Being busy helped Khan ignore the drawbacks of his situation, but one look at the picture destroyed that fake balance. Khan's mouth opened, his eyes didn't move, and his grip on the phone tightened to reflect his internal state.
Barely a week had passed since Monica's departure, but staring at the picture made Khan experience the entirety of her absence. That was his first time dealing with the distance issue in his relationship, and his mana told him he wasn't good at it.
'Is everything okay?' Monica sent another text due to Khan's silence. 'Did I do something wrong?'
Love overcame lust, allowing Khan to put aside the picture to reassure his worried girlfriend. 'You just reminded me of how much I love you.'
Monica also went silent, but only for a short minute. A message soon reached Khan's phone, and a warm smile filled his face when he read the single word on his screen. 'Scoundrel.'
Khan lost himself in his thoughts for a bit, but a new message reached his phone. Monica couldn't leave that conversation at a simple joke and followed with a similar expression of affection. 'I love you too.'
A sigh escaped Khan's mouth as he brought his phone to his forehead. He closed his eyes and fought the urge to find loopholes that could make him fly to Monica right away. He wanted to see her. He yearned for her touch and love, but the Nak were the priority, and his job was his best shot at getting close to them.
Khan eventually calmed down. He lowered his phone, and the two main aspects of his life filled his view. The screen carried Monica's loving message, while the interactive desk had a series of reports on Neuria. That was his duality, and he wouldn't give up on anything.
'Are you free tonight?' Khan asked Monica through a message.
'We'll have our call, right?' Monica questioned.
'I want it to be longer,' Khan admitted. 'I miss you.'
'You are going to make me cry, dummy,' Monica scolded.
'Don't cry when I can't hold you,' Khan ordered.
'I won't,' Monica promised. 'The call can last as long as you want. Forever even.'
'I wish it were forever,' Khan teased.
'I'm really going to cry,' Monica complained.
Khan smirked and exchanged a few more messages with Monica before postponing their next conversation. His job required his attention now, and he planned to get something done before dinnertime.
Neuria was famous in the Harbor for multiple political reasons. The planet had a special embassy focused on the relationships with the Global Army, and its many docks made it a valuable node for the shipment of goods and similar tasks.
However, unlike Milia 222, Neuria was almost solely populated by Thilku. The Empire wasn't exactly welcoming regarding different species in their territory. That wasn't out of xenophobia or similar issues. The Thilku simply had strict regulations enhanced by their pride, making them hard to approach.
'It reminds me of Earth,' Khan thought, skimming through the many reports on his desk.
The embassy and docks were only Neuria's highlights. The rest of the planet had cities, training camps, and military structures that weren't much different from Earth. The Empire was still working on populating that place and building more settlements, but that didn't make it less of a home for the Thilku.
The only peculiar aspect of the planet was its darkness. Neuria was similar to Nitis there due to the three moons that shielded it from any form of sunlight. That made the place quite cold, but nothing a coat couldn't fix.
'Criminals will probably live in empty areas or territories still in construction,' Khan guessed once he gained a general understanding of the planet. 'Just like the areas the Global Army left to die.'
The similarities with Earth were striking, but Khan didn't let them blind him. His study didn't ignore any detail or possibility, giving him an idea about his report by the time dinnertime arrived.
Khan took notes in the next hour before finally leaving his cubicle. The office had gotten empty during the afternoon, and only Ambassador Abores and Clarissa were still working. They were too busy to look past the windows, so Khan departed without exchanging any salute.
Finding a cab in the embassy barely took minutes, so Khan soon flew toward a nearby district featuring excellent training halls. He also ordered food and drinks once he isolated himself inside it, and some tinkering with the menus kept the scanners active but forbade recordings.
Khan didn't need to worry about the training hall's rates thanks to his agreement with the Headmistress, but that didn't make him lazy. His thoughts got to work as soon as the area was ready, and memories of his battle with Amox filled his mind, trying to bring valuable clues.
Replicating a particular behavior was child's play for Khan. His mana was wild and unreasonable, but his control was equally powerful. Bending his energy to his will didn't match his instincts, but it was doable.
However, imitating something wouldn't necessarily lead to the same outcomes. Each element had a specific set of spells for obvious reasons. Mana worked differently depending on its nature, and that affected the effects it could generate.
In Khan's case, imitating the process and gesture of Amox's attack wouldn't lead anywhere. He could turn his mana elastic and give it the properties of a bowstring, but that wouldn't create a matching spell.
'It's not imitation,' Khan eventually concluded, breaking his meditative state to get to the real thing. 'I must translate it to express my element's properties.'
Mere control wouldn't do. Khan's chaos used his emotions to transform without losing its effects, and a mental image of a scene that matched what he wanted to achieve usually helped. Finding those aspects was the only problem.
Khan usually used his negative emotions in those tasks, so he started with them, testing different feelings to see how his mana changed. He needed something flexible but explosive and, most importantly, fast.
The training hall kept track of the passage of time, but Khan barely looked at it. He had alarms ready, so he immersed himself in his training, changing the pace only when a call reached his phone.
Khan answered through the hall's menus since he had connected the phone to the place, and a holographic screen appeared on a wall. A familiar smile filled it, together with curls he had learned to love.
"Tell me again how much you love me," Monica ordered, eager to hear Khan's voice.
"Can you even sleep without me?" Khan teased, remaining at the hall's center to continue his training. "I remember someone revealing her addition to my chest."
"I can't," Monica revealed, avoiding jokes to convey her feelings. "It's hard without you."
A sniff tried to interrupt Monica's line, but she suppressed it. Still, Khan noticed it, and his longing eyes inevitably fell on the screen.
"We'll see each other soon enough," Khan reassured, "And I won't let you go for a single second in those days."
"Will you hold me the whole time?" Monica showed her needy side.
"I will," Khan promised.
"Swear it," Monica said.
"I swear," Khan stated. "I'll make up for all the time we spent separated."
Monica wanted to complain a bit longer to enjoy Khan's reassuring words. Yet, she knew how busy he was, so she steeled her resolve and held back, moving the conversation to different topics.
"This isn't your flat," Monica pointed out.
"Did you have something dirty in mind?" Khan teased, summoning mana in his right palm to inspect its properties.
"Yes," Monica whispered, "And it's your fault."
"I'm starting to feel proud about that," Khan chuckled, dispersing his mana to try again. "I wonder what the network would think if it knew about your message."
"Shut it," Monica pouted. "That's only for your eyes."
"I'd be jealous otherwise," Khan declared.
"How jealous?" Monica giggled.
"Immensely," Khan sighed, dispersing his mana again and peeking at the screen. Monica had taken her face between her hands, and her happy smile seemed able to shine on its own.
"Am I a distraction?" Monica wondered, feeling conflicted about that point. On one side, she liked that Khan was weak to her presence. Yet, she didn't want to get in his way.
"Yes," Khan admitted, "But I prefer it over not talking to you."
"Did you get more romantic after I left?" Monica teased.
"I'm the romantic," Khan claimed. "You are the dirty one."
"Did you call me just to tease me all night?" Monica complained.
"If it's not too much to ask," Khan didn't refute the question. He even glanced at the screen again, showing a face that conveyed his feelings.
"Tease me all you want," Monica shook her head, "As long as you want. I'm yours, remember?"
"I'm not used to this distance," Khan cursed, "Or selfishness."
"My noble Captain can overcome anything," Monica praised. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to do," Khan corrected, stretching his neck before removing the upper part of his tracksuit. "I'm trying to create a spell."
"Isn't it dangerous with your element?" Monica grew worried.
"A bit," Khan said, "But they'll probably send us to Neuria soon. I want to be prepared."
"Neuria?" Monica asked.
"It's in the Thilku's territory," Khan explained shortly. "The investigation should be about to start."
"What should I do with this information?" Monica asked.
"I don't think it's valuable right now," Khan stated. "Yet, Neuria is still in construction. Many parts of the planet are empty. I might overhear business opportunities once I get there."
"I'll see if my parents know something," Monica commented. "I'll update you once they answer."
"Sure," Khan voiced, heaving a deep sigh to steady his mind and opt for a different emotion. He attempted to summon his mana again, but that energy went out of control, generating a small explosion that dispersed its power.
Khan didn't get hurt and only waved his right hand to disperse the smoke lingering in his palm. Those shortcomings were unavoidable during experiments, but Monica might not take them lightly. Yet, one look at the screen revealed a far different picture.
Monica had fallen into a daze. Her eyes were fixed on Khan's figure, and her full attention moved between his naked chest and serious face. She even looked livelier, and Khan hated being unable to feel her mana.
"Won't you get bored looking at me training all night?" Khan asked, revealing a tinge of insecurity.
"It will be the highlight of my week," Monica reassured. "I love seeing you like this."
"Are you getting addicted to something new already?" Khan teased.
"Khan," Monica called, her tone growing hesitant, "Is it bad to want every night to go like this?"
Khan remained stunned for a second before dropping the teasing mood. Monica was experiencing the same longing as him, and seeing the emotions on her face warmed his heart.
"What are you even saying?" Khan chuckled. "I remember my girlfriend being needier than this."
"I'm trying to be mature, idiot," Monica cried but quickly calmed down to mutter affectionate words. "Khan, I love you so much."
"Me too," Khan smirked, turning to focus on his training. Still, he added one of Monica's iconic lines before proceeding. "Make sure to look only at me."
