C338 - Departure
Time flowed quickly without putting Khan in front of any significant event. He studied, trained, and completed his duties as a professor until the date of the departure arrived.
Khan woke up early in the morning alone in his bed, but the event didn't surprise him. Cora had chosen to sleep in Amber's room that night since she knew that she wouldn't have been able to hold back her tears, and Khan didn't stop her.
The luggage had been ready for days by then. Khan only had to bring his second-grade knife and the items required by the [Blood Vortex] with him, and a bag was more than enough for them.
Khan jumped out of bed, took a shower, and changed into a clean military uniform. Luke had promised to take care of the clothes, drinks, and food, so Khan didn't need to add anything else to his luggage. He was ready to leave.
'I've spent almost one year here,' Khan thought when he was about to approach the entrance.
As Khan inspected every corner of his flat, memories surged in his mind. Cora's scent filled the area, but he also found traces of Amber's passage. The reinforced room even had faint marks left by his long meditations and training sessions.
One year wasn't a long period, but Khan acknowledged how that flat had grown on him. It still belonged to the camp, but he saw it as a home that reeked of memories and emotions.
The cave in Nitis' marsh inevitably showed itself and forced Khan to compare it with the flat. He knew which place had been more meaningful to him, but he liked that his mind placed both of them under the same category. He felt finally sure that he had tried his best in Reebfell.
Khan remained still only for a few seconds before tightening his grip on the bag and crossing the entrance. He had far harsher goodbyes. He wouldn't hesitate to face what waited for him that day.
A surprising sight unfolded in Khan's vision when he left the flat. Captain Goldmon, Lieutenant Abaze, and some of his students had gathered right outside his habitation and revealed broad smiles when they noticed him.
"Don't look so surprised," Lieutenant Abaze gently announced. "You have done a good job here. Did you really think that your students would let you go without saying goodbye?"
The news of Khan's departure had become public while the recruits were busy with the semestral tests. Khan had also prepared them for the arrival of a replacement, but the crowded hangar where he had his lessons wasn't the right place for proper goodbyes.
Moreover, many recruits simply didn't get close enough to Khan, and the arrival of his second stars only put more distance between them. However, some students still decided to contact Lieutenant Abaze and Captain Goldmon to plan that meeting. Even a few ex-students like Elsie and Ashley had decided to join it.
"I'm not sure I deserve all of this," Khan honestly admitted. "Changing professor in the middle of the year might cause problems. I'm sorry my departure had to come at such strange timing."
"Stop whining," Captain Goldmon snorted as he tapped his cane on the street. "I've reviewed your reports. Even an idiot could teach with something so detailed. Hurry up and leave so that I can go back to my duties."
"Captain, manners," Lieutenant Abaze reminded.
"It's a free day," Captain Goldmon replied. "My manners exist only during working hours."
The students felt a bit awkward to hear that conversation, but Elsie took the matter into her own hands to move the attention back on Khan. She stepped forward and performed a military salute before shouting. "Thank you, Professor Khan!"
The other recruits followed her example, and a series of "Thank you, Professor Khan" resounded in the area. The scene inevitably made Khan smile. Nothing proved that he had done an excellent job better than that.
"I should be the one to thank you," Khan happily exclaimed. "I've learnt a lot from being your professor. I hope you'll find my teachings useful in the future."
Khan exchanged glances with all his students before realizing that time was flowing quickly. His grip on the bag tightened again as he heaved a sigh and gave one last order. "Be safe."
"Yes, sir!" The students shouted and kept their military salutes firm until Khan walked past them.
"Professor Khan!" Elsie suddenly called and forced Khan to turn.
"What is it, Elsie?" Khan gently asked.
"I'll also join missions in the future," Elsie exclaimed.
"I expected as much," Khan stated. "Maybe we'll find ourselves in the same mission one day."
"I hope so, sir!" Elsie responded.
"Professor Khan is as popular as always," Lieutenant Abaze chuckled.
Khan nodded at Lieutenant Abaze before showing another warm smile at his students and turning to go on his way. No one followed him, but he sensed the group's gazes on him until he was too distant to see clearly.
The unexpected meeting put Khan in a happy mood that carried tinges of nostalgia. He knew he would miss his lessons, but that didn't slow him down at all.
The walk toward the teleport was long, but Khan was early, so he didn't mind walking slowly to savor every scene that the camp had to offer. He knew he would have fond memories of Reebfell.
A message reached his phone during the walk, and Khan felt surprised to see that it came from Headmaster Pitcus. The text was short and straightforward, but it added another good memory.
'Good luck on Milia 222,' Khan read on his screen before putting the phone back in his pocket.
Luke had kept his promise. He had dropped the idea of disguising the mission on Milia 222 as a simple holiday trip and had turned it into something official.
The mission obviously had nothing to do with the Global Army, but Luke had played his cards well. He had spread the news that the matter involved his family, and he had even listed Khan and Martha as hired soldiers.
The contents of the deal with Khan and Martha were private, but the sole fact that Luke had hired them to handle his family matters spoke for their value. Moreover, he promised to hand reports about their performance to the Global Army to add them to their profiles.
Khan couldn't complain in that situation, and the upfront payment had also been generous. His finances had basically doubled, bringing him close to a total of sixty thousand Credits. When Khan added the expenses handled by Luke in that period, he felt pretty lucky to have found such a good opportunity.
It was too early to find recruits and soldiers roaming through the camp, so Khan's walk was uneventful until he reached the teleport. The group he saw there didn't surprise him, but those familiar faces put him in a strange mood anyway.
Luke and Martha smiled at Khan, and Bruce tried to do the same, but a yawn interrupted his gesture. Meanwhile, Cora and Amber did their best to show happy expressions, but Khan noticed the sadness in their eyes.
'She has cried,' Khan thought when he saw Cora's face.
Luke, Martha, and Bruce wanted to speak, but they chose to remain silent when they noticed that Cora had attracted the entirety of Khan's attention. They knew that they needed some privacy, so they took steps back to leave the two alone.
Amber did the same, but she remained closer than the others. Meanwhile, Khan reached Cora, and the two fell in each other's arms without saying a single word.
Khan forced himself to imprint everything he felt on his memory. He didn't want to forget Cora's warmth, the softness of her hair, the strength behind her hug, and everything else about her. That woman had been so good to him, and recalling her was the least he could do.
A sniff forced Khan to break the hug and lift Cora's face. Tears had already started to fall from her eyes, but she appeared as beautiful as ever. She was actually blaming herself for losing control of her actions.
"Will you be okay?" Khan whispered.
"Don't worry about me," Cora managed to smile while she reached Khan's cheeks. "You are the one going in a dangerous place."
"I'm still worried about you," Khan softly responded.
"Don't be," Cora scolded. "You have pampered me a lot, and I still have Amber. Just make sure to focus on yourself. I want you to be happy."
"I'll do my best," Khan reassured.
"No," Cora shook her head. "You must succeed. All I want is for you to succeed-."
A sob interrupted Cora's line and forced her to hide her face in Khan's chest. She began to cry loudly, and Amber intervened before Khan could try to reassure her any further.
"Be safe out there," Amber whispered while stealing Cora from Khan's arms and securing her in a hug. "I don't want to hear any bad news about you."
"You know me," Khan teased, but his faint smile vanished when his eyes fell on Cora.
"You should leave now," Amber stated while glancing at Cora. "I'll take care of her."
"Thank you, Amber," Khan exclaimed while wrapping an arm around Amber's neck and making sure that he didn't touch Cora. "You are the best."
"Don't forget to call," Amber whispered before leaving a quick kiss on Khan's cheek. "Go now, and good luck."
Khan left Amber, and the two exchanged a nod. Then, Khan hurried toward the building with the teleport, and his three companions followed him silently.
The building's entrance slid open as the four crossed it, but Cora cried a loud "Khan!" that suppressed the noise caused by the door. Martha, Luke, and Bruce glanced at Khan, but he showed a cold face as he proceeded forward.
The soldiers inside the building performed the usual check-ups, but the four remained silent through the whole corridor. Khan didn't say anything when he learnt that his attunement with mana had almost reached sixty-one percent. He only wanted to get to the teleport, and his companions understood his feelings.
The oval structure eventually appeared in front of the group, and the four jumped on it in no time. They had yet to say a word, but Khan noticed how Martha tried to grab his hand before retracting it at the last second.
Khan grabbed Martha's hand before it could return on her side, and the two exchanged a meaningful stare. He revealed a sad smile, and she said a silent "thank you" through her lips.
'I have gone back in time,' Khan joked in his mind as the synthetic mana filled the structure.
The scene was far too similar to what he had experienced before Istrone's mission, but a lot had changed since then. He had the power to protect his friends now, and he wouldn't hesitate to use it.
Then, the teleport activated, and the scenery in the group's vision began to transform. The mission on Milia 222 had officially started.
To be continued