Chapter Text
It was finally over.
The Sages' tyrannical reign has came to an end. Lesser Lord Kusanali is freed and has taken back control over the Akademiya. The Doctor has been disposed of. Eleazar is gone. Irminsul has been cured.
Sumeru is saved.
And yet, there was still so much to do.
The Akademiya needs to appoint new Sages for the Darshans. Withering Zones are still present. Gandharva Ville needs to be repaired.
Collei hated that she couldn't do anything to help. She couldn't blame anyone but herself for that. She accidentally strained her wound while escorting Tighnari out of the Akademiya, and Dehya was the only reason why they weren't discovered.
She was then sent to Bimarstan to get treatment, and was put on bedrest for the next few weeks or so. She was useless for weeks.
It didn't sit right with her to lie on a bed while everyone else was trying to rebuild Sumeru from the ground up.
At least she was allowed to have visitors to keep her updated on certain things.
"I swear, if you don't lie back down I'll get the people in charge to give you sedatives everyday until you've recovered." Tighnari had a disapproving look on his face. Sometimes she wondered if their roles had reversed throughout the years.
"Alright, alright." Collei obliged, lying back into the many pillows propped up against the bed. Apparently that was Cyno and Nilou's idea. "I'm fine though."
"The medical staff told me otherwise." Tighnari had his arms crossed, a loud sigh leaving his lips. Collei couldn't help but wince at his wording of the people experienced in the field of medicine.
"You're awfully chatty today." Collei said, one of her brows raided. "Did you take an extra dose of the medicine?" She didn't realize how dumb she sounded until she blurted that out. Gandharva Ville was attacked and many of their homes - hers and Tighnari's included - were destroyed in the crossfire. Any medicine that was stored there has likely been apart of the collateral damage.
"Basically. Cyno had some stashed away in his home." Tighnari said, dismissing all of her worries in one go. She breathed out a sigh of relief.
Cyno decided to let Tighnari stay at his house until the village can be repaired. It wasn't the best idea, since it was located in Sumeru City and it was often bustling with energy, but the latter agreed despite the potential repercussions of doing so.
"Good." Collei said. "Are you okay? It hasn't been easy for you, has it?" During these years, milestones and regressions had been made in Tighnari's recovery. And these past few days had definitely made its mark in impeding his progress to a truly happy life.
Tighnari tensed. "I'm fine." He forced the words through his clenched teeth.
Collei narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms and resting them on top of her bandaged stomach. "You're not. I can tell." She was never great when it came to emotions and feelings, but as the years went by, being Tighnari's mentor, it gave her some experience in spotting specific tells in someone's body language, helping in her social skills.
"I'm fine." It was more forceful this time.
"As your mentor, I order you to stop lying at once."
Tighnari's expression morphed into shock, and even she made a face that would've been considered as comical at first glance. She never pulled that card once, even during their heated moments. Asserting any kind of authority over her student made her feel awful, and so she avoided bringing up their mentor-mentee relationship if the opportunity arises.
Collei sat there with a dumbfounded look, her mouth hanging open as if she couldn't believe what she had just said, and that was true.
A few moments passed, and she was about to say something when Tighnari beat her to it.
"... you're right." She only now realized that his ears had lowered. It was such an uncharacteristic act that it made her do a double take of sorts. "I'm not fine."
"Why were you trying to hide it?" Collei couldn't help but feel a little hurt by this. Unsurprised, but hurtful nonetheless. They spent years building up trust and a support system together.
She pushed her feelings down. Why is she the one to feel hurt when there was someone who needed her support?
"Look, I just didn't want you to be worried. I mean, you got hit by lightning for Lesser Lord Kusanali's sake!" Tighnari sighed, looking at her straight in the eyes. "And you still insisted on rescuing me?" There was something in his tone, something that was akin to relief.
"I got hurt by far worse things." Collei shrugged, like it was normal for her. And it sort of was. She was used to getting injured in various ways due to her clumsiness. Like the time she fell off of a tree she climbed when she was seven years old and got a broken arm and leg. "And besides, it's my duty as your mentor to protect you, not just teach you. And...I didn't do a good job in that."
If she was honest, she never thought she ever did a good job being a mentor. She was never meant to be a teacher, only a student. Many would agree.
The amount of mistakes she made, small and big, were far too many for her to recount.
She had tried to get someone more capable to handle it. Cyno, Madam Faruzan, hell even her parents would be able to do it better than her. But they all said the same thing.
She was the best candidate.
"What do you mean?" Tighnari was confused, and maybe even a little surprised. "You're someone I look up to."
"W...what?"
"You did so much for me, I can't seem to keep track of it all. You let me hold Cuilein Anbar at night, you taught so many things about Sumeru that I never known...you helped me cope with my hearing." A smile — a smile that looked so, so pure — came up to his face. "It was like you were the sister I never had."
Collei was speechless. She was sure she had the dumbest look on her face, but she didn't care.
She also didn't realize she was crying until the first sob came from her throat.
"Collei?"
"...and you're the like the brother I never had."
-
The Akademiya was a place he didn't want to be in.
For one, it was packed with students, an unsuitable environment for him due to his hearing. Secondly, based on Collei's experience, it was almost impossible to get some quality rest, something he valued a lot. And finally, he was almost experimented on within its walls.
So it's safe to say that if he had a choice, he wouldn't go near the Akademiya.
But there was something he wanted to do that requires him to be here. The person he wanted to see is likely to be around.
After asking a student about his current whereabouts, Tighnari went to the House of Daena to find the Scribe.
"Are you Alhaitham?"
Alhaitham didn't bother to look at him, focused on the document he has in his hands. "I am. You must be Tighnari then."
"That I am." Tighnari wanted to ask how he managed to get his name, but decided that it wouldn't be necessary to learn that for now. "I want to thank you for your help."
"I don't think I deserve the thank you. I wasn't present for your rescue nor did I participate in it."
"But you managed to include a part in the plan to save me. I don't know what would happen to me if you didn't."
"It was only natural I would modify the original plan for you. You became a victim in the Sages' project. While saving Lesser Lord Kusanali was a priority, it was foolish for the Sages to turn to you." Alhaitham said. A glint was seen in his eyes, and he swore he saw something resembling a smile on the Scribe's face.
"Do you know why they...wanted me?"
"I can only speculate, so take what I say with a grain of salt. The Sages have been uncooperative with questioning according to the Traveler and Cyno, but it could have something to do with the new god they tried to create." Alhaitham responded. "I was informed of your past, and based on that alone, perhaps they wanted test their new god against another. A slightly weaker one perhaps, but it was the remains of a god nonetheless."
The ranger instinctively placed a hand on his chest, as if he could still feel the spirit at the mere mention of it. Its powers were certainly not to be underestimated, having managed to dispatch several Fatui diplomats in one fell swoop, but can it really match with that of a new god that was in the process of creation? If Alhaitham's suspicions were to be true, what would have become of him?
Would he die in the fight? Would he be kept alive for future tests? Would he be turned into a weapon for war?
He shuddered.
"What do you do now?"
"Me? I'm still the Scribe. Alhaitham shrugged. "I'd prefer to keep it this way as well, though the Akademiya has other ideas."
"By that you mean...?"
"They wanted me to be the next Grand Sage."
Tighnari's eyes widened. "What?"
"My thoughts exactly." Alhaitham said. "I refused, because I simply wasn't fit for the role."
"Then...what would the Akademiya do in the meantime?"
"Find new replacements." Alhaitham looked back at his book. "Now, I'd best be off continuing my work. And I presume you have some business to take of?"
Well, he wasn't wrong. There was still some shopping he had to do, his way of paying back Cyno for letting him stay at his house, even though he said it wasn't a huge deal.
Turning around, he left the Akademiya, unaware that Alhaitham's stare was following him the whole way.