Chapter 230: Departure

Azure lights appeared on Nitis' dark sky early in the morning. The scene initially scared some Niqols due to the resemblance with the crisis, but the true nature of the event became clear in a matter of minutes.

The lack of clouds made the space station's arrival impossible to miss. The giant vehicle resembled a large star that had flown too close to Nitis' orbit. The azure light radiated by its neon and glowing tubes filled the sky in its surroundings and created a bright patch that tried to shine on the surface.

Orders appeared in each room of the palace and warned everyone about the imminent departure. The humans had to leave, so formal salutations became mandatory. Still, Azni and the others didn't need orders to gather past the lake next to the mountain and wait for their friends to come out.

Lieutenant Kintea, the two soldiers, Kelly, and Paul were the first to leave the mountain and cross the narrow passage that led on the other side of the lake. The Niqols on the scene didn't hesitate to perform bows when the group reached them, but nothing else happened. The humans crossed them to stare at the smaller light that had separated from the halo created by the space station.

The Niqols also moved their eyes on that descending glowing dot. Soon, the silhouette of a small spaceship became visible in the dark sky. It only took a few minutes to reach the surface and land in an empty spot.

Azni, Ilman, Doku, and Asyat remained astonished in front of the spaceship's speed. They inspected its three engines and its curved front, but their eyes soon went on the five humans marching forward. Lieutenant Kintea's group didn't hesitate to approach the vehicle.

The group on Niqols inspected the spaceship's insides after it opened its metal doors, but they eventually turned to examine the waterfall. Two humans had yet to come out of the mountain, and anxiety built inside the students as they prepared themselves to say goodbye.

Two figures eventually became visible on the narrow passage. George and Havaa held their hands as they crossed the lake and reached the Niqols. The couple then exchanged a long kiss, but Havaa pushed George away when her tears became impossible to contain. The girl turned to run back inside the mountain as her sobs resounded in the area.

"[I wish things were different]," George commented while showing a sad smile toward the students.

"[Make sure not to drink too much once you get back among the humans]," Doku winked before reaching George to hug him.

"[No recruit would be able to keep up with me anyway]," George scoffed before separating from Doku and falling prey to Azni's embrace.

"[Take care of yourself, George]," Azni whispered. "[Don't cause any mess]."

"[I'm a responsible soldier]!" George complained, and the couple exploded into a laugh.

"[I hope to see you again soon]," Asyat uttered after Azni let George go.

"[I'll come back to Nitis as soon as possible]," George replied before exchanging a short hug with the girl.

"[Don't forget the Niqols' way]!" Ilman shouted as he ran toward George and squeezed his head between his arms.

"[Why are you always so intense]?" George cursed but laughs soon accompanied his words.

"[Nothing can stop my raging feelings]!" Ilman declared before letting George go and patting his shoulders a few times.

"[I'll miss you too]," George announced as he took a step back to escape Ilman.

George performed a polite bow toward the adult Niqols on the scene and began to approach the spaceship, but a dark figure suddenly descended on him and slammed him on the ground. The boy found himself trapped in his Aduns' pecks and laughs inevitably escaped his mouth.

"I will miss you too!" George laughed as he hugged the Aduns' neck and straightened his position. "Make sure to eat a lot and find a good companion. I don't want to see you without a partner when I'll return to Nitis."

The Aduns screeched toward the sky and snuggled its head on George's chest one last time before setting off and disappearing in the darkness of the sky. The boy could only heave a helpless sigh at that sight, and a single tear fell from his eyes as he turned toward the students.

"[Take care of Havaa for me]," George requested. "[Don't let her remain fixated on me]."

"[She will forget you in no time]," Azni mocked, but the warm smile that appeared on her face and made George nod happily.

"[Thank you for everything]," George exclaimed after performing a polite bow. "[Please, make sure to convey my gratitude to Professor Supyan if he is still alive]."

"[You can count on us]," Doku announced, and George finally found the courage to turn and reach the spaceship.

The students turned toward the waterfall after George disappeared inside the spaceship. Their anxiety increased as they waited for Khan to appear, but something else distracted them and made their eyes move on the sky.

A screech resounded in the sky as another Aduns flew in the area and landed next to the spaceship. An adult Niqols jumped off her eagle while carrying a human covered in thick chains. The boy had his mouth, hands, and legs bound by those chinking items, but the students didn't fail to recognize him. It seemed that Rodney had survived the crisis in the safety of his prison.

The adult Niqols didn't waste time. She threw Rodney inside the spaceship before jumping back on her Aduns and setting off. The students didn't have the chance to express their disgust toward the boy since Lieutenant Kintea took care of securing him on a seat on the other side of the vehicle.

The scene had added a filthy feeling to the tension that enveloped the students, but everything disappeared when they saw a figure leaving the waterfall. Khan marched on the narrow passage, but he was alone.

Azni covered her mouth, and tears began to form in her eyes when Khan revealed a faint smile toward his friends. The sadness radiated by his expression was impossible to describe by simple words, and the students seemed able to experience it as he drew close.

"[She couldn't make it]," Khan quickly explained, but he couldn't add anything else since Azni jumped on him.

Doku joined his girlfriend in the embrace, and Khan could only pat their backs as he tried to commit to memory the coldness radiated by their bodies. He almost couldn't believe that he had grown so close to the two aliens in little more than half a year. 

"[I'll watch over her and find a way to make you end together]," Azni promised.

"[Azni, it's fine]," Khan said in an affectionate tone while patting her head. "[This goodbye is only temporary. I'll see you all again sooner or later]."

"[But you were so-]," Azni continued as tears started to fall from her eyes, but Doku covered her mouth to make her stop.

Azni glared at Doku, but she understood her mistake when she noticed that Khan's eyes had also started to produce tears. The girl felt incredibly sorry, but Khan shook his head suppressed his sadness to reveal a warm smile.

"[I want the greatest party of all time once we reunite]," Khan laughed.

"[You can count on me]," Doku proudly announced. "[The entirety of Nitis will learn to respect the importance of my parties. I'll become an authority in every celebration]!"

"[Don't put strange ideas in his mind]," Azni complained now that Doku had let her mouth go. "[Remember that I'll have to deal with him in these years]."

"[I don't want you to get bored]" Khan winked, and Doku exploded into a laugh in front of Azni's pout.

The two Niqols didn't want to let Khan go, but a screech soon resounded above them. The three wanted to glance at the sky, but a mass of white feathers slammed them on the ground before they could understand what was happening.

"[Snow]!" Khan scolded before exploding into a happy laugh.

The Aduns sat on Khan and prevented him from standing up. Snow even screeched proudly to announce its superiority, but Khan could sense through the mental connection that the eagle was trying to keep him on the planet.

"[We have talked about this]," Khan whispered as he ruffled Snow's feathers. "[You need to keep an eye on Liiza for me, okay? I must leave, but I can't do that with an easy mind unless I know that both of you will be fine]."

Snow screeched again, but sadness seeped in its voice at that time. Khan could only continue to ruffle its feathers until the eagle decided to let him stand up.

"[You are the best Aduns on the entire planet]," Khan declared while hugging Snow's neck, and the eagle lowered its head to voice another sad screech.

Doku and Azni remained silent in front of that scene. They could relate to the sadness in Snow's voice. Khan had become an important member of their lives, but he would have to leave for many years now.

Snow eventually left Khan and flew toward the peak of the mountain, disappearing among the dark sky. He could sense that the Aduns was still nearby, and he even understood its reasons. The eagle wanted to wait for Liiza to come out of the palace.

'Good boy,' Khan thought before finding another pair of arms around his neck.

Asyat hugged Khan tightly, and the latter didn't hesitate to do the same. The two didn't say anything, but that gesture was enough to express that they would both miss each other.

The next salutes ended up being far rougher than the others. Ilman jumped on Khan as soon as Asyat let him go and wrapped his arms around his torso to lift him.

"[Don't you dare to forget about me]!" Ilman shouted as he waved Khan left and right. "[What are years compared to our friendship]?!"

Khan laughed and let Ilman do what he wanted with him. The boy was almost more violent than Snow while he expressed his affection. Khan didn't even notice that the upper part of his robe had fallen by the time he returned to the ground.

"[You never change, do you]?" Khan laughed as he covered his shoulders, but a series of stunned gazes filled his vision during the process.

Doku's mouth had opened in surprise, Asyat's eyes had widened, Ilman had fallen silent, and Azni had started to cry even harder than before at the sight of the rune on Khan's shoulder.

"[Right]," Khan helplessly sighed as he inspected his tattoo for a few seconds before covering it again.

"[No, no]," Azni muttered. "[You can't leave. I'm sure that even the elde-]."

"[Azni]," Khan interrupted her. "[We have already made up our minds. As I said, this isn't goodbye. We'll all meet again. Take care of her and yourselves]."

"[This is so unfair]!" Azni shouted, but Doku promptly took her in his arms and prevented her from speaking any further.

"[You should leave before she tries to take down your ride]," Doku suggested as a sad smile appeared on his face.

"[I'll see you soon, my friends]," Khan declared before turning, performing a bow toward the adult Niqols, and approaching the spaceship.

Tears wanted to come out of Khan's eyes, but he suppressed them. A tinge of hesitation filled his body when he was about to step on the spaceship, but the memories of the previous night eventually gave him enough strength to proceed. He had to leave to learn how to love correctly.

Every event experienced on Nitis filled his vision as he walked toward the first empty seat that he found, and everything culminated with the memories of the last night. The promise and that goodbye filled with tears darkened his face and made him desire to remain alone. He felt the desperate need to see Liiza, but she had made the right decision. Neither of them would have been able to separate if they could gaze at their partner during those final moments.

The noise caused by the metal doors of the spaceship made Khan raise his eyes. He noticed Rodney, but his mind didn't allow him to think about the boy now. His gaze went on the outside world where he saw that all his friends had started to cry. Khan only managed to show one last smile before the vehicle sealed its entrances and set off.

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Author's notes: The second volume will end here. It lasted far longer than I expected, but I think it turned out quite well. I know you are split between wanting more battle or more romance, but I can't satisfy everyone. I can only write what I feel it's necessary. Anyway, see you tomorrow at the beginning of the third volume!