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Summers are the absolute worst in the desert. The sand is scorching hot, and exerting your energy will lead to nothing but disaster.
That's why Cyno can't help but worry about Collei.
She's a reliable kid for sure, but she does have her clumsy moments. If she runs into something and has to fight, who knows how she'd fare... her health condition doesn't increase her odds by any means.
He tries to ignore the thought. She's probably more cautious than Cyno himself, so there's no way she'd get in trouble. If she saw something, even from miles away, she'd turn and go in the opposite direction, especially since she's alone.
They went out together, assisting Tighnari with finding stuff for research he's conducting. Cyno told Collei to find the materials while he keeps any potential threats away from her. He knows that Collei doesn't like fighting, so if he can keep the attention on himself, then he's more than fine.
Right now, he's distracting some Eremites that were heading in Collei's direction.
"Don't take another step." He warns, bringing out his polearm. The crew ahead of him talk among themselves. "Research is being conducted ahead. Find a way around."
"Aha! What type of research would require the General Mahamatra to guard the vicinity?" The leader smiles, almost crazily.
Cyno clears his throat. "That's none of your concern. Find a way around."
His voice goes low as he repeats himself.
They whisper again, a few laughing quietly. Cyno waits, clearly impatient. Criminals are, well... criminally predictable.
So it doesn't surprise him in the slightest when the leader charges ahead, their weapons clashing. Cyno shoves them back, advancing while they're stunned.
"Disrupting the Akademiya's research-" He says coldly, grunting as he blocks another attack, "Judgement is upon you!"
Not only did this group disrupt the Akademiya's research, (which, technically, they did, because even though Collei isn't in the Akademiya, and neither is Tighnari, he requested their assistance so those nagging scholars would leave him alone), but Cyno can tell from their hyper-hostility that there's some unsaid ulterior motive. Something under the surface. They'll admit what it is once he returns them to the city.
He knows his excuse for being here is irrational, and the Eremites know that too. Cyno's not a mercenary that gets paid to do this sort of thing. But regardless, the distraction is working, so it doesn't matter.
Nausea causes him to stumble, heaving a breath before launching right back at the enemy, barely taking a second to recollect himself.
All he knows is that something hit him, and it hit him hard. So hard that he gasps for air.
Cyno swings his polearm freely, blood smothering his dominant hand. Either way, dominant hand or not, he's going to fight recklessly. It doesn't matter what happens- he will protect Collei.
He shoves a criminal into the sand, huffing with sweat on his face. Only two more until he can find Collei. Make sure she's okay.
Breathing is a menial task. Normally when he recieves an injury this painful, he would retreat, gathering his wits before returning. He can't do that now. Not when Collei is so close.
His heart sinks at the thought of her facing anything remotely similar to this kind of fight.
The first member wasn't troublesome, since their sword was already damaged to begin with. Dots dance in Cyno's vision as a deadly mix of dehydration and blood loss pursue him.
Grasping his polearm, he infuses it with Electro and dashes, attacking the final Eremite from behind, bringing his weapon up to strangle them. But before he can, another voice calls out to him. One that makes his grip falter.
"Dad!!"
"Collei?!"
As he whips his head around in disbelief, the Eremite escapes his grip and kicks him into the sand. Collei screams. Cyno props himself up on his elbows to see her, grunting from the searing hot pain in his wrist. The sand under him feels like fire.
Two Eremites hold her back, one with a crossbow to her head. Cyno yells, mortified at the sight.
"Ha!! Is this what you meant by 'research'?! This kid is nothing but a twig!!"
His face is shoved into the ground as his heart aches.
"Collei, listen to me!!" He gasps, spitting out sand, "Deep breaths! I'm right here!"
He can't see her and that's the worst part. She manages a terrified "uh-huh", sobbing.
He's never been the best at calming her down.
"Well, look at that..." The Eremite pressing his face to the ground leans in closer, smiling at Cyno, "Didn't know the General Mahamatra had a daughter 'til she came hollering. We already had forces near her, general. Didn't take much of a beating for her to oblige."
Cyno bites his tongue painfully hard. One wrong word and one, if not both of them are dead.
They hit her. They hit her, but it's fine. Do not scream. Everything is fine.
The leader releases him, laughing as Cyno tries to focus his eyes on Collei. She's silent, tears streaming down her face with wide eyes, waiting for him to save them from this situation. She has a bruise forming on her jaw, making Cyno's blood boil. He wants to scream.
They hit her.
"Collei, I'm right here. We're gonna be fine."
His voice shakes despite the promise. He takes a deep breath, fixing his attention to the group's leader, eyes still trained on Collei.
"What do you want?"
His tone changes severely as the group's leader chuckles, twirling their weapon in their hands.
"I have a client that payed... well, quite a lot of Mora for your death. Unfortunately, this girl got herself involved, so now it's two lives rather than one. So, nothing, general. I want nothing else."
The true motive. Refusing to take his eyes off Collei, he manages, "Whatever you do, don't kill her. She's only a kid..."
"That's the thing!" They scream, "Kids can't keep their fucking mouths shut! If we let her go, she'll destroy us! Turn us in!"
"You-" He cuts himself off, breathing deeply. "I promise she won't say any-"
"Gah! Enough of this!"
Sensing an attack, Cyno bolts up with a trail of Electro, but the leader grabs him, holding a dagger to his throat. He falls back, gasping. Collei tries to run, but the Eremite to Cyno's left shoves her into the ground, kicking her in the head.
"Collei!"
His scream earns him a hard slice on his collarbone. He shouts, deciding to fight back with the last of his strength. He can hardly breathe.
He doesn't have time to grab his polearm. He punches the leader, tears lining his eyes from both the pain and the threat of Collei- his daughter- leaving him.
Dashing across the sand, he plows into the crossbow wielder. The other retreats to their leader, who sits on the ground, holding their head. As one falls, the other two stand. Cyno stands over the Eremite's body, as well as Collei's.
"Don't you dare move."
His heart pounds, Electro racing through his veins. His senses are foggy. He'd bet that he's glowing. Just a little bit, of course.
"Tch, of course you're the protective type!"
Quicker than he can think, the leader throws their dagger.
Their dagger, right at Collei's head.
Barely moving in time, Cyno darts between the weapon and Collei, Electro crackling in the air around him.
The dagger whizzes faster than he can blink, piercing his stomach.
Instantly, he can see the blood shoot out on impact. He almost falls then and there. The pain doesn't register immediately, shock suffocating him. He just took a knife for Collei. He just saved her life.
It's not like a movie or a story, where the main character continues fighting, even after the blade makes its home inside of the victim. Not like that at all. He doesn't scream from the ache, or run forward to finish them off; he just stares at the blood, his limbs going weak. He looks up, trying to hear what the Eremites are saying. He's stunned.
His head spins as he suddenly feels like he has water inside of him, a salty taste converging on his tongue. He steps back, trying to collect his thoughts and keep his balance at the same time, which is an incredibly difficult thing to do.
Time feels slow and fast at the same time.
Falling to his knees, he covers the injury, propping himself up with his injured hand. His body explodes with pain, almost as if the knife were set on fire before the owner threw it. No pain one second ago, now he feels like he's dying. Because he probably is. A few small zaps shake him... maybe his Vision is reacting to it? He breathes quickly, his sight blurring. Not enough time...
Realization slaps him in the face. He's going to die. He's going to die.
He chokes out a curse, watching blood pour out of him restlessly. He can hear the leader distantly, like they're a mile away, in another room.
"Well, it seems my trick worked, eh? C'mon, let's get out of here. He won't survive in this heat."
And they're gone.
He breathes hard, occasionally turning his head to glance at Collei. To see if she's alive. She can't die, not yet. Not yet...
"No, no-" He sits back, squeezing his eyes shut.
Each inhale feels like he's being stabbed again, or being punched repeatedly. The air feels so humid, and edges of his vision are dark. Panic and ache swallow him whole. Fear.
The situation really starts to dawn on him. Of all the times this could've happened, why did it have to be with Collei? The time that her life was on the line as well?
He lays down next to her, though it's more like a thud, his body sinking into the sand. He yearns for sleep, even though Collei would be entirely doomed. His breaths fall hollowly, the sand reacting like each exhale were a gust of wind.
"Dad..."
Cyno wants to hide. Collei shouldn't have to see this. He can barely see her, even though she's mere inches from his face.
A short squeak escapes her as she sees everything. He exhales shakily as she sits up and rummages through her bag. The truth struck her, knocking all of her lost energy back inside.
"I- I have to have something!!"
His ears ring, her words bouncing in his skull.
"Collei..."
He's never sounded so desperate in his life. He doesn't even know what he's trying to ask for. Is he asking to be saved or left behind? Eyes welling with tears, she pulls something out of her bag. It's a small plushie on a chain.
"Please, please!!!"
He weakly closes his fist around the keychain. He recognizes it. She always holds it when she's anxious. "Amber..?"
"Please, stay..."
Her face is pink as she empties her bag, taking out a cloth and cautiously removing the dagger, tying the tourniquet to cover Cyno's wound, her hands trembling. He winces, squeezing the plushie. Collei sobs an apology, doing more things and using more materials that Cyno can't see. He watches her face, smiling softly.
"I love you, Collei."
"No, no, no, no!!" She wails, "Stay!!"
His throat closes and a tear falls down his cheek, gently splashing the sand.
"I'm going to get you out of here... I-It's what I owe you..."
You don't owe me anything, he thinks. Leave me here, let me sleep with the sand.
She screams. Not a sentence, not a word, just an agonizing scream. The raw sound echoes through the area. His eyes struggle to focus as he feels his blood seeping through the cloth. It's nauseating.
"What's going on?"
Cyno turns his head behind him, towards the sound of the voice. "Who..?"
A spark ignites on his fingers, then flickers out immediately. He really is dying.
He can hardly hear now. His vision is fading in and out. All he can see are dots of... green... and... gray?
"...Scribe?"
He can't hear the response- That is, if there was one in the first place. Al Haitham picks him up like he weighs nothing. After a minute of them walking, Cyno hears him say something faintly.
"Stay awake, Cyno. Don't fall asleep on me, now."
Unlike his usual monotone voice, there's urgency behind it. It brings more confusion to Cyno's head.
"Collei..?"
"She's fine."
Cyno nods, relieved. If this was any other day, he'd never let Al Haitham get this close to him. He'd rather die... which is kind of ironic. And as awful as it is to admit it, he feels safe. He feels that Collei is safe.
"Where are we going..?"
"Tighnari." He says simply.
Cyno should feel nervous for the incoming lecture, but he's not even sure he'll live to receive that earful.
"Come on, Cyno," Al Haitham mutters, "Eyes open... Collei is losing her shit."
Cyno can barely manage a smile. Something about Al Haitham cursing is humorous.
Besides, he didn't even notice his eyes closing. Everything is dark anyway. How could he not want to sleep? Maybe because he's laying in the scribe's arms, but does that really matter when death will find him sooner or later?
He can taste the blood in his mouth.
Cyno holds the keychain to his heart, turning to lean against Al Haitham's chest.
He squints, glancing at his stomach.
He fights to stay awake. Thankfully, they aren't very far into the desert. Caravan Ribat is only a few minutes away. If they went further like they initially planned to, there would've been no way out.
"Relax. I know you don't want to scare her."
He nods. Such simple tasks seem impossible.
More voices. They must be in Caravan Ribat. Loud, chaotic voices. Cyno guesses he's getting quite the amount of attention.
At some point between there and home, the darkness swallows him.
"Come on! Don't..!"
"No..!!"
"Stay!!"
When he wakes up, he's in Tighnari's house, alone in a room. Sitting upright, panic surges through his mind as he tries to recall what happened, Electro dancing on his fingers. How did he get here? Where's Collei?
The light flicks on and Tighnari stands in the doorway. "Don't fret. She's in her room."
"Is she okay?"
He blinks, glaring. "Are you okay?"
Cyno looks down. There's bandages covering his upper chest, his stomach, and his right hand. The stomach's bandage is stained dark red.
"Answer my question," Cyno grumbles.
"Mine first. You're the one in critical condition."
"I'm fine," He huffs, adjusting himself as Tighnari comes closer to change the soaked gauze, "How is she?"
Tighnari considers his words, unpacking some medical supplies. "Physically fine, just a concussion, but mentally... Cyno, that was a majorly traumatic experience for both of you."
"She's already been through so much..."
"So have you," Tighnari states, receiving a shocked look from Cyno.
"But this isn't about me," He breathes.
Tighnari releases Cyno's re-bandaged hand. "You nearly died."
Narrowing his eyes, he responds quietly, "If I didn't take that dagger, she wouldn't have..."
Tighnari sighs and sits on the edge of the bed, listening carefully.
After a long pause, Cyno speaks again. "I couldn't think of anything else in the moment. She was already unconscious. I was able to intercept it, so I did."
"You know, you stopped breathing for a good minute back there."
"...Wait, what..?"
"Al Haitham- Thank Celestia he found you- carried you back to Caravan Ribat. Back to me. You didn't even notice I was there. Not much later..."
"Oh..." He didn't even know. His heart sinks. "Did you guys calm her down?"
Tighnari shakes his head. "One of, if not, the worst panic attack I've ever seen her have."
"How did you..?"
The words 'bring me back' refuse to leave his mouth.
Tighnari shifts uncomfortably. "Dendro has been used in quite a few medical practices in the past, emergency or not, but it's always had unpredictable results. I also had some first aid on me because, well, I'm always worried about Collei getting into something, never thought I'd use it on you..." He chuckles, continuing, "But it all happened so fast. Even Al Haitham was freaking out."
"He was?"
He laughs, "Mhm, he was just sitting there, holding Collei's hand and trying to comfort her."
Cyno tries to imagine it.
"I know. Trust me, if I wasn't the one responsible for your life, I truly would've been amazed by the sight."
The door bursts open, and Collei winces from the noise. Her eyes immediately turn glossy, any words faltering in her throat at the sight of Cyno, the sight of him alive. She runs across the room and crashes into him, sobbing harder than he's ever seen. Even though it hurt, Cyno returns her hug gratefully. Choking on her tears, she holds him like he's going to fly away if she lets go. She tries to speak again, but all that comes out is a strangled cry.
Tighnari sighs, giving Cyno a weak smile.
Cyno slowly exhales with a blank expression. He closes his eyes.
A part of him wishes he was still in the sand.