Khan followed George’s instructions, reaching a different corridor that featured only a few rooms. One of them was closed, and the symphony told him the others were empty, so his destination became clear right away. Still, an angry shout welcomed him when he approached it.

“I said I don’t want to be disturbed!” A familiar voice invaded Khan’s ears as soon as the metal door slid open. Many would cower in fear due to the anger conveyed by the shout, but Khan’s first reaction was to smile.

The room was relatively small, containing three beds and some medical equipment. Only the mattress on the farthest corner was occupied, and the nest of curls peeking from the blanket confirmed the person’s identity.

A thick smell of smoke filled Khan’s nostrils, and his attentive eyes didn’t miss the ash mixed with the curls. That wasn’t the hair Khan remembered. It was dirty, crunchy, and without any light, but it still belonged to the woman he loved.

“Close that door already!” Monica shouted again since she had yet to hear the entrance shutting close.

“I can’t get enough of seeing you pissed,” Khan sighed, and Monica gasped before turning and lifting her head.

Khan had already inspected Monica’s mana, but seeing her face added important clues. The same went for Monica. She had understood something from Khan’s hoarse voice, and noticing his bandages made her jump out of bed.

The two inspected each other while Monica advanced. She had worn clean clothes, but they couldn’t hide her poor state. Her skin had gotten dry and cracked, evident bags stood under her red, teary eyes, and light burns filled her face. Her aura was also weak, conveying the almost absence of mana.

“What happened to you?” Monica whispered, reaching Khan and lifting her hands before holding back from touching him. She didn’t want to hurt him by mistake.

“You are as beautiful as always instead,” Khan teased.

“Don’t,” Monica cried. “Tell me what happened to you first.”

“I got into a fight with Wayne,” Khan explained shortly. “This is the price I had to pay to beat him.”

Monica brought her hands to her mouth. Her eyes darted up and down, unclear on where to focus. She couldn’t even imagine how injured Khan was under those bandages, and seeing him with metal braces again brought more sadness.

“It’s no big deal,” Khan reassured. “I’ll be fine in a few weeks.”

“I’ll kill Raymond myself,” Monica cursed.

“That’s a truly strange detail,” Khan nodded. He still couldn’t explain Raymond’s behavior, but something else attracted his attention.

“You,” Khan called, reaching for Monica’s cheek only to recall that his fingers didn’t obey him.

Monica saw Khan’s hesitation. His hand stopped at mere centimeters from her face, and his fingers shook when trying to bend. The battle had made him unable to hold his girlfriend, but she was happy to cover for him.

Khan’s gaze flickered when Monica pulled his hand to her cheek. She even rubbed her face on his palm, uncaring that the gesture deepened the cracks on her skin. Khan felt some pain, but nothing could reach his mind when so much love was in the air.

“Did you kill someone?” Khan finished his previous question.

“Maybe,” Monica lowered her gaze and voice. “I probably did.”

Khan didn’t need to ask anything else. He knew that was Monica’s first kill. Her family had prepared her for that, but the reality was different. Khan still recalled Istrone’s events so clearly for a reason, and Monica was experiencing that now.

Monica held back from tightening her grip on Khan’s hand, and he slammed his foot on the entrance to close it. His attention soon returned to Monica, but she understood what was happening and tried to oppose it.

“No,” Monica complained. “You are injured and-.”

“Shh,” Khan whispered, taking Monica into his arm and slowly pushing her toward her bed. The hug hurt due to his burns, but he felt no pain.

The two reached the bed, separated, and hugged again once their heads hit the pillow. The mattress was small, but they snuggled close to fit on it. Khan couldn’t claim to be comfortable lying on his right side, but Monica was in his arm, with her face on his chest, so everything was fine.

A few minutes had to pass, but Monica eventually gave up. Traces of tears appeared in her mana, but her voice remained steady as her story began.

“There were these criminals,” Monica explained. “I was in a lab or something. They had this platform to maximize the explosion’s range, but I got cornered before reaching the consoles.”

Khan caressed Monica’s hair, and its poor state was impossible to miss. A single bath wouldn’t be enough to remove all the ash and dirt from her curls.

“You made me promise,” Monica continued, a sob breaking her voice, “And I thought destroying the lab could help.”

“It did help,” Khan confirmed. “I knew you were fine the moment I saw the eruption.”

“I-,” Monica added, seemingly unable to hear Khan. “I don’t know what happened to the criminals. I can’t see much when I-. When I-.”

“I know,” Khan intervened, hugging Monica closer. “You told me.”

Khan and Monica had obviously talked about her element. He had initially hoped to provide alternatives to her weaknesses, but even alien arts had limits, especially with something with such a specific nature. After all, a volcano could only erupt.

“Now I’m ugly,” Monica cried, “Both outside and inside.”

“Does that make me ugly too?” Khan asked, knowing that his question would work better than any compliment.

“Stupid,” Monica sobbed. “Can you stay here a bit longer?”

“I won’t leave at all,” Khan reassured. He knew the emptiness of the first kill, and his life had provided a single solution. Only love could fill that gap.

Monica didn’t exactly cry. She let out sobs and sniffs every few minutes but mostly remained silent. Memories and wild thoughts assaulted her, but Khan tightened his hug whenever he felt she had it too rough.

It took a while, but Monica eventually fell asleep, and her snores made Khan join her. The nightmares arrived on time as always, but Khan found some reassurance in the faint warmth that reached his senses.

That peace didn’t last long. Someone knocked on the room’s door only a few hours later, awakening both Khan and Monica. She had it a bit harder, gasping and inspecting her surroundings as if she didn’t recall where she was, but Khan’s hug quickly brought her back to reality.

“I’ll go,” Khan whispered when Monica’s sleepy eyes fell on him. “Be right back.”

Monica limited herself to a nod, returning to the pillow as soon as Khan left the bed. She didn’t want to fall asleep until he came back, but his lingering warmth and scent were too cozy to reject.

Meanwhile, Khan reached the door and opened it to show his cold face. He didn’t like that soldiers were interrupting Monica’s rest, but the figure that appeared in his vision dispersed that seriousness.

Andrew stood before the entrance, already performing a military salute. He was holding something in his hands, but Khan couldn’t see what from his position.

“Andrew,” Khan exclaimed. “I’m glad to see you are fine.”

“Thank you, sir,” Andrew stated with his usual seriousness. “The doctors told me to deliver this, sir.”

Andrew broke the military salute to show the items in his hands. A broken sheath, a knife, and a phone stood in his palms, and Khan recognized all of them.

“Oh,” Khan chuckled, glancing at his pants to notice that his pockets had disappeared. “Thank you.”

Khan retrieved his belongings and checked their state. The sheath needed fixing, but his knife and phone were fine. Luckily, no calls had reached him either.

“Where is Francis?” Khan asked. “I only heard he was fine.”

“He didn’t suffer any injury, sir,” Andrew confirmed. “The rescue team is currently briefing him, sir.”

“Why would they brief him?” Khan questioned.

“Mister Alstair played a key role in defusing the bomb, sir,” Andrew revealed.

“Did he?” Khan didn’t hide his surprise

“I’ve seen it with my own eyes, sir,” Andrew declared.

Khan found it hard to believe Andrew, but the latter wouldn’t lie to him. Moreover, if Francis had truly taken care of the bomb, he deserved some honest praise. He had basically saved everyone’s life.

‘He doesn’t know about Raymond’s involvement,’ Khan thought, ‘But.’

“Join the briefing,” Khan ordered. “Make sure Francis doesn’t reveal any sensitive information about us.”

“It will be done, sir,” Andrew responded, performing another military salute. Khan merely nodded at him, and the meeting ended on that gesture.

Khan sealed the door with his foot again and threw the sheath on a nearby bed. He even placed the knife inside it, which wasn’t too easy with the current state of his fingers. He was ready to get rid of the phone too, but a call ended up reaching it.

“Jenny,” Khan answered, putting his phone between his ear and working shoulder while returning to Monica’s bed.

“Captain, I heard you were involved in an incident on Lauter,” Jenny replied. “I wholeheartedly hope you are fine.”

“Did you call to check up on me?” Khan wondered, sitting on the bed’s edge and caressing Monica’s head.

“No, sir,” Jenny went straight to the point. “It’s that strange contact again. I can delay it if you are busy.”

“No, let it through,” Khan ordered. “I was expecting a call.”

“As you wish, Captain,” Jenny stated, closing the call to let another arrive.

“Captain Khan,” Raymond’s voice soon left the phone. “I still have to receive a complete report, but I’m confident you performed as perfectly as always.”

Khan remained silent. His mana boiled, and many feelings filled his mind. He couldn’t express how angry he was about the recent development, but losing his cool would be pointless.

“Raymond,” Khan eventually said, awakening Monica. “I want to be as clear as possible to avoid misunderstandings. Once I gain enough power, there won’t be politics, families, or weapons able to stop me from killing you.”

“Calm down, Captain,” Raymond chuckled. “I understand why you are angry, but let me reassure you. You have never been in danger.”

“The bomb would say otherwise,” Khan stated, keeping the weapon’s origin a secret. He didn’t know how much Raymond knew, so he didn’t want to risk revealing sensitive information.

“The Thilku bomb would have never exploded,” Raymond revealed as if he could read Khan’s mind. “The teleport disarmed it.”

Khan couldn’t help but fall silent again. Raymond didn’t only know the bomb’s origin. He was also aware of the teleport, and something told Khan that he had something to do with it.

“Did you tamper with the teleport?” Khan questioned.

“That’s a conversation for another time,” Raymond declared. “For now, you should focus on reaping the benefits of your successful mission.”

Khan had many questions. He didn’t know what Raymond wanted, and his last words could carry various meanings. Still, he limited his reply to a simple statement.

“I will never trust you,” Khan uttered.

“I don’t expect you to,” Raymond responded. “Though, I can assure you one thing. I’m humankind’s servant. Everything I do is for its sake.”

Khan wanted to say something, but the call ended before he could utter anything. He could only let the phone slide through his shoulder and fall to the bed, but Monica caught it before it hit the mattress.

“You heard him, right?” Khan asked, keeping his eyes on the metal wall before him.

“I did,” Monica whispered, straightening her position to sit behind Khan. “I’m not sure I understood him.”

“That’s common with Raymond,” Khan sighed, peeking past his intact shoulder when he felt careful kisses landing on his bandages.

“What is it?” Khan asked.

“Let’s go back to sleep,” Monica muttered, “But I’ll hold you this time.”

Monica sounded partially asleep. Her eyes weren’t fully open either. After the recent events, she seemed to have lost part of her usual fire.

“Stop worrying,” Monica said, seemingly able to understand the expression hidden by the bandages. “Well, do it when it’s your turn.”

“Do we take turns now?” Khan chuckled.

“Please,” Monica voiced. “I want to do something good.”

That shy request was uncommon for the current stage of the couple’s relationship, but Khan couldn’t reject it. He could understand what was going through Monica’s mind, so he fulfilled her wish.

Khan pushed Monica down before lying on his right side and sliding deeper into the blanket. His face ended on Monica’s chest, and she held it carefully but firmly. He became her anchor in that delicate emotional phase, and being able to help him saved her a little.

“There aren’t cameras or anything here, right?” Khan asked.

“They’d never put me in a room with those,” Monica confirmed information that Khan already knew. “Why?”

“I must mention something,” Khan exclaimed.

“If it’s about my butt,” Monica warned, “Wait until you heal to say it.”

“It’s not that,” Khan announced. “Wayne kind of confirmed something after I won. Apparently, my mother was truly a noble.”

“What?!” Monica shouted, distancing herself from Khan to peek at his head. That statement had been enough to make part of her fire return.