Chapter 229: Promise

Liiza and Khan didn't talk about the elders' decision, but time wasn't on their side.

Lieutenant Kintea immediately started to work with Zalpa to contact the elders and come up with a solution for the current situation of his troops. The crisis had ended up destroying the teleport, so the humans needed the Niqols' help to contact their superiors and plan the migration from the planet.

The elders didn't hesitate to reveal part of their technology to help the humans in the matter. Lieutenant Kintea and the other two surviving soldiers obtained a beacon capable of sending messages in space, and they quickly activated it to contact the superiors. The Global Army had a telescope placed right outside Nitis' solar system, so it didn't take much for an answer to arrive.

Everything became easier after establishing a connection with the Global Army. The elders allowed the humans to bring a small space station near Nitis to start the departure, and Lieutenant Kintea kept his underlings updated about the process. Soon, only one day remained before the arrival of the vehicle that would put an end to the political missions on the alien planet.

Khan and Liiza had spent that period as if the inevitable departure didn't exist. They had enjoyed themselves as much as possible between parties and passionate moments, and their friends didn't question them about the issue.

George had never been able to keep secrets for himself, especially after drinking. Azni and the others had learnt that the two couples had a chance to remain together, but their options were equally awful. They couldn't even begin to imagine what Havaa and Liiza were going through in that period, so they did their best to pretend that everything was normal.

Zalpa didn't come out of her basement at all. She knew how harsh the situation was, and she was worried that her presence would affect the two girls' decision.

Zalpa wanted Liiza and Havaa to remain on Nitis, but both of them were pretty rebellious. She was afraid that her actions would push them to leave the planet. The old Niqols pitied both couples, especially Khan's, but her mind remained set on helping the separation with her absence.

Paul, Kelly, the two soldiers, and the Lieutenant had also spent most of that period in their rooms. They had never bonded with the Niqols too much, and they didn't want to be around parties that didn't welcome them. They simply waited for the day when they could finally leave that planet to arrive.

Khan spent the day before the departure peacefully. He took Snow for a long flight and did his best to explain what would happen. The Aduns didn't fully understand his words, but the feelings that seeped past the mental connection gave it an idea of the imminent separation.

The Aduns were Tainted animals with high resilience to different atmospheres, but Khan had seen what the sunlight had done to them. In theory, he could take Snow with him, but the many different environments he would have to explore in his missions would only hurt the eagle. Khan would be forced to leave Snow in a safe area many times, and he didn't want that sad outcome for his loyal companion.

Snow didn't take that news happily. It took many detours and flew recklessly while returning to the mountain. The Aduns hoped to ruin Khan's departure by arriving late to the castle, but he slowly calmed it down. The eagle could only give up and drop him near the waterfall angrily when it understood that the event was inevitable.

A party welcomed his return to the palace. No one wanted to address the lingering sadness in the hall, so everyone did their best to celebrate as hard as possible.

Khan lost himself in the joyful faces of his friends and partner. His problems didn't exist when he remained immersed in those affectionate gestures, jokes, and laughs. Part of him even believed to have found true happiness in those short hours, but the celebration inevitably came to an end.

Doku and Ilman limited themselves to nod when they saw that Khan and Liiza started to leave the main hall, but Azni jumped on him to perform a tight hug. The girl didn't say anything, but a faint sniff resounded when she left his chest and hid her face to return to her boyfriend.

Azni's gesture broke the illusion created by the party, but the couple didn't fall prey to their emotions. Khan and Liiza quickly approached the staircase and walked slowly toward their room. They never left their partner's hand during the stroll, but the reality of the situation became impossible to deny after the door closed behind them.

"[Liiz-]," Khan tried to say, but Liiza promptly jumped on him and trapped his lips in a long kiss.

The kiss felt almost violent. Liiza wrapped her arms and legs around his neck and waist, forcing him to hold her from her butt. She then pulled his hair in a desperate attempt to make him walk toward the bed, but he couldn't let her spend more time without talking.

"[Liiza]," Khan said in a scolding tone when he managed to free his lips from Liiza's desperate passion.

"[No, we still have time]," Liiza pleaded while trying to reach his mouth again, but Khan pushed her on the wall and pressed with his waist to support her without needing his arms. His hand went on her hair and pulled it to trap her head.

"[So rough]," Liiza teased as a captivating smile appeared on her face, but Khan mustered the entirety of his self-restraint to remain focused on the issue.

"[Liiza, I need to know]," Khan begged while making their foreheads touch. "[Please, we need to talk about this before it's too late]."

Liiza sighed and released the grip on his waist to place her feet on the floor. Khan took a step back and let her leave the wall, and she seemed to calm down as a warm smile appeared on her face.

"[We switched position]," Liiza giggled while placing a hand on his cheek. "[I'm the one who doesn't want to talk now]."

"[The reason didn't change]," Khan smiled while taking Liiza's hand. "[Talking will force the rest of the world to become real]."

Liiza's smile broadened, but tears suddenly appeared on the corners of her eyes and made her leave Khan. She turned to walk toward the bed, but she never sat there. Khan kept his eyes on her back and noticed how her hands closed into tight fists.

"[I thought about it, a lot]," Liiza whispered without turning. "[I've given my everything to inspect all my options. Honestly, I would choose to remain with you even if that meant going through a hundred crises]."

Tears appeared in Khan's eyes, but he suppressed them. Everything about him wanted to jump on Liiza, take her in a tight embrace, and tell her that they would be fine, but he had to wait for her speech to end. He could already sense that a "but" was about to arrive.

"[Yet, I couldn't stop thinking about all the warnings]," Liiza continued. "[We both know that our relationship isn't completely healthy. We rely on our love to save ourselves from the grim aspects of our lives. Our feelings resemble an addiction]."

Liiza sniffed, and Khan instinctively took a step ahead, but the girl voiced a plead when she sensed that gesture. "[Wait! I won't be able to finish if I sense your warmth]."

Khan closed his eyes to calm down before retracting his leg. A wet sensation spread on his right cheek, but he ignored it to focus on his girlfriend again.

"[Mana hurried us into a relationship]," Liiza explained. "[Our feelings have exploded as soon as our lips met. Still, I wonder if they did that for the wrong reasons. I can't help but hear my mother's warnings in my mind, and we both know that she might be right. We are broken, and we are partially using each other to remain in one piece]."

Khan couldn't deny that statement. He and Liiza had also acknowledged the toxic aspects of their relationship long ago, but they had decided to fix them together slowly. However, the elders' decision had changed their situation in ways that forced them to reevaluate that choice.

"[I wish we had time to heal together]," Liiza cried. "[I wish I wouldn't have to choose between you and my species. I wish that my mother's death didn't make all of this harder than it is, but how can I leave my tribe after she died to save me? How can I abandon the Niqols after they suffered so much]?"

Khan stepped forward when he saw tears falling next to Liiza's feet. He hugged her before he could even attempt to stop himself, and she immediately clung her hands to his arms. Khan sensed something wet spreading from her palms. It seemed that she had cut herself with her fingernails.

"[We can still do both]," Khan pleaded as tears fell from his eyes. "[You can still come with me and return to Nitis after the elders reopen their borders. It doesn't matter if the rebels win. We can always make them change their minds later]."

Liiza sobbed before patting Khan's arms. He relaxed his embrace and allowed her to turn. Their eyes met, and more tears fell from them when they noticed the sad expression of their partner. They almost couldn't believe how something so intense and beautiful was causing such deep pain.

"[Khan, if you ask me to follow you, I wouldn't be able to refuse]," Liiza admitted in a pleading tone as her hands grabbed the opening in his robe. "[However, love shouldn't be like this, right? I should have a choice. I want to be able to refuse and still decide to be with you]."

Khan opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out of it. He wanted to tell her to follow him. Everything inside him was screaming to beg her to move in the Global Army, but he found himself unable to voice requests that could hurt her.

"[Khan, Khan, listen to me]," Liiza cried while taking his face in her hands. "[We have been incredibly lucky to find each other. Our timing was simply off. We can't appreciate what we have until we fix each other, but that requires growing without the safety of our love]."

"[I don't want to go back to a world without you]," Khan revealed, "[But you can't be happy with me, not right now. I'm only afraid that I might lose you forever]."

"[Remember my mother's words]," Liiza replied as a warm smile appeared on her face. "[Mana made us find each other. Believe that it will do the same after we have fixed our issues. Let's live our lives and grow to a point when we can truly love. I know that we will meet again then]."

"[I will search for my happiness without you only if you promise me to do the same]," Khan stated. "[You won't be able to grow if you cling to the hope of meeting me again]."

"[Dummy]!" Liiza sobbed. "[I had to say that. Don't hurt yourself for me even now]."

"[What can you even do? Break up with me]?" Khan joked as tears continued to fall from his eyes.

Liiza smiled, but her sobs became too hard to suppress in front of that separation. She hid her face on Khan's neck and cried loudly as she realized what was happening. 

"[Why am I so sure that I won't love anyone else so deeply]?" Liiza cried without leaving Khan's neck.

"[It's the same for me]," Khan confessed as he took her head in his arms. "[You have cursed me forever]."

Liiza left Khan's neck and fixed her eyes on his face. She loved him so much, but they only had a night left together, and she knew exactly how she wanted to spend it.

"[Let's enjoy this curse one last time]," Liiza sniffed while wiping away her tears with Khan's robe. "[I won't cry. Promise that you will do the same]."

"[I promise]," Khan said while wiping away his tears. "[Let's not ruin this memory]."

Liiza nodded, and the two kissed before falling prey to their passion. Everything grew hazy as they lost each other in their raging emotions, but neither of them managed to stick to their promise.

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Author's notes: The second chapter will arrive soon.