Chapter 7: Khan
Another dream, but something feels odd about this one. It… it feels more like a vision, like something is making this possible. There has to be a reason for it, and for why I see Khan.
Khan
~~~~~
Perspective: Artyom
“So, Artyom, how do you like what I have done with the place?” Khan asked, as he swept his arm out, as if to reveal the hallway. Revealing it was somewhat needed, for it seemed this vision Khan could change the very landscape of my dream.
The hallways, once a grey and depressing stretch of concrete, were now rather vibrant looking. The lights gave off a much greater glow to them, as if they had been replaced with headlights of a train. That extra light only gave way to a mixture of red, white and blue along the walls. The way they had been done reminded me of the old Russian flag; white above blue, which sat on top of the red. Such a simple design stretched along the entire wall, probably beyond the right turn up ahead.
“I don’t understand the symbolism, Khan.” Which was one-hundred percent truth.
“Artyom, I did not expect you to understand why it is here. That, my friend, symbolizes the life of our once great country.The life of our entire race. Walk with me, Artyom.” He motioned his hand forward, as he took a few steps. Hesitantly I followed him, unsure as to what to make of all I was seeing. For more than a few moments we walked in silence, eyes never meeting one another. His were focused ahead, while mine wander to a fro, looking for something that could maybe make sense of this strange dream.
I was about to speak, but Khan got there first. “Have you seen the wall, Artyom?”
I mutely nodded.
“Do you see how the colour changes? Going from a vibrant look to that of a tarnished and worn look?”
I nodded again, not being able to find the words to speak up in between his ramblings.
“How about now, Artyom?” he said with a hand gesture to the wall. The colour had gone from the tricolour to an almost blood red, with a section of yellow in the middle of the wall spaced unevenly down the hallway. It seemed to be on an interval, almost as if the flag had... changed. My eyes widened, as my knowledge of history came flooding back to me. That was the flag of the U.S.S.R., the flag that was involved in so many historical events, back before I was born. A flag shrouded in a jumble of negativity and positives, that were hard to separate. Khan caught on to my understanding.
“It isn't just about the sickle and hammer, Artyom. It makes its appearance, but the red doesn't just portray a flag.” He grinded to a halt in front a certain spot. Right in front of him, the wall seemed be cracked and ready to be torn down. I looked off to the right, gazing at what the rest of the wall looked like. It was nearly devoid of colour, only speckles of red remained. “This colour also symbolizes our humanity, Artyom. It was so stained with blood by this time. Do not get me wrong though, there was good throughout the past century. That was shown by the yellow, but look at how the red has consumed it all. Do you know what the previous colours stood for?”
I shook my head, I wasn’t about to stop him now. His every word sinking deeper and making more sense.
“The former red represented our need for violence. The need to wage war on our own kind, against our own brothers and sisters. The blue represented our love. The love of each other, the love of our nations, the love of our world. Finally the white represented our faith. Not in religion, that is mixed among each colour. The faith I refer to, is our faith in each other. The ability to trust those who we knew little of. The idea that we should have been bonded together to achieve our goals. The way the colours grow and shrink over time is just showing how each one developed. What do you see now, Artyom? What do you see after this one spot?”
Silence reigned for a few moments before I spoke out, “The wall is broken yet the colour remains. Further along, the wall breaks more and the colour fades.” He smiled at me, encouraging me to go on, as if knowing that I would have the answer he was looking for. The answer to what was the meaning of this wall? “This was the last war. Where we all lost in the end. Further down is our future.”
His smirk only increased, fuelled by the knowledge that I was learning. “Exactly, Artyom. I could show you the future, Artyom, but would it be a truth, or a lie? Only the foolish would ask to see farther down the wall, those that desired to see how we would turn out. They are the true monsters of the world. They want to be able to change what is already set in motion, not knowing that they will do more harm than good.”
“That… doesn't make much sense Khan. How would they do worse, if they knew what to change?”
He only smiled brighter, “Because they are the ones who want to only do good… for themselves. Now, let me show you more, Artyom. This wall has served its purpose, and, before you ask what the purpose was, I will not tell you, Artyom. That is for you to decide.”
The moment he was done speaking, the wall in front of us collapsed into ash, not a single chunk of concrete remained. It was perfectly cut, as if someone had taken the time to measure out each aspect, before cutting it through with a laser, or something. Another white light shone through the entrance. Not a single object was visible on the other side, much like the first door I had passed through in this dream. I wonder why my mind loved those type of doors.
“Come now, Artyom, for I still have much to show you, and you only have so long to dream.” He had stepped half way through the doorway of light. Half of his body was hidden behind the blanket of pure white, while the other half still waited in the lit hallway. A grin appeared on his face, before he flicked his head towards the doorway, which soon disappeared in the blinding light, along with the rest of his body.
What reason did I have to not trust my mind’s image of Khan? Little could hurt you in your dreams… Ha, such an obvious lie at this point. At least the horrible excuses gave a reason to gain a swell in courage. Seeing no other reasonable option, I proceeded to follow Khan through the light.
It was an odd feeling to say the least, but I could do little better in describing it. It felt as though my entire being was separated momentarily, only to be formed once again the moment the light was no longer there. No words had ever been created to describe the feeling of being broken down and reassembled, not figuratively, but literally. I don’t know how I knew that was what happened, but no matter how much I tried to argue that it was impossible, I myself instantly rejected it; much like arguing with myself.
“The first time was easier wasn’t it, Artyom?” Khan gave a light chuckle from somewhere, I stayed my curiosity and kept my eyes closed until the nauseous feeling subsided. My entire body stayed doubled over, as if I had been sucker punched in the gut. “The first was merely a door, this time it was a gateway. What is the difference you might ask yourself? Well there truly isn't in the literal terms, but here, it makes all the difference.”
“Sure, Khan.” I groaned, as I straightened up from my previous hunched position, the feeling of nausea vanished instantly, which would have taken me for surprise if I didn't know this was merely a figment of my imagination. “Now where ar-”
No words had to be said, the room I was standing in spoke volumes in answer to my question. We had gone from the dull and bleary hallway made of concrete, to a room that to merely attempt to describe it with mere words, would not do it justice. My jaw hung loosely, my breath held in sheer awe.
An entire room… made of crystal, sculpted and polished to perfection. Invisible rays of light bounced to and fro off the walls of the room, reflecting in every direction. Each side of the room glinted and sparkled with a knowing sense of wonder. From the floor, to the ceiling, the crystal sat, gleaming and revelling in its perfection. The circular room was as close to perfect beauty, as anything could ever get.
I had once been shown a picture of the Amber Room when I was young. The idea of such perfection had stuck in my head, placed as the height of brilliance, the pinnacle of all that could ever be created. Yet, in the moment I saw the crystal room, that original idea of perfection been tossed aside. The amber room had designs adorning its walls, this room just had walls of beautiful crystal. It wasn’t just solid walls either; no, they had been cut in patterns, specific shapes and designs. This wasn’t just some feat of nature, this place had been designed this way. I should have known though, the windows, which were partially concealed with drapes were an obvious give away.
There was more though, for underneath my feet was a carpet. I knelt down to get a better feel, my hands met a fabric that made my eyes widen. I had no idea what it actually was, but the sheer feeling of touching something so soft… so silken, made me regret ever wearing any article of clothing. The pink hue carpet ran on ahead of us, ascending crystal stairs to be met with yet another awe inspiring feat; a throne that was formed from the rising of crystals. Not just a chunk of crystals though, these had grown into that shape, carefully trimmed and edged so that it would seemed completely natural.
“T- this…” I was at a loss for words. After living in the Metro for so long, to come across something so beautiful was breathtaking. Never let it be said that I was a simple man with simple pleasures. A reserved and quiet person tended to be thought of as such. I chose to be looked at, as that type of person. Easier to fool those who could use your personality against you.
“It is quite beautiful, Artyom. Hard to believe something like this exists. Though that also might be said for the race that is currently giving you residence.” Khan began to approach the throne of the crystal room. The way he walked seemed to be nonchalant, as if he cared little of anything.
“What is this place?” I finally managed to gather my words. Khan spun on his heels, arms spread up and wide.
“This, Artyom, is the Crystal Palace! And believe me, when I say that this is just as real as cot you slept on.”
My eyes widened at the statement, what he was implying meant… no. That was not possible at all. I refused to believe such nonsense, I had seen a fair share of unbelievable events, but this was beyond the realm of possibility. I shook my head, not just a quick whip from side to side, either. I shook my head back and forth constantly, as though trying to remove this dream. I had to make it end. I couldn't take any more of this.
“Enough! This is not possible, this just a dream! You are just a figment of my imagination.” I proclaimed to Khan with a shaky voice.
The smile that Khan had once held was gone, replaced with a frown. “It is a lot to take in, Artyom, but this is more than a dream. I am as much a creation of your mind as you are. This vision serves a purpose, Artyom. You have to accept that at this point, things are beyond your control.”
“So what, you have been able to do this all the time Khan? Somehow, you are… projecting yourself into my dream?! That is impossible and you know it Khan! You died with me at D6, I saw you fall with the rest! We fought together and died together, and now you are telling me that you are real and just invading my dreams?! No!” I backed away hastily, keeping my distance from him.
He merely sighed and turned his back to me. As he raised his right arm, a book appeared in his hand. The cover was pulled open, as his head dipped down as if to start reading. “I wish I could explain things, Artyom, but it is more complicated than that. There is a reason for all of this, but I cannot say. I am… restricted, in what I say.”
The small panic attack I had was dying down, rationality slowly coming back to me. I would probably hate myself for asking this. “Prove to me you are truly Khan.”
“How would I go about that, Artyom? If I were to tell you something that you had seen, then you would just dismiss me as being a part of your confused mind. The same could be said for something you didn't know, you could just as easily pass it off as what you had deduced.” He turned to me, still holding the book. “If I were to tell you that I knew you were going to be at Sparta Base because Miller told me that was part of the plan? That I was brought there to give some insight into D6, something I had the same amount of knowledge as you did, if you could not recover the plans? What if I told you that I knew of the River of Fate because I had nearly drowned in it when I was new to being a Stalker? Could you use any of that to prove my existence? Think, Artyom! Use that mind of yours like you should, don’t just follow the easiest path!”
What could I say in response to that? He was right, yet I still couldn't get over the idea that this was actually Khan. It was too outrageous to believe.
Yet only one clear option presented itself. The way that I had done in the past, something that had gotten me in trouble at times, but had also given me friends who helped me through everything.
“Fine.” It was a tough thing to admit I was completely wrong. Sure, I had to come to the conclusion many times, but to admit and give in was a rocky path for me. “I’ll trust you, Khan.”
Holding the book, he walked over to me. As he neared he slung an arm over my shoulders, pressing his left shoulder to my right. “It is tough to do what goes against your gut feeling, but you need to know what I am going to tell you, Artyom. Without this, you will be lost in the world.”
I just nodded my head in response, walking in time with him. The light that was filtering in through the windows of the crystal room had faded away. Each window only showed a black veil, not a single object in sight. Each step forced another change to the room. Gone was the beautiful carpet, the throne and even the window themselves.
The room shimmered, as though I was looking at it through a ripple in water. Crystal walls fading away to nothing, only to reappear. The entire room had changed as Khan and I walked towards where the throne had been.
Whatever book Khan had held in his hand quickly erupted in fire. I nearly reeled back from the sudden lick of flames, but Khan’s arm held me in place. Within a meagre couple of seconds, the flame vanished in a puff of smoke. All that remained was a small pile of ashes. At least that was what I had first thought.
Without hesitation, Khan drew his hand up to face level. A slow intake of breath came before he released it at the pile of ashes. The breath was strong and steady, blowing the ashes out in front of him. The moment the pile was gone, a key was revealed, laying in his hands, as though he had buried it under the ashes.
His arm slowly removed itself from around my shoulder, as he moved forward, not even gesturing for me to follow him. After maybe a dozen steps he stopped abruptly. With the key in his hand, he lifted it up above his head.
What was he trying to open? There was no door there, let alone anything that needed a key! Hell, he was just standing in an open room, that had yet to cease that rippling effect.
With a flick of his hand, the key disappeared for a split second, before reappearing in his hand as a gold plated machete. I could not believe it, but that thing was definitely gold plated if not made of gold. The machete gleamed in an invisible light, making it seem as though he was raising it towards the sun.
“Arrh!” He yelled before plunging the machete forward, stabbing what was not there. Somehow the blade of the machete disappeared, yet Khan held the handle. With careful ease, Khan drew the blade down from it’s original puncture. Trailing behind the machete, was a thin line of white.
He cut a line in the air. Literally.
At that point, my eyes kinda glazed over the rest of his motions. With a few more precision cuts, Khan had shaped a door out of nothing. My jaw hung loose at what I was seeing, eyes that were once glazed, had now focused solely on Khan. With a quick throw he chucked the machete in through the white doorway. He turned around to face me immediately after. “Dreams are rather pliable. If you know how, you can make anything happen, Artyom.”
With that he grabbed my hand and pulled me through the door.
My eyes must have been momentarily blinded, for all I could see was the original white. I rubbed at my eyes with my hands, a futile attempt I knew, but it was more out of reflex. The white continued to permeate my vision entirely, ensuring that nothing of whatever room I was in could be seen.
I stood awkwardly, attempting to keep as stock still as I could, so I wouldn't fall on my face. Whatever had blinded me must have been fucking bright. After what I deemed was a full minute, the white had yet to recede. A deep sigh escaped my lips as my hands went back up to rub my eyes; they were rather pale, but I guess that could have been said about my entire body.
Wait.
I looked down and could actually see my hands. My eyes slowly looked back up, receiving nothing more than just the same annoying white. An endless looking sea of pure white. Where was I now?
“You are in the last place I wanted to visit, Artyom.” My eyes bugged out at Khan’s statement. He could read my mind?! “By that look on your face I know what you are thinking. No, Artyom, I can’t read your mind. You had just muttered the question out loud.”
I hadn't even realized that I had spoken, my entire being was more focused on other things apparently, to even know when my mouth moved. I glanced over my right shoulder, gazing at Khan, who had his back turned to me once more. His head was rested in a raised hand as he gazed at a solid black wall.
“Odd colour, honestly. You always seemed more like a man who liked blue.”
“I do not understand. Does that wall symbolize something?”
“It is merely a wall, Artyom. One that was made by your mind though. That is why it puzzles me as to why it is black. Such a colour usually symbolizes mourning, death, night, evil and so on. So it confuses me as to why you have chosen that colour.” He finished off his little spiel with a quiet ‘hmm’ at the end.
For more than a few moments, we just stood there in silence. Khan looking over the wall, while I was trying to keep myself from having a headache within my own head. Knowing my luck, that would cause me to gain a headache, so I threw the idea straight of my mind. I guess I had been staring off into space for what little time the silence had reigned, for when I looked back Khan had moved.
My head whipped back and forth trying to find the strange man, before I heard a shout. “Behind the wall, Artyom.”
Following where the voice had come from, I found Khan on the other side of the wall. This side was more than just different than the first side. The wall itself was coloured red on one half and blue on the other half. Standing in front of the wall was a pedestal and display case. Under the glass was a book, dark brown covering, with signs that it was beyond ancient. The whole thing was leather bound, with the pages looking like parchment, from what I could tell. The guess was completely based off seeing the stuff Twilight had written on. Odd, considering I had seen paper books in the archive when I walked through, so why was parchment still used?
“I told you that blue was more of your colour. Though the red does somewhat make it fall to the background. Red does have that tendency, much along the lines of someone spotting blood out of anything.” I cared little for the musing on the colours. My mind was more focused on the book that sat in front of the wall.
“What’s in the box?” I cared little for calling the case its actual name.
“Oh you mean the book? That, Artyom, is what this whole walk about has been leading to. That is the reason why you and I are having this conversation.”
I gave him a rather cold and bland look. The intent was to convey to him that after all of this nonsense, he wanted me to read a book. Of course, Khan picked up on my look rather quickly.
“You misunderstand, Artyom. I do not want you to read this ancient piece of literature right now. No, you must find it first. That will be the key to finding out how you are here, instead of being dead in the Metro.”
“And where am I supposed to look? That book could be anywhere!”
He shook his head with a small smile. “Indeed you are right, Artyom, but what kind of friend would I be, without helping you go in the right direction?” To that I simply shrugged. “Now, I cannot explicitly say where you need to go. All that I can say is that, the love of crystals is grand.”
“Because telling me would be too easy right? Stop trying to act mysterious Khan. What is that even supposed to mean?”
He simply smiled again. “That is for you to decipher. Remember that phrase though, to forget it would be to forget your purpose in life at this point.”
He turned his back and started to walk into the empty white void. His footsteps became harder and harder to hear until he was but a speck in the distance. Why did I just stand there as he walked away? Maybe it was because I had a lingering feeling, something holding me back from trailing him. It was obvious that he didn't desire for me to follow him. If he did want me to follow, he would have said something when I didn't follow.
I slowly turned around to face the display case again. The thing glass case did little more than just cover the book and some air inside. The thing would definitely shatter if I chucked it against the wall. Carefully, I extended my arm, before grabbing a corner of the case. Once I had a firm grip on the case, I quickly hefted it off; there was more weight to it than what it looked like.
My eyes instantly darted to the book that had been revealed. Each detail being soaked into my memory. The size, the colouring, the design and especially the title; Accounts of a Bygone Era. Once I was done absorbing as much information I would need to find this forsaken book, I moved to place the glass display box back on the pedestal.
Yet it wasn’t there any more. The glass had disappeared from my grip. I was caught entirely off guard by this sudden change. Before I could regain full composure though, I quickly glanced back at where the book had been. ‘Had’ was the right word since the book and pedestal was no longer there, which could also be said for the wall.
I was left standing in a white void, nothing there for me.
I threw my head back and groaned heavily. What a horrible way to be stuck in one’s own mind. My eyes had been closed during the groan, but the moment I opened them I saw a familiar sight.
That goddamned ceiling from my cell.
Fuck.
Even in the dark, I could see the bastard clearly enough to tell I was once again back in my room. Sitting up quickly, I turned my head to the right, searching for the door. The lack of light kept it hidden for the most part, but the glow of light from the other side had seeped through the bottom crack of the doorway.
I let out a sigh, as I laid back down in the bed. My mind was racing over the messed-up vision. The whole thing was so surreal, that it seemed that it could not have not happened. If that was truly Khan… Well he always did find me, no matter where I was.
My eyes slowly closed, trying their hardest to keep me in the dark, instead of back in that vision. “The love of crystals is grand…“
I was out like a light, before another thought could come up.
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Yay! More chapters! When will Artyom reveal what his world is like via memory spell?
3304774
If it does happen, it wouldn't be as direct as that and it would happen far down the line. It will happen but not anytime soon unfortunately.
3304789 As long as its here in the story, I'm happy. Also, it will show them that he lives in hell.
So an entire chapter dedicated to one phrase
. I feel a bit cheated of my time reading that... 
Please don't tell me he's there to protect the ponies.
3304859
It is an important phrase man! Be glad I didn't string that out to 10k words
This is not just for the one phrase but also it sets up Khan's role in this story. There will be more of this spaced in between important events.
3304869
Pssh. Artyom doesn't want to stay there, so why would he desire to protect them if he has little to gain. He just wants to get home.
When does Khan show up?
3304888
He just did.
3304889
Sorry, haven't read yet. Just had to throw it out there...
Khan is probably my favorite character...
3304897
He is one awesome character, without a doubt.
3304903
Can't wait for Metro 2035 to come out!
3304908
Agreed. 100% agreed.
3304917
The game was great, so the book will be even better!!
And so it is established that Artyom's death wasn't a simple asspull to get him to Equestria and never be talked about again. Good stuff.
And the love of crystals is grand. Yeah, I kind of like where this is going. I wonder, though, how white a few certain ponies' souls are compared to the red in them. Yes, I'm looking at you, Luna.
I'm looking through a thesaurus and a dictionary to find words to express my joy that another chapter of this story has come out. So far I've got nothing.
This may have little to nothing to do with it...but,
That is all.
3306405
Specify "that" and I will answer.
Keep going.
3305422
Nope. Actually, reference to that was in original version. Wasn't fitting, so was cut out.
3308505
Good. I feel better about posting this now-
KKKKKKKKHHHHHAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!
I love how you portrayed Khan in this chapter. And the Amber Room, oh hell yes. Magnificence.
3318687
Why thank you!
I feel like you did Khan to a letter. It actually felt like I was reading the Metro: 2033 novel!
Khan, you mystical bastard.
Eh... Khan's portrayal here feels really forced and overstated. Like, I think Khan is a wise old guy, brimming with experience and in-tune with the stranger , more mystical phenomena of the Metro... but I don't think he's actually Artyom's guardian angel. I don't think he's the kind of dude to astral project into someone's dreams to give them purposely vague and unhelpful, cryptic advice. It feels like Khan's been turned into a walking cliche, for the sole purpose of introducing Artyom with the information necessary for the next step of the plot. It feels really contrived.
Not to mention how totally omniscient and unsurprised he's made to be here, so that Equestria feels like something he already knew about.
The guy has been shown surprised before, the guy has to see or hear about something to know about it, he doesn't just know everything.
I heard his voice in my head at this point. You captured Khan beautifully.
3305187 I have one yes!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got to say there are two things that bug me. One just i don't like in the game he seems more like a total Badass not really so much in this. And the second thing is he has only ever mention Anna once. Kind of Annoying i must admit. I image one of them would ask something about if he has family and he mentions he does( Anna actually coming into this world could work depends if you do it right) Also a POV of her perspective might be interesting. She also has his kid. But other then that i am liking it
I like your characterization of him. He is tough, but the hardest thing for many people to do is just to admit you were wrong.