A single instant with the mental barrier wouldn't have given enough time to perform one of the Lightning-demon style's sprints, but pain could stretch that window.

Khan only needed a few seconds of clarity and freedom from Yeza's influence to run away from her kiss, but the same went for a proper technique with his knife. In theory, the instant provided by the mental barrier wasn't enough to draw his weapon and stab his leg.

Yeza inspected Khan from under her frown. Her sensitivity to mana wasn't something that weak soldiers could understand. She was strong, strong enough to sense the slightest change in that energy even when it happened outside of her body.

Her eyes went on the expanding red patch before moving on the side of Khan's waist. The functional and neat leather sheath had turned into torn pieces of fabric that hung from the robe's belt.

Khan had never drawn the knife. Yeza had sensed a vague sharp feeling when he had touched the weapon's handle. The boy had stabbed his leg after piercing his sheath, and he had done that without showing any hesitation.

His current expression didn't carry any regret either. Yeza could see how Khan only cared about not cheating on his partner. His determination was unwavering. He treated the matter as if his life depended on it.

"Am I so disgusting in your eyes?" Yeza said in a tone that hinted at the arrival of tears.

Khan felt his heart plummeting. Everything inside him desired to reassure Yeza and prevent her sadness. However, he promptly twisted the knife stabbed in his leg to wash his body clean with another wave of pain.

Clarity filled his mind. Yeza's first instinct in front of that dramatic scene had been to see how far Khan's determination stretched, and his reaction left her quite stunned.

"Do you plan on cutting off your leg to resist me?" Yeza asked as her expression gained a tinge of curiosity.

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Khan replied in a cold voice.

"It was just a kiss," Yeza scoffed while turning to refill her cup. "You can even lie about today. No one would know about it."

"I would know," Khan responded as his cold expression broke and his eyes fell to the ground.

Khan tried to imagine what it would be to remain with Liiza without their complete honesty. His mind immediately rejected the idea of tainting that pure feeling. Khan felt like he would deserve such a sad world if he couldn't preserve what was bringing so much happiness to his life.

Yeza didn't miss the slight changes in his expression. She was the best at what she did. Khan's mind was like an open book in her eyes, so she could directly read the emotions that he experienced.

Of course, Yeza could only guess what caused them. Yet, she had learnt to link the dots of a character together and understand personalities in ways that others couldn't, and Khan appeared deeply broken.

"That doesn't seem like love," Yeza announced after taking a sip from her cup.

Khan's eyes flickered, and a frown appeared on his face as he raised his gaze toward the Niqols. His grasp on his knife tightened as he prepared for eventual attempts to affect his mind, but Yeza had no intention to continue in her teasing.

"Maybe you are feeling something so intense only because it mends your mind," Yeza continued. "That's not love. That's a toxic addiction."

Khan didn't doubt his feelings for even an instant. He would have considered Yeza's words if his relationship with Liiza had happened differently, but their attraction had started right away.

His mana might have seen Liiza as a cure for his mind, but that wouldn't explain how she felt the same deep emotions unless she was also deeply broken. Liiza's mindset wasn't exactly ideal, but she wasn't like Khan. Moreover, even if she were, Khan would see that as the reason why they completed each other so easily.

"It might be toxic for humans," Khan revealed honestly, "But isn't that what Niqols strive to have?"

Yeza remained speechless for the first time during that conversation. Even Khan's determination in hurting himself to avoid betraying his girlfriend didn't manage to silence her. It had taken him that remark to make her understand that she had analyzed the situation from the wrong perspective.

Yeza had learnt how humans thought, and she applied that mindset during political events. According to her experience, even those who ended up dating Niqols still preserved the values of their different species. Still, the situation was different with Khan, and she quickly realized how her initial judgment had been off.

Khan's eyes widened when Yeza started to laugh. He had seen her giggling multiple times already, and her gestures weren't any different now. The Niqols was covering her mouth to hide her smile, but she wasn't trying to be cute or tempt Khan. Her voice carried a faint sadness.

"You remind me of my ex-husband," Yeza laughed. "Well, who he was when we first decided to marry."

Liiza had told Khan about her father, Deni. The topic was quite important for her since her parents' separation had been what had eventually led to her outcast status. Still, Khan felt that something was off when he saw Yeza talking about him.

"Were you married?" Khan lied as honest curiosity filled his voice.

"Years ago," Yeza sighed as her gaze fell on her cup. "I know I'm not an easy woman, even for Niqols' standards. Yet, I really believed that his love would have kept us together."

"What happened?" Khan questioned.

"The same that happens in every relationship," Yeza voiced a bitter chuckle. "Small things become big things. Promises turn into curses throughout the years. One day you are able to accept who you have married. The other you ask her to change."

Yeza heaved a helpless sigh before chuckling when recalling that Khan was in the same room with her. "And you become so bitter that you end up revealing this stuff to a kid. Maybe I'm getting too old for this."

Khan felt slightly confused. Liiza's version of the story covered other topics and mainly focused on Deni's pain. It never considered Yeza's perspective, and Khan didn't find it hard to blame her for the crack in her family. Even humans had cheaters in the end.

However, it was clear that there was more to the matter, which wasn't entirely surprising. Liiza had been nothing more than a kid when her parents separated, and she had even been closer to her father back then. She could have easily misunderstood and failed to see something crucial.

Khan didn't know what to do with what he had just learnt, but Yeza didn't keep their conversation on that topic any longer. She used both hands to raise her hair and show the entirety of her face before questioning him. "Do you think I'm getting old?"

Yeza's revealing gown showed even more of her bare torso in that position. The Niqols also slightly turned to make sure that Khan could get a good look at how her sensual curves mixed with her slim and flawless waist. She was a piece of art without wrinkles or spots.

"You are stunning," Khan honestly evaluated.

"I know, right?" Yeza scoffed before letting her hair fall and revealing a teasing smile. "And yet you still refused me."

Khan tightened his grip on the knife's handle but still decided to give a polite answer. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Yeza stated as her smile started to radiate a faint affection. "Never be sorry for what feelings make you do. That's the Niqols way, and you must learn it if you want to make your girl happy."

"I never said that she was a Niqols," Khan quickly corrected, but Yeza shot a glance at him that clearly stated how little she believed in his words.

"Don't make promises that you can't keep," Yeza lectured while approaching the other side of the room, "Don't let your feelings for her change, and don't try to suppress her. Succeed, and you'll have a relationship that humans can only dream."

"Yes, ma'am!" Khan promised in a serious tone.

"And don't you dare to use that ma'am with me ever again," Yeza scolded. "It only makes me feel old."

Khan couldn't help but chuckle at that reaction. He nodded honestly as he took her lecture to heart. Yeza had no idea that he would apply those teaching to her daughter, but she didn't need to know that.

Yeza noticed the sharp change in Khan's expression. She had tried to make him cheat on his girlfriend just a few minutes ago, but he could still appear grateful about her teachings. She felt almost moved by the intensity of his commitment toward his relationship.

"You might become the kind of man that I always wanted for my daughter," Yeza exclaimed. "I thought that the Ilman kid would be perfect since he basically worships her, but you saw how easily jealousy twists love."

Khan suddenly recalled how Yeza probably was aware of everything that had happened in the academy. She even knew that Liiza had brought Khan to get his Aduns since she had called Captain Erbair on that same day.

"Liiza seems to lower her guard with you," Yeza continued. "Maybe she has also sensed some resemblances with her father. Do me a favor and keep an eye on her, okay? She doesn't trust Niqols anymore, so a human might help her get back into the world."

Khan limited himself to nod slowly. Everything he had ever learnt about lies fused to allow him to maintain the perfect poker face in front of the queen of pretenses.

Yeza revealed a satisfied smile at that gesture, but her eyes fell on his leg when she stopped in front of the room's exit. The patch of blood had almost reached Khan's ankle.

"Do you plan on taking that off at some point?" Yeza asked.

"Depends," Khan firmly responded.

"I won't tease you anymore. I promise," Yeza chuckled while covering her mouth. "I would feel bad about breaking your determination after seeing how deeply you care about your partner."

Khan inspected Yeza's face for a few seconds before slowly retracting his knife. More blood poured out of his injury, and the red patch soon threatened to reach his shoes. Khan didn't exactly know how deep the wound would have been after manipulating his mana to become sharp, but it seemed that he needed to meditate and patch himself up.

"Stay still," Yeza said as she stretched her hand toward Khan.

Khan instinctively bent backward, and a membrane of sharp mana even covered his knife. He was ready to stab himself again to resist Yeza's powers, but he didn't feel anything off for now.

"I'm just trying to heal you," Yeza giggled.

Khan inspected Yeza for a few seconds again, but he eventually dropped his guard. The mana around his knife dispersed, and a new mark appeared on its edges. The weapon would probably break soon if his manipulation ability didn't improve, but that was precisely what he intended to do.

Yeza placed her hand on top of Khan's head. She was cold, but that sensation brought some coziness when she sent mana inside his body. She didn't use the [Harmony Technique]. Her control over mana granted her access to a superior ability that used her energy to copy Khan's features and find every damage before fixing everything.

Khan felt the pain coming out of his legs disappearing as the injury closed, but the positive effects of that technique didn't stop there. His tiredness also vanished while a sense of liveliness filled his mind. Only the marks and hickeys on his torso remained untouched.

"I left them on purpose," Yeza explained in a teasing voice. "I believe you want to keep her marks, right?"

Khan nodded a few times before staring at Yeza showing an approving smile and reaching the room's exit. He felt slightly strange in that situation. The Niqols had stopped acting as a temptress, but her new behavior was something that Khan didn't know too well. Yeza vaguely felt like a mother.

"Aren't you coming?" Yeza asked while stepping out of the room, and Khan quickly snapped back to reality.

****

Author's notes: 3-4 hours for the second chapter.

I would also like to address an issue. I know many of you want to read both chapters at the same time and are willing to wait more hours for that. Yet, others don't mind, so delaying the first chapter would only hurt them.

In the end, I can't satisfy everyone, unless I fix my cursed sleeping schedule of course. I promise I'm doing my best there, but I just keep failing. I can only ask you to bear with me. I would understand if you couldn't.