Chaos' Heir

A red light flashed among the blueness of Miss Christen's vision before everything went dark.

Khan bent down, no emotion on his expression, while he grabbed Miss Christen's white hair. He straightened himself, and those strands followed him, accompanied by Miss Christen's severed head.

A few drops of blood fell from Khan's palm on Miss Christen's hair, slightly tainting it. Far more flowed out of her severed neck, dripping on the alabaster body underneath. On that cozy night, an evolved warrior had lost her head at Khan's hand.

Khan glanced at the severed head before looking at the body below. Reason wanted that beheading would be enough to kill anyone, but Miss Christen was an evolved warrior and a special case at that.

Some people could be tricked, but Khan only had to focus on his senses to uncover the lingering vitality inside the beheaded body and severed head. Technically, Miss Christen wasn't alive, but she wasn't dead, either, and Khan had to solve that problem.

Khan stomped his foot on Miss Christen's body. The ground opened in concentric circles, shattering under the condensed entropy, and the beheaded flesh faced the full brunt of the blow, quickly crumbling into dust that fell into the new cavity.

Khan then stabbed a finger of his empty hand and stabbed it inside Miss Christen's severed neck, releasing some sharp energy. The attack ravaged part of the head's insides but mostly targeted the lingering vitality in its flesh.

A change happened once the last trace of vitality vanished. Energy started to leave the nearby forest, seemingly evaporating and dispersing into the air.

Something similar happened at the bottom of the hole. Vitality filled it, reinforcing its soil and giving birth to blades of grass. The process was random, carrying no will. It simply resulted from the energy released after extinguishing any trace of Miss Christen's life.

Khan studied the area a bit longer. Thanks to that lingering vitality, that zone would flourish for a while, and he couldn't sense any will or personality inside it. Khan only perceived the usual mana from the symphony, reassuring him about Miss Christen's actual death.

Everything pointed in the direction that Khan had successfully killed his first evolved warrior, but the achievement brought him no happiness. He didn't like doing that, and, in his view, the world had lost an asset that could have been useful in the war against the scarlet eyes. Khan had nothing to celebrate there.

Khan dismissed those sour thoughts and hurried back to the forest. Reuniting with Colonel Norrett and Major General Arngan took him no time, and his return inevitably shocked the two warriors.

Colonel Norrett and Major General Arngan couldn't help but stare at the severed head hanging from Khan's hand while he typed something on his phone. Their leader had actually defeated an evolved warrior, cementing his status inside that higher realm. The battle didn't last long, either, putting Khan above average warriors at the same level.

Colonel Norrett wanted to ask many questions, curious about the situation and Khan's understanding of the superior realm. However, he suddenly felt lightheaded, and his face hit the ground, unable to stay lifted anymore.
Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

Colonel Norrett didn't have to wait long before someone gently turned him upside down, making him lie on his back. The change didn't improve his light-headedness, but he could at least breathe without risking inhaling soil now.

"Help is coming," Khan reassured, standing beside Colonel Norrett. "Ships have already set off."

Major General Arngan followed Khan's every move but stayed silent. His curiosity was no weaker than Colonel Norrett's, but he knew that wasn't the time to talk.

In a minute or so, the whooshing sound of engines reached the forest, and circular platforms pierced through the crowns to land where the three warriors were, bringing doctors and stretchers. The medical crews quickly attended to the injuries, but Khan waved his hand when someone approached him.

"I'll fly directly to the medical bay," Khan revealed, disappearing from the area.

The following hour was confusing for the two warriors, especially for Colonel Norrett. The man had suffered a series of annoying injuries that required more advanced surgical equipment, forcing the doctors to use sedatives to handle them.

Nevertheless, everything went fine, and the Colonel soon awakened. He found himself inside a relatively dark room, feeling slightly dizzy and high. The scanner at the side of his bed stated that it was still deep into the night, but a familiar voice soon distracted him.

"You took your sweet time," Major General Arngan exclaimed from a nearby bed at Colonel Norrett's right side. "The doctors said you'll survive."

"It will take more than that to kill me, General," Colonel Norrett said, grunting while slightly lifting himself, leaning his back on the pillows. "What about you?"

"They had to close a few holes," Major General Arngan summarized while lifting his half-missing right arm, "But this is my problem."

Even with the dim illumination, Colonel Norrett noticed the bandages on Major General Arngan's stump. He had many of his own on his torso, too, but looking in that direction revealed a third figure.

Khan sat cross-legged on the floor near the wall opposite the two beds. His eyes were closed, but sensing Colonel Norrett's gaze made him open them, illuminating the small room with their light.

The absence of doctors suddenly made sense to Colonel Norrett. He also understood the faint impatience in Major General Arngan's voice. Khan was waiting for the Colonel to awaken to have a meeting right away.

Khan watched the two warriors, his glowing eyes slowly moving left and right. The Colonel and the Major General remained silent, awaiting his words, but deep thoughts ran through his mind, demanding more pondering.

Eventually, Khan lowered his gaze. Colonel Norrett and Major General Arngan had just risked their lives against an evolved warrior out of loyalty toward him. They deserved some honesty, even if it sounded crazy and impossible.

"I think it's time you knew what my goal is," Khan announced, "And what my life is all about."