Work Text:
“The palace up that hill is haunted.”
Alhaitham already heard that whisper once he settled to buy this castle. The palace stands tall on the green hill, with a garden and Sumeru’s scenery over the horizon, making this piece of art a fantastic price.
Money isn’t a great matter for Alhaitham. He received more than enough as Akademiya’s scribber to pay the down payment and 10-year installment. With that agreement, Dori finally gave up and sold this one after her project in Fountaine was done.
As a person who lived in Sumeru City for the rest of his life, Alhaitham felt this palace gave him a somewhat quiet and isolated feeling. He used to hear some chattering people around his house near Akademiya, even at night some students still made some noises. In this place, the only sound he could hear was some animals like bugs and birds, and the voice of the forest. Sometimes forest rangers do swap around this palace, but never walk over the bridges.
Some students love to gossip, and Alhaitham heard from them that this castle may be haunted. Standing strong on its pillars, alone in the cool breeze of forest and river. There is a myth that the architect who designed this palace died young and haunts every building he designed. One Amurta student crossed this palace once, and found him, the ghost architect, standing on a gazebo near the main building. The story stopped because this student ran away and his story became some urban legend.
Alhaitham never believed this story. He never met even one ghost in this palace. That could be better if ghosts haunt this place. It could be great if that ghost architect haunts this castle. He doesn’t need to feel despair and lonely if Kaveh exists in this palace, even as a ghost.