Chaos' Heir

A tall, bright rune hovered before Khan's chest, absorbing mana from the world and sending it inside his body. The night had fallen, but the symbol glowed with uncanny, dangerous light, illuminating the destroyed and leveled mountain area.

Faint trails of smoke rose from Khan's torso. His flesh was tough beyond reason, but that prolonged and forceful mana absorption had pushed it to its limits. Its friction force had started to erode Khan's skin, burning and scarring it with red marks.

The process obviously hurt, and the pain increased with each passing second, but Khan barely felt it. Far stronger emotions afflicted his mind, making him ignore that torturous suffering and push his training session further. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire

Khan had always been good with pain. Yet, he had stopped going overboard in the past years, most times, at least. Khan didn't mind being hurt but had other reasons to hold back.

However, those reasons were no more. No one would get mad at Khan anymore if his training session scarred him. No one would scold him at the sight of new, easily avoidable injuries. No one would worry about his suicidal tendencies anymore. His buildings had countless bedrooms, but all their mattresses would be empty now.

That thought made Khan feel incredibly lonely. He couldn't believe how used he had gotten to having Monica waiting for him. He could almost hear her, even. Monica would welcome Khan back with her sleepy voice before claiming possession of his chest, secretly inspecting his state in the process.

Nevertheless, that warmth wouldn't fall on Khan's chest anymore. He wouldn't feel her curls' softness, either. Only loneliness had remained, as well as the pain from the [Blood Vortex]'s abuse.

Still, the pain was fine. It had always been fine. If anything, Khan had more reasons to dive deeper into it now, pushing himself harder than he had ever done before. In a way, that was one of the main motives behind his current suffering.

So, Khan did exactly that. His desperation, innate tendencies, accumulated experiences, and current incredible resilience made him able to endure terrible pain for a long time, so he did. Khan couldn't find any reason not to.

That was a proper regression of Khan's mindset, but its advantages were evident. With nothing holding Khan back or attempting to make him look out for himself, he could explore his incredible limits, engaging in intense training sessions only he could handle.

The environment responded to Khan's mindset. His desperation already broke the barren, rocky ground in many spots, generating trails of dust and debris that converged toward the glowing rune.

However, the lack of any sense of self-preservation intensified that destructive process, allowing Khan's training technique to reach deeper into the environment.

More of the rocky ground broke under Khan's pressure. Its fabric shattered even further while the [Blood Vortex] attracted it, crushing every pebble, piece of soil, and dust into nothingness to extract the mana inside it.

The [Blood Vortex] was feeding off the world, grinding its energy out of it to deliver it to Khan. That barren area didn't have much mana, but every little bit helped, especially when the spell's range was that vast.

The injuries on Khan's torso worsened, but he found no reason to stop. He kept going, attempting to fill his body to the brim. His new limits had always felt too distant to reach, but that training session almost made him find them.

Nevertheless, Khan eventually interrupted the training session, dispersing the tall rune. He didn't reach his limits and could still endure the pain, but he wasn't alone anymore. A ship had landed some distance from his position, and he recognized the figure that had come out of it.

Prince Thomas calmly advanced, wearing a stern expression while he inspected the area. Cracks littered the ground, and something seemed to have dug out its superficial layers. That something soon entered his view, and the aura surrounding him slowed down his steps.

Still, Prince Thomas mustered his resolve and proceeded forward, eventually reaching Khan's side. His eyes fell on his exposed torso, spotting the many red marks on his skin. Prince Thomas also noticed Khan's bandaged hands and tattered sleeves but decided to avoid addressing the topic.

"Nephew," Prince Thomas called without adding anything else. He had learned about Miss Christen before Monica, and his experience also allowed him to learn much from other developments. Still, he didn't mention anything for now.

"Did the meetings end?" Khan asked, looking at the dark horizon.

"Yes," Prince Thomas confirmed. "Everything is settled on every side. We can start the tournament right away."

"Start it," Khan ordered. "I'll leave everything to you."

"As you wish, My Prince," Prince Thomas confirmed before lowering his gaze. His sister was more suited for what he had in mind, but she wasn't there, and someone had to update Khan.

"Miss Solodrey departed for Neuria in a hurry," Prince Thomas revealed. "I couldn't get an answer from her about her return."

Prince Thomas peeked at Khan's face, but the latter showed no reaction. Khan merely gazed at the horizon, appearing both defeated and stronger than ever.

"The contingencies we settled on," Khan eventually mentioned. "Don't forget them. Apply them even if Monica tries to oppose them."

Prince Thomas' stern expression tried to break. He knew what those words implied and couldn't help but feel sorry for Khan. As serious and dutiful as he was, he had warmed up to the loving couple. Monica also had a good influence on Khan, but it seemed those times were over.

"I'm sorry," Prince Thomas muttered. He wanted to add something but couldn't find the right words. His Nephew also wasn't easy to talk to, especially after a break-up.

"Did anyone else see it?" Khan questioned.

"Only a few crews," Prince Thomas revealed. "They are trustworthy, but …"

"I understand," Khan interrupted. Even if Monica had departed secretly, rumors would eventually spread. The couple had been too eye-catching in public for the network not to notice prolonged separations.

However, Khan also knew Monica wasn't stupid. She had always been better than him in those fields, and he was sure she wouldn't do anything that could hurt him. Her family was the main problem, but the contingencies would take care of that.

"Call a meeting," Khan ordered. "Bring everyone, even the Colonel and Major General. I'll share my last directives once everyone is here."