Khan's offer was a gamble.
On the one hand, hosting classes with esteemed experts would add value to Khan's knowledge. He would have pillars of the scientific community vouching for him as long as he convinced them of his expertise. Khan could become a prominent name in the field if everything went well.
Moreover, experts deeply rooted in human fields would have a harsher time detaching themselves from their knowledge and accepting alien arts, in theory, at least. Khan's lessons might lead to nothing, preserving his monopoly over his expertise and halting any attempt to understand his power.
However, the opposite was also possible. The experts might disregard and insult Khan's techniques, denigrating his knowledge to keep the current fields relevant. Khan's achievements would contradict that, but the approach would be a good way to force him to share more.
Also, the experts might completely figure out Khan's techniques and give birth to new fields he alone couldn't create. After all, he was a single man against the entire force of a species. The Global Army might find a way to counter him while surpassing him at the same time.
Nevertheless, after much pondering and exchanging opinions with Monica, Khan couldn't come up with a better solution. He would gain a lot from the lessons without giving away too much. Also, he would buy himself time from those trying to force his hand, which was necessary.
Major General Arngan was mostly a warrior, but his long life had taught him much in other fields, too. He wasn't the sharpest political fox but understood that environment well. It only took him a second to realize what Khan was doing, and some silent praises echoed in his mind.
Khan's approach took immense stones, arrogance, and confidence. No one would even dare to suggest something similar otherwise, and Major General Arngan could only fall deeper for him at that sight. It was rare for him to deal with a fellow true warrior, and the event deserved rewards.
"You are still short," Major General Arngan announced, "But I'll make it work out. Everything else will be up to you afterward."
"I'm well aware," Khan replied. "That much will be enough."
"Then," The General sighed, standing up and retrieving his phone while dropping the empty glass on the nearest table, "I'd better get going. I suspect my night won't be as pleasurable as yours."
The General was hinting at the calls and discussions he would have to do after leaving the flat. His shoulders were full of expectations, so returning with little more than a few lessons was bound to anger many people.
Khan stood up out of etiquette, and his piercing eyes followed the General's huge, departing frame. In many ways, the General was doing Khan a favor, and he couldn't pinpoint the exact reason.
"Major General, sir," Khan called when the man was almost in the elevator room. "Why are you helping me?"
The General half-turned to glance at Khan, and the two silently inspected each other. Neither was a political beast. They were both soldiers who had earned their fame on the battlefield, but a wall seemed to exist between them.
"I like you," Major General Arngan exclaimed, "And Mark is a friend."
"You still shouldered heavy expectations," Khan pointed out. The General was actually shielding him from them, but Khan didn't need to mention it.
"The Global Army is changing," Major General Arngan declared. "I can hear the balance of power shifting. I thought I'd pick a side."
The elevator opened before Khan could ask more questions, and the General promptly retrieved a bag from it. The man handed the item as soon as Khan approached him, partially revealing its contents.
The bag contained a fancy wooden box that Khan guessed held good booze, but the other item ended up claiming his attention. A folded military uniform rested at the container's side, and retrieving its upper part showed a set of four stars on each shoulder.
"I have yet to get approved as a fourth-level mage," Khan commented.
"And who's going to test you?" Major General Arngan chuckled. "Or question you?"
Khan didn't have answers, and the General didn't wait for them either. He stepped inside the elevator, turning to say one last thing as its doors closed. "Congratulations, Major Khan."
Another sound followed the elevator's descent, but Khan didn't move. He kept staring at the two sets of stars even when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his torso. Soft curls also fell on his shoulder as Monica peeked past him to inspect the item.
"What did he mean by side?" Monica asked.
"I don't know," Khan admitted.
"A General," Monica sighed. "I hope he is on our side."
"If he isn't," Khan uttered, glaring at the closed elevator, "I'll take him out, too."
The metal surface reflected the glow that flashed in Khan's eyes. He knew about the existence of different factions inside the Global Army, but the entirety of the playing field escaped his mind. Still, that was already the second warning. It seemed he had finally stepped into the realm of the big players.
"Everyone is fighting for my noble Major," Monica teased, walking around Khan to seize the new uniform from his hands. "He should try this out to see whether it fits."
"No one is fighting for me," Khan said, placing the bag on the floor. "I'm slightly higher than a pawn."
"You'll soon realize what I understood long ago," Monica stated, using one hand to unbutton Khan's uniform. "You'll become the most important man in the Global Army, and species will wage wars to earn your favor."
Khan knew Monica believed those words, but they failed to take root in his mind. Everything felt too far away, and he remained a single man. No one could hold such value.
The passion that followed made Khan forget about Monica's words, and he didn't think about them even after he returned to work. He was too busy with his various studies to linger in distant dreams that had no place in his interests.
That didn't change even in the following days. Khan focused on impending problems rather than unrealistic plans. His entire attention was on resting and catching up with the work he had ignored in the last period while also doing his best to improve his overall foundation.
Meanwhile, the Global Army got to work on preparing the event that would host Khan's promotion. The news became official, and multiple figures offered themselves as guests to elevate the meeting's value. Many also wanted the chance to encounter the famous Khan, and the list kept stretching until Headmistress Holwen pulled the brakes.
Even with Headmistress Holwen's interference, the event reached massive proportions. It got so big that no political area in the Harbor could hold it, forcing the Headmistress to repurpose one of the embassy's training halls.
Only two weeks after Major General Arngan's arrival, everything was ready. Luxurious ships had filled the Harbor's hangars, and the teleports had worked overtime to bring every guest on the list. Reporters also flooded the domes' streets, but very few gained access to the embassy's areas. It seemed a public celebration was underway, and Khan was at its center.
Soldiers made Khan's trip to the appointed training hall as comfortable as possible. He didn't meet any reporter or unwanted figure who had managed to slip through the Harbor's restrictions. His ride flew directly to the embassy, and a crowd of important people soon unfolded in his eyes.
Smiles and cheerful expressions filled every corner of Khan's vision. Countless auras invaded his senses with a wide variety of intentions. Foreign respect, envy, curiosity, bitterness, greed, and much more spread in Khan's mind, bringing some awareness about the general situation. Yet, everything was so chaotic that Monica herself tightened her grip on his arm.
The couple's nearing anniversary had broadened the scope of the event, raising the bar for the type of guests allowed inside the hall. Khan and Monica saw extremely wealthy and influential people anywhere they looked. Part of the Global Army's upper echelon had gathered there that day, and Khan finally understood.
Almost all the people in the hall had everything since birth. They had nigh-infinite money, countless studying resources, as many infusions as they requested, and more. Yet, Khan could count the number of fifth-level warriors with his fingers.
The fourth-level warriors were higher in number but not nearly enough to balance the rest of the crowd. Most of those esteemed figures were at the second or third level, with a minority in the first, and Khan couldn't help but feel lost as realizations popped into his mind.
A few figures were to blame for their current status, but not all of them. Many had tried and failed to press forward or had given up on the matter entirely, even while having everything a soldier could ask for.
Instead, there Khan stood, a man barely in his early twenties with no help from his background who had still surpassed most of the Global Army. The next step would put him at the peak, and the following would push him into a realm that even wealthy families saw as untouchable.
The realization was impossible to miss. Khan couldn't help but recall Monica's words, and then, it hit him. The dreams weren't distant. Nothing was far away anymore, and everything was bound to get closer.
