Chaos' Heir

Chapter 1203 Love

Khan caressed the tempting dark-blue leg stretching from his left, keeping him in a cold embrace. Lustful thoughts occasionally seeped into his mind, especially due to the foreign sensations reaching him through the mental connection. Yet, his attention was mostly on something else.

The blue light from Khan's eyes was intense, trying to pierce that dark-blue skin and uncover its secrets. He knew it was cold and resilient, but nothing hinted at special techniques. It was unique and strong but also strangely normal.

"I told you it's seamless," Liiza's voice resounded above Khan. "The new old ways we developed are relatively stable. I fed my skin to my mana to empower it, and now I'm ice."

Liiza giggled when Khan pressed his fingers on her thigh, testing it. He wanted to find the ice she was talking about, but she also knew that his mind carried other purposes. After all, Liiza felt those, too.

"It's similar to what I did," Khan concluded, "Like a partial evolution using your element as the blueprint and your own flesh as the catalyst."

"The old ways always dealt in sacrifices and mutations," Liiza explained. "Mine are minor on the surface. You should see Ilman. He has a head full of red hair now."

"Didn't you say you developed most of these new techniques?" Khan wondered, his right hand reaching for the cup he had left on the floor.

"Ilman's tribe was in charge of developing those," Liiza stated. "I helped due to my expertise. The Niqols needed to get stronger in the end."

Memories resurfaced while Khan sipped from his cup. He suddenly recalled how Ilman's tribe had dealt with merging the human techniques with the Niqols', too. That was his role on Nitis, but Khan still couldn't picture his red-headed version.

A relaxing silence followed that short interaction. Khan and Liiza were on the floor, with him half-lying between her legs. His head was on her waist, trapped in whatever she was doing to his hair. The couple had also opened a bottle, calmly enjoying that peace.

Still, Liiza noticed how Khan didn't say much about his method and didn't need the mental connection to know how dangerous it had been. The terrible state of his arms told her as much.

"How did you do what you did?" Liiza asked, temporarily leaving Khan's hair alone to adjust the red cape on her shoulders. Somehow, that proud sign of the Thilku's acknowledgement had become her favorite blanket.

"I found a substance," Khan vaguely explained, "The same substance that revealed my genes' secrets. It turned out it could facilitate mutations, so I used it on myself to evolve through my element."

The vague explanation didn't satisfy Liiza. She knew Khan had left out many details, especially the painful ones, making her lean forward to look at Khan's upside-down face.

"Remember where you are," Liiza scolded, trying to sound cold, but sweetness inevitably permeated her voice. "Don't pretend with me."

Khan stared at Liiza for a few seconds before heaving a sigh, adjusting his position to be closer to her legs and waist. The two still had much to learn about their many changes, and that was a good time as any to start.

"It was dangerous and painful," Khan revealed, closing his eyes to recall the training with the toxic pool. "The substance burned, and I had to inject it inside myself to keep the mutations homogeneous. I also had to bathe inside it while absorbing mana."

Liiza lowered her gaze before sliding one hand toward Khan's wrist. She took it, turning it toward her and slightly lifting it. By then, Khan opened his eyes, looking at what Liiza was about to ask.

"What about these?" Liiza questioned, rubbing her cold thumb over Khan's scars. "Are these from the substance, too?"

"These are from my element," Khan responded. "I tapped into my element's true power when my body still couldn't handle it. They won't heal no matter what I do."

Khan didn't realize how conscious he was about his scars until Liiza arrived. They had to be quite the turn-off, but Liiza didn't let him express that thought.

Liiza pulled Khan's arm to her, hugging it to her chest before leaving a soft kiss on the back of his hand. She held it carefully, seemingly protecting and wanting to treasure that part of him.

"[These scars mark your efforts]," Liiza muttered. "[I couldn't be prouder to hold your hands and cling to your arms]."

Liiza lowered her gaze, letting one hand slide off Khan's arm to reach his cheek before continuing. "[And I'll find newfound pleasure in their touch now that I know what they have gone through]."

The loving smile that expanded in Khan's vision made him forget about everything else in the world. He took the hand on his cheek before straightening his position. He couldn't wait to hold Liiza, but his strangely heavy head interrupted that drive.

"How many braids did you do?" Khan asked, letting go of Liiza's hand to reach for his hair.

"Not! Many!" Liiza awkwardly exclaimed, feigning ignorance while stealing Khan's hand before it could reach his hair.

Liiza did her best not to glance at Khan's head, but she had never been a good liar. Her glowing eyes showed some slight panic. It seemed her playfulness had gone overboard, but Khan couldn't care when she looked so cute.

Khan pulled Liiza, and she happily climbed onto his lap, making herself comfortable. Her mood was still playful, but deeper emotions invaded her when she hugged Khan and peeked at his back, looking at his blue tattoo.

Those emotions crossed the mental barrier, updating Khan on what Liiza was thinking, which wasn't hard to guess even without it. After all, she had started to run her fingers over the tattoo, tracing its insides.

The couple had tiptoed around the topic but had yet to explore it, which was unavoidable due to its seriousness. They had mentioned "love" many times, but never directly to themselves. Still, they were both waiting for it, not knowing if the moment was right, appropriate, or too soon.

Khan rubbed his face on Liiza's shoulder, peeking down at her chest, catching a glimpse of her white tattoo. He still recalled why the two had waited for that back then. They were keeping their relationship a secret, and Liiza would struggle to hold herself back if they revealed what they felt.

However, much had changed, and the couple had no reason to hide anymore. Khan also felt that waiting was pointless, especially after wasting so much time already, especially since he knew how he felt.

"[Liiza]," Khan called. He was probably acting selfishly again, but he couldn't keep what he felt bottled up. Liiza had been the first to give in back then, so he would be the one to take the initiative now.

"[Yes]?" Liiza replied, still lost in her inspection of the blue tattoo.

"[You know I love you, right]?" Khan asked. "[I never stopped loving you]."

Liiza's body shook. She couldn't help but push herself away enough to face Khan, teary affection afflicting her expression. Still, she also looked concerned since she knew about Khan's history.

"[You don't have to force yourself]," Liiza reassured. "[I know it hurts you. I know you still feel guilty]."

As strange as it sounded, Liiza understood Khan's love for Monica better than he did. After all, her species dealt with emotions, experiencing a wider, deeper spectrum of feelings.

Liiza knew Khan's love for Monica had been real. Still, it had also been human, albeit with a few extreme tendencies. That wasn't the entirety of Khan, but speaking the truth was bound to deepen his guilt. Yet, Khan didn't stop.

"[You created that part of me]," Khan shook his head. "[It has always been yours]."

Liiza looked on the verge of tears, but didn't cry. Her hands rose toward Khan's face, caressing it, trying to share as much emotional support as possible. She had made him adopt a different form of love, and that curse had ruined his hopes of being with anyone else.

"[Even when I loved someone else]," Khan continued. "[Even when I gave up on everything, that part still existed. I thought about getting rid of it so many times, but I always chose pain. Suffering was better than living without your memory]."

"[You could have been happy]," Liiza exclaimed, her voice cracking. "[You could have thrown away that stupid, stupid girl who left you alone. You should have hated me]!"

"[How]?" Khan genuinely wondered. "[Whenever I was about to die, I saw you. I even used my tattoo as an anchor for my sense of self. You'll always be the girl who saved me and taught me of a life outside my nightmares]."

Khan shrugged his shoulders, adding his last point. "[And that life will always belong to you]."

"[You stupid, wonderful man]," Liiza cursed, almost jumping forward to trap Khan into a kiss that pushed him down, making him lie on the floor.

"[I love you, too]," Liiza said when she managed to leave Khan's lips alone. "[You created my love, too, and it has always belonged to you. It will belong to you until my last breath]."