Whether or not they are directly linked, or the characters know each other, I think of my stories as all having happened within the same little world! In my stories. I frequently mention things that have happened in others I have written, but most of them should be able to be read stand alone without issues.
Also, while I try to keep it very close with Genshin lore, I don't know every single bit of lore, and can't remember it all. So, some things are slightly different, there are also some things that are only guessed. I'm just here to write stories for people to read, should they choose!
Thank you to my husband for being my proofreader!
As always, thank you for reading, I hope everyone enjoys it!
Feel free to leave a comment :)
Chapter One
Kaveh groaned, his head hurt. Actually, his whole body hurt. At first, he thought that he had gone out drinking, but then he remembered otherwise. He had been hit in the head with one of the many flying balls that had been flung from the walls.
Kaveh hated this place, and he didn't even know where he was, or how he got there. He just woke up here. Last he remembered, he was on his way to meet a client, but he blacked out about halfway there.
He had been through two "puzzle boards", he didn't know how else to describe them. The first one could have been dangerous, but it was relatively simple, find the right pad to step on, so you don't plunge to your death, and he made it through easily. The second wasn't so much of a puzzle as it was a game of dodgeball, where there were fifty balls and one player who had to make it across a narrow walkway. Nothing but black to be seen below.
Kaveh had gotten close to the platform on the other side, but he had been hit by several of the flying balls, and his body was shaky. However, it was the one that hit him in the head that did him in. He had managed to jump the last few feet, but everything went black right after.
He slowly opened his eyes. To one side was the giant pit and walkway, to the other was a now open door. Kaveh was barely on the platform, hanging halfway off the ledge. He scrambled backwards, and sat up, trying to catch his breath.
Kaveh shivered as a gust of freezing wind blew in from the door. He hated this place. Unfortunately, the only way was forward. Even if the door of each room didn't slam shut behind him the moment he would step through, he had checked each room for another means of escape. There was nothing.
It would be nice if he at least had Mehrak to keep him company. She had been with him when he left the house, but gone when he woke up, and he was worried about her.
With a sigh, he picked himself up, and wobbled his way to the wall. He leaned against it until he got his footing. It really was quite cold in the next room, not that the others were warm, but this was downright frigid.
Just like the others, the door barely waited until he was through to slam shut at his heels, making him jump. Kaveh didn't mind some adventure, but only as long as he chose it. He hated being forced into weird situations that he had no control over, which was basically the epitome of his life, now that he thought about it.
Obviously someone had done this on purpose. He'd been kidnapped again, and the feeling made his stomach churn. Thus far, he didn't consider it as bad as being beaten, and other things, but being knocked unconscious twice, and feeling like a lab rat stuck in a deadly obstacle course wasn't exactly fun.
It made him wonder why he'd been taken. He worried about Alhaitham. Was this another attempt to get money from him, or were they going to hurt him? Maybe this was because of something Kaveh had done, he didn't know, and it was driving him crazy. The only thing he could do for now, was try to make his way through whatever this was, and find Alhaitham.
He moved forward to see what was next. The room was very large, considering the only thing in it was a stand in the middle. Everything was covered in frost, from ceiling to floor. It made the carvings of pained faces on the walls all the more eerie. Seriously, why were those there? Quite the questionable sense of design.
He half walked, half slid his way to the stand, and caught the edge with his already numb fingers to stop himself from face planting directly into it. Sitting on top was a three by three grid of flat stone pieces with stars on them, indicating the numbers one through nine. Kaveh knew exactly what this was, it was a children's game in Sumeru. Arrange the numbers so that they equal the same in every direction.
That seemed easy enough. He looked around again, to see if there was anything else in the room, and saw nothing but the creepy faces. He slowly reached out and picked up a piece, waiting a moment to see if anything was going to come flying at his head. Thankfully, there was nothing. There was one problem, though. The squares were painfully cold, and he fumbled with the piece as the muscles in his hand seized up. Not such an innocent puzzle after all.
He picked up another piece, and watched in terror as it dropped from his freezing, shaking hands to the floor. He let out a long breath when it didn't break. Good thing they were apparently hearty, since another fell immediately after. His hands were already so cold, touching the even colder pieces was like touching razor blades.
He already knew the placement of the squares, he just had to get past the pain and get it done so he didn't freeze to death. It took far longer than it should have, but he finally managed to get the last one in place, and a door that hadn't been visible before opened on one wall. The floor was a downward slope, and Kaveh ended up slipping, and landed flat on his back. He picked up speed as he slid through the door feet-first, eyes wide as he could see the door plummeting straight towards his head. He managed to use his heels to turn himself, and went rolling in away from the door, until he hit something solid.
This sucked.
Chapter Two
Alhaitham was surprised he hadn't broken his teeth from clenching his jaw as he watched Kaveh take a hard hit to the head with a ball, and nearly miss the platform he lunged for. It was agonizing to wait while the blonde laid there, unmoving and hanging halfway into a pit.
Only when Kaveh started to move, could Alhaitham breathe again. He watched the blonde back away from the ledge, then wobble his way into the next chamber a few minutes later. Even on the fuzzy bubble-like screen, Alhaitham could see the frost that lay across everything in the new room, and Kaveh shivering. He wasn't dressed for something so cold.
That morning, he and Kaveh had kissed goodbye, and parted ways to their own jobs. Only a few minutes later, a strange feeling had crept up on him, but it was not something he'd had the chance to act upon. He hadn't gotten far before everything went black. When he came to, he was here, tied to a chair, and the angry face of a researcher was inches away from his own, dangling his broken headphones in front of him.
He recognized the man immediately. Zavalli had proposed experimentation in a certain tomb where he believed the energy readings they found led to the world of the afterlife. Alhaitham heard about the proposal, and read over it. Not only was the idea of breaching another world a terrible idea, but the means in which he planned to use was very dangerous.
Zavalli wanted to use the same particles that had sent Alhaitham spiraling between worlds, on the energy he had found in the tomb. Alhaitham learned that he had been lucky to fare as well as he had. The results of that incident could have been far worse, and that was considering that he was being torn apart, and merged with another version of himself all at the same time.
Before he stepped down, Alhaitham made sure to have that machine dismantled, and made sure the use of it was forbidden. When he heard about this man's project proposal, he met with the new Grand Sage, and the project was permanently rejected, the Sage had already planned on it, and this was the result. Obviously Zavalli knew about Alhaitham being involved somehow.
Alhaitham was tied to a chair, facing a screen that showed Kaveh going through the very tomb the researcher had wanted to use the particles on. Zavalli was obsessed with proving to Alhaitham that it was real, and worth researching. He wasn't sure, however, why Zavalli thought the best way to do this was to kidnap his significant other, and toss him into a random, dangerous temple.
"Do you see that?! I knew there would be puzzles! I knew it!" Zavalli giggled, "Clever. Very clever."
"You've never even been there yourself, and you sent an architect in to do it for you?" Alhaitham growled.
"Oh, no, no. No, it's not just myself who has never been past the entrance of this temple! The Light of Kshahrewar is the very first to have the honor, likely since the temple was built! Don't you see? He's the perfect choice. Everyone knows that he's brilliant, and excelled in the technology field just as well as architecture! Just look at this toolbox of his," he held up Mehrak, the usual expression missing, and part of her casing hanging down, "It fought me until I broke it to turn it off. So protective of its owner! Brilliant!"
Setting aside the anger of what he had done to something Kaveh loved dearly, apparently choosing Kaveh didn't have anything to do with who he was to Alhaitham? He still wasn't entirely convinced that it had nothing to do with it, but it would be a relief, had he not ended up in the temple anyway. If the man didn't know, all the better, and he had no intention of telling him, but he needed to get Kaveh out.
That was difficult, being tied the way he was. Zavalli had been thorough in this, each arm was tied to an armrest from the wrist to the elbow, and each leg from ankle to knee. His lower torso had been tied separately from his upper torso, which included his upper arms. The worst part was that his Vision had been taken, so he couldn't even flicker out of the ropes. He wasn't going anywhere like this. The next best thing he could try was talking the man into letting him go, or at least getting Kaveh out of there.
"It would waste less time if we just went there ourselves. I'm certain I could make it through any puzzles." Alhaitham said matter-of-factly.
"Oh, no, no… You need to witness that my theory is correct!"
Okay then, "If we went there in person, I would be doing exactly that."
"But if you were to die along the way, you never would! No! It's best this way!" Zavalli was yelling now.
If Kaveh were to die along the way they never would either. In fact, Alhaitham would make sure Zavalli would never see anything again. What was the difference to this man?
"Why? Are you worried about your Light? I hear the two of you are very close," he said, much quieter now as he leaned into Alhaitham's personal space, "I wonder, would it be painful, or a blessing for you if something were to happen to him? Everyone knows of your extensive bickering. Perhaps I'm simply helping you be rid of an annoyance."
There it was. While they weren't often touchy-feely outside their home, it did happen, and they hadn't truly gone out of their way to keep their relationship a secret. Alhaitham watched Kaveh on the screen, he'd slipped several times, but finally made it to a podium in the middle of the room. He couldn't see what was on the podium, but Kaveh picked and fumbled with some small, flat square pieces with trembling fingers, probably numb from the cold.
How was Zavalli even showing what Kaveh was doing? Kaveh hadn't seemed to notice something, or someone following him, so it probably wasn't a physical filming device, and if Kaveh was the first person in the tomb, a device wouldn't be there. The "screen" was only a large glass bubble of some sort, but Alhaitham had never seen, or heard of anything like it.
"Kaveh and I disagree with each other. We have completely different values, and they would never coincide into any form of mutual existence," Alhaitham said.
Zavalli made a noise that was either a laugh or a grunt, "We'll see, scribe. The saying is opposites attract, is it not?"
"That is less of an aphorism than it is a fallacy. An anecdote created to dilute the obvious lack of rapport between two individuals."
"Is that so? We'll just have to wait and see then!" Zavalli screamed directly into Alhaitham's face.
He didn't even have his headphones to make it quieter, and his head had already been pounding. Alhaitham closed his eyes to help give his head a rest, but it only lasted a moment before his need to see if Kaveh was alright won out.
Kaveh dropped one of the pieces, then another. He was losing his battle with the cold, and losing hope. Not that it was something he believed in, but it couldn't hurt, Alhaitham closed his eyes again, and willed his thoughts to the blonde. Don't lose hope, Kaveh. If anyone can do this, you can.
"Al-ait-am?"
Alhaitham looked up at the very distorted version of his name. What was that? Of course, how could he not have thought of it before? He closed his eyes once more, and thought.
"Lesser Lord Kusanali?"
"Alhaitham? Can you hear me?"
"… Kaveh, he needs help."
"You both went missing two days ago, we've been trying to find you!"
"I can't move to get away or help Kaveh. We're in a temple. Look up a research proposal by Zavalli."
"… We're looking. We'll be there as soon as we can."
A slap across his face brought his attention back to the scientist. Two days. They had been gone for two days. A growl caught in his throat.
"Bored, are you? I doubt you will be much longer!" Zavalli laughed, and turned to the screen.
Kaveh placed the last block back on the podium, and the next door had opened, Kaveh stumbled through. The screen went completely dark, and Alhaitham clenched his jaw again.
"What are you using to watch him?"
"Hah. Wouldn't want to give away my secrets. All you need to know is that it is doing what we need. Because of it we know what we are facing, and that any obstacles are being cleared."
Cleared at too large of a cost. This wasn't acceptable, and all he could do was sit and hope that their friends got here sooner than later.
Chapter 3
Nahida turned back to Tighnari and Cyno, and explained what they were looking for. They were already at the Akademiya, and she had finally been able to make a connection with Alhaitham, but not Kaveh. Their ex Acting Grand Sage sounded quite worried about Kaveh, and the fact that he himself apparently couldn't move was worrisome. Someone had thought this through.
As if that weren't already evident by the way Alhaitham and Kaveh had disappeared. Eyewitnesses in both areas said that they were there, then simply gone. Nahida had felt the energy used, the energy from old gods left a bad taste in her mouth. She wasn't sure how someone could have gotten their hands on something like that, but finding those answers would have to come later. Right now they needed to save the scribe and architect duo.
"I've got it!" the Grand Sage called. "The temple he indicated in his proposal is in the southeastern part of the desert. South of Dar al-Shifa."
"It must have been well buried. I've never heard of a temple there."
The Sage nodded, "It was. It was only found very recently, by accident."
"What is special about this temple?" Tighnari asked.
"Well, the researcher Zavalli believes that it has something to do with the afterlife, and he wanted to use the same machine that generated the Arri particles. That machine was dismantled after a lab accident involving… oh, it involved ex Acting Grand Sage Alhaitham."
"It did, and Arri is the name of the scientist who created that machine. It had something to do with particles. I can't believe that man named them after himself, their discovery was a complete accident!" Tighnari crossed his arms.
"Hm," Nahida tapped her lower lip, "That machine was dismantled, but I'm guessing this researcher knows that. Hat Guy is checking the location where the parts were stored."
No sooner had she said it, than the Wanderer had marched in, looking his usual angry self.
"It's not there. Stop calling me Hat Guy."
Nahida enjoyed calling him Hat Guy, it was fitting, and she had no intention of stopping. He knew that by now. "I would like you to stay here," she said, knowing he would understand. They needed to make sure there was no more trouble while they were gone.
"I understand somewhat why this man might have taken Alhaitham, but why would he take Kaveh? He had nothing to do with this," Tighnari said.
"Because of their relationship." Cyno turned to look at the Ranger, "Using Kaveh as a bargaining chip is a possibility we should be prepared for."
Tighnari sighed and shook his head, "Why are these two always in trouble? We know where they are, let's get going."
"I've already gathered a few Matra who will come with us. They should be waiting for us." Cyno led the way out.
Nahida could feel everyone's unease, and she could understand it. She felt the same nervousness behind this, as well as the limitations of only being able to work at a certain pace to find the truth. For all he had done for her, she had come to care greatly for Alhaitham, and in turn, his beloved.
"Nari," Cyno turned to the Valuka Shuna, "You… really shouldn't come with us. You could overheat."
Tighnari shook his head, "I'm not staying this time. We'll have a lot of water, and stick to the shade. It should be dark by the time we are getting close. I'll be alright."
Cyno didn't argue, and they set out. At the edge of the forest, Nahida took some large leaves, and used her abilities to form an umbrella for the Ranger. He gratefully accepted it, and it worked well enough to get him through the heat and into dark.
The entrance was nothing more than a collapsed cave tunnel, but they had made it. The tunnel seemed to lead far under where the dendro hypostasis had taken up residence. Nahida suspected the room it was in might have been part of the entrance to this temple at one time.
The ground was very uneven, it must have been difficult to get Alhaitham and Kaveh down here. She doubted that either would have willingly gone on their own, and they seemed to have disappeared at almost exactly the same time. She believed that they would have been unconscious, likely dragged. They had yet to see any indication that the man had been working with anyone else. It seemed he was very determined.
Eventually, they came into the first actual room. Three paths lead out from it, one straight ahead, one to the right, and one to the left. Cyno did a quick search of the room.
"Drag marks go down two of the tunnels, footprints down the other. Judging by the dual lines with each of the drag marks, I'd say it was bodies."
"So which tunnel do we go down?" Tighnari asked.
Cyno stood just inside the entrance to each tunnel, "Nari, can you hear anything?"
Tighnari joined the General, his ears perked up when he reached the one on the right, "Here, I hear something. It's faint, but I hear talking."
"This way first, then. You three," Cyno pointed at the Matra, "Detain anyone who tries to leave."
Chapter 4
Kaveh's feet and hands were painfully numb. He was a little worried about frostbite, at least this room wasn't as cold. It was dark, with just enough light to see. The same faces that were on the wall in the icy room were illuminated with a torch for each. They looked angry this time. There were four small squares that came up about two feet from the ground, one at each corner. In the center a square glowed, with a small pool of water in the center.
He carefully approached the square. One corner had flames engraved on it, another with vines, one with crashing waves, and one with what looked like snow capped mountains. Each corner of the square pointed at one of the stands in each corner. Upon inspection of those, each had a small tray. That seemed awfully simple.
He dipped his hand in the water, and used his Vision to make a bloom. He set it on the tray that the dendro corner pointed to. The bloom dissolved into black dust, and the closest face on the wall started screaming. It didn't stop. Kaveh covered his ears, and backed away.
Not that simple, then. He looked at the square again, trying to concentrate through the continual noise still coming from the face, echoing off the walls. It had to have something to do with those four elements. Dendro, pyro, cryo, and hydro. Why else would they be there? Unless…
He made another bloom, took a breath to brace for more screaming, and set it on the tray that the cryo corner pointed to. The bloom stayed where it had been placed, and there was no screaming. It was opposites, then. Or what might be considered opposites. Pyro and hydro could be considered opposing elements, while dendro and cryo could be as well. Still, who came up with this stuff? How were people supposed to magically know that you were supposed to put it on the opposite element.
Kaveh made quick work of the puzzle. Frost from the door to the previous room, fire from the torches, and water from the middle. Another door flew open, and the screaming stopped. The fact that there was no daylight coming through the door was disheartening. He was so tired, and had a headache that rivaled a migraine. His limbs were tired of moving, and the constant worry of Alhaitham was buzzing in his mind. Not knowing where he was, or if he was safe had his anxiety through the roof, yet all he could do was push through these stupid puzzles and try to find the end, hopefully leading to the way out.
The next room was nearly dark, a blue light that seemed to come from nowhere illuminated the space just enough to see.
There were columns on each side of a path, and what looked like trees just beyond those. They had black and dark blue leaves, and some sort of slightly luminescent vines hung from the branches. Kaveh couldn't tell if the trees were dead or alive, but they gave him an uneasy feeling, despite being beautiful.
It was much warmer compared to the previous place he had been, but it was definitely damp, and while he couldn't see it, he could hear water dripping and flowing. Many of the large stone floor tiles were broken, and he had to try to walk around, or climb over them. That wasn't proving easy between his limbs still recovering from the cold, and his shoes not being the best for this sort of grip. With his only other option being getting closer to those trees, he'd rather climb.
Kaveh felt like this room went on forever, but it became a little brighter as he moved forward. He hoped it was from daylight, but doubted that would be his luck. As he could see better, he noticed words on some pillars that looked different from the others. These looked like they were made of solid gold. He stopped to look at one closer, and gasped. He knew this language. It was an elective he had taken just for fun. It was where the words Magnum Opus came from.
He wasn't a Haravatat scholar, but he did have some interest in languages, if only to show up Alhaitham when he would mock him in another language. But this one he had learned simply because he thought it was pretty, and many scholars thought that it hadn't originated in Teyvat. It was speculated to come from an alternate dimension, though they had no real proof of that. Now, here it was, scrolled beautifully across these pillars in the middle of who-knows-where.
"Haitham would love this…" he mumbled to himself.
He read the words, mentally going back to his schooling.
In urbe mortourum, ubi silentium regnat,
Ubi aesternitatis resonant tranquilla iacent.
Monumenta ac signa, erecta superba et alta,
Narrabilia vitarum, magnarum parvarumque exalta.
In the city of the dead, where silence reigns supreme,
Where echoes of eternity pervade the tranquil scene.
Monuments and markers, standing proud and tall,
Each telling tales of lives, both grand and small.
Part of Kaveh hoped that he'd translated that wrong, but he was pretty certain he had it right. What did it mean? Was this a monument to the city of the dead, or something else? He moved across the walkway from the one he had just read.
Beneath the solemn earth, where time's touch is unfelt,
Resting souls in slumber, where histories silently dwelt.
Streets lined with memories, paved with stone and moss,
Whispers of the past, beneath the quiet's gloss.
Back to the other side-
Here, whispers of legends linger in the air,
Echoes of bygone eras, stories to declare.
Inscribed upon the tombs, the names of those long gone,
Their legacies endure, in verse and in song.
Kaveh continued back and forth between the last three pillars, reading each carefully, and translating.
Majestic mausoleums, adorned with aged grace,
Guarding secrets, dreams, and every earthly trace.
Gardens of remembrance, where flowers gently weep,
Tender tributes to the ones forever asleep.
Yet, in this city veiled by a shroud of peace,
Life and death entwine, their mysteries won't cease.
For in the city of the dead, a poignant truth is spread,
The living and the lost, forever intertwined, it's said.
Though somber in its guise, this city has its own allure,
A sanctuary for souls, where rest they can ensure.
In the city of the dead, where time has no demand,
Eternal whispers linger, in this hallowed land.
Eerie. He wanted out, but was instead drawn to a podium at the end of the walkway, right in the center, complete darkness behind it. His hands were shaking, and every little drip of water made him jump as the chilled air fell completely dead around him. He squinted at the podium to make out the words.
"Accede cum summa vigilantia, nam velum inter vivos et defunctos hic tenuissimum est, ubi praeteritum permanet et incognitum habitat. Urbs mortuorum te vindicat." he whispered, "Approach with utmost vigilance, for the veil between the living and the departed is thinnest here, where the past lingers and the unknown dwells. The city of the dead claims you."
A blinding light in front of him made him snap his eyes shut, and stumble backwards. He forced his eyes open against the brightness. Inside a large circle of dark red liquid, was a giant tree that faded from red at the bottom, up into black, with what looked like blood dripping from the branches. If the sight of such a tree weren't scary enough, at the end of every single branch was what looked like a blackened human hand – all of them reaching towards him, fingers moving as if to grasp.
"Kaveh! Run away!" he heard Alhaitham scream from behind, but it was too late.
Smokey tendrils made their way from the tree's hands, they swirled through the air, and wrapped around Kaveh's arms and legs. He tried to brace himself as he was dragged along the ground, being pulled towards the red pool, but the tendrils felt like they were sapping every bit of his energy.
Pained moans and screams from thousands of people long dead filled his head, and everything went black.
Chapter 5
As soon as Kaveh had finished the puzzle in the elements room, Zavalli had hit Alhaitham across the face, and tipped the entire chair forward. Being tied up, Alhaitham had no way to catch himself, and his face hit the floor hard. While he was dazed, Zavalli had taken out some sort of branch, and jabbed the end at Alhaitham's back. He felt his muscles go limp, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move.
Zavalli cut the ropes binding him to the chair, pulled his arms back to where his elbows were touching, and bound them together. He wrapped a rope around Alhaitham's chest, and wound it around his bound forearms for good measure. Alhaitham wouldn't be able to do anything tied up like this.
The researcher jabbed that stick at him again, and the feeling in his muscles came painfully rushing back, wrenching a pained noise from him. Alhaitham was pulled to his feet, and pushed forward to walk. His legs were still wobbly from falling asleep while tired to the chair, and he just barely stayed upright. He hoped the man was taking him to Kaveh.
"I still find your reliance on an architect to clear the path for you to be astounding. It is a shameful way to conduct research, and against Akademiya regulations. Your disregard of the rules and endangerment of other's lives will be noted and taken into account for your punishment. I suspect the General Mahamatra will not take the latter lightly."
"Oh, don't worry! You'll be together with your lover again soon! As for the General, I may have to hide now, but soon my discovery will bring the research of alternate dimensions to a whole other level. I can't be ignored forever!" Zavalli laughed as he pulled the scribe towards one of the darkened corners, and pushed some sort of button that lit up when they came near. "It's time we catch up to your architect, don't you think?"
A large door opened, revealing a passage behind it. They didn't have to walk far to come to another door, and the scientist pushed another button to open it. Alhaitham recognized the room as the first one Kaveh had been in. When they walked in, nothing was triggered, and the door didn't slam shut behind them. Kaveh had already done all the work.
They made their way through the other rooms quickly. The one with the narrow path was difficult to cross without having his arms for balance, and the icy one was slippery. Alhaitham's poor walking angered Zavalli, and he shoved him forward a few times, only to have to pick him back up with an angry huff.
Alhaitham rolled his eyes. What did the man expect? It was his own fault. Alhaitham had looked at the stand Kaveh had been working with in the frozen room, it was a magic square. Arranging the numbers one through nine to equal fifteen in every direction. That would have been child's play for Kaveh. He found the lack of difficult puzzles interesting, considering what supposedly lay beyond.
Beyond the last puzzle room was one they had not seen on the bubble screen. Large columns and trees lined the sides of a large stone path. It was quite grand. If not for the moisture, it would have made an excellent library. He kept an eye out for anything that could help him as they moved forward. There wasn't much around. If he had the chance, he might be able to use one of the jagged rocks to cut his bindings, but it was unlikely he'd have the opportunity.
When they reached about halfway, a bright light lit up a large tree at the end, and in front of it, the light shone on golden hair. Everything happened so quickly. The tree branches reached out for Kaveh, who was on the ground, and started dragging him.
Alhaitham took off trying to reach Kaveh as fast as he could, "Kaveh, run away!" he screamed.
He had only made it a few steps when a flash came from behind him, and it felt like someone punched his lungs from the inside. He fell to the ground, and skidded along it, tearing his skin. His body spun a few times as he came to a stop.
As Alhaitham struggled to get to his feet, there was yelling behind him. Distantly, he knew those voices, but he was only focused on getting to Kaveh before he was pulled under.
Not even seconds later, there was a purple flash, and he was free from the ropes.
Chapter 6
"I know I heard voices coming from in here. Looks like they left," Tighnari said with frustration in his voice, looking at the tipped over chair and cut ropes
"They must have just been here," Cyno said, and picked up what were surely Alhaitham and Kaveh's Visions, "But where did they go? We would have seen them if they had come back the way we came, obviously. There must be a door. Spread out and look."
"Hm. I sense a familiar energy here." Nahida closed her eyes, then pointed to a corner, "They went that way.
Cyno held up a hand for the others to stay back, and approached where Nahida had pointed. When he got close, a light lit up. He examined it, and pressed it. A passage they weren't able to see before. He carefully peeked into the new area.
"Clear," he said as he moved forward.
The others shuffled in behind him, looking down each side of the corridor, and the drag marks on the ground. It must have been the same tunnel that he'd left the Matra guarding further down.
They came to another door, this one was open, and another could be seen on the opposite wall. Going through the first two rooms, it was easy to see they were some sort of tests, or puzzles. The third room was freezing, and they hurried through it, barely sparing a glance at the puzzle in the middle of the room.
The next room was where it got interesting. There was light much further down, but most of the area was dark. Cyno heard Alhaitham's voice ring out clearly, and sprinted forward. Shortly after the shouting, he found his target, as a bright flash illuminated Alhaitham falling to the ground, and the scientist they were looking for.
In a flash he was to Zavalli, and jumped at him, stomping the ground next to the man, letting electro flow through it as Cyno yanked him to the ground. He sprung forward to where Alhaitham was, and brought his spear across the ropes binding the scribe, cutting him free.
Without a backwards glance, Alhaitham took off running towards the light, as Cyno turned back to the researcher. He dodged another flash of light from the stick the man was holding, a moment before Tighnari put an arrow through the man's hand and the stick fell to the ground. Cyno leaped forward, and grabbed him by the throat. He was pinned to the ground in an instant. Nahida wandered over.
"Careful," Cyno said, Nahida only smiled sweetly at him.
The small Archon reached her hand out from a short distance, and the stick flew to her.
"Where could you have gotten this?" she asked him, pulling the stick close to her chest.
The man glared instead of answering, as if Nahida had somehow wronged him.
"Hm. No matter. I'll be able to find out if there are any more." She turned to the others, "This has a piece of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's power in it, likely imbued during her death. He was using the remains of a god to achieve his goals. Alhaitham needs help."
Cyno left Zavalli with the Matra, and rushed after Tighnari, who had already taken off towards their friends. Alhaitham had Kaveh's arm, it was covered in what looked like blood, the rest of Kaveh was submerged in a large pool of the liquid. The large tree was snarling and screaming as it tried to pull Kaveh away from Alhaitham's grasp.
Cyno and Tighnari grabbed onto Alhaitham as he tried to keep his feet braced on the edge of the pool. Nahida ran up behind them, and closed her eyes. Tendrils of dendro dove into the red fluid. Cyno could see the vines tugging at something they couldn't see below the surface.
A moment later, whatever was holding Kaveh let go. They all fell back, pulling Kaveh out of the liquid, and Nahida fell to the ground panting. Alhaitham scrambled to check on Kaveh.
"He's not breathing!" Alhaitham's voice wavered when he spoke.
Tighnari listened to Kaveh's chest before starting compressions, then two breaths. He went back and forth until the blonde's chest finally moved on its own. Tighnari turned Kaveh on his side as he gagged up the red liquid. It looked gruesome.
"Kaveh, can you open your eyes for us? We wouldn't mind saying hi." Tighnari tapped on the architect's cheek. Kaveh didn't open his eyes, but he moaned.
Cyno had helped Nahida over. She put two fingers to Kaveh's forehead, and closed her eyes.
"His soul wasn't taken, he must have fought hard."
"I'm sorry," Tighnari's eyes widened, "That was a possibility?! What do you mean by taken?"
"This tree brings souls to the city of the dead. In fact, no one alive should be down here. It could try to do the same as it did to Kaveh." Nahida explained.
Tighnari nodded to Alhaitham, who wordlessly picked up Kaveh, and started to carry him away. Cyno kept himself between the pool and his friends, not trusting that it wouldn't try to take someone else, or even the one it had just lost.
He stopped at the trembling scientist. The man had been searched for anything else that could be used as a weapon, and cuffed. Though Cyno watched his friends go, he had a duty to do. It hadn't turned out well for the last people who had hurt Kaveh. This time wouldn't be any better.
Chapter 7
Alhaitham could feel the others' eyes on him, he was focusing more on trying not to let the slippery, fluid-covered Kaveh slide out of his grasp. They stopped in the room Alhaitham had first been kept. In relative safety, they were able to clean Kaveh up a little, and check how he was doing.
"It looks like he took a pretty hard hit to the head, I'll keep an eye on that. I don't think anything broke with the chest compressions, but his chest will be very sore. I think he'll be ok," he said as he spread a thin blanket over Kaveh, "I need to look you over too, Alhaitham. Before we go out into the desert," Tighnari said as they finished with Kaveh.
Alhaitham had sat on the floor with Kaveh's head cradled in his lap. He didn't want to let go of him. The contact was comforting, and he was sure it would be for Kaveh, were he awake.
"I'm fine."
"I can tell from here that you're dehydrated, and exhausted. It looks like you used your face as a landing pad for someone's fist?" Tighnari looked at Kaveh, "I won't make you move, just let me check on you?"
Eventually, Alhaitham nodded, and Tighnari did his work. Several disapproving sounds later, and some bandages around his wrists and Tighnari handed him some water.
"Try to drink it all before we leave, which I would like to be soon. We need to get you both somewhere better, and I don't like the noises this place makes. I'm going to get the stretcher the Matra brought-"
"I can carry him." Alhaitham cut him off.
Tighnari shook his head, "It will be better for Kaveh to be carried this way, and if we had two, you would also be on one. You can stay next to him, and let us take care of you both."
He left without waiting for Alhaitham's answer. Nahida looked at the odd bubble screen, and he described what it had been used for as he was held captive. The tiny Archon looked lost in thought for a moment, before she touched the screen, and it dissolved onto the ground.
"H- Haitham?" Kaveh managed, but started coughing hard.
Alhaitham sat him up, and moved to where he could cradle Kaveh against his chest while he helped him drink. Kaveh's eyes stayed closed, and Alhaitham thought he was unconscious again, until he saw red eyes peek from behind eyelids.
"Kaveh. I'm here."
Tears immediately started to fall down the blonde's face. There had been times Alhaitham had seen Kaveh emotional, he was an emotional person in general. He had certainly seen him cry, Alhaitham had even regrettably been the reason. He had never seen Kaveh cry like this.
Kaveh grasped onto Alhaitham's shirt, trying to pull him as close as he could while sobbing uncontrollably. He was hyperventilating and trying to say something, but Alhaitham was having trouble understanding any of it.
"Tighnari! It's alright. No one is going to hurt you now, Kaveh. We're going home." Alhaitham didn't know what to do to help calm his distress, so he just kept repeating comforting words.
Tighnari was back in a hurry, with two of the Matra following close behind, "What happened? Kaveh, can you take some deep breaths for me?"
Kaveh didn't respond to their attempts to calm him, Nahida knelt next to the blonde, and touched two fingers to each of his temples A moment later, Kaveh's crying stopped, and he was asleep. Tighnari checked his vitals again, and started to unfold the stretcher, "… He seems alright now. What happened?"
"He awoke and started coughing, drank some water, then started panicking. I couldn't understand what he was saying."
Nahida spoke up, "He was having memories from the souls that latched onto him while he was being dragged under, as well as his own. It was too much for him. I tried to soothe him, but his own traumatic experience alone was overwhelming. I had to erase that part of his memory… I am very sorry. I saw no other way."
That scared Alhaitham, and his breath caught, "How much of his memory-"
The Archon cut him off by putting a hand on his shoulder soothingly, "Only the worst. He'll remember everything else."
Alhaitham nodded, and let out the breath he was holding. He couldn't argue with that, it probably really was for the best. Kaveh had enough trauma, fear, and anxiety. Adding more would only overflow his plate, and bring him down.
"Can you lay him on here?" Tighnari helped arrange Kaveh onto the stretcher comfortably, tucked the blanket around him, and strapped him on. "He's probably in a bit of shock. He went through a lot before he even got to that tree. For now, we need to get both of you home."
Alhaitham was fine, Kaveh was the one who needed help, but he knew it wouldn't do any good to argue that point to his friend. Tighnari could out-stubborn the best of them when it came to things like this, especially if it involved friends.
Cyno showed up only a moment later, and they left. Though it was night, and the heat wasn't trying to cook them alive, the journey was still tiring for Alhaitham, and he was suddenly more glad that Kaveh was safely being carried by someone else. His muscles were sore and lame, likely from being tied the way he had. He'd been clenching his fists while watching Kaveh on the screen, struggling through tests, and then used everything he had to keep him from being pulled completely into that liquid.
The sun had come up, and with it birds and other creatures chirped happily. It was all piercing with his headache and extra sensitive hearing. Every sound reverberated through his head, each finding a nice, comfortable place to bury themselves, and nestle down in the soft flesh of his brain. The remains of his headphones hung from his belt. He'd have to find the time to repair them sooner than later.
Although, if he had them dampening the surrounding sounds, he might have missed the quiet, hoarse voice calling for him.
"Kaveh?"
Tighnari came to the other side of the stretcher and checked over his friend as they continued their journey.
"Haitham? Wh- what happened?"
He wasn't sure what to tell Kaveh without causing panic.
"You don't remember?"
"Hm? I-uh… huh? Am I on a stretcher? I want to sit up…" Kaveh said as he struggled to move himself.
"Oh no you don't! You need to stay exactly how you are."
Kaveh looked at Tighnari in confusion, "I fell a couple of times, but I'm fine! There's no need to make people carry me around!"
"Kaveh, do you remember anything besides falling?" Alhaitham asked.
"I'm so glad you're ok, Haitham. I thought someone had hurt you!" Kaveh's eyes watered as he looked up at Alhaitham, "Your face, and arms! Someone did hurt you…"
Archons. How could Kaveh be laying on a stretcher worrying about him? Alhaitham found times like these beyond ridiculous. Kaveh's concern for others getting in the way of assessing his own situation. With a nod from Tighnari, he had the Matra stop, and set Kaveh down, kneeling down next to him.
"Kaveh. Do you remember anything that happened?"
"I… I had been taken -and locked in some temple, or ruins with puzzles. I don't know what I did, Haitham. I-I must have made someone mad, and I got you dragged into it. I'm so sorry."
Alhaitham carefully pulled Kaveh close as he began to cry, in a normal way this time, "Kaveh, you didn't do anything wrong. It was an angry researcher trying to prove something. He took you because you know me."
Kaveh pulled back a little, "What? What was the point? All this for a bunch of puzzles?!"
So Kaveh didn't remember everything, just as their Archon said, but what would telling him do? He looked to Nahida, and she nodded. They would discuss some of what happened with Kaveh later.
"Alright, let's get going," the Ranger said as he settled Kaveh back down, and the men picked him up again, "We're not too much further. We'll get you into a comfy bed."
As far as Alhaitham could tell, Kaveh was already unconscious again, completely unmoving as they started walking again. He knew Kaveh would want to know, but Alhaitham needed him to be in better health before he was told the rest of the story. For now, he was going to take comfort in Kaveh being safe.
Alhaitham's body felt so tired that he wasn't sure if he'd make it back off the ground, but Tighnari looped an arm under his, and helped him up. He was far more tired than he was willing to admit, as he half stumbled along the path. One of the men carrying the stretcher was giving him the side eye, as if he would collapse at any moment.
When they reached Bimarstan, Alhaitham was forced into a bed that had been set up parallel to Kaveh's. He didn't like it, he couldn't reach Kaveh from where he was. No matter, if people would just leave them alone, he'd sit in the chair that had been put between the two beds. Or he would have, if Tighnari hadn't come and settled himself in it, and fallen asleep. The Valuka Shuna had probably known exactly what Alhaitham had planned. This was ridiculous, he really was fine.
When he woke, he kept his eyes shut, trying to block out the light. After a moment, he became aware of Tighnari and Kaveh talking. Specifically about the parts of the event that Kaveh hadn't remembered. Alhaitham sat straight up, dizzy from the sudden movement, and looked at Kaveh.
He looked much better, considering, and more alert than before. Other than carefully holding his chest, visible bruising and a black eye on one side of his head, and some scratches, he looked to be doing ok. While he looked shocked, it didn't look like he had been crying.
"Haitham, are you ok?" Kaveh asked as Tighnari turned to him.
Was he ok? He wasn't the one who was pulled into and drowned in a soul sucking puddle. He ran his hands down his face, ignoring his body's efforts to pull him back into the comfort of darkness.
"Are you?" His voice sounded gravelly.
Alhaitham needed to be closer to Kaveh. He pulled his covers aside, and stood before Tighnari had the chance to protest. It wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. He pitched forward, and was caught by the smaller man, who was loudly protesting in his ear, and started to push him back into his bed.
"Don't. I'm alright. I'm less dizzy now," Alhaitham said.
It was mostly the truth, or at least some of the truth, not really. Tighnari rolled his eyes, and didn't let go. Alhaitham couldn't really protest that, since he couldn't stop swaying. His limbs felt weak. He curled one hand into the sheets, and took Kaveh's in the other.
"Haitham, what are you doing? You're exhausted, and hit your head. You shouldn't be up!" Kaveh yelped. The sound was piercing, and Alhaitham flinched.
"You remember now?" Alhaitham asked, and watched Kaveh's reaction carefully.
Kaveh sighed and shook his head, "No. I don't even remember the room. The last thing I recall is finding the solution to some puzzle with elements. All of those puzzles were ridiculous! Anyone could have come along and stumbled into something so dangerous! It needs to be sealed, and proper warnings placed. It's unbelieva-"
"Kaveh," Alhaitham cut off his rant, and moved a hand over the blonde's cheek, "I'm glad you're ok."
Alhaitham couldn't ignore the weakness in his limbs anymore, Tighnari ended up taking on more of his weight.
"I'm not the sick one, why is it I seem to be having problems?"
"It's because of the powers Zavalli was using on you." Nahida's voice came from the door, "The stick he was using held some of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's energy, and while it was only used on Kaveh once, he used it on you several times to subdue you in various ways. You have much more residual energy in your body from it."
"Residual god energy?" Kaveh asked, "What would that do to a human?!"
"Until the energy makes its way out of his body, he'll be very tired, and weak feeling, but I don't believe the symptoms will go beyond that. He will be fine."
That sounded about right. His body felt tired and sore, as if he had the flu, but without the other symptoms. Tighnari tried to get him back to his bed again, but Alhaitham held onto the bed railing. Both he and Tighnari were sweating with the effort of keeping him upright.
"Is there something you can do? Could you remove that energy from him?" Kaveh sounded far too worried for Alhaitham's liking.
Nahida shook her head, "There are many things that could go wrong trying to do such a thing. I'll watch him closely as he recovers. Sleeping would be best for him."
"He is right here." Alhaitham said flatly.
"Mhm. I hear you've already had quite a headstart on resting. That's good!" Nahida smiled.
They had only been back for a few hours at most, and that was barely enough time to have taken a nap.
"Seventeen hours and he thinks he's going to just jump out of bed!" Tighnari groaned, "I'm going to drop you if you don't lay down."
"What was seventeen hours?" Alhaitham let go of Kaveh's bed, and Tighnari started to direct him to his own bed again, "Chair?"
"That's how long you were asleep for, Haitham. You didn't want to wake up." Kaveh explained as he played with the blanket nervously.
Alhaitham was surprised when Tighnari let him be seated instead of pushing him onto the bed. He looked up at Kaveh. That would explain Kaveh's improvement, he supposed. That said, Kaveh looked like he was fighting sleep.
"You should rest, Kaveh." He pulled the blonde's hand away from the blanket.
"You should both rest." Tighnari corrected.
"Are these gentlemen resisting a rest?"
Everyone stared blankly at the General standing in the doorway, arms crossed proudly at his joke.
"Do you get it? Because they are tired, and were told to rest, but they don't want to. Therefore they are resisting their urge to rest… No? Hm."
Tighnari rolled his eyes, while everyone else pretended like the joke never happened, "Cyno, I take it things went well?"
The general nodded, "Indeed. He has a very long sentence before him. Perhaps it will serve to teach him a lesson, as well as others who might consider committing a future crime."
Kaveh had laid back onto his pillows, and Alhaitham leaned forward to let his own head sit on the bed. He closed his eyes, and half listened to the conversation. All that was important was that Kaveh was recovering, and Zavalli had been caught and punished.
With that knowledge, his body relaxed, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 8
They were home. Comfortable within their own space, and the constant pestering had fallen to a minimal level. Tighnari had troubles at first, having nightmares of Kaveh never taking another breath, lost to them forever. It had gotten to the point that he'd been staying at Cyno's house within the city just to sneak into their house and check on the architect several times a night. Tighnari would never admit he had also been concerned about Alhaitham.
Kaveh, on the other hand, and perhaps blessedly, had no dreams about what had happened. He didn't remember a single thing beyond the last puzzle room. It was as if he had never been in the last room. The only evidence being his sore ribs from where he had been saved by Tighnari, and some bruising around his arms and legs. His friend had told him about the events that took place right after.
It sounded terrifying, and he didn't mind not remembering. There were certainly other things from his past he might like to forget if he were given the option.
He was more focused on how scared he was when he woke up at Bimarstan with Alhaitham sleeping in the bed next to him, but not waking, or even moving, for so long. The doctors just kept telling him that the scribe was tired, and that he'd wake, that he was fine. Thank the Archons that he did finally wake, and that Lesser Lord Kusanali was able to give them an explanation. Still, it was frightening to think that kind of energy was inside Alhaitham, exhausting his own energy in such a way. It was just as bad for Kaveh's nerves when Alhaitham went back to sleep, and didn't wake up for another twenty-seven hours.
When they got home, Alhaitham had nightmares about what happened to Kaveh. He would wake up, holding onto the blonde so tightly he thought he would suffocate. If Kaveh was still up, and not in the room, Alhaitham would frantically search for Kaveh in the bedding while he was still half asleep and unaware of his surroundings. He fell out of bed several times. Kaveh had started making sure to come to bed. Seeing Alhaitham like that was weird, so unlike him. Kaveh didn't think panic was something Alhaitham was capable of, but when he'd mentioned it to Tighnari, his friend actually laughed, and happily let him know that it wasn't the first time the scribe had panicked over him.
Now, though, his grumpy, human library was acting much more like his normal self. Sitting on the divan, reading. Kaveh sat across from him, using the table to work on commissions he needed to finish, but he couldn't concentrate. Alhaitham had discussed what he had seen in the short time he was in that room. The poem-like lyrics on the pillars and podium. It was creepy. Why had anyone even built it? He guessed he'd never get answers to that.
Right now, they were trying to get back to normal. As normal as things got for them anyway. You never knew when Lumine was going to show up at your door and drag your boyfriend away on some dangerous adventure. At least she had started letting Kaveh come along. If something happened to Alhaitham, then they would be together. Alhaitham claimed that was overly dramatic, and ridiculous behavior, but he hadn't stopped Kaveh either.
"That's not a blueprint."
Alhaitham's voice broke him out of his staring. He had moved around to look over Kaveh's shoulder, which the blonde hadn't even noticed, and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. He looked down at the sketch he'd been absent-mindedly doodling. Rather than the boring building he was supposed to be mapping out, it was Alhaitham on the couch. It was a very detailed drawing, one for only their eyes.
"I think you made my muscles too big. Is that all you can think about, senior?"
"What?! Don't be so full of yourself! And really? That's all you have to say about it?"
Kaveh knew he shouldn't have risen to Alhaitham's bait, as the scribe now started openly critiquing the drawing, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. Kaveh smirked back.
He knew exactly how to shut him up.