Chapter Text
Not long after the Akademiya is restored, Cyno’s work begins to pile up endlessly. His reinstatement as the General Mahamatra is a blessing no one in Sumeru should be complaining about, save for those whose souls have found their way to the scales to be judged.
With the immense reform the nation is undertaking, plenty find methods of exploitation as means to rise to the top, or jump on opportunities they’ve been waiting on for years, potentially decades. All of this is light work for the General Mahamatra, but less so for his subordinates, especially given his recent extended absence. Overseeing the entire division's work as well as ensuring the lack of corruption takes up most, if not all of his time. Yet he still takes the time to do things any matra could do, if only to ensure it is done adequately.
Being one of the few people permitted to speak directly to the Dendro Archon outside of her personal time, all of the Matra’s reports are delivered by him personally. She can often be found in the House of Daena perusing books she hasn’t had the time to read yet or wandering the streets of Sumeru City enjoying her new found freedom. After exhausting all the locations she frequents, he ends up at the Sanctuary of Surasthana. He’d prefer to report to her directly, but she requested he leave them here for her after he ordered 10 other matra to go looking for her when he couldn't find her a few weeks earlier.
Stepping inside, the calming energy of the realm envelops him the moment he enters the sanctuary, its soothing sound relieving the tension he desensitized himself to a long time ago. When he first set foot here, none of the calming atmosphere that filled this place could ease him, his body and mind set on the single goal of taking Azar down. At that time, it was not the place of respite or reflection that it is now, but a prison meant to cage the innocent and empower the corrupt. He’s only been here a few times since then, and each time the peaceful atmosphere grows stronger. Hopefully with its revitalization Nahida can rest here without worry from now on. Trying to preserve the chamber's sanctity for her sake, he plans to leave the reports and take his intimidating aura away as soon as possible.
Upon immediately entering it’s obvious she’s not here. As an archon, Cyno can’t rule out her being somewhere he can't see her, even with his sharp senses, though he doubts Nahida would play any kind of trick like that on him. She insists that not only as the General Mahamatra, but also as a friend, he can do as he pleases here, even if it means taking a moment to rest. Even so, he remains cautious upon entering the archon’s domain and takes care not to disturb the peace everyone worked so hard to restore.
There is nothing pertinent in the reports but he still chooses to look around and wait a few minutes to see if she will appear so he can report to her directly.
Walking further inside he quickly realizes the sanctuary is not as empty as he thought it was.
He senses the presence before he sees it, and though he first assumed it to be Lesser Lord Kusanali, he’s surprised to see it's not her, but an intruder instead.
Cyno’s polearm is in his hand in seconds, body leaping towards the intruder and aiming it at his face. The Intruder doesn’t even flinch, nor does he bother lifting his large hat to look at him. He’s sitting against one of the beams in the center of the sanctuary, hands behind his head and resting like he’s not blatantly encroaching on one of the most sacred places in the city.
Clothing alone is not enough to tell Cyno who he is, and with his face obscured he can make no guesses given he’s never seen anyone in Sumeru with such attire. These days he can barely trust most people he does know, so fear of insulting someone he’s not meant to is far beyond him. No one but himself, the traveler, and a select few other matra have been cleared to enter this room. As far as Cyno’s concerned, he is trespassing and needs to be taken care of.
“What are you doing in the Sanctuary of Surasthana?” Cyno asks firmly.
After a long pause and drawn out sigh, the intruder speaks. “I was taking a nap,” the man starts, a distinct venom in his tone, “But now I seem to be dealing with the Matra’s hunting dog. How unfortunate for me.”
Though he wears Inazuman style clothing, his stay in Sumeru must have been long enough to key him in on who Cyno is. It makes sense given his status, but lack of concern is what truly stands out to Cyno. Most scholars in the Akademiya would faint when coming face to face with the General Mahamatra, let alone with his weapon pointed at them. However he refuses to even look his direction, sitting just as comfortably as he was before Cyno accosted him. It only gives him more reason to stay on guard, his stance unwavering.
“State your name and business here and I may go easy on you.” Cyno orders. Seeming annoyed at this, the intruder finally stands with his head still down and his face concealed under his hat.
“I see no reason to explain my reason for being here. You’ve interrupted a guest on their stay in Sumeru, even going so far as to interrogate him in the middle of his downtime.” He accuses. “I’ve only been around a few weeks, and I’m not getting a good impression of the hospitality here.”
Cyno stands his ground. “If you truly are a guest, I would have been told of your approval to meet with Lesser Lord Kusanali. Since I haven’t, that makes you an intruder until proven otherwise.” He reminds him. Cyno has been managing things around the Akademiya with the Dendro Archon since all of the usurpers have been removed. He can recall no instance of seeing this man anywhere inside or outside of the Akademiya, nor has any other matra reported his presence to him.
“You know, for the general of the Mahamatra, you certainly don’t seem to use those deductive reasoning skills. No wonder it was so easy for the sages to get around you.” He remarks.
Cyno holds back his resentment at the statement. It’s not a point he likes to remember. Rather it’s an immense failure on his part as the chief upholder of justice in Sumeru. Be that as it may, no one by himself and the Dendro Archon have any right to judge him. He’s willing to risk looking like a fool if it's to ensure Sumeru and Nahida’s safety.
“Since you’ve allegedly been here the past few weeks, you should understand why I’m suspicious of a stranger in the sanctuary,” Cyno states, “and if you were to work with me like the innocent citizen you supposedly are, you wouldn’t be avoiding my questions. You could make this easy for both of us by cooperating.”
The man scoffs. Finally, he lifts his hat to speak, and Cyno gets a glimpse of his face. It’s wearing the type of expression he expected, a cocky grin and eyes that show no fear in the face that instills it in so many others. Cyno has his polearm aimed right at his face, but he crosses his arms and glares like his presence is nothing more than that of an insignificant insect at his feet.
“I refuse to make the life of someone so idiotic easier. Go ahead and do your song and dance and pretend that you’re doing something to protect Sumeru by pestering someone innocent of the crime you’re accusing them of.”
Ultimately, Cyno couldn’t care less what this guy thinks of him, but wishes to avoid spilling blood in such a sacred place if possible. Someone who knows of his status and looks at him with so little fear is most likely powerful at least in some capacity. It would be foolish not to consider that possibility. Regardless, it’s nothing Cyno can’t handle, and his grip on his polearm tightens as he tries to think of other ways of making him cooperate before resorting to detainment. There’s clearly no point in refuting him if he is truly innocent. He wouldn’t be giving him so much trouble. It only gives him more reason to be suspicious.
Thankfully, his suspicions are cleared just in time. Before he can act, the sound of a delicate voice appears behind them.
“That’s enough, you two.” Nahida playfully says as she walks up to them. Cyno remains on guard, keeping his polearm pointed at the intruder, eyes shifting only for a moment to acknowledge his master.
“Lesser Lord Kusanali. Do you know this man?” He asks.
She snickers. “I do. And there’s no need to worry. I suppose you could call him my special guest.”
With that, Cyno lowers his polearm, albeit carefully, keeping his eyes tethered to him.
“My apologies, my lord. I was not aware of his approval to be here and acted in the interest of your safety.” His apology is directed to no one else but her, and though he expects her guest to show some sign of further annoyance, he seems no different from when Cyno first arrived, if his expression is any indication.
“That’s okay. I’m sorry for not informing you sooner. Things have… changed a lot in the past few days. In the chaos, I’ve forgotten to remind you—Ah, I mean… tell you he’ll be helping me out here and there.” Nahida explains. Cyno questions her wording, but keeps that thought pocketed in the back of his mind for later. “In any case, he will be under my care as a prisoner for the time being, so make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble.”
The word ‘prisoner’ rings in Cyno’s mind, a new found sense of curiosity in regards to her so-called ‘guest’.
Someone who’s caused enough trouble to get the Dendro Archon’s attention should be exiled to the deepest part of the desert rather than sitting casually in the Sanctuary of Surasthana like its resident. He sends the Dendro Archon a concerned look, but her smile is all he needs to confirm she knows what she’s doing. Still, Cyno’s suspicion will not waver until he’s judged for himself that this person is harmless.
“And you,” Nahida faces her guest with a much sterner, though still gentle look on her face, “please don’t make things more difficult than they need to be. You could have just told him I’d be back in a few minutes.” She scolds, as harshly as her constitution can let her, which is not much.
Another scoff from the mysterious prisoner. “I thought these Akademiya graduates were supposed to be smart. Why should I bother?”
Nahida frowns. “If you’re going to lead a fulfilling life here, the first step is integrating with the locals. I know this is going to take a lot of work, but you could at least try.” The man only rolls his eyes in response.
Cyno on the other hand watches their interaction in amazement. Nahida speaks to him not like a prisoner, or even a guest, but more akin to a mother or an aunt who only has their best interest at heart. And he treats the Dendro Archon worse than how defiant children would treat their parents. What could this Inazuman have done for her to decide to take care of him personally and to treat him so casually?
Perhaps it’s not for him to know, not yet. Prying into the life of an archon is nothing he or any other mortal should be doing, so he puts his wandering thoughts to rest and returns to his original assignment.
“Lesser Lord Kusanali. I only came to review the Matras reports for the week,” He says, handing her the written report. “If now is not a good time, I can go over them verbally with you later.”
Nahida accepts the reports and skims over them quickly. “Now’s fine, I wouldn’t want you to make the trip up here again.” She says.
Instantly, Cyno glares at the man next to them. The man looks back, just as annoyed as before.
“My lord… I don’t think going over the Matra’s reports next to a prisoner is the wisest idea.” Cyno speaks formally but directly. He doesn’t mean to question her choices, but rather keep an eye out for potential dangers.
“Again with the astute observations. I can see why the Matra made you their general.” The man responds. Cyno ignores his baseless insults, and Nahida frowns at him before looking back at Cyno with a reassuring smile.
“There’s no need to worry. As I mentioned, he’ll be helping me out here and there, so it’s not an issue if he overhears something. If you can’t put your trust in him, you can put your trust in me.” she reassures. Cyno would love to put all of his trust in her as he has ever since her regaining control of Sumeru. It has only been a few weeks since they have regained control from Azar, so Cyno cannot easily trust anyone. Even in putting his trust in her, the concern that someone may be taking advantage of her is pervasive and drives Cyno’s every action. The power of an archon can only work so well against sheer manipulation and deception, as they have all very recently become aware. He will not stand by and allow her to risk her safety after everyone has worked so hard to bring her back to the position she rightfully deserves.
“You can trust me, I have no reason to go spilling anything to anyone.” The other chimes in. “As your archon so lovingly insinuated, I’m not acquainted with anyone yet, so I have no need to go handing off precious information to any of your people.”
Cyno doesn’t need his approval, nor does he believe anything he says, but Nahida is different. After a bit of hesitation and a reassuring glance from Nahida, he reluctantly proceeds with his reports. The strange Inazuman goes back to leaning up against the wall, potentially napping again with how utterly still he is.
He covers all of the reports and leaves out anything he thinks may be too sensitive, but isn’t so pertinent that Nahida can avoid hearing it for now. It’s all written for her, so she can review it herself if she needs. It’s obvious Nahida notices him skipping things as he’s never done so before, but chooses not to call him out on it. When he’s done, she sets the papers aside and nods in approval.
“Thank you, Cyno. That was very thorough. I’ll ask that you follow up on the case in Caravan Ribat. We need to pay special attention to anything going on there so there aren’t too many issues with the progress of integration of the people of the desert with the people of the forest.” She states. “And you may see our friend over here helping out with a few of the investigations. If you do, please be sure to work cooperatively with him, okay?”
Cyno remains quiet. He can tolerate her letting him into the sanctuary, but to allow him such access to serious investigations as a so-called “prisoner” could not be advisable. Who was this person? There is no way he could have won her over so easily as to allow this. Could he truly be manipulating her? Trying to collect his thoughts into some form of objection to his archon is difficult, but he tries nonetheless.
“Lesser Lord Kusanali, are you sure that’s necessary?” is all he can ask.
Nahida giggles. “I’ve already told you not to worry. Just know that if he’s involved, that means I’ve personally asked him to take a look into things for me. I hope that’s alright.”
Cyno has his reservations, but it would be truly foolish to refute the god of wisdom herself any further, so he concedes.
“What is his name so I can let the other matra know?” Cyno asks.
“Oh, It’s…” Nahida starts and stops, as if lost in thought for a moment.
“Don’t have one.” He interrupts, apparently still awake.
Nahida tilts her head in confusion before looking back at Cyno.
“I suppose you can just call him the wanderer for now. Besides, I’m sure none of you would be able to miss him.” She says.
Cyno nods. The situation gets more and more peculiar by the minute.
Deciding not to take up any more of his lord or her guests' time, he takes his leave after going over anything else important with Nahida. He makes one last glance at the so-called wanderer before he leaves, and is surprised to see it returned. Lifting his hat up for a moment before he leaves, he nods lazily, any previous notion of annoyance or arrogance seemingly dissipated. After meeting him with nothing but attitude, the casual acknowledgement leaves him stunned. Cyno nods back at him as it’s the only thing he can do and heads out, trying to collect his thoughts as he returns to his post.
The only thing he is 100% of is that ‘the wanderer’ is going on his watch list.