C335 - Worries
'What is happening?!' Khan shouted in his mind as he took a step back while continuing to inspect his hands.
The event escaped Khan's understanding, and the fact that he didn't sense it only worsened his reactions. The irritation caused by the argument with Cora vanished, and honest worry about what was happening replaced it.
"Khan?" Cora called without hiding the faint fear in her voice.
Khan didn't answer and tried to summon the entirety of his expertise to put the mana back into his body. However, he failed to take control of the energy leaking out of his hands.
'What is happening?!' Khan repeated inside his mind.
Controlling and manipulating mana had become some of Khan's best abilities. His confidence in those fields was beyond firm, so the event left him stunned. He couldn't help but panic a bit when he thought about all the possible reasons that could have led to that issue.
Khan diverted his attention from his hands only when Cora slowly retreated to approach the wall behind her. She trusted Khan completely, but she was also truly scared about what was happening.
Cora wasn't to blame for her reactions. In her eyes, Khan had summoned his mana during a fight. She didn't believe that he would turn violent for even a second, but she couldn't control the fear filling her mind.
Khan wanted to raise his hand and reassure Cora, but he suppressed that urge. He didn't know what that gesture would trigger, but something else became evident. He was too dangerous in that state.
"Khan!" Cora voiced in a worried tone when Khan shot toward the entrance. Tears fell from her eyes, but they didn't stop him from leaving the flat.
Cora wanted to follow after Khan, but her legs gave in. She sat on the floor as her back slid on the metal wall. Her sobs became impossible to suppress, and some anger even surged in her mind.
That feeling had nothing to do with the argument. Cora was angry at herself for freezing in that situation. She couldn't even muster the strength to go after Khan. She had literally proven Khan's point.
Meanwhile, Khan sprinted as fast as possible through the camp's streets. Recruits still roamed around since the night was still early, but he avoided all the crowded areas.
The situation made no sense. Khan could perform his martial art with his usual perfect control. He could move the mana inside his body freely as he had always done. However, part of his energy seeped out of his skin anyway, and he couldn't put it back.
Khan's condition even worsened since the mana grew more violent. The energy didn't stop at his hands anymore. It turned into short purple-red flares that shot out of random spots of his body before dispersing in the air.
The issue usually wouldn't be too problematic. After all, simple waves of mana couldn't do much harm. Yet, Khan's energy never stopped carrying the properties of the chaos element, which made it dangerous for anyone in his surroundings.
'Why is this happening?' Khan panicked a bit as he continued to sprint toward isolated areas. 'What caused this? Is the mana anomaly getting worse? Is it something connected to the [Blood Vortex]?'
Khan was aware of his condition, but that only confused him. He could identify multiple sources to his current problem, but he never managed to point his finger at one of them.
The mutations caused by the Second Impact could always cause problems, and Khan's issues didn't stop there. The [Blood Vortex] remained an alien training method that might cause problems when abused by humans. He also had the [Blood Shield] inside him, which didn't help his inspection.
A few recruits and soldiers noticed Khan, but he never gave them the chance to stop him. He ran faster than ever and stopped only when he reached the empty areas past the camp's edges.
Khan sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes to focus on suppressing those reactions. The sprint seemed to have helped since the flares stopped happening so frequently. His mana had also started to abandon his hands, but he didn't dare to move yet.
The stealthy properties of those reactions worried Khan deeply. He failed to sense his mana when it escaped his control. He couldn't find countermeasures or prevent bad outcomes in that situation.
Those properties prevented Khan from finding the source of the problem or solutions. He couldn't do anything specific to suppress his mana. It seemed that his body was turning against him. The power that he had accumulated through many hardships was making him dangerous for those he loved.
The violent reactions eventually quieted down on their own. Khan's mana also stopped escaping his control and leaving his body. The event seemed to have ended, but he remained seated to inspect his condition for a bit longer.
More ideas appeared in Khan's mind as he reviewed the issue. His emotional state might have caused those unwanted reactions, and the same went for his overall tiredness. Cora was correct when she pointed out his lack of sleep.
'What do I even do now?' Khan wondered after he failed to identify the source of the problem again.
Khan was trying his best to find options, but everything crumbled in front of his inability to locate the issue's core. He could only end up with two alternatives. One saw him isolating himself, while the other involved a doctor.
Of course, the idea of isolating himself was unreasonable. Khan had thought about it only because he didn't want a doctor to find out about the mana anomaly. Still, he couldn't risk losing control over his energy again. He even had too much on his plate to cut every connection with his friends, students, and superiors.
Khan realized that the curfew was upon him when he checked his phone. A few worried messages from Amber and Cora had also reached his device during those hours, but he ignored them for now.
Khan took a deep breath to calm himself down before standing up and straightening his clothes. A few holes had appeared on his uniform due to the flares of mana, but he didn't really care about his appearance. He was only wasting time to delay the inevitable meeting.
That process couldn't last long, so Khan eventually started his march toward the center of the camp. He walked slowly on purpose since he didn't want to meet anyone on his path, and some hesitation filled his mind when he arrived in front of the medical bay.
Khan checked his body once again. Everything seemed perfect, but he feared what could happen if his mana went rogue while inside the medical bay. His career could be at risk, and he might even hurt someone.
Everything inside Khan wanted him to go away, but he knew that he wouldn't solve anything like that. He had to see a doctor, even if that meant exposing his condition.
The curfew had long since passed during the slow walk. The doctor in the medical bay wasn't in his office, but one of the nurses allowed him inside anyway.
Khan felt glad that he could remain alone during the wait. The waiting room was almost empty, but nurses could still walk by, and Khan wanted to limit his interactions with others as much as possible for now.
The doctor took almost an hour to arrive. He was a tall, slender, middle-aged man with short grey hair and an unkempt beard. It was clear that he didn't like that sudden call, but he still did his best to be polite during his introduction.
"Lieutenant Khan!" The doctor exclaimed when the office's door closed behind him. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Doctor Boris Blackburn. I hope you don't mind my casual clothes. I was about to reach my bed when the nurse called.
The doctor stretched an arm to shake Khan's hand, but he took a step back to avoid it. Boris frowned, but Khan made sure to explain his gesture. "My mana is going out of control. I don't know when the next violent reaction will happen."
"Oh," Doctor Blackburn gasped. "We better do a check-up right away then."
"Thank you, sir," Khan replied and followed the doctor with his eyes.
Doctor Blackburn activated a few menus on his interactive desk before grabbing a scanner and approaching Khan. The latter hesitated to let someone get close to him, but Boris wore a gentle smile before reassuring him. "I'm not wearing my stars, but I remain a second-level warrior. You aren't dangerous to me."
Khan could contradict the doctor, but he decided to remain silent. He closed his eyes and did his best to retain control over his mana while Boris pointed the scanner at his nape and other parts of his body.
Holograms soon came out of the interactive desk and began to list some of the features found during the scan. Everything seemed relatively superficial for now, but Khan peeked at those words from time to time to make sure that nothing problematic appeared.
'My attunement with mana is at fifty-nine percent,' Khan commented in his mind when that detail appeared on the holograms.
The scan didn't last long. Doctor Blackburn went back to the interactive desk to tinker with some menus once he was done. Khan couldn't read what he was doing, but he waited in silence for the process to end.
"Oh!" Doctor Blackburn exclaimed after a few minutes. "It seems that a complete scan won't be necessary."
"What's the problem, sir?" Khan asked.
"Your attunement with mana has risen sharply since your last check-up," Doctor Blackburn pointed out. "I don't see any injection of synthetic mana. Are you using alternative methods?"
"Yes, sir," Khan admitted. "Do you need its specifics?"
"Not at all," Doctor Blackburn stated. "I only wanted to make sure that your sudden growth wasn't a spontaneous event."
"Sir?" Khan called since an explanation had yet to arrive.
"Right, how unpolite of me," Doctor Blackburn uttered through a chuckle. "You must be worried. It's nothing serious. Your body is simply failing to adapt to your sudden growth."
"What?" Khan questioned.
"Using alternative training methods doesn't prevent the arrival of similar problems," Doctor Blackburn explained. "I've seen a few soldiers in the same situation after obtaining multiple injections of synthetic mana in a short period. They didn't give their bodies the time to adapt to their new power."
"But my growth shouldn't be too sharp," Khan complained.
"Are you kidding?" Doctor Blackburn laughed. "Increasing the attunement with mana gets harder and slower with each point gained. Yet, your growth has actually accelerated in the last period. You are as talented as your fame claims."
Khan didn't want to spend time exchanging polite words. He was still worried, so another question quickly left his mouth. "How do I fix it?"
"There are meds for your condition," The doctor responded, "But they are for conditions far worse than yours. I won't hesitate to prescribe them if more problems appear, but I can only tell you to rest for now."
"Only rest?" Khan asked.
"Exactly," Doctor Blackburn announced. "Give your body a break. Let your flesh absorb the mana that you stuff into it. I even suggest you turn this into a habit since you might break at this pace."
Khan lowered his head as his worries dispersed. Nothing serious had happened, and he didn't even hurt anyone. He could relax and try to suppress the awful feelings caused by the lack of control over his own power.
"I'll contact the Headmaster and explain the situation," Doctor Blackburn continued. "You aren't dangerous, but it's better if you aren't around recruits for the time being."
"I understand," Khan nodded again.
"I think one week will be enough," Doctor Blackburn added. "Make sure to rest properly during this time, and stop adding mana to your body. Just relax and enjoy the break."
"I'll do my best, sir," Khan reassured.
"Excellent!" Doctor Blackburn exclaimed. "Now, if you don't mind, I have an appointment with the bed. Do you need anything else?"
"No," Khan replied. "Thank you, sir."
"I'm just doing my job," Doctor Blackburn chuckled, and Khan didn't hesitate to voice polite goodbyes. He even performed a military salute before hurrying out of the medical bay.
Now that the worry had disappeared, Khan could focus on a happy aspect of the situation. A faint smile inevitably appeared on his face when he recalled the writings on the holograms.
'Fifty-nine percent,' Khan thought as his hands closed into fists. He was only one point away from becoming a second-level warrior.
To be continued