Khan didn't think about Onia in a long time. Only a year had passed since then, but the events on that hot planet seemed to belong to a different lifetime already. Everything was still naïve, bloodless, and fine back then.
The year that had followed the training camp on Onia had been rough, tragic, and full of awful moments. Only Liiza had brought some light in that period, but she also belonged to the past now.
"Onia?" Khan couldn't help but mutter as memories surged in his mind.
The Ef'i, his bloody fight against Eztli, the faswite, and the cute moments with Martha came back. They felt so distant that Khan almost couldn't believe that he would go back to Onia.
"What is it?" Captain Clayman asked when he noticed Khan's stupor. "Everyone is happy to get a chance to leave this planet. You should be the same."
"It's just sudden, sir," Khan replied.
"The Ef'i have decided to hold the tournaments early this year," Captain Clayman explained while pointing at Khan's cup. "They have made that decision due to Istrone's mess. Giving the Global Army the chance to get more faswite is their way to show respect for our losses."
"They really are a warrior race," Khan commented while placing his cup on the desk to let the Captain refill it.
"You can refuse if you really want to," Captain Clayman exclaimed while pouring the drink. "However, I don't suggest it. The tournaments on Onia are a big deal, and winning them is even bigger. Your career will take a leap forward if you bring home a mine."
"Refusing would be dumb," Khan agreed. "What about the anti-mana project?"
"Let me handle that part," Captain Clayman announced while pushing the cup toward Khan. "I'll even notify you once we have dealt with the labs, but, please, leave this planet. Ecoruta has nothing but blood and battles to offer."
'That's why I came here,' Khan replied in his mind as he picked his cup and took a short sip.
"You are a strange one," Captain Clayman sighed. "Being picked for a tournament is a great honor and a statement of your prowess, but you don't look happy."
"I feel honored, sir," Khan hastily responded. "Hearing about Onia just brought back memories."
"I read that you have already won a tournament there," Captain Clayman said.
"It feels so far away," Khan honestly revealed.
Captain Clayman didn't say anything. He knew what had come after Onia. Istrone and Nitis had broken Khan and rebuilt him into a new man.
"Don't let it get to you," Captain Clayman eventually stated.
"What do you mean, sir?" Khan asked.
"Don't bring the war back home," Captain Clayman explained. "Don't carry this filth and blood with you all the time. Go to Onia, win the tournament, and enjoy the position that the Global Army gives you afterward. You have already fought a lot, but becoming an ambassador requires more than that."
Khan didn't hide his surprise at those words. He had never mentioned his goals to the Captain, but the latter seemed to know about them.
"I have good sources," Captain Clayman announced while wearing a proud smile. "Besides, it's not hard to find information about you. There has never been such a young candidate in Onia's tournaments, and you didn't exactly lay low before that."
'It can't be bad for my goals to be public knowledge,' Khan thought. 'I might get a suitable role if I actually end up winning a tournament.'
"When do I leave?" Khan questioned.
"Tonight," Captain Clayman replied. "A spaceship will bring you back to the space station where you'll use the teleport. I'm afraid you won't get the chance to say goodbye to anyone."
"That's fine," Khan stated. "I can leave as soon as the spaceship arrives."
"Good," Captain Clayman announced. "Do you have any special requests that I can mention to HQ?"
Khan thought for a few seconds before nodding and voicing a simple demand. "I need a book for the Ef'i's language."
.
.
.
Luke and Bruce stood in front of a room that featured a single bed and some medical equipment. Their eyes were on Martha, who was sleeping with a series of tubes and sensors attached to her body. Her burns had long since healed, but she had yet to wake up.
"When was the last time that someone so young has been picked for Onia's tournaments?" Bruce asked without moving his gaze from Martha.
"It has never happened," Luke calmly replied. "Khan is the youngest candidate in history for the fights with first-level warriors."
"Do you think he can win?" Bruce questioned while glancing at his friend.
"I don't know," Luke sighed. "He has surpassed everyone's expectations many times already. Who knows? He might actually win."
"He will be unreachable if that happens," Bruce commented.
"I've always known that he would have gone far," Luke exclaimed. "Yet, I didn't expect that to happen so soon. He isn't even eighteen."
"And we had him in our class," Bruce added. "I guess you lost your chance to use him."
"You know that I'm not like that," Luke complained. "I even owe my life to Khan. Sure, I want him to work under me in the future, but I won't become like my father to get the best troops."
"Your father is a great man from a political viewpoint," Bruce said. "Still, I agree. It would be a dick move to coerce him into joining you. He doesn't deserve that."
"I won't coerce him," Luke explained. "I don't even want to pay him up. I'd prefer him to join me as a friend."
"Is that why we came here?" Bruce asked. "Didn't you read about his alien girlfriend? He might not care anymore about her or us."
"That's not the Khan I know," Luke stated.
"We both didn't know much about him," Bruce declared. "Come on. Did you think he could pull off everything he did on Istrone when you first met him?"
"And that was only the beginning," Luke added. "That's why I have to try. He'll probably become someone really important in a few years at this pace. Leaving my mission aside, I need to keep him as a friend for my own future. He might be the only ally that my father doesn't control."
"Your father doesn't control me," Bruce replied in an annoyed tone.
"Your father controls you," Luke scoffed, "And my father is his friend. Khan is different. He is still outside all of this."
"So what?" Bruce asked. "How can Martha help you?"
"I'll wake her up," Luke stated.
"How?" Bruce chuckled. "Also, she has already lost an entire year of training. Do you think Khan will remain behind for her?"
"I've put her into a high-tier mana treatment," Luke revealed. "I've also asked the Weesso family for permission. Her parents are quite proud, but they couldn't refuse such a good offer."
"That's expensive even for you," Bruce commented.
"An ally like Khan is priceless," Luke announced. "I hope he won't forget our names by the time she wakes up."
.
.
.
A spaceship descended among Ecoruta's darkness. Many soldiers had come out of their habitations to create two lines that Khan had to cross before departing.
The soldiers were performing military salutes, and they even wore serious expressions during the event. Khan felt a bit awkward to walk among them, but Captain Clayman had already explained that those gestures were necessary. His battalion had to show respect for someone picked for Onia's tournaments.
Some soldiers nodded at Khan when he met their eyes. Others smiled, and only a few dared to break their salutes to give him thumbs up. Khan did his best to perform fake smiles at those gestures, but he inevitably began to feel strange after a while.
Luckily for Khan, the walk didn't last long. He soon arrived next to the same spaceship that had brought him on Ecoruta. Its pilot had half of his face covered, but he recognized Jakob from the few visible features.
"Make sure to bring honor to the Global Army," Captain Clayman exclaimed after leaving his line. "And don't come back here afterward. I'll take care of you-know-what."
"I'll do my best, sir," Khan promised as the spaceship entrance opened.
"That's more than enough," Captain Clayman laughed before nodding.
Khan took that as the signal to enter the spaceship. The reinforced glass closed above him, and the vehicle set off slowly to avoid causing winds on the surface.
"Do you remember me?" Jakob asked once the spaceship was quite far away from the surface.
"You are about to accelerate, right?" Khan guessed.
"Damn right," Jakob laughed before the spaceship picked up speed and shot out of Ecoruta's atmosphere.
Khan glanced at the shrinking planet before moving his gaze on the enlarging space station. He had experienced a few meaningful moments on Ecoruta but nothing that was remotely comparable to Nitis. He had unlocked his spells, and his mood had slightly improved, but he wouldn't hold many events dear. Delia had been a nice distraction, but she couldn't give birth to feelings after Liiza.
"You never told me that you were so strong," Jakob announced. "Don't tell me that I will have to call you "sir" in a few years."
Khan didn't answer. His gaze remained on the space station as a hangar quickly grew clear in his vision. It didn't take long before the spaceship landed and unlocked its cover to let him out.
"Bring my regards to the Ef'i!" Jakob laughed as Khan left the spaceship and walked toward a familiar figure waiting in front of a corridor.
"Hi Khan, it's been a while," Eunice exclaimed while wearing an odd wide smile.
"Only a few months," Khan replied. "Unless I lost track of time while I was down there."
"Not at all," Eunice happily stated while tinkering with the menus on the screen in her hands. "You have been on Ecoruta for almost four months. It's incredible that you have been able to accomplish so much in such a short period."
"The Stal did the kidnapping," Khan commented. "I only escaped."
"That alone is incredible!" Eunice shouted while entering the corridor to escort Khan across the space station. "It's a pity that you are leaving so soon."
"Did you want me to remain on the battlefield?" Khan said before performing a fake chuckle when he saw Eunice's apologetic expression.
"It's a pity that you couldn't get stationed here," Eunice complained. "The higher-ups want you to reach Onia right away. You'll have to spend the night here, but you'll get teleported early in the morning."
"Maybe one day I'll get a role here," Khan replied without putting any emotion in his words.
Eunice quickly led Khan to an area of the space station that he didn't see the first time. The quarter featured a series of small rooms, and one of them opened when the two passed in front of it.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning then," Eunice exclaimed as Khan began to enter the room.
"Is there a training hall here?" Khan asked when he thought about sleeping for an entire night there. "Can I use it?"
"This space station has three training halls," Eunice revealed while wearing an awkward expression, "But you can't use them. Chaos wielders have special restrictions in space."
"That makes sense," Khan sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Well," Eunice voiced while stepping forward and caressing her short hair, "There isn't much to do on the space station, but I often hang out with a few soldiers. We only drink and practice at the firing range, nothing special, but it might be a good way to kill the night."
Khan noticed a few expressions that he had learnt to recognize. Eunice's smile, her fingers playing with her hair, and the slight high tone that took control of her voice from time to time stated that he probably had a chance with her. Her last gesture also seemed to confirm that idea.
Still, Khan recalled his first interaction with the woman. Eunice was probably acting like that due to his newfound fame, which worsened his idea of her. He didn't want something similar, not after Delia.
"I think I'll force myself to rest," Khan responded. "I probably need it before reaching Onia."
"Of course!" Eunice quickly exclaimed before stepping out of the room. "You need to bring honor to the Global Army. I'm sorry for even asking you to waste time with me."
"I'm sure it wouldn't have been a waste," Khan declared while showing a fake smirk before sealing the room. He only had the time to notice Eunice's gasping expression before the door slid close.
'George definitely knew a lot about women,' Khan laughed internally before a few memories of Onia surged in his mind.
Khan remembered his cute moments with Martha, the innocent flirt that the two had exchanged for a short period, and her decision to hold his hand before teleporting on Istrone. His memories then moved to her charred figure inside the medical bay, but he still corrected his previous thought after reviewing all of that. 'Some of them at least.'
'Onia then,' Khan thought while throwing himself on the bed.
Khan had no intention to sleep, but he didn't mind spending a few moments reviewing everything that had happened on Ecoruta.. It felt necessary to make a point of his situation now that he was entering the second half of his second year in the Global Army.