Chaos Heir

Chapter 1126 Mission

Garret wasn't a great drinker. He could handle his booze and even enjoyed it but never indulged in excessive consumption. Still, Garret couldn't help but go slightly overboard that day.

Khan was no liar. Sure, some of his political achievements and maneuvers were sketchy, and his skills had little to do with humankind. The same went for the data about his body, but his character remained stubbornly honest. He wouldn't have caused so many messes otherwise.

Moreover, Garret was a scientist at the peak of his field, and his family had gathered all kinds of medical information that would never hit the network. He knew about the Nak and some of the side effects of their mutations, so even the reasonable part of his mind couldn't dismiss Khan's revelations.

Ultimately, everything made sense. Khan had always had plenty of political reasons to push himself harder than his peers, but learning about his nightmares and the scarlet eyes added an even bigger one to the equation. Khan wasn't only fighting against humankind, his family, and other enemies. He had a universe to save.

The story added a vague but profound sadness to Khan's struggles and achievements. Garret had literally seen Khan killing himself over and over again with his training, even managing to fight a war on the side.

That valiant, praiseworthy, and inspiring behavior now acquired a new taste. Khan wasn't incredible. He was cursed with being forced to be extraordinary because nothing else would work. Actually, even that might not be enough, according to him.

Garret had always been open-minded, and his time with Khan had only broadened his horizons. He accepted the story and tried to review it through his expertise, but his approach immediately revealed a mistake.

Khan had Abraham even before inviting Garret to Baoway. The former had definitely disclosed his curse to the more loyal and older scientist, but Garret had never heard of experiments that might affect it, meaning it had no solution.

The only solution was defeating the scarlet eyes, probably head-on, but Khan was already working toward that. He had achieved evolved status before completing his attunement. He was exploring the universe to look for the Nak's power, and the giant carcass on the holograms proved that his training was going well.

That could make the revelation a simple show of trust, a way for Khan to welcome Garret to his inner circle. However, the latter didn't work like that. Learning about the impending doom sent his brain into overdrive, making him review his entire knowledge to find ways to help.

Khan was out of the question. Garret could still support him, but the Prince had surpassed his wildest expectations. The sole fact that he had survived the toxic pool was a miracle in and of itself, and Garret had to go beyond his expertise to make that work.

Everything else about Khan wasn't physical. It involved proper magic, ancient alien theories, and stories that seemed to belong to fairytales. Garret didn't even know how to approach them, let alone improve them.

However, Khan had more than himself at stake there, and the unique structure of his planet began to make more sense after hearing his story. Khan was partial to certain alien species, but there was cold reason behind the many invitations he had sent, and Garret could work with that.

Humankind was flexible but average. Its soldiers had immense potential and could specialize in all kinds of fields, but most ended up being jacks of all trades and masters of none.

The evolved soldiers were an exception since the evolution demanded high specialization. Still, those outstanding figures were rare, and some resorted to methods that tampered with their potential.

Also, wars weren't usually won by individuals. Mana made that possible, but Khan couldn't be everywhere at once, and the same went for other theoretically available evolved warriors. The rest of humankind had to pull its weight, which could come in more ways than simple battle prowess.

Weapons, techniques, science, and more could significantly increase a species' overall standing. Yet, progress was neither certain nor quick and often demanded a steep price, but there were ways around all that.

Imitation was one of the main pillars of development. Humankind had done that with the Nak after the First Impact and could do it again with other species. Those projects were already in the work, but no one could claim connections deeper than what Khan had achieved in Baoway.

The Thilku Empire's military experience was unmatched. The Ef'i followed training regimens that could kill most humans, and the Fuveall had the technology, technology the Global Army could only dream of.

"I'll tell my father to pay more attention to the Fuveall," Garret announced after remaining silent for a while to absorb the incredible story. "We must obtain results in that field."

"Results will arrive," Khan reassured. "The General's evolution will be the first real breakthrough. Once that's done, the clinical trial will produce more tangible results, restoring many soldiers to their former strength."

"The training grounds of Baoway will create batches of stronger soldiers," Khan continued. "One species might not be enough to defeat the scarlet eyes, but what about four? I also don't plan to stop at that."

"My absence will also prevent stupid scuffles from happening," Khan added. "You'll all be able to develop in peace while I'm out there."

Khan drank from his glass, leaning on the interactive desk before recalling something. "Oh, the Emperor knows about the scarlet eyes, so the Empire will surely support us in this war. He was actually quite happy to learn about them."

Garret ignored the joke, his mind still stuck to the previous line. He and Khan had never developed any genuine friendship, but only an idiot wouldn't notice the helplessness of his situation.

"Did I ever tell you I can see the mana?" Khan revealed before Garret could say anything. "I can even smell it to a certain degree, and I know how concern tastes."

Garret turned to look at Khan. He had sat on one of the available chairs during the story, and his legs still didn't feel like standing. He also didn't know how to take that additional shocking revelation, but Khan didn't let him speak again.

"I'm saying," Khan explained. "Don't waste time worrying about me. Happiness has never been in my cards, and I always seem to improve faster when I don't have it, so it's better like this."

Garret didn't know what to say. Khan's situation was already tragic, but he was completely alone now. He didn't release any official announcement, but a smart man like Garret had guessed about his breakup long ago. That left him with only one thing to ask.

"What can I do for you, My Prince?" Garret asked, standing up, his fingers and brain itching for work.

Khan studied the relatively young scientist for a few seconds before turning toward the holograms, pointing his glass at them.

"This thing wields a strange power," Khan stated. "Find what it is and see if we can benefit from it."