C131 - Nature
Professor Supyan's explanation surprised the recruits. Humans didn't go past the element when they studied the mana. Instead, the Niqols considered features that the Global Army didn't even bother to mention in its lessons. Khan wasn't even sure whether his species believed them to affect the behavior of that energy.
Some of the recruits were skeptical about the whole matter. Humans knew that the Niqols had a deeper understanding of mana, but there was a limit to how much those features could affect the actual functioning of that energy.
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The Global Army had achieved wonders without bothering to consider those features. The teleports, the synthetic mana, and the synthetic cores were only some of the many incredible creations accomplished with that energy. The Niqols appeared unable to match those feats with their spiritual methods, which made some humans underestimate the test.
None of the skeptical recruits dared to show their real feelings toward the matter. Captain Erbair had chosen only boys and girls that could blend perfectly with the Nitis' environment, and that required a lack of biases. It didn't matter if they had different ideas on the matter. They had to make sure that none of them appeared on their faces.
All the recruits did a perfect job at keeping stern faces, and only Khan allowed himself to show the genuine curiosity that was spreading inside his mind. He felt really interested in the matters connected to the mana, especially after Liiza continued to surprise him with her keen perception.
'I wonder if the features of my mana will reveal something about Liiza,' Khan thought as a faint worry fused with his curiosity, but he quickly suppressed those ideas.
The test sounded too serious to involve emotions that had appeared less than a month ago. His thoughts quickly moved to the Second Impact and the life in the Slums since those aspects of his life had been far more influential to his current character.
Khan didn't hesitate to unbutton his military uniform after he cleared his mind from useless thoughts, and the other recruits imitated him after noticing his actions.
The girls lowered their gazes when they saw the boys turning toward them, and the latter also revealed some hesitation at the thought of ending up completely naked there. Only Khan didn't seem to care about the matter. He could even ignore the girls around him as his attention remained on the test.
Of course, Khan still glanced at his naked companions before moving his eyes back to the lake, but his action carried no lust. Most girls there had attractive curves and figures that their training had improved, but he couldn't think about them in a sexual way. His curiosity toward the test was quite intense, and his urges belonged only to Liiza.
The recruits showed different reactions to his uncaring behavior. Both girls and boys from the other camps had ended up focusing on him due to the evident azure scar on his chest, so missing his reaction was impossible. Gabriela and Veronica didn't fail to look at him either, even if they had different reasons for that.
Gabriela had seen Khan many times in the camp, but she had never had the chance to inspect him properly, especially when it came to his azure scar. His well-defined muscles and firm posture matched the rumors that accompanied his name. Khan definitely resembled the driven warrior described in the many reports.
Instead, Veronica felt almost happy about Khan's seemingly uncaring reaction. Her eyes carried a bit of disappointment, but she appreciated how he was different from the other boys in the group.
The exchange of awkward, intense, and lecherous glances ended when Professor Supyan cleared his throat and claimed the recruits' attention. The reaction of the humans didn't surprise him since he knew how different their species was when it came to self-restraint and decency, but he still pointed at the tall boy in the lead to start the test.
"I'm Bradford, Professor Supyan," The tall boy bowed before stepping forward and entering the lake without showing any hesitation.
The glow of the azure symbols on the walls seemed to converge on the boy and highlight his features after he arrived in a spot of the lake where the water reached his knees. Bradford was almost two meters tall and quite muscular. He had short black hair, dark eyes, and hair covered most of his chest. A faint beard even grew from under his chin and cheeks.
The ripples spreading from his position gained strange shades as they expanded throughout the lake, and they soon created something similar to a vague hologram on the transparent surface.
The image of a bear-like creature wearing a crown and sitting on a throne slowly became clear. That peculiar picture even grew bigger as Brandon's mana continued to affect the waters.
"You can go out," Professor Supyan explained after nodding toward the peculiar ethereal image.
"Is it possible to know the meaning behind this image, Professor Supyan?" Brandon asked after performing another polite bow.
"Your mana carries arrogance, strength, and duty," Professor Supyan replied without bothering to look at the boy.
Brandon didn't know how to react to those words, but he didn't dare to remain inside the lake any longer. He reunited with his companions and picked his clothes from the ground before getting dressed.
"Next," Professor Supyan ordered. "Be faster."
The girl who had been behind Brandon in the line quickly entered the waters after performing a bow and introducing herself. Her name was Helen, she also had dark eyes, and her long blonde hair carried silver shades. Her short figure was quite sensual due to her curves. Her physique seemed to resemble Liiza due to the harmony that it radiated.
The waters reflected dark-purple lights that gave birth to the image of a flower that had many sharp thorns on its pedicel. The picture even radiated a heavy aura that tried to darken its surroundings.
"Noble, dangerous," Professor Supyan announced without looking at the girl. "Next!"
The next girl that entered the lake introduced herself as Kelly. She had short brown hair and green eyes, and she was relatively tall compared to the rest of the group. She had more muscles than curves, but most boys on the scene focused on her back anyway since she didn't have hair covering her features.
Kelly's mana created a lion-like animal surrounded by an intimidating aura. The image generated confidence and determination in the recruits that inspected it. Even Khan couldn't help but feel surprised by how intense that influence was.
"Leader, honor," Professor Supyan quickly exclaimed before hurrying the recruits to continue.
The last boy in the other group had an average height. His name was Rodney, his short hair was dark, his eyes brown, no beard appeared on his face, and the same went for his chest. His body had some muscles, but they couldn't compare to Khan and Brandon's. Still, they gave a certain firmness to his figure.
Rodney's mana made the lake generate a fox-like creature that had six tails. Professor Supyan's gaze flickered when he looked at that image, but he dismissed the boy after giving voice to the words "sly" and "unpredictable".
The time for the recruits from Khan's training camp finally arrived, and Gabriela didn't hesitate to step forward. The girl was as tall as Veronica, she had long black hair and green eyes, and a sensual vibe surrounded her well-developed curves.
Her mana generated a strange figure with the head of a dog and a cat's body. Even Professor Supyan appeared slightly confused by that image, but he eventually voiced the words "loyal", "careful", and "plain".
Veronica entered the lake right after Gabriela left the waters. Her mana created a tree that glowed with a warm yellow light capable of relaxing everyone on the scene. Its crown made of large yellow leaves continue to expand as the girl remained inside the lake.
"Love," Professor Supyan limited himself to say before sending Veronica away, and George didn't hesitate to take her place.
The shades of the lake immediately darkened once George's mana started to affect the waters. A scarlet glow covered the entire transparent surface as a sharp blade slowly came out of it until it floated right in front of the boy.
Red trails of a dense liquid fell from the blade and flowed into the lake. George couldn't help but stare at the weapon while wearing a cold expression. His expression revealed some hesitation, but an unshakable determination also filled his eyes as his hand rose to reach the handle floating in front of him.
"Don't lose yourself in the illusion," Professor Supyan reminded, and his words managed to startle George awake. "Your mana is too murky to describe it with a few words. We'll talk more once we reach [The Pure Trees]."
George couldn't help but bow and exit the lake. He appeared in a daze, but his eyes suddenly moved toward Khan. George knew that his friend probably had far murkier mana.
Khan didn't hide his faint worry. Istrone's crisis had made George generate a gruesome image, so he guessed that his mana would be even worse. Still, he didn't really care as long as the picture didn't involve Liiza.
"[I'm Khan, Guru]," Khan announced in a perfect Niqols' accent before bowing and entering the lake.
Brandon's expression twisted into a grimace when he heard those words. He didn't think that Khan would be a show-off, but his chance to do the same had already passed, so he could only feel annoyed now.
Professor Supyan didn't show any reaction at Khan's exclamation, but a frow appeared on his face when he saw that the entire lake lit up to reveal an azure glow.
Khan's eyes widened as the azure light gave birth to images that he knew far too well. The familiar crater appeared right in front of him, and a tall alien figure slowly came out of it. A Nak materialized right in the middle of the lake and forced everyone on the scene to raise their guard.
The appearance of the monster from the nightmares didn't make Khan freeze in fear. The Nak had stopped being scary when he was little more than seven, and it had become a mere silent curse after almost twelve years.
However, something was different at that time. Khan didn't have the chance to modify his nightmares, but he was able to move there. The desperation accumulated in almost twelve years of helpless dreams filled his insides as his mana flowed toward his legs and fueled the techniques that he had committed to memory by now.
A loud noise suddenly spread throughout the underground hall, and the walls of the structure echoed it until they transformed it into a deafening sound. The recruits had to cover their ears for a few seconds before they could stare at the scene again, and their eyes widened at the sight of Khan's leg piercing the Nak's head.
To be continued