章 14: Similarities

'It was organic A-tier then,' Khan thought while reading the stats, but he didn't forget to question Doctor Ian about his previous exclamation.

"Is something wrong, sir?" Khan asked while turning his gaze toward the Doctor.

Ian wore a confused expression when he read the stats. He checked the electric thermometer and tinkered with it for a while before repeating the test. However, the holoscreen ended up showing the same results.

Khan began to worry. He trusted his father too much to believe that he had messed up with the transplant, but Doctor Ian's expressions made him feel that something was wrong.

"Is my mana core ok, sir?" Khan asked.

The stats didn't seem to have anything wrong, except for the mana capacity. Still, Khan had already visualized and moved that energy, so he knew that he had no problem in that field.

"Nothing is wrong," Doctor Ian eventually announced before turning Khan and inspecting his features.

Doctor Ian paid a great deal of attention to his eyes and hair. He seemed very interested in the few azure strands on his head, and his gaze soon fell on the rest of Khan's body.

"I'm starting to worry," Khan said while taking a step back to leave Doctor Ian's grasp.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Doctor Ian replied before switching the topic. "Are you a Tainted?"

The question took Khan by surprise, but he felt no reason to hide that feature from the army doctor. He grabbed the collar of his sweaty uniform and lowered it to reveal part of the azure scar on his chest.

"I'm one of the survivors of the Second Impact," Khan explained. "Did the infection affect my mana?"

Even Bret had failed to notice that a few mutations had escaped his attention. Khan only needed to inspect Doctor Ian's expressions to understand that the infection had affected other parts of his body.

"It's impossible to remain completely unaffected by the Nak's infection," Doctor Ian explained. "Even the great Bret can't do miracles."

"Do you know my father?" Khan asked as his eyes widened in surprise.

"It's hard to find soldiers who didn't hear about him," Doctor Ian gave voice to a faint laugh. "Good man. What happened to him was a tragedy. I still think that the Global Army has been too hard on him."

Khan didn't know the specifics behind his father's retirement. He was completely unaware of how the higher-ups of the Global Army worked, and Bret had never had the chance nor the ability to describe them.

"Did the Nak's mana threaten my chances of becoming a mage?" Khan asked as his worries intensified.

"Not at all," Doctor Ian quickly reassured him. "It has simply affected your nature. Your status as a Tainted explains these stats."

"Care to explain them to me?" Khan asked, and Doctor Ian shot a cold glance toward him that made him recall the word "sir".

"The issue is in the element," Doctor Ian explained when he saw that Khan lowered his head. "The chaos element is almost impossible to find in humans, but it's very common among Nak. Your Tainted status also explains why your normal body has been able to fuse with an organic A-tier core without any special training."

Khan suddenly recalled Luke's words about the compatibility of organic mana cores, and a cold idea formed in his mind.

His mana core belonged to a Nak, but his body didn't oppose the transplant. His father didn't argue about the procedure either. The reason behind those details seemed obvious now, but Khan didn't want to understand it.

'It can't be,' Khan thought as the images of his recurring nightmare flashed in his eyes.

"I would need to perform more tests to confirm anything," Doctor Ian continued, "But the Nak's mana may have given you some aspects of that alien species. My machine can only test the human capacity, so it can't give an accurate stat for you."

"Are you implying that I'm a Nak, sir?" Khan asked as a hint of coldness seeped into his voice.

Doctor Ian failed to notice the change in his tone and continued the explanation. "You are a fully-fledged human. You only have certain mutations that make my tools not work since you have developed similarities to that species."

Khan didn't answer. Doctor Ian's explanation didn't satisfy him. The Nak had been his curse for eleven years, but he had discovered that he carried similarities with that species now. His mood had never been worse.

Khan turned to leave. He wanted to remain alone for a while. That discovery had turned his world upside-down, but Doctor Ian stopped him before he could reach the door.

"I have yet to explain the attunement," Doctor Ian announced, and Khan decided to suppress the awful feelings that had filled his mind for the time being to hear those teachings.

"Mana fills the entirety of the Nak's bodies," Doctor Ian explained. "That's an attunement level that goes beyond one hundred percent. You must aim to do the same, but I'm sure that you'll learn about all of this soon."

"Can I go now, sir?" Khan asked.

Doctor Ian could see that something was wrong with Khan, and he didn't take much to understand the nature behind his foul mood.

Khan had survived the Second Impact. It was normal for his feelings toward the Nak to be unpleasant, and learning about the similarities with that species wasn't ideal.

Of course, Doctor Ian didn't know about Khan's nightmares, so he underestimated the intensity of those feelings. He didn't do anything to cheer Khan up, and his hand soon pointed toward the door.

"One last thing," Doctor Ian said before Khan could leave the room. "You aren't the first human with the chaos element. The army won't mistreat you, but I can't say the same for the other soldiers."

'Even better,' Khan exclaimed in his mind before ignoring that issue.

Khan knew that he couldn't do anything about his situation, but he could decide how to feel about it. He had to be alone and slowly accept that discovery.

Doctor Ian didn't stop Khan from leaving the room. The latter walked out of the medical bay without bothering to look at his surroundings. He continued to march until he found a bench laid at the side of a street.

'I'm not exactly a Nak,' Khan told himself while sitting on the bench. 'I'm only similar to that species in some aspects. My element and my mana core are only tools. I bet that I will use spells meant for humans.'

Khan was trying to lift his morale. He resented the Nak deeply, so he had to find a way out of that reasoning to avoid hating himself.

'Who knows?' Khan thought. 'These mutations might even benefit me. My attunement is already at ten percent. That can't be a bad starting point.'

A few kids gathered around Khan while he remained immersed in his thoughts. Four boys between sixteen and seventeen years old noticed his clothes and decided to surround his bench.

"Hey, you!" The boy in front of Khan suddenly shouted. "We have a bet in place. My friends think that you are from the Slums, but I want to believe that you simply don't like to clean yourself."

Khan glanced at the four boys, but he soon lowered his head again. He had gone through similar situations in the Slums, and he had no intention to fuel them during his first day in the Global Army.

"Look at his hair," One of the boys behind Khan said. "He has a few azure strands. It can't be simple dye."

"Did we find a Tainted at our first try?" Another boy asked. "He must be from the Slums then. Pay up!"

"He has yet to confirm that!" The first boy complained.

"Come on," The fourth boy laughed. "There hasn't been an infection in Ylaco in centuries. Only the Slums don't have the equipment to deal with it."

"The Second Impact has also happened in the Slums," The boy behind Khan added.

"Hey, you!" The first boy shouted again while crouching toward Khan. "I'm talking to you! Are you from the Slums or Ylaco?"

Khan continued to ignore them, but the first boy eventually grabbed his hair and forced him to raise his head.

"You really don't know how to leave people alone," Khan whispered.

"I want an answer-," The first boy shouted, but Khan stabbed his fingers in his eyes before he could finish his line.

"What are you doing?!" The boy behind the bench asked and tried to grab him, but Khan promptly stood up and kicked the blinded guy to the ground.

The boy near Khan tried to approach him from the side, but he pushed a hand forward to block his vision.

The boy tilted his head to see what was happening behind the hand, but a sharp pain suddenly filled his entire body. His companions covered their mouths when they saw that scene. Khan had used that chance to kick him in the groin.

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章 15: Fight

"That's fighting dirty!" One of the boys behind the bench shouted, but Khan ignored him.

Khan used that chance to turn and take care of the blinded boy. He was still covering his eyes, so he couldn't react to the precise kick that hit his groin.

The two boys behind the bench covered their mouths again. They didn't expect Khan to go after their already hurt friend, but they had to admit that his tactic worked well.

Khan didn't stop there. The four boys had given him the chance to vent his foul mood. Another kick fell on the blinded guy's belly while his two friends were still trying to reach him.

The two boys eventually reached Khan. One of them tried to grab him, but Khan swiftly took a step back and dodged his arms. However, the second kid approached him from the side and managed to punch his face.

Pain spread on Khan's face, but he didn't lose his focus. He pretended to stumble on the grass near the street, and the two boys promptly tried to exploit that chance. However, their vision went dark when Khan threw a handful of dirt in their eyes.

"Watch your balls!" Khan shouted, and the two blinded boys quickly covered their groins.

Khan's left fist hit one of them on the nose and made him stumble on the ground. The boy instinctively protected his head during the fall, so Khan's kick could reach his groin without any obstruction.

"You'll pay for this!" The fourth boy shouted after he managed to regain his vision.

Khan fell to the ground as the boy jumped on him. A series of punches landed on his face and forced him to use his arms to block them. Yet, more lies came out of his mouth.

"Do you think that sitting on top of me is a good idea?" Khan asked, and the boy stopped his offensive to check his opponent's legs.

Khan's hand promptly reached the boy's face at that point. He used all his strength to slam his opponent to the ground, and a faint cracking noise reached his ears.

'What?' Khan shouted in his mind while crouching on the ground to check the boy.

His ears didn't lie to him. The boy had fainted after his head had slammed on the ground, and blood flowed out of his mouth. Something had broken during the impact, and Khan began to panic at that sight.

'This one needs a doctor,' Khan quickly concluded and grabbed his phone.

Khan searched through the various menus to find something that could make him call a doctor, but a faint worry made him stop his actions.

'Can they even expel me for this?' Khan wondered for an instant, and his priorities soon took control of his actions.

Khan stored his phone and began to search the fainted boy's pockets. He quickly found a phone, and he didn't hesitate to grab his hand to pass through the genetic scanner.

"Put your arms behind your head and lie on the ground," A metallic voice suddenly resounded behind him.

Khan let go of the phone and followed those orders. He slowly turned before lying on the ground, and three short robots appeared in his vision.

Those robots were identical to those in charge of cleaning the streets. They were rectangular and white, and two pairs of large wheels allowed them to move freely through the training camp. However, two arms had come out of their body at that time.

The arms wielded small tasers pointed toward Khan. He had no option but to obey those orders, but he didn't miss the chance to improve his situation.

"That boy needs a doctor," Khan explained. "I think he fell on a rock or something."

"We have already recorded the entire violation," One of the robots said with its usual mechanical voice. "A lieutenant is currently reviewing the tape. You all must remain in custody before the verdict."

'Dad would be proud of me,' Khan laughed in his mind.

The robots put handcuffs on Khan and the four boys. Then, they activated scanners to inspect their injuries. It didn't take much before a small drone flew above the fourth kid and lifted him in the air through a yellow light.

Similar drones arrived above Khan and the others, but they didn't use the same care. They magnetically attracted the handcuffs and forced the four to fly across the camp while hanging from their surface.

The direction of the two groups was also different. The fourth boy flew toward the medical bay, while Khan and the others went toward the outskirts of the camp, where the ground opened to reveal a large basement.

Four holes opened on the basement's roof before the drones dropped their prisoners there. Khan suddenly landed in a small cell that featured metal bars covered by azure light.

The handcuffs automatically opened once the hole in the roof closed, and tremors spread through the cells as the basement returned underground. Only the faint light of the electric torches continued to illuminate the area, but everything appeared quite dark nonetheless.

'What a beautiful first day in the army,' Khan thought while giving voice to a faint laugh.

A warm sensation moved his attention away from the cell. Khan checked his face and discovered that a line of blood was falling from his nose. A few bruises had also appeared on his cheek and corner of his right eye, but none of them seemed serious.

'I've become quite tough,' Khan concluded.

The fourth boy had landed many punches on his face, but he had endured the blows quite well. Still, thinking about his strength reminded him of the cracking noise.

'I should be careful,' Khan thought while inspecting his hands. 'I don't know how strong I am. I should avoid getting into fights until I learn to control myself.'

Khan sighed before sitting on the bench inside his cell. The battle wasn't his fault, but he had still let his feelings take control of his actions. He could have run away after knocking the first two boys unconscious and avoid that mess.

'The robots have recorded the fight,' Khan thought. 'I should be fine unless the Global Army is as corrupt as the Slums.'

His background was quite messy, while the boys seemed to come from Ylaco's wealthy districts. Khan didn't know what to think about the army, but he didn't feel too anxious. His father would give him a hand if something unfair were to happen.

Khan inspected the basement, but the dim light didn't allow him to see much. Two rows of identical cells occupied the sides of the building, but he couldn't find other prisoners except for the three boys.

His hand eventually went into his pocket. Khan drew the phone and smiled when he saw that it worked even from inside the cell. His fingers quickly tapped on the smooth screen and browsed through the menus to find the army's regulations.

'The punishment for the fights inside the camp consists of a few hours of work inside one of the buildings,' Khan read. 'That's not bad. You can also pay a small number of Credits to avoid the work, but I can't do much in my case.'

The regulations described specific cases that could aggravate the punishment, and Khan read through all of them. He wanted to memorize those rules before returning to the camp.

The three boys eventually woke up, and loud complaints resounded from their cells once they understood where they were. Some of them even gave voice to threats that featured their family name, but no one cared about them.

Their attention soon fell on Khan. The three boys could see that he was quietly browsing through his phone, and their anger didn't allow them to remain silent.

"This is all your fault!" One of the boys shouted. "Who is so stupid to fight inside the camp?"

"You, apparently," Khan replied without moving his eyes from the phone.

"Where is Samuel?" Another boy asked.

"I think the drone flew him to the doctor," Khan honestly explained.

A second of silence followed that revelation. The boys were angry, but they didn't forget that Khan had beaten them. The fact that their friends had ended up needing medical care made them also feel a tinge of fear toward him.

"You just wait," The first boy whispered. "We have underestimated you today, but we still have a long time together. Be sure to watch your back, and start covering your groin."

Khan wanted to bicker some more, but a loud snore suddenly resounded through the basement. The noise came from the other side of the building, where a table, chairs, and a series of clothes occupied the area.

A figure slowly began to move among the clothes. A tall man who wore only a pair of trousers stood up and began to browse through the pile under him.

The man cursed and snorted whenever he failed to find what he was looking for. He went through all the uniforms in the pile of clothes, but he remained unsatisfied.

"Sir! Sir!" The first boy shouted once the man turned toward his cell. "There has been a mistake. I'm Bloke Seylor. I'm sure you are aware of my family."

"I can barely remember where I put my damned uniform," The man snorted before inspecting the various cells.

"Sir! Sir!" Bloke continued. "Please, listen to me. I shouldn't be here. We were only playing around."

"What kind of game makes you lose a brawl in such fashion?" The man replied without bothering to stop his search. "I've seen the battle. I have to admit that I laughed at times."

"Are you the Lieutenant in charge of our case, sir?" Khan asked when he heard those words.

"I've already given my verdict," The man replied while approaching the other side of the basement. "You are in the clear, young man. You fought well."

Khan wanted to thank the Lieutenant, but the Bloke spoke before him. "How could you do that? He sent Samuel to the medical bay!"

"Who cares," The man snorted.

"I will definitely tell my father about this!" Bloke continued. "You are only a Lieutenant. I bet that the Global Army will strip you of your rank!"

The man ignored those words, and his eyes lit up when he found a uniform hidden in the corner of a cell. He quickly wore it, and the four boys remained shocked when they saw three stars on both shoulders.

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