Chapter Text
Six years ago, the Akademiya
“I don’t think this is a good idea, Senior Kaveh.” Alhaitham glanced around the empty corridors of the Akademiya for the third time, as if the Matras would materialise out of thin air the second he looked the other way.
“Why so?” Kaveh pushed the window open, heaved himself on the sill and held his hand out to Alhaitham.
He didn’t take it. “If they catch us outside the dorms after the curfew, we’ll get into trouble. I don’t want to lose my scholarship.”
“Neither do I. Relax, I memorised the guards’ pattern and they won’t disturb us for at least half an hour. That is, if we don’t spend all that time quarrelling in the hallway.”
Alhaitham detached his gaze from the corridor and locked eyes with Kaveh. “What if your memory doesn’t serve you right and the guards appear here earlier?”
“I’ll take the blame on me and tell them I was being an irresponsible senior, who coerced his junior into sneaking out.”
The corner of Alhaitham’s lips twitched up. “Isn’t this the truth?”
Kaveh rolled his eyes, beginning to sound annoyed. “You could have stayed behind, if you really didn’t want to come along.”
“I never said this.” Finally, Alhaitham took Kaveh’s hand and pulled himself up on the sill. “I hope whatever you want to show me is worth the trouble.”
“You bet it is.” The breeze of the night fluttered through their green Akademiya robes and without the dim candlelight from inside, the world was dipped into total darkness. Kaveh closed the window and slid off the sill onto the Divine Tree the Akademiya was built on. Its branches could carry a hoard of Sumpter Beasts and had the width of one as well. Carefully, he set one foot before the other. Kaveh had inspected this spot a few days earlier, but the familiar twigs and curves barely resembled the ones at daytime.
Kaveh followed the branch until the path got steeper. He had to climb the last part and pushed his body upwards by clinging onto notches in the wood, guiding him to the final spot. When he turned around, he was surprised to see Alhaitham following closely behind. No wonders – he recently started working out and it showed in his stamina and well-defined forearms. This development had attracted a lot of female students’ attention too, but Alhaitham only had eyes for his books. Something about it sparked a strange sense of satisfaction within Kaveh he never understood. It wasn’t schadenfreude. No, he didn’t find pleasure in those poor girls’ disappointment, but no other label fitted on this warm feeling either. How peculiar...
Alhaitham sat down close enough for their knees to brush against each other. “I sure hope you didn’t drag me up this tree for nothing.”
“Decide for yourself.” Kaveh raised his index finger to point up. In the infinite black of the night, a scarlet red moon shone brightly. As if someone had stabbed the gods and let a fresh drop of blood fall on the sky. “A lunar eclipse. You can’t see them from the dorm rooms, but here is the perfect spot to watch them. Lunar eclipses like this happen when…”
“… the moon stands in the planet’s shadow, also called the umbra, on a full moon,” Alhaitham completed his sentence.
Kaveh laughed. “Here I thought I could brag with my new knowledge.”
“But this isn’t just any lunar eclipse - It’s a total lunar eclipse.” Alhaitham’s eyes glowed more precious than all the stars together when he talked about something that piqued his interest. “Those are a lot rarer than the partial and penumbral ones. Total lunar eclipses happen roughly every three years. In those situations, some sunlight reaches the moon’s surface and grants it this prominent shade of red. It has something to do with the different wavelengths of colours. I read about this in the House of Daena recently. It’s a fascinating phenomenon.”
Kaveh knew this already and had witnessed how immersed Alhaitham has been in those books. After all, it was what set his idea for the risky trip in motion in the first place. “So, you like it?” Kaveh couldn’t bring himself to look at the moon when he found something even rarer to observe. Alhaitham seldom smiled like this.
“Let’s say, if we get caught now, it wasn’t in vain.”
“I take this as a ‘yes’.”
A comfortable silence enveloped the scene and filled Kaveh with a deep sense of serenity. The Akademiya liked to remind their students to reach for the stars and at this moment, they didn’t feel too far away. As if he only had to lift an arm to catch one of the glowing orbs in his hands.
Alhaitham cleared his throat. “I wanted to ask you something.”
“Under the moonlight? How romantic.”
“Nothing like this,” he said quickly. Although his tone didn’t waver one bit, a tint of red spread over his face.
Cute. “Alright, what is it?”
“I heard from a couple of students that the professors will assign joint research projects tomorrow.” Alhaitham sighed. “Unfortunately, it’s mandatory. I hate working in teams, but with you, it will be the least unbearable.”
“So, you’re asking me to be your partner? Research partner I mean.”
“That’s what I just said.”
“Let me think about it. As Kshahrewar’s most promising student, I’m highly sought after.” With a wink, Kaveh let himself sink against the tree trunk.
Alhaitham rolled his eyes. “Really? By whom?”
“Quite a lot of people. You would notice too if you didn’t bury your heads in books all the time.”
“I’m able to read and observe my surroundings.”
“That’s the genius of Haravatat for you. He can do two tasks at once.” Although Kaveh’s voice dripped with sarcasm, no ill intent hid beneath it.
And despite this, Alhaitham’s shoulders seemingly dropped, although he concealed it well under his ever-neutral tone. “So, that’s a ‘No’ I suppose? Well then, thanks for considering. I’ll ask someone else, if you don’t want to do the research project with me.”
“I never said this.” Kaveh cocked a brow. “Quite the contrary actually.”
“You’re such a tease.”
“Learned it all from you.”
Alhaitham looked up to the sky again. “Half an hour will be over soon. We should get going.”
Kaveh dragged himself up and stretched his arms. The night’s cold had numbed his muscles. “A pity. I wished we could stay here forever.”
“Hurry up, time won’t stop just for you.” But his cold words didn’t match the warmth in his gaze.
“Not even if I ask nicely? I’m quite the charmer, you know.”
“If they catch us, I will take you up on your promise earlier.” Alhaitham was already halfway down the branch.
“Okay, okay, I’m coming.”
Today, Lambad’s Tavern
“You can’t be serious.” Alhaitham’s gaze darted between Kaveh and the bill. “You drank all this liquor and didn’t even bring Mora to pay for it?”
Kaveh rubbed his temples and closed his eyes for a few inhales – not because of Alhaitham, but because the floor wavered unsteadily since the last glass of wine. “Sorry, I forgot my wallet at home.”
“I know for a fact you didn’t. We live together. If there was as much as one Mora laying around, I would have seen it. Don’t you dare lie to me.” As Alhaitham got louder, the first signs of slurring bled through his voice. They both drank too much and the hefty bill proved it. Kaveh didn’t even carry enough Mora to tip the waitress.
“It’s been a rough week. Can’t you just pay?”
“Again? Give me one good reason why I should do that.” Alhaitham crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Maybe you’ll learn your lesson after you faced the consequences of your actions.”
Kaveh groaned. “It’s not fun for me either to be short on money. Archons, I’ll make it up to you another day. To you, this bill is nothing. Quit behaving like one nice act will kill you.”
“Just one? I’ve been generous enough to you. Without me, you wouldn’t even have a roof above your head. Where’s my ‘thanks’ for that?”
“The audacity. You have no right to act this high and mighty.” Kaveh’s face heated up – both due to the alcohol and the anger. “Your ‘generosity’ is founded on hollow ground. Technically, the Akademiya gave the house to both of us. I was meant to live there too if I had accepted their offer.”
Alhaitham’s smirk was like throwing oil into a fire. “So? Not my problem that you forfeited ownership. Legally speaking, it’s mine alone.”
“Hypocrite. You only abide by the law if it suits you. You know damn well we put equal effort into that joint research project, yet you reaped the rewards alone. Whatever the laws say, going on your beloved logic alone, everyone should get their share. Show your senior some respect.”
“Respect is earned. And you don’t even earn enough salary to finance your drinking habits.”
“That’s far enough!” Kaveh slammed a fist on the table. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed heads turning and conversations going silent. The liquor muted his embarrassment. “There’s not a fibre of empathy in you. Actually, you might be the first human to survive without a heart. Maybe the Akademiya would be interested in researching that and give you another house for it.”
“Strong emotions cloud the judgment.” Alhaitham wrinkled his nose as if he had smelled something foul. “For example, if you didn’t believe every sob story from the merchants on the streets, you wouldn’t drown in debt this badly. Those scammers abuse your gullibility to get to your wallet and you fall for their tricks every time. If this is what the renowned light of Kshahrewar has become, the Darshan has dissolved into a joke.”
“And that’s the reason I initially forfeited ownership. Living with a pyro slime would be less troubling than living with you. Even if it burned the house down, it still would cause less havoc.” The alcohol crushed all restraints on Kaveh’s mind. “You’ve grown into the most insufferable adult I’ve ever met. You miss no opportunity to throw obstacles my way and I hate it so much. No, I hate you so much.”
Alhaitham shoved the chair aside with a bit too much force, too fast and his grin lost its light-hearted touch. “Well then, good luck finding your pyro slime roommate. I for one will go home now.”
“What about the bill?”
“Get creative. That’s what you’re good at, no?”
“You can’t leave me here!” Kaveh wanted to grab Alhaitham’s arm. Too slow. His fingers closed around nothing. “Wait!” He chased after his roommate. The alcohol made the world spin and when he caught Alhaitham’s sleeve, he swore he would fall if he let go now.
Alhaitham glared at him, but he didn’t let go.
“Listen to me, idiot.” Kaveh took a deep breath. “I admit, it wasn’t the proper way to go drinking without telling you I was low on Mora. I am not proud of it and if I didn’t need those drinks so badly, I wouldn’t have asked. But work has been consuming all my Mora and time recently and I needed this break to prevent my descent into insanity. I’ll pay you back the bill, after I got paid for my commission, alright?”
Alhaitham’s face stayed immovable at the question. He pointed towards his earpieces. Unlike at the dinner table, the green gem embedded in the golden device had lit up. “Save your breath. I can’t hear you. Your rambling isn’t worth my attention.”
It was as if someone pulled a switch – and not only the switch on the earpieces. Kaveh couldn’t tell anymore whether the embarrassment or the anger burned his skin. “Don’t you have the decency to at least listen to me?” Somewhere he heard a shatter – probably his patience crumbling as he ripped Alhaitham’s earpieces off. “You can’t shut the world out, just because it doesn’t play by your rules. Oh Archons, I take everything back I just said. You don’t deserve my apology. Do you ever think about anybody but yourself?”
Alhaitham narrowed his eyes. “Kaveh.” His name sliced like a blade through the air. “Give them back.”
“You care about your damn earpieces more than you care about me.” The sharp edges of the device cut into Kaveh’s palm. “If you want them this badly, here, have them.” He wanted to throw them Alhaitham’s way, but the wine messed with his senses. Green and golden shards flew across the room as the earpieces shattered on the ground.
“No.” Alhaitham fell with them. He picked up the shards and a thousandth grimaces of horror reflected in the broken remains. The green gem, split horizontally across its surface, flickered weakly but lost the fight to its inevitable death. Without the light, the gold appeared muddy and dull.
Never has time moved slower. Even the background chatter halted and in the back of his mind, something told Kaveh to run. He didn’t listen. “I am so sor-”
“Do you know how hard it was to get my hands on those?” Alhaitham didn’t scream, but the sharp undertone provided the same effect. “I assembled them myself with technology imported from Fontaine. It took me a whole month to get the earpieces running, but it took you only seconds to smash them on the floor.”
Kaveh’s throat tightened. He bent down to pick up the remaining shards. “I… I didn’t mean to-”
“Stay away! You’ve done enough.” Alhaitham spun around and pushed Kaveh away.
He crashed into a table. White-hot pain exploded in Kaveh’s side. The collision sent his thoughts scattering and a pitiful whine left his throat. Gasping and coughing, he heaved himself up from the table. The pain faded in waves, but never fully vanished. Mainly because it was Alhaitham, who pushed him.
The alcohol had to mess with Kaveh’s sight again because he imagined seeing worry flash over Alhaitham’s face. Not the only concerned face in the tavern. Behind his back, whispers arose. “Is he alright?” passed through the masses and another muttered, “This looked nasty…”
“Everything’s fine,” Kaveh exclaimed to no one in particular and watched Alhaitham’s mien harden. He still clung onto the remains of the earpieces despite the red smears staining the gem shards.
“Your key.”
“What?”
“Your key, give it to me.” Alhaitham held out a hand, his voice deprived of any emotions. “You said you loath living with me and I am done with your antics. Why do we still bother to get along, if it brings only displeasure to the both of us?”
“What kind of sick joke is this?”
“The key,” Alhaitham repeated. “Now.”
Kaveh’s chuckle resembled rather a sob. “Ha, you’re kicking me out? I wondered when the day would come.” Slowly, he reached into his pockets. Part of him waited for Alhaitham to announce it was an empty threat after all. He would tease Kaveh for falling for this distasteful joke, and later, they would laugh about it in the comfort of their home. Together.
But his ex-roommate remained silent. Like a man turned into a statue.
At first, it were only Kaveh’s hands that were shaking, then it infested his voice as he slammed the key into Alhaitham’s palm. “At least a pyro slime would show me more warmth than you ever did.”
Kaveh stormed out of the tavern before anyone saw the wet sparkle pooling in his eyes, the quivering of his lips and his limp due to the ache in his ribs. When he put enough distance between him and the tavern, his resistance against the tears collapsed. I can’t believe he actually threw me out this time. Everything felt surreal as if stuck in a nightmare. From afar, he heard someone calling his name. Kaveh hoped it was Alhaitham, but a look over his shoulder proved him wrong.
One of his co-workers ran towards him. Her eyes lit up as she spotted him. “Master Kaveh!”
He turned around and kept walking.
“Master Kaveh, please wait! It’s urgent.”
“I’m busy.” He hated how pitiful he sounded.
“There has been an issue on the construction site.”
Kaveh halted. He closed his eyes and took one, two unsteady breaths to stop himself from breaking down. Cruel fate wanted to smash his head against rock bottom. “An issue you say?”
“Yes.” His co-worker fidgeted with her fingers. “My apologies for the inappropriate timing, but we aren’t sure how to handle the incident. I’ve been looking for you all evening.”
“It’s fine.” Kaveh forced a polite smile. “What’s the problem?”
“A Leyline has formed where we intended to lay the foundation for the building. We worry it will attract monsters and ruin our progress. You have a vision and are the head of the project, so…” She made some vague gestures.
“I see.” Kaveh imagined hearing the gods laughing from above at his series of misfortune. A hilarious joke to everyone but him. His body yearned to curl up at home and wallow in his misery, but there was no such thing as “home” anymore, and in the future, he couldn’t afford any more financial losses. “Bring me there. I’ll see what I can do.”
Kaveh had seen Leylines on his trips to Avidya Forest and the Hypostyle Desert, but none resembled the view before him. Unlike their cyan and golden counterparts, this Leyline pulsated in a saturated red like a bleeding heart, marinated in the same-coloured fog floating around it. His eyes narrowed. “That’s unnatural.”
“Maybe we should hire someone from the Adventurers’ Guild to inspect it,” his co-worker suggested.
Too expensive. “No need. I can handle it.” Kaveh didn’t feel half the confidence he radiated at this moment. “Stay back, I want to get a closer look.”
Kaveh approached the abnormality. His skin tingled as the Leyline responded to the dendro energy flowing through his vision as if it cried out to its own kind. Leylines are pure elemental energy after all, his mind supplied. And the red variant was no different. “I see no superficial difference except the colour. However, I’m no Spantamad scholar, so don’t lend my evaluation too much trust.”
“I understand. Master Kaveh, what should we do next?”
“I’ll get my claymore and Mehrak. Leylines Outcrops vanish after a few days, but the monsters it lures in are a concern, so I will stand guard until it disappears.” Not like I have anywhere else to go for the next few days. His remark about getting a pyro slime as a roommate might become reality after all. “Warn the rest of the team. We cannot get anyone injured due to carelessness.”
“Master Kaveh, with the utmost respect, are you certain you want to ward off the monsters alone? If not the Adventurers’ Guild, Eremites will assist you for a little Mora.”
Even ‘a little Mora’ blew their non-existing budget. “No, it’s too dangerous to-” Kaveh gasped and fell over as if an invisible claw ripped at his rib cage. His dendro vision lit up without his doing and the burning in his chest wasn’t of emotional nature anymore. The pain spread like liquid fire throughout his veins and scorched him from within. From miles away, the panicked cries of his co-worker cut through the red fog caging in everything.
It’s the Leyline’s doing, shot through his head. Kaveh opened his mouth to scream, but all he could breathe in were the pure clouds of elemental energy that clogged his lungs. His vision’s light wavered and his sight distort into a splotch of red. As the glow of dendro died, so did his consciousness slip away.