The group didn't even consider stopping for a break. They had been inside the underground structure for hours, and they had experienced awful experiences. The sadness and grief caused by the loss of two of their companions were intensifying in their minds, and they didn't want them to burst out in a random spot in the wilds. Zeliha's condition was also awful, so they prioritized getting back inside the academy.

The few hours that divided the team from The Pure Trees helped the students realize what they had just experienced. It wasn't too rare for the Niqols to lose assets during hunts or missions. It sounded like a cruel and cynical process, but it also was a core part of their society.

The Niqols considered themselves Nitis' overlords, but their approach to the matter wasn't intrinsic to their intelligence or current position. They didn't see their status as an obvious consequence of their power like the humans. They believed that they had to earn it constantly, even if they had to put their younger generations through a tough skimming process.

Khan found it hard to understand that part. It wasn't a matter of similarities to the Nak or distance from the humans. He had the innate idea that nurturing the young so that they could become strong enough to protect the species was generally better than uncovering talent among the new generations through tough challenges.

Still, Khan could also see why the Niqols could apply those skimming methods relatively easily. The aliens had fewer specialized fields compared to humans. They grouped the use of mana into three major areas and judged their students according to their proficiency in them.

Instead, humans could find talent in a soldier who struggled to learn a single martial art. Khan found himself thinking about the skinny boy from his entrance test when considering that issue. Jay had a mana core, but his balance was awful. Yet, his understanding of technology could turn him into a valuable asset inside the Global Army. It might even bring him higher than those who could only fight.

The Niqols didn't have that. They used general fields and demanding challenges to evaluate their younger generations. That led to a sturdier foundation, but it also removed from the political and social scene characters that could have an incredible talent in uncommon areas.

The forest surrounded by the seven mountains eventually unfolded in the group's vision. Happy smiles immediately appeared on the Niqols' faces, but that comfortable sight also broke their self-control. Some students saw their emotions bursting out and filling their eyes with tears. Khan could see Azni and Asyat bending on their Aduns to hide their sadness.

Doku led the group toward one of the empty spots near the mountains. Professor Supyan and Professor Zakhira were already waiting for them on the ground since he had alerted the academy about their return. Khan felt surprised that the two Niqols didn't seem to have any special potion or tool at hand to help the students, but everything became clear after the landing.

Zeliha had been too weak to jump on her Aduns on her own. Asyat had kept her on her back during the flight. The professors didn't hesitate to reach her when she jumped off her eagle.

Professor Supyan and Professor Zakhira handled the injured girl carefully. They lay her on the ground and crouched at her sides before stretching their palms forward. Mana came out of their hands and created a dim white membrane above her skin that sent power to her wounded flesh.

Khan's sensitivity to mana was quite remarkable, even for Niqols' standards. His similarities to the Nak and mental training had brought his ability to levels already suitable for the second year when it came to its sheer range. He only had to improve on differentiating the various purpose of that energy to meet the aliens' standards.

Still, the purpose of the professors' mana was evident. Their energy was a warm force incapable of evil. It was similar to the aura released by Veronica's tree during the test inside the underground lake, and the power that it carried was simply miraculous.

Khan saw the patches of melted skin on Zeliha's shoulder and arm healing at an unfathomable speed. Flesh grew right under his stunned eyes. The Global Army had medicines and technologies capable of fixing severe injuries in mere days or weeks. Still, they felt obsolete compared to the short minutes necessary to bring the girl back to a decent condition.

The professors retracted their energy and checked Zeliha before taking out one of the black cubes featuring azure symbols. Professor Supyan lifted the girl with Professor Zakhira's help before throwing the item under her.

The cube started releasing a faint force that made Zeliha float mid-air. The item worked as a stretcher made of azure light that followed Professor Supyan when he hurried back into the forest.

Khan barely had the time to inspect the new skin before Zeliha disappeared among the trees. It felt obvious that the flesh that had just grown couldn't perform all its functions correctly. The girls' arm and shoulder now featured multiple pale-blue patches that created a stark contrast with her normal shades, but that seemed enough to stabilize her condition. She had stopped shaking and groaning in pain as soon as the white membrane broke.

Only five students and Professor Zakhira remained in the empty spot. Azni had sat on the ground while her gaze remained fixed on a patch of black grass. Doku soon crouched next to her and wrapped his arms around her figure. The girl didn't hesitate to abandon herself in that embrace, and faint sobs resounded after she hid her face in his chest.

Asyat played with her hair. Two wet lines still connected her eyes to her chin, but she had stopped crying. She only felt sad about the situation, and her gaze remained lowered as her mind showed her memories of Elbek and Bashir.

Liiza mostly ignored the group. She stood at the edges of the empty area, with her back on a black trunk while she stared at the forest's depths. It was impossible to understand what thoughts ran through her mind due to her cold expression.

Khan was in an awkward position. He had felt marveled at the Niqols' methods, but he still experienced the sadness of the whole situation. His pain didn't match the intense feelings of his companions, and his experience with those events almost made him appear uncaring.

The sadness in his mind didn't stop him from studying everything he could. The professors' healing methods were only one of the details that Khan committed to memory. He also noticed how Professor Zakhira's hunched back didn't affect her agility. She was incredibly nimble once she stored her cane in a specific pocket at the side of her robe.

Khan took out his phone since Professor Zakhira limited herself to play with a black cube in her hands. He had used the rubber band of his underwear to store his phone and save it from his robe's destruction. Its screen quickly lit up to confirm that the afternoon had already arrived.

The faint thought of leaving his phone behind from now on hit Khan's mind, but that device could be useful even without a connection to the Global Army's network. He had a raw map of Nitis and many lessons saved there, so it could show its utility during a mission. Yet, it was clear that he needed a better way to store it since his clothes kept falling apart.

Khan noticed how his companions suffered from the same issue. Liiza had lost her cube, and Azni had stored hers inside her sports bra. Doku and Asyat still had pieces of their robes covering them, so coming up with a pocket wasn't an issue for them.

Doku was the first to recall that he was still carrying a backpack. He slowly took it off while making sure not to ruin the various knots that kept the many rags together and placed it on the ground.

The Niqols did the same with Azni's backpack at that point. The girl was still too focused on her sorrow to mind the item on her back, but Doku took care of it while making sure to add sweet caresses to the process.

Khan recalled the backpack on his back when he noticed those actions. He quickly took it off and dropped it next to the other two. Doku nodded toward him when he saw the scene, and Khan revealed a complicated smile when the Niqols focused on his girlfriend again.

The urge to jump toward Liiza filled his mind, but he limited himself to glance at his phone again. Khan didn't even search for a specific menu or image. He simply tapped on the screen while pretending to be busy writing something down.

"Khan!

" Professor Zakhira eventually shouted and forced him to snap out of his pretense.

The professor's hoarse and loud voice made everyone on the scene turn toward her. It was strange to see Professor Zakhira try her best to use a human accent, so even Azni and Asyat forced themselves to lift their gazes and stare at the old Niqols.

Professor Zakhira didn't immediately continue her phrase. She inspected Khan with her bright eyes and focused on the azure scar on his chest often. A few cuts had appeared around it after crawling out of the underground structure, but they had long since stopped bleeding.

Khan didn't understand what was happening, so he limited himself to remain silent. Still, his confused gaze went on Doku when the professor didn't speak for a whole minute. He wanted to confirm that he had heard his name correctly, but the boy didn't reply to his glance.

"Can you understand me?

" Professor Zakhira eventually continued while tapping her cane on the ground.

"Vaguely,

" Khan replied with the best accent that he could muster.

"Vaguely!

"Professor Zakhira snorted.

"Make sure to do better! Catch!

"

Professor Zakhira threw the cube in her hand at that point, and Khan promptly bent forward to catch it. Foreign energy seeped inside his hands as soon as his fingers touched the cold metal, but those sensations vanished in a few seconds.

A strange understanding filled Khan after that sudden event. He sensed that foreign information had entered his mind. He realized that he knew how to use the cube even if that were his first time holding one of them.

"Bring back the flowers to the academy ground!

" Professor Zakhira ordered while turning and moving toward the trees.

Khan remained confused. He played with the cube in his hands while inspecting each azure symbol. Those signs didn't mean anything to him, but he still understood how to activate them.

'She added you to our network,' A familiar voice suddenly resounded inside Khan's mind and made him turn toward Doku.

The Niqols smiled while he held his cube and looked at him. His mouth remained fixed in that position, but words continued to resound inside Khan's mind.

'Mind you,' Doku continued to explain, 'The communicator is only for you. The other humans won't be able to use it. Also, the network registers every message, so pay attention to everything you say.'

Khan's eyes sharpened as he tried to use the information in his mind to send a message toward Doku. 'Won't they record this too?'

It was enough to think about Doku to establish a connection with his communicator. Khan felt the link forming in his mind and transmitting his thoughts toward the boy's device.

'They are probably already checking it,' Doku sent, and Khan could even hear his laugh inside his mind. 'So you'd better not talk to my girlfriend anymore!'

Khan frowned, but Doku winked while putting his cube away. His finger pointed at his eyes at that point, and his laughing voice finally came out of his mouth.

"Did I do it correctly? I've read about the winking that humans do, but I never had the chance to use it.

"

****

Author's notes: I need 2-3 hours for the second chapter.