Chaos' Heir

Khan's question left the two men speechless, but their facial expressions provided enough answers. Their auras also told a complete story, and the fear that invaded them spoke about their cluelessness.

The presence of mana in the Slums couldn't come as a surprise to Khan anymore. Those environments were a cradle for illegal activities, often sanctioned by prominent parties inside the Global Army, so Khan had half-expected someone to step forward to meet him.

The explanation behind that feeling was simple. Khan's new status would make approaching him in official environments impossible. Requesting meetings in the Harbor or other relevant places would only attract unwanted attention. Instead, the Slums could provide some privacy and leeway, at least temporarily.

Khan wasn't dumb, especially after everything he had experienced. Sending the soldiers away didn't necessarily stop the interesting parties from keeping track of his position. Even if he excluded minor families and criminal organizations, he believed the Nognes had scanners pointed at him. That was unavoidable due to his new status.

Nevertheless, Khan played by his own rules, and meeting his father had put him in a bad mood. He wasn't only curious about the two men's intentions. He also wanted to deal with the matter immediately, eliminating it if it turned out to be a problem.

The two men found it hard to calm down under Khan's oppressive presence, but he didn't relent. In his mind, the matter wasn't worth his attention if those onlookers were to faint due to his aura. It would only mean the interested party wasn't taking him seriously.

Oddly enough, the two men showed some backbone, which was often absent among first-level warriors. They slowly went to their knees, supported themselves on the wall behind them, and lowered their heads before one of them explained their motives.

"We came to extend an invitation," One of the men announced, "To a meeting not far from here."

Ideally, Khan would have questioned the men for more details, but something told him those two pawns couldn't provide them. The array in their brains probably prevented them from sharing additional information.

"Where?" Khan asked.

The second man peeked at Khan before lifting his hands. Khan nodded, and the man slowly retrieved a piece of folded paper from his pocket before offering it to Khan. The man didn't even notice when the piece of paper disappeared from his hands. It had simply vanished, and peeking above revealed Khan inspecting the item. The action had been instantaneous and invisible, making the man lower his head in fear of angering that superior entity.

Unfolding the piece of paper revealed a simple, handwritten map. Khan had previously inspected the area from the ship, so he connected a few marks to the nearby blocks. The destination seemed to be nearby, and a tinge of mana promptly escaped his fingers after memorizing it.

The two men kept their heads lowered, but something soon fell in their vision. Burning pieces of paper floated down, turning into ash before hitting the ground. The scene made them peek above, discovering that Khan had disappeared.

Khan didn't unleash his full speed but moved quickly and swiftly among the Slums' brittle houses, leaving no traces of his passage. He didn't think he could fool eventual scanners pointed at him for long but still attempted to buy himself some time. He wanted to see what the meeting was about before annoying allies intervened.

The handwritten map lacked many details, but Khan's senses compensated for their absence once he got close enough to his destination. The area had nothing special, only the usual makeshift habitations of the Slums. Yet, Khan's eyes could pierce the surface, noticing something firmer hidden underground.

Khan followed the faint traces of mana in the symphony, landing before the smallest house in the block. A man who had yet to become a first-level warrior stood before its run-down door, and Khan's sudden appearance almost made him jump on the spot. However, some seriousness quickly invaded him as he recovered and opened the door.

Khan crossed the entrance, and a small empty room unfolded in his vision. The area had nothing but an open trapdoor leading downstairs. A wooden stair stretched from its dark entrance, but Khan simply jumped inside.

The narrow, vertical tunnel descended for a few meters before stopping at another trapdoor. This one was sealed and made of sturdy metal, hinting at its different purpose. Nevertheless, Khan only had to approach it to open it.

Khan dived in, ignoring the vertical stairs to descend directly to the bottom of the new area. He soon found himself in an underground hall with reinforced surfaces illuminated by a dim white glow. The place wasn't empty either, but it could as well be for Khan.

Six first-level warriors occupied the relatively vast underground hall, either sitting on the empty floor or tinkering with menus on the wall. Noticing Khan made them jump to their feet, but no one spoke under his intense, chilling gaze.

First-level warriors were nothing in Khan's eyes, and those in the underground hall were even below that. After spending years among wealthy descendants and elite soldiers, Khan could basically smell the stench of inexperience in the mana. The people around him had never seen a real battle. They probably didn't even have martial arts and spells.

"I'm here for the meeting," Khan announced, unfazed by the weakness around him. He was in the Slums in the end. He couldn't expect the same luxury and power as the Harbor.

The six warriors gulped and searched for answers in each other's eyes until nods unfolded. The group began to move, approaching different parts of the underground hall to activate specific functions. Eventually, one wall became blue, becoming an unclear and flickering screen.

"Te-," A robotic voice eventually came from the wall. "-St. T-. Test. Test.

The connection slowly stabilized, and a vague figure appeared on the screen. Yet, the facial features, clothes, and other details never became clear. Khan could only guess it was a man.

"Test, test," The robotic voice continued. "It seems stable for now."

Khan didn't say anything, but his mind continuously absorbed details. The screen, the connection, and the very underground hall were terrific feats. The organization in question had kept them hidden for a seemingly long time, vouching for its efficiency.

"Major Khan," The robotic voice eventually addressed the guest, "Or Prince Khan. I'm not sure which you prefer."

Khan remained silent. As praiseworthy as the technology in the Slums was, Khan's stance didn't change. Any interested party had to expose itself and get to the point just to hope to claim his attention.

"Thank you for coming here," The robotic voice continued before Khan's silence. "I apologize for the sudden invitation and unbefitting environment. I'm afraid this was the safest option."

"Disposable option," Khan corrected. The underground hall and the warriors inside would disappear if a scanner were pointed at him. Considering his new status, that consequence was almost set in stone.

"That's correct," The voice confirmed. "We are willing to lose these assets. I hope this speaks for our resolve."

Khan could have pointed out other options but remained silent. He wouldn't say it even if he agreed with the robotic voice. It wasn't a matter of cold stance or playing hard to get either. Khan simply didn't care.

"I know we started off on the wrong foot," The voice announced. "We didn't intend to involve you in Princess Virrai's kidnapping attempt. Still, know we hold no grudge toward your actions."

Khan's unfaltering silence put the six warriors on the spot. They knew they were doomed, but Khan was scarier than their inevitable fate.

"However," The voice exclaimed. "We believe you might be ready to desire our help now. You have seen the Global Army's dark side. Our system is rotten, and your family is one of the many victims still suffering from it."

The voice had hit the mark. Khan had been livid after Baoway's events, and meeting with Monica and his father had only intensified that feeling. He felt no love for the Global Army, but that didn't mean he would shake hands with a criminal organization.

"The Hive's goal is to create a better system," The voice explained, "To build a government that won't leave people to die in the Slums. We want fairness and justice, without private families secretly pulling the strings of humankind's fate."

The ideology sounded nice, but Khan had seen too much to consider it feasible. Moreover, hearing those words reminded him of something Monica had told him in the past.

'Many have to starve to allow a few to conquer the stars,' Khan recalled. The quote belonged to Monica's father, but Khan's many experiences partially confirmed it. Living among the Thilku and the Scalqa had taught him something similar.

"With you as an ally," The voice added, "We would be able to strike at the very core of the Global Army's system. After all, you are its perfect dark horse, the best forgotten victim of a system that threw you away."