Chapter 1384: Pride

Zalpa’s concern had been more than reasonable. Few people in the entire universe could understand it more than Khan and Liiza.

Nitis’ star was heavy on radiation, and the planet’s almost permanent darkness worsened its terrible effects. Khan couldn’t possibly forget what he had seen in the village by the lake, so his force had to take precautions in case Yeza was susceptible to similar weaknesses.

Of course, Khan’s forces had already tested and crossed off that trait on the unnamed planet near the path toward the Nak’s home world.

That result also made sense. The planet’s star was different, and Yeza was even more than that. Despite carrying the Niqols’ genes and being born with mana, she had inherited the humans’ flexibility and a few additional sets of powerful legacies.

Still, it was always better to be safe rather than sorry, especially when it came to such an important child. The test on Coravis probably completely confirmed Yeza’s immunity to that fearsome flaw, but the process wasn’t without complications.

Yeza clearly wasn’t the average four-month-old child, but that hardly made her suitable for flying on her own, let alone riding Snow. As much as the married couple could trust the Aduns, that was no safe practice for a newborn.

Therefore, Khan and Liiza’s gazes remained stern and kept pointing at Zalpa, which the old Niqols instinctively translated into demands for additional explanations.

“[Nothing happened],” Zalpa instantly reassured, sticking to the Niqols’ language. “[Snow caught her and brought her back to the platform. She just keeps wanting to climb on him since that day].”

Snow seemed to understand Zalpa’s words and retracted its head to wear a proud, dignified stance. Yet, that separation made Yeza cry, so the Aduns briefly panicked, leaning toward her again.

The married couple wanted to retain a united, angry front, but the cute scenes reflected on the screen made the joint glare short-lived.

Khan and Liiza’s expression couldn’t help but sweeten at the sight of Yeza rubbing her small head on Snow’s feathers, closing her eyes to fall asleep. She looked too cute, happy, and comfortable for the couple to wear anything but broad smiles.

“So,” Khan exclaimed, his voice turning into a whisper to avoid disturbing Yeza’s rest. “Our daughter can fly.”

“[She can’t fly for too long],” Zalpa explained, replying in her native language, “[And it always tires her out. But yes, she can fly].”

Liiza threw a knowing glance at Khan, aware that she would find a smirk on his face. It was stupid and childish, but Khan couldn’t help but feel proud that his daughter had inherited his ability and had unlocked it so early in her development.

“She’ll eventually catch up with you,” Liiza teased.

“[Ah]!” Khan uttered a suppressed but traditional Thilku cry. “She’ll surpass me in no time. It’s our daughter after all.”

Liiza was already about to explode into a laugh, but Khan didn’t stop at that praise.

“Did you see that landing?” Khan asked, pointing at the screen again. “I’m telling you. She is a natural.”

“It is an inborn ability,” Liiza pointed out. “Of course, she is a natural.”

Khan didn’t let Liiza’s jokes quiet down his excitement and crossed his arms in pride.

“With that,” Khan exclaimed, “No man will ever be able to match her pace.”

“She’ll just have to find a man worth stopping herself for,” Liiza commented, her smile broadening even more, seeing Khan’s tensing up.

“Our daughter only needs her Ba-ba,” Khan asserted, and Liiza didn’t miss what he tried to do but let it slide for now, preferring to lean on him instead.

Khan took Liiza into his embrace, and the two stared at the screen a bit longer. Both sides of the call avoided exchanging words since Yeza was sleeping, and Princess Rebecca’s arrival at Zalpa’s side didn’t change that.

The married couple exchanged a silent look with Princess Rebecca and lingered in inspecting the sweet scene a bit more. Still, that clearly couldn’t go on forever. The figure sitting on the other side of the table acted as a constant reminder of that.

“Good job with Yeza,” Khan whispered. “We’ll come to help you all soon enough. Now, Garret, where were we?”

The scene on the screen changed. Liiza dived a hand in the holograms, trying to grasp them before the images of her daughter could disappear. Still, the camera’s focus quickly returned to the previous office, showing Garret’s distorted figure.

Liiza retracted her hand to let the holograms stabilize, and Khan took it, doing his best to reassure her while they dealt with their remaining political duties.

Nevertheless, the holograms failed to stabilize since the Emperor slowly wore a broad grin, showing his canines. The gesture wasn’t as natural as before, saving the area from his aura’s harsher repercussions. Still, tremors spread anyway, forcing Lord Envoy to use his ability to salvage as much food as possible.

“[Ah]!” The Emperor exclaimed, worsening the earthquake his methodical grin had caused. “You have a promising daughter, Lord Blue Shaman.”

The holograms suffered the most from that interference. The flickered to no end, failing to stabilize back into the rectangular screen and show the scenes inside.

Of course, Khan couldn’t mind that delay when the literal leader of one of the most fearsome forces in the regulated universe had praised his daughter. His fatherly pride went into overload, but the universe managed to ruin that moment.

A faint tremor ran through Lord Enforcer, making him close his red, robotic eyes. That reaction didn’t go unnoticed, earning the Thilku the attention of his fellow Royal Guards and the Emperor. Even Khan and Liiza turned to inspect him.

Lord Enforcer quickly reopened his eyes, only to turn toward Lord Envoy. The latter floated toward him, accepting the hand that stretched in his direction, cutting the connection with Lord Blind Sword to start an exchange of mana with the other Royal Guard.

The scene was concerning enough, but a new detail worsened it. The holographic screen finally stabilized, showing a frowning Garret furiously tapping on his interactive desk while his stern gaze darted left and right, studying data only he could see.

“[My Emperor],” Lord Envoy eventually broke that tense silence, resuming using the Thilku’s language and opening his red eyes to look at his leader. “[The fabric of space in multiple locations all across the Empire’s domain is twisting. The event doesn’t seem limited to the Empire’s domain, either].”

Garret couldn’t understand the Thilku’s language, but his following words ended up echoing Lord Envoy’s warning.

“My Prince,” Garret called, still frowning and furiously tapping on his desk. “I think Earth is under attack.”