Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Did dreams, or nightmares in Tighnari’s case, extend to when the person was, infact, very awake after chugging 3 cups of coffee? Tighnari could practically feel the caffeine running a marathon throughout his body, pumping him with energy. His best friend was still missing, not unusual, since the man was often tardy.

(“Why are you always late?! Even Tighnari is earlier than you, and he comes from Avidya Forest!” Kaveh drilled, yelling preposterously. Tighnari would say Kaveh was furious at the desert dweller, had he not watched the absurd amount of drinks Kaveh had throughout the night. He watched, amused, as the drunk and swaying Kaveh yelled at the calm and composed General Mahamatra. “Do you not enjoy time with your friends?! Are we really that un-important to you?!”

“Not at all,” Cyno promptly replied, without hesitation, putting down his cup of water as he spoke, “Scholars run throughout Sumeru every day to avoid judgment, and It’s a part of my job to hunt after them. I don’t control where I go, nor do I control when I come back. It takes a while to travel back to Sumeru City, so my apologies for being late.”)

He silently chuckled at the memory, remembering how Kaveh had drunk himself to sleep and a killer hangover, so much so that poor Alhaitham was forced to carry him back and be his begrudging caretaker the whole day.

Speaking of which, the man himself sat in front of him, arms crossed over his chest, more serious than usual (which was odd, since the man is the embodiment of an enigma), while Kaveh, the “annoying” architect roommate of the man, sat to his right, rambling like he normally did every other Friday for TCG. Tighnari enjoyed playing games with his friends in the tavern, but Archons, he absolutely hated the trek from the forest to the city. He would have to leave before sunrise in order to barely make it before the event. It wasn’t like the trek was long – there were just so many complications to face when leaving the forest. Before he could even step foot outside of Gandharva Ville, he had to make sure his duties for the day were properly passed on to somebody else or do them before he left. Somebody had to make sure Collei wouldn’t slack off with her homework in favor of studying TCG strategies (a habit picked up from Cyno) or wandering about in the forest. Say there was, for example, a withering zone he discovered while on his leave. He couldn’t just ignore the withering, and if he didn’t take care of it then and there, some innocent civilian may stumble upon it and perish a dreadful death. By the time he got to the bridge leading up to the city, he was tired and bored out of his mind.

The people in the city weren't any better. Fox ears tend to stick out amongst a crowd, which drew people's attention towards him, and not the good kind. Sumeru, in general, had very few hybrids, Tighnari being one of them. When he was studying in the Akademiya, people grabbed his tail or ears forcefully, disregarding the owner of them, numerous times. He couldn’t count how many times people sent him scornful, hateful looks, nor could he remember how many times he’d decline invitations to partake in Hybrid experiments. At some point, he remembered people pounding at his door during the night, which was one of the reasons why he left the city in favor of the forest.

Cyno, however, was one of the people he missed when he left. He was Tighnari’s closest friend in the Akademiya since– well– Tighnari didn’t have any friends before Cyno. He remembered when Cyno had transferred to the Akademiya, and from the start, Cyno had been shunned by the rest of the Akademiya for being dessert-born. Naturally, two shunned people became friends with each other, and he doesn’t regret that at all. Cyno stuck up for him, swatting away people’s hands from touching Tighnari and he glared back at those who hated him.

Cyno– overall– was just a good friend to him at the Akademiya.

(He was awake before they stepped up to his door. Who in the right mind would show up at this hou–

Tighnari groaned, realizing what they intended to do.

This was the third time this week they showed up to ruthlessly bang at his door, hurting the fox’s sensitive ears and disturbing his sleep. He has no clue why they wanted this, and what they wanted to achieve from this crazed behavior, but all he knew was that they were specifically targeting him because he was a hybrid.

At first, he thought it was a prank by his seniors, or maybe a social experiment with little meaning in the Akademiya. However, when it didn’t stop after 2 weeks, and only after he confessed to Cyno about this, he realized that they were specifically targeting him- and him only.

Stupid scholars.

He sighed, glancing to his right at the aforementioned man. Cyno, when sleeping, was truly ethereal to look at. From the way his white hair fanned out on the pillow below him to the peaceful look on his face created this nighttime beauty.

Tighnari was apologetic for the onslaught of banging that was about to occur.

He braced himself for the rude and infuriating banging by covering his ears with pillows, even though they did little to nothing.

Cyno was awake by the first one, red eyes wide awake.

“Sorry,” the fox hybrid whispered, “they do this a lot.”

“Its ok, I’ll fix it”

By the 5th, Cyno was out of the bed.

By the 8th, Cyno swung the door wide open, knocking the people standing right in front of it to the floor.

“Leave. Now.”

He went back to sleep before they made it down the hall.)

Besides, the forest was far better than the city. Not only is he surrounded by nature, he can freely partake in any of the activities he so wishes to. As an Amurta Scholar, he can study the environment around him. It sucks that he’s so far away from his friends but that doesn’t matter to him that much, since he sees them every other friday. He has Collei to keep him busy too. Also, Cyno visits him infrequently for dinner, but lately he’s been seeing the Matra every month, which is far more than enough company for hi–

“Cyno’s missing,” Alhaitham cuts off his train of thought and Kaveh’s ramble, “he never came back from his mission yesterday.”

The table went silent.

All eyes laid on Alhaitham.

“Thursday morning, Cyno was sent to Apam Woods after a scholar broke one of the 6 cardinal sins – tampering with life and death,”

He stared at the gray haired man as a pool of dread slowly dripped down his spine.

“He should’ve returned this afternoon for a meeting with the Dendro Archon, however, he never showed up.”

He felt like crying

“Lesser Lord Kusanali wants this to remain private, since news of the missing general would cause distress amongst the rest of Sumeru and people–mostly scholars– would try to take advantage of it.”

He couldn’t breathe– archons- he couldn’t–

“Alhaitham– that’s a poor attempt at a joke!” Kaveh accused, but all that showed on his face was shock and disbelief, not an ounce of rage. After a beat of silence, he added, in disbelief, “You’re joking, right?"

“I’m serious,” Alhaitham deadpanned, “Sumeru’s archon recommended that we investigate the disappearance, since we are close with him. I recommend we go now, before the civilians start to notice.”

Suddenly, the absence to his left felt heavier, somber.

Cyno could be stuck, left in the forest to starve to his death.

He could be tied up, left to face the monsters of the forest.

He could be passed out in the midst of a withering zone, left to rot.

He– he-

He could be dead..

To realize that the missing person from the group was in danger, while they were having a good time, felt abysmal, like a real, living nightmare.

      Did dreams, or nightmares in Tighnari’s case, extend to when the person was, infact, very awake after chugging 3 cups of coffee?

He still doesn’t know, but he knows that he wanted – no- needed to save Cyno.

“Alright,” he shakily said, standing up from the table. He could feel concerned eyes staring at him, but he ignored them, “Let’s go.”

“It's settled then,” Alhaitham stated, closing his book as he stood from the table. The group made their way to the exit.

Tighnari had only one thought in his mind.

‘Cyno needs me’

Chapter Text

The journey from Sumeru City to Apam Woods took 2 days, since Kaveh wouldn’t stop complaining and begging for breaks. Alhaitham has half the mind to not break his back and leave him in the forest to die to the Rishboland Tigers.

“I don't understand!” Kaveh whined for the 127th time, sitting on the grass, “how can you two survive without such basic needs like breaks?”

“That’s because we actually go outside and have a sense of perseverance, unlike you.”

“HEY– that’s besides the point!” Kaveh fumbled, going on to his little rant.

Alhaitham just sighed, before turning off his hearing aids to drown him out. He watched the blubbering fool yelled at him, not realizing that Alhaitham couldn’t hear a single word.

(“I swear if you pull that stunt one more time I’ll– I’ll burn all your books! Every single one!” Kaveh threatened, glaring at Alhaitham.

He scoffed, “if you did then you might as well burn down my house. Have fun trying to find a roommate that won’t kick you out after an hour.”

“W-well, I can just stay with Tighnari—“

“No.” Tighnari, without a beat, fired, cutting Kaveh off.

“O-OR! I— uh— I could stay with Cyno!” Kaveh sputtered, clearly flustered by Tighnari’s quick denial, “Cyno wouldn’t leave a friend, right?”

“Hm…” The General Mahamatra hummed in pure contemplation, taking a sip from his drink. For a brief second, Alhaitham saw his face scrunch up, disgusted at whatever concoction Kaveh had ordered for all of them, before returning back to his neutral expression, albeit with rosy cheeks. He lacked his usual regalia, only keeping his black cloa k on. His hair was tied into a high ponytail, swishing around whenever he turned his head. Beautiful.

“Oh, come on Cyno—“

"Cyno,” Alhaitham interrupted, and judging by the offended gasp to his left, Kaveh was not pleased with him.

Good.

“If I may ask,” he politely added, and for once, he tried to add something… sweeter to his voice. It was certainly ‘out of character’, as Kaveh would say, however it seemed appropriate for the tomfoolery that he was about to cause. Maybe it was because the General looked domestic, or maybe it was because the drinks were starting to get to his head. Who knows?

Cyno sighed, rubbing his temples, “What is it, Acting Grand Sage?” Clearly, Kaveh’s yelling and the drinks he had, non-alcoholic for once, were starting to take a toll on his sanity. Honestly, he couldn’t blame the matra. Kaveh causes significant brain damage with every poor unfortunate soul he interacts with. 

"When Kaveh inevitably burns down my house, can I rely on you to provide shelter for me?” Alhaitham, rather sweetly (at least for him) asked, staring at the ruby amber eyes to his right.

The matra smiled, eyes turning into miniature crescents, before fondly replying,“Of course, Alhaitham.” He didn’t need to look at Kaveh’s reaction, since Tighnari’s gawk gave him the satisfaction he needed for the rest of the night.

“HEY!! Cyno how could you–”

He turned off his hearing aids before Kaveh could finish his sentence.)

He couldn’t help but gaze at Tighnari. The man had barely uttered a word since their departure, maintaining a silence that was even noticeable to Kaveh. ‘A furrow in his brows, slouchy mannerisms, and the distant look in his eyes is far more evidence than he needs for Alhaitham to deduct that he’s distressed and in deep contemplation. Not to mention the droop in his ears and tail is already a telltale sign, but oh well. Clearly, Cyno’s absence was far more important to him than the rest of them…

Not to say that Alhaitham didn’t care for the General. Not at all. In fact, he’d grown accustomed to the General’s presence in his life, especially after they freed Sumeru’s Archon from the Akademiya’s control (‘fuck you, Azar,’). They worked together frequently, since Cyno was the one who tracked after all the sages once they lost their titles as well as the scholars who ran after the dis-establishment of the previous Akademiya’s system. His handwritten reports would end up on his desk, and he had to read, sometimes skim, through them. Cyno was a very detailed writer, not exactly descriptive, but he could translate real life events onto paper easily. Of course, there were flaws with his writing, however, his writing gets his work done, so Alhaitham couldn’t exactly judge him. After all, writing like an author of an Inazumen Light Novel isn’t a requirement for Cyno’s occupation. However, he could use a few tips, and Alhaitham wouldn’t mind teach—

An annoying hand, one adorned with an impractical ‘glove’ and gold rings, irritatingly snaps in his face, prying him from his train of thought. Right. He was currently with his asshat of a roommate.

“What?” he grumbled, watching as the blonde man tried to convey what he wanted to say with random hand gestures, “do you really expect me to understand that? What a fool.”

Kaveh gawked at him, before turning and yelling something to Tighnari. Truly, he has no clue what Kaveh is doing. Alhaitham had assumed purely on the way Tighnari snapped out of his haze, ears shifting towards Kaveh after he turned around. Whatever Kaveh said, Tighnari’s response was a simple shrug, which resulted in Kaveh dramatically throwing his hands in the air with his head tipped back. Dramatic fool. Alhaitham couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He watched the fool rapidly flail his arms and hands around once more, trying to convey some sort of message to him.

Alhaitham could already feel the headache creeping into his mind. How could 3 people communicate if one was deaf and the others didn’t know sign language? He sighed, before turning back on his hearing aids.

“---n’t believe you, you inconsiderate arrogant brat!” Kaveh’s voice was so loud, immediately attacking him the moment he turned them on, “how dare you!”

“Your voice is annoying,” he said while rubbing the tensed area between his brows, “I just needed a break from it.”

“Why you–”

“Alhaitham’s right,” Tighnari, to Alhaitham’s surprise, coldly agreed, “you’re distracting us.” Kaveh whipped his head to stare at the hybrid, shock and hurt written all over him.

Tighnari’s sudden outburst reminded him of many things.

One, Cyno’s still missing. The whole reason why they left the city was to find him, to rescue him, to save him from whatever’s preventing him from coming back. His presence was a strong pillar in their group. Strong. Formidable. Steady. He dealt with a lot of their shit, including Kaveh’s emotional rants when drunk. Alhaitham couldn’t count how many times he felt safer when the General was with him. Without him, the group was falling apart.

Two, Cyno was in danger, while they were bantering with each other. There were so many endless possibilities for what Cyno could be doing, or where he was. Going to Apam Woods wouldn’t guarantee that Cyno was there, however it was the only lead they had. None of the Matra knew where he was, he wasn’t at his home, and he didn;t leave a note anywhere in his office. If Cyno were to go somewhere, he would at least tell somebody or leave a note. His undeclared silence was unnerving.

Three, Tighnari was far more closer to Cyno than Alhaitham or Kaveh combined. He knew this because of one of Tighnari’s drunken rambles paired with Cyno’s fond tipsy (and rare) smiles.

(“R-remember when *hic* we’re in the library and you *hic* t-tried to balance 3 thick books on your head for a f-fukin’ TCG card?” TIghnari laughed, head resting on the tables with his arms supporting it. The man was beyond wasted, more drunk than Kaveh. Speaking of the man, he was completely asleep somehow, mouth wide open as he snored. He sighed, realizing that Alhaitham would have to carry his roommate home tonight. Awful. Alhaitham prayed to his archon that he wouldn’t be too hungover tomorrow. His roommate was a pain in the ass when he was hungover. Kaveh impulsively deciding to buy the Tavern’s strongest drink for all of them had raked up quite the tab on Alhaitham’s card. He was this close to kicking him out,“and th’n we got yelled at *hic* by Lisa?”

The white haired man beamed, smiling at the mess of a man on the table, eyes radiating light like a youthful kid, “I almost forgot about that.”

“Well now you remember, congratu-fuk’n-lations,” the hybrid grumbled, shifting his head to stare at the white haired man, “yanno, your ‘air used *hic* to be a lot shorter back then. Like short short. Like shorter than ‘haitham’s. Why did you *hic* grow it out?”

Cyno’s smile faltered, becoming a tad bit distant, before completely returning back to normal like nothing had happened, “remember how Lisa said she always wanted a little sister so then she could style her hair?”

Tignari’s head shot up from the table, eyes going wide as he gawked at Cyno, “Shut *hic* up. You did not,” 

"I did,” he sheepishly admitted.

Alhaitham smiled.

Laughter filled the air throughout the night as the two reminisced.)

“Right,” Alhaitham cleared his throat, “we should go now.”

They gather their things, before setting foot again.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

When they finally made it to Apam Woods, it was night. The moon was high above their heads, watching their every move. The stars glittered, similar to the hope they had in their hearts that Cyno would be okay and safe.

The ache in his bones grew stronger and stronger with every step, (He was, after all, only a feeble scholar), but he had to persist for Cyno. He wasn't used to hiking through Sumeru's terrain, but he would do anything for Cyno. 

Apam Woods was extremely large and complex. There were multiple thick roots and hidden areas, not the mention that the area was caked with fungi. It was intricate and there were so many things that Alhaitham had little to no hope that they would fin–

In the corner of his eye, he saw intricate green robes followed by the familiar sight of Eremites. He quickly crouched down behind a bush, grabbing Kaveh’s arm to bring him down whilst doing so. He trusted that Tighnari was capable enough to notice what he was doing without needing guidance.

“HEY! WHAT ARE YOU–” Kaveh shouted, only to quickly be shut up by Tighnari’s hand slapped over it.

“Sh, I see the scholar,” he said, eyeing the scholar and his posse of Eremites heading towards their camp, “that way.”

Carefully, and quietly, they sneaked their way towards the camp.

Judging by the fact that the scholar was, very much so, running free, Alhaitham assumed that Cyno had successfully made his way to the Woods, however he ran into complications with the scholar. Cyno would never abandon his job, so that means that he was, infact, somewhere near the Scholar. But if Cyno was near the Scholar, then why hadn’t he captured the man yet? This should’ve been one of the easier missions Cyno’s had, however the man became missing. Unless–

Unless they had Cyno.

Fury bubbled under his skin as he watched the scholar smugly laugh. That bastard— he was going to strangle him. He was going to stab him until he was coated in his own blood. He swears on his life he will rip out the bastard's hair and beat the smug look off his face until he’s begging for it to stop. The audacity of this maniac to take his General Mahamatra, to steal him and hold his captive, made him see red.

“Alhaitham, are you okay?” Tighnari gently grabbed his bicep with concerned green eyes, snapping him out of his furious rage and gently reminding him that he was with others.

“Peachy,” he grumbled, diverting his attention back to the scholar. Now, he was discussing with one of the Eremites whilst walking. He noticed a woman wearing a purple cloak and green hair exited one of their camps. Had he not seen the mark, he would’ve ignored her. However, the symbol on her cloak gave him chills down his spine.

She was a part of the Fatui.

The son of a bitch was working with The Fatui—

The Fatui had Cyno.

Suddenly, Alhaitham realized that this was far more dangerous than what the three of them had expected. He was expecting a weak mad scholar, who had somehow managed to distract Cyno for a while. He didn’t expect this scholar to be working with The Fatui, to take Cyno and put him through hell.

The scholar smiled, before his hands moved in a familiar language that Alhaitham knew like the back of his hand.

Sign Language.

Quickly, Alhaitham turned off his hearing aids, drowning out Kaveh and Tighnari. He had to focus. Cyno’s life depended on this. He refused to let Cyno down because of an auditory distraction, otherwise known as Kaveh.

“Did the subject get his dose today?”

“Yes, Yes. I just gave it to him ”

“Good. I’ll be there soon.”

Alhaitham’s eyes darted from the scholar and the woman to the camp she just left. Cyno was there. He turned to Tighnari, about to sign that Cyno was in there, until he remembered that Tighnari didn’t understand Sign.

Alhaitham sighed, before turning on his hearing aids.

“So?” Tighnari quickly asked.

“They have Cyno,” he pointed towards the camp, “he’s in there.”He watched Tighnari’s expression change from concerned to serious as he glanced at where Alhaitham was pointing.

“Alright. Let’s go,” Tighnari was about to stand up, however Alhaitham grabbed him by his shoulder.

“Wait. The scholar is working with The Fatui,” Alhaitham spewed, staring at the scholar. He didn't want to see the hybrid's heart shatter. He heard Kaveh’s gasp though, “We should get the Matra.”

“No.” Had the situation been different, Alhaitham would’ve feign shock. But he expected the man to deny his advice.

“Alright then,” Alhaitham stood, brushing off the leaves on his thighs, “let’s go.”

“Wait,” Alhaitham almost forgot Kaveh was here. Almost. “Shouldn’t we make a plan?”

Ah right. Plans. He almost forgot about those.

“Right,” Alhaitham agreed, settling back down, “we should configure our attack.”

“But Cyno’s in the-"

“Tighnari, I don’t want any of us to die today. Including Cyno.”

“Fine.”

As they planned, Alhaitham’s mind kept on wandering to one single thought.

‘What did they do to Cyno?’

Chapter Text

Kaveh muttered under his breath for the nth time as another leaf got caught up in his hair. Haphazardly, he plucked the leaf from his hair before he caught a glimpse of the familiar silhouette of his fox-eared friend to his far left. 

Right. He was a man on a mission. 

He sighed, slightly shifting to further hide himself behind the bush as he ripped the leaf to shreds. Kaveh yanked out 3 more leaves to shred, ignoring the judgemental glare from Tighnari. The fennec is definitely going to lecture about respecting the forest after this whole ordeal. Kaveh had gone through it before when he stepped on a Rishboland Tiger’s tail. Tighnari had  saved his sorry ass and patched him up as he scolded the man. 

He saw Alhaitham from his peripheral of his vision mouth something to him.

'Focus.’ 

Honestly, he knows that he should be all focused and determined, but he couldn't ignore the festering pit of anxiety clawing at his stomach. He sighed, again, burying his head into his hands. Nothing he did alleviated the empty hole in his heart. He tried everything while he waited; braiding strands of his hair, ripping up the grass underneath him, messing around with his broken briefcase, but nothing worked. All he wanted to do was to go home with the short electro-wielding jokester he’s grown increasingly fond of. Maybe they would grab a drink or two along the road home. 

Regardless, now wasn’t the time to wallow in grief. 

He waited patiently, like how the white haired man had done for him throughout the course of their relationship, for the cue.

Not a cue.

The cue.

A simple, majestic flick of Tighnari’s right ear would initiate the plan. 

The plan itself wasn’t complicated at all. It was simple. Too simple for his liking, but a plan is a plan so there wasn’t a reason for him to complain in sight (that never stopped him though).

Tighnari and Alhaitham would distract the Eremites (whether or not they fight or dance around to seduce them, Kaveh has no clue) whilst he sneaks around to retrieve and free Cyno.

( “Why me ?!” Kaveh exclaimed, only for Tighnari to harshly slap his hand over Kaveh’s mouth. Before Kaveh could even react, pain exploded from the right side of his face as Tighnari slammed it into grass and mud. His fennec ears were pinned far back, almost touching his dark hair, as his eyes scanned across the eremites camps. Kaveh grunted in protest, his fingers wrapping around the archer’s wrist as he tugged futilely. Tighnari may look delicate, but spending years in Gandharva Ville made him strong, strong enough to overpower Kaveh without trying. Of course, he wasn’t strong enough to defeat the General Mahamatra, but it wouldn’t be an easy victory.

“For the love of the Dendro Archon, will you please be quiet?!” Tighnari scolded him like he was a misbehaving thumb-sucking toddler. 

“Fine!” he hissed quietly, “now unhand me!”

Tighnari’s muttered apology went unheard by Kaveh as the pressure on the side of his head disappeared. He sat up and brushed off the grass from his shirt and face. 

“So, do we all agree on the plan?” Alhaitham, blunt as ever, brought them back. Ah, right. They were scheming. 

“I still don’t understand. Why me?” Kaveh grumbled. If Alhaitham noticed a frown on his face he never spoke a word about it.

“Simple. You’re weak.”

“Hey!” Kaveh exclaimed, followed by a weak “sorry” towards Tighnari after the murderous glare Tighnari sent him. 

Alhaitham sighed, before jumping into a long explanation. “Tighnari and I can stand our own ground for a fight if necessary. Tighnari has incredible expertise fighting Fungi and forest animals without harming them if the Fatui involved them in battle. We both train regularly with our weapons and fight to a point where if we need to draw them, we can do so comfortably and confidently with or without the use of our visions. You don’t even touch your claymore.”

“I-“ He loudly protested, before Tighnari’s hand slapped over his mouth again. Right right right. Silence. He’s on a mission.

“Besides, all you have to do is retrieve Cyno. He’s capable enough to make up for your incompetence in battle. At most, this plan should take thirty minutes. We should be back in the city before nightfall.”)

Honesty, all Kaveh could think about was the broken robot next to him. On the way to Apam Woods, Mehrak broke after taking a powerful blast from a Ruin Drake for Kaveh. Externally, it was fine. Maybe a few scratches, but it mostly was intact. The problem lies within Mehrak. After a lengthy inspection, Kaveh determined that the laser beam somehow managed to penetrate the sturdy exterior and burned some of the key parts that powered it. Unfortunately, Mehrak’s parts took months to come into his possession, partially because of the sheer amount of Mora it cost and partially because of the rarity. It may take a while before he could see his beloved. 

He snapped out of his… whatever that was, when he saw The Cue™ . 

From a very far distance, he watched Alhaitham and Tighnari casually stroll to the supposed “entrance” of the camp, as if they had just come from the Akademiya. The moment they crossed the entrance, it was like he was in a library filled with scholars before an upcoming due date. He watched as they scrambled to hide all the incriminating evidence, ranging from stray crates and detailed papers to rushing Fatui members inside what appeared to be storage camps. However, not everything was moved. Some crates were covered with blankets or had their labels switched. Those camps… They were strange, to say the least. At least two of the many camps stuck out to Kaveh. As Fatuus entered the camp, researchers left those camps. He mindlessly watched as a Pyro Agent with one arm stalked up to and entered the camp. After half of a minute… a researcher with a robotic arm left the camp.

Kaveh reached for his Kamera.

After a short amount of time, an extremely buff and tall Fatuus entered…. and an intimidatingly sized eremite left shortly after. Kaveh snapped pictures before and after his little makeover. Infact, he snapped pictures of over 20 people’s makeovers. 

(“Before Tighnari and I approach the scholar, you need to take pictures of the camp. It doesn’t matter how many or where you take them from, as long as you do your part.”

“Alright, alright! I get it!”

“I don’t think flat out approaching the scholar will be an adequate distraction.”

“I’m aware.”

“…”

“...”

“So… what’s our plan??”

“Simple. The scholar claims that his research project will provide an extreme insight on Eleazar as well as a cure for it. I believe it’s an injected vaccine. As the Acting Grand Sage, I have the authority to oversee all research projects and their progress. I also have the ability to request progress updates and increase or decrease project funding with approval from the Dendro Archon.”

“Ok that’s great and all but what does this have to do with the plan?!”

“… What I was going to say was that Tighnari and I will come into the camp and I’ll request an update on what the scholar’s project is. Considering that this project is extremely important, he’ll need to create a good lasting impression about his research. The better the impression, the higher the funding. Tighnari comes with me because he’s an alumni from the same Darshan with lots of honor and respect. This will further emphasize that the scholar needs to create a good impression.”)

He stared down at the Kamera, flickering between The Fatui and their respective disguises. In particular, he stared at the blue and white Harbinger with a strange mask.

That was Zandik, an Amurta scholar who was a friend of his friends.

He…. 

he doesn’t know how to feel right now. 

—

After a while, his head snapped upwards as the scholar rushed out a camp, presumably the one Cyno was in. He scurried quickly . He went to greet the man, and while they had their little chat, Kaveh snuck out of his hiding spot. 

Tree by tree and bush by bush, Kaveh slowly made his way towards the camp Cyno was held in. He was almost caught once by an intimidatingly large Eremite, but he was saved by the tour his non-hostage friends were on. 

The camp— he could’ve sworn it was a camp— looked more like a cabin-camp-hybrid now that he had a better look at it. It had a solid wood structure framing with tarp wrapped around it. What he thought was a camp tarp entrance turns out to be a sturdy wooden door with a metal lock on it.

Just his luck.

What was he supposed to do??? There was no plan for this, no plan B, C, or D. What was he supposed to do when the door was locked??

Despite his panic, he quietly chuckled at himself. By now, he should know what to do. He could count on one hand how many times he hadn’t forgotten his keys. This situation happens so frequently when living with Alhaitham-

(“What are you doing?”

Kaveh whipped his head towards the sound of a familiar voice. Amber eyes clashed with light red as the two stared at each other. 

“Ah, Cyno! I didn't know you lived around here!” He cheerfully said, despite the current predicament he was in. 

“… I don’t?”

“You don’t?”

“Yes… I live in the Matra Dormitory outside of the city, '' Cyno slowly said, as if Kaveh was drunk again. Ah. Right right right. Cyno had told him this before. 

“Then… why exactly are you here?”

“A vendor nearby told me that there was a homeless person attempting to break into somebody’s house.”

“Oh…” he muttered, breaking eye contact to look at the ground.

“Do you mind telling me why you’re outside Alhaitham’s home?” Cyno calmly said.

“I- uh,” Kaveh stuttered, before his voice dropped down to a whisper, “I kinda sorta maybe live with him?”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“And I kinda sorta maybe left my keys inside…?”

“That’s… interesting…” Cyno sighed, “may I borrow two of your hairpins for a second?”

“Uh— sure?” Kaveh’s hands fumbled for a second as they worked to remove them, “but why exactly do you need them?”

“Thanks.” Cyno stated, before bending both hairpins.  

“Hey! Those wer-”

“I’ll reimburse you,” Cyno cut him off, before feeding them through the keyhole. 

Kaveh sighed, head thunking against the door as he waited for his friend to do whatever he was doing. After what seemed like three seconds, Cyno twisted the door handle and the door opened. 

“How did you-”

“Matra training.” Cyno smiled, holding the door open for him, “I’ll teach you once we get inside.”)

Kaveh sparked up, staring at the lock with a newfound determination. Cyno had taught him how, he distantly remembered as he reached for the hairpins at the back of his head. 

‘What you want to do is straighten this pin and add a slight bend at the tip. This is our pick,’ Cyno’s voice rang throughout his head, similar to how his archon had once entered his mind in the past, ‘and you want to bend the other into–’

“–d've sworn I saw a blonde man cowering behind that box,” a faint and distant masculine voice interrupted Memory-Cyno,

“You sure you haven’t been drinking today, dad?” a feminine voice followed it.

Kaveh’s blood froze. 

He needed to hurry and get inside as soon as possible. 

Frantically, he stuck the two hairpins inside the keyhole with shaking hands

‘This process is tedious, but you need to have patience. Don’t rush the process. Inside of the keyhole consists of many pins. You want to find the pin with the most resistance with your pick, Once its found, push it up until it cli–’

“Hey, dad, what's in that tent?” The feminine voice spoke louder than before. Fuck.

*click*

“It’s for nothing important, sweetie.”

*click*

‘Repeat that process for all the pi–”

“Are you sure? I see a lot more people comin’ and goin’ from that tent than the others.” 

*click*

A sigh. “Sweetie, sometimes it's just better if you don’t know things.”

*click*

‘When you’re done, it should tur-’

*click*

Kaveh feverishly grabbed the lock and yanked it off before jerking the door open, slipping inside, and slamming it shut, leaning his body against it. He let out a sigh of relief, blond hair spilling over his face as he tipped his head forwards.

After a minute, he looked up. 

It looked like a regular bedroom in the forest. There was a large bed in the center of the wall Kaveh faced. On each side, there were nightstands. To his left, there was a desk with scattered and piled papers on it. On his right, a chest of drawers. 

Kaveh knew that Cyno was in this camp, but, at a glance, there was not a single clue proving that Cyno was in here. But that was impossible– He heard what the Eremite girl said and what Alhaitham told him– he knew that Cyno had to be in here.

But then where was Cyno? 

Had he entered the wrong camp? 

He went through all the drawers and skimmed each paper, however, they looked mostly normal. A couple of papers caught his attention. One was a torn page from a book (alhaitham would cringe at that). It depicted the story of… Hermanubis? He flipped the page on its front and back, skimming for any detail that would tell him where Cyno was, and he did find something. On the back, a sentence was highlighted in a neon-green.

‘A strong and wise sage under King Deshret, his power is truly a blessing to those who receive it, only granted to the worthy…… May one be bestowed with such, he shall provide ancient truths regarding the world and beyond such’  

This paper– why would an Amurta scholar use this regarding their research? This is a Vahumana paper, and it clearly doesn’t overlap with the scholar’s research at all. Also, regarding Hermanubis, he seemed like a cool guy and all but in what world does this have to do with Amurta?

Regardless, the next paper only brought him more confusion and more dread. He picked up the thick file with both hands and opened it, only to be met with the young haunting face of his friend with amber eyes that bore into his soul. 

In his hands was Cyno’s old file. 

He didn’t read it, out of respect for his friends' privacy, but he knew a little about the traumatizing past of his General and the Akademiya. Even then, Cyno didn’t tell him, he told Alhaitham after being confronted. Kaveh only knows from overhearing it. How on Teyvat did the researcher get his hands on this? He was sure that Alhaitham threw it away, with permission of course, and had a new one made for Cyno. This– in his hands– would technically be classified as extremely sensitive information that nobody , with the exception of Cyno himself, should know. 

He took the file and the article to snap a couple of pictures as evidence, however, in his grasp, the article slipped out of his hands and underneath the bed. He sighed, placing the file onto the desk and crouching to get underneath the bed. He reached his hand underneath for the paper, and that's when he saw it . 

A metal arch-like handle. 

There was a door under the bed. 

He sat upright, forgetting about the paper. There wasn’t enough space to push the bed out of the way, and he couldn't cram himself into the space between the bed and the floor, so the only logical solution would be to–

He grabbed the bed and lifted it up flat against the wall and it worked . (think Murphy bed but on a discount)

Now, he stared down at the door on the floor (hey that rhymed). It was like a trapdoor, with a wide metal handle in the center. Hesitantly, he reached for it and slowly lifted it up. 

The door lifted to reveal a dark stairwell, with no lighting at all. It was… eerie. Extremely so. He couldn't help but notice the growing feeling of dread and anxiety flow through his bloodstream. 

Something felt incredibly wrong with the stairs.

With the aid of his vision, he made a makeshift torch from tying together glowing flowers. He also made himself a little flower crown to purely calm himself down before walking down the stairwell. It wasn’t particularly deep, maybe 10 steps at most, but it felt like it took an eternity to get down. Kaveh’s heart pounded against his chest, and his hands shook from fear. The cold, nervous feeling of fear slithered under his skin leaving him absolutely frightened. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw the glint of the metal door.

Something was seriously wrong.

This whole thing– he had expected this to be elaborately planned, but this felt like it was purposefully, maliciously, and meticulously thought out. As if somebody had painstakingly gone through every minor detail for months– no, years . The abduction of Cyno felt like they had been scheming ever since he was appointed as General Mahamatra– no. since Cyno was taken out of the Akademiya by Cyrus. This wasn’t a crime fit for a solo rookie, this was a crime fit for a mastermind working with something far more intimidating than Kaveh could ever imagine.

Mustering up the courage, Kaveh grabbed the handle and swung the door open.

Archons, the only way he could describe the room was utterly horrific. The room smelled like death, decay, and strongly of iron. It was dimly lit by the make-shift torch, granting Kaveh some sight into the room. At a glance, it may appear as a workshop, however at a closer glance, it was more clear that it was a torture room. Various weapons lined the walls, ranging from simple blades and knives to butcher knives, blacksmith hammers, and intimidatingly sharp claymores and swords. Some looked fresh, others appeared worn, and some were coated in fresh or dried blood. On the counters were splashes of blood and syringes filled with strangely colored fluids. There were coils of rope littered around the room, various whips and, strangely enough, pictures of Snezhnaya? There were various tables that held corpses of animals, each in various different steps of decay. It was… atrocious to say the least. 

At the center of the room in a chair, illuminated by a surgical light, was Cyno.

In the light, his hair glowed despite being matted and the bits of dried blood inside. His eyes were closed and his head was tipped back, making him look peaceful, as if he was sleeping in the night. He wore a giant white shirt that slipped off of one of his shoulders and weird shorts. His arms and feet were bound to the arms and legs of the chair. He looked fine.

From a distance, Kaveh allowed himself to believe that Cyno was fine. 

Cyno was not fine.

 Cyno was pale, sickeningly pale, and lacking the normal warmth his skin radiated. His eyes carried heavy bags, and he looked hauntingly frail and small. Bruises, burns, whip marks, and cuts littered his body like a grotesque art piece.There was a giant gash across his abdomen, pouring out blood like a faucet. Fresh blood seeped through and stained the tattered white shirt, turning it into a mess from the dried and fresh stains. It stained the wooden chair, it pooled on the ground…. It was everywhere…  

Kaveh physically recoiled at the sight.

To see somebody he loves, somebody so strong and resilient in a vulnerable and weak state felt like a part of his heart was violently ripped out and torn to shreds. Cyno, who’s name brought fear to all scholars and Akademiya officials, who could easily take on 50 men in a battle, was now left to shards and pieces. All he could do was just stare at the broken man, engraving every cut, burn, whip mark, and bruise on the tan man’s skin into his head. 

After what felt like hours of just Kaveh staring, he took action. He ripped his cloak off and wrapped it around Cyno’s middle to stop the flow of blood. His hands accidentally brushed against the exposed skin of Cyno’s torso and archons… he was so cold. The desert dweller normally emitted warmth like the radiant sun… 

What happened to him?

‘This is wrong,’ Kaveh thought to himself as he hesitantly reached for his camera. He held the object in both of his hands, aiming it at Cyno, and rested his finger on the shutter button. He was so close to taking the picture, all he had to do was press the button, but it was as if there was a wall, preventing him from doing so. To take pictures of Cyno like this would be violating the trust in their friendship. But, the wounds on Cyno’s body were vital evidence, and the more evidence they had, the more they can fuck over the scholars behind this…  

In the end, he decided against the pictures of Cyno. They could take those later, with Cyno’s consent of course. He did, however, take as many pictures of the room as possible, making sure to picture every weapon or syringe. 

Kaveh snapped his last picture of some bottles filled with suspiciously colored chemicals before he let out a sigh. Now, on to the hardest part of the mission. He took a glimpse at the injured man in the chair and cringed. Judging by the extent of his injuries, it wasn’t going to be easy getting Cyno out of here. There’s no way in Teyvat Cyno could just walk out of here. Moving Cyno at all would cause immeasurable pain for him, but it had to be done for his rescue.

He sighed, summoning his claymore and carefully slicing the rope, making sure not to nick Cyno’s skin. Very gently, he carded his hands through Cyno’s matted hair as he gently said, “Cyno, hey, wake up.” 

He wasn’t waking up.

“Cyno, you need to wake up,” Kaveh tried again, a little louder than last time, lightly cupping Cyno’s face with both of his hands.

His eyes remained closed.

“Cyno?” Kaveh desperately cried, squeezing his face, “Wake up. Please.”

He still wasn’t waking up.

Kaveh gently grasped both of his shoulders, before gingerly shaking him. Cyno’s head tipped forward, spilling a fountain of white over his face, but he didn’t move. 

“Come on, Cyno, darling, please wake up, please… .” Kaveh’s voice broke as he begged with the unconscious man. Tears welled in his eyes as he pleaded for Cyno to awake. 

“...k’veh?” a weak voice muttered.

“Oh thank the Archons!” Kaveh cried, moving his hands up to help Cyno lift his head. Red eyes clashed with half-lidded amber eyes. His hands cradled Cyno’s jaw and cheek as he asked, “Cyno, are you okay?” 

“...where am I?”

“That doesn’t matter right now. Are you okay?”

“Mm… it hurts..” he muttered as he slipped his eyes close and leaned into Kaveh’s hand on his cheek, “my arm feels funny...”

“Hey, baby, stay with me,” Kaveh moved his other hand to lightly pat the man’s face. He took a glance at both of Cyno’s arms, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary, “I’m going to carry you okay? I’ll get you out of here.

Cyno’s eyes opened as he smiled at the man, “... my prince charming..”

Kaveh laughed, “I’ll always be your prince charming if it makes you happy.” 

“mmmm… haith’m wouldn’ be happy bout that…” Cyno drowsily muttered, a smile still shining on his face.

“Alhaitham can afford to share the title,” Kaveh said. He grabbed one of Cyno’s thighs and gently lifted it so then he could slide his other arm underneath both of his legs. “I’m going to pick you up now, okay? This might hurt.”

“mmmmkay…” With a hiss of pain, Cyno looped his arms around Kaveh’s neck as Kaveh secured his arm on the other’s back. As gently as possible, he slowly lifted Cyno off of the chair. Kaveh expected himself to struggle more, however Cyno was concerningly light. The man himself was surprisingly handling the pain well, however Kaveh didn’t miss the small hiss from the other accompanied by the scrunched up face. 

“Are you okay?” Kaveh asked. Cyno slumped his face onto Kaveh’s shoulder as his eyes fluttered. 

“mm… peachy…” Kaveh could tell Cyno was still out of it, but it would be to be expected judging off what he’d experienced in the past days. Cyno sighed, snuggling into the crook of Kaveh’s neck as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

‘Cyno is safe,’ Kaveh thought as he let out a sigh in relief, ‘all I need to do is bring him to Tighnari.’ With that in mind, Kaveh made his way up the stairs. 

Chapter Text

Getting out of the cabin and making it appear as if Kaveh had never been there was easy. 

Getting to Alhaitham and Tighnari while carrying Cyno and without being noticed was a challenge.

(“Once you have Cyno, I doubt that there would be an issue both combat and stealth wise. Meet us at the glowing giant tree. You’ll know once you see it, it's on a tiny island. I doubt the tour would still be on by the time you get to him.”)

Kaveh cursed under his breath as he hid behind a sleeping Sumpter Beast, being careful to not awaken the creature or Cyno in the process. Most of the crates had been moved, which meant even less hiding spots for his journey. Not to mention, there were more and more people mingling throughout the camp. It was hard to even find a suitable place to hide, much more so to actually get there without being spotted. 

Cyno winced, fingers slightly digging into his own skin. Sometime between then and in the basement, Cyno dropped his hands from Kaveh’s neck to wrap around his middle. 

“I’m sorry,” Kaveh whispered.

“...s’okay… doesn... hurt… a lot…” was the response he got.

“Don't lie to me, darling.”

“Mmm… m’sorry…” Cyno weakly slurred.

Kaveh sighed, “it’s okay. Just—….. try to stay awake.” 

Despite the troubles, they were over halfway out of the camp. He could see the edge of the camp from where he was, and if he got out of there, they would be on their way to freedom.  Soon. Finally, after everything he saw today, he could take Cyno home. For the past few days, his life has been utter chaos, a wreck compared to what he was used to. He’d do it all again for Cyno, but man , it was incredibly draining. He hasn’t taken a proper shower in a while, his hair feels grossly greasy, and all he wants to do is go home . Go home with Alhaitham, take a lovely bath, and drown all his worries  in luxurious wine. 

He felt a weak tug on his shirt before he looked down at the almost lifeless man,   “Cyno?!”

“wha…. where..?” Cyno groaned, eyes fluttering. 

“Cyno?” Kaveh hurriedly, adjusting their positions so then Cyno sat in his lap.

He had to keep his hands on Cyno to hold him upright, “hey, what's wrong?”

“...s’cold….. So…. cold..” he weakly muttered as his eyes slipped shut and his head lolled. Kaveh patted Cyno’s cheek, only to notice that he was drenched in sweat. Archons, why was Cyno so sweaty?

“Hey, Cyno, darling, stay with me,” Kaveh frantically said, patting his cheek even more so. What happened to him? Just a couple of minutes ago he was fine– well, as fine as one can be while bleeding ou—

“There was a giant gash across his abdomen, pouring out blood like a faucet. Fresh blood seeped through and stained the tattered white shirt, turning it into a mess from the dried and fresh stains. It stained the wooden chair, it pooled on the ground…. It was everywhere…”

--t….

He haphazardly unraveled his cloak from Cyno’s stomach, only to be met with the sigh of blood oozing out…

‘It’s your fault.’ a voice loudly chuckles in the back of his head, mockingly as it sneers ‘look at him .’ 

Red eyes stare down at the bruised and battered body of one of the dearest people he held close in his heart. Kaveh cherished this man– his smiles, his laugh, and the slightest of slight dimples that show up when he boyishly grins after winning a TCG match, an emulating source of brightness and youth that rivaled his own as Cyno explained jokes– and here he lays on death’s door.

His hands hurt– they keep on trembling as they’re placed over the gaping wound– and his chest feels like there’s ice-cold needles penetrating his heart over and over again. A nervous sweat left his hands and skin clammy, white blouse-shirt sticking to his skin. His gaze stared down hard at Cyno’s face, “come on, stay with me.” His sentence is interrupted by his voice breaking as he raised one of his hands and lightly slapped the man’s cheek.

It leaves a bright red smear of blood. 

The thought that Kaveh’s favorite color was the same shade of red as Cyno’s fresh blood made him shudder. All the connotations he had surrounding red— his early life with his father and mother, — seemed to dull when he watched the bright red ooze.

He hated the red that poured out of Cyno.

He hated the red that stained his hands and his clothes

He hated every second of it. 

‘All of this is your fault.’ it cackles, ‘If only you were less stupid, then Cyno could’ve at least had a chance of survival under your care.’

“Cyno, I need you to stay awake,” he pleaded, “please…” he added, watching as the man in his lap slowly blinked himself to some state of consciousness– or was it delirium?  

“s’hard… s’really hard….m’trying…” Cyno mumbled, taking a gasping breath every pause as he attempted to move his head, “...where?”

“We’re almost home, baby. Almost there,” Kaveh reassured, keeping one hand on the wound and the other on Cyno’s cheek. Whether he was assuring himself or Cyno, he doesn’t know. “Haitham and Nari are waiting for us. We’re in Apam woods.”

“...haitham n’ nari?”

“You know, the ‘feeble scribe’ and that guy with ears?” Kaveh replied. He needs to start moving, Cyno needed medical aide as soon as possible. He took a glance around them. The coast looked mostly clear, so Kaveh carefully moved Cyno so then he could carry him on his back, “We’re going home, alright? We’re almost there.” 

“Mmm….k”

As Kaveh ran towards the edge, he saw from the peripheral of his vision the Potentially Drunk Eremite and his daughter bolting at him.

Fuck.

“HEY YOU!! STOP RIGHT THERE!”

— — — — — — —

“We should just go back to the camp.”

“ Tighnari ,” Alhaitham sighed.

“You said that it should be done before dusk,” Tighnari huffed, nervously and harshly yanking at his ears as he paced back and forth, “but now it's night and neither of them have shown up.”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Alhaitham reassured Tighnari from the tree branch he was seated on, book in hand.

“But what if they’re not?!” Tighnari exasperated, hands throwing themselves into the air. Alhaitham saw the sparkle of unshed tears in his eyes, “What if something happened to them and now they’re both stuck?! Or worse, dead?!”

Alhaitham sighed, putting down his book. It had been quite a while since they last saw Kaveh, which was bothersome and unexpected for the both of them. Had he miscalculated? Was there something he missed when planning? A pang of worry pierced through his heart every time he thought about Kaveh and with each passing hour, it only grew. Regardless, even though his heart may ache, there was no time to wallow like Tighnari. Over the course of the hours spent waiting, Alhaitham watched the fennec’s slow descent into a madness of worry and fear. “Come here,” he patted at the spot next to him on the tree trunk.

“I should know better than this.” Tighnari said, defeated as he sat down. “I’ve seen Cyno leave for months and come back half-dead. So why—“

Alhaitham rested his arm over his shoulders to pull the man closer. He gently titled Tighnari’s head to rest on Alhaitham’s shoulder.

“It’s going to be okay,” Alhaitham muttered, petting the man’s fennec ears as the fox-man quietly cried, “it’s all going to be okay. One step at a time. We’ll get through this together.”

He doesn’t know if he was reassuring himself or Tighnari. Most likely both.

— — — — — — —

Kaveh cursed under his breath as an arrow narrowly dodged his ear. 

Archons, he was so tired. The adrenaline had already worn off ages ago, leaving him a tired, panicked, and sweaty mess as he ran. Never has he ever ran so much in his entire life. He was running as fast as he could from the Eremites, but carrying Cyno on his back was slowly eating away at his stamina and, therefore, slowing him down. 

They were catching up, in other words.

Speaking of the man, he was silent, however Kaveh could tell he was conscious because his arms stayed linked around his neck and his head remained somewhat upright on his shoulder. The hold on Cyno’s thighs tightened as he lept over a stray branch

“We’re almost there, just a little longer” Kaveh panted out. He took a glance over his non-Cyno shoulder and fucking archons they were closer than before. The larger eremite looked like he wanted to kill Kaveh, while the other appeared to be enjoying his misery. 

He heard Cyno sigh before purple-golden tendrils seemingly appeared out of nowhere, encircling Cyno’s arms. Cyno moved one of his arms to wrap around Kaveh’s neck, whilst the other was moved behind him. He couldn’t exactly tell what was happening, but judging off of the pained grunt and the alarmed yelp of “Dad!”? Cyno just bought them more time. 

“Thanks,” Kaveh exclaimed, motivation ignited by the newfound advantage as he ran. Kaveh grinned, utilizing his newfound energy to run faster. He rounded the corner and—

Of course. How could he forget?

The giant tree Alhaitham described was on an island. An island that was surrounded by water. 

How— 

How on earth was he supposed to swim to the Island with Cyno??

How was he supposed to save Cyno?

From afar, he could faintly hear footsteps approaching as he stood, frozen in place by panic. He could literally see Alhaitham and Tighnari on the other side.

‘Just my luck,’ he thought to himself.

— — — — — — —

Tighnari was resting on Alhaitham when he heard it.

Footsteps.

He whipped his head from Alhaitham’s shoulder as his chest swelled with hope–

Only for it to be crushed immediately. 

He saw Kaveh, who, quite frankly, looked like he'd been running through hell. His hair was a mess, with the front bits sticking to his forehead and the other parts in a wildly dissraying mess. There was some weird red mess on Kaveh’s back, but he couldn’t quite figure out what it was. His shirt stuck to his skin, sweat clearly evident from where Tighnari stood.

There was blood on Kaveh’s shirt and his skin.

Tighnari felt his heart drop.

Was Kaveh hurt? Is he okay? Is Kaveh dying? What happened to him? Where’s the injury? In his head? Maybe on his chest? No– then his clothes would’ve been torn. He squinted, trying to get a better glimpse of Kaveh but he couldn’t see that well. Was it bad? Infected? Deep? Fatal? No– it had to be fatal. That amount of blood wouldn’t come from regular injuries. Was Kaveh bleeding out? Wasn’t Cyno supposed to protect him? That was what they planned on, right? Unless—

Unless the plan failed–

No– stop thinking. Take a moment. Breathe. Calm down. 

He needs to have faith– hope, optimism, whatever it’s called– but he still needs to emotionally and mentally prepare for the worst. 

He’s a doctor. He should know this, yet entertaining the thought of a dead Cyn—

It’s just.. It makes his skin crawl, his heart drop, his eyes fill with tears, his knees give out as his heart is violently torn apart when Cyno bleeds the violent re—

FOCUS. He needs to focus or else he will spiral. Tighnari rubbed the tears from his eyes (since when did he start crying?) violently before he looked back at Kaveh and—

Cyno was on Kaveh’s back. Cyno was the purpley-red mess on Kaveh’s back.

He wanted to puke.

The man was bleeding everywhere , pouring blood out like a faucet. Blood loss was taking a toll on Cyno’s body, Tighnari could tell with the vast distance between them. It was a miracle the man was still alive, more so moving. 

Cyno wasn’t moving— was he ali—-

Stop. He needs to stop no–

– ve and breathing? He needed to check now . Those injuries are serious. Blood loss is serious. Blood loss is fatal –

Breathe—

How long has Cyno been bleeding for? Minutes? Hours? Days? Regardless, Tighnari needs to treat him. The wound– wherever it may be– could get infected, and if so, Cyno may not live to see the sun again. But how– how was he supposed to get to Cyno? There was no way that Kaveh could get on the island, so how—

Breathe .

Archons, just breathe. He forced air into his lungs and pushed it out in a balanced cycle until his heart calmed down. There’s no time to panic. He should know this. He’s a doctor.

“One step at a time.”

When he opened his eyes, Alhaitham had already moved to the border of the island, staring at him expectantly with his left arm reaching out towards him. The familiar feeling of dendro thrummed throughout Alhaitham, symbolized through the faint green glow in his eyes and his vision.  

“Hurry,” was all the man said. Tighnari grabbed the other’s arm as Alhaitham’s arm wrapped around his waist securely. He brought his right to his temple before there was a green flash. Tighnari closed his eyes, preparing himself for the launch.

Before he knew it, he was thrown into the air. Alhaitham deployed his windglider– a gift from the Traveller– and he gently brought them to the ground where Kaveh and Cyno were.

“You guys!” Kaveh said, sounding relieved. “I got Cyno bu–”

“Put him down. Now! ” Tighnari yelled, eyes trained onto Cyno as he ran over to the pair. There were faint footsteps approaching, not faint enough for him to not hear though. “Alhaitham, you deal with the Eremites.”

“How’d you–”

“Ears.” The fennec didn’t elaborate as Kaveh gently laid Cyno on the ground. Upon closer inspection of Cyno and Kaveh, Tighnari confirmed most of his suspicions and assumptions were true. Kaveh remained unharmed and exhausted, with the exception of a few scrapes and bruising, while Cyno was heavily injured and asleep. At some point, the blood loss most likely caught up to him, which wasn’t a good sign at all. Although, Cyno wasn’t bleeding onto the grass, which was strange, and most of the blood on them looked old. Regardless, he needs to treat Cyno.

The sight of the broken man on the ground, bleeding out….

a piece of his heart shattered.

 He tore off what remained of Cyno’s shirt and got to work. 

“One step at a time.” 

— — — — — — —

Hurts…

Everything hurts…

It’s so cold….

Is he in Dragonspine?

No, he was….. he was….. 

Working on a case. Right.

He was working and he was…

He can’t remember….

Where was he again? 

‘Cyno’

… who are you?

‘Hermanubis.’

Oh… sorry…. His memory… wasn’t the best right now.

‘You were dying.’

He was?

That explained a lot.

‘I’m the only thing keeping you alive right now.’

How?

‘You were bleeding out. I just stopped it.’ 

Ah… thank you.

So…. he was going to live?

‘.... most likely.’

What do you mean?

‘Those scientists… They injected something into you that incapacitated both of us and put me to sleep. It should only be temporary, for I am working on getting it out of your system right now but–”

So it’s not permanent? 

‘Fortunately, yes. I don’t know for how long I was sleeping, but I woke up when that blonde guy—’

Kaveh?

‘Yes, him. I only woke up when he was running. By then, you’d already lost a lot of blood.’

Ah. he’ll be fine. He had been through worse.

‘I know, but there's a slight issue.’

What is it?

‘You’re currently stuck in Apam woods without treatment and actively being hunted down by a couple of Eremites and Fatui. I believe at least one of your wounds is infected, and that you’ve lost enough blood to the point where it might cause long-term damage. I can teleport somebody with you to Gandharva Ville, however, I can’t take all four of you.’

There’s four people??

‘You, Tighnari, Kaveh, and Alhaitham.’

How many people can you teleport again?

‘At most, two.’

So… you’re saying that he has to leave behind two people?

‘Yes. I know it may take time for you to decide who to bring bu–’

Take Tighnari.

The spirit smiled. ‘I figured.’

Then why bother asking?

‘In case I was wrong. It will only take a second.’

— — — — — — —

What just happened?

One second ago, Tighnari was in Apam Woods, half-done bandaging an unconscious Cyno with an anxious Kaveh abnormally stiff for once in his life while Alhaitham fend off the Eremites and the Fatui–

And now he’s in his hut at Gandharva Ville , which was at least a 2 day journey from Apam woods, with a very awake Cyno in the middle of his room who, by the way, wasn’t bleeding out anymore?

Was Tighnari still sleeping? Was this all just some sort of elaborate make believe his brain had done? There’s no way–

“Tighnari?” Cyno asked and Tighnari almost instantly knew that that was not his Cyno . 

There was always a feeling Tighnari would get whenever he heard Cyno. It started when he was young, when their friendship was new, but not brand new. If he had to pin-point it to one moment, Tighnari wouldn’t be able to tell. Since then, this feeling has followed Cyno, bleeding into Tighnari’s mind whenever he heard it. A distinct feeling from Cyno's voice that always left Tighnari feeling soft. It felt like wandering through clouds and basking in the sun, golden light shining onto his skin and his hair and his ears and tail. Incredibly warm and never too hot or too cold. The perfect temperature. The perfect feeling. The perfect setting. 

Tighnari didn’t feel it.

He felt like he was talking with a stranger. Not somebody he’s known since his Akademiyan days. 

“Who are you?” Tighnari asked. He made no effort to mask away his distrust. 

“Tighnari, we don’t have time for thi–”

“ Who are you. ” Tighnari snapped. Archons, if it doesn’t answer him soon, he might go feral. Had this been any other intruder, he would’ve drawn his bow long ago. This was a special case. The intruder wasn’t physically there, using Cyno’s body to speak and move like it was their own. Drawing his bow would be useless. He couldn't injure Cyno anymore than what he already bears, but Archons, he wanted to shoot whoever it was. “I will not be asking this again.”

The person sighed, “Hermanubis. Does that ring any bells?” 

Who–

Wait… 

Hermanubis… as in the spirit that possesses Cyno?

“Ah, my apologies.” Tighnari quickly said as he did a small bow of his head to show respect. Hermanubis was the ancient spirit inside of Cyno, and it's best not to be on his bad side. “I hadn’t realized that was you.”

“It's alright, I don’t usually come out that often. Your reaction is completely understandable,” the person– Hermanubis– said with a small smile. It was interesting watching Cyno’s– Hermanubis’?-- face emoting expressions he wasn’t used to seeing on the tan man. Same goes with his voice. It was… interesting, to say the least. “Regardless, let’s go back to the purpose of this current…. Arrangement, let's call it. Cyno needs treatment,” Hermanubis gestured at his–Cyno’s?-- body, which still had injuries. 

Right away, Tighnari ushered the other to take a seat on his bed before he grabbed a couple of medical bandages and supplies placed on his desk. 

“Lay down,” Tighnari gently pushed Cyno’s shoulder back, only for the man to grab his wrist.

“Wait,” the spirit said, catching Tighnari’s attention, “I think a couple of his wounds are infected. On his back. Can you check?”

“Of course.” He maneuvered himself to sit behind Hermanubis as the man scooched forward to make space. Cyno’s back wasn’t as bad as his front, but it still needed treatment. Years of experience allowed Tighnari to recognise the familiar signs of an infection around a couple of the wounds. He sighed, reaching for an antibiotic spray he bought from the city. Usually, he’d use his own, but he’d run out a while treating another ranger’s injuries and hadn’t had time to make more. Speaking of which, when everything was over, he really should find the time to make more—

Focus.

He got to work as he used various bandages to cover the injuries. By the end of it all, Cyno’s back was practically swimming in white. He had already used up a shit ton of bandages and that was only his back –

A piece of Tighnari’s heart shattered.

‘One step at a time.’

The next moments were a blur as he worked on treating Cyno. He sighed, gently brushing Cyno’s white hair behind his ear. Cyno had fallen asleep at some point, resting on his side. He looked somewhat peaceful considering his situation. If Tighnari ignored the copious amount of bandages that encompassed Cyno, he would’ve said that Cyno looked like an angel. 

He almost became one today.

Tighnari sighed (now that he thought about it, he’d been doing that a lot more than usual), carefully flopping on the bed next to Cyno, like they had done in their Akademiyan days. He was lost in thought, simply letting thoughts float in and out of his mind as he watched the gentle rise and fall of Cyno’s chest. He was still pale and clammy and in need of more blood, but Tighnari could only do so much with the things he had at home. A stop by Birmarstan should drastically help, but for now he had fed the man a concoction or two to try to help. So far, it looked like it had worked, but only time could tell. 

He listened to Collei’s footsteps approach the hut before the door swung open, “Master Tighnari, you’re bac– oh…” 

“He’s okay,” he reassured, lowering his voice to not wake up Cyno. “hurt, but okay.”

Gentle footsteps hesitantly increased in volume as Collei strode up to the bed they were on. 

He moved his head to face the girl. Small tears were evident, streaking down her face and staining the bedsheets, as she quietly wept. As softly as possible, he took the girl into his arms, and the two quietly cried together. 

Another piece of Tighnari’s heart shattered.

‘One step at a time.’

— — — — — — —

Alhaitham was going mad.

Piece by piece, bit by bit, sliver by sliver, he could feel his brain deteriorate into nothing but an empty void, lacking rational and sensible thoughts….

…just like Kaveh, his roommate and currently his annoying, pesky, and fly-like travelmate. 

After Tighnari and Cyno’s… disappearance, he had to multitask fighting a hoard of Fatui and Eremites and calm down a hyperventilating Kaveh, who was working himself up to the brink of a mental breakdown. When he finally eliminated the threat, he turned to go help Kaveh, only for the man to be unconscious. Alhaitham could only deduct that Kaveh was already stressed out about bringing Cyno back safely, even more so when Cyno was injured. Seemed like the disappearance of the two finally pushed Kaveh over the edge. 

He carried Kaveh through the forest. It wasn’t hard, after all his muscles weren’t for decoration. But even they were, Alhaitham felt confident in his ability to carry Kaveh back to Sumeru city mostly because Kaveh was always thin for somebody of his height. Almost the same weight as Tighnari and there’s a good height difference between the two.

He stopped halfway to take a break, which was where he met some random Hat Guy who proclaimed to be Nahida’s assistant and the Traveller. 

“So what you’re saying,” the hat guy said, looking at Alhaitham like he was insane, “is that The General Mahamatra and Forest Ranger Tighnari just…. vanished?! ”

Alhaitham nodded, not bothered enough to look up as he skimmed the book in his hands. It’s a book the Traveller had given him before they went to go check up on Kaveh. A light novel from Inazuma that was lackluster and without a memorable plot but it was bearable. After all, it was the only book the Traveler had, and Alhaitham couldn’t find his usual book (he suspect’s Kaveh must’ve done something with it.) As the Traveller dealt with Kaveh, the Hat Guy interrogated him. 

“... are you sure?” Hat Guy asked with a look of skepticism and doubt. 

“Of course,” Alhaitham flipped the page. The main character– Alhaitham could care less about its name– was finally getting along with the plot after 100 pages of absolutely nothing. Alhaitham genuinely couldn’t tell if the author had somebody read the story before publishing because Archons it was like he was reading a 13 year olds fever dream. 

“Do you know where they are?” Hat Guy crossed his arms, “at all?”

“No.” Alhaitham flipped the page, “I was busy fighting the Eremites and Fatui.”

The Hat Guy sighed, clearly irritated, “then what am I supposed to tell Nahida?” 

“Tell her to pinpoint the location of the General Mahamatra,” Alhaitham calmly said. “She’s done it before.”

The guy just looked at him, confused. “She has?”

He tore his gaze from his book to the guy as he said,  “She did it with The General Mahamatra before. She can do it again.” a beat later, he added on, “what kind of assistant are you if you don’t know this?” 

Hat Guy just scowled at him beforing rolling eyes and turning around to face away from Alhaitham. He has no clue what Hat Guy did, focused on his awful book, but he assumes Hat Guy was talking with the Dendro Archon. 

After what felt like an unnecessary long amount of time, the Hat Guy turned back around with a cold and indifferent expression as usual, “Nahida’s working on finding the location of Cyn–”

“It’s General Mahamatra to you.” Alhaitham corrected him with a pointed glare. 

“ The General Mahamatra’s location is being pinpointed as we speak.” Hat Guy scoffed and rolled his eyes as he muttered something under his breath. The sheer amount of attitude and sass he had gave him a headache. Alhaitham glanced up and his eyes caught onto the resting figure of the still-unconscious Kaveh. 

“Notify me when it’s been found.” Alhaitham said as he closed the book, pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on.

“Hey— what the—“ Hat Guy’s voice was cut off as Alhaitham turned off his hearing aids. The blissful silence accompanied him as he walked over to where Kaveh laid. He sat down next to him, eyes trained on the golden locks of his hair as he carefully plucked a leaf out of it. The red pins and the blue plume that adorned Kaveh’s hair were gone, probably somewhere with the Traveller, leaving his golden locks free. Leaves and twigs were trapped into Kaveh’s hair, but Alhaitham could easily take them out. They framed his sleeping face, giving him a youthful look.

Kaveh was– without a doubt– attractive. He appealed to both the male and female gaze with his boyish features and youthful look complimented by his blond hair. He understands how to dress himself to accentuate his beauty, and it never fails to interest Alhaitham about how Kaveh does so. While Kaveh may have, and will always, choose actions that are intellectually lacking, he knows how to appeal to an audience. People in the past have described the blond as charming and attentive to others, which bends them to his will. It’s an… interesting skill. Tighnari once called it “pretty privilege.” 

Alhaitham agrees with that term. After all, why would he let Kaveh stay if it weren’t for rent?

Alhaitham let himself get distracted by Kaveh’s beauty as he gently plucked another leaf out of Kaveh’s hair, careful to not wake him up. Kaveh’s eyelashes were– noticeably– long. Light brown in color faded into a darker brown near his eyelids.

Kaveh was graceful, Alhaitham couldn’t and wouldn’t deny that.

He plucked out each twig and leaf from Kaveh’s hair, quietly admiring his beauty until the Traveller came back. 

— — — — — — —

Kaveh was dreaming– 

– of drunken nights spent with a blurred face with grey hair, drinking his heart out until he was too intoxicated to move. Of warm and comforting and calloused hands carrying him home, holding back his hair and patting his back as he threw up into the toilet. Of hands aiding him as he showered and tucking him into bed. Kissing his forehead as he drifted off to blissful sleep, guiding him to it like moonlight light in the dark.

– of smiling and being blinded by impossibly bright smiles as another blurred face explained a brand new meta TCG deck they crafted, skillfully placing together the cards with thoughts as if it was the blurred face’s job. Watching as the blurred face practically gleamed with repressed childish, raw, and pure enjoyment and happiness. Playing games with the blurred face and smiling even though he lost, perfectly content with watching the blurred face’s joy time after time.

– of rubbing oil into large fennec ears, listening to the botanist’s rambles and explanations of plants in the forest. Of slightly wagging tails as the blurred face carefully held a Padisarah in his hands before planting it into a pot. Watching as the gardener preened over the plants in the forest, taking care of nature like a mother would to her child. 

– of blurred faces lounging in his– no, their home, content with just talking. Fennec ears and tails would adorably emulate his emotions as they talked, grey hair would be hanging over the blurred face as he pretended to be reading, and childish smiles even in sleep, face smushed into the cushion as he passed out from the exhaustion of the job he blurred face has to work. The blurred faces were peaceful and calm, like the ocean without tides. 

He was dreaming–

Until he wasn’t.

The warm hands were violently ripped from him by something , taken forcefully as Kaveh scrambled to get out of bed, ripping the sheets off himself as he ran after it. He chased it out of his room, out of the kitchen, and into the darkness of Sumerian nights. He looked around frantically for it, eyes wide and hand sweaty as he saw the buildings and houses distort into awful shapes and patterns. They were no longer the familiar sumerian architecture he loved, turning into a hideous monster of random patterns placed with random shapes. He shook his head– focus – before he ran after the warmth of those hands, hunting them down until he reached out to grab it and– 

The floor opened up below him, swallowing him into a black pit. He whipped his head around, trying to find the familiar warmth, but all he saw was black… until there were sinister smiles filling the void– mocking him, looking down on him, hating him….

He ran from them, eyes closed and breathing coming out in pants. Archons, those smiles were awful, stirring a pot of pure disgust and shame in his stomach–

He hit his head against something hard, pushing him back and onto the floor. Hands scrambling to support himself, he looked at the thing he looked at with confusion…

A glinting metal door. (‘ The cold, nervous feeling of fear slithered under his skin leaving him absolutely frightened. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw the glint of the metal door.’ )

He reached for the handle and pushed it open.

Red. splattered on the walls like a grotesque mosaic.

Red. pooled on the ground in puddles, looking like puddles formed by the rain on the gloomy of gloomiest Sumerian days.

Red, painting the blurred faces’ bodies– on Tighnari– on Alhaitham– on Cyno– 

Red. Red. Red.

— — — — — — —

Was he dying?

No– he couldn’t be. 

But the draining energy he was feeling, the fuzzy mental state and the fact that he’s been trapped in his own mind for what felt like hours….

Was he dead?

He felt like his life was slipping through his fingers like the desert sand as he walked in the void, looking for a way out.

Was he dying?

He doesn’t want to die. At least not like this.

He has so many things to look forward to– 

— mornings spent brushing a large tail in his lap, casual discussions flowing between the two as Cyno worked on his favorite thing; detangling the pristine fur of his dearest—

— noon time with a green haired trainee forest ranger, eating in the best Pita Pockets ever and simultaneously noticing the progress she’s made from the time they first met to now; from the end of her sickness to now—

— afternoons in the House of Daena, using sign language to communicate with a tired but expressionless and aloof Scribe in their secret corner—

— evenings filled with ink and paper as he writes letters to his senior in Mondstadt, the man who saved him from the Akademiya, the Guardian of Aaru Village, the Flame-Mane and her employer, filling the paper’s with his life and, more importantly, asking about theirs—

— nights with a blonde, tall, and lanky architect, cooking dinner for the other two in the house as one talked while the other peeked shamelessly into the ungodly beauty of the other possed—

— midnights spent at the top of the Akademiya’s tree, gazing far at the country he promised to protect until the day he died, thinking of the next day as the wind gently blew, a familiar godly presence next to him—

He doesn’t want to die.

— — — — — — —

Tighnari sighed, ungloved hands running through white hair as Cyno’s head laid in his lap. He was careful with his nails so they wouldn’t scratch Cyno’s skin harshly.

“She’s trying to get into Cyno’s brain.” Hermanubis dully remarked, eyes closed as he laid on his back. Cyno’s white hair glowed in the moonlight, making him look heavenly. He looked like a god. There was some purple formation in Cyno’s hands, its shape similar to the symbol on his helmet, made out of dark purple energy. “I can tell. She’s trying to get in.”

“Who?” Tighnari wasn’t really listening to the spirit as he tiredly gazed at the door, hoping Alhaitham or Kaveh would show up. It’s been almost two days since the last time he saw them and he was growing concerned. Throughout those two days, a heavy weight sat on his shoulders and teared slowly at his heart. He just wanted them all to be back together, safe and sound.

“What does she call herself these days….” Hermanubis paused to think for a second, “Lesser Lord Kusanali?” 

“The Dendro Archon?” His eyes snapped down to the man whose head was in his lap, attention fixated at his words. “Lesser Lord Kusanali as in the Dendro Archon?”

“Yes, her. She’s… trying to get into Cyno’s mind.” Hermanubis frowned before his eyes slipped shut, eyebrows furrowed. The purple eye-like sigil only glowed brighter, emitting a dark purple light  “strange. Should I let her in? She could be a threat to his safety.”

“She’s not a threat. She’s the Archon of this land. Let her in.” Tighnari sighed, “I’m sure she has no ill intent.”

The spirit shrugged, barely stifling a smirk, “Who knows? Maybe she’ll aggravate him.”

Tighnari frowned, “that doesn’t seem like something she’d do and Cyno respects–” 

“Get it? Aggravate, as in the reaction between Electro and Dendro, but also the verb refers to when a being is annoying another being?” Hermanubis had a grin on his face as he explained the ‘joke’. 

Tighnari sighed, purposefully (and gently) pulling a strand of Cyno’s hair, “you’re aggravating me.” 

Hermanubis had a wide grin on his face while Tighnari continued to run his hands through Cyno’s hair. 

‘They share the same sense of humor,’ Tighnari chuckled. A pang of familiarity rang through his heart as Tighnari closed his eyes and sighed.

( “Nari,” Cyno smiled, eyes closed as his head rested in Tighnari’s lap. His ivory hair was splayed out, almost stealing away Tighnari’s breath. “I think I love you.”

Tighnari sighed, ungloved hands running through white hair as Cyno’s head laid in his lap, “Where’s the punchline, Cyno?” He was careful with his nails so they wouldn’t scratch Cyno’s skin harshly. This was the third time Cyno said  ‘I love you’, followed by a joke. The first time, Tighnari spat out his tea onto the white-haired man, which resulted in a flurry of apologies and a heavy load of embarrassment. He had a feeling Cyno kept on bringing it up to remind him. It was getting old to the fennec. 

“There is none.” Tighnari’s heart stopped as calm red eyes met widening greeny-brown ones, “I love you.”

Tighnari paused, eyebrows slightly scrunched and face slowly flushing pink as he asked the first question that came to mind. “Why?”

“I can go–” Cyno glanced away, expression closing off as he sat up from his lap, 

“No!” Tighnari’s hand suddenly wrapped around the shorter’s wrist. What was he doing? This wasn’t like him. If Cyno wanted to leave, he shouldn’t be the one prohibiting it–

Cyno nodded as he lay back down, red eyes meeting brown-green again. He spoke softly and carefully, “okay. I’m right here, Nari.” 

It was silent as they stared into each other's eyes, none of them wanting to break the precious moment. Tighnari’s heart was pounding, the force ricocheting off of his rib cage and causing his brain to melt like ice on a hot Sumerian day. Eventually, he quietly said, “you never answered my question.”

“I like you because you’re the opposite of history,” Cyno’s grins were always larger than life whenever he was going to tell a joke, containing so much liveliness and energy for the twenty something man. “because history’s my past and you’re my future–”

Tighnari cut him off with a kiss.)

Tighnari glanced at the spirit possessing the body of his beloved, then back at the door.

The weight on his shoulders became impossibly heavier.

Another piece of Tighnari’s heart shattered. 

‘One step at a time.’ he reminded himself. ‘One step at a time.’

— — — — — — —

Alhaitham almost smiled when he saw the familiar sight of Gandharva Ville. (The Traveller and Paimon both say he did, but they have no evidence)

The familiar sight of nature bursting through the seams of the village as people walked on the wooden pathways brought a wave of calm throughout him. The shadow’ provided by the overhanging trees, the bustling area, the calming sound of flowing water…

It's well known by the rest of his partners that Alhaitham associates words with things dear to him. His Grandma is Guardian. His parents are Scholars. Sumeru will always be his Nation, his Home. The Desert is an overwhelming Warmth. Kaveh reminds him of the Sun; Tighnari of the Earth; and Cyno of the Moon. 

Gandharva Ville reminds him of Life.

Everywhere his gaze lies, there’s an outpour of life from the village. 

The people, ranging from newly born to on their last legs walk through the village. They walk through the paths, and with each step they’re growing older and older. The greenery, blooming and glowing in the sun. The bright colors of flowers, fruits, and trees. The water flowing between the two halves of the village, fish swimming downstream. The algae on the river’s floor, the water itself as it carries boats home.

He likes this place.

Alhaitham’s feet take him to Tighnari’s hut as they walk down the all too familiar path, content with just existing in the atmosphere around him as he opens the leaf-curtain to the hut and—

If he was actually a feeble scholar, he would’ve fallen over from the force of Tighnari’s body slamming into him for a hug. He smiles softly as he pats the man’s back, feeling a bit awkward since Tighnari was latching onto him tightly and crushing his airway.

“Thank Archons you’re back. I missed you so much.” Tighnari relaxes in his arms, melting like putty as he keeps his tight hold on Alhaitham. It’s starting to become uncomfortable for the taller man, but he doesn’t say a word. 

“Somebody missed me.” The corner of Alhaitham’s lips twitch up slightly. Tighnari looks, for lack of better words, like a mess. His hair and fur is dull and messy, clearly not having been groomed or taken care of in a while. There’s dark eye bags underneath his green and brown eyes.

“Are you hurt?” Tighnari didn’t even wait for Alhaitham to respond, scanning the man’s appearance for any injuries. His hand— not gloved, may he note— goes to Alhaitham’s arm, where there is a minor cut. Eyebrows pinching together, he quickly says, “You’re hurt. Let me–”

“It’s just a scratch.” Alhaitham’s fingers circle Tighnari’s hand, pulling it away from his bicep carefully, “I’m okay, Nari.” 

“It’s still an injury. What if it gets infected? I should–” Tighnari mutters, pulling away and– 

“Right now, it doesn’t matter.” Alhaitham gently holds Tighnari’s shoulders, taking a moment of silence to glance over the fennec’s condition again. The dark eyebags, messy hair, tangled dull fur, and rumpled clothes were worrying. Has Tighnari neglected his health to care for Cyno? Without thought, the gray haired man blurts out, with a concerned tone, “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” Tighnari forces a smile– the corners are far too stretched out to be real, and it doesn’t reach his eyes– in an attempt to pass off as ‘sane’. After a fleeting moment, the smile is replaced with a flicker of realization. Following it was concern and frantic panic as Tighnari’s eyes locked with Alhaitham– green crashing with green. He shouts, “Kaveh– where’s Kaveh?!” 

“With the traveler. They’ll be here any second now.” Alhaitham glances around, looking for white hair in the mess. When he spots the familiar sight of white hair on Tighnari’s bed, he scans over the injured man’s sleeping form. Waves of concern and relief flood his system, the words tumbling out of his mouth, “How’s Cyno?”

“He’s getting better, I think. The infections are calming down slightly. He can move around freely and not be in pain, although Hermanubis took over and I don’t think Hermanubis feels pain.” Tighnari sighs, running a hand through his messy hair. “I don’t know when Hermanubis will let Cyno take control again. Everytime I ask, he says something vague about ‘when the time is right.’ Do you know what that means?”

“I… no, I don’t… That’s…” Alhaitham– a man of many words– falters, gaze hardening. When would it be ‘the right time’? When Cyno’s dead? The thought of never talking to his General again is… worrying. He didn’t want to spend a single moment longer pondering.  “Okay… We’ll get through this together.” 

“Right. Of course.”

( “I’ll take Kaveh to his room.” Alhaitham curtly said, not looking at the other sober man as he slung the drunkard’s arm over his shoulders. The blond couldn’t even hold up his head, let alone walk a single step. He’d have to drag him to bed like a toddler, as per usual at this rate. “Unless you’d like to take him with you?”

“No thanks.” Tighnari organized the deck of TCG cards into their respective cases, gaze caught between the sleeping General and the cards messily strewn across the red mat and the table. “As much as I’d love to have Kaveh over, Collei and I have work to do. I don’t have time to give him nearly enough attention for his hangover.”

Alhaitham hums in acknowledgement, silencing the drunkard’s incoherent grumbling with a quiet, ‘shhh’. Only after then did he address his question.“Speaking of Collei, how is she? I heard she was working on her application to the Akademiya.” 

“She’s well. She just started the application process.” Tighnari carefully placed the cases into Cyno’s satchel, eyes never leaving the task at hand, “Who told you? Was it Cyno or Kaveh?”

“Kaveh, who heard from Cyno.” Alhaitham grunted when the drunkard started to practically sling himself over the impassive Scribe. His eyes narrowed in annoyance, half glaring at the drunk as he addressed Tighnari. “Do you need any help with Cyno? Gandharva is quite far from the City.”

“Nope. I’ve got it.” Tighnari picked up Cyno, satchel on his shoulder, “You?” 

“Kaveh will be fine.” Alhaitham, who was about to leave the room, paused, glancing over at the other. He carefully said, “so long as you and Cyno are with him.”

“Oh?” Tighnari raised an eyebrow, chuckling slightly, “is this an attempt to make us stay the night?”

Alhaitham carefully leaned the drunk against the wall so then he wasn’t carrying to brute of his deadweight. His voice remained calm and impassive despite the true feelings and meaning behind his words. “Your responsibilities could wait. I could benefit from an extra pair of hands to help Kaveh. Same goes with Cyno.”

Tighnari shaked his head, smiling while asking, “The guest bedroom is the door on the left or right?” 

“My bedroom is on the right. Stay there.”) 

— — — — — — —

With all four of the closest people in his life nearby– no longer thousands of meters away– Tighnari visibly relaxes. 

Kaveh and Cyno are on the same bed, with the spirit-possessed man dead asleep and the blond braiding flowers picked by the children into white hair. Alhaitham sits on the chair next to the bed– the same chair he sat in, holding tightly onto Cyno’s hand as he prayed for the Dendro Archon to keep him alive–, simply reading a book. The two don’t talk, a nice silence in the air.

Collei is next to him, in the middle of cooking Pita Pockets. She hums a familiar tune, one he used to sing to her when she had nightmares. The embers flicker in front of Tighnari’s face. The air reeks of the forest. There’s birds chirping, voices of the village’s inhabitants down below.

Slowly, but steadily, Tighnari inhales and exhales. 

His heart is beating.

He’s alive.

He’s not dead.

It’s over.

Slowly, but steadily, the fragments of his heart are bandaged back together.

“We’ll get through this together.” 

 — — — — — — —

How long has Cyno been walking?

He doesn’t remember.

At some point, Cyno took a step forward in the black void. Then another. And another. And another.

He hasn't stopped since. 

He doesn’t know where he’s walking. He doesn’t know why he’s walking. He doesn’t know how he’s walking.

He’s just walking.

Step after step. One foot in front of the other. 

There was some type of solid ground beneath his feet, cold air around him.

The voices of his loved ones, while purely incoherent and incomprehensible by the desert dweller, fill the empty silence. 

He takes another step forward. 

He walks on forth, through the seemingly endless journey, with the voices as his motivation.