The scene was the embodiment of destruction. The ground had shattered, caved in, and turned into dust everywhere. The barren plain had gained a massive hole, and Khan stood at its center.
The hole wasn't the end of the destroyed area. Deep cracks stretched from its edges, creating more cavities that destabilized the already brittle ground. A good chunk of the plain appeared on the verge of turning into sand, and Khan was behind that transformation.
The poor state of the plain would shock inexperienced soldiers, but those initiated to alien arts would find the atmosphere far scarier. The air was shaking, threatening to explode on the spot. A deep sense of violence filled it, spreading a suffocating warmth that dispersed Cegnore's slight cold.
Khan had his eyes closed, and two drops of sweat ran down his forehead to fuse with his eyebrows. His back was also wet, and patches of dirt had long since stained his uniform.
Those traces of exhaustion didn't reflect Khan's actual state. No pants affected his breath, and strength still filled his muscles. His mind was also oddly awake, pushed beyond its limits by the recent training session.
Khan suddenly opened his eyes, and a crack expanded under his feet. He glanced to his right, and a sandy cloud rose. He repeated the gesture to his left, and a chunk of soil fell from the hole's edge.
Each gesture caused a reaction in the environment. Khan was one with the area, but his control was limited to a single purpose. The symphony carried pure chaos, which echoed even his slightest movement.
A burning sensation invaded Khan's mind. His thoughts grew duller as he forced himself to calm down. He took a deep breath, savoring the chaos he had spread in the environment and doing his best to interrupt his destructive influence.
Some exhaustion arrived as Khan calmed down. His training in the Niqols arts required the clicking growl, and forcing it to shout for long periods didn't have the best effects on his mind. He could achieve higher awareness and influence, but a hefty price waited for him afterward.
Khan let himself fall to the ground, which slightly crumbled under his weight. The dirt didn't bother him, so he leaned backward, lying on that brittle surface and spreading his arms. For once, he wanted to sleep, but an alarm distracted him before that idea could take form.
A groan escaped Khan's mouth when he retrieved his phone and checked the time. His stamina was absurd, but the number on the screen still surprised him. He had spent almost nineteen hours training in the plain, and the night was now approaching.
'I'm not sound of mind alright,' Khan cursed. He had initially believed Cegnore's longer days would have worked in his favor, but his dedication had surpassed his expectations.
The dedication wasn't completely to blame. Khan knew his desperation gave inhumane power to many aspects of his character. However, the recent training session featured something else.
After Khan confirmed that he could use the Niqols arts, something had unlocked inside his brain, and he couldn't ignore it. He liked the Thilku runes, and the Nele occupied a special place in his heart. Yet, the Niqols' techniques came from Liiza and worked as the foundation of his spells. He was too close to them to hold back.
'At least I confirmed I can get better at this,' Khan thought, reviewing the training session, 'Even if I still have no clue how to implement the Nele's approach.'
Khan had found it easier to affect the environment compared to his first attempt. He couldn't quite control the effects of his influence, but that wasn't an issue when he limited himself to pure and unrestrained destruction.
That practice was actually intoxicating. Being surrounded by chaos was oddly similar to blindly following the symphony, even if for opposite reasons.
Khan became an almost passive weapon of the symphony when he lost himself on a battlefield. Instead, filling the environment with chaos gave him a more active role. He expanded his mind rather than turning it into an empty vessel meant to exploit his surroundings.
'It's as if I become the battlefield,' Khan realized, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve to remove the grains of dirt that had fallen into them.
Of course, both approaches had benefits and flaws. By letting the symphony act as a guide, Khan could save a lot of energy. His battle prowess also bordered perfection in that state, granting him a significant edge over most opponents.
Instead, affecting the environment was a heavier practice, both in terms of effects and energy consumption. It wasn't graceful or perfect, but it could produce far more power. It was unparalleled when it came to pure destructive capabilities.
Khan remained immersed in the topic until a second alarm resounded. The phone reminded him about his night shift. He would need to leave in the next few minutes to avoid being late, but his mind wasn't cooperating.
'Secret weapon it is,' Khan sighed, lifting his phone above his eyes and heading for a specific folder. The album had far more than tempting pictures. He had also taken videos of Monica, and playing one of them put a smile on his face.
Scenes that would earn anyone a death sentence if they were spread filled Khan's vision. Loving giggles and tempting moans reached his ears, steering away exhaustion and the threat of slumber.
The video retained Khan's full attention for a few minutes before he stopped it and lifted his legs. He closed his eyes, storing his phone and stomping his feet to the ground. When he reopened them, he found himself mid-air.
Khan flew to where he had left the tracking device and headed back to the human building after retrieving it. He didn't rush his return and used the trip to review his training session. He had much to consider, but many conclusions were hidden behind improvements he had yet to achieve.
The night fell when Khan reached the building, and vehicles were already in the process of leaving the main gate. The team appointed for that shift was going through the safety measures required by Cegnore, and Khan landed next to that exit to wait for his ride.
A few minutes had to pass before the last vehicle crossed the gate and approached Khan. One of its doors opened, showing Captain Chaunac in the driver's seat.
"I was about to send a rescue party!" Caspar announced as his eyes inspected Khan's poor appearance.
"Is there room for me on the night shift?" Khan wondered, nodding at the empty seat beside Caspar.
"Of course," Caspar replied, unlocking the opposite door, which Khan didn't hesitate to approach. The two soon sat side by side, and more words flew while the car isolated them from the outside world.
"Did your training go well, Captain?" Caspar asked, looking at the dirty spots on Khan's uniform once again.
"It could have gone better," Khan vaguely responded, "But I like Cegnore. It's just a bit sandy."
"You are one of the few who can say that," Caspar laughed. "No one else would have the guts to train outside."
"It's not really guts, isn't it?" Khan sighed. "I'll try to come back earlier from now on."
"You don't have to worry about that," Caspar reassured. "I told you already. Your attendance isn't mandatory."
"You aren't the only one who wants to look good for our superiors," Khan exclaimed.
"About that," Caspar uttered as the vehicle finally cleared him. "I've seen the white coats enter your office. Is everything alright?"
"Don't worry about it," Khan reassured. "I was only sealing secret deals with the scientists."
Caspar frowned, but one look at Khan's shameless smile made him explode into a laugh. "Don't tease me like that, Captain!"
Khan also snickered but dropped the topic to focus on his surroundings. He was returning to the trench, and refraining from joining a battle wasn't an option. He could only hope more leftovers would arrive.
Sadly for Khan, peace reigned over the entire night and never relaxed its grip. The trench saw no action, leaving Khan in a meditative state for fourteen hours straight.
Caspar and the team were obviously happy about that outcome, and Khan did his best to hide his disappointment. He found it easy to distract himself that night, so the return to the building went smoothly.
Nevertheless, Khan noticed something strange when he returned to his office. Everything was exactly as he had left it, and his mind yearned for some rest, but a device had appeared on his interactive desk, and his exhaustion immediately disappeared.
Khan didn't hesitate to reach for the device, which lit up without requiring his genetic signature. That alone was a statement of its contents, and reading the many labels on the screen confirmed that.
'I didn't expect Winston to be so fast,' Khan thought, a smirk filling his face. 'He must be starving for intelligent beings.'
The device didn't only complete Winston's side of the deal. It also marked a critical moment in Khan's stay in Cegnore. He could finally put his plans in motion.
