Chaos' Heir
chapter-858

Khan lost track of time, remaining before the dead Bret while emptying bottle after bottle. Random, incomplete thoughts occasionally surged in his mind, but nothing stuck. Meanwhile, countless memories filled his vision, reminding him of a period when his universe was only as big as one of Ylaco's blocks.

The buzzing phone reminded Khan of a world outside his head. The network usually didn't reach those parts of the Slums, but the planted soldiers had solved the issue to update Khan. Still, he easily ignored his device. His brain often failed to notice the noise, focusing solely on the internal struggle.

It felt strange to hurt so much. Khan knew he should have gotten used to death and loss, but his heart bled anyway. The powerlessness, regret, and anger inside him fused to create a poison that deprived him of his strength, and things didn't end there.

The absence of emotions was worse than bad emotions. The void spreading inside Khan created a hole in his chest, reminding him of the first time he had taken a life. He would have done anything to feel something back then, and things weren't much different now.

The booze helped kill time and suppress those terrible feelings, but a growing awareness slowly expanded in Khan's brain. He wasn't a kid anymore. He wasn't even a simple soldier. His responsibilities involved an entire planet, preventing him from standing still for too long. As much as Khan wanted to linger in his painful mental state far longer, he eventually moved, standing up and closing his eyes. He couldn't even understand how drunk he was. The void inside him was all-consuming, only leaving room for wild, conflicting emotions.

'Get this done,' Khan said to himself, forcing his eyes open and making his way toward the exit.

Returning in the open didn't bring any significant change, but Khan sensed sets of distant eyes on him. He beckoned with his hand, and soldiers promptly crossed the block to approach him. Even the doctors were among them, but Khan could barely tell them apart.

"Bring me a coffin," Khan ordered. "Clear the mines and the streets to reach them."

Eyes widened among the soldiers. As powerful and resourceful as the Nognes family was, they were still in the Slums. Getting a coffin suitable for Khan's father could take a while, and he didn't seem inclined to wait.

"A metal box is fine," Khan reassured, understanding the issue. "It's probably better."

Khan could almost hear his father complain about a fancy coffin, and the thought made him smile. Knowing what to do brought some short-lived peace, which his surroundings didn't share.

Khan had become more than famous, and the network had long since noticed his always-cold expression, so seeing him smile made the soldiers panic. They immediately dispersed, rushing to get his directives done. That was their job, and they didn't hesitate to address it to put as much distance between them and Khan.

Meanwhile, Khan sat on the dusty street, ignoring the dirt that tainted his pelts. Somehow, he still had a bottle in his hands, which he drank while guarding Bret's house.

The soldiers didn't take long to return, delivering a simple metal box big enough for an adult human man. They also brought a cart to transport it, and Khan left the bottle on the ground to address the matter.

"Leave," Khan ordered, seizing the cart with the box and pushing it inside the house.

The following seconds were a blur. Khan's mind was empty while he picked Bret up, carefully placed him in the box, and closed the lid. He didn't even notice returning outside with the cart. His brain only focused on completing his task, and a slow march began.

It had been years since Khan had walked that road, but his feet still recalled it. Much had changed, especially himself, but the Second Impact's ground zero wasn't something he could forget.

The soldiers had done a perfect job at emptying the streets. Khan could push the cart and coffin in complete privacy, taking as much time as he wanted. For all his speed, his steps were slow, adding a meaning Khan didn't fully realize. He only knew he didn't want the march to end too quickly.

Nevertheless, the massive, tall pile of debris eventually appeared in Khan's view. The Slums' inhabitants had never stopped digging in those years, but the vast hill created by fighting the Nak was still there, acting as a constant reminder of the tragedy that had cursed Khan's life.

The scene awakened more memories, which entering one of the tunnels reinforced. The mines' insides had changed due to the constant digging, but Khan recognized the environment anyway. He had spent years working there to secure a few cans of food, and a sad realization he had already experienced elsewhere hit him.

'So small,' Khan thought, pushing the cart deeper into the tunnel.

The tunnel was slightly cramped, but Khan's realization had nothing to do with that. His senses had already spread farther than his eyes could see, updating his brain about the mines' layout. That seemingly immense environment felt almost tiny now, vouching for Khan's growth.

It didn't help that crackling noises took control of Khan's surroundings. The tunnel's unstable, brittle walls could barely endure Khan's aura, and he was suppressing himself. He had grown beyond what his childhood home could withstand, highlighting what he had become.

Those sad thoughts didn't stop Khan. He marched forward, diving deeper and deeper into the mines. He reached depths he had never seen, only to advance even more. The Slums' inhabitants had yet to reach the Second Impact's ground zero, but Khan only wanted Bret's final resting place to be as close as possible.

As slowly as Khan was marching, the tunnels eventually ended. Khan could even spot the traces of newly dug holes and passages. The artificial lamps had yet to reach those areas, too, leaving the illumination to his bright eyes.

Khan pushed the cart until the metal coffin touched the wall, but his hands remained on it. He knew he had to but didn't want to let go. That would give the event a sense of finality, and Khan struggled to make that step.

'Fuck,' Khan thought, forcing himself to release the cart.

Khan found himself stuck in his position, staring at the metal coffin. It was time to say goodbye, but he couldn't think of proper words. Eventually, Khan decided to remain silent, placing his hand on the metal box.

Minutes or seconds passed. Khan wasn't sure, either. He kept his hand on the coffin, focusing on the cold sensation spreading through his palm. Then, when he felt ready, he retracted his arm and headed toward the mines' exit.

The area outside was still empty, and Khan could sense soldiers holding a perimeter around him. They were probably waiting for additional orders, but Khan had different plans. His figure disappeared, finally making use of his speed, reappearing above the mines to inspect the vast structure from the sky.

The mines stretched for several blocks, but their surroundings were relatively empty. No houses grew around them, and even the military equipment was nowhere to be seen. Khan nodded to himself, descending to land on the relative center of the vast structure. He closed his eyes, expanding his senses and sending them into the debris below. The area was highly unstable, but Khan wanted to complete his task with a single move.

'Focus on the unstable nature of all things,' Khan said to himself while his influence dug deeper into the mines' roof. 'Find the frail connections and their desire to sever themselves. Turn the tiny flaws into gorges.'

Khan's influence expanded until it reached the streets around the mines. At that point, he stopped pushing it and focused on consolidating it. The entire structure soon appeared in his mind, and a wave of invisible energy shot from his feet, flowing through the mines' brittle

surfaces.

Cracking noises began to echo everywhere, but the situation immediately degenerated. Fissures opened and spread in countless spots, both outside and inside the mines. Those gaps widened, eventually triggering a chain reaction.

Big chunks of melted metal and other debris fell. The mines' surfaces caved in, destroying all the tunnels dug in the past years. Everything crumbled, lifting a cloud of dust that rose past the Slums' tallest houses.

The destruction took a while to stop. Everything was brittle, so that massive crumbling destabilized more surfaces, shattering them.

The soldiers couldn't help but move at that sudden event. Still, the prolonged crumbling kept them away, waiting for things to stabilize. The giant cloud also hindered their inspection,

forcing them to delay rescue operations.

However, before the cloud could vanish, a blue light pierced it, drawing near to the most

numerous group of soldiers. The glow split into two, slowly revealing the humanoid figure

wielding it.

When Khan crossed the cloud, the soldiers gasped and heaved sighs of relief. Still, his stern mood prevented them from appreciating that development, and his following orders told them that their job was far from done.

"Provide ten years' worth of food to anyone who has ever worked here," Khan ordered. "Also, isolate this place. This area now belongs to the Nognes family."

Khan couldn't do much for his father when he was alive. Yet, in death, he had a chance to do something. Bret wanted to be with Elizabeth, so he buried him as close to her as possible, and

the Nognes family would forever protect their tomb.

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