Chaos' Heir

Khan's order carried far more than sound waves. The mana in the hall shook under his request, and Mister Broze and his guards' legs went soft, making their knees slam on the metal floor.

Meanwhile, pieces of the red symbols on Khan's face, torso, arms, and feet vanished, wiped out by his aura. His presence gradually grew heavier while his anger eradicated them, and the hall's surfaces screamed, seemingly ready to break apart.

The little girl in Khan's arms didn't fail to notice that change. She was still sobbing, her face hidden in Khan's chest, but an instinctive tremor ran through her back. Tamara wasn't even a first-level warrior, so Khan's existence was almost unbearable to her, no matter how much his intentions said otherwise.

Khan heaved a helpless sigh, attempting to calm down. His presence stopped eroding the red symbols, but the damage was done. Part of his aura leaked in the open now, putting everyone at risk.

"Carlos," Khan called, knowing he had to move quickly. "Get these women out. We are taking them with us."

Carlos didn't know why Khan was involving him. He didn't even want to think about what he meant by "Us". Still, refusing Khan's orders was simply impossible, so Carlos straightened himself up, nodding at the rest of his crew to get to work.

The crew got to work, approaching the various containers to unlock them. The women inside weren't in the best state. Some fell or directly collapsed without the support of the transparent glass, forcing the crewmates to hold or carry them.

Carlos would have wanted the order to have more details, but the idea of asking for them never crossed his mind. He planned to keep his interactions with Khan to a minimum, so he improvised, deciding to start bringing the captured women inside his ship.

Meanwhile, Khan ignored the kneeling guards and Carlos' crew to approach Liiza, being careful never to get anywhere near those powerless soldiers to spare them from the little girl's pheromones.

"[Hey, Tamara]," Khan called in the Nele's language once he stopped before Liiza, caressing the little girl's hair to claim her attention. "[Can I leave you with my wife? She might look scary, but she is the sweetest woman I know]."

Tamara let go of Khan's chest, timidly turning to look at the white-eyed woman. The latter was smiling, but the cold she radiated was impossible to miss.

"Hello," Liiza said, performing a Niqols' bow. "I'm Liiza. I'm Khan's wife."

Tamara studied the bowing Liiza with her teary eyes before looking up at Khan.

"[Is she your one]?" Tamara asked in her native language.

"[She is]," Khan confirmed, nodding.

Tamara studied Khan's face for a few seconds before looking at Liiza again. She stretched her arm, pointing her palm upward before switching to the human language. "I'm Tamara."

Liiza wasn't privy to the Nele's customs but had seen how Khan had interacted with Tamara. She glanced at him, only for him to nod, prompting her to imitate the little girl.

"Liiza," Liiza muttered, still smiling as she placed her palm on Tamara's.

"You are cold," Tamara gasped as soon as she touched that dark blue palm.

"Yes, I'm cold," Liiza confirmed, her smile growing slightly melancholic.

"But you aren't scary," Tamara continued, looking up at Khan. "You shouldn't call your one scary."

Khan blinked. He didn't expect he would be scolded by a little girl that day, and Liiza also joined her, cutely admonishing him with her eyes. Still, Tamara had priority there, so Liiza avoided engaging in her usual flirting.

"If I'm not too cold," Liiza announced, leaving Tamara's palm to reach for her hair, "Do you mind coming with me? I'll take care of the pheromones while my husband cleans up here."

The Nele were a warm species, warmer than humans. Meanwhile, Liiza was colder than the average Niqols. Tamara felt a bit uncomfortable under Liiza's caresses, but her affection remained undeniable.

"Is Khan your one, too?" Tamara wondered, seemingly meaning it as a test.

"He is," Liiza nodded. "The only one in the entire universe."

Khan smiled, and Liiza smiled back. The two fell into their own world, trapped by their respective meaningful stares. Tamara didn't miss that, and her eyes darted between those two faces before putting aside her fears.

"I'll go with Liiza," Tamara agreed, and Khan patted her head while she stretched her arms toward Liiza. Tamara clung to her neck, and Liiza took her in her cold embrace.

"[I'll come back soon]," Khan reassured in the Niqols' language, but Liiza threw a knowing look at him. Still, she avoided making a joke, holding Tamara carefully while leaning in for a quick kiss.

"[Don't go overboard]," Liiza warned, her glowing eyes darting among the red symbols across Khan's body. "[I can still fix this]."

"[I'll try my best]," Khan nodded, placing a hand on Liiza's head and another on the little girl between her arms.

Tamara had resumed hiding in people's chests, and Khan and Liiza couldn't help but get closer, seemingly wanting to shield her with their bodies while looking lovingly at her. The trio almost resembled a family, but that thought couldn't appear in that situation.

"Let's go, Tamara," Liiza whispered, throwing another meaningful look at Khan before turning.

The crew was coming and going from the previously crossed corridor, loading the captives onto the other ship. Yet, everyone stopped walking and moved away from Liiza. The Nele's terrifying pheromones were quite famous, and something even more frightening was looking at them from inside the hall.

Khan followed Liiza with his senses before eventually diverting his gaze. There were still captives to address, but his job lay elsewhere. Khan approached the kneeling fat man, immersing him in his blue light, and a tone that could kill soon escaped his mouth.

"Did you touch her?" Khan asked, purple-red sparks occasionally appearing over his red tattoos, attempting to burn them out of existence.

Mister Broze was a mere first-level warrior. Khan was nothing short of a god to him. He could barely breathe or lift his sweaty face, let alone attempt to lie.

"No," Mister Broze gasped. "No one did to anyone. It would have lowered the selling price."

Mister Broze realized he had made a mistake, but nothing happened. Realistically, things couldn't get any worse, but men lived and died through hope, and that feeling still existed in his mind.

"How did you find a Nele?" Khan questioned.

"We were lucky," Mister Broze promptly came clean. "We attacked a ship and found her. She was the only survivor."

The implications were obvious. Whoever Tamara was traveling with was now dead. Khan didn't know whether it was her parents or someone else but didn't ask. There was no point now.

"Do you have more captives?" Khan wondered.

"No!" Mister Broze swore. "All the captives were in this hall, but the ship has plenty more supplies. I also have great connections on Merth 290! Everything is yours!"

"You heard him," Khan said without bothering to look at the man who had appeared at the corridor's entrance. "Take the supplies and detach the ship."

Khan didn't speak loudly, but Carlos heard him clearly. The latter didn't even bother to nod since Khan wasn't looking at him. He only glanced at the other crewmembers in the corridor, giving more silent orders.

"Please," Mister Broze exclaimed, prostrating himself on the floor. "I'll give you everything. Please have mercy."

That last word was quite meaningful to Khan but had no impact on his brain. Mister Broze and his guards' lives were in Khan's hands, and he had already decided what to do with them.

"No," Khan responded, and Mister Broze looked up in a panic, only for cracks to spread throughout his figure.