hair flowing in the cold wind and glowing eyes able to pierce any fog filled his vision. He could see a dark and aloof face breaking into a smile as soon as it looked at him.
'[Liiza],' Khan thought as a nostalgic coldness washed over his body.
Khan loved Monica. He was certain about that. His thoughts about Liiza came from his current selfishness. He could accept failing to find the Nak. He couldn't have stopped Monica, and the two had a decent goodbye. His only regret involved Liiza. He would have given anything to see her one last time.
Loving memories invaded Khan. He recalled the coldness of Liiza's kisses, how she slipped her hands under his clothes, and her cute blush. Their separation had been unfair, and Khan couldn't find peace because of that.
The ground began to shake, disturbing Khan's memories. He could feel the end growing close and hoped his love could reach Monica during those final moments. His eyes opened, almost searching for her in that blue environment, but he only saw his opponent standing a few meters away.
"It's coming," Wayne declared, almost knowing what Khan was thinking.
Khan looked at the sky. He wasn't ready to go, but that was a death he could accept. The earthquake intensified, and he almost closed his eyes to bathe in the imminent explosion. Yet, a sudden burst of dark and red gas in the distance distracted him.
Wayne and Khan pointed their eyes toward the big cloud forming in the distance. It almost seemed that something had erupted in that location, sending fuming and scorching boulders into the sky. Some darkness replaced the overall blueness, and Khan couldn't help but smile when he realized what was happening.
"Is that the bomb?" Wayne asked.
"No," Khan chuckled. "That's my girlfriend."
