Chapter 1282: Reality
Theoretically, the Nele’s migration had nothing to do with the Niqols. Those species shared no enmity or friendship, so the Niqols would have no reason to interfere with that mission. If anything, they would relate to the Nele’s tragic situation and make it easier for them.
Khan’s involvent with the Nele wouldn’t change that truth, either. The Niqols were dutiful when it ca to their species but not cruel. They wouldn’t use the Nele to get back at Khan, especially if they learned about their history and revolutionary developnt.
Yet, Khan wanted to place Ilman in charge of the Nele’s escort, and that mission was bound to last for a while. Khan wouldn’t even be there to deal with unexpected problems during that period, so he needed Ilman’s strength to ensure its success.
That was the issue’s core. The Niqols might call Ilman back to the fold, leaving the Nele’s escort team partially defenseless while Khan was away. That was a developnt Khan wanted to avoid at all costs, but only Ilman could give him the reassurance he needed.
Ilman didn’t explode in his typical shouts. The Niqols beca uncharacteristically silent, probably realizing that Khan’s question was far deeper than it sounded.
Even if Ilman didn’t understand that, his intense character prevented him from taking the question lightly. His eyes’ red glow enveloped Khan’s figure before shining onto the calm sea, and the bottle in his hands reached his mouth to deliver so necessary booze.
“[Khan, what is happening]?” Ilman questioned, quiet gravity accompanying his tone.
Despite the appearances, Ilman was far from stupid. Besides, he respected Khan too much to believe he would put him on the spot like that. There had to be a reason behind such a troubling question, especially since the two had already partially dealt with the topic.
“[You’ll learn about it soon enough],” Khan exclaid. “[Everyone will. I can tell you, but I want to hear your answer first].”
Realistically, Khan would trust Ilman with his life. The Niqols had been the best man at his wedding, which had been the culmination of all the support he had provided in the past ten years.
Yet, the issue didn’t involve Khan, so he had to apply stricter requirents.
“[Liiza and I will leave soon],” Khan explained. “[We’ll also take Zalpa with us, but I can’t tell the Nele to delay the migration until I return, so I wish for you to help them].”
Ilman refrained from his loud outbursts again. In normal tis, he would swear upon his life to see the Nele’s migration to its end. Even without Jenna, Ilman would do it simply because Khan had asked him that favor.
Nevertheless, tis were hardly normal. Ilman had finished helping Zalpa, so he should reunite with his species. He had duties he couldn’t ignore, and the achieved safety prevented him from delaying them any longer.
“[My friend],” Ilman called. “[What would you do]?”
Khan lowered his gaze, taking a long sip from his bottle, before glancing at Ilman. The Niqols didn’t look at him but noticed how he shook his head in helplessness.
“[I never had any loyalty toward my species],” Khan admitted. “[I can’t relate to your position, so I can’t make that decision for you].”
That was the whole reason why Khan and Liiza were a match. He was cursed, while she had been an outcast. They could instantly understand each other, creating a world that belonged solely to them.
In that regard, Jenna and Ilman were the complete opposite. They were both pri examples of their species, loyal to them to the core. If anything, their feelings threatened to get in the way of that profound sense of duty.
That difference didn’t save the couple from the universe’s twisted sense of humor. Ilman and Jenna would soon face the sa crossroads Liiza and Khan had dealt with in the past and at the arranged marriage. Chances were one of them had to forsake their species for their feelings.
Ilman groaned, abruptly sitting on the ground, slamming into it and lifting so dust. His scarlet eyes remained on the calm sea, and his bottle often reached his mouth while a storm raged through his brain.
Khan joined the Niqols on the ground, and the two stared at the calm sea while drinking in silence. Part of Khan wanted to affect Ilman’s decision, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
“[If I reunite with the Niqols and start hunting you down],” Ilman said, breaking the silence, “[Do you think Jenna would wait for ? Would she hate if I did]?”
Khan had to muster the entirety of his self-control not to look at Ilman. On a subconscious level, it seed the Niqols had realized that Jenna shared his feelings, but that only complicated the matter.
“[She wouldn’t wait for you],” Khan honestly replied, and sothing almost broke inside Ilman.
“[She would co with you],” Khan promptly added, saving Ilman from the desperation of his own creation. “[She would abandon her species to be with you. That’s how the Nele’s love works].”
In the past, Khan had found that trait extre and unreasonable. However, he could now appreciate its simpler, easier, and genuine features. The Nele wouldn’t have to worry about anything once they found their one. They just had to be with them.
“[I can’t let her do that],” Ilman declared. “[If soone has to abandon their species, it should be ].”
“[Liiza and I had to make a similar choice back then],” Khan reminded, “[But we were kids, powerless, naïve kids].”
Khan sighed, standing up. His bottle was empty, and cracks spread through its fabric, turning it into dust that fell to the ground.
“[I’ll respect whatever decision you make],” Khan stated. “[Just, I must set the deadline at tomorrow. I need ti to find a replacent if you reject the offer].”
Khan considered lingering in the area a bit longer, but the conversation was pretty much over. Remaining there would also put him at risk of revealing the Scarlet Eyes, which would affect Ilman’s decision, which he preferred not to.
“[The Niqols are taught to respect and follow their emotions],” Ilman announced before Khan could start to leave. “[We experience them at a deeper level than anyone else. You have seen what they can do to us].”
Scenes from a certain village by a lake crossed Khan’s vision. He knew exactly what Ilman was talking about. He even shared the Niqols’ emotional depths now.
“[That’s why we feel a strong sense of unity],” Ilman continued. “[Even when Liiza went against our species’ directives, she kept serving it, no matter how much the Niqols resented her].”
Ilman diverted his gaze from the sea, enveloping Khan in his red radiance.
“[What should a man in my position do]?” Ilman asked. “[What can I do when soone suffers no matter what I choose]?”
Khan t Ilman’s gaze while his mind churned complicated thoughts. Ilman stood before an impossible choice, sothing Khan had to make his peace with in the past.
“[I can only tell you what I would do],” Khan responded, “[Not what you should do].”
“[Please],” Ilman begged.
“[I’d help Jenna],” Khan said, “[And help my species. I wouldn’t compromise on either side].”
“[I don’t see how],” Ilman uttered. “[I wish I could, but the reality doesn’t give that choice].”
“[Then, I’d break reality],” Khan declared. “[If the universe doesn’t work like I wish to, it has no right to exist].”
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