Chaos' Heir

Khan retreated into his mind as the soldiers handled the departure. The scientist's explanation had given him ideas on how to advance his project on magic items, and he used the wait to explore them.

A will was a complicated existence, and creating one involved many hurdles. Khan had tried to use intense feelings and memories to build something that matched his requirements, but his approach had probably been too forceful.

Fusing the violent nature of Khan's mana with his intensity could only lead to unstable results, hence the explosions. However, he might avoid those dangerous reactions if he split the procedure into multiple phases, slowly letting his blood transform into what he desired.

The idea felt so obvious that Khan almost cursed himself for not considering it earlier. He couldn't realistically expect to build cursed items in a single afternoon session, especially as a novice in the field. Yet, his inexperience and inclinations had made him blind to the issue, until now, at least.

The set-off didn't distract Khan from those thoughts. He didn't interact with the small crew while sitting on the main deck and sipping his drink. His fingers tingled as the urge to test those new ideas intensified, but returning to Baoway had to come first.

The soldiers said nothing, but the difference from the previous trip was evident. The atmosphere inside the ship was nothing compared to before. Everything was far more relaxed, lacking the earlier chilling tension.

Khan's mental state was to blame or thank for that relaxing atmosphere. Realistically, the trip didn't give him much, but he felt it had been quite productive. He had confirmed and cleared many issues involving the Nak, discovered the intended path of his curse, and developed new ideas for his experiments. All in all, things went well.

Now, Khan only had to put what he had learned into practice, meaning training and experiments. The sample had told him that finding the Nak was necessary to evolve past mana, but that wouldn't stop him from trying alone. Khan would actually prefer to get there without asking the Nak for help.

Time inevitably slowed down inside the ship. The more Khan wanted to test things out, the longer the trip felt. Luckily, he had booze to spare, but something eventually distracted him, and the pilot experienced a similar reaction.

A beeping noise resounded through the main deck. The sound was clear but short. It barely lasted a fraction of a second, making the pilot wonder whether it had happened at all.

However, Khan had no doubts. He had heard that beep, and his eyes promptly darted to the pilot's console. Screens stood at its sides, showing the scanners' recordings. Something odd had popped out, and Khan waited for the ship to pick it up again.

Needless to say, the atmosphere on the ship changed. The air grew sharp as Khan completely focused on the screens. His mood affected the crew, making the pilot also check the scanners. As for the soldiers, they entered the main deck, curious about the cause of that reaction.

Seconds transformed into minutes as all eyes on the main deck converged on the screens. Everyone waited for the scanners to say something, but the silence continued. The crew slowly but eventually began to relax, but Khan didn't join them.

'A false-positive?' Khan wondered. 'Unlikely. Technical problems? Also unlikely.'

The ship's scanners were by no means foolproof, but the vehicle still abided by the highest standards humankind had to offer. That was noble technology, the best the Global Army could provide. Khan couldn't believe it had malfunctioned, especially since he had stayed put with his aura.

Khan didn't blink and even held his breath. His stare became so intense that mana threatened to leak from his eyes. His mood forced the crew to focus again, and another beep eventually resounded.

The second beeping noise was as short as the first, but Khan and the crew noticed something else now that their eyes were on the screens. Three blue dots had flashed on the devices, immediately disappearing. Normality returned, but the soldiers didn't let that fool them.

"Stealth technology!" The pilot shouted as his right hand danced on the controls. "Acquiring frequency!"

One of the soldiers peeked past the bridge's entrance, shouting orders at the technician. The latter immediately got into position and waited for the code to arrive.

"Frequency acquired!" The pilot cried once the ship's menus updated him. "XFE-558329!"

The soldier by the door echoed the code, and the technician in the other room confirmed it while inputting it into the specific machines. The scanners' screens flickered as the new settings went online, eventually showing far different pictures.

The scanners checked the ship's surroundings, which had been clear until now. However, the new settings showed the reality of the situation. Three vehicles were flying closely behind Khan's ride, sticking to its course.

More noises followed. The ship's menus made warning sounds, alerting the crew about the pursuers' activities. The three vehicles were locked on Khan's ride, seemingly ready to fire at it.

"Engaging in evasive maneuvers!" The pilot shouted, using a mixture of manual and automatic controls to shake off the pursuers' targeting system.

The ship's artificial gravity did its best to compensate for the sudden turns and spins, but repercussions were unavoidable. Pushing forces invaded the bridge, trying to fling the crew away. However, Khan only needed his legs to remain in his seat, and the pilot had fastened his seatbelt. As for the two soldiers, they ended up slamming into the nearest walls.

The crashes didn't hurt the soldiers, who searched for the nearest handholds to stabilize their position. They quickly found something useful, allowing them to endure the following evasive maneuvers. Their sense of duty also kept their eyes on Khan, but he paid them no heed.

Truthfully, Khan had never stopped inspecting the crew. His eyes were on the scanners, but his senses studied everything while his brain tried to make sense of that development.

The trip had happened in secret. Almost no one on Baoway knew about Khan's departure, and only the pilot was aware of the destination. Those precautions removed the crew from the list of suspects, and Khan's senses confirmed that.

The soldier didn't get the chance to finish his line because Khan briefly glared at him, shutting him up. The protocol would have wanted Khan to retreat into safer areas of the ship, but he couldn't be bothered to follow it. Besides, everything would be pointless if the vehicle blew up.

'They are keeping up,' Khan thought once his eyes returned to the scanners. 'It can't be pirates.'

It wasn't only a matter of lack of hostility. Khan sensed his crew's slight fear and resolve. The pilot, soldiers, and technician were worried about that development, but their experience and training allowed them to remain focused and prioritize Khan's safety.

"My Prince!" One of the soldiers called. "You should-."

The soldier didn't get the chance to finish his line because Khan briefly glared at him, shutting him up. The protocol would have wanted Khan to retreat into safer areas of the ship, but he couldn't be bothered to follow it. Besides, everything would be pointless if the vehicle blew up.

'They are keeping up,' Khan thought once his eyes returned to the scanners. 'It can't be pirates.'

That hypothesis was almost ludicrous, but Khan had considered it anyway. Yet, the pursuers kept up with the ship's evasive maneuvers, vouching for their advanced technology. Mere pirates couldn't have access to vehicles on par with the nobles'.

'Someone talked,' Khan concluded.

Rebecca's name crossed Khan's mind, but he quickly disregarded it. She wouldn't have let him destroy priceless samples only to betray him afterward. Attacking him before he reached the lab would have made far more sense.

Removing Rebecca left a single name in Khan's mind. The Nognes family had planned the trip, so only the Nognes family could interfere with it. His faction also had someone who would greatly benefit from Khan's death, seemingly confirming his hunches.

'Thomas,' Khan thought. 'It seems he is more resourceful than Rebecca.'

Rebecca owned the lab, the crew, and the scientists, but Thomas had found Khan anyway. Khan couldn't know how but had learned enough about the political field to admire the event. His Uncle clearly was a true expert with immense influence and reach.

"Incoming!" The pilot suddenly shouted, distracting Khan from his thoughts. More warning noises filled the bridge, and the scanners showed a series of projectiles flying toward the ship.

The pilot switched to different evasive maneuvers, skillfully avoiding the projectiles, but the pursuers kept firing. The bridge's alarms never stopped crying, creating a loud atmosphere that almost prevented the crew from thinking clearly.

Nevertheless, Khan and the crew didn't let simple alarms distract them. Khan even noticed something during the assault. The scanners showed strange patterns, and Khan left his seat to approach the pilot's console.

"My Prince, you shouldn't," The pilot said, but the necessity for more evasive maneuvers cut his line short. He didn't want Khan to stay on his feed during that reckless flight, but the abrupt pushing force barely affected him.

"They aren't hitting us," Khan declared, tinkering with the console to lower the alarms' volume.

"Indeed, My Prince," The pilot confirmed. "They are locked onto us, but their missiles don't hit."

Both Khan and the pilot knew that the outcome was impossible. The best evasive maneuvers couldn't completely avoid projectiles fired in those circumstances. Something had to touch the ship, but its mana barrier showed no damage at all.

"I think they are pushing us off-course," The pilot revealed.

"They already have," Khan commented, "But to what end?"

"I wouldn't know, My Prince," The pilot admitted. "However, if they keep at it, we'll cross the border and enter the Empire's domain."