章 8: Training

After the First Impact, the entire humanity had forsaken their political borders and had joined hands to create a united front against alien threats.

The wealthiest people on the planet had initially maintained their influence. Still, the enhancements brought by the mana had slowly moved the power over the human race in the hands of men and women who managed to overcome the limits of their species.

The Global Army slowly came to be after those powerful humans created an alliance and seized the monopoly over everything related to the mana. That organization not only provided the chance to obtain power. It also developed new technologies and techniques that used that energy as their foundation.

Khan only had a general understanding of the Global Army. The restraints placed on his father had never allowed him to spread its secrets. Khan's knowledge mostly came from what the news said and from his few memories of the wealthy districts of Ylaco.

'I have so many doubts that Dad has never managed to clear,' Khan thought as he sat on a few pillows placed on the floor.

The Global Army's enlistment period happened once a year, but it lasted for a few months. Khan only had a few weeks left to reach the nearest training camp, but he wasn't in a hurry.

Khan treasured his father's words. Bret was the smartest man he knew. Ignoring his teachings and warnings would only place Khan at the same level as the stupid soldiers.

Moreover, Khan had seen how threatening the Nak were. The Second Impact had shown him that those aliens could survive the crash of a spaceship and still have enough strength to fight entire platoons.

Khan didn't want to become a common foot soldier. He had suffered too much to remain cornered in the outskirts of Ylaco, handling people who didn't even know how mana worked.

His recurring nightmares had made him unable to forget what he had lost during the Second Impact. The Nak had become his curse, and Khan could only think of one way to get rid of it.

'I need to hunt the Nak and get rid of that damned species!' Khan shouted in his mind to reaffirm his determination.

Khan didn't really hate the Nak. They were natural enemies of the human race, but he didn't feel blinding anger controlling his thoughts. He only wanted to experience dreamless nights and grant a better life to his father.

The Nak probably were in the way, so Khan had to fight them. He would think about what he really desired after he managed to get rid of the nightmares.

'Visualize the mana,' Khan said in his mind while focusing on his nape.

His birthday was still a few weeks away, so Khan decided to use that time to improve in the visualization technique. He would then try to move the mana once he mastered the first process.

A faint tremor ran through Khan's spine when he focused on his nape. He could sense that foreign energy had accumulated on that spot, but he had yet to see it clearly.

As Khan maintained his attention, the mana became clearer. He slowly began to see the azure energy stored in his nape flowing toward his brain.

The effort made Khan sweat. He didn't know why that simple visualization technique was so tiring, but he would have to suppress his doubts until the enlistment.

'How can I feel so sleepy already?' Khan complained when he reopened his eyes. 'I'm also hungry. Maybe trying to visualize the mana is making me burn more energy than usual.'

Khan went to open one of the cans in his stash. That was the only type of food available in the Slums unless you were willing to eat the roasted rats in the street stalls.

His eyes casually fell on the clock near the holovision when he bent to pick a can from his secret drawer. Shock filled his mind when he noticed that he had spent three whole hours deep into the visualization technique.

'How is this possible?' Khan wondered while turning the holovision on and checking whether the clock was wrong.

The clock on the holovision reported the same time. The visualization technique had only lasted for a few minutes in Khan's mind, but he had actually spent entire hours meditating.

'My perception is completely off!' Khan exclaimed. 'I should be careful from now on. I know how I am. I might end up spending entire days meditating if I don't keep track of the passage of time.'

The recurring nightmares had made Khan's mind quite resilient. He didn't fear pain, and he didn't mind exhausting himself as long as he had a purpose. His determination had already surpassed what ordinary fifteen years old kids could have.

The discovery forced Khan to change his approach. He continued to use the visualization technique, but he set alarms before entering that meditative state.

Days passed quickly. Khan never left his home. His routine slowly adapted to his training, and he even added a few physical exercises to respect his father's directives.

At the end of the first week of training, Khan could visualize the mana in his nape after mere minutes spent meditating. After the second week, Khan could trigger the tremor even without closing his eyes.

'I guess I should try to move it now,' Khan thought once he found himself unable to improve his performance in the visualization technique.

Khan closed his eyes and focused on the azure energy accumulated in his nape, but doubts soon appeared in his mind. He had no idea how to force the mana to move.

'Maybe my thoughts are enough,' Khan concluded while focusing even harder on that energy.

Nothing happened, no matter how hard Khan pushed himself. The mana flowed normally toward his mind and body, but he had no power over that energy.

'Small steps first,' Khan thought. 'The mana already moves on its own. I should try to slow down and accelerate its flow before attempting to move it.'

His new approach didn't immediately give results, but Khan didn't give up. He continued to go through long mediations to learn how to overcome that challenge.

'Come on!' Khan cursed after hearing his alarm ringing. 'I will turn sixteen in four days. Give me superpowers already!'

Khan ignored the alarm and continued to focus on the mana. A sudden tremor ran through his spine, and the energy finally began to flow faster toward the rest of his body.

A strange sensation filled Khan's body. A tingling feeling spread through his skin and forced him out of his meditative state.

Khan didn't know what had happened. The mana had triggered a reaction in his body after it began to flow faster, but it was unclear whether that was a good or a bad thing.

'Well, it moved at least,' Khan accepted that outcome before ending his training and filling his stomach.

Khan would have normally wanted to maintain a healthy routine. Yet, he didn't have to work in those days, and his nightmares made him unwilling to hit the bed.

The new achievement worsened that situation and made Khan dive even deeper into his training. He slept only two nights in the four days before his birthday. He spent the whole time alternating between meditations and physical training.

Once his birthday arrived, Khan ate more than usual and began the preparations for his departure. He had an almost intact bag, so he stuffed it with clothes and food cans before sealing the entrance of his home as best as possible.

Stealing someone else's house in the Slums was common, but Khan's father was rather feared. Still, Khan didn't dare to risk leaving his home open to thieves while Bret was in jail.

'It's finally time to leave,' Khan thought while glancing at his poor-looking home.

Khan felt slightly sad that he couldn't say a proper goodbye to his father, but their relationship went past those things. They would eventually see each other again.

'I know in which direction the training camp is,' Khan thought while inspecting his mental map of the Slums. 'I have a bit less than a month to reach it. I wonder if the soldiers can give me a ride.'

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章 9: Truck

"Come on," Khan pleaded. "You send trucks to the nearest training camp every day. I only need a ride. I swear I'll shrink and be silent."

Khan had followed his initial plan to ask the soldiers in the Slums a favor. He had reached the nearest station and found people willing to listen to him, but his pleads were leading him nowhere.

"We can't give rides to civilians," The soldier replied. "You can walk or pay someone who owns a car."

"We are in the Slums!" Khan complained. "People barely have food here. Come on. I'm like one hundred and seventy centimeters. I can fit on your lap if I make myself really small."

The soldier shot an angry glance toward Khan, and the latter felt forced to add something to his previous statement.

"Of course, I'd rather not do it," Khan added while lowering his head and wearing his saddest expression.

"Don't try to appeal to my mercy," The soldier replied coldly. "You should go now. You might even reach the training camp in time for the enlistment period if you run for twenty days in a row."

The soldier exploded into a laugh, and his colleagues did the same. They had all stopped working when they noticed that interesting conversation, and they didn't miss the opportunity to mock Khan.

"I didn't want to use this," Khan sighed while a determined expression appeared on his face.

Khan lowered his bag and pulled a can out of it. He lifted it on the soldier's face and made sure that he could read its label.

"This is spicy chicken, my most valuable asset," Khan announced while pulling back the can and holding it between his arms. "I'm willing to give it to you in exchange for the ride."

The soldier watched Khan hugging the can with utmost care. The kid almost appeared to have feelings for that food.

"You should go home now," The soldier sighed while massaging his temples.

"Fine then," Khan said while pulling something else from his bag. "I'm willing to offer you two food cans! The second one is spicy soup."

The soldier didn't know how to answer. He almost felt pity for the kid, but he had no intention to accept the trade.

Khan could see that his bargain wasn't going well, but he didn't give up. He bent to pick a third food can from his backpack, but a tremor suddenly ran down his spine, and his hand shot behind him.

A second soldier, a tall, brawny bald man, had tried to grab Khan's shoulder. Still, Khan had sensed him, and his hand had promptly shot toward him.

Khan slowly turned his head. He had trapped the soldier's wrist in his grasp, and the big man didn't manage to free himself.

A surprised expression appeared on the three of them. The soldiers and Khan didn't expect that show of physical might.

'When did I become so strong?' Khan wondered, but he suppressed that question for the time being.

That sudden burst of power had given Khan the chance to use a different act. He had enough experience in that field to change his character according to the situation.

"You know," Khan said in a cold voice without letting the soldier go. "I'm the son of a first-level warrior, the same man who barged into the mines only a month ago."

"That man is still in jail," The first soldier replied. "Let go of my companion immediately before I put you in the cell next to him."

"Do you think the jails in the Slums can contain a first-level warrior?" Khan threatened. "He has also been the head of the scientific division of the Global Army. Do you really want to displease such a man?"

Both soldiers started to show hints of concern. Even the other men and women in the station began to ignore the conversation for fear of eventual repercussions.

"Imagine what this man would do when he learns that his only son has lost his chance to enlist because of you," Khan continued. "I wonder how long it will take to rebuild this place."

The soldiers completely fell for Khan's act. His words alone weren't a problem, but they had both read the reports about the incident in the mines. Also, Khan appeared quite threatening in that situation.

Khan was keeping a soldier almost twice his size locked in his grasp. Both men could only use the mana to explain his unnatural strength, which made them even more worried.

"The next truck will depart tonight," The first soldier sighed, giving up on the matter. "You will have to sit among the provisions. Mind you. We will cut your hands off if you steal anything."

Khan quickly dropped his cold expression and revealed a smile. He also let go of the soldier behind him who didn't know whether to punish the kid or run away.

"You lost your chance to get two food cans," Khan said while glancing at the hesitant soldier behind him. "I was even willing to add another one!"

The first soldier shook his head and led Khan into a waiting area, where he immediately opened one of his cans and started eating. The man didn't want to start another discussion, so he ignored the kid and went back to work.

'I guess I should maximize my training time,' Khan thought while glancing at the soldiers in the station. 'I can't trust them, but the previous act should have scared them enough to warn me once the truck is ready.'

Khan inspected his hands. The strength from before had left him speechless. He knew that the workout in the last month and his job in the mines weren't enough to give him that power.

'The mana did something,' Khan quickly concluded in his mind. 'The visualization technique shouldn't have anything to do with this strength. It can only be the mana core, the forceful acceleration of its flow, or both of them.'

Khan realized how little he knew about the mana and how dangerous that energy was. He had trained for little more than a month, but he could already see significant improvements.

'Is it like this for everyone?' Khan wondered. 'I might be talented or something. These fast improvements might even come from the quality of the mana core.'

Khan eventually decided to suppress his questions and resume his training. It was pointless to waste those precious hours over doubts that he couldn't solve. The Global Army would soon give him answers anyway.

His focus went on his nape, and a few trails of sweat fell from his forehead while he accelerated the flow of the mana. Khan had gotten the hang of that procedure in the last days, and he had even become used to the tingling sensation that followed it.

"Hey, kid," A soldier eventually interrupted Khan's meditation.

Khan opened his eyes and noticed that the night had already arrived. It was time to leave the Slums, so he didn't hesitate to follow the soldier.

A truck was waiting in front of the station. It was one of the old models that couldn't go higher than ten meters. It even had wheels in case the flying mechanism stopped working.

The transport also looked quite dirty. Mud and terrain covered its wheels and front. It seemed that the truck had needed to move on the ground recently.

'I hope this thing doesn't kill me before reaching the training camp,' Khan thought before climbing on the truck's back, where a simple fabric covered various cans and some bottles.

'Why do they even bring so much food back to the training ground,' Khan wondered. 'I thought they were rich there.'

Khan couldn't lose himself in his thoughts because a female voice resounded from the bottom of the container and startled him.

"Our agreement stated that I would have been alone here!" A young-looking girl with red hair and green eyes shouted.

Khan didn't know what to answer, but he didn't stop climbing inside the truck either. He even moved the cans and created an uncomfortable chair under the livid gaze of the girl.

"Change of plans," The soldier replied while sealing the fabric and closing Khan and the girl inside the container. "Don't try to open this while the truck is in the air."

Khan slowly turned toward the girl and took a can from his backpack. An honest smile appeared on his face as he handed the food to his travel companion.

"It's spicy chicken," Khan said in a polite tone. "I can share it if you give me your name."

The girl didn't even bother to reply. She snorted before turning toward her corner of the container and falling silent.

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