Roar

'Nothing,' Khan thought, staring at the pebbles in his palm. 'Absolutely nothing.'

Khan had done more than touch the pebbles. He had seized them, brought them to his face, sniffed them, and even licked one of them. However, his body didn't react, and no catastrophe unfolded.

The outcome led to two possible explanations. The first saw the sample as unsuitable to trigger a reaction. The pebbles were technically alive but weren't comparable to the Nak's hand faced on Milia 222. The latter actually lived and fought, absorbing and releasing energy on its own.

The second explanation was in line with Bret's hypothesis. Khan had transformed and improved, fully absorbing the Nak's mutations. He was a complete and new lifeform, which the Nak couldn't further affect. Khan had already become what the Nak aimed to create, so interacting with their body parts wouldn't trigger additional reactions.