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“ Alhaitham.”
“What is it?”
“Can you promise me something?”
---
There was something Alhaitham had forgotten.
Something so precious, something that he recalled being more dear to him than anything in the entire world.
Something, someone.
---
It started that day Alhaitham woke up from what he thought to be a long dream.
His head was aching and pounding, but he still got up from the make-shift medical bed anyway.
The first thing that greeted him was the scent of blood, and the sound of several cries and whimpers of pain. Nothing out of the ordinary, they were in the middle of war after all. But then, he noticed something different - that the night skies of Teyvat look brighter than it ever has.
“Alhaitham. Good, you’re awake.” Came the familiar voice of the Forest Ranger who had been responsible for overseeing the medic bay. “You sustained quite some fatal injuries from the final battle. It's honestly a miracle you’ve made it out alive. Not everyone can withstand a full blown strike from an Ancient Star and survive.”
“Is it over?” Alhaitham asks, voice barely audible.
“Yes.” Tighnari replies. “The War is over. Snezhnaya has been reduced to cinders. All that remains is Celestia’s pillar.”
“I see.” Alhaitham finds himself saying. Then, he remembers. “Where is she?”
“Lesser Lord Kusanali? She had just returned from the Seven--The Six, and is now with Cyno and the Matra.”
“No, not Lesser Lord Kusanali.” Alhaitham clutches his head. “Where is …”
Alhaitham hears static, and sees dark circles floating in his vision. Tighnari warns him not to overexert himself, but Alhaitham could only feel the emptiness that threatens to swallow his entire existence whole.
Who was it that he was looking for?
Who was it, that he could no longer recall?
---
For a while, the world is a mess.
The Abyss has been quelled, and the War is won. The Ancient Star who led the Abyss had been defeated, and The Heavenly Principles had once more reenacted order in the land of Teyvat. Snezhnaya is erased from the face of the Earth, taking countless lives, including their God.
Dramatic changes left and right, yet life continues all the same.
As soon as Alhaitham’s wounds recover, he returns to being the Scribe once more. This time, however, his work is far more demanding as he dons the mantle of the Lesser Lord’s right hand man and the role of the Acting Grand Sage to fill up the gap left by the death of the previous one.
It's far from ideal, but Alhaitham would take on anything to distract his mind.
“You’re going to work yourself to death, you know.”
“Just leave the papers by the desk.”
Unimpressed, Kaveh does indeed place the papers by Alhaitham’s desk, but not without giving the Scribe a good smack to the head.
“You need to rest, Alhaitham.” Kaveh says softly. “You can’t keep going on like this.”
Alhaitham does not reply, eyes still transfixed on the papers he was working on.
“Alhaitham.” The blond tries once again. “Just what exactly are you running away from?”
Alhaitham stops scribbling words with his pen.
---
“ I won’t let you go.”
“Alhaitham, please …”
“ I won’t let you go.” He repeats. “ I won't ever let you go, ██████.”
“Alhaitham.”
She smiles at him, and Alhaitham feels his entire soul shatter.
---
Despite his roommate’s insistence, Alhaitham continues to drown himself in work.
Eventually, Kaveh realized that nothing could go through the Acting Grand Sage’s thick skull and decided the best thing he could do as his friend was to drop a Shawarma Wrap on his table every now and then.
Truthfully, Alhaitham appreciated the gesture. It was kind and thoughtful, but not too overbearing to the point of annoyance.
He does, however, realize that he needs to get his act together before other people realize that he’s slipping and begins coddling him as though he is a child incapable of taking care of himself.
“What is this?”
“Tahchin.”
“I can see that.”
The General Mahamatra crosses his arms as though to convey his disinterest in explaining. Alhaitham sighs, but accepts the dish either way.
“Thanks.”
“You're welcome.” Cyno clears his throat. “How is your head?”
“It's alright.” Alhaitham replies curtly. “Wouldn’t be the first time I took an awful blow to the head.”
Cyno’s lips lifted ever so slightly. “Indeed. It feels like a lifetime ago since we overthrew the sages. I still find it difficult that we somehow pulled off your radical plan.”
“Of course we pulled it off.” Alhaitham snorts as he crosses his arms. “Though I must say, we would not have been able to pull it off if not for …”
Alhaitham pauses as the words (the name) of that one thing (one person) he could not recall disappear before they could escape his lips.
And there it was again, the painful throb in his head.
“Are you alright?” Cyno inquires cautiously.
“Fine.” Alhaitham replies. “If there’s nothing else, please leave.”
“... Very well.”
Cyno shuts the door close and it was only then that Alhaitham allows himself to clutch his aching chest as he lets out a groan.
It burns.
---
“ Are you sure this plan is alright?”
“Of course. Unless you have any better ideas on how to proceed.”
“You’re the strategist, not me. But still, I …”
She fiddles with her hand as she avoid his eyes by gazing into the empty sands of the desert. The wind sweeps their hair, and Alhaitham finds himself mesmerized by the sight of her flowy white dress seemingly dancing along the wind.
“ Promise me you won’t get hurt?”
Its a ridiculous question for someone so seemingly untouchable such as her.
“I make no promises.”
She frowns.
“But I will try my best.”
Her lips curve upwards and Alhaitham fought the urge to smile back.
---
His memory of that day was hazy, but Alhaitham could still trace back the events that led up to it.
The Cryo Archon had collaborated with the Abyss to bring down the skies. In the process, however, the Ley Lines grew corrupt and the natural order of the world became destabilized. In Sumeru, that corruption surfaced in the form of a horrible wave of the Withering.
In the end, The Dendro Archon could no longer stay silent and collaborated with the Six Archons to quell the Abyss. It was then that Alhaitham, along with many other brave souls, joined the front lines of the war.
It was a long and excruciating battle, one that even someone as brilliant as Alhaitham has difficulty comprehending. Somehow, they had won and life slowly returned to normal.
Well, as normal as things could get.
Many had lost their lives, and some had lost their minds. What could Alhaitham say, fighting an impossible war against dark creatures of the Abyss, watching the Gods unleash destruction beyond mortal comprehension, and witnessing divine punishment from Celestia against a nation that had committed blasphemy takes a toll on anyone’s soul - Including his.
Perhaps that’s what this emptiness is; an illness to his soul.
But somehow, Alhaitham knows it was something more than that.
---
Alhaitham vaguely remembers what happened that day.
It was the peak of the war, the moment that led up to Snezhnaya’s fall. It was the moment the Prince of the Abyss, the Ancient Star from a land afar, had raised his divine sword to cut the skies.
He remembers being there, fighting by ██████ ’s side. It was a fool’s errand, for Alhaitham was nothing more than an inconsequential being compared to the Ancient Star. He remembers taking a hit to the head and falling off the heavenly platforms to the earth.
“ You’re going to be okay,” She whispered, voice gentle and soft. “I’ll heal you and get you to Tighnari. You’re going to be okay--”
“██████.”
He held her hand like a dying man clinging to life. He remembers coughing blood as his vision blurred.
“ Don’t … go.” He had told her with the last of his breath. “ Don’t …”
“I won’t.” She smiled as tears fell from her eyes. “ I won’t leave you, Alhaitham. I’ll always be there by your side.”
He remembers feeling her lips against his, and her hand resting on his chest. The world fades away, just as his memories of her too, slowly faded away.
---
After two months since the end of the War, Dehya comes to the Akademiya to collect her fallen comrades’ belongings.
For old time’s sake, Alhaitham decides to accompany her. He didn’t know if the Flame Mane appreciated his company or not, but they did not exchange much words either way. Their time in the collection room was mostly spent in silence in respect for those who had lost their lives.
“Hey.” Dehya suddenly calls, voice uncharacteristically hoarse.
Alhaitham turns to her and does not comment on the redness of her eye. “What is it?”
“I think this might be yours.”
Dehya hands him a key, one that he recognizes to be identical to his own key that is tucked safely in his pockets.
“It is.” Alhaitham replies, taking the dirty key to inspect its form. “It's a spare key to my house.”
Dehya raises her brow. “Why would you take a spare key to the frontlines of a war against the Abyss?”
Alhaitham does not reply and the mercenary does not push.
---
“ Ah, it would seem I’ve brought two keys this time.”
“Again? You really need to stop doing that. Have mercy on your roommate’s soul.”
“Who ever said about this being that idiot’s key?”
Alhaitham places the silver key on her palm, causing her to stare at him with wide golden eyes. A pale blush surfaces on her cheeks, and he smirks despite feeling his own ears burning from bashfulness.
He runs his fingers along the strands of her blonde hair and leans forward to inhale the familiar scent of the earth on her hair.
---
Half a year passed and the world was making steady steps to recovery.
Alhaitham stops overworking himself and makes more time for himself. By that, he means spending time in his room reading whatever books he had obtained or going out on personal expeditions to hunt down the remains of the Abyss and extract whatever knowledge they leave behind.
Today, however, Alhaitham spends his time cleaning his room.
Kaveh had told him that decluttering his room would do him well. Alhaitham told him that he should mind his own business and pay off his debt, and Kaveh went on a tangent about how Teyvat’s economy is quite literally a mess at this point before slamming the door. At the end, Alhaitham decided to take Kaveh’s advice and started by cleaning out his shelves.
It was then when he found a notebook decorated with pressed flowers.
Seated on his sofa in the living room, Alhaitham stares contemplatively at this strange notebook that he found amongst his collection of encyclopedias. He tries to make sense of its existence, as he had no recollection of this particular book, nor does he have any recollection of ever being a man of flowers. Carefully, Alhaitham flips the book open and traces his own handwriting with his fingers.
The leaf that chased after a falling star.
A peculiar title. Almost as peculiar as the fact that Alhaitham had written himself a fairytale for some unknown reason he could not recall.
He begins to read.
---
“ Promise me that you’ll continue to lead a peaceful life. That you’ll continue living your carefree life, and that you’ll live your life to the fullest no matter what. Can you promise me that, Alhaitham?”
“What brought this on?”
██████’s smile was as gentle as the morning sun, but Alhaitham was able to catch the faintest glimpse of sadness behind those pair of golden eyes.
Alhaitham shuts the book in his hand and places it by the nightstand by his bed. He shifts his body to lay beside her and reaches to run his fingers along the strands of her blonde hair.
“Nothing.” ██████ replies.
“Really now?” He challenges. “Because to me, it feels like you are implying something.”
“And what could I be implying?”
“That you’re going to leave me.”
She blinks, her expression unchanging. For a moment, Alhaitham stares deep into her eyes in search for something. An answer, perhaps. A confirmation of his suspicion.
Then, she avoids his eyes. And there it was.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.” She whispers. “But one thing I do know is that I want you to continue living your carefree and peaceful everyday life. Even if I’m no longer by your side.”
“██████.”
He cups her cheek, gently prodding her to look at him. When she does raise her head once more, Alhaitham says those three words;
“I love you.”
Alhaitham’s heart hammered violently against his own chest, so much so that it became so painfully unbearable.
But seeing how her expression softens at those three words, he found the courage to press onwards.
“Haitham …”
“I love you, ██████.” He proclaims once more. “Do you love me?”
“I do.” She replies without a single doubt. “But I …”
“Then stay here. With me.”
“Alhaitham, I--”
“Marry me.”
██████’s eyes widened, her golden eyes shining like stars in the night sky.
She cries, and Alhaitham gently kisses away her tears.
---
Seven months after the end of the war, the Sumeru Akademiya has found its new sage.
His name is Alhaitham, the previous Scribe and the man who had been appointed to be the Acting Grand Sage on two separate occasions.
The scholars know him to be an advocate for the unbridled pursuit of knowledge. A true scholar who will stop at nothing for the accumulation of knowledge.
They know him as the man with cold eyes, one who thirsts for knowledge like a starved man stranded in the desert.
---
“ I love you, Alhaitham.”
“Do you, now?” He questions, voice light. “How much do you love me?”
“More than anything else in the universe.” She replies with a teasing smile. “What about you? How much do you love me, hm?”
“I love you enough to commit the six sins to be with you.”
“You’re so funny, Haitham. We both know you would never do such a thing.”
---
“The preparations are complete, Grand Sage.”
Twiddling with the Dendro Gnosis in his hand, Alhaitham leans his back against his seat and stares down at the body of the defeated Dendro Archon with cold eyes.
“Seal her away.” He orders.
“As you wish.”
History repeats itself.
---
Some call him a tyrant, while others call him a savior.
Others, like Kaveh, do not know what to think.
A year ago, Sumeru survived the wrath of Celestia and the Abyss. A few months ago, his old colleague and roommate was in a strange state of grief. Now, he’s the cold and calculating Grand Sage of the Akademiya who had dethroned Lesser Lord Kusanali and became the quasi ruler of Sumeru.
It was just too much for the Architect.
The dethronement of Lesser Lord Kusanali is not public knowledge, but even if it were, Kaveh doubts there would be much outrage about it. After all, everyone knew about the tragedy of Snezhnaya and the role that the Archons played in its destruction.
As for the Akademiya itself, well, a lot of people wouldn’t care either way. Not when Alhaitham’s new reforms that are essentially characterized by almost unbridled freedom to conduct research about anything and everything generated a lot of support from the Sages and Scholars alike.
But of course, there were oppositions. Notably, the ex-general Mahamatra and the devouts of Lesser Lord Kusanali. They were a small minority, but they exist nonetheless.
Things are changing in Sumeru, in all of Teyvat.
Whether it is for the better or for the worse, Kaveh does not know.
But one thing he does know for sure …
“I am resigning from the position of Sage.”
Alhaitham stares at him, those emerald eyes devoid of any light. Kaveh feels shivers run up his spine, but he does not falter and hold his position strong.
The Grand Sage takes his resignation form and signs his approval.
“You are dismissed.”
Kaveh nods slowly, turning his back and walking out of the office.
For some reason, he feels like he is about to cry.
---
“What do you think about having children?”
██████ chokes on her water, and Alhaitham is quick to pat her back and help her calm down.
“E-Excuse me?!” She questions, face as red as an apple.
“It's fine if you don’t want to have children.” Alhaitham continues, still rubbing circles along her back. “I’m perfectly content to continue living with just the two of us. How do you feel about pets?”
“Alhaitham, I doubt this is the time to be talking about this sort of thing!”
“Is that so? Then shall we talk about our wedding ceremony first?”
“Haitham, we’re in the middle of a war! Against the Abyss and Celestia!”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t start planning for the future though.”
██████ looks at him in absolute disbelief before finally sighing and shaking her head. Realizing that he may had pushed her a little too much, he quickly racks his head to find a proper way to apologize.
Before he could, however, she answers;
“I’d like to have children.”
Alhaitham blinks, mouth parting slightly.
“What?”
“I said, I’d like to have children.” She repeats, this time facing him. “Two maybe. Three at most. We can have our own, or we can adopt. Either way, they’ll be our children who we’ll raise with love and care.”
“... I … see.”
“Why are you getting shy when I’m just answering your question truthfully?”
Alhaitham coughs, covering his mouth with his palm. “I am not getting shy.” He lies.
For the first time in weeks, ██████ lets out a laugh. It was light and carefree. Alhaitham feels himself softening at the sight of the small happiness on her face.
---
“The Akademiya is attempting to create a God.”
There were collective gasps and a few revolted expressions. However, two people seemed completely unperturbed by such information.
“A God, huh.” Dehya murmurs. “To think he went from condemning the previous Sages to becoming exactly like them. Funny how things turned out, eh Cyno?”
The ex-General Mahamatra does not reply, simply staring at his polearm with an empty expression.
“I can’t help but wonder,” She continues. “Why is he doing all this?”
“I don’t know.” Cyno replies. “But I can’t help but think that he is doing this out of grief.”
---
“ Alhaitham.”
“ ██████?”
“I love you.” She smiles as a lone tear falls from her eye. “So please, forget me.”
“ ██████!!!”
---
Godhood doesn’t feel much different from his usual being.
---
They celebrate his inauguration as a God with a liberation army storming through Sumeru City.
He could not care less. Not when he’s so close to finding the answer - So close to piercing the truth by delving beyond the universe - beyond the objective ‘truth’ that the World Tree provides him.
So close to her.
---
“Thank you for your help back there.”
Alhaitham pauses, slowly turning around to face the person who had chased after him.
The cool breeze of the sea, the gentle rays of the afternoon sun. The woman who stood before him was small and short, barely reaching his chest. Blonde hair, golden hair. A gentle, yet sharp expression.
She was beautiful, Alhaitham thought. Mysterious, yet beautiful.
“Your name is Alhaitham, right?” She asks.
“That’s right.” He replies. “And you are?”
She places her hand above her chest, a polite smile on her lips.
“My name is …”
---
“Any last words?”
Alhaitham looks up Cyno and, if this were any other situation, he would have laughed at the obvious conflicted expression on the ex-,but soon to be inaugurated, General Mahamatra’s face.
Well, it must be rather distasteful to execute a once comrade in arms with your own two hands.
Still, Alhaitham has no regrets.
So, he lowers his head and whispers in his dying breath;
“... Lumine.”
The Grand Sage’s head rolls from his neck.
---
“Alhaitham.” She calls.
He hums. “What is it?”
“I love you.” She grins.
“Do you, now?” He smiles. “Well, I love you too, Lumine.”