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Chapter Text

Prelude: AlHaitham (Age 5)

AlHaitham was annoyed. His Grandma had left him with the neighbor for a while when she was called away for an important meeting at the Akademiya yet again. As much as little AlHaitham loved his Grandma, he truly despises days when she had to leave him at the care of their next door neighbor.

Truthfully, AlHaitham doesn't have much problem with the Mrs of the household, but he truly despised the boy she birthed. He was loud, annoyingly slow in the head and loves to torment him in all the small ways a child would always do. You can argue little AlHaitham is also just a little boy fresh from his 5th birthday, but he was indeed more special than other kids his age.

He could talk before he could walk. He picked up languages better than anyone you'll ever meet. His favorite pastime is to read children books - and that was before he picked up the habit of reading the dictionary to understand the words better. When his Grandma realizes how abnormally smart her grandson is, she didn't piled praises on him because for her it was a given.

His parents were both Sumeru's top Akademiya scholars when they were still alive. AlHaitham had been born gifted by the fuse of two genes that were already incredible in one person. His Grandma could only sigh and lamented how his grandson would definitely end up pursuing the same path as his parents. Therefore, she encouraged him more by gifting AlHaitham the library his father had left behind.

That was the first time she had seen AlHaitham acting like a little boy his age, smiling and hugging her with bright eyes. He had been enthralled by the rows and rows of books in that library and spent most of his days indoors. But his Grandma was worried about his lack of the same age friends.

She knew she needed to intervene sooner or later to help AlHaitham branch out. He needs to befriend the kids in his neighborhood to develop social skills. She was worried his growth would stagnate if he spent most of his days alone. If AlHaitham had his way, he would never volunteer to meet up with other kids just to socialize.

Therefore, AlHaitham's Grandma started to leave him with the neighbor whenever she had to be away in hopes her little grandson could develop a small friendship. The days he spent there really tormented AlHaitham that he started to lash out in anger towards the other boy. His rebellion had started small, by using his words to hurt the boy.

But small children are resilient, the boy kept bouncing back to AlHaitham once his anger had subsided. AlHaitham didn't want to resort to physically pushing the boy away, so when the boy had pointed and wanted to play with his toys, AlHaitham had made a split second decision. He wordlessly breaks his toy with his own hands.

He watched the child that has been pushing him to share his beloved toy gape widely at him before subsequently breakdown crying in front of him.

'It's not his even his! It's mine!' He scoffed as he watched the boy's mother trying to console him. All the while, AlHaitham sat unrepentant of his actions and watched the scene distastefully.

That incident however had alarmed his Grandma. She sat him down after dinner and carefully asked why he had broken his toys.

"You could have just shared, Hayi" she said, carefully watching his reaction.

"But it's mine! I don't want him to touch it" AlHaitham said, full of venom in his words.

"Surely, sharing is better than having a broken toy at the end?" She tried to reason with him.

"I don't mind my toys being broken as long as nobody touches what's mine" he replied, truly unrepentant of his actions.

She stared at her grandson, looking at him closely, realizing this is not a normal behavior amongst children his age. She knew her grandson is exceptional in every way, it wasn't a stretch that geniuses have eccentric personalities. But somehow, deep down inside she had the feeling that if she left him to his own devices, somewhere along the way her grandson would do something irrecoverable in his life.

Her heart squeezes in pain at the thought. No, she will help him realize the right and wrong in the world. If AlHaitham doesn't have a built in moral compass, she will be his compass. She will teach him slowly until he can function well enough without her guidance. Maybe he isn't hopeless because she knew AlHaitham certainly loves her somewhere in that small heart of his.

But she wonders, what kind of love he had for her? Is it on the same level of his love for his things? She needs to know to gauge his depth.

"Do you love me, Hayi?" She asked with a small smile.

AlHaitham looks at her in confusion. He couldn't understand why his Grandma had suddenly asked that out of the blue.

"Of course!" He replied without any hesitation.

"Then am I like your toys? If someone takes me away from you, will you break me so that no one can take me away?"

AlHaitham was stumped. That was the first question he had to think deeply in his little life. In his mind, he tried to come up with a solution to this complex problem.

"I won't. You're different from my toys. If I break you, you won't be the same anymore" he answered after a long silence.

His Grandma let out a sigh of relief. She was truly grateful that her grandson is redeemable. He is just a little child who operates on logic alone. She just needs to instill the sense of empathy in him.

Little did she know, AlHaitham didn't reply to her with his complete answer. Yes, he wouldn't hurt his Grandma because she is his person. But it doesn't mean that he wouldn't tackle the problem in another way.

In his mind's eye, he had already plotted a hundred ways to keep his Grandma with him. And if that includes hurting someone else who isn't in his little circle of precious people then so be it.

Chapter Text

AlHaitham (Age 10) 

Ever since that altercation with his neighbor, little AlHaitham noticed his Grandma has started to treat him a bit differently. It was subtle at first. Nudging him to read books she recommended. Asking him to summarize his thoughts regarding the book after he'd concluded his reading session. Having small discussions and adding her own thoughts to enrich AlHaitham's understanding. Generally, a time well spent with his beloved Grandma if you ask him. 

But he knew something changed in their dynamic ever since that fateful day. It was as if his Grandma was on a mission to instill certain values within him. Little AlHaitham who still hadn't had much experience in life couldn't fathom what exactly had prompted this change. He could however deduce that he might have done or said something wrong that day. 

That's the only logical conclusion he can come up with. If not, why would his Grandma suddenly have an interest in topics regarding Human Relations? AlHaitham feels that she is picking apart his mind, analyzing it carefully before putting it back together in a frame that would be approved by society. That's when he realized his thought process might not be so common after all.

His Grandma was trying to mould him to fit the societal standards that only she could understand. AlHaitham starts to wonder if she somehow saw something lacking in him.

He might be young, but AlHaitham has always been perceptive. He would never take it to heart as all he saw was his Grandma acting out of love for him. She was trying to carve a path for his future. He could never fault her for that. Hence, he slowly starts to pick up cues on how to act in ways that she would approve. 

It doesn't mean his own core had changed per se, rather his mind had become more calculative. 

Little AlHaitham used to feel as if his small body held a certain beast within.

The beast is very territorial and would lash out at anyone who dared to be too close to his territory. This meant that AlHaitham would easily be consumed with emotions if something displeased him and would act out in anger blatantly, unrepentant of the repercussions that may befall him. His mind analyzed that it might be one of the key reasons that prompted his Grandma's change.

Therefore, he reel in his emotions and locked it up within himself. He could feel that beast prowling in the cage of self imprisonment, waiting to be let out but he held onto the beast's leash tightly. 

Ever since then, AlHaitham could see improvement in his own thought process. It's as if his mind regains clarity after living within a fog all his life. Without strong emotions clouding his mind, he can now rationalize better. 

He can now see the error of his ways. No, he still wouldn't share what is rightfully his. He however should have dealt with the boy next door using a better strategy. Like for instance, tricking the boy into asking his own mother to buy a new toy for him. That would have given AlHaitham some space as the boy would hound his mother instead. 

It truly was an oversight to let his anger control him. He perhaps might not understand the values his Grandma is wholeheartedly advocating, but he can now see their appeal. 

AlHaitham realizes he's better at twisting his words to suit his needs. Using language as a tool to nudge people towards the outcome he desired might not be so bad after all. Archon forbid, it's better than having to politely socialize with kids his age and actually meant it. He will never change his core personality.

Why would he change to fit in society? 

No, his Grandma might have the right idea but AlHaitham will approach this life she'd carve up for him in a different way. He won't turn into a social pariah as she feared, but he wasn't going to be the social butterfly either. He would just treat every interaction as a business transaction, impersonal but beneficial for him. 

For AlHaitham, it's a waste of time to actually build a relationship with other people through emotional bonds. He'd seen self proclaimed friends who would betray each other if the need arises. So why would he waste on something so intangible? That's like putting his life in other people's hands based on the concept of trust - which can be bought with the right amount of mora. 

Don't get him wrong, he doesn't begrudge or look down on people who strive for deeper relationships. In fact, sometimes, great outcomes does come out from having great friends or close acquaintances. It was not in his interests personally, nothing else. 

With that in mind, AlHaitham never truly managed to connect with people other than his Grandma. It worries her to see her grandson being so set in his ways. She could foresee him being alone all his life if he wouldn't let anyone into his heart.

In a last ditch effort, she started her plans to enroll him into the Akademiya.

Chapter Text

Haravatat: AlHaitham (Age 14) 

On a bright sunny day, just weeks before AlHaitham officially enrolled into the Akademiya, his Grandma passed in her sleep. Never to be awaken again. 

AlHaitham had always been a boy of logic and reason. He understood the natural cycle of life and death, the inevitability of the passing of time, and the fleeting nature of human existence. Yet, when his beloved Grandma passed away, he found himself struggling with a grief that he had never experienced before.

His Grandma had been the only person in this world who had ever cared for him. She had been the one to comfort him when he was sad, to celebrate with him when he was happy, and to believe in him when no one else did. Now, she was gone, leaving behind an emptiness that AlHaitham had never known before.

Despite his understanding of the natural order of things, AlHaitham found himself questioning the point of it all. What was the point of striving for greatness, of accumulating wealth and power, if it all ended in death? What was the point of living if everyone he cared for would eventually leave him behind?

He tried to bury himself in his books, to distract himself with the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, but the grief remained a constant presence, gnawing at his soul. In the quiet moments, when he was alone with his thoughts, he found himself crying for his Grandma, for the love that they had shared, and for the future that would never be.

He knew that he had to find a way to move on, to accept the natural cycle of life and death, but it was easier said than done. For now, all he could do was hold on to the memories of his Grandma, the only person who had ever truly cared for him, and try to find a way to honor her legacy in his own way.

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To nobody’s surprise, AlHaitham enrolled into Haravatat, the Darshan renowned for their study of semiotics and having the lowest enrollment numbers. Not that AlHaitham was trying to be different, but his thirst for linguistic knowledge had in the end won him over.

At first, he gained a lot of attention for being the youngest in his year. His perfect enrollment scores had gained him a lot of envy and respect in equal measure. Thankfully, the Akademiya didn’t lack these types of geniuses. His popularity slowly decreases as people lose interest in him and he slowly recedes to the background of their mind. 

For AlHaitham, this was the best outcome. He had no will to socialize with his fellow students. He still spends his days indoors reading. The only difference now is that he sometimes found himself reading in the House of Daena (Akademiya’s Library) rather than the comfort of his dorms.

And why might you ask? Simple. Information gathering. 

AlHaitham might be spending most of his time reading, but little did people realize he is observant to his surroundings. He knew just where to sit to gather intel that he could use to his benefit. He knew enough dirt to blackmail his supervising professor if he ever needed it. He knew what made other people tick.    

As baffling as it may sound, AlHaitham is excellent at understanding the human psyche. It might be due to the fact that he spends most of his time observing rather than participating. If his Grandma was still alive, she would argue that this means that his ability to empathize is higher than others in his age group.  He should be able to show more kindness, to truly understand people’s hardships.

But AlHaitham digress, the more he understood how these people operated, the more he didn't want anything to do with them. 

That all changed however when he met Kaveh. His senior in the Akademiya who he met only by a fated chance. 

There’s no denying that AlHaitham had heard about this Light of Kshahrewar. He was said to be a genius and more. AlHaitham never truly took it to heart. For as long as he remembers, every time he met these so-called geniuses, they always fell short of his expectations. So he truly didn't have any interest in Kaveh until his 3rd year in the Akademiya.  

The Kshahrewar Darshan was hosting a public showcase of their student’s projects. AlHaitham wasn't interested, he simply had the misfortune of meeting with his overly sociable classmate who had dragged him along for extra credit hours. Thus he had no other choice than to walk around looking at the prototype blueprints and buildings the best and brightest of Kshahrewar had to offer.

Nothing caught his eye until he saw an extravagant looking Palace. It was ridiculously huge, completely overshadowing the rest of the prototypes near it.

He stops to read the brief info provided on the projection, just to see what type of building it was and couldn't stop himself from snorting loudly in disbelief. It's a building for the elderly, like a forever home for them to spend the rest of their days living comfortably amongst people of the same predicament. Even the tagline was senselessly foolish.

 "Never alone again."

What? Does this person who made this contraption think it is loneliness that kills the elderly? Surely whoever made this had never even interacted with one before, much less ever lived with one enough to know the impracticality of this humongous building.

AlHaitham couldn't believe how such an idiotic idea had even been approved in the first place. Truly, a bunch of fungi mimicking human intellect. 

He was startled out of his musings  when out of nowhere, an arm slings around his shoulder before the scent of Padisarah assaulted his senses.

"Hey! I heard that! What do you have against my work to look at it with such contempt? I've been receiving praise all day long. My ears are about to fall off! But look at what I have here, ey? A junior that's clearly mocking my work! What do you have to say for yourself?" A loud voice boomed beside his ear. 

The stranger that'd bodily assaulted AlHaitham was a teenager that was slightly taller than himself. With sunshine hair with an equally sunshine smile. Carmine coloured eyes that were somehow more animated than his speech pattern.  Everything about this person screams LOUD to AlHaitham. He somehow embodies the sun and AlHaitham, a being that had been shrouded in shadows, couldn't stand this kind of person. 

Sure, AlHaitham can admit in the recesses of his mind that this person is attractive, beautiful even but he is too bright for his taste.

Distasteful, AlHaitham shrugs off the arms around his shoulder rather rudely before answering the senior: "Is your ego so big that you can't receive a single criticism? Surely you don't think your work is perfect? Nothing in this world is ever perfect. There's always some things that can be improved on. Human civilization thrives with more experimentation after all." He replied blandly, and was ready to take his leave. He doesn't want to spend a single minute more arguing with this senior. 

The senior let out a whistle as if impressed by him. "Damn, look at this upstart. You little shit, you must be from Haravatat aren't you? You people always look down on us the most. Hey word of advice, you better tone down that snobbish way of talking. Sooner or later your pretty little face will be smashed up if you end up messing with the wrong crowd."

AlHaitham just stared blankly, too lazy to even reply. He didn't need a stranger's advice, much less this senior. His interest in this senior was rapidly fading like a candle that's about to be snuffed out. He concluded, his face might be appealing but his personality was nothing to be desired about. He had enough of this short interaction. He hastily turned around to leave the scene. 

"Hey kid! Wait up, I'm not finished!"

"Whether you're finished or not doesn't concern me." AlHaitham snapped, now truly annoyed. 

"Damn it, just wait! I didn't mean to nag you or anything! I'm truly curious about what you think of my work! You're the only person I've met today that's actually critical of it. Most  just praise the design which I know is incredible in itself - I made it of course there's nothing wrong with the design - I spent all my Akademiya days building this baby from ground up…"

AlHaitham sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "Your point being? If you want my input, get straight to the point." 

"Oh yeah, sorry. Anyway, what I meant is what do you find so lacking that you actually laughed  - mockingly if I may add - at my masterpiece? Come on, let's hear it." The senior goaded him, all the while smirking challengingly. 

“What’s your goal?” AlHaitham asks. 

The senior blinks, didn't expect AlHaitham to ask that. "Didn't you read the purpose of my research? The elderly people of Sumeru deserve to live in comfort and luxury, and this palace would provide that for them." 

AlHaitham rolled his eyes. "Typical Kshahrewar, always dreaming big and impractical."

The senior scowled. "What's wrong with dreaming big? Not everyone wants to be content with mediocrity."

"There's a difference between dreaming big and being unrealistic," AlHaitham retorted. "You're not even thinking about the practicalities of your idea. How are you going to fund it? Who's going to maintain it? And how will the elderly afford to live there?"

The senior huffed. "I'll have you know that I've thought this through. I have a plan for funding and maintenance."

AlHaitham snorted. "Oh, I'm sure your plan is foolproof.But I don't think it's practical.

The senior frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Your idea is as practical as cooking Tandoori Roast Chicken without using fire," AlHaitham retorted.

“Even if you get a sponsor, how would you ensure that the palace is sustainable in the long run? You would need a lot of resources and manpower to maintain it. I don't think that's feasible either.”

The senior huffed. "I hadn't thought of those things yet, but I'm sure I could figure it out."

AlHaitham shook his head. "You're so quick to jump into things without considering the consequences. It's no wonder your idea has no…substance."

The senior bristled. "My idea has plenty of substance, thank you very much. I just need to refine them a bit."

"Or maybe you should stick to your actual mission, which is to make the elderly's lives easier, not more complicated," AlHaitham snapped.

“And that tagline? Never feel alone? Might as well change it while you still can” AlHaitham added. 

“Hey, that had nothing to do with all this practicality nonsense. I’ll let you know, before I build that prototype, I approached several elderly people I know for my research." 

"How come you came up with this idea then?" 

"Simple, I asked them if they could spend the rest of their remaining days amongst their friends would they be happy? Less lonely? All of them agreed that would be truly a wonderful idea. They don't have children and some who have are too busy to visit them daily. So having companions during their sunset years is a blessing." 

"Then why did you build such a humongous Palace?" AlHaitham asks again. 

"Well, I figured the more friends they had the better. Also isn't it a great idea to have spare rooms in case their children came over for a visit? They could stay for a few days before going back." The senior answered mulling over his idea. 

"I can say that your cause is Noble, but you lose sight of your true goal in the middle of building that monstrosity. There are many things that I can point out but I don't have any more time to waste on you. So I'll say this, your palace might be beautiful but it's truly useless. If you can't see that, then you're simply blinded by your own ideals. Especially in the case of elderly people who can't even walk far without catching their breath. How do you expect them to navigate around your Palace? Going to the living area from their bedroom alone takes a toll on them, much less spending time with so-called friends that could amount to hundreds. That's no better than herding them into unfamiliar places and living with strangers all around." AlHaitham said at length.

The senior was completely gobsmacked. It was as if he truly didn't realize how foolish his design was until AlHaitham smacked it across his face. It's true, the Kshahrewar's main pursuit was to build beautiful buildings. But it's different for him. He wanted to give back to society. His building should not just be beautiful, it should have functionality. He spent days marveling over his blueprints, trying to create a masterpiece of a place that he forgot who he'd build it for. It was truly an oversight on his behalf. 

AlHaitham was ready for any abusive remark he might receive from the senior, not that he cared. That's just how most of his interactions with people end. Most people couldn't stand his brand of logical truth; they lashed out spectacularly. AlHaitham being a person who operates on full logic doesn't have the mind to care enough to speak in polite words and tones. He will throw a straight ball and if the receiver couldn't take it, that wasn't his problem. 

However, today truly was riddled with a lot of unexpected events. Nothing goes according to his expectations. Rather than abusive words, peals of laughter were heard instead. 

Wide eyed, AlHaitham watched as the senior threw his head back and laughed so hard his face turned red. The backdrop of the setting sun against this sight stunned him greatly. For the first time in his life, his heart skipped a beat watching a beauty unravel in front of his eyes. He was spellbound by Kaveh's ethereal beauty, and the way he seemed to glow like the sun. AlHaitham found himself mesmerized by Kaveh's flowing blonde hair, which cascaded down his back like a waterfall of liquid gold. His carmine eyes were like two precious jewels that sparkled with humour that AlHaitham couldn't even begin to fathom.

AlHaitham was speechless, it was a first for someone to laugh - not mockingly - at what he said. 

"I got schooled by a kid!" The senior guffawed. He indeed thought it was hilarious to be corrected by a junior. Nobody had seen the problem in his work, even his supervising professor hadn't pointed out this obvious flaw. However, this kid who'd seen his work for less than 1 minute had so effortlessly concluded that his mission statement and subsequent masterpiece doesn't align. Not even one bit. This kid is truly something else. 

AlHaitham scowls. "You're not much older than I." 

"Yeah yeah, whatever, kid. But really, I just realized how foolish I've been thanks to you. I'm Kaveh, by the way." 

"AlHaitham. Don't call me a kid." 

"AlHaitham then." Kaveh's grin widens. 

Something inside AlHaitham changed, he felt the beast he locked up for so long baring his teeth sensing a prey.Something he'd never felt ever since his Grandma died had sprouted and taken root in him again. His inner beasts had locked onto Kaveh from that moment and considered him as AlHaitham's person. And when AlHaitham considered someone as his own, nobody else could take them away from his hands.

'He's mine.' His inner beast growled already possessive of Kaveh.