Archive of Our Own ^beta

Two months ago.

“This one? What an interesting choice. I had no idea you had a predilection for blonds.”

“He’s strong-willed and stubborn. One of the most unruly and unbecoming students that ever graced the Akademiya’s halls in my time as Grand Sage. But loathe as I am to admit it, his intellect is on par with our Grand Scribe. There is no other subject worth experimenting on if we want to swiftly determine the effectiveness of your inventions.”

“Hm. And I suppose your choice has nothing to do with his apparent connection to the Grand Scribe himself?”

“Alhaitham has grown arrogant. I suspect he may be plotting something that will hinder our progress. Perhaps a reminder that the Akademiya should not be trifled with would not be remiss.”

“If he truly is as difficult as you say and will yield the desired results, then the rest of Sumeru would pose little challenge. Very well then. Do you require any assistance in bringing him here?”

“No, I already have a suitable ruse to have him disappear without raising suspicions. Make sure your adjustments to the Akasha are ready.”

“Of course.”

---

Present day.

He was still so beautiful, Azar thought idly as he stared down at the top of the golden head of hair nestled between his thighs.

Kaveh of Kshahrewar, the renowned Light of his darshan.

It was an apt title, speaking of both his academic achievements as well as on the radiant beauty that he possessed.

Azar had never quite given much thought to sexual fantasies, let alone any concerning the students that came and went through the six darshans over the years. But even he could not deny that Kaveh had caught his eye since the first day he’d set sight on the man.

With his crown of unusual golden hair, sharp crimson gaze, and pouting, bowed lips, Azar had not missed the way the eyes of other students in his year had lingered on him wherever he went. 

Kaveh was much younger back then, of course, eager to learn and prove his worth, just like any other student in the Akademiya, particularly one determined to major within the failing Kshahrewar. But unlike the rest of his classmates, Kaveh had also been defiant.

And his defiance had shone since the first day that he had stood up against one of his lecturers in his first year, stubbornly claiming that beauty and aesthetics were crucial components in the creation of not only machines, but buildings and technology. 

He had been reported for disrupting the class, and promptly sent to Azar’s office, where Azar had faced the full brunt of his misplaced righteousness. Azar had also had the pleasure of dimming that spark of rebellion in him, as he’d delivered the threat of expulsion to the man.

But Kaveh was intelligent - he had to be, having managed to secure a scholarship for his studies to begin with. And after that first confrontation had led to his own humiliation, he’d learnt to choose his fights more wisely.

Azar had been eager to put him in his place once again, if only to see that fair face twisted with defeat, but Kaveh had always managed to incur only enough ire to be a thorn in his lecturers’ sides, though never enough to warrant another trip to the Grand Sage’s office.

Azar had been disappointed, but he’d always been a patient man. He had schemed and manipulated and clawed his way up to his position in two decades; he knew that with pushing just the right buttons in just the right places, Kaveh would eventually be brought low at his feet, even without involving himself directly.

And then Alhaitham had come along, and Kaveh had become completely engrossed in the other man.

There were suddenly no arguments in the lecture halls anymore, but instead, in the House of Daena, in the students’ dormitories, in the anterior balconies, in the hanging gardens - everywhere the two went, they would be seen arguing and debating each other in public, their topics too obscure and too complex for any bystander to even understand, let alone contribute to.

Kaveh’s attention was no longer on proving himself right to the Akademiya, but in proving Alhaitham wrong. And Alhaitham had seemed to reciprocate the challenge at every turn.

Azar had lost interest then. He wasn’t so crass as to pry into the private affairs of students, but it was simply obtuse to deny that something clearly existed between Kaveh and Alhaitham, something inherently intimate.

And Azar was not one to feed on the scraps of another.

When Kaveh had graduated and made a name for himself with the Palace of Alcazarzaray, Azar’s patience had finally borne fruit.

Kaveh had created his magnum opus, but he had been Icarus flying too close to the sun. His greatest achievement had brought his ruin upon himself, and Azar had been prepared to offer him the ambrosia of revival, to give him a position in the Akademiya that would engrave his place firmly under Azar’s control.

Yet once again, Alhaitham had swept in and interfered. Had taken Kaveh and offered his own panacea, promising freedom and security, and protection from the Akademiya’s regulations.

Azar rues the day the Six Sages had voted to have Alhaitham appointed as their Grand Scribe, unable to deny his qualifications nor his capabilities.

But today, finally. Alhaitham could no longer deny Azar what he was owed.

“Use your tongue more,” Azar said, reclining in his seat and leaning his chin on his hand as he watched Kaveh’s head bob with enthusiasm. “And take me deeper.”

He could feel the warm walls of the blond’s throat convulsing around his member, his gag reflex triggered as the bulbous head reached too deep, but Kaveh did not pull away, eagerly obeying his orders.

His hands gripped onto Azar’s thighs for support, and when Azar shifted his foot, he could feel Kaveh’s own arousal straining against his pants.

“Stop,” Azar commanded when he felt his balls tighten, the telltale sign that he was close to release. “I will come on your face.”

Kaveh pulled off of him with an obscene pop, breathing heavily, his face flushed and his lips swollen and shining with drool. He looked up at Azar with a heavy-lidded gaze, pupils dilated and unfocused.

It took only another tug on his cock before Azar climaxed to the intoxicating sight, painting white lines across Kaveh’s red cheeks, and the blond flinched when a stray stream landed over his left eye.

“You look disgusting,” Azar said, grabbing a handful of Kaveh’s hair and throwing him aside.

Kaveh fell with a yelp onto the ground.

“Clean yourself up.”

“Ye- yes, sir.”

Azar watched as Kaveh pushed himself up to his feet before stopping him. “Wait.”

Head bowed, Kaveh stood still, waiting obediently for further instruction.

“Play with yourself first,” Azar ordered, his cock twitching back to life with great interest. “On your knees. Don’t come until I tell you to.”

Kaveh gracefully fell into a kneel, pulling up the shirt he wore and biting the hem to keep it in place. Hands freed, he reached down and tugged his pants down, until his arousal bounced free of its confines, hard and already leaking profusely at the head.

He took himself into his hands and began to jerk off, dragging his hands up and down a few times before he reached up one hand to toy at his own nipple. He rubbed and pinched at it, tugging until the dusky pink turned an angry red, the nub a swollen button that Azar was tempted to take a bite at.

And the sounds he was making - quiet, muffled little groans and mewls that went straight to Azar’s dick, as pretty and pleasant as the sight of their source before him.

“That’s enough,” Azar said, after a while.

Kaveh’s hands stilled immediately, and he whimpered, his cock twitching as if to protest where he could not.

“I don’t think you deserve to come,” Azar continued, delighted when Kaveh let out a helpless sob at that.

He said nothing in protest, however, which was all Azar needed to know that the Doctor’s experiments were finally paying off. A hundred percent success, and all it took was two months.

“Go clean yourself up and return within the hour. Prepare yourself before you do or suffer the consequences.”

Kaveh rose to unsteady feet, his knees shaking, his hands trembling as they clenched and unclenched by his sides. He stumbles as he walks away, his neglected erection no doubt posing an obstacle. 

Azar watched him with quiet satisfaction, until he disappeared from sight down the elevator.

He sent a message to the Doctor then.

“It’s ready. I believe we can proceed with the next phase of the plan.”

---

Two months ago.

Azar’s foresight to remove Kaveh’s Vision from his person proved to be wise, when the architect put up a fiercer fight than the Akasha had initially predicted.

Even without his Vision, without his claymore nor his artefacts, Kaveh possessed a monstrous strength that was belied by his delicate appearance.

Several guards were knocked unconscious in the scuffle before they finally managed to restrain him, binding his hands behind his back with primitive steel cuffs that he wouldn’t be able to hack his way out of.

But even then, he didn’t stop struggling, his glare as vicious as his punches as he aimed it up at Azar.

“What is the meaning of this, Azar?” he spat, before one of the guards holding him down pushed his head to the floor.

“It seems you lack as much respect for the Akademiya as your stubborn roommate,” Azar observed, stopping a foot away from where Kaveh’s head laid, just enough that he knew the blond could see the tip of his shoes. “Be glad. I’ve found a useful role you can play in the dawning of a new era for Sumeru.”

“What nonsense are you spouting,” Kaveh growled, his words half-muffled by the floor. “Have you absolutely lost your mind? You can’t just assault me like this and think you can get away with it!”

Azar chuckled, low and wry, as a guard came over with the modified Akasha terminal courtesy of the Doctor. He tossed it down to the floor, and one of the guards holding Kaveh down picked it up.

Kaveh twisted and squirmed in their hold, but the guard removed his Akasha despite this, replacing it with the modified one.

“What the fu-” he began, only to cut himself off with a sharp gasp.

He visibly froze in place, and with a wave of Azar’s hand, the guards by his sides released him and backed away, watching him warily.

But Kaveh didn’t move, didn’t even seem to be breathing, until Azar activated the terminal’s effects, and he abruptly twitched back to life.

Kaveh raised himself off the floor with the weariness of an old man, blinking rapidly up at Azar as if his vision were failing him.

“Al- Alhaitham?” he said, his pretty face scrunched with confusion. “What are you doing here?”

Azar smirked, gesturing at the guards instead of answering him, and they returned, grabbing onto Kaveh and dragging him up to his feet. He tugged against the guards’ hold, but didn’t appear to put much effort into escaping.

“What’s going on?” Kaveh asked, a lot less demanding than before. 

If anything, he sounded scared, and his eyes sought Azar desperately for assurance.

“Don’t worry about it, Kaveh,” Azar said, moving closer to the architect until they were only a hair’s breadth away from each other. “It’s for your own safety.”

“My own safety?”

Azar reached up, taking a hold of Kaveh’s chin between his fingers, and tilted his head up before leaning down to capture his lips in a kiss.

Kaveh’s reaction was instantaneous; he jerked back violently, throwing himself against the guards, and his eyes were wide and astonished until clarity seemed to return to him, and his brows furrowed in a furious scowl.

“What the fuck, Azar?!” he yelled.

Azar filed the reaction away with a sigh. He didn’t think something as insignificant as a kiss would break the terminal’s hold on Kaveh’s mind, and he made a mental note to inform the Doctor of this shortfall.

Meanwhile, the guards kept a hold of Kaveh, whose struggles seemed to have renewed. At some point, he managed to elbow one guard hard enough for the man to double over in pain, and with one arm freed, Kaveh headbutted the other.

That one fell too, and, fed up, Azar reactivated the modification in the terminal. 

Once again, Kaveh froze in place, and Azar saw the light in his eyes dim, as if he had simply fallen asleep with them wide open.

He added a stronger compulsion into the terminal before sending it into Kaveh, and the blond jerked to consciousness again, looking even more confused than before.

“What-?” He stared at Azar, frowning before shaking his head. “What’s happening, Alhaitham? Why- ugh, why does my head hurt? What did you do?”

Azar watched him, enjoying the view as he contemplated his next move. Kaveh did look so endearing when he appeared to think Alhaitham could provide him with the answers he needed.

Was this what Alhaitham saw in him? Azar wondered.

“Trust me, Kaveh,” Azar said, when Kaveh demanded what was happening once again, this time with a tinge of fear bleeding into his ruby eyes. “I know what I’m doing.”

---

One month ago.

It happened several times; Kaveh would fall prey to the Doctor’s tampering, only to be snapped out of it when something irrational to what he knew was reality occurred.

It seemed that the modification was effective only for as long as its target’s mind could accept the logic of the situation at hand, and despite Azar’s suspicions, Alhaitham had never laid with Kaveh, nor ever done anything remotely sexual with him.

Kaveh would always snap out of the terminal’s control whenever Azar attempted to touch him beyond the realm of platonic friendship, and he would scream and kick and struggle like a wild animal in the aftermath.

Each time, Azar would increase the potency of the modification, and Kaveh would endure more abnormal occurrences before shaking off the terminal’s influence once again.

At some point, Azar began to record each session of experimentation.

He said that it was for research purposes, when the Doctor queried about it. They both knew, however, that it was just an excuse.

Azar reveled in Kaveh’s repeated defeats, in the process of his domination over the architect. Each recording was a testament to Azar’s superiority and control over him, and who wouldn’t keep a memento of such milestones in their achievements?

A week into the modification’s testing, Kaveh showed less resistance than ever towards Azar’s advances.

In his mind, Alhaitham was now a frequent partner in sexual exploration, and whether Azar kissed him, groped him, or played with his body to make it sing with explosive pleasure, Kaveh believed it to be Alhaitham at every point.

After another week, Azar even succeeded in planting the persuasion in him that Alhaitham would force him into bed, whether Kaveh was willing or not, and to Azar’s smug satisfaction, Kaveh didn’t even snap out of the terminal’s control throughout.

It began as any of their sessions did; with Kaveh half-naked on a bed, a thin white robe preserving his modesty and nothing else, as Azar tampered with the modification’s settings.

“Hello, Kaveh,” he said, once he was done.

The blond had been staring sightlessly to the side, his face passive, utterly unaware of the gravity of his situation.

But he snapped to attention at Azar’s voice, his hands gripping at each other tight in his lap.

“Alhaitham,” he said. “I- um. Hello.”

“What’s wrong, Kaveh?” Azar asked, feigning concern as he approached the bed. “You don’t sound too pleased to see me.”

Kaveh ducked his head, almost coy. “I am, I just-” 

He stopped, inhaling deeply as if steeling himself, before he quickly said, “Actually, I’m tired. I'm tired and I- I don’t think I want to do anything with you today.”

Azar raised a brow, genuinely curious about this new development. In all their previous sessions, Kaveh had never voiced any interests or requests without prompting. This was entirely new territory.

“Oh?” Azar sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out to touch Kaveh’s entwined hands. 

After three weeks of captivity, they had grown soft, the callouses that had once adorned their fingertips sanded down back to their original form. Azar enjoyed it, this physical proof of his influence over the man.

“Have I bored you already?” he asked, caressing Kaveh’s hands.

Kaveh’s cheeks coloured bright and red, the embarrassment making his face glow beautifully. Azar’s cock was already hardening at sight.

“It’s not that,” he said with a shake of his head. “I am tired, alright? You’re insatiable and I have work to do. I feel like I haven’t been able to get anything done in so long, and maybe- maybe we could not do this tonight?”

Azar hummed, pretending to listen, though he was distracted by the way Kaveh was biting at his bottom lip, worrying at it until it reddened and swelled, as if inviting Azar to have a taste of it too.

Azar did. He dove down, catching Kaveh’s mouth in a kiss, and Kaveh responded in kind until Azar’s hands slipped under the hem of his robes and groped along his chest and sides.

With a protesting groan, Kaveh drew back from him, grabbing at Azar’s wrists. 

“Wait, wait, stop!” he said, panting for breath.

Despite this, Azar could see that he was aroused, his shaft bulging obscenely as it tented the robe pooled around his lap.

“I’m serious, Haitham,” Kaveh continued, blushing darker as he realised where Azar was staring. “I’m not in the mood. Don’t you have a book you want to read instead?”

“No book could be as interesting as you,” Azar responded, pulling out of Kaveh’s hold and grabbing his waist over the robe. “And your mouth is saying that, yet your body is telling me a different story.”

He pushed the blond down until he laid on his back, and reached down to grasp at the clothed bulge between his legs.

Kaveh gasped, back arching as he drew his legs closed, hands flying down to grab at Azar’s.

“No,” he moaned. “Haitham, stop-”

His body trembled under Azar’s, a red flush spreading from his cheeks down to his neck and his chest where it was exposed between the lapels of the robe.

Azar pulled it open further, burying his face into that heated skin, and grabbed at one of Kaveh’s thighs blindly to pull it up and force his legs apart.

“Haitham!” Kaveh twisted in his hold, his hands pushing against Azar’s shoulders. “Let go of me, you brute!”

Azar slotted himself into the space between Kaveh’s legs, and rutted his own hard cock against him. Kaveh choked on a breath, squirming under his weight.

“Don’t move,” he implored. “Stop, I just- Haitham, get off me-”

Growing tired of the resistance, Azar took a hold of Kaveh’s slender wrists, and pinned his hands over his head against the bed. There were leather cuffs there, installed from their earlier stages in experimentation when the blond had been more uncooperative.

He fitted them on, and Kaveh’s eyes widened up at him when he realised what had happened.

“Did- did you just cuff me?” he demanded. He tugged at the restraints, straining to look up at them. “Let me out! Haitham, let me out right now-”

Azar backhanded him, and Kaveh’s head snapped to the side before his whole body stilled with shock.

After a moment, he seemed to collect himself enough to turn over, staring up at Azar with disbelief. There was a trickle of blood streaming down the side of his chin, from a cut now adorning the corner of his bottom lip.

“Alhaitham,” he said quietly. “Let me go.”

Azar found it curious that he hadn’t yet snapped out of the modification’s influence.

Smirking, Azar moved down Kaveh’s body, dragging his hands down his sides until they reached the swell of his hips.

“I don’t think I will,” he said. “You’re being rather rude tonight, Kaveh.”

He heard the straps of the cuff snapping as Kaveh pulled against them.

“I’m not kidding, Alhaitham,” he said, the pitch of his voice rising with alarm. “This isn’t funny!”

Azar gripped his hips tight, and Kaveh jerked back, twisting to escape his hold. His arousal had flagged, but that did nothing to discourage Azar.

He pushed aside Kaveh’s robe, revealing the smooth expanse of one shapely thigh, and leaned down to mouth at the soft skin. Kaveh’s leg twitched under him, a gasp escaping his lips.

“Alhaitham,” he breathed. His body moved as he continued to struggle against the cuffs. “Please, just let me go. I don’t want this.”

Azar left bright red bite marks along his thigh, pinching some of them with his fingers just to draw out pained grunts from the architect. Kaveh twitched and moaned under his ministrations, and when Azar’s hands reached around him, spreading his ass open to expose his twitching hole-

“Please,” Kaveh sobbed, shaking uncontrollably against the bed. “Please, don’t, Haitham, don’t do this, I don’t want this…”

Kaveh completely fell apart beneath him that night, as Azar took him in the guise of his beloved roommate. 

Each time he drove into him, it drew Alhaitham’s name from his bleeding lips like a broken prayer. His tear-stained face was arousing, as were the desperate, betrayed pleas that he voiced between choked whines. 

Azar released inside him not long after, and when he’d pulled out, Kaveh’s hole was swollen and gaping, leaking a generous amount of spend that trickled down the curve of his ass and pooled onto the bed below.

Kaveh had fallen silent as Azar had come, staring up at the ceiling, his hands lying limp against the pillows over his head.

For a moment, Azar thought he might have pulled free from the influence of the terminal, but then Kaveh blinked, once. Twice. 

And then his gaze drifted down to Azar and his eyes shimmered with gathering tears.

“How could you,” he wept. “You bastard- you monster! Don’t touch me! Get away from me! Get away from me!”

He kicked out, catching Azar on the shoulder before the Grand Sage could avoid it. There was enough strength in his legs that Azar fell off the bed, landing on his side with a yelp.

What was shocking, however, was Kaveh’s immediate change of tone.

“Haitham! Oh gods, Haitham, are you alright?” 

His words were wet and hoarse, still affected by his bout of tears, but still, there was no mistaking the concern that they conveyed.

How intriguing.

“I’m fine,” Azar said, pushing himself upright. 

He saw Kaveh pulling against his restraints again, desperate to find him, and he stilled only when Azar moved back into his line of sight.

The relief from him was palpable.

“I’m sorry,” he said, eyes brimming with tears still. “I didn’t mean to- are you hurt?”

Azar shook his head, too astonished by the swift shift of emotions in the architect to say anything.

Not a second ago, he’d been heartbroken and furious, betrayed in the most intimate way possible by the man he’d thought was his roommate and lover. And now this?

Such loyalty was inconceivable.

“Just a little bruised,” he said.

He moved back to the bed, sitting down on the edge cautiously, his gaze greedily taking in the debauched sight that Kaveh made, with his dishevelled robe and loose hair, the bite marks adorning his thigh, the tears drying along his flushed cheeks.

All that, because of Azar. The rush of power that swelled within him was heady. Addictive.

“That was my fault, I must have scared you,” Azar said, reaching up to caress Kaveh’s face. “I only wanted to love you, Kaveh.”

The architect whimpered, but leaned into the touch regardless. “I asked you to stop,” he muttered.

“I know, I know, love. It’s alright now.”

Kaveh made a pitiful sound, tugging at the cuffs. “Get them off,” he pleaded. “Please.”

Azar shook his head. “You hit me, Kaveh,” he said gently. “I’ll have to punish you for that. You understand, don’t you?”

Kaveh trembled, his bright eyes imploring as he looked up at Azar. “Please, Haitham? You can punish me, but just- I don’t like this. You can do anything you want, just not- not this.”

“It’s because you don’t like it that it’s a punishment, Kaveh.”

Kaveh flinched away from him, looking hurt and betrayed again, and despite how tempting a sight he made, Azar had collected enough data.

“You’ll spend the night like this,” Azar said firmly. “Reflect on what you’ve done and I’ll consider releasing you in the morning.”

“But Haitham-”

Azar pinched his cheek in warning, and Kaveh swallowed down his protest, his lips quivering as he did so.

“I love you, Kaveh,” Azar said, planting a chaste kiss against the architect’s temple. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

He leaves him like that, still leaking Azar’s come and barely covered by his flimsy robe. With his hands cuffed, there was little Kaveh could do to rearrange himself, and Azar relished in the thought of the discomfort he would face through the night.

Alone in his own office, later, Azar reviewed the recording once the rest of his staff had left, and watched it with rapt attention. 

Over, and over.

---

Present day.

Kaveh woke up feeling more tired than before he’d slept.

His body ached, a bone-deep exhaustion weighing him down like a physical thing draped across his shoulders.

It took monumental effort to drag himself out of bed, and when he finally got to his feet, he realised with a start that he wasn’t at home.

He was in an unfamiliar room, dimly-lit with the air of a space that hadn’t been occupied in years. There wasn’t anything else in there besides the bed, and Kaveh made his way towards the one door he could see as quickly as he could move.

The hallway beyond it was more familiar. He was in the House of Daena.

But why? How?

He didn’t remember. Wracking his brain only brought forth memories of riding up the elevator to the Grand Sage’s office, and then- blank. It couldn’t have happened that long ago, yet Kaveh couldn’t help but feel like he was missing a lot more than that.

As he made his way towards the main entrance, the gossiping voices of students reached his ears, and the things they were saying served to confuse him even further.

Missing Sages? False gods? Usurpation?

Just what in the Abyss had happened? 

Kaveh’s head ached as he tried to process what he was hearing, but nothing made sense, and he lost his footing at a flight of stairs, leaning against the nearest wall for support before there was a chance he would go tumbling down the steps headfirst.

It was then that he saw a familiar figure, lounging in a seat at the heart of the library. 

Kaveh forced himself to move, but as soon as he was near enough to his roommate, his heart suddenly began to race in his chest.

His body felt hot and nervous, like it was unsure whether to fight or flee, and when Alhaitham stood from his seat and faced him with an angry glare, Kaveh felt an inexplicable urge to kneel on the floor.

He wasn’t even sure what he’d said to Alhaitham, only that the man’s responses became harsher and more mocking the longer they spoke, and then-

“Where were you when Sumeru needed you most?”

Where was he? Kaveh didn’t know. He didn’t remember. 

Everything from meeting with the Grand Sage regarding a supposed project in the desert until just now, when Kaveh had woken up in that barren room, feeling like he had been wrung dry for seemingly no reason - it was all a blank to him. 

It was as if there was a large void in his brain right where those months Alhaitham said he’d been gone were supposed to be and Kaveh had absolutely no idea why.

Where was Kaveh?

“Kaveh?”

He flinched at the sound of his own name, delivered in a chiding tone. That strange, alien urge to bow to Alhaitham returned, and he shook his head, clutching at it as the ache from earlier worsened.

“Are you sick?” 

A hand - Alhaitham’s hand - reached out to touch his arm, and Kaveh drew away from it violently.

“Don’t touch me,” he hissed before he could stop himself, and froze almost immediately after.

Alhaitham was no longer glaring at him. His expression was slack with surprise, and Kaveh knew why.

No matter how many times they’d argued and fought in the past, Kaveh had never spat such genuine venom at him before. It was abnormal.

Kaveh felt abnormal.

“I’m going home,” he muttered in lieu of any excuses, and fled like his body wanted to from the start.

He was already at the front door before he realised that he didn’t have his key with him. The spare under the pot on the windowsill was missing too, and Kaveh leaned against it with his arms in his head.

He was so tired.

He didn’t know how long he stood like that before he managed to pull himself together and climbed over the side gate to the back of the building. His window was on the second floor, but he always left it half-open. 

It was a challenge to climb up in his state, but Kaveh managed, somehow. His cape got caught on a splinter, ripping at the corner, and Kaveh tore it off of himself in frustration, leaving it to flap in the wind like a disfigured flag.

A thick layer of dust was over everything in his room, as if he hadn’t cleaned or stepped inside it at all for months.

Months. That was how long Alhaitham had said he’d been gone.

The physical proof of his missing memories infuriated Kaveh. How. How was it possible.

It couldn’t be. Yet, the sight before him couldn’t be denied. 

Kaveh tore the covers and the sheets off his bed, uncaring of how he was making the material strain at the seams, and threw them in a pile in the corner. His pillows joined them soon after, followed by his bolster, and by the end of it, there was more displaced dust in the air of the room than there was actual air.

Kaveh threw his window open completely, and a wind drew most of the dust out with it. 

It wasn’t enough. It stung his nose and his throat to breathe, but he was tired and angry.

He fell onto the stripped mattress of the bed and curled up on his side, forcing his eyes shut.

I’m here. I’m here, now, today. I will awaken tomorrow and everything will be alright.

He repeated it silently, like a prayer he never said before. Over, and over.

---

Kaveh woke up while it was still dark, disturbed by movement near his bedroom door.

He sat up quickly, and saw a figure in the darkness, standing next to his discarded pile of pillows and sheets. Even in the dark, the way it held itself looked awkward, as if it wasn’t used to being inside Kaveh’s room.

“It’s just me,” Alhaitham said.

His voice did nothing to assure Kaveh. If anything, his heart began to pound again at the sound of it, just like it had in the House of Daena.

Kaveh ignored it, sitting on the edge of the bed as he nodded. “Did you want something?”

Alhaitham didn’t answer immediately, which was strange. In the first place, Alhaitham never looked for him first, so this was strange too.

Kaveh knew something was wrong, and his patience was short tonight. “If you’re not going to say anything, then get out,” he snapped. “I was sleeping.”

Alhaitham said nothing still, and Kaveh scoffed, laying back down on the bed on his side.

But knowing Alhaitham was there, only a few feet away from him, stirred something inside his belly.

This felt familiar, even if it shouldn’t. Alhaitham never entered his room uninvited. He never even entered his room if Kaveh did invite him in, uncomfortable with being in the personal space of another human being, no matter how familiar he was with them.

Alhaitham being in his room now, so close in the dark, made a foreign heat pool between his legs, and Kaveh curled up tighter to dispel it, his jaw clenching as he forced his eyes to close and his heart to calm the fuck down.

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

Alhaitham left with a click of the door closing behind him, and for a strange moment, Kaveh almost expected to hear the lock slide shut afterwards. But why? Why did he think Alhaitham would trap him in there?

It didn’t make sense. Nothing was making sense.

Kaveh didn’t fall back asleep until the dawn’s light began filtering in through the window, but it was with smug satisfaction when he did.

Alhaitham could wait until the afternoon to see him, since he was the one that had woken him up in the first place.

Served him right.

---

Kaveh felt better when he did wake up again.

He wasn’t so tired anymore, though his back ached from the lack of pillows to support it through the night.

Still, he was in a much better mood. Even the remaining dust in his room didn’t dampen it, and Kaveh made an effort to wipe as much away with his discarded sheets. He would have to wash them all anyway; he figured he may as well make use of them first.

After half an hour, his room almost felt normal again, though Kaveh’s stomach rumbled loudly in protest. 

He showered quickly, pausing only briefly when he found strange bruises on his waist that he didn’t remember getting. He attributed it to the climbing he’d done through the window, and ignored them as he slipped into a fresh set of clothes.

Or, well, they weren’t exactly very fresh, considering they’d sat in his wardrobe for as long as his room had collected dust. But he didn’t exactly have much of a choice, and he sucked it up, at least until he could get the laundry done.

His first order of business was to find Alhaitham.

He’d wanted something, hadn’t he? When he’d entered Kaveh’s room last night. It had to have been important, if Alhaitham had done that.

Kaveh found his roommate in the living room, reading a book on the sofa.

Kaveh wanted to join him, but his stomach rumbled again, reminding him of his hunger, and he entered the kitchen instead, relieved to find Alhaitham had already brewed a pot of coffee.

He poured himself a cup, and sipped on it as he looked through the cupboards for something to eat.

They were empty for the most part, much to his disappointment.

“Everything had gone bad while we were gone.”

He jumped in place, almost spilling his coffee all over himself, and turned to find Alhaitham standing in the doorway.

“Archons, could you try not giving me a heart attack?” he huffed, leaning back against the kitchen counter behind him as he caught his breath. “Fuck.”

Alhaitham didn’t appear remorseful at all, not that Kaveh really expected him to. But he didn’t look- normal either, something about his impassive expression seeming off somehow.

Kaveh took another sip of his coffee as he stared at Alhaitham, studying his posture and trying to figure out what it was about him that was different today.

“If you’re hungry, we can go out for lunch,” Alhaitham said after a moment, and there it was.

Kaveh narrowed his eyes at him, gripping his cup tight. “Why are you being nice to me?” he asked suspiciously. 

Alhaitham was being- considerate. He hadn’t made fun of Kaveh for being startled, and he was offering to take Kaveh out for food without even one insult thrown into his offer.

It wasn’t typical Alhaitham behaviour.

When Alhaitham shifted on his feet instead of responding immediately, Kaveh knew something was definitely wrong.

“Are you dying?” he demanded, slamming his cup down on the counter, in case he might be tempted to throw it at his roommate. “Or am I dying? Did something happen while I was asleep?”

Alhaitham flinched - honest to gods flinched like a normal human being with normal human reactions - and Kaveh gaped at him in disbelief. Alhaitham schooled his features back into that impervious mask, however, before Kaveh could say anything about it.

“Why must you assume the worst when all I said was that we should go out to eat?” he said, crossing his arms. “A simple no would have sufficed.”

“No, wait, I am starving,” Kaveh said quickly, his basic needs winning out against his suspicions towards Alhaitham’s odd behaviour. “Let’s go to the café, yes?”

Whatever had crawled up Alhaitham’s ass, it couldn’t be so terrible if it meant that Kaveh would get free food out of it, after all. Kaveh could wait a few more hours to find his answers.

Alhaitham said nothing more, nodding curtly instead, and left the kitchen as abruptly as he had entered.

The walk to Puspa Café was silent and awkward, but thankfully not far. 

The prospect of food in his belly kept Kaveh from getting irritated with his roommate’s stoicism, and Alhaitham wisely kept quiet until Kaveh had finished devouring his briyani like the starving man that he was feeling at the moment.

Alhaitham himself hadn’t ordered anything to eat, only herbal tea, and while Kaveh could feel his stare on him like a physical touch on his face, it was still tolerable considering he had paid for their meal.

“Alright then,” Kaveh said, once his hunger was satiated. He pushed his empty plate to the centre of the table and leaned back in his chair, meeting Alhaitham’s gaze across from him. “What was it that you wanted me for last night?”

It was strange, seeing Alhaitham’s jaw clench at the question, as if it were an insult rather than a genuine query.

“Kaveh,” he started slowly, stalling for time to gather his thoughts. 

Kaveh waited, patiently too if anyone asked him. It wasn’t everyday that Alhaitham was at a loss for words, and now Kaveh really was curious about what was weighing so heavily on the man’s mind.

“Yesterday, in the library,” Alhaitham finally continued, and his eyes dropped down to the table instead, like he couldn’t bring himself to hold Kaveh’s gaze. “You came out from there, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did. How else would I have gotten home?”

Alhaitham pursed his lips, the first sign of the usual annoyance he often displayed in Kaveh’s presence. It was familiar, at least, and Kaveh took comfort in that, strangely enough.

“That’s not what I mean,” Alhaitham ground out. “You didn’t enter the library yesterday, but somehow you were already inside. You’d been in the House of Daena before then, hadn’t you?”

He was right, of course. Kaveh knew exactly what he’d meant, and his answer had been difficult on purpose.

But he couldn’t deny what Alhaitham said. 

“I woke up in there,” he admitted, crossing his arms and gripping them tight, seeking comfort in his own touch. “I don’t remember why, so don’t bother asking either. I know it’s strange but that’s all there is to it. It’s not as if there’s any rules against sleeping in the library, anyway. Gods know we used to do it all the time when we had to study for exams.”

For some reason, his answer seemed to agitate Alhaitham. His head snapped back up, eyes sharp and angry as he looked at Kaveh.

Kaveh’s heart did that treacherous little thing of hammering against his chest again at the sight, and Kaveh had to look away, his breath catching in his throat as cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck. He felt small, in a way he never had around Alhaitham.

He couldn’t understand why; it wasn’t as if Alhaitham had never glared at him before. But this time- this time, he felt as if he should beg him for forgiveness, and Kaveh hated it.

“You don’t remember anything?” Alhaitham’s tone was clipped, his teeth clicking with his apparent anger.

He sounded like an animal gnashing its teeth in warning, and Kaveh was reluctant to answer him for fear of what that would entail.

But he did anyway, knowing that Alhaitham wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted. He’d always been that way with his questions. That, at least, hadn’t changed either.

“Not really. The last thing I remember is going to the Akademiya for a meeting with the Grand Sage, and the next thing I knew, I was in the House of Daena and all the Six Sages had apparently gone missing.”

He chanced a look over at Alhaitham, and suppressed a shudder at the stormy expression now twisting his face.

“What’s that about, anyway?” Kaveh tried to make light of the situation, laughing a little nervously. “I heard someone say you’d usurped them to take the Grand Sage position for yourself. As far as Sumeru gossip goes, it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard to date. You don’t happen to know anything about that, do you?”

Instead of answering him, Alhaitham abruptly stood up, his chair scraping against the floor with a harsh screech that made Kaveh flinch.

In seconds, the Scribe had grabbed Kaveh’s wrist, dragging him out of his own seat and towards the café’s entrance.

“What the-!” Kaveh yelped when he stumbled, trying - and failing - to keep up with his roommate.

He nearly fell to the ground, and expected to be dragged along the floor, but Alhaitham kept him upright, one arm winding around Kaveh’s waist before he effortlessly threw him over his shoulder and began carrying him like a sack.

“Alhaitham!” Kaveh yelled, once he’d recovered from the shock. “You absolute brute, fucking put me down!”

Alhaitham did no such thing, unaffected by Kaveh’s fists thumping against his back as the architect demanded to be released.

Kaveh had no idea where he was taking him, and even though it was just Alhaitham, fear had begun to root itself in his gut. His lunch threatened to upend itself, and Kaveh had to stop yelling to shove a hand over his own mouth and swallow down the bile he could feel tickling at the back of his throat.

He coughed, shaking against Alhaitham’s shoulder. 

He felt tired again, drained of what little energy he’d had when he’d woken up. 

“Where are you even taking me?” he mumbled after a while, words muffled under his palm. He stared morosely at the ground, watching the backs of Alhaitham’s feet as they stepped-stepped-stepped in quick, steady succession.

“To the Dendro Archon,” was Alhaitham’s brusque reply.

He still sounded angry. Kaveh wisely said nothing more, not eager to add fuel to the fire any time soon.

It was strange how no one they passed bothered to stop them, or even questioned what the Grand Scribe was doing, lugging around a man over his shoulder, as if it were an ordinary occurrence.

It made Kaveh wonder if everyone had simply anticipated that their fights would eventually escalate to this, and was perturbed to realise that he himself wasn’t exactly fighting tooth and nail against Alhaitham’s actions.

He was tired, sure, and there was still that tiny spark of fear he was suddenly feeling towards his insufferable roommate - a fear he had never once felt before, no matter how intense their previous arguments had gotten in the past - but Kaveh knew he could still take Alhaitham on in a physical altercation.

He was sure, if he truly tried his best to escape, he would succeed. That Alhaitham would let him go, if he knew it genuinely distressed him.

… wouldn’t he?

He shuddered, unwittingly, and heard Alhaitham inhale sharply in response.

The arm that was secured around Kaveh’s waist tightened.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Alhaitham said, as if it needed to be said.

It sounded more like an assurance to himself than to Kaveh, but Kaveh nodded anyway.

“Alright,” he replied. “Alright, Alhaitham.”

Kaveh was almost glad when they finally reached the Sanctuary of Surasthana without incident, though Alhaitham still didn’t put him down until they were inside.

Kaveh’s feet were a little unsteady as he stood, but he pushed Alhaitham away when the man moved to support him, shooting a warning glare at the Scribe.

“I’ll kill you if you ever do that again,” he snapped.

Alhaitham had the grace to look ashamed, but he still appeared tense, and Kaveh didn’t press him. 

He was quickly distracted anyway, as a strangely familiar little girl with white hair and vivid green eyes appeared in the centre of the room before them.

“Alhaitham,” she greeted solemnly, her eyes flickering between the Scribe and Kaveh. “Are you sure this is what’s best?”

Alhaitham’s reply was terse, each word lined with the same tension pulling his body taut. “Better you show him than he stumble onto those recordings himself. He’s not the kind to let sleeping beasts lie. He’ll find out eventually, or uncover clues and jump to all the wrong conclusions, only to make matters worse.”

It didn’t take a genius to know the two of them were talking about him, and Kaveh felt indignant being discussed like this when he was standing right there with them.

“What are you two talking about?” he snapped, drawing their attention to him. “I thought you said you were taking me to the Dendro Archon? What the fuck are you up to, Alhaitham?”

“Forgive me, Kaveh,” the little girl said earnestly, resting a hand on her chest. “I didn’t mean to disregard your presence. It’s just that-” 

She hesitated to finish her sentence, glancing up at Alhaitham for a moment before taking in a deep breath and continuing, “something very terrible happened to you that you can’t remember, but which Alhaitham and I are both aware of. And I’m worried about the fallout should you learn of it so soon.”

Something terrible? It was such a vague descriptor that Kaveh couldn’t help but laugh. 

If this terrible thing that had happened to him had something to do with the loss of time and memory he’d suffered, then what choice did he have but to face it? 

Maybe learning about it would dispel this newfound strain on his and Alhaitham’s relationship. Maybe it would fix whatever it was that felt wrong inside him, ever since he’d woken up.

Maybe it would rebalance the scales again, so Alhaitham wouldn’t know something about him that he himself didn’t know about, and Kaveh could stop feeling like he needed to be wary of his own roommate, his own junior, his best friend of almost ten years.

“Whatever it is, it can’t possibly be any worse than how I’m feeling right now,” he said, eliciting a frown from the little girl.

“It’s not something to be blasé about,” Alhaitham warned, so quiet that Kaveh almost didn’t hear him.

“Blasé?” Kaveh laughed again, bitter and tired, rubbing a hand over his face just so he wouldn’t have to look at either of them anymore, nor would they see how close he actually is to a mental breakdown.

“Blasé would be ignoring the giant pink sumpter beast sitting comfortably in the middle of the room while we both pretend like you’re not one insult away from breaking something with your bare hands,” he gritted out. “Blasé is me ignoring how much your mere presence is making my skin crawl with disgust, so much so that I’m sorely tempted to shove my claymore right down your throat. Blasé is going home right now and shutting myself away in my room and wondering if throwing myself out the fucking window would be the better alternative than waking up to this feeling every damned day for the rest of my fucking life and not even knowing why!”

He dropped his hand, and glared at Alhaitham with false bravado, blinking away the tears in his eyes furiously as he envied how much calmer the man looked in comparison to him.

“I am not being blasé, Alhaitham,” he finished flatly. “I’m being realistic. And I can’t move past a problem that I’m not even aware of, can I?”

Alhaitham withstood his glare for all of a minute before he averted his gaze, face pinching with disapproval. “It’s your choice,” he muttered.

And just because he was petty, Kaveh replied, “Thank you for your approval, oh Grand Scribe. ”

He almost regretted it when Alhaitham flinched as if Kaveh had hit him, but he couldn’t take back his words anyway. He turned towards the little girl, nodding.

“It’s decided then,” he said, hands fisting by his sides. “Show me what happened.”

The little girl’s eyes brightened with sympathy, and she gestured at Kaveh to move closer. Kaveh obeyed, dropping to one knee before her.

She raised a hand to his forehead, pausing just short of touching him. “This might sting a little,” she warned.

Kaveh only nodded again, and braced himself as she touched him.

Then everything exploded in a sea of colours and excruciating, mind-numbing pain.

---

Five weeks later.

Alhaitham had never had a particular interest in flowers, but he was also of the opinion that every bit of knowledge had its value in some way, and so he’d once read through the Amurta darshan’s wide selection of books on the flora of Sumeru.

As a result, he knew the medicinal and practical applications of the flowers sold in Sumeru City, as well as what they each represented when bought as a gift.

A padisarah was a token for a pure and noble love, promising everlasting loyalty to its recipient from its sender. A nilotpala lotus carried a message of perseverance, an encouragement to those that sought it, or simply favoured its bright azure petals that glowed with the light of the moon.

Kalpala lotuses were a symbol of longevity and rebirth, often gifted to women recovering from childbirth, or consequently, to family members grieving the recent passing of a loved one. 

Sumeru roses were the most commonly bought and gifted flowers - they were easy enough to procure, and their sensitivity to elemental energy affected their vibrance, and the transience of their beauty often captivated many.

Kaveh had loved all these flowers, regardless of their significance or utility. 

Alhaitham had made it a habit to buy each one at the end of every week, before he made his journey to Pardis Dhyai.

Tighnari was there, this time, when Alhaitham arrived, waiting for him at the entrance to the nursery.

“They look lovely,” he said in greeting, gesturing at the flowers in Alhaitham’s hand. “He’s a little more stable today than last time. Just don’t mention the Akademiya and you should be fine.”

Alhaitham could only nod, and Tighnari ushered him inside.

Kaveh was sitting on his usual bench in the furthest corner of the nursery, idly patting the claw of the mechanical lifeform Tighnari called Karkata. The creature appeared to be enjoying the attention, producing that odd sound it often made as it clicked its claws, until it saw Alhaitham and Tighnari approaching.

It reared back before scuttling away, hiding in some bushes.

“Kaveh, your visitor is here,” Tighnari announced, drawing Kaveh’s attention.

The man looked up, and still, even after all this time, Alhaitham was unaccustomed to the lack of familiarity in those crimson eyes.

“Hello,” Kaveh said politely, standing up. “Thank you for coming.”

“His name is Alhaitham,” Tighnari added, nudging Alhaitham with his shoulder when Alhaitham said nothing.

“Hello, Alhaitham,” Kaveh amended with a tentative smile. 

Alhaitham didn’t reply, holding the flowers out to him instead.

Kaveh’s eyes widened with surprise, and then his smile became more genuine as he took them gingerly into his hands, marvelling at the bright petals.

“They’re beautiful,” he said. “Thank you. Would you- do you want to sit down? Or take a walk with me? It’s not too cold tonight. I think some fresh air would be nice.”

Alhaitham swallowed, clearing his throat before he answered, “A walk is fine.”

Tighnari clapped him on the shoulder, both an encouragement and a warning as he squeezed him once, and smiled at Kaveh.

“Then I’ll be nearby if you need me,” he said.

He left without another word, and Kaveh held a hand out to Alhaitham.

Kaveh’s hand was warm and soft in his own, as they walked out of the nursery side by side at a sedate pace.

“How are you doing?” Alhaitham asked, breaking the silence that had followed them since Tighnari’s departure.

Kaveh hummed. “Fine, I suppose,” he replied. “Tighnari says I’m remembering more things than last week, so I’m improving. Of course, since I can’t remember much, it’s not like I can really tell anyway.”

He laughed, as if he’d told the world’s funniest joke. He almost sounded like himself again, but Alhaitham knew it was only an illusion. A surface trait that yielded nothing more of the Kaveh he knew beyond it.

“You know, no one else visits me as often as you do,” Kaveh added, glancing sideways at Alhaitham. “At least, not according to Tighnari. I know he’s not lying about that too, since there’s a logbook and everything.”

“So you do know my name,” Alhaitham pointed out, actually surprised by this little tidbit.

A light dusting of rouge spread across Kaveh’s cheeks, and he looked away sheepishly.

“Well, it’s a name that appears a lot, but it’s not like I can remember what it is until I see it,” he admitted. “I- don’t actually remember you, or remember what we talk about whenever you visit.”

He raised the flowers in his other hand and breathed them in, smiling gently as he did so. “I do see the flowers after though,” he murmured. “They wilt before you come back, but I keep them until Tighnari nags about the smell.”

He sighed, shifting closer to Alhaitham’s side as they walked. “I’m sorry I can’t remember you,” he whispered, almost to himself.

Alhaitham squeezed his hand. “It’s fine,” he said, though something painful tugged in his chest at the lie. “I’m sure you wouldn’t like me as much if you did.”

Kaveh laughed, shaking off the melancholy that had begun to shroud him. “That’s a bold-faced lie,” he accused playfully. “How could I ever dislike someone as kind and handsome as you?”

Because I’m the reason why you’re like this, Alhaitham thought. This is my fault, Kaveh. Acknowledge that and get angry. Hate me for it.

Out loud, he only said, “For all you know, I spend all day tormenting children and innocent animals. Perhaps my kindness is simply a facade to lull you into a false sense of security.”

“Oh?” Kaveh smirked, looking at Alhaitham with a challenge in his eyes. “Do you have wicked designs on my person, Mister Alhaitham? How scandalous. I may need to bring this to Tighnari’s attention.”

It was too close, too close to the truth, to the nature of what Azar had done to him, but Alhaitham played along regardless. If Kaveh was comfortable enough to joke about this, then perhaps-?

“Why do you think I’m leading you away into a secluded corner?” 

He stopped, causing Kaveh to stop with him, and tugged the blond closer as he looked into that guileless gaze. “One of these nights, I might just snatch you up and keep you with me forever.”

Kaveh froze, and Alhaitham’s ears rang loudly with the sound of his breath hitching. 

For a moment, he feared that he might have gone too far, but then Kaveh squeezed his hand and closed the distance between them.

“Then I might just let you,” he murmured.

Alhaitham didn’t dare breathe as Kaveh leaned in even closer, and laid a gentle kiss at the corner of Alhaitham’s jaw. 

It was a fleeting touch that barely registered, but Alhaitham’s skin burned from it all the same.

“Kaveh! Alhaitham!”

They both jumped at the loud calls of their names, pulling apart quickly as if they’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t have.

Kaveh tugged his hand out of Alhaitham’s just as Tighnari reached them, and Alhaitham let go of him with a pang of disappointment. 

“Thank the Archons you didn’t get far,” Tighnari huffed as he caught his breath. 

“What’s the emergency?” Alhaitham asked wryly.

Tighnari didn’t answer him, addressing Kaveh instead. “Kaveh, can you head back to the nursery first? Hazm will be there to bring you back to your room.”

Kaveh hesitated, looking between Tighnari and Alhaitham. “But it’s still early,” he protested. “Alhaitham’s just gotten here-”

“Kaveh,” Tighnari interrupted firmly. “I’m sorry we have to cut this visit short. But I really need you to go back to your room right now.”

Kaveh pursed his lips, displeased with the turn of the evening. 

Tighnari wouldn’t do this if there wasn’t actually an emergency, however, and Alhaitham brushed his hand behind Kaveh’s, drawing the blond’s attention to him.

“I’ll come back tomorrow to make up for it,” he promised.

Kaveh still wasn’t appeased, but he nodded reluctantly and threw his arms around Alhaitham’s shoulders, drawing him in for a tight hug.

“Thank you,” he said into his ear before pulling away. “I’ll try to remember you until you come back. I promise.”

Alhaitham could only nod, and with one last, regretful look, Kaveh began trudging back down the path they’d come from.

Neither of them spoke until they were sure Kaveh was out of earshot.

“Cyno sent word that there was a widespread relapse among the people in Sumeru City that were more seriously affected by the Doctor’s modification to the Akasha system,” Tighnari explained quickly. “He doesn’t know why yet, but considering Kaveh had been subjected to it the longest, there’s a high chance he might suffer the same.”

“When?” Alhaitham demanded. “How severe is it?”

“About an hour ago. Three people are in a dream coma, five others are being treated for hallucinations and- self-harm. ”

Alhaitham looked away, in the direction that Kaveh had disappeared to. “You’ll restrain him?”

“We’ll keep him strapped down until we’re sure there’s no risk to his safety,” Tighnari confirmed. “I know it’s not ideal but it’s better than the alternative.” He paused and ruefully added, “It’s not as if he’s likely to remember anyway.”

Tighnari was right, but it didn’t make Alhaitham any less annoyed at the damage it would cause while Kaveh did remember. Not to mention, any further trauma now would most likely reverse all the progress he’d been making so far.

It was two steps forward, one step back. 

“At least be gentle with him,” Alhaitham bit out. “I’ll find out what caused the relapse, but I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Tighnari stared at him hard, clearly perturbed. “You haven’t seen him in an attack since that first time. Seeing you might worsen it, and I don’t trust you to keep a level head if you see him like that again either.”

Alhaitham’s fists clenched tight with fury.

But Tighnari was right about that too.

“If he relapses, I’ll stay outside,” Alhaitham relented. “I’m not breaking another promise to him, Tighnari.”

Tighnari stared at him wordlessly for a moment longer, before he sighed and nodded. “Fine. Just bear in mind that I will tranquillise you if the need rises, Acting Grand Sage or not.”

“I have no objections to that.”

“Now go,” Tighnari nudged him, nodding in the general direction of Sumeru City. “The sooner you find the cause, the less danger he’s in.”

Alhaitham knew he was right, but something still kept him rooted to the spot. He knew exactly what it was, of course. Who it was.

Once again, however, the Forest Watcher was right.

With one final look at the winding paths of Pardis Dhyai, Alhaitham turned around before his resolve would waver.

I will fix this, Kaveh. I promise. I’ll make things right.