Work Text:
Alhaitham was a curious guy in nature. Books alone were not enough to put a lid on his abundant thirst for knowledge. He had to investigate, to search, to verify the validity of things. Most times it was a vicious cycle of finding books to read and dissect over a topic.
Other times it included going through and entering the forbidden archives late at night.
Naturally, at first this did seem as grand or as mysterious as the restricted section guarded by the Matra, but it wasn't. It was much less known since the Archive barely has anything of note besides some dusty old documents and records of previous sages, or some seasonal decorations that are discarded or in need of replacements. Kaveh would've thrived in decorating the whole Akademya for events, alas, the archive's inventory remained a secret from him for another day.
But the forbidden archive was where the actual good stuff was at.
The place was guarded by some old shabby doors at best. Even the Matra gave up on guarding this place once it started to accumulate useless trinkets such as old trophies engraved with names of long gone figures or just some pieces of art that Azar deemed too embarrassing to reach the light of the public again. Alhaitham didn't see the point in trying to bury the Akademya's artistic profesionists and their association with this institute. In fact, if Kaveh were to leave Sumeru, doubtfully the Sages could ever erase his legacy. You can't really shove in here his beautiful buildings and doubtfully they could ever put their hands on the architect's Magnum Opus without flooring all of their funds. Maybe he wasn't an aesthetic guru like his roommate, but he was going to appreciate the effort and techniques used to create such things.
This is actually why he was here in the first place: for an old painting.
It started with his curiosity about some runes and their separation from others by not being engraved in the walls, rather painted in such a way that they were like tiny mountains rising from the smooth walls. Apparently, this was a painting technique that was further improved at the Akademya and some paintings were testaments to that.
It was also so he could have a good motive for presenting to Kaveh a silly decoration, which had its details created with the same technique.
As he was walking amongst the place, he could see different objects littered around or, in a happy case, half-assedly organizing them on shabby shelves.
Although, towards the middle of the room, one object broke the pattern: A pedestal with a box resting on top of it. Approaching it, Alhaitham looked towards the said object. It was a hexagon, a fine wood-work, which was decorated with red paint in ancient patterns, a mix of Liyue motifs and Sumeru runes. The rich red looked almost like new if one made an abstraction of the obvious dust layer on top of it.
Click!
Alhaitham couldn't help but jolt at the sudden sound, the box opening on itself and revealing 12 hidden compartimente on its sides, as the inside itself hosted 7 sections. 2 in the middle and the others around them. Jewelry was neatly placed in each spot, almost too clean.
A middle spot of red velvet, where a tiny emblem of a ladybug back was imprinted on it, over it, a pair of red and black studs resting. The other middle spot had a ring with a green paw on it, resting on a silvery velvet.
And yet, no warning labels were put on the thing. It had just a rusty latch that finally seemed to give up, remnants of it crumbled to warm coloured dust. Stalking closer to the box, Alhaitham looked at all the jewels.
Azar would definitely hate the idea of such fine craftsmanship being associated with the Akademya's prim and proper education. Even Alhaitham himself had enough of a good eye to see that whoever made these had an appreciation for the art of making jewellery, not for 'serious research topics' like the grand Sage would say. When he even voiced his desire to search for an archived painting, Azar did dismiss him, even telling him that it would be of great service if he just took 'those tacky things they call art home too' and consider it a work bonus. It was the first work bonus Alhaitham ever got, so he's bound to profit off it to the maximum.
Besides, the purple and silver brooch looked very tacky. Perfect to further irate Kaveh!
Grabbing it, Alhaitham gently analyzed the whole thing. It was in good shape, clean and clearly well kept in that closed box. Therefore, without much thought, Alhaitham shoved it into his pocket and looked towards the jewelry again.
Maybe Kaveh would like a new ring or something. The other brooch was a beautiful blue, but Alhaitham doubted Kaveh would even want to wear some tacky jewel after him. The ring was simple, elegant, perfect for an architect who prides himself for his image and presentation. But then again, the earrings were also simple, elegant, perhaps not a statement piece like the blonde's usual ear wear, but definitely something easy to put and fashionable still, for days when Kaveh wouldn't have the heart or energy to put all interest in dressing up.
Maybe he didn't find the painting, but he did find something much better.
When he came home, naturally, his first instincts were to do his own thing and wait for Kaveh to come as well. He set neatly the ring and earrings on the table before looking at the brooch he picked.
Perhaps Kaveh will be more inclined to accept this gift if he framed it like he didn't want those ones specifically?
So he put the brooch on his clothes. The object glowed for a second before it became just a simple teal and gold button. Looking stumped at it, Alhaitham nudged the thing warily.
Was this some illusion tech serving for fashion purposes? Did the ring do the same thing? What about the earrings? Oh Kaveh surely will have a field day with these!
'Alhaitham...'
Perking at the sound, the scribe warily looked around. No one was there. Summoning his swords, Alhaitham quietly stalked his own home's walls, looking everywhere, blade ready to hit any and all intruders.
'The name of, possibly, a new miracle holder. You seem nice.'
The Voice felt as if it whispered right into his ear.
'Do not be afraid! I am merely a temporary part of you now. You have a vision, don't you? It's the last piece for one's evolution into a miracle holder after all.'
"What?" The silver haired man managed to breathe out, before he was suddenly taken by a grand headache. Groaning, Alhaitham grabbed onto his forehead.
'Do not try and reject the power you're about to inherit, Alhaitham. Once I am gone, you will have to navigate this harsh world yourself.'
It oddly reminded him of his grandma. How, nearing her end, she called him and told him about this. And he did manage to have a fulfilling life, just how she wished for her one and only grandson. "Who are you?" He demanded.
'I am the embodiment of transmission and your trial keeper, but you can call me Nooroo.'
Alhaitham remained stumped for a second, laying down on the divan and trying to subdue his headache. "I don't understand..." He breathed out.
'The miraculouses are tools, meant to create lesser deities, embodying concepts. Those not favoured by the gods can merely tap into a fraction of our power. But you managed to trigger the merging process by having a vision, a symbol of your potential to be more than just a simple being of this world.'
"And if I take the brooch off?" Alhaitham reached to grab the said button, yet his hands only caressed simple fabric. Looking all over himself, he was yet to find the little brooch.
'You will have to perish, Alhaitham. You cannot take it away now that it's a part of you.'
Looking at the table, the black ring and earrings were resting comfortably, almost mocking him with their mere presence alone.
Kaveh shouldn't be subjected to this at all.
With a grunt, Alhaitham took the jewellery and wobbled to his room, shoving them into his desk cabinet for now. His body was growing weak, enough to leave him laying helplessly on the bed.
Click!
"Alhaitham! I'm home! You won't believe what day I've had!"
Alhaitham closed tight his eyes, curling onto his bed. Everything hurt, almost like a thousand needles piercing his skin with no regard. He could even hear the patter of Kaveh's footsteps, approaching his room.
"You left your room door open-" Kaveh stopped mid-sentence, looking horrified towards the curled up scribe. Wordlessly, the blonde rushed to his side, carefully craning his body in a hug. "What happened?" He whispered, clearly distressed by this, trying his best to not show it too much.
"Cursed... Brooch..." Alhaitham managed to croak, shoving his face in the blonde's chest as his body seemed to grow and expand, painfully so. His whole ribcage was crushed and reorganized as his shirt was pulled and torn off to the sides. Kaveh closed his eyes shut, holding the scribe as close and as gentle as he could, whispering sweet nothings, trying to alleviate his pain.
RIIIIIP!
Suddenly, silence. Alhaitham felt oddly quiet inside. As if the storm brewing in him was quenched in seconds. He quietly grabbed onto Kaveh's shirt, resting his head on the architect's shoulder.
"I accidentally took a magic jewel... Now it's merging it's powers with me..." He whispered. Kaveh quietly patted his head, letting out a long breath. "It's going to be alright... We'll fix this..." The blonde whispered, his hand crumpled bits of the silver hair into his fist, letting it go just as easily. The crimson eyes fluttered open, absently looking all over the scribe. He didn't know what exact changes were made to him now.
But one of them was definitely the delicate teal wings, almost velvet like, sprouting from the back of the man.
Kaveh settled the latter onto the bed, quietly holding him and tucking him in to sleep. The wings were small, still growing, but undoubtedly their patterns were also appearing the more they extended. Despite that, Alhaitham fell into a peaceful sleep, not yet aware of the full changes to his body. The architect quietly caressed his face, before letting him go and leaving the room.
His rational side screamed at him to search and ask. To get Tighnari here at least and see if he can find something to make this situation less bizarre and fast paced. Only now that he stood on the living room divan, Mehrak worriedly beeping next to him, did it occur to Kaveh just how sudden everything was. A part of him wanted to scour the akademya dry of everything they had on cursed brooches, but he knew that would most likely lead to Alhaitham strapped on a dissection table.
He could only sit idly and ruminate what he's supposed to do.
Meanwhile...
"I'm sorry this caused you pain, but it is your body adapting to the power that you are soon to own." Nooroo spoke.
Alhaitham blinked a few times, laying down on a velvety floor, in a foggy dark room, the only light coming from seemingly the giant being before him, a sort of primordial deity trying to resemble a purple butterfly from what he guessed.
"And how do I get rid of this?" The silver haired man demanded. "You cannot. It is a part of you now. I am merely holding it now from fully consuming you. You will have to own it all together at one point." The creature before him gently explained, almost as if scolding him for his childish naivete.
"Then... When will I get to access these 'powers' you speak of?"
"With time and patience. You will have the ability to empower allies to your cause, make servants or create obedient armies. The more you train, the more you will gain. And if you prove that you are a good choice to be a miracle holder, then I will renounce my place and fully disappear from your mind. This world will need the presence of primordial deities to keep the balance by simply existing." Nooroo explained. Alhaitham pressed his lips thin.
He could train. Maybe he wasn't a social person, but he could at least hone this curious power that was entrusted to him. And Nooroo will definitely bug him until he fully proves himself-
"Your thoughts aren't private from me, Alhaitham." The deity nagged him. "I wasn't planning on not sharing my opinion with you. I prefer to properly ruminate on my formulation in my head first. You can verify that too if you do desire." The man replied with a slight bite to his words.
"It is the first time I encounter someone who doesn't wish for this power. Many fought for it across centuries." Nooroo pointed out. "I don't have any desire to become the target of such things. If you had so many holders, why didn't one of them merge with you fully?" Alhaitham deadpanned.
"Because they all perished. Celestia killed them when they became a threat to the innocents or the people from Teyvat managed to strike their weakness before the process could be concluded. It will happen to you too if you don't prove that you are a suitable holder."
When Alhaitham woke up, it was late at night, except it was the next day. The first thing he registered was Kaveh by his side, the blonde holding one of his hands, rubbing his thumb over the back of it, as he was trying to write something down and read from a book out of their home library. The silver haired man only squeezed his hand gently, finally gaining the blonde's attention.
"You're awake... Come on now..." The blonde rushed by his side again, rising him up and quietly handing to him a cup of warm tea. "You have to drink and eat something at least. You must be hungry." He mused.
Alhaitham looked towards the tea, drinking it as Kaveh prepared for him some food too, bringing it to the bed. As he ate, the silver haired man contemplated, while the architect was next to him, still buzzing with some reading material about ancient devices and curses.
"You shouldn't be afraid... Didn't you tell me that one day I'll evolve into a higher being? Will I still lack empathy then too?" He quietly teased. The blonde looked with a slight hint of a smile towards him, before back into the book. "Only you are capable of this bullshit even when you accidentally ascend to godhood." He rolled his eyes, before his smile finally died out.
"You triggered a trial of the miracle. From what I searched through the books in our library, it's some sort of test to create new gods, but it was all regarded as some silly children's story. Everything is just bits and pieces scattered everywhere... There's barely any proper info on it." The architect explained his findings. Alhaitham pressed his lips thin.
"It's not a test... It's a process to give primordial power to a suitable vessel. Failure to finish the process means that it was sabotaged and the vessel was killed."
He told Kaveh everything he learned during his dream with Nooroo. All this time, the architect welcomed him to snuggle and curl into his embrace, gently playing with the silver hair and looking absently at the teal wings, still growing.
"I will get your Akasha and send a message to the akademya that you got sick or something-" "I'd rather not. I have a few free days starting tomorrow." Alhaitham cut him off, his mind rushing to the cabinet in which he hid the other jewelry he brought.
He had to hide those better. Before Kaveh could be subjected to the same pain as he is.
Kaveh tended to him like a dying man. He read his favorite books to bed, brought him food, pampered him and tried his best to comfort him during these free days. Alhaitham didn't have to lift a finger that, already, the architect was by his side with everything he wanted and some more.
During those days of rest, Alhaitham's wings finally stopped growing, but not after reaching the floor. They were big, stretching to immense lengths and still draping like expensive fabric over his body when plopped. Their teal and gold colours was accentuated with the inclusion of same coloured patterns onto his body as well. His chest gem merged with the brooch and his chest, glowing a faith teal of its own too.
And yet, the most interesting thing was the abundance of butterflies.
The tiny insects appeared around him, fluttering and flying around. If he was sleeping, they would sleep too, almost like little landmines Kaveh was trying his best not to step onto or accidentally crush to 'death'. They weren't alive, merely products of Alhaitham's power, forming outside of his body. Nooroo explained to him how his main power was working. These butterflies were a mere projection of it.
He was inclined to make Kaveh his little test subject, but he didn't know what exactly should he empower the blonde with. Alhaitham wouldn't doubt that the architect would look absolutely stunning with any power he was to give him, but at the same time, so many possibilities were allocated and he couldn't just make the architect an extension to his, yet to be, godhood.
So one day, while Kaveh was running some errands outside, Alhaitham decided to experiment.
He welcomed one tiny butterfly in his palm. Curling his hand, his own chest gem pulsed as his eyes flashed a bright teal, channeling a murky dark energy into the butterfly, until its once glowing white wings became black, with cracks of teal light through them. Alhaitham looked curiously at the little insect, before letting it fly through the window.
He knew where the butterfly was. He felt its nimble presence flying through Sumeru, gliding alongside soft breezes and rising above the city. Something seemed to attract the little insect towards the sanctuary, to the point it smuggled through the cracks of the door, flapping through the inside of the sanctuary.
Then... Alhaitham felt something different.
He found himself back in the said foggy void, except this time, he was shrouded in a thin layer of matte mist as well, a soft light flowing without a source. Before him, a tiny girl was standing, looking up at him with a curious gaze. Her big round eyes were tired, full of information and seemingly knowledgeable about anything.
Those eyes, who knew of everything, were sad, burdened by something Alhaitham couldn't quite figure it out, yet he felt its weight just by looking at her.
"You are being reborn. How is that going for you, miracle holder?" She asked with a small, weak smile. "I did not wish for this. I want these powers gone, but there's seemingly no way can do that peacefully." He answered, quietly sitting down so they would be on a relatively similar eye level.
"You are upset. I can feel your sorrow." He noted, tilting his head. "No child should be entrapped like my butterfly found you." He pointed out, the girl looking down at her feet.
"I wish to be free... But as Sumeru's archon, I have to also make sure I serve my nation too. The sages... They have a horrible plan of using people's dreams to fuel a man-made god." She mumbled, quietly approaching the latter, who welcomed her into a hug.
"Even if you gave me the power, I doubt I could escape on my own." She mused.
"Keep my butterfly. And I will always be by your side." Alhaitham spoke. "What do you plan, I wonder." The girl mused. "What do you gain out of all this?" She added. "I do want something. You are, after all, the goddess of wisdom." Alhaitham mused.
"But for now, let's not dwindle on that. Your freedom will be achieved soon."
For a few more days, Alhaitham trained. He trained his power, pouring more and more energy into his butterflies, making them more powerful, tailoring them for one purpose: create a power that will assure a swift and eventless freeing of the dendro archon.
Kaveh was well aware of this.
Since that day, Alhaitham laid out all the details for him. His meeting with the dendron Archon, the truth he came to hold and what he plans to do next. The blonde was more than eager to help anyway he could in order to free the goddess entrapped by her own people. He provided blueprints of the Akademya, his expertise in layout and everything in between, both of them putting their heads together to achieve the perfect operation.
Thus, their big day came.
"You will be able to waltz into the Akademya without any hindering." The scribe declared as he created an akuma, carefully forcing the insect to enter the architect's earrings. A hologram of a butterfly appeared before both men's faces.
'Accept this power I give you. Bring us the archon.' Alhaitham's words echoed in the blonde's mind. "I will." Kaveh declared, letting the akuma to engulf him in a bubbling like substance, immediately clearing to reveal the architect in beautiful white robes, draping over his figure like silk made out of clouds themselves. His hair was longer, decorated with gold and iridescent white flowers, much like the abundant jewelry of the same kind. The ruby eyes had a void like sclera tho, beautiful crimson flowers bloomed across his skin, breaking the delicate white and gold. Around his head it was a halo of pure light, as the man approached Alhaitham with a weak smile.
"I won't fail you."
Just as the scribe reassured him, Kaveh could walk amongst the city without anyone realizing his presence. Only those allowed by the blonde could see him, and even then, if he decided they weren't worty, he could make them forget every interaction they had at that moment. Like a fleeting memory, a ghost carrying himself through the crowd. The Akademya staff didn't see him, Azar didn't even realize he was in the granrd sage's office, by his side, watching intensely the console and its various commands.
Kaveh waited for the Grand Sage to leave the office, solely so he could instead input his commands in the console. A seamless hacking into the mainframe, quietly deactivating the alarms that would be a problem for his journey, before adding the final inputs.
Then, he made his way to the sanctuary above the Akademya, entering like it was no problem and approaching Nahida, the archon freshly freed from her prison.
"It's an honor to meet you, dendro archon." Kaveh got down on one knee before the little girl, already allowing her to perceive him.
"Please... Just call me Nahida." She smiled, hugging the blonde as Kaveh quietly responded, patting her head oh so gently. "Let's get you out of here, shall we?" The akumatised man offered.
"But first... Let me do something, please." Nahida demanded, before breaking out of the hug and resummoning the said prison cell, yet instead of it entrapping her, it held a big, bright, bloomed flower, floating peacefully with a faith light to it.
"The sages will notice a sudden drop in the energy outputs from my prison if I am gone and nothing is left to replace me. This will... Stretch a bit the readings... They won't realise I'll be gone until after a few weeks." She explained, fluttering her eyes tiredly. Kaveh was quick to grab her, carefully holding her in his arms, and letting his own light to cover her as well.
"I managed to get her out." Kaveh quietly spoke as the butterfly hologram appeared again over his face. He could hear in his mind a humming from the butterfly holder.
"10 minutes... More than half of which you took your sweet time with those stairs. I am impressed." Alhaitham's voice finally resounded. "You know those ramps are long and the fact that it's supposed to be stairs too makes it hard?!" The blonde argued back, as he casually passed throughout the Akademiya, no guard or scholar ever noticing him, nor the napping goddess in his hold.
In 5 minutes, Kaveh found himself back home, gently setting Nahida into his bed, tucking her in with a fluffy blanket and letting her hug one of the pillows in there.
Exiting his room, Kaveh let out a long breath as he went into Alhaitham's now, the silver haired man cocooned into his wings. The said wings opened, stretching wide, before falling alongside his shoulders, like a draping cape. "Perhaps you should keep this." He mused, reaching to touch the latter's chest, gently traversing his palm towards the area of the heart.
"And risk being found out? You barely can use an akuma to disguise yourself, let alone me! Don't push yourself, Alhaitham." The blonde nagged. "We have other matters on our hands right now." He added.
The blonde was returned to his normal look, the akuma exiting his earring and instead resting into the blonde hair. Other pure white butterflies flapped around, some settling in the golden hair as well. Alhaitham remained idle for a few seconds, before he quietly retreated to his bed, yawning.
He did use an akuma on himself. But only to create the illusion that he was extremely sick, so Azar would 'forcefully send him on a medical break', so he wouldn't infect the rest of the Akademiya staff. And now, the Scribe surely was enjoying his extended break, by how he happily snuggled under the blankets. Kaveh let out a long breath, looking with a fond smile towards the latter. "You know you'll have to do chores still? You aren't bedridden anymore." He reminded with a giggle, upon seeing how the latter's wings moved in distress.
"I will take care of the house while you go on to work. But, since you refuse to use an Akasha, use my Akuma to communicate. You don't have to accept the transformation, just holding onto it will be enough from my previous communication attempts with the Archon." The Scribe insisted.
Kaveh pressed his lips thin. "You promise... You won't peer into my mind?" He paused. "I know... During this mission we were too concentrated on the task and everything... And you said that this is a tool to see one's thoughts and troubles..." The blonde hugged himself. The akuma already entered his earring again.
"You will have my word. Your mind will be yours and yours alone to privy." Alhaitham gave a small nod, smiling as he reached to hug the latter. Kaveh remained frozen for a good second, before hesitantly responding to the hug, careful around the delicate wings. "Be careful." The architect whispered, resting his head onto the silver haired man's shoulder.
Kaveh had to leave the house eventually, to tend to his client meetings and commissions.
When Nahida woke up, she carefully made her way out of the bed, exiting the bedroom and wandering through the house. From the kitchen, the abundant aroma of food came, clearly dinner the 2 roommates will probably soon serve. She soon found Alhaitham's room, sensing the presence of the latter inside. She curiously opened the door, letting it creak open, peeking through it. The evening made sure that the room was too dark to see, with no light turned on at all, only a faith tealish glow from above.
Nahida could faithly make the shape of a cocoon, with something inside holding onto that faith glow, clearly in a sleeping state. The whole thing moved, unfurling into large wings, with their insides glowing a bright teal, much like the marks etched into the man's skin, as he carefully descended down, opening his eyes and looking towards the goddess. "Yes, Nahida?" He spoke, approaching the little girl, his wings plopping again over his body like a cape, his hand holding onto the door.
"You managed to help me escape... I believe it is time I hold my end of our deal." She spoke, looking towards her own bare feet.
The man opened the door, welcoming her inside. He helped her climb onto the bed, letting her sit on the edge of it, rocking her feet a bit. Alhaitham himself settled onto the bed as well, as a bit of fluttering sounds were echoing throughout the room. The darkness was only pierced a bit by the glow from the archon's green hair and accessories, along with the teal marks from the Scribe's body.
"I tried my best to search through Irminsul. The only way you could be separated from these powers is to die before the process finishes." She mumbled. Alhaitham let out a hum. "Then, I believe I will have to make peace with it." He let out a long breath.
"This is a power that stems from before the heavenly principles came upon Teyvat. They need vessels to absorb their power and become true deities." She explained. "Your duty would be to simply live... As a miracle holder, the concept you embody already exists and now, the power it holds is kept inside you, preventing chaos. Your only purpose is to interfere if balance is disturbed. If someone chases for too much power in arrogance." The little goddess fiddled with her hands.
"Maybe... If a miracle holder existed 500 years ago... The cataclysm wouldn't have happened at all." She mournfully said.
Alhaitham pressed his lips thin, looking towards the tiny archon. "You should recover for now." He quietly demanded. Nahida gave a hesitant nod. "We need to hurry... To do something before the Fatui's false god plan actualised." She insisted.
Kaveh returned shortly after this exchange. Outside it was already dark, the architect quietly strutting towards the living room, where the dinner table was just set by Alhaitham. "Nahida... Come here." The silver haired man instructed, gesturing towards a seat at the table.
"Hello." Kaveh gave an awkward smile, also settling down ok his usual seat at the table, Alhaitham taking a seat next to the blonde this time. Nahida looked quizzically at the food, then towards the 2 men. Kaveh already put some food on his plate, drinking a glass of water. Alhaitham looked ready to dig into the food as well.
"Isn't this all supposed to be just for you 2?" The goddess asked.
PFFFF!
Kaveh spit his water in surprise, onto Alhaitham, who grimaced, wiping himself with not a lot of protest, clearly surprised by the question as well. "I believe I made dinner for 3." He noted. "Pardon me, lord Kusanali-" "please. Nahida is just fine." The girl corrected. The architect gave an acknowledging nod.
"Then... Nahida... It's very normal to need food. You need to also eat something. You must be famished since I took you out." He reasoned. Nahida tilted her head. "I didn't have any food during my imprisonment. I believe it's not a big requirement." She mused.
By how Kaveh looked like he was on the verge of fainting, Alhaitham rightfully considered this situation to be impossible to even rationalise from any human viewpoint. Kaveh tried to drink some water, instead he choked on it, the Scribe awkwardly helping him with some stronger pats on the back. "Deep breaths." He reminded the architect.
"Nahida... With all due respect... Let's... Not mention for now these things around Kaveh-" "NO! Nonono! You shut up." The architect immediately blew at the Scribe, clearly enraged at this as he slammed his hands onto the table, making all the cutlery and plates to shake.
"You are telling us everything those vermins did to you."
Nahida, warily, obliged to the request. The more she spoke, the more she concluded that Kaveh was on the verge of either an aneurysm or committing a hate-crime. Alhaitham was silent instead, yet his wings gave him out by how they twitched, uncomfortably so.
At least the dinner was tasty.
Kaveh didn't even touch his food. He raised quietly from the table, grabbing Nahida's empty plate and other dishes, getting them to the kitchen sink. Alhaitham packed the leftovers, just as quietly, following in the kitchen as well.
From there, muffled yelling could be heard, both men clearly arguing about something. At least they both got out a bit more calmly, with Kaveh approaching the goddess first.
"We are sorry, Nahida, but we really don't have any spare clothes. We can make a makeshift pijama out of some older clothes of mine tho." The blonde offered. Nahida gave an understanding nod. "You are very kind. You shouldn't have." She mused.
"No no no! You are a guest after all." Kaveh refuted. "He is right. We decided you are to sleep in Kaveh's room. His bed is bigger. Kaveh can sleep in my bed, since I can also sleep on the ceiling." The Scribe explained. "That would be too much." Nahida tried to protest, but the 2 didn't seem to listen to her response.
That's how the goddess found herself in a new pair of makeshift pijamas, in a big bed, surrounded by pillows and blankets. The new garments were a bit loose on her petite frame, but they were soft, clearly woven and altered with care. The blankets were cozy and warm and the pillows were fluffy, as if she was buried behind gentle flowers and clouds from dreams.
Meanwhile
Fwosh!
"You aren't thinking clearly." Alhaitham noted, watching as Kaveh returned to his akumatised form. "I am sober, mind you." The blonde retorted. The silver haired man shook his head as his held his hand in a fist, watching how that forced the blonde to fall on his knees. "W-what are you doing to me?!" Kaveh gasped.
"I gave you the power, I can just as well strip it away from you." The Scribe mused. "You are too focused on your emotions. You will do something you'll regret. And then you will blame me for allowing this to happen." He reasoned, which seemed to enrage the latter even further.
"Oh! Here you go again with your spiel about your own good. You don't care about anyone but yourself. You freed the Archon just because you would get her help to rid you of these powers now, didn't you? How could you just sit idly and do nothing? You heard what atrocities those vermins did to her?! 500 years be damned, she's still a child! What sane human does that to a child?!" Kaveh insisted, forcing himself back up.
Thug!
Alhaitham was quick to grab the architect by the hand, yanking him away from the door. "I can't afford to let you go out there and risk yourself. This transformation is permanent for me, but they can still disarm you the second they break the akumatised object. You can make people forget, but you can still leave traces. The Sages are working with the Fatui. They have more tools than what both of us anticipated." He insisted. "They will trace it back to me and me only. No one knows about your akumas. You will be safe. You can always flee with no problems." The latter protested.
"I love you too much, Kaveh. You are my muse, my everything! I can't possibly afford to let you get hurt there, do you understand?"
The way the Scribe spoke was raw. It wasn't something Kaveh was used to. It was hurt and truthful, too truthful even. The architect pressed his lips thin, closing his eyes. The latter already let go of him. "You are still going to go through that, no matter what I am telling you, no?" He tried to save face, but Kaveh knew better.
The damage was done already.
"Is this... Why I look like this?" Kaveh asked, gesturing towards his luxurious garments. He knew he was looking as if he was a fantasy royalty, but he never questioned it until now. "Is this... How you truly see me, Alhaitham?" He asked. It was the latter's turn to avoid eye contact, his wings wrapping around himself, trying to cocoon himself in the safety of their velvety cover.
Kaveh hugged himself. "I... Am happy you see me like this... Despite also knowing everything else about me... Honestly, I thought you'd see me like a plebeian or an atrociously ugly figure." He finally spoke, gently tracing his fingers over the line details of the wings. They shuddered slightly under his touch, Alhaitham looking at the delicate fingers tracing across the wings, across his body. Soon, Kaveh's hand climbed towards the Scribe's shoulders, reaching his cheek, gently running his thumb over it with a weak smile.
"You are... Beautiful..." He whispered, hesitantly looking at the silver haired man's lips. "You can..." Alhaitham quietly responded, inching closer, parting them slightly.
Kaveh was ready to catch them, slithering both of his hands around the latter's back, as the large wings stretched wide. The akumatised architect's glow extended to the latter, a silent invitation to deepen the kiss, pushing both of them to fall onto the bed with heavy breaths.
"I am your most loyal of creations." The architect mused with a smile. "You are my only creation so far." Alhaitham corrected, kissing the neck of the blonde. "And I can't wait to see what you'll continue to create. Do try to impress me, alright?" The blonde teased, gently poking with his finger the latter's chest gem.
"Until then... How about we settle our personal disputes? Tomorrow we can discuss what we should do with the Akademiya problem." Kaveh suggested. "Sounds good, Muse." Alhaitham gave a smirk.
"Is this supposed to be my new name?" Kaveh giggled. "I believe it's down to the point. I prefer to not complicate things further." Alhaitham mused, burying his head in the crook of the blonde's neck.
In the morning, Nahida could sense very easily the power from Alhaitham. But she couldn't see him at all. She knew he was in his room, but when she entered, there was nothing there. "Alhaitham?" She meekly called.
Fsh
Something shuffled in the bed, as from there appeared Alhaitham, leaving on the mattress an invisible lump, covering it with a blanket. His wings covered his body, as he crouched down to the goddess's level. "Yes?" He asked.
"Good morning. I assume Kaveh is still akumatised?" She tilted her head. "He is. He got very upset last night." The man nodded.
"Was it because of me? Of what I said?" Nahida looked sorrowfully at her feet. Alhaitham took a deep breath, welcoming her out of the room. He quickly wiped out some tea, giving to the Archon a cup of it as he settled on the divan, Nahida on a chair across him.
"Kaveh is a bleeding heart." He started. "I know that your... Roommate... Is quite emphatic." The goddess nodded along. "He feels very bad... He firmly believes that none of what happened to you should ever happen to anyone in the first place." He explained.
"Do you believe otherwise?" Nahida asked. "Obviously, I stand firmly alongside Kaveh on this topic. There is no room for more discussion on it." The Scribe answered.
"The point I'm trying to make is that... We both decided to discuss today, with you, our next course of action. The creation of a false god might prove to be troublesome. I am still under trail to become a proper primordial deity, therefore I am also vulnerable. The Sages shouldn't know about the existence of miraculouses after all." He insisted.
"That I agree with. But shouldn't we wait for Kaveh as well?" Nahida tilted her head. "We will. Until then, I'll set up something to eat. Kaveh usually forgets to eat in the morning, unless reminded." The man mused.
Nahida was curious about what kind of food they will be serving. It was something simpler than at dinner tho. Just some fried eggs, a little toasted break and fruit juice. It was still very delicious!
Kaveh seemingly woke up just in time for the breakfast, clearly the aroma of food lulling the akumatised man out of the room. He sat quietly at the table, Alhaitham serving him with his portion of food. For a few minutes, all of them were wholly silent.
"Let's settle down our next moves." Alhaitham finally broke the silence.
"Our end goal would obviously be to reinstate your authority as an Archon. The Sages are humans who clearly chase after some sort of immortality. Be it in their ideology or their feats." Kaveh laid down the base. "Now... The only one of us who does have a functional Akasha is Alhaitham... And since his... incident... He asked me to modify his terminal so his informations would be privated beyond the usual security measures." The architect mused, summoning Mehrak who gave to him the said tiny device, settling on the table.
"The work is flawless when it comes to masking the modifications." Nahida praised, holding the little device. "Thank you... This is high praise coming from you..." Kaveh bashfully scratched his nape. "It's still not finished, I feel like making the changes gradual and tiny overtime helps in not attracting a glaring system report to the Sages's attention.
"If you want, I can help you finish it. I can access the Akasha system, since my divine authority is also fueling it." She mused, putting her hand over her chest. From there, a soft light emitted as the goddess got out a little golden statuette, resembling a chesspiece, more or so similar to a bishop. "I believe the Sages are after this. And the Fatui clearly already told them about it." She mused.
The 2 men looked curious at the said floating object. "This is a gnosis. It's a symbol of an archon's authority. It allows for our powers to push past all limitations a vision usually has on its wearer. The Akasha was Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's creation to combat forbidden planet during the Cataclysm. It is fuelled by the Dendro gnosis, which is now in my possession." Nahida explained, making the chess piece to disappear. She put her hands in her lap, holding onto the edge of the oversized pijama shirt she was wearing.
"So far... It seems the Fatui answer to the Cryo archon's order of gathering gnosises. So far, it seems none have succeeded yet. Plans are still in motion and preparations are made."
Alhaitham crossed his arms. "Then enter a primordial deity in making. The Cryo archon's clearly searching for these as a way to achieve something that, ultimately, needs a lot of power. Going by this prospect, where does it put me on a scale from 1 vision to all 7 gnosises?" He asked. Kaveh looked worriedly towards the Scribe, before towards the archon, who seemed deep in thought.
"You pose a good question. Primordial beings can classify based on their age. But we are talking here about the power of a concept. Something that appeared and is rooted in everything. From the research I've done, trying to find a way to free you from this burden, it seems that here are only 19 miraculouses. 12 of them were made with the equivalent of the Liyue calendar in mind, as it was one of the oldest to exist and be readapted into our current times. They represent complex concepts, concepts that the human mind came to define properly. Because of that, they are significantly weaker, yet still stronger than a gnosis altogether." She mused. "And the other 7?" Kaveh asked.
"5 are instinctive concepts: Illusion, Protection, Subjugation, Emotion and Transmission. Concepts that only lifeforms incapable of advanced thought can name. The need to protect oneself from dangers, the knowledge that not all that it is can be true, which predators abuse of, emotions fueled by the prime need of survival and transmission of raw information by the environment they interact with." The girl explained, looking towards Alhaitham.
"You reign over the concept of transmission. That's why the akumas you create adapt people to certain situations. You take the information they have about their predicament and respond to them, thus exchanging information. I believe Nooroo explained to you already." The Scribe's wings twitched, yet otherwise plopped over his shoulder and wrapped around his waist. "Nooroo was... Silent for a while... They are letting me adapt to this... Or they are only an adverse reaction to a supposedly bad behaviour I could exhibit." He reasoned.
"What about the last 2? What do they represent?" Kaveh asked. Nahida shuffled awkwardly.
"Creation and destruction. The basis of all reality and concepts to be. There were attempts to find vessels suitable for the 2. During that time, the vessels tried to unite their powers and rewrite the order as we know it. That resulted in a mass traged and the trial failing. They had to be ultimately killed, to prevent such things from ever happening again. Yet a second attempt was done, by a desperate human who called themselves 'the soon to be ultimate lifeform'. They fused the 2, but they failed the trial and subsequently were the first time the miraculouses themselves killed someone by imploding their body." The Archon made a small pause.
"Unfortunately, the miraculouses house primordial power, which makes the physical jewels indestructible. Thankfully, people forgot about them once King Deshret took them in his care and locked them from ever being used. That guard role ultimately fell onto my predecessor, before we come to this present day. They are allies of the heavenly principles, striving to uphold peace and balance over this world." Instinctively, Alhaitham arranged his shirt collar, as Kaveh clenched his fists.
"Then... Our next goal should be to retrieve the rest of the jewels... Before the sages find them."
Both Alhaitham and Nahida looked surprised at the architect. "That is very volatile magic. At least I should take them, since I'm already under trial for one." The Scribe reasoned. "Miraculouses can fuse themselves, Alhaitham. You could be a vessel for more than one. The trial will be the same. And Nooroo with another trial keeper would fuse together in a more powerful entity. Which means the punishment for not abiding to their demands will be harsher, despite the task being the same." Nahida warned.
Kaveh took a deep breath. "Let's get back on track. We need to separate the other miraculouses from the Akademiya's reach. At least until the decoy fizzles and the Sages figure out the archon's missing." He reasoned. "As long as you don't actively wear the jewels... No transformation will occur..." Alhaitham mused, giving a knowing look towards the architect. The blonde nodded, rising from the table silently.
And thus, Kaveh disappeared.
After a while, the akumatised blonde got back. Alhaitham already cleaned the dishes and was reading something, Nahida curiosity laying over his lap, looking at the pages as well with curiosity, as Kaveh became visible, the blonde held in his arms the infamous hexagonal box, setting it gently on the table. The box was tied with some string, tight and secure.
The Scribe glanced over his book to look at the blonde, before returning to his lecture. The architect tho, crossed his arms as he frowned.
Slap!
Alhaitham flinched, looking at the other thing slapped onto the table, a bunch of documents. "Got some time to think... And decided to do a little arrogance, since I happened to snatch your office keys before I left." He mused. Alhaitham looked at the papers, then at the smug Kaveh. Nahida curiously took note of how the silver haired man seemed to relax, contrary to her initial assumption of discomfort.
"Vacation will be cut short. Get to work, esteemed Scribe." The blonde nagged.
Nahida didn't really know how planning worked for the 2 men. Days went on in a sort of monotony. Kaveh was out for work, Alhaitham tending to the house itself as he polished his akumatising skills. He did do the office work Kaveh brought to him, although he was guilty of taking more time doing literally anything else but that.
Then, grand Sage Azar realised how easy it was to not have the Scribe in the Akademiya, therefore he put him to work remotely. Alhaitham was, naturally, happy about this. At most, he sent Kaveh with the papers that were needed to be submitted at the Akademiya itself. Otherwise he was free to work how his program dictated.
Mornings were quiet, loving even. Dinners were mostly filled with Kaveh's rambling about his day. Lunches consisted of Nahida and Alhaitham sharing a small meal as well. All was becoming a sort of routine, a program by which dictated how everyone should do things in the house.
One day tho, Kaveh came home awfully silent. He gave the usual greeting, kissing Nahida's forehead like he got used to, before pecking Alhaitham's cheek. After that, the architect was wholly silent, deep in his own thoughts. Nahida looked worried towards the blonde, trying to go and read his mind.
Instead, she heard a buzz. Clearly Kaveh was carrying the akuma still. Alhaitham was concealing his thoughts, protecting the architect from any mind reading attempts. And by how the Scribe also looked confused, the little goddess guessed that even him was unaware of what was troubling Kaveh.
After dinner was served, Alhaitham approached Kaveh, taking the architect's hand in his, rubbing his thumb over it.
"Something wrong-" "I have to go to the desert."
The other 2 froze, looking towards Kaveh, who didn't dare look back at them. His eyes were glued to his own hand, as he closed them, taking a deep breath. "The Sages decided to revise my old proposal of port renovations near the Realm of Farakhkert and accepted it."
Alhaitham's wings stretched, clearly a sign of distress. Nahida fiddled with her thumbs. "I supervised them through Irminsul... They don't yet know about the miraculous existence. But they seem to be awaiting the arrival of an outcast instead." She mused, mournfully meeting the ruby eyes of the man.
"They want to get rid of you, Kaveh... Your presence here seems to pose danger to their plans."
"Why? Why would I pose danger to their grand scheme?!" Kaveh looked baffled at the 2, especially when Alhaitham looked at him as if he was the biggest idiot ever gracing his eyes. "Why, Kaveh? Think for a bit, will you?" The silver haired man massaged his temples.
"Why else would the Sages want to get rid of the 1 person in all of Sumeru that can crash their machinery in one fell swoop? The one person in this damn nation whose name alone can immediately gather crowds and believe whatever spiel you tell them? Tell me, Kaveh... Why?" He groaned. "Well... What about you?! I'm not that famous anyway." The architect protested.
"I am but a feeble scholar who handles paperwork that the Akasha anyway can record and give as script." Alhaitham shrugged. "Shaddap! You are on your way of becoming a primordial God anyway!" The blonde protested.
"Fact which the Sages are unaware of." Alhaitham gave a shit eating grin, away from Nahida's gaze, as Kaveh lightly slapped his face. "Get to your senses." The blonde puffed.
"We need some way to stall this expedition. Or conclude the plan before it begins." Nahida contemplated. "It's only beginning in a few months from now anyway." Kaveh reassured.
"What if... You go earlier... As in... A few days from now?"
Alhaitham seemed deep in thought as he proposed that. "It could work. You are going there for design and setting the ground after all." Nahida contemplated. "So, because you go alone as well, no one will question if you go with, let's say some assistance. It will give us time and the distance from.the Akademiya will be a good enough excuse to not question Akasha reports that Alhaitham usually has to give." She explained. "My dear... That's not really how it works... They won't allow me to simply go with the Scribe of all people." Kaveh reasoned.
"Then, let's rectify that." Alhaitham raised from his seat, going before the architect and getting down on one knee, taking the latter's hand in his, kissing the back of it, as the other pocketed himself, taking out a little box, presenting a simple, elegant golden ring with a beautiful teal stone on it.
"Kaveh, will you marry me?"
Kaveh bit his inside cheek. "You planned this... You bastard planned this! For how long- nevermind." The blonde massaged his temples as he let his hand be maneuvered, the ring gently placed onto his finger. Looking at it, Kaveh could almost tear up, instead, he grabbed the man by his face, yanking him into his embrace and kissing tenderly the Scribe's lips. "You little profiting jerk." The blonde giggled. "You did accept it, so who's the profiting one here?" Alhaitham quietly teased, resting his ear over the blonde's chest, listening to the latter's erratic heartbeat.
"Congratulations on your future matrimony!" Nahida happily clapped, as she was welcomed in the hug by a cheerful Kaveh. "And you will be the very first one invited to it, my sweetheart." He cooed, letting the goddess snuggle by his side, blanketed by Alhaitham's soft wings.
The next day, Kaveh went to the Akademiya, with his request of an early start for the project. As expected, Azar urgently summoned him to his office.
"Why the early leave? Just yesterday you were given the project." The grand Sage asked. "You see... I am engaged." Kaveh showed his engagement ring with a proud puff. "Me and my fiancé want to go and settle our wedding plans, but my family is in fontaine, so we wanted to visit them and settle the details there." He mused.
Azar looked ludicrously towards the blonde. "Congratulations on the engagement. I still don't see how it's relevant? Besides carrying after you the said fiancé?" He mused. Kaveh shrugged.
"The wedding is supposed to take place during the initial time of my expedition. Grand Sage, you have to understand that I planned this way before you passed onto me this approved project, which, mind you, was initially rejected." Kaveh responded, crossing his arms with a frown. "I am marrying and my fiancé has a daughter as well. Surely you can't be that cruel to deprive a child of getting a proper family and more than just one single parent? Many people are looking forward to this event anyway." He insisted.
"And if anything interferes, might as well return after my wedding, since we didn't quite plan a honeymoon." The architect added.
Azar seemed to stutter for a second, before he dragged his voice. "Of course... You may proceed." He dismissed the latter.
In the evening, Azar received a message on his Akasha, the usual report from Alhaitham. Except, this time, at the end, a notice was also posted.
'I will be leaving with my fiancé for the desert in a while. I would prefer to not be contacted during that time. Consider it a formal vacation.'
It was safe to say, Azar didn't really expect for the Scribe of all people to score the famous light of Kshahrewar.
Meanwhile, in the evening, Kaveh was the one actually packing. Alhaitham and Nahida looked curiously at him. "Some help would be nice." The architect groaned, glaring towards the Scribe, who shrugged.
"Last time you said that I shouldn't touch a suitcase with a 10 meters pole. So I am offering emotional support for my beautiful fiancé now." He teased, wings flapping a bit, before he received a folded pair of socks thrown in his face.
"I don't really have many possessions. I believe folding them in one of your luggages will be saving space." Nahida contemplated. Kaveh's expression softened. "Honey... Yesterday I just got you a new dress. What do you mean? You surely have at least half a closet by now." He mumbled, reaching for the said closet, where Nahida's clothes were stored.
Indeed, a few dresses, some comfy pants and shirts were gathered. Just a few pairs of shoes tho and a few hats as well, all neatly arranged. "Come on... Pick what you like the most, Nahida. I'll pack it in Alhaitham's bag." He mused. "Why not yours? It's clearly bigger." The scribe raised a brow.
"Because! I am putting my work tools in there too! And you, anyway, don't need as many books as you cry about. 1, maybe 2 are enough. Don't forget who's doing your luggage as well!" Kaveh threatened. Alhaitham gave a quick nod instead, knowing full well the consequences of fighting the architect in this situation.
It was an early evening, barely dark outside, when Alhaitham created a new akuma. "For you, my dear." He whispered, letting the akuma enter Nahida's bracelet. She didn't get any big changes, only her hair became that same silver as the Scribe's, her ears rounding up, just like a human, as her green eyes didn't carry anymore that divine glow to them. She eagerly touched Alhaitham's hand, disguising him again as just a normal human, before holding Kaveh's hand, watching how the blonde's nails became a nice red and teal. "They are very pretty, thank you." The blonde smiled.
"So all of us will be tied together." The goddess smiled, before she was dutifully carried by Alhaitham in his arms, Kaveh dragging after them their luggage, closing the door with the key.
They made they way out of the city, before Alhaitham activated his fiancé's akuma, changing the power he was to give to the latter. "I added the power of creating portals for us. But it doesn't mesh we'll with your omnipresence state, so we all must be visible." The yet to be deity warned. Kaveh gave an understanding nod, before concentrating, summoning a small gate leading a bit further than the port itself.
Azar estimated that they will take a few days until there. Naturally, he also expected the fontaine trip, which only added to the pool of time they had to stay there.
"It's beautiful..." Nahida mumbled, looking with bright eyes towards the sight of the other nation, only water separating them. "One day, maybe, we could visit." Kaveh reassured. "But for now, we have our own problems." Alhaitham reminded. Kaveh shot another glare at the Scribe, before they decided to set tent for the night. Unfortunately, this port had no actual buildings, which made it very undesirable for trading or even entering the nation. It was a great missed potential.
They set tent under a big cave entry, with Kaveh making a small fire, Alhaitham tending to it. "You rest. I'll watch for tonight." The scribe gave his fiancé a kiss on the cheek, followed by a peck on Nahida's forehead.
Laying in the tent, Nahida hugged Kaveh's arm, sleep not quite finding her yet. "I'm sorry..." She blurted out. "For what?" The blonde asked.
"Because of me... You 2 got forced to engage." She mused. Kaveh closed his eyes, hand caressing her hair gently. "It's not your fault. No one got forced to do it... It's a decision both of us took. I wouldn't have accepted if I didn't cherish Alhaitham. And he wouldn't have proposed if he also didn't hold sentiments for me as well." He mused.
"Humans and emotions are complicated... We feel things that no knowledge can even begin to describe properly. We'll figure it out... Eventually... Alhaitham has an eternity at his disposal after all." The architect fluttered his eyes open.
Right... Alhaitham had an eternity at his disposal.
This was a big mistake.... Kaveh knew it well. Maybe the consequences won't show at first, but even so, Kaveh will ultimately be a fleeting memory by the end of it all. It was selfish of him... It was selfish of Kaveh to accept that proposal. To tie a soon to be deity to a mere human, who barely has any advantage to offer.
"You look upset..." Nahida noted. "I guess... Time will be of essence on my part..." The blonde mused. "Then... Why don't you also choose a miraculous?" Nahida mused.
"It would be... Too selfish..." Kaveh mused. "Alhaitham is capable... His condition was an accident. He never had any ulterior motives and even searched for a way to renounce the power. I would be selfish to take one and use it just to satisfy my personal wish. There certainly are people better suited for this responsibility than me." He reasoned.
"I think you'd do a great service if you did take one... Alhaitham would have a fellow primordial deity by his side." Nahida argued. "Primordial gods are another species altogether, compared to the current divinity. Alhaitham is currently the only existing one... And even then, his transformation isn't even complete." The little goddess snuggled in the blonde's embrace.
"It may make Alhaitham happy, but it still doesn't make me fit by that criteria alone."
Meanwhile, Alhaitham was also talking with someone.
'I believe you proved yourself worthy.' Nooroo mused. "How come?" Alhaitham raised a brow.
'You had all the chances to raise and cause chaos by how much you honed your control. Not once did you use your akumas on anyone but your lover and the Archon, after they gave their consent.' the trial keeper recalled. "That is no basis for a satisfactory verdict." The Scribe refuted.
'You forget one thing. I am a part of you. I know you better than anyone or anything in this world.' Nooroo mused. 'You bound yourself to a goal. A selfish wish of a peaceful life that evolved into selfless devotion towards your lover and your goddess.' the keeper said, as Alhaitham shook his head.
"I'd prefer to not conclude my trial yet. Let me keep it open just a bit more."
The next morning, Kaveh was out early, tending to his workload from the Akademiya. Unlike him, Alhaitham made a small walk around with Nahida, out in a more secluded place, where the Archon could lift their disguises for a while.
"You say that you refused to conclude the trial..." Nahida tilted her head, watching as the Scribe was trying his best to control his wings, trying to keep himself at least hovering a bit in the air. "There is no knowing how strong the change will be. Or if it will cripple me too much. Last time, my metamorphosis left me bed-bound for some days." He reasoned. Nahida hummed.
"Are you afraid of your immortality?" She asked.
"No." The Scribe replied flatly, landing down a bit clumsily, his wings spread out. "It's something I must accept. I know Kaveh will be bothered at the prospect of me outliving him... But I have plans to combat that." He declared.
"Kaveh doesn't seem to believe he's fit to join your new kin." Nahida admitted. "Kaveh is someone who knows his worth when it comes to his craftsmanship. He can't appreciate his worth as an individual tho. It's a defect that makes him unfit to simply accept a position like this." The scribe made a pause.
"I'll handle this problem myself if it comes down to it."
Nahida knew that it all followed into a big argument in the evening. She didn't hear what was going on out there, but Kaveh was, again, the one sleeping with her tonight, tucking her under the blanket and hugging her with as much tenderness as he could have.
Kaveh's 3rd day at work was very unproductive. He couldn't help but think back on his argument with Alhaitham.
'I will not accept any immortality if it means you'll be left to age, die and rot without me. Consider your next choice very carefully, Kaveh.'
His next choice was something he was thinking very carefully about already. But now? Now Alhaitham threw at him another baggage. What if they divorced? What if their love just fizzled out? Then what? Will Alhaitham just wait for old age to creep in and kill him slowly?
"You look distraught." One of the port workers noted. "Just... Some arguments with my fiancé... I'm... Starting to think this was all a mistake..." The blonde groaned.
"I've been married for 20 years... I must say, I love my wife to bits. But when we were engaged? Oh, we were breaking and making up every damn day. That's what weddings do to you at first, kid. They just give you doubts, unnecessary worries." The man shrugged. "And... If your wife ever gave you an ultimatum?" The architect hesitantly asked. The older man contemplated.
"It means she wanted to get a response regarding her worries. Your fiancé probably means well, but perhaps worry got to them. They probably fear something and your hesitation regarding the matter might've made them desperate to get an answer." He reasoned. Kaveh pressed his lips thin, taking a deep breath.
That evening, the blonde ushered Nahida into the tent for sleep, with the promise that he'll join her a tidbit later. Remaining by the fire, the architect didn't even dare meet Alhaitham's eyes.
"It's... All going so fast..." Kaveh broke the silence. "I am... So scared, Alhaitham... What if it all crumbled down? I don't want you to sacrifice this power just to be with me. What will happen after? Someone will eventually get their hands on the miraculouses and this whole bandwagon will repeat. Maybe even worse." The blonde pressed his lips thin.
"You wouldn't mind if your death resulted in another cataclysm.... But I would."
"Then, join me. Join me and I promise I'll keep this nation safe." The silver haired man offered. "After we take care of the sages, you can pick a jewellery piece. And all will be peaceful." He insisted. Kaveh bit his inside cheek.
"If we succeed, then, by all means... I'll let you choose what kind of primordial god will join you."
Alhaitham quietly hugged his fiancé, dragging him under the cover of his large wing, pressing his lips against the blonde's head. Kaveh closed his eyes, smiling weakly. "I will crush Azar and all who started this mess." The Scribe whispered as Kaveh switched again to his akumatised form. Looking at his hands, the blonde smiled weakly, holding the latter's in his.
A bit later, Nahida felt a presence laying by her side. Creaking open an eye, she saw Kaveh, akumatised still, gently covering her with his own body, before both of them were spooned by Alhaitham, using his wings to cocoon all 3 of them under their cover.
For a few more days, Kaveh relentlessly worked on his project. Alhaitham was still trying to learn how to properly use his body, besides curling up and pretending he was some abstract furniture anyway.
"This should be all for now. Hopefully the construction team can get behind with these instructions." Kaveh said by yet another evening, holding onto the blueprints and instructions he drafted. The representative he was working with gave a curt nod. "Now off to Fontaine?" He asked, the blond giving a nod. "Family reunions are difficult to organise, but so worth it." The architect beamed.
What the workers didn't know, was that, despite going on the boat to Fontaine, Kaveh, Alhaitham and Nahida never reached the other nation.
Instead, the akumatised blonde opened a gate to the depths of the desert, in a lone cave. There was a slight sandy wind at the outside, which Alhaitham used his wings to shield himself and the other 2 from it until they entered the shelter itself.
"The Akademiya floorplan is a bit complicated to get by." The architect set down his papers with floorplans and whatnot. "I've taken data using Alhaitham's modified Akasha. Other than that, what I'm missing is the plans for an extension the Sages sponsored privately. Most likely Fatui were involved as well." Kaveh contemplated.
"Since Nahida's disappearance, the Sages were awfully silent. Then again, their pride wouldn't let them admit the truth. They would compromise themselves if that was the case." Alhaitham noted. "The unfortunate thing is that the Fatui's contact with the Akademiya has led to a possible speeding in the process of creating that man-made god." The Archon frowned, pointing on Kaveh's papers.
"From the information I managed to gather, this is their entry point to the secret laboratory. That's where they are hiding the outcast and letting him conduct his research." She declared. "Now... How do we tackle this?" The blonde contemplated.
"We overwhelm them." Alhaitham flatly replied. "I can conclude my trial. Naturally that would erase the cool-down I have for creating akumas. No one has any idea what the akumas are or what they do... So, naturally, their fear and panic will only make more targets. The akumatised people will have physical and magical enchantments after all, so doubtfully the Fatui would be able to counter such a sudden unknown enemy." He suggested.
Kaveh hummed. "Then, hypothetically speaking, you'd need to send your troops to barricade the building itself. Taking over it from outside in." He mused, closing his eyes for a second, biting his inside cheek.
"I will lead the whole thing. And if I manage to akumatise the sages, it's going to be easier to force them to abdicate." The Scribe insisted. Kaveh looked at the papers, lost in thought. The akuma in his earring already left, returning back to a simple white butterfly. Same with the one hiding in Nahida's bracelet. "Huh... Seems it ran out of juice." Alhaitham grumbled. "Those were a week and some days of constant Akumatisation." The goddess mused.
"Then it's a problem I must address, before we move forward." The Scribe flatly declared.
Kaveh turned towards him. "Are you sure?" He tentatively asked. "Yes. We stalled too much." The silver haired man gave a curt nod.
Holding the butterfly into his hand, Alhaitham quietly infused it with his power. Kaveh watched the insect intensely, as the Scribe let it fly and enter the blonde's earring. "Are you sure?" The blonde tentatively asked. The scribe gave a curt nod. "The trial concluded. I asked Nooroo to stall my finalisation for a bit, but there's not a lot that can be done." He mused. "This akuma is simply meant to communicate in between us. With more power, I don't know how oppressive the new Akumas will be... At least with Nahida I have a guarantee that her goddess status can help her resist it." He reasoned, closing his eyes.
"Now, let the trial conclude."
The gem flashed, before becoming a deep black, spreading through the veins, marks and wings like a virus. They all pulsed as Alhaitham let out a gasp of pain, his wings curling around his body, as the veins became black roots, growing all over his body, becoming a giant cocoon. The whole thing spread its roots onto the ceiling of the cave, remaining suspended as it sprouted more buds along the way, from there, akumas getting out, freshly created, spreading throughout the area. The cocoon became slightly transparent, from the inside, a bright pulse of teal showed the form of the one entrapped in it, how the body itself seemed to alter.
From his head, a pair of horns sprouted, rising and curing around his ears, as his wings grew bigger, patterns becoming more intricate. Finally, a second pair of hands sprouted from his sides, covered in the same armour like skin like the rest of his body, up until the shoulders and bust area. His nails became longer, sharper, as Alhaitham opened his mouth, letting out a silent scream, which seemed to alert all the akumas, by how the insects fled from the cocoon itself.
Then, his eyes opened, glowing a brighter teal, piercing through the tint of the cocoon. Over his horns, tiny diamonds of teal flashed as well, much like on the tail and the patterns on his wings. He approached the cocoon wall slowly, sticking a hand onto it, digging his claws into it.
RIIIIIIP!
Thud!
The deity gasped, fallen on the ground from his escape, now all plopped on the sand with heavy breaths. "There's no coming back from this..." His voice was doubled, yet still sorrowful of this outcome. The cocoon fizzled away with some ephemeral sparkles, much like its roots. And yet, the akumas remained, returning to their creator now that he was freed.
Surrounded by his own butterflies, Alhaitham was raised from the ground, floating with magic itself rather than flapping his wings. His body grew larger, twice the size of a normal human, his head almost touching the ceiling as his wings popped over his figure like a grand cape, tail wrapping around one of his legs instead. The insects flew around him peacefully, yet all of them gathered quickly once he outstretched his palm forward.
"Make me an army." He spoke, letting the butterflies fly away and spread all throughout Sumeru, except one. The little butterfly rested onto the man's finger, as he looked towards Nahida.
"My dear... This is my gift for you." He whispered, letting the insect fly towards Nahida, entering in her headpiece. "I give you the power to alter your and everyone else's appearance as you deem fit. Now there will be no more hindrances." He declared, finally landing down as his wings plopped like a grand cape.
His eyes settled onto Kaveh, the blonde smiling weakly towards him. The deity sat down on his knees, his hand reaching to hold the architect's face with a fond gaze. "You are beautiful." Kaveh breathed out, welcomed to hug the deity, snuggling in the silver haired man's hold.
"Return home... This is a fight you shouldn't partake in. You did more than anyone in helping after all. Now rest." Alhaitham cooed, kissing the top of the blonde's head.
"But I want to help you-" "It's final." Alhaitham flatly declared, his wings twitching, a sign of unyielding. The architect gave up, opening a gate to their home insides. "Guard the rest of the miraculouses. Only 2 are separated in that special place." The Scribe mused. "I can't believe you put those there of all places." Kaveh rolled his eyes, crouching down to give Nahida a hug. "Be careful out there." He whispered. "Your nail polish will be an indicator if anything happens to me. But I will be alright, I promise." The goddess reassured with a smile, receiving a kiss on her forehead from the blonde.
Once Kaveh was gone, any softness in Alhaitham's attitude dropped. The blonde did say that he will open a gate to Sumeru city if they needed one after all. "You should've gone with him." He looked towards the archon, who crossed her hands and shook her head.
"Unfortunately for you, I wish to participate. The people of Sumeru deserve the truth from me. They believed I abandoned them for centuries." Nahida mused, letting herself be held in the other deity's hold, Alhaitham humming.
"Very well... But don't forget the schedule Kaveh has for both of us."
In Sumeru city, there was a great panic once dark butterflies descended down. The insects mercilessly possessed people, turning them into different kinds of appearances. All peacefully going towards the Akademiya, as if in a trance. Soon, there was a surprise if someone wasn't possessed by a butterfly already, many of the insects stalking the Akademiya entries, waiting for an opening to reach inside.
"What even is this?! The Akasha had no registration of this phenomenon!" Azar gritted his teeth, looking through the window, at the Akademiya outsides being swarmed with Akumatised people, all waiting in an order or an opening in the building.
"Fascinating... The energy these people emanate, is not your usual elemental energy..." A voice spoke.
From behind, a man emerged, wearing a beaked mask and a pleased smile as he reached the window, looking at all the akumatised people. "This seems to be someone's doing... Someone who discovered a very well kept secret. And the only answer that comes to mind poses a fascinating question." The harbinger mused, a pleased grin gracing his face.
"What can one do to instigate a primordial deity's wrath?"
Bang!
Fsh!
The entry to the office burst open as tons of Akumas flew in, the butterflies gathering and making way for someone to enter. The insects remained stationary, peacefully finding places to rest at.
It was an unassuming Alhaitham. The Scribe was just like Azar last saw him, shrugging as he put some papers on the desk. "Came back from Fontaine. Didn't know we have an insect epidemic." The silver haired man mused.
"You fool! You just let in those wrenched demons!" Azar looked in panic throughout the window, where akumatised people still stood idle. "Huh? What in the world-"
"You are trapped. Give up now or face the consequences."
Alhaitham stepped forward, his body changing back to his actual form. The harbinger smiled, hands outstretched towards the deity. "How fascinating. A miracle holder was born." He mused. Alhaitham, rightfully, was weirded out by the reaction.
They were supposed to be afraid.
'That is the 2nd harbinger. Be careful with the doctor.' Nahida warned the Scribe in his mind. Alhaitham stretched his claws instead. "You committed the sin of trying to replace a perfectly capable archon with a man-made abomination!" He accused the 2, stepping forward.
BZT!
Alhaitham halted, as around him, a cage of unknown energy was raised, closing him in a cube.
"Fascinating thing." Dottore smiled. Alhaitham remained idle, wings gathering around his body, hiding something under them. The harbinger gently tapped on the walls of the cage, the Scribe remaining impassive. "A cage won't stop me." He mused.
Outside, the Akumatised people all briefly had a hologram of a butterfly outline over their eyes.
"Apprehend these offenders." The silver haired man ordered.
Immediately the akumatised people flooded the Akademiya. Alhaitham remained calm, not phased at all by the fact that he was caged. "In a few minutes, I will be freed again." He mused, looking at his own claws in boredom. "I'd like to simply control and puppeteer you to my whims, but that would mean you won't willfully abdicate the position." He contemplated.
"Never thought the Scribe of all people would-" "Which means he found the others... He only has one. He's limited... But he knows where the others must be." Dottore smiled.
At that, finally, Alhaitham tensed. His cage was raised by the harbinger's command. This time, he curled around what he was protecting, his wings wrapping around him in a tight cocoon.
"So he is still vulnerable. He doesn't know how to control this power. Which means the process was fairly recent." The doctor smiled, sending the cage down the secret passage to the laboratory. "You fool! His goons will find that as well! We need to send our guards to his house. That's where he's most likely holding all those miraculouses you are so curious about!" Azar nagged. The harbinger grinned instead.
"All the more better! Even more test subjects!"
When Alhaitham unfurled his wings, he was on the floor of a giant hall. In there, a giant humanoid mecha was still under construction.
"The shell for their false god." Nahida peeked from under the man's wings, looking at the construct. Alhaitham frowned, trying to call back to his akumas.
Yet nothing came.
"You exhausted yourself by possessing so many people right out of the bat." The goddess hugged the man's side. "They will go after Kaveh..." Alhaitham groaned, closing his eyes to speak again with all of his akumatised people.
"Protect the muse at any costs." He demanded, as the cage deactivated.
Vrrrr!
SPLAT!
Alhaitham groaned, hit in his shoulder with what looked to be a syringe, attached to a tube. He yanked it out, wings covering Nahida as he glared towards the doctor.
Yet this one was slightly different.
"A clone..." The scribe gritted his teeth. "A fragment of his soul." Nahida noted, burying her head into the man's side.
"So that's what you were hiding, little butterfly." The harbinger smiled. "You had the goddess of wisdom by your side. No wonder you had access to the jewels's knowledge that easily." He slurred as he summoned more mechanical syringes, aiming them towards Alhaitham.
Fsh!
Immediately the Scribe and the Archon poofed in a flurry of Akumas, reappearing further from their position, once the butterflies gathered and merged together again. Alhaitham stretched his wings large, Nahida hidden by his lower ones. Dottore held the one that managed to scratch the deity, looking at the little dark liquid inside it, oozing a similar dark steam. "Interesting. The blood of a primordial god... You are quite different from the other species I've happened to encounter." The harbinger mused, aiming more syringes at the latter.
This time, they seemed to be loaded with a sort of glowy liquid.
Alhaitham wasn't going to risk it. A few powerful flaps of his wings and he was already in the air, dodging whatever projectiles the harbinger threw at him, holding as best as he could the dendro Archon in his arms.
"You aren't as confrontation driven as it seems." The doctor mocked. Alhaitham summoned more akumas, the little butterflies trying to possess the harbinger, yet all were destroyed by the flying projectiles in an instant. "And you are clearly more relentless than any sane person I've met." The scribe spat back.
It was alright... He just had to hold it until his akumatised people would find him. The more silent he remained, the more his mind could concentrate on calling to the akumas. He tried to create more, but the syringes aimed for them first and their creator second.
"Fascinating... It seems you depend on others to enact your will. Then I believe I should call upon some friends as well." Dottore called at one point, pressing on a remote in his hand.
Alarms blared, lights in the room flashed as Fatui soldiers pooled in. Alhaitham thought that now, he could get at least one target, yet they were quick to snipe his akumas. He couldn't stay stationary and create without break. Dottore would get to hit him that way. Nor could be drop Nahida and fight properly. If he wanted to flee, his butterflies must have a way to get in and out, which it seems to not be the case, as this room was sealed shut. He needed to go back home and check on Kaveh. The architect was in danger, with worse case scenario, the Fatui putting their hands on all the miraculouses hidden in the house. It wasn't worth it to keep tabs on Azar. Better he was concentrating his whole troops towards this place.
He just had to hold it in a bit more until they came.
Meanwhile, Kaveh watched from the windows the whole mess that was occurring outside. The house was guarded by a few Akumatised people patrolling the streets, much like the rest of the residences in the city. Alhaitham didn't teach out to him at all, thus the architect was left to wait in the latter's room, now their bedroom. He was exhausted, yet the worry and fear also seemed to be what kept him going still.
Fwosh!
Kaveh gasped, tears brimming his eyes as he looked towards his manicure. He had no more nail polish on them.
Nahida got deakumatised.
He tried to call to Alhaitham, trying to parade his thoughts as those of the rest that the scribe was controlling, yet to no avail. Alhaitham shut him entirely out of the discussion, less he would also be brainwashed like the other people. The blonde groaned.
THUNK! THUNK!
Kaveh gasped, hearing the front door be hit violently. No way the Fatui or Azar's goons could get here without alerting the patrols.
Unless... The patrols were also gathered.
Alhaitham was overwhelmed.
Kaveh gritted his teeth as he closed the door to the bedroom with a silent click of the lock. It was a matter of time until they broke in. And a matter of time until they could find the floorboards under Alhaitham's bed, where the box was hidden. Thankfully Kaveh locked himself inside this room. He could take the box, the jewelry hidden on the ceiling light and flee.
But what about Alhaitham? What about Nahida? They were in danger. All because Kaveh didn't plan accordingly. They followed his instructions and this is where they were brought to. With a sucked breath, the blonde reached for the ceiling light, taking out of there the black ring and the spotted earrings.
He had to fix this.
Kaveh let out a long breath, looking at the ring and earrings into his palm. He knew Alhaitham hid them for his own good. They never tried to return the jewellery to the box, now buried deep under the house floorboards. He knew this was supposed to give immense powers to the one fusing with it. Let alone having 2 was already meaning more than a primordial deity as well. He didn't know from which level of the box these 2 were specifically taken, but definitely from the 2nd layer if the architect was to judge. Which meant, they had to be individually on par with Alhaitham's own.
BANG! BANG!
Outside, the fatui, sent by Azar, were trying to enter the room. Clearly they wanted the miraculouses. They wanted to realise that fantasy of a false god. Probably they also got the rest as well and want to make sure there are no hindrances. Thus, he took out his earrings, renouncing his akuma. Now, the architect held 2 powerful miraculouses, promising strength, magical abilities beyond his imagination.
And if he wanted to save Alhaitham and Nahida, Kaveh needed that power.
So he slipped on the ring. Once he also put the earrings, both flashed lightly.
Whispers of ancient rituals rang into the blonde's ears as the jewels glowed a powerful light, entering into his veins and traveling all throughout his body, stopping at his eyes, now closed in pain. His veins pulsed, a sudden array of pain washing over him. He screamed, yet it fell on no one's ears. His own body was struck by something, filling his insides, yet not able to get out yet.
'Your heart is pure, your motivations are selfless, but you were naive. You only hoped this was a way to save your loved ones from danger. This is more than what you actually envisioned. More than you could've imagined.' a voice spoke in his mind.
"Please... I just want to stop this madness..." Kaveh begged, tears streaming down his cheeks.
'You earned the right to wield our powers. But the price of our fusion will also have to be given. Your body will have to be altered, so it can comprehend it all. You don't know what you just released, what you created.' another one spoke.
"I am your vessel... As long as you lend me enough power to prevent the calamity the Sages brought upon us, I will pay the price." The blonde spoke through laborious breaths.
'The price... Is manual completion.' The 2 voices merged together.
Then, his eyes opened, a dark, endless, void.
BANG!
Fatui opened the door to the room, Kaveh turning his gaze towards them. The soldiers seemed to freeze. "You're too late..." The architect whispered, more eyes opening over his upper face, all of them just as hollow as his original ones are now. His voice shifted through his heavy breaths, laced with something inhumane in it as he spoke again.
"The transformation already started."
Riiiiiiip!
From his back, long limbs sprouted. Ashy white, coated in a black ooze, as they stretched wide. His bones grew, stretching his skin, becoming the same colour as his limbs, still growing just like his flesh, too much for his garments to bear as they were destroyed. His nails turned into sharp claws, as patches of flesh, in symmetric patterns over his hips, his waist, his legs and arms, became hollow, now voids held inside the porcelain-like body. The lips became a deep black, as from there, long fangs could be seen growing, as a mandibula was forming, rooting from behind his ears, twitching a bit. The man remained unmoving for a whole minute, wholly silent, like a discarded puppet.
Fwosh!
The eyes suddenly had red irises, with slim black pupils, shining as all of them zero-ed onto the Fatui soldiers. The body began to twitch, moving slightly stiff, as if it wasn't used to this form at all, before it was struck by some euphoria, now moving fluidly, relaxed even.
The man opened his lips, his mandibula twitching as he let out insect like sounds, speaking in a sort of ancient language altogether. "W-what the hell?!" The soldiers backed up.
'More... I need more...' an elderich voice echoed into the soldiers's minds, as the newly created deity began to float, all of his limbs stretching wholly. The blonde hair grew longer, brighter, floating as well like an untamed flame, rising all up, revealing all the 27 eyes on his face, who glowed with hunger. He stretched his hand, hitting with a blast of crimson the soldiers.
Their bodies started to fizzle, a crimson miasma releasing and floating towards the blonde, who opened his mouth, letting it all be eaten. During all that, the solders's bodies contorted, new limbs growing to their sides, alongside scaly armour replacing their skin. They grew, their anatomy changed, until they became a monstrosity of bug and human, all kneeling down before the deity, who grew bigger, more limbs splitting from his already existing ones.
'Not enough...' The blonde mused. A surge of crimson was blasted towards the soldiers, all of them groaning in pain as their eyes flashed red. The deity floated closer to them, all of them forced to open up a path for him, like obedient puppets. He turned one last time towards the soldiers, before disappearing in a flash.
All of Sumeru froze, its people's eyes flashing red, briefly snapped out of their connection with the akumas. The sky darkened, becoming a bright crimson instead, clouds making a whirlpool, as above the city, the new deity floated in the center of it. Their sharp tips of his insect limbs conjured magic, swirling as his veins pulsed with pure black. His hands were crimson, fading back into the porcelain white, with darker nails instead, gathering all of the said energy in their hold.
Closing his eyes, his whole body had its muscles throbbing, growing larger, ten times the size of a normal human. His limbs stretched, splitting into more with the same slimy residue, gathering in them energy from everywhere, like boney roots. From living beings, now under his control, to the earth and everything in between. The deity finally opened his mouth, a shrill shriek coming out of there, like an insect's dying cries, heard all throughout Sumeru. People transformed all into his monster servants, all kneeling down, pledging their life force towards the deity above them.
'I was reborn...' his voice spoke in his subjects's minds. 'Behold, the ultimate lifeform.' He conjured in his hands pure magic, blasting it towards the sky. The whole thing pulsed a bright red, as his limbs stuck holes in it, growing like roots, sending its power through the blonde's veins. More eyes opened across the sky itself, looking down at all the beings hosted on this world. A maniac laughter echoed all throughout people's minds.
'I am the vessel of creation and destruction! Supreme ruler of the universe!'
From the head, horns grew, some of his multiple eyes migrating onto them, opening there as well. Finally, behind him, a grand crimson halo appeared, ancient runes and patterns rotating like clockwork with a bright light to it.
Then, he went limp. His limbs kept spreading, stabbing more into the essence of the sky itself, sucking out any ounce of energy their could find. His new creations all kneeled down, speaking with the same insect sounds, the same ancient unknown language. They prayed, praising their new creator like a ritual.
Meanwhile, Kaveh woke up in a void. Touching himself, he realised he was still very much human. And yet, touching his back, he could feel some tiny lumps moving under his skin. His body felt hollow in some places and his eyes felt oddly nearsighted.
"Your mind couldn't comprehend it all so fast, child."
Before the blonde man, the 2 keepers appeared. Soon, memories of what he just committed a few minutes ago flashed in his mind. "I... Oh my archon! What have I done?!" He gasped, feeling it hard to breathe. He tried touching his cheek, only to feel the tip of a mandibula forming. "I'm... I'm a monster... I... I consumed all of those people's life force... They... They are living husks at this point!" He cried out, curling up.
"That is the process of leaving your mortal shell permanently. You fused yourself with the concept of creation and destruction." One of the deities spoke, quietly. "You create the new reality. But for the world to adapt to you, you have to consume it first. Make it a permanent part of you." The other one said. "Your body is now still trying to break out of its shell... Once you do, you'll be back into your full mental faculties. Up until now, it was us who took control of your body, leading it up to fully release the power cumulated inside." Came the explanation.
"I... I just wanted to save everyone... To fix things..." Kaveh cried. Soon, he felt his body growing more, hair getting longer, his other limbs finally getting out. "And you will... But first... You must consume this world... You must imbed yourself in the fabric of reality and make it fully yours. Are you ready to see the new reality?" The spirits demanded. Wiping his tears, Kaveh hugged himself. He could see himself in the floor of whatever mental world he's in.
He already grew horns and some extra eyes. He was getting closer and closer to resembling his new real self.
"Can I... Have a bit more time? There's someone I want to speak to before this reality gets redone."
"You will rewrite it however you wish to, so take as much as you need." The spirits responded as they disappeared.
And thus, Kaveh found himself back to reality,back to his body. By now, the whole sky was caged with his limbs in full, like a giant web, pulsing with power in them, eyes dotting their cracks and holes instead, casting their almighty gaze onto the world. Looking down, he could see the transfomed people, still worshipping their creator altogether.
Still worshipping him, like the brainless puppets he turned them into.
So he retreated his limbs, closed his eyes, his halo getting absorbed into his back, creating a huge asymmetric crack over his heart area. The monsters waited curiously, noticing this new change in behaviour, looking expectantly towards the blonde.
Then he disappeared in a flash instead.
In the Akademiya's secret lab, only Alhaitham and Nahida remained unaffected. The butterfly miracle holder was stumped as he was suddenly let go by the fatui, yet he only scrambled towards Nahida, shielding her with his wing. Dottore suddenly fled on them for some reason, leaving his workers to handle the rest of the dirty work. The little goddess trembled, hugging the Scribe's side, burying her face into his clothes. "Something happened... This is... Too much power in the air." She mumbled. "Did the Fatui-"
"The Fatui won't be a bother anymore."
Before the 2, Kaveh appeared. The deity smiled as his feet still didn't touch the ground, floating just a bit above it, approaching the 2. His shadow swept on the floor, as all the other beings in the room fell to the ground, their energy taken and gathered into the hold of his insect limbs. "Kaveh... What have you done?!" Alhaitham couldn't help but gasp, instinctively making a few steps back out of fear.
"I was naive..." The deity spoke, with an uncanny smile, his mandibula twitching as he ate the gathered energy, and yet, this time he shrunk to the size of the scribe, still bigger than a normal human tho. "But... At the same time, it all wouldn't have happened if you specifically didn't take the 2 most powerful jewels from the box. I was thus reborn..." He mused. The blonde's eyes looked all in different directions, before all fixing onto the silver haired man. His limbs stretched wide, stabbing mercilessly into the soldiers, throwing them as far away as possible from their trio, before unfurling to their whole span, like oddly articulated roots, made out of insect limbs.
"I am a primordial deity, just like you. And the god of all of our kin that was, is and will be, unlike you."
Alhaitham warily approached the other, hesitantly stretching his hand so he would cup the latter's head in it. Kaveh closed all of his eyes, leaning into it. "My precious butterfly." The deity purred, carefully grabbing Alhaitham into his hold. "I'm so sorry for this outcome... It seems like our wedding... Will have to be reconsidered." The blonde mumbled, taking the latter's hand in his, kissing the back of it.
"Don't be... The transformation went through flawlessly... You were more than suitable for this power." The Scribe mused, smiling as he kissed the lips of the latter. The blonde hummed, opening his eyes as his mandibula stretched wide, hugging the latter's face gently. Once they parted, Kaveh's eyes fell onto Nahida. He gently held the little goddess in her palm. 'I will keep you safe. None will ever harm you again on my watch.' He spoke in the girl's mind, before stretching his hand.
'This, is my gift for you, my dear Archon."
Kaveh snapped his fingers.
Fwosh!
A bright light swallowed everything. When Alhaitham opened his eyes, he found himself sitting at the grand Sage's desk. Gone were his wings, his monstrous appearance. Instead, he still felt his own power, all gathered in his chest, in the green gem etched into his skin.
And yet, it felt different. More aggressive, bigger than he was used to. As if it was something he was yet to process. Something he didn't get used to yet.
"Ah! Acting grand sage! You're here still! What a relief."
The former Scribe perked towards an Akademiya staff, who came with a document. "The Amurta darshan just proposed a new big project and would like your approval for funds." The man hurriedly said.
Acting grand sage? Just what was going on here?!
'You are a hero of Sumeru, my dear.'
Alhaitham paused, hearing the same divine voice in his head. He carefully took the documents. "Tomorrow you'll get a result. Now leave." He ordered and the man hurriedly left, now having Alhaitham alone in the office.
'Why are you confused- oh! I forgot to give you your new memories! Recreating the reality is hard. Cut me some slack, will you?'
"You... Rewrote the reality... You changed everything." The Scribe whispered.
'The world would've gone mad for the miraculouses if they knew. They had to be gone one way or another. Especially after my rebirth. After I took their life force to fully evolve, some people surely wanted to be able to have the same ability. But I couldn't just delete concepts without the consequences. So I did the next best thing.' The voice mused into his ear.
Alhaitham warily touched his chest. The gem reacted with a pulse of power, unknown to him, yet still familiar.
'Only you and our sweetheart, will remember the truth. It's... The best outcome I could come up with...'
Suddenly, new memories flooded Alhaitham's mind. Scenes of a past that never happened, replacing everything from the moment he got the butterfly brooch altogether. How he researched forbidden knowledge, how he organised a coup, how he overthrew the sages and freed Nahida. All alongside the infamous outlander and other Sumeru figures.
In none of them did Kaveh appear, even once.
Alhaitham clocked out early that day. He stood a bit in the House of Daena, searching for books on miraculouses. He did find one, which had quite the different story from what he remembered. The book stated that, during the cataclysm, the heavenly principles sacrificed the miraculouses, so that balance could gradually return and alleviate the mass tragedy. He even went to the restricted art section, yet no box was there. Instead, on the piedestal, a little wind up box was sitting, now broken, yet clearly there for the impressive craftsmanship and design.
The jewels were declared as gone forever.
Returning to the house of Daena, Alhaitham wanted to leave, yet fate seemed to be against him today. Paimon and the traveler stopped him, handing him an invitation on Nilou's behalf.
"A party?" The former Scribe raised a brow. "Yes! Nilou wants to throw a feast for all who participated in the coup to celebrate Cyno's reinstalling as general mahamatra. Will you join? Please!" Paimon happily asked. "I-"
"So I guess our dinner plans are cancelled?"
Alhaitham felt like he was struck by divine light itself.
Towards them, walked none other than Kaveh, as a simple human. His blond hair was certainly longer, pinned nicely with flowers at the top, the rest flowing down like a mane of sunlight. His cheeks were rosy, gently sunkissed, with a hint of faded freckles jeweling his skin. His lips were a beautiful warm pink, clearly done with some lipstick or gloss, shining slightly in the dim lights of the library. His jewelry shimmered, as his eyes seemed to beam at the sight of the silver haired man.
Alhaitham could swear he almost saw a few extra eyes on his fiancé's upper face, yet they were gone in a blink.
"Uh? Who are you?" Paimon tilted her head. "Me? Oh! You must be my fiancé's friends! Where are my manners?!" The blonde puffed, before he dragged his voice.
"I am Kaveh. I am an independent architect. Unfortunately I was out on a big commission in the desert. Imagine my surprise when I returned and found out this doofus became grand Sage overnight!" He gestured towards the man in question, before shaking his head.
"He did write to me a letter about meeting an outlander and their fairy companion in Port Ormos. How was your task, dear?" The architect addressed Alhaitham with that gentle smile, that made the latter unable to even swallow. "It went well... And it's acting grand Sage." He stammered, his ears burning, spreading their redness towards his cheeks as well.
"You don't look so good... One pretty guy is all it takes and you're a stuttering mess." Paimon noted. Kaveh gave a light giggle. "I appreciate the compliment, but I believe he's just a bit overwhelmed. He just needs some time to ruminate his thoughts." The architect smiled at the 2, before towards Alhaitham.
Taking a quick breath, the acting grand Sage was back to his usual stone-face attitude. "Then, may I ask, where were you when Sumeru needed you the most, light of Kshahrewar?" He teased. Kaveh's attitude immediately took a 180 as he became red in the face. "Oh you-" he bit his own tongue, less he would cuss in front of Paimon.
"If you are wondering, no, our date plans aren't cancelled." Alhaitham dragged his voice. "I won't be going to the celebration, since I already made plans in advance and it would be a hassle to cancel on all the preparations." He said with a knowing smirk. Kaveh pressed his lips thin, before a smile stretched again on his face, a bit forced this time.
"You and your hyper specific plans." The architect let out a small giggle. "We'll see each other at home then." He shrugged.
"Let's walk together. I finished my shift." The silver haired man insisted, leaving swiftly with the latter out of the library.
"Hey! He just left us in the dust!" Paimon grumbled. "Seems like the feast will have one extra portion." The traveler shrugged.
Back home, Alhaitham stepped in last, closing and locking the door behind himself. Kaveh remained idle, looking with much softer eyes towards the Scribe.
SNAP!
From the architect's back, his sharp limbs emerged again, turning slowly back into the deity Alhaitham saw before. "I didn't know which concepts I fused at first... But it seems I found out." He smiled weakly, not daring to look towards the scribe, instead floating idly, hugging himself with a sorrowful hum.
"Behold... The arbiter of reality... Vessel of creation and destruction." He mournfully presented, closing his eyes.
Alhaitham warily stepped towards the latter. The more he closed the distance, the more he felt his body shift. He felt again the weight of what used to be his wings, his horns, his 2nd pair of arms, the heightened senses, all returning to him and yet, they were more powerful than before. His clothes were replaced by something else, more sleek, an unknown material, yet comfortable.
By the time he reached his fiancé, Alhaitham was fully changed as well.
"You gave me exactly what I didn't want." The silver haired man mused, holding Kaveh's hand gently. The blonde creaked a few eyes open, looking curiously towards the latter. "Arbiter of reality, and yet you, with your own will, created an even worse fusion for me. Why, Kaveh?" He asked, feeling the confined power inside him finally spread properly through his body.
And yet, all of it was muted by Kaveh's presence alone.
"For something to exist, another thing must disappear. I wanted to erase the miraculouses, to prevent anyone like the doctor from getting their hands on them. Therefore, I had to force a vessel to withstand them all." The blonde mumbled.
"Then... Why did you erase your feats in saving Nahida from the people's memory? Why did you rewrite that narrative?"
Kaveh gave a weak smile. "People shouldn't know... I... Feel weak... Rewriting the reality is exhausting... If people knew... No doubt the Fatui would've tried to profit off of it. A supreme lifeform was created... It would drive them to try and recreate this... Which is impossible and only brings out further calamity." He mused, closing his eyes again, gently guiding the latter to the bedroom.
Alhaitham quietly hugged the blonde, letting the white insect limbs to flare. "Rest now... We will have a long day tomorrow..." He cooed, watching how the limbs all fell gently, curling around the blond like a sort of armour line over his body. Careful for the horns, Alhaitham engulfed both of them under his wings's covering, smiling weakly as he felt the other deity curl up better in his embrace, the limbs starting to curl around his body as well, tracing his hips, his shoulders, his arms and stomach.
"No matter how much you will try to close me from the rest of the world, one day I will have to step in. One day, people will know the truth behind my human form. They will be afraid... Will you fear me as well?" Kaveh asked.
"I will be your most devout follower." Alhaitham answered without missing a beat. The latter smiled weakly, pecking the silver haired man's lips.
"It's missing something tho..." Kaveh creaked his eyes open, wiggling to make some more space in between them.
Fsh!
Nahida blinked in surprise, now brought in between the 2 deities. "Much better, the blonde gently stretched his hand towards the tiny goddess, who carefully hugged it. "Kaveh..." She mournfully said, welcomed in the latter's embrace.
"None will harm you now, my sweetheart, for the world itself will be shaped to prevent it." Kaveh whispered, Alhaitham humming. "We'll figure it out together... But not now. Now it is late." Alhaitham insisted. The goddess didn't protest, simply snuggling in between the 2.
"This new reality... We lose the gnosis... But now... I have knowledge about Teyvat itself that even Irminsul didn't record." She contemplated. "I know it's upsetting, but you are strong enough on your own, Nahida... We are here too, to serve you to our best of capabilities." The arbiter mumbled.
Nahida gave a small nod, burying her head into Kaveh's chest. She heard no heartbeat, no pulse, instead it was only a hollow silence, so strong that even her own thoughts were drowned in it. She closed her eyes, letting herself peacefully fall asleep under the embrace of the 2 deities, who followed suit as well.
They will rest for now... Their simple lives will continue once this nap is over after all.