Chapter 1284: Choice

Khan left the meeting with Ilman with a heavy mind. He knew he had put the Niqols in front of an impossible decision, and to make things worse, he was also aware that his advice wouldn’t help in that situation.

The issue didn’t only have to do with Ilman’s political power. The Niqols was strong and could probably find alternative ways of employing Khan’s methods.

However, the problem stood exactly there. Those were Khan’s ways, while Ilman had to abide by his own character, which had nothing to do with destruction incarnate.

It also didn’t help that Khan had reached that mindset after years of struggles against a world that seemed to fight against him.

Truthfully, Ilman was probably still closer to Khan’s older version, when he would have just sacrificed himself over and over again to avoid making problems for his loved ones.

Still, Khan couldn’t ask that of Ilman, either. His hands weren’t tied, but it wouldn’t be fair. That wasn’t what friendship was about.

The imminent chaos even added more weight to Khan’s already troubled mind. The world was about to learn about everything, and the news was bound to be revolutionary, both positively and negatively.

Besides, the topic involved Khan’s deepest secret, the mission he had pursued almost entirely on his own for over twenty-two years. He didn’t exactly know how to feel about exposing it like that, but his political mind couldn’t find better approaches.

The fact that Khan could only wait for those developments to run their course was the cherry on top. He had never liked that powerlessness, and his mind defaulted to its most basic needs, desiring booze and a familiar cold.

The former was easy enough to find on Coravis, and the latter turned out to be even easier. Khan believed returning to the sea stations would solve both his needs, but his senses and mental connection eventually notified him about a surprising change.

Somehow, the familiar cold sensation didn’t come from the direction of the sea stations. It originated from elsewhere, and the symphony echoed it, almost calling Khan.

Needless to say, Khan didn’t hesitate to head toward that cold source, unleashing his real speed to learn what was going on as soon as possible.

Reaching the destination put Khan before a surprising sight. A small, perfectly white layer of ice floated over the calm sea, shining under the sky’s fading light.

The chunk of ice wasn’t as simple as it looked. It stretched far under the sea’s surface, creating an iceberg-like structure that promised more than mere cold.

Khan landed on the white layer, his steps attracted by a familiar cold. It turned out the frozen surface had a cave-like opening at its center, which coiled into its structure to reach deep into it.

Khan alternated graceful steps and hovering leaps while making his way down the frozen structure. The area darkened as night fell on Coravis, but everything remained bright in Khan’s vision. The ice shone with the color he had long since fallen in love with, easing his way through that occasionally narrow passage.

The passage ended in a relatively vast chamber that seemed to stand at the very center of the iceberg. Also, something that wasn’t ice finally popped into Khan’s vision. He spotted simple blankets and a few pillows, as well as a brighter figure far colder than her surroundings.

“And you scolded me for doubting whether you knew what a shopping district was,” Khan joked.

“Come here,” Liiza yawned, sitting up and removing the blanket from her before spreading her arms.

Khan complied, sitting between Liiza’s legs and letting her wrap her arms around his waist. She even placed her head on his right shoulder, gently leaning it on his neck.

The loving gesture was nothing new, especially in an environment with a vibe almost identical to the cave on Nitis. The years didn’t make it lose its appeal, either. If anything, it felt nice to be on a planet with natural mana and locations.

Yet, Khan couldn’t help but notice Liiza’s attire while he joined her on the blankets. His glowing eyes also peeked down at her legs while she hugged him from behind. Somehow, Liiza had come into possession of a fancy white pullover and a dark grey skirt.

“Is that a skirt?” Khan asked.

“Rebecca wouldn’t let me leave with my torn hoodie,” Liiza explained.

“I should tear all your hoodies,” Khan muttered, ignoring the laugh that resounded on his shoulder. “I should also take a second look. You know, I have to check if the colors match.”

“Later,” Liiza giggled, opposing Khan’s attempt to turn. “And Rebecca gave me more human clothes. I never thought a single person could own so many.”

“We should head for the sea stations right now,” Khan suggested, but the arms on his waist tightened and grew colder.

“Let me enjoy this while we still can,” Liiza requested before adding a threat. “It might even make me forget why you are so into skirts.”

The first part of Liiza’s statement had nothing to do with the imminent political mess. Her belly would get in the way of that position soon, preventing the two from sitting like that until she gave birth.

“I’m more interested in the person wearing them,” Khan joked again but didn’t press the matter any longer. His body relaxed, leaning deeper into Liiza while he took her hands, resting in her cozy cold.

“[How did it go with Ilman]?” Liiza asked after the couple spent a few minutes in that position, switching to the Niqols’ language to highlight the more serious talk.

“[I told him that I need him],” Khan summarized. “[I asked him to choose between Jenna and the Niqols and gave him until tomorrow to decide. Since he is staying on the landmass, he shouldn’t hear about the Scarlet Eyes until then].”

Liiza obviously understood why Khan had done that and kissed his shoulder, seemingly to reward him for being the best friend he could be in that impossible situation.

“[It shouldn’t be like this],” Khan continued. “[He shouldn’t have to make this choice. I should settle things with the Niqols so he wouldn’t have to face any choice at all].”

“[We],” Liiza corrected, leaning back to make Khan lie on her. “[We should settle things with the Niqols].”

Khan looked up at Liiza’s knowing smile and rolled his eyes, letting go of her hands so that she could play with his hair. Meanwhile, his fingers went on her legs, caressing her thighs.

“[Settling things with my species wouldn’t change Ilman’s situation],” Liiza stated. “[I betrayed them and destroyed their plans for the future. They might isolate themselves back in Nitis after this, so Ilman would have to go with them].”

Liiza’s betrayal wasn’t as terrible as the sunlight, but it hurt deeply nonetheless. Ten years of work to elevate the Niqols to a force with a proper standing in the universe had gone down the drain. Their trust had to be at its lowest point now.

“[Ilman simply has to make the same choice we had to make],” Liiza continued. “[Interspecies relationships are rare for a reason].”

As always, Liiza was right. The current political situation worsened it, but Ilman and Jenna would have had it hard anyway, especially due to their reputable positions within their species.

Still, that didn’t sit right with Khan anyway.

“[We betrayed the Niqols],” Khan corrected, wanting to look up, only for Liiza to keep his head still.

The braid-making went on for a while, and Khan mostly let Liiza have undisturbed fun. Occasionally, her legs became too appealing for him, but she never refrained from pulling his hair to stop whatever dirty thought rose to his mind.

Of course, Liiza shared that mood and was ready to dive into it once she felt satisfied with the braids, but both she and Khan tilted their heads in confusion right before that moment.

“[Fine],” Liiza exclaimed. “[You can kill him].”

“[Let’s go before they get inside],” Khan groaned, standing up. Liiza joined him, and the two climbed out of the frozen chamber to meet the two incoming auras.

The couple resurfaced and approached the frozen edge in time to spot a pair of glowing red eyes crossing the sea. Liiza and Khan obviously saw far more than that. Ilman was running on the not-waters, princess-carrying Jenna in his arms.

Ilman leaped when the frozen surface got close enough, violently landing on its edge and partially tilting it. Short waves spread from the iceberg, but the structure was big enough to stabilize in no time.

“My friends!” Ilman shouted, gently placing Jenna down.

“Khan, Liiza,” Jenna greeted, unable to contain her smile.

“I wanted to do this in front of the best witnesses I could think of!” Ilman exclaimed, his expression growing beyond stern as he faced Jenna and performed a Niqols’ bow.

“From this day onward,” Ilman exclaimed. “My life is yours to use as you wish. Even when you find your one, I’ll be there to support you.”

Jenna ignored Ilman’s idiocy and jumped toward him, taking his hands and forcing him to lift his head.

“I found my one,” Jenna exclaimed, her voice turning into a whisper. “So, take me already.”

Ilman didn’t really understand what was going on, but Jenna jumped again, forcing him to princess-carry her again. She whispered something into his ear, and his confusion vanished, replaced by an unshakeable sense of duty.

“Zalpa sends her blessings!” Ilman shouted at the married couple. “I must go now!”

Just like that, Ilman sprinted past the frozen surface, resuming running over the sea. It didn’t take long before his figure completely disappeared, but Liiza only spoke when she couldn’t sense his aura anymore.

“Husband,” Liiza called. “Do you mind pushing our cave as far away as possible?”

“Wife,” Khan called. “It would be my pleasure.”