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Rapid footsteps resounded on the forest ground, as Cyno rushed towards Pardis Dhyai. His feet, not used to the forest’s slippery earth, had difficulty grasping the terrain.
It was already deep in the night and the moon barely emerged from behind thick clouds. Still, the faint light was enough to catch remnants of the fight that had occurred.
The more his eyes flickered over the left behind weapons, pools of dried-out blood and burnt earth, the more his agitation grew.
After reuniting with the traveller, they reported to Cyno what had happened to Tighnari. Cyno not only being worried but straight up enraged couldn’t keep himself away and ran all the way from Sumeru.
He recalled the sudden loss of ground, the panic that spread in his chest and the urge to drop everything and just go. Fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, this anxiety turned into anger- directed at everyone and no one.
Cyno huffed out breaths as he came closer and closer to the entrance. Before entering the facility, he made sure he didn’t look too dishevelled. People didn’t know he didn’t bear the title General Mahamatra anymore, so there was still an image to keep up.
He stepped through the gate and was met with the faint haze of incense. It always had a calming effect and spared him a moment of clarity.
It didn’t last long as a startled scholar spotted him and immediately wanted to know the reason for his visit.
“G-general Mahamatra greetings what- what brings you here?”, he exclaimed kneading his hands in one another.
“I have heard that a confrontation between the Fatui and the Forest watcher Tighnari as well as the “Flame mane” Miss Dehya occurred. I came to investigate and as well have a talk with the Forest watcher”
“Ah well how considerate of you, General, however, I can assure you the issue has been taken care of and we should be safe for now. Such a tiny inconvenience does not need to concern you. I do believe there is something more important on the line for the General Mahamatra”
Cyno took in a deep breath, calming himself before carefully answering. It was both the scholar and Cyno who were treading on thin ice- at least one of them would break it and it would not end well.
“It is considerate of you too to ease me off of such a hassle, however, it is my business where I spend my time”, he shot a demanding glance at the scholar and let his authority speak for itself.
Uneasiness spread on the scholar’s face and he crumbled slowly under the gaze of the Mahamatra.
“So?”, Cyno asked.
The scholar cleared his throat and spoke again, “Say, what again do you intend to do for now General?”
Cyno sighed. He knew that the scholar had every right to ask. After all, there was no other authority here to handle such matters. And because of that the residents had to inquire all visitors about the reasoning of their visit.
“I intend to talk with the forest watcher, Tighnari. I- ”, he cleared his throat, “the Akademiya wants to know every single detail so they can take according measures”
“Very well then, though I must let you know that Master Tighnari has been-“
“I am very much informed about what happened, thank you”
“Ah in that case, don’t you think putting off this task for now would be better? I am sure Master Tighnari would rather rest and heal before having to attend any meetings”
“Are you questioning the Akademiya’s decisions?”, Cyno’s temper had always been short and now it was reaching its limits in record time. “One might say that if the General Mahamatra personally comes to deal with an issue, it might not be as minor as you make it out to be”
It took all his willpower to not spit the words into the scholar’s face. Indeed, he was doing the right thing and being considerate of his teacher, however, consideration was the last thing Cyno cared about.
The scholar’s face had gone red with anger.
“Of course, my apologies I did not mean to question the Akademiya, forgive me my audacity”, he said through a cold smile.
False courtesy sickened Cyno so he did not comment on the last part.
“Where is your Master staying?”
“This way, please”
They walked to the other side of the site to a secluded spot made for the residents. Small houses- or rather little rooms for a temporary stay.
“He is residing in this one. I will let him know you are here to talk with him.
“There will be no need for that, thank you for your assistance”
The scholar looked back at him, rather annoyed.
To ease off the scholar’s temper he added, “You must be very tired, after all, it has been a distressing day for you too. Please do not trouble yourself anymore and rest”
This seemed to leave him a little more content and he finally turned to walk after wishing Cyno a good night.
Now it was time to confront Tighnari.
Mixed feelings dissipated in Cyno as this was the first time he was meeting Tighnari after leaving the Akademiya. It’s been months since then and he had hoped for their reunion to be under better circumstances. But that was only a hope. As long as the Akademiya conspired with the Fatui, Sumeru wasn’t a safe place for anyone, not for himself, not for Collei or for Tighnari…
He clasped the door handle and pushed it down before he could change his mind.
Warm air mingled with the night’s cool air and settled on his face. The air was thicker inside and smelled of Cedarwood, of Tighnari.
In contrast to the dark night, the room was well-lit with an orangish light that reflected off the sage green walls. The room was tinier than he expected and had just enough room to house a desk to the left and a bed on the other side of the room.
On there he sat- Tighnari.
A blanket covered his legs. Not knowing what to say at first, he averted his eyes, feeling Tighnari’s gaze on him.
His eyes caught the white shawl that usually covered Tighnari’s torso lying on the desk, shredded and full of holes. His accessories sat there as well, burnt. The ranger himself only wore his t-shirt; bandages peeked through it.
Cyno irked at the sight of things, sending a shiver down his spine. The anxiety from earlier crept up his back again as he felt Tighnari’s eyes still linger on him. He most likely didn’t know what to say either.
He looked away, fists clenching as images of Tighnari being struck by lightning, falling to the ground and being in agonizing pain flashed by. He screamed, multiple times, wouldn’t stop. The scent of his burnt flesh filled his nose, made him gag-
“Cyno-“
“How could you have been so reckless?”, he shot as his eyes pierced through Tighnari.
Tighnari, taken aback by the question, opened his mouth to talk but Cyno interrupted him again.
“Why did you think it was a good idea to stick around and fight these Fatui guys?”
“Miss Dehya was with me. I saw her fight excellently against these men. There was nothing to be worried about”, Tighnari argued.
He wasn’t exactly sure why he argued back. There was no need to justify his actions, anyone would’ve jumped into action.
“I don’t care if she was there or not. The fact is that you put yourself in danger. You went out there, foolishly trying to scare them off”
Cyno’s voice grew louder with each sentence as did Tighnari’s irritation.
“What else was I supposed to do? Sit around and let Dehya do all the work?”
“You could’ve helped the traveller while they were in this….this trance-like state! Fighting is not your strength; you might have been more useful there!”
Tighnari scoffed at that statement,
“More useful? You’re making it sound like I am a child that doesn’t know how to defend himself! I am the Avidya Forest watcher, so I face dangerous situations every day!”
“I’m not saying you can’t defend yourself I was just worried!”
“Worried?!”, Tighnari shut the notebook in his hand with a loud ‘thud’, “Do you not think I haven’t been worried?”
“Tighnari-”
“Months, it’s been months since we last saw each other! How many times do you think I have lain awakened at night forcing myself to not look for you in the desert? How many nightmares do you think I have endured of finding your dead body tossed away in some alleyway?!”, Tighnari pointed an accusing finger at Cyno.
The only thing that filled the tiny room now was Tighnari’s heavy breathing.
“One letter would’ve been enough”, he exhaled through the nose, “Heck a smoke signal would’ve been enough”
“You and I both know it would’ve been too dangerous. The Akademiya-”
“I don’t care about the Akademiya!”, he struggled to kick off his blanket but then managed to stand up, “The only thing I care about is-”, Tighnari halted in his movement before letting out an anguish grunt.
Cyno’s eyes grew wide with concern.
The former swayed a little before slowly sinking onto the floor.
Discarding his polearm, he rushed to his side to help him. With a bit of a struggle, he heaved Tighnari back onto the bed and did his best to make it comfortable enough for him.
Tighnari, now seeming weaker than before, trembled and the sight only filled Cyno with more despair.
His breathing was uneven and harsh, sweat droplets formed on his forehead as he tried to regain focus.
Usually, the General Mahamatra was well prepared for situations like these. Not rarely did he have to quickly patch his men up during agonizing battles.
This, however, was different. As he sat there in shock watching the person he cared for the most deal with immeasurable pain he couldn’t help but recall the pictures from earlier.
Panick-stricken he peered through the room, trying to find anything that would ease his tension, something to relieve the pain- when his gaze fell onto a tiny mixing bowl on the desk. He got up recognizing the greenish mixture from Gandharva Ville. It was one of Tighnari’s trademark medicines, often used to soothe pain inflicted by various kinds of plants or animals.
He grabbed the bowl and went back to Tighnari, softly sitting down on the bed and scooting behind Tighnari.
A look of consent was exchanged and Cyno got to work.
He carefully slid Tighnari’s t-shirt off of him while his hisses and gasps filled the room. The bandages were removed with painstaking patience. And while it was Cyno’s best intention to be gentle with him, every peel of it still felt like his own skin being ripped off.
Finally, when his bare back came in sight, Cyno got a good look at the wound.
The skin looked reddened where the lightning had struck. But… it had also drawn a beautiful pattern on his back. Like roots of a tree, they descended down his spine. Cyno couldn’t help but stare at it for a short while. It radiated warmth, as if lightning was still running through him- the thought of it was unsettling and so Cyno took a good amount of the salve and carefully slid it over Tighnari’s back.
A sharp hiss followed by a relieved sigh escaped Tighnari and it took him a moment to gather himself. Cyno stopped to not strain him more than already.
Once his breathing had evened Cyno continued. They remained silent during the whole procedure.
“This feels familiar…”, Cyno thought to himself and then recalled all the times when he returned to Gandharva Ville to let Tighnari patch him up after his dreadful quests. He wondered whether Tighnari felt the same amount of worry when he brought him new scars to treat.
Of course, he did. Cyno would come to Tighnari, get scolded by him and then get his treatment.
…
Guilt overcame him as quickly as his rage must have come. He was out there all day, fighting off Eremites or discovering new elemental manifestations that only promised danger. He exposed himself to perils every single day. Being the General Mahamatra that was expected of him and he gladly fulfilled this duty. However, he never thought how this would affect the people that were close to him.
Not often would he pass by Collei in the village with a worried look on her face when again he made his way to Tighnari.
And Tighnari? He must be sickly worried every time he set foot into the desert.
Only the last time he went away without knowing when his return would be.
Tighnari’s gasp brought him back to the present. He quickly focused on the task again and finished applying the salve. He bandaged the wound and put his shirt back on then he shifted to sit next to Tighnari. Neither of them said a word.
Cyno exhaled. It felt as if he hadn’t breathed in the past few minutes. For a moment he felt relieved, knowing that Tighnari was in much less pain than before. However, the weight of their argument still laid on his shoulder, on both of theirs.
He didn’t mean to lash out at him. He was just worried and…angry.
At whom was this anger directed though? At the Fatui? Partly yes. They were the reason all of this happened in the first place. But this organization is evil through and through. If they have their eyes on something they will do anything to get it. Something like this was bound to happen- if not today maybe some other.
But mostly he was angry with himself. He wasn’t there when he should’ve been. Someone else could’ve taken care of his task. It wasn’t that important anyways.
“I wasn’t there. I could’ve prevented this. I should have prevented this-”, as his thoughts progressed his regret started showing with the way his brows furrowed and his fists clenched. He would’ve been able to beat himself up for this forever, if not a voice interrupted his train of thoughts.
“I know what you’re thinking”, Tighnari said, his eyes fixated on the ground.
Cyno, slightly startled, looked at him.
“I should’ve been there; I should’ve protected you. Something along the lines am I right?”
Cyno sighed again as it seemed like the only thing, he was able to do for now. Of course, he knew. Tighnari was a smart guy. Whenever a problem presented itself, he’d find a solution no matter the difficulty. And because of that, he was perfectly able to fight for himself. He didn’t need Cyno to defend him.
“You’re right”, as he also decided to stare at the ground, “When I first learned that you got hurt during this fight, I felt this unbridling fury filling me”
“I was sure it was the Fatui I was angry with and you also because you put yourself in danger”, he paused a little to find the right words, “But deep down I knew this anger was directed at myself… because I was not there”
“But I don’t need-”, Tighnari started before Cyno interrupted him.
“I know you don’t need me as your babysitter. You, as you said earlier, are well-adept to defend yourself… I think my worry and anger together with the tension of these past few months just led to this” Cyno took a deep breath before continuing, “I’m sorry for yelling at you like that. I didn’t mean any of the stuff I said”
Tighnari heaved out a long breath after listening and started to talk too,
“I know, I know… well now I do. Listen, I also didn’t mean to be so unreasonable. I too, was worried for your safety which is why I reacted so harshly. You know how worried I was in the past when you went on regular missions… but this was just next level”, Tighnari massaged his temples with his hands to ease the tension, “I didn’t know when you’d be back- if you’d be back. It drove me crazy”
Both sat in silence, letting their words linger on each other.
“So that’s it then? We were both just worried for each other”, Cyno said.
Then they finally looked into one another’s eyes, not being able to hide the gratefulness on their faces.
Cyno brought up one of his hands to cup Tighnari’s face,
“I’m so glad you’re okay”
In return, Tighnari clasped Cyno’s hand and kissed it softly,
“I’m also glad you’re okay”
Thunder growled in the distance, signalling the arrival of a heavy storm.
Both looked at the window behind them. They were met with utter darkness and glimpses of the moon if it decided to show itself from behind the dark clouds.
Turning back to Cyno Tighnari asked,
“I suppose you won’t be staying for the night?”
“I’m afraid not. Tomorrow is the big day and we can’t risk anything”
When Tighnari’s face darkened with disappointment he added,
“Believe me I’d love to, more than anything”
Cyno stood up to leave but Tighnari still didn’t let go of his hand.
“I’ll be back I promise”
“Don’t promise, prove it”, Tighnari then released Cyno’s hand.
Before leaving he bent down to kiss him on the forehead and said,
“Rest now, my love”
Then he gathered his polearm and opened the door- the faint splatter of rain came through. With one final smile exchanged, he stepped out of the residence.
Once outside he realised the rain was much stronger, so he had to hurry if he didn’t want to catch a cold until tomorrow.
As he neared the entrance, he noticed a tiny river that had formed because of the rain. It followed him out of the site and continued down to where he came from- where the fight had also taken place.
Not wanting to indulge in unpleasant emotions again he forced himself to look away but still couldn’t help and watched when the water reached a pool of blood…
The upsetting memories almost resurfaced when he noticed the river washing the bloodied dirt away…
…and as water continues to cleanse the world from its filth,
time too will continue to heal the wounds of the past.
The end.