8.1
"I need your help."
Candace turned, eyes assessing Cyno. "No, sub-space?"
"Correct." Cyno let out a frustrated sigh, "I need to deal with Taj, it'll take some time."
"I'll take care of the ones that flee, don't worry." Candace placed a hand on his shoulder. "I hope you get what you need from your conversation."
"Ah, Cyno!"
Cyno paused, turning to the voice, he internally grimaced. "Kaveh."
"What a surprise to see you here, General." Kaveh approached the other, stopping before him with a hand on his hip. "I'd heard you'd vanished on a long trip of some sorts. Sorry about not reaching out, I've been busy with this project of mine."
"You haven't been in Sumeru for a while." Cyno turned to the side, contemplating. "How long has it been?"
"Hmph, the exact time is difficult to conclude, Alhaitham stole most of my supplies out of the bag I'd packed before I left." Kaveh grumbled. "Two months, give or take."
Cyno nodded, gaze never leaving a group of eremites hiding away behind a rock formation. If he was right, this was the group that had attacked him and the Traveler the first time.
"So, you don't know what's been happening."
"Excuse me?" Kaveh blinked rapidly, opening his mouth to continue before Cyno lightly shook his head.
"We're being watched, don't delve into important things now."
"What." Alhaitham glanced in the direction Cyno's head was tilted, catching a brief glimpse of movement. "Oh, the nerve of this lot!"
"It's odd, they should've approached by now." Cyno narrowed his gaze. The lack of the Traveler never prevented them before, was it Kaveh's presence disrupting things?
"Hah, cowards, the lot of them." Kaveh scoffed, keeping his body tilted in the direction of their adversaries. "Say, Cyno, where are you headed?"
"This is a real specific route." Rahman commented, looking down at the map Dehya provided them with.
"Don't ask me, I'm just the messenger of another messenger." Dehya shrugged at the look she got. "Cyno gave this to Candace, then she gave it to me to spread the word further."
"There's hundreds of people noted down, you're saying he knows the exact route all of them are going to take?" He raised a brow, doubtful.
"Hey, it's fishy for me too." Dehya frowned at the map, eyes darting between each marked location. "Even if you can predict moves, this is too much. Hell, I don't think insider info can get you this precision."
"Well, guess we'll just have to trust him." Rahman stretched with a grin. "Better to do this operation with trust, you know?"
"Yeah..." Dehya's eyes lingered on the map till Rahman rolled it up, and she put her thoughts aside for now.
"The architecture here is rather intriguing." Kaveh ran a hand along the wall as the two moved deeper into the ruins "I've read about the Court of Desolation, back when I was a student."
"What do you know?"
"Not much more than anyone else that's read a book or two on it." Kaveh complained, dispatching another enemy that dared to disrupt them. "Let's, see... Well, it's said that this place wasn't built by the people of the Lord or Deserts, despite being built during his time. Rather, some association that's not been recorded anywhere else in history. This place is said to house the secrets to reviving the deceased, hence why researching it was banned."
Cyno lowered his gaze, contemplating. The spirit within him was roused by Kavehs words, acknowledged them as true to the past, yet Cyno still didn't know a thing about those supposed secrets of the dead.
"I'll say, that group has been following us for a long time, are they not bored?" Kaveh spoke quietly, and the two listened to the faint sounds of crunching the branches that Kaveh had left to track the group's movements. "You'd think they'd have figured it out by now."
"Somethings wrong." Cyno tightened his grip on his weapon. "This isn't the same."
Kaveh looked at the other from the corner of his eye. "You still haven't told me what's happened recently in Sumeru."
"It's not relevant."
"Earlier, you made it sound like I'd missed something, something important."
Cyno shook his head. "Not now."
Kaveh frowned, deciding to drop the topic until they leave the Court, he placed his hand against the wall again, watching sand slowly pour from one of the cracks.
"Yes, not now."
Candace stood upon a cliff near Aaru village, tracking any movement near the village.
"Six make their way through here, two attempt to seek shelter in Aaru, and a group of three make their way along the outskirts- oh, there they are."
Spinning her weapon, Candace vanished from sight as she shadowed her three targets. Hopefully, none would deviate from the timings and routes Cyno had determined.
"You've changed, Cyno." Taj murmured.
The two had stopped fighting, standing a safe distance from one another, Kaveh at the edge of the room, listening for the ones that had followed them in.
Cyno lowered his staff, energy drained. "I have, I know."
"You do." Taj nodded, throwing his own weapon to the side. "You're conflicted. Though, it's not your duties that are the cause of this, like I'd feared."
"No, it's not."
"Hah, sorry about all this, old friend." Taj gestured around them. "If I'd known, I'd have slowed this down a bit. You deserve that much, in my eyes."
"There'd be no point." Cyno hesitated for a moment before placing his trust in Kaveh and dismissing his weapon. "I have a question, or not a question. It's... disjointed thoughts."
"While we have the time, I'll listen to you, and help you with your conflict." Taj knelt on the ground, gesturing for Cyno to do the same.
"I'm in a situation with others where we have much influence over the world, and none at all." Cyno knelt, watching the emotions that shone in Taj's eyes carefully. "We have no way out; things will remain as they are for a long time. Some started out as friends, strangers, acquaintances, and some are family-" Cyno grimaced as Taj's expression darkened. "I believe I... care for them all, to a degree. I've formed bonds with people I had entirely different relationships with. Yet, when it comes to my duties, I'm not sure how to proceed."
"Some of them fall in line with what goes against your code?"
"A grey area." Cyno's fingers twitched as he gripped at his clothing. "I don't feel the need to punish anyone, perhaps lightly. But given our circumstance, I struggle to tell how they fit into what's been determined."
Silence reigned around them, the cracks in the walls growing, Cyno let a hand graze the ground, watching the sand engulf his fingers in it.
"Speaking from my experience, I hold regrets." Taj spoke at last, pulling Cyno's attention back to him. "If you stay too just, in the face of family, those bonds can break. If I had another chance at it all, I feel I'd be unable to stop myself from being lenient towards him. I may even avoid the Matra altogether and spend my days with my son."
Taj could see in his mind many murky scenes.
He could be there more when Murtada became a student, he could point him to research he knew he'd enjoy more. Dinners at the table, lunch in the fields, debates in the library.
All that could've been, yet never was.
"You're not like that though. I understand you can't tell me anything about your situation." Taj drew himself back to the present, to the friend sitting before him asking for help in the here and now. "You're with these people for the rest of your life. Family and friends, strangers and acquaintances. You've always been a solitary person, I'm glad to know you're not alone. My advice, hah, well, it'll be biased. You can't change yourself for them, and they shouldn't do the same for you. But, that's not all you can do."
The sand was reaching past their knees now, Kaveh using his vision to keep as much of the sand at bay as he could.
"You don't want to hold them to the same standards, so don't. Instead, create a new code, just for them."
Cyno's eyes widened. "A new code?"
"Hold them to different standards. I trust you not to give too much leniency against what is just. I trust you, as you trust them. Hold them to standards you believe fitting, treat them as people you love and care for."
"I... I understand." Cyno rose from the sand, heart racing. "Thank you, Taj. You've given me inspiration. I-" Cyno cut himself off, shaking his head. "I'll try to make your wish come true if I ever can."
Taj let out a laugh that came out more shocked than it should have. "Live the best life you can. And thank you, Cyno, for letting me help someone I care for."
Two merchants sprinted through the foliage, having successfully escaped the deserts.
"Did you see that? Tons of eremites just waiting for everyone!"
"Hah, yeah." One of the merchants was breathing rapidly, hands on his knees. "Think we're good now, we can try making it to Liyue, but-but I think-" He cut himself off to drink some water. "It might just be the desert area being tracked, if we can make our way into Liyue, we can wait for this all to... blow over."
The merchant trailed off as he heard light footsteps approaching.
"Oho, well hi, lowly merchants!" Dori stepped into view, vision already glowing. "I don't normally join in on barbaric hunts like this, but I've got a bone to pick with your lousy organization."
Hidden away from civilisation, the two's screams went unheard.
"Hmm, despite all that happened, we never found out who was following us." Kaveh looked at where the Court of Desolation once was. "There goes that gold mine of architecture."
Cyno silently stared at the empty space, a hand to his chest.
He now had an idea of what he'd like to do, and now, Taj's memory and words would be cemented in Cyno's actions.
At the same time as this was happening, a figure made their way to Caravan Ribat, and left the desert without a trace.
One of the dealers successfully made it into Sumeru City, heart racing, he chose to hide in the Grand Bazaar.
"Hello there."
The man jumped, calming slightly at the sight of one of the dancers, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet with a sweet smile.
The girl guided him to a secluded part of the Bazaar, gave him food, asked after his health, and noting he was parched, she offered to get him some water.
She had such kind eyes, so why-
Why was his throat burning and his eyes tearing up.
Too much, too much water.
His world tilted, and the last thing he caught a glimpse of was a glowing hydro vision.
The next day, he awoke in a cell, the loud shouts of many others from the organization surrounding him.
Every single one of them had been caught.
8.2
"Ugh, you dare." The girl leaned into Sharif's personal space, hands on her hips. "You young lot should learn to treat such pieces of historic importance with more respect, the arts the theatre performs hold pieces that predate your birth!"
Sharif grimaced, "I was not insin-"
"I don't have time to listen to your bumbling retorts." She waved a hand, turning on her heel. "You, adjudicator, I call this debate to an end."
"Ah, Madam, are you certain?"
"I outrank both of you," She raised a brow, unwilling to elaborate further.
Nilou watched from the sidelines, baffled. Who was this?
"I come here for my leisure time, and you want to ruin that?" Kaveh scoffed, "The arts hold an important place in our daily life, many come here for inspiration for their work I do much the same. In fact, I'm sure if we made this whole ordeal known to the general public you would have not only them but many researchers coming to you in outrage!"
Nilou stood beside him, eyes wide. The theatre's impact on so many people warmed her heart. This was why she danced.
8.2 Inner conflict and a ruffled bird
8.1 A theatres importance
I couldn't think of anything for Nilou's quest, I'll admit to that, so it's a small section.
I tried to come up with anything, really, but I ran out of time, so this chapters out late because of that too.
If for some reason this doesn't update for say a full month without reason, check AO3, I may be having trouble with this site.