A couple of days later, Nathan was sitting quietly on a bench in the middle of the city, watching the civilians walking quietly as they went to their jobs or spent the day sightseeing.
Next to him, a Dilliard was reading a newspaper, one of the only ones sold in the city.
Seeing Nathan looking at him, Dilliard laughed amusedly.
"You wonder why I'm reading the paper, something so outdated?"
Reacting to his question, Nathan nodded.
"Yeah...it's pretty rare to see one these days"
Dilliard nodded as he closed the newspaper, setting it down on his lap.
"It's a habit of mine...sometimes it's hard to stop doing something you're used to"
Saying that, Dilliard pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it before inhaling its smoke and then voting it into the air.
"Another habit of mine..."
Holding the cigar in his fingers, Dilliard looked at Nathan.
"You're my student, but I really barely know you, do you have any habits?"
Nathan looked at him for a few seconds and then looked again at the street full of passersby.
"...No."
He never had the time to take an interest in the things around him. Nathan had hardly any interest besides training to survive.
Dilliard shook his head softly.
"It's important to have something to do that you have fun with, even in this ruined world"
Nathan was silent thinking about the man's words, then looked at him sideways.
It had been a year since Dilliard had taken him on as a student, and although he had spent some time training with him, the time they spent together was practically nonexistent.
While Dilliard had free time, Nathan was either injured or in the upper realm, and when he returned from the upper realm, Dilliard was busy with something to do with the castle. So he could not really learn much from him.
If he had anything to thank the man for, it was that he had taught him some survival techniques that had served him well in the swamp against tribal calamities, and that he had taught him how to use a bow. Even if Nathan had not really used it much lately.
It was little that he had taught him, but it was useful. Besides, Dilliard saw the talent in him and therefore made him his direct student.
Or maybe he was just interested in learning more about Boreas' apprentice.
Nathan didn't know, but he didn't care right now either.
Looking at Dilliard, Nathan could not help but ask him a question.
"Why did you join Khan?"
Dilliard blew the smoke inside his mouth into the air and looked at him.
"It's an old story... not so nice. Are you sure you want to hear it?"
Nathan looked a little hesitant, but finally nodded.
Seeing this, Dilliard smiled and looked at the watch on his wrist.
"We don't have much time, so I'll give you a brief summary"
Nathan nodded again and concentrated on listening to him.
"Actually, I'm Khan's newest general, and in case you didn't know, there can only be four generals in Khan"
Taking another puff of smoke from his cigar and expelling it again, Dilliard continued.
"As hard as it is to believe, I was actually a government agent for several years...until for certain reasons I was forced to leave. So at that point I joined Khan"
"When I was still a government agent, I killed one of Khan's generals, and then took his position. Ironic, isn't it?"
Laughing at his own story, Dilliard went back to smoking and looked at his watch. Just at that moment, a large explosion echoed where they were, and Nathan felt a great fluctuation of essence coming from the outskirts.
'Shit... it's already started'
All the civilians quickly started to move away as fast as possible under the guidance of some policemen, then, ignoring everyone around him, Dilliard looked in the direction of the explosion.
"I'll tell you the rest of the story another time"
Smoking what was left of his cigarette, Dilliard put it in an ashtray he was carrying and then looked at Nathan.
"Come on"
Nathan nodded slightly and got up from the bench to follow him.
They both walked silently through the streets, then noticing that Nathan was somewhat crestfallen, he put his hand on his shoulder.
"Do what you have to do"
Nathan did not say anything, nor did he look at him. He just accepted her words somewhat confused.
'I can't understand it' Amelia said inside her head.
'Me neither...'
After walking for a while, Nathan noticed how several people posing as passers-by suddenly started to follow them.
Nathan recognized some familiar faces and looked ahead again.
'You'd never think they were all Khan members... they really do look like normal citizens'
At some point, Dilliard stopped, so Nathan looked at what had made him stop and looked ahead.
Almost two hundred meters in front of them, at the end of the street there was a large wall, several meters high, where dozens of government agents were guarding the other side, ready to deal with any approaching calamity.
Nathan felt a lump in his throat as he realized Dilliard's plans but said nothing and just watched.
The other Khan soldiers also remained silent and watched their commanding general.
When a person reached the third rank, in addition to evolving their technique, they learned to control the essence to a level where they could modify the structure of any relic, turning it ethereal and storing it within them.
Dilliard extended his right arm and opened his hand, then a large sturdy wooden bow appeared in his hands.
Holding the bow tightly, a black arrow appeared in his other hand, then he loaded it into the bow and began to draw it.
Nathan swallowed, feeling conflicted, but did not say or do anything.
Finally, Dilliard drew the bow to its limit, then, filling both the arrow and the bow with essence, he released the string.
Nathan heard the sound barrier break because of the speed at which the arrow was released, then a moment later the great wall separating the city from the calamities exploded.
When the cloud of dust disappeared a little later, Nathan saw the big hole in the wall, as well as the government agents who were in a complete panic, not knowing what had happened.
The calamities had not yet arrived, but Nathan had no doubt that in a few minutes the whole place would be flooded with them. Making it so that the government agents would have to deal with both the calamities and the Khan members.
'Are you sure about this?' Amelia asked him, clearly knowing his thoughts.
Nathan was silent as he watched the government agents quickly put out an emergency call.
'I'll do what I have to do'