Chapter Text
Cyno eyed the card placed down on the table. The astrologer, Mona Magistus, was a rare sight in his corner of Teyvat. There were argumentatively better hydro cards that could be wielded, though he knew the truth behind the statistics, and that card, when played properly, could change the tides on any match.
The next that was placed, he noticed was set down facing his dueling companion rather than himself, which was technically bad form. His eyes glided over the green haired figure he was far too familiar with to look up at his opponent in hopes to understand what was taking place.
The blond alchemist seated across from him seemed perplexed. From what he knew, the man was a genius in all respects, and thusly, the way he searched through the cards he held had the Mahamatra curious as to what the motive could be.
"Ah," Albedo released as he set the stack down on the playing mat and met Cyno's gaze with his cool aquamarine eyes. "It is as I thought."
"This is the wrong deck." He explained with a shallow shake of his head and eyes falling to the space between them. "I hope you do not mind that I change mine."
"It has nothing to do with the cards you have placed, " he continued with a hand moving to gesture at the cards that held the likeliness of Mona and Collei, "but rather the ones I have set down."
"You see, I've been experimenting with compositions based on an equation I've come up with on a theory I'm testing." Albedo stated, "And I believe I have used these enough to find a good conclusion for this particular combination. "
"It's the permutations available by the wide variety I need to consider, and unfortunately, I've found myself hyper focused on this deck in particular."
"I see," Cyno stated cooly, collecting his thoughts on the situation at hand," I'm fine with you swapping them out, just understand that if the next deck you play gives you an upper hand due to knowing which elements I'm running, I will question your motives."
"Understood." Albedo nodded a form of agreement before collecting the cards and adding them to the stack," You will see that is not my objective here, and if you choose not to continue, I would understand completely."
Cyno held his peace as he watched the Chief Alchemist to the Knights of Favonious move to swap decks from his case. The Mondstadt back of the cards made him wonder why such a talented individual would not create his own signature design and hearing his question answered had him going back to study the face of the one who was also known by the pen name Calx.
"You borrowed these cards?" Cyno reiterated with his curiosity taking over, "Could you elaborate?"
"I do not play Genius Invokation." Albedo admitted, "or rather I choose not to."
"I find the calculations to victory too simple at times, and cannot commit to the idea that I may be damaging the spirits of others that do not understand the parameters of random outcomes along with the idea that their actions in relation to those can seal what many see as fate."
"To that end when it is, how can I put this, required of my person to partake in this particular activity, I will call upon these cards here, that have been borrowed from the library of the Knights of Favonious."
"I see." Cyno repeated his understanding, ignoring the redundancy while thinking about the librarian who would hold his fate in her hands if anything were to happen with the cards,"In that case, let us continue."
"As you wish." Albedo said before moving to place down his first active card. "I hope you do not mind that I am using this."
"Of course not," Cyno claimed, looking down at his image cast into the card on the field, "I find that often times I am my most worthy opponent."
"You humor me greatly," Albedo countered as he met Cyno's gaze briefly before moving to place down a second card,"There. I'm ready."
"You're permitted three," Cyno shared, "Do you not want to add another to the field?"
"As permutations go pairs are a separate entity and must be calculated as such," Albedo began, "and I could place another card down, as you claim, but even if I didn't use it, if I lost my first two cards I would be forced to fold to you rather than lose outright."
"Playing them this way, and with the handicap," the alchemist continued, "forces me to find their full potential when played together, and ultimately will show me where their true strengths lie."
"It's agreed then." Cyno said after taking in the explanation and seeing the Diluc card Albedo had set down."Let's duel."
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Days had passed since the match, and Cyno found that while his patrol idled, his mind often wound up back to their match. For his opponent, it wasn't strategy or wit. It was numbers and calculations. It wasn't the luck of the draw, but rather a precise speculation on when to play a certain card and how to react when the unexpected took place.
His curiosity focused on him being paired with Diluc rather than someone else whose enate capabilities meshed better with his own. Meeting the man himself briefly at the Windblume Festival had given him enlightenment to what he had gathered from ideals based on rumors alone.
His conclusion he tucked away to be mulled as he heard his name called. Turning, he found a sight for sore eyes since their fated return to Sumeru, the introverted forest watcher he saw closing the space between them.
He couldn't help recalling the complaints Tighnari had about traveling through the desert. His entire being cried out for the beauty of the flora of their homeland and with how sensitive his counterpart was had him wondering what would compell him to head his way instead of just sending word.
"You're going to get heat stroke, Tighnari." Cyno stated, moving to sweep aside Tighnari's bangs from where they were plastered on his forehead from sweat, "Where's the cloak I got you?"
"There's no time for that, Cyno." Tighnari claimed with a dark look playing at his features, "It's Collei. I don't know what to do."
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"So," Cyno released as Dehya placed a hand on her hip while shifting her weight to her right side, "in that case, what about Dunyazad?"
"She's fine," Dehya answered immediately, "if she wasn't, there'd be no way I'd be here."
"Point taken," Cyno admitted the known about the hired sword at his side, "How is she?"
"She's as stable as she can be," her claim hit the Mahamatra as he glanced to the doorway to, "but with the rate it's progressing, I'm not sure how long she'll remain as such."
"Dehya," Tighnari's voice had a ragged quality Cyno tuned into as he noted obvious fatigue on the approach, "Thank you once again for watching over Collei, I'm sorry to have taken up all of your time."
As Dehya countered and their usual back and forth banter began, Cyno's curiosity rose. After peeking in to see Collei asleep with a pained expression painted on her flushed features, he shook his head.
It didn't add up. The battle had been won. The blight had been vanquished, and yet, there it was creeping over a creature he knew didn't deserve that form of punishment.
Was it possible, he thought, that a strain of Eleazar still existed? Could it be that she encountered something that aggravated it, causing it to manifest once more?
Cyno found himself immobile as his mind ran over the possibilities. He poured over recalled documents he had read and countless conversations he had been a part of where the analysis of the disease itself.
Nothing added up and there was no explanation he could fathom that justified where they stood, and as came to accept that conclusion he began to realize how much time had passed.
With the sky taking on the first hues sunset his mind cleared enough for him to get back into the moment. He found Tighnari curled up as best he could on a cushion set below a window sleeping, the calm, expressionless visage he took in despite the odd angle he rested in
"Hope you don't mind me getting food brought in," Dehya announced, drawing Cyno to turn to see the mercenary carrying a parcel into the abode, "
I'm fine with anything, honestly, " The Mahamatra admitted open heartedly with everything that was going on, "I guess I'll get Tighnari up if you could check on Collei?"
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Having slept off the effects of travel, the forest watcher was back to himself. As Tighnari worked on cooking food for their fallen comrade the others joined him around the hearth, dining on the finger foods that had been unpacked.
Cyno found himself falling silent as the other two fell into small talk about the local specialty they dined on. His thoughts dug back into the little information he had to go on and the impending doom looming over the resting figure in the adjacent room.
He couldn't help to try to find a way to point to himself as the guilty party. With the close ties he had with the Verdant Strider he knew it brought on unwanted attention and could potentially place a beacon on them in a time where he himself could be the target.
"What's eating you?" Dehya asked, causing Cyno to blink rapidly to refocus his eyes. Glancing over he noticed it was just him and the mercenary.. "Tighnari went to see if Collei is able to eat."
"I see." Cyno found it agreeable and moved to sort out what he felt could be shared, "I can't help but to think this is all my doing."
"I don't see how you could think that." Dehya released with a hand lifted to gesture towards him, "With the Akademiya being restructured and the Eremites beginning to be given the respect they deserve,"
"I'd say," she continued with a fire Cyno could perceive in her clear blue eyes, "everyone's too busy with their own business for once, leaving you with little to do."
"I sense that as well," Cyno admitted with what he knew of his work and the usual problems that arose being few and far between, "which makes all the far more confusing. I don't even know where to start."
"Has anything unusual happened recently?" Dehya asked with a shrug of her shoulders, "Even the smallest clue could help."
"There's nothing," Cyno shook his head at the idea that seemed so far out of place, "Except for Albedo of the Knights of Favonious arriving almost a fortnight ago to duel me out of the blue."
"Is he one of your usual rivals?" She asked with a look going into play on her features as if moving to deep thought.
"No." Cyno stated simply. "Not at all, and it was definitely one of the strangest games I've played to this day."
"Maybe that's your clue then." Dehya surmised, "Tell me what happened."
"There's no way that it does." Cyno countered with what he knew was the truth, "but I'll humor you this once in hopes that as I impart this tale my subconscious will come to a valid conclusion."