Chaos' Heir

Find the Nak, inherit mana, and evolve it to fend off the scarlet eyes. That was the greater purpose the successful hosts had to accomplish. That was Khan's mission, whether he wanted it or not.

The last reply calmed Khan down. Ideally, he wouldn't take anything from the Nak, but that ship had already sailed. It had taken him a while, but he had eventually accepted the alien power inside him. Moreover, Khan couldn't be picky regarding a universal threat.

Ideas and simulations filled Khan's mind. He was no scientist, but few could claim to have such a broad view of the mana. Caja and Zalpa were more knowledgeable than him, but he had access to multiple alien arts that explored different aspects of that magical energy.

'I am an odd Shaman,' Khan realized. 'Chances are I've already developed something that breaks the rules.'

Khan was often blind to the greatness of his achievements, but his memories provided undeniable clues. He had defeated fifth-level warriors, surpassed the limits of Nele's and Niqols' arts, and condensed his knowledge into his runes, creating a new, unique scientific field.

All those pieces had made Khan ignore the accepted power system. His attunement with mana was no reliable indicator of his actual prowess. He played by different rules, existing in a world only he could see. Yet, Khan couldn't know whether that matched the Nak's explanation.

Khan sorted out his thoughts, trying to find the right question for the Nak, but something distracted him. The alien had used a lot of mana to give its last explanation, and the remaining energy inside its flesh began leaking out.

The trembling membrane above the Nak's head also dispersed. The alien appeared unable to control its energy anymore, forcing Khan to stretch his hands forward and release mana.

Usually, the Nak's flesh would absorb any energy it touched, but the corpse was different. It ignored Khan's mana, dispersing what remained of its fuel. Even its tissues began releasing mana, slowly regressing to its previous state.

Khan continued sending mana forward before grabbing the first flask in his reach. He poured all its contents on the Nak's head before resuming emitting energy, but the alien didn't care. Its flesh became dry, and the weight of its heavier pieces eventually pierced it.

Holes opened on the Nak's head. Its eyelids crumbled as it tried to close them, and its eyes dug into its skull, shattering when they reached the container's bottom.

The previous cavities also expanded, turning that maimed torso into dust. The organs were the last to go, but everything crumbled nonetheless, leaving nothing but shards and blue powder inside the container.

The Nak seemed to have committed suicide, but Khan had another explanation. The effort required by the last explanation had exhausted its already damaged mental capabilities. The alien had even lost its most basic survival instincts, so its maimed body succumbed to the many years spent inside the lab.

Strangely enough, Khan didn't feel angry or disappointed about losing his best sample. He looked at the dust inside the container, experiencing mixed and complicated emotions. Part of him even felt sad for the Nak, but he pretended not to notice.

Khan eventually lifted his gaze, pointing it at the door that led to the lab. He had other decent-sized samples but had run out of uses for them. He had gotten some answers, and that was it.

'Break the rules,' Khan thought, scratching his head. 'Chaos is free. Chaos is life and death, fire and water.'

Khan knew his brain had translated the Nak's explanation using the most suitable words in his knowledge. Still, he couldn't ignore their meaning altogether. Khan had to consider every nuance, especially since he already wielded some of them.

'I can create fire and water through chaos,' Khan considered. 'Is that breaking the rules?'

Khan's runes could give birth to manifestations of different elements. They weren't elements per se, but the result was close enough to make him consider that idea.

'It can't be so easy,' Khan wondered, 'Can it?'

There was nothing easy about Khan's runes, but he couldn't claim them to be an evolution of mana. At most, he could acknowledge that he had surpassed the individual arts in his possession.

'Life and death are also kind of done,' Khan thought, glancing at the dust. He had just revived and talked with a dead Nak. He didn't believe he could get any closer than that.

'Maybe he was talking metaphorically,' Khan considered. 'But I can kind of do that already, too.'

Fire and water could be ways to express opposite natures, which Khan could achieve through the Niqols' manipulation field. However, the idea didn't convince him. It felt too shallow when considering the relevance of the Nak's quest.

'Evolving past mana,' Khan thought. 'What does it even mean?'

Khan instinctively thought about a new form of energy. Mana had made electricity outdated, and something above it could theoretically exist. Yet, the Nak had stressed the chaos element, forcing him to put that idea aside.

Minutes passed as Khan explored the topic, repeating the Nak's words in his mind. He even tried to recall the exact sensations he felt when hearing its replies, hoping they could lead to better ideas.

Nevertheless, the effort seemed pointless and always led to the same conclusion. Khan had to find and get to the Nak to obtain real answers. Actually, the conversation had made their teachings necessary to defeat the scarlet eyes' threat.

As much as Khan didn't like the idea, finding the Nak was his original plan. Getting there might involve new issues now, but the goal didn't change. As for the Nak's inheritance, Khan could only decide after inspecting the scene with his own eyes.

The long testing session left Khan empty-handed, but he didn't see it as a waste. He had added another piece to the puzzle, even gaining a general direction. His element was the key to the path that could surpass the mana. Khan only had to understand how to advance.

That could come in many forms. Maybe Khan's expertise in his various arts had to improve before he could unlock higher levels of understanding and learn how to evolve past mana.

The answer could also be behind the arts Khan had yet to master or meet. The universe was immense, and Khan had already ignored species that didn't match his skill set. One of them might have pushed his understanding to the next level.

Nevertheless, the most reasonable hypothesis involved Khan's attunement with mana. He was only a fourth-level warrior. He still had the fifth level and the evolution ahead of him. The answer to his question could easily come as he grew stronger.

Khan lingered on the hall floor for a few more minutes before standing up. He was done with the lab and the tests. It was time to go home.

Khan pressed on the floor and gave a few orders before crossing the bridge to the lab. He had yet to explore the entire structure, and giving one last look at the remaining samples couldn't hurt.

In the meantime, the scientists cleaned the hall. They removed every trace of Khan's experiments and decontaminated the area, running scanners to make sure nothing remained. That wasn't only protocol. Khan didn't want to risk exposing his projects, either.

As for the lab, nothing piqued Khan's interest. He had spent enough time among Nak's flesh, too. He only wanted to get out of there.

However, one item eventually attracted Khan's curiosity. The former didn't even seem part of the lab. It was hidden in a closet containing unused and dirty equipment. That wasn't even his first time seeing something similar, although he never thought to find it there.

"What's this?" Khan asked, knowing that a few scientists were behind him.

The scientists approached the closet and spotted the only item that could capture Khan's interest. A dirty anvil stood among the messy equipment, seemingly ready to be thrown away.

"We used it during the initial phases of our experiments, My Prince," One of the scientists explained. "Blacksmiths use it to create magic weapons, but it has additional functions."

"Is there a blacksmith here?" Khan questioned. He knew what the anvil's uses were, but a recent issue made him want to learn more about the topic.

"I'm cleared for most of its functions, My Prince," The scientist said. "However, we can summon an expert if you find me unsuited for your questions."

Khan glanced at the scientist before drawing his knife. His gesture carried no hostility, but the tension intensified anyway. His fame preceded him, and the lab's workers would be helpless against his eventual harmful wishes.

"This is a cursed weapon," Khan declared, showing the knife's blunt edges. "Hypothetically, how would you build it?"

The scientist had to take a moment to realize what was happening. At first, he was glad Khan didn't want to kill them all. However, confusion followed as the question became clear in his mind. He tried to answer, but the cursed weapons were a tricky topic.

"My Prince," The scientist announced once he had collected his thoughts. "Different experts have different methods, and the Global Army has yet to develop a reliable technique for cursed weapons."

Khan limited himself to staring at the scientist, and the latter understood that the answer didn't satisfy him. The man fell silent again, eventually coming up with a different reply.

"If it were up to me, My Prince," The scientist continued, "I'd spend years hammering it down. Time often is a common trait among cursed weapons."