Archive of Our Own ^beta

When Kaveh adventured himself into the Avidya Forest to search for creative inspiration, he had expected to encounter all sorts of fungi on the way: Pyro fungi, Anemo fungi, Hydro fungi and even Electro fungi. However, he had not expected to cross the path of the only kind of fungi he despised: a fungi without empathy. 

The second it took to make out Alhaitham's figure amongst the plants was enough for Kaveh to feel all the disdain and annoyance he had stored in his heart since their last conversation the night before.

Kaveh's surprise to see Alhaitham was strong. However, his stubbornness did not allow him the thought to turn around and find another path. It wasn't like the forest belonged to him after all. He had the right to walk in this direction just like any other citizen of Sumeru.

Kaveh tightened his grip on Merhak and carried on his walk deeper into the Dharma forest, where trees and pillars of stones filled the scenery.

The sound of Kaveh's footsteps seemed loud enough to catch the attention of the Akademiya's Scribe. The man stole a glance over his shoulder briefly. He had been reading a book, deciphering an ancient stone where symbols were carved into it.

"Oh…" Alhaitham's eyes met Kaveh's hesitant gaze and for a split second, a wave of surprise washed over his cold blue eyes. 

This emotion didn't last for very long, since Alhaitham broke the brief eye-contact they shared to divert his focus back into the book in his hand. 

"I didn't think that you would be willing to walk all this way to apologize to me." His metallic voice, soft yet unwavering, echoed through the leaves and trees. 

Kaveh almost choked at the greeting he received. 

"A-apologize? Why would I even apologize to you? I have nothing to be blamed for." He could already feel his anger build up, his inactive toolbox instantly came to life. 

Kaveh let Mehrak float next to him but his eyes never left Alhaitham's figure. He somehow wished that he could miraculously acquire the ability to kill with a single look. 

"A pity. I was certain that our conversation the night before would have enlightened you. To the point that you would have considered my view on the matter. Perhaps your stubbornness is even more of an issue than I thought." Alhaitham noted.

"I'm not stubborn! And this 'conversation' that we had can hardly be called one! You never listened to a single thing I said. You only wanted to push your closed ideals onto mine without an ounce of consideration for my own perspective." Kaveh crossed his arms and turned his face to the side in silent protest. 

Mehrak made a few sounds to back him up. At least someone agreed with him. 

Alhaitham sighed, closing his book in one move before turning to Kaveh. His demeanor was calmer and more collected compared to the architect's frustrated stance.

"I already know everything I need to know about your perspective, Kaveh. Nothing has changed ever since we have met, which is why I don't need to listen to you to know your opinion. However , the question we should be asking is if you have listened to me." 

Kaveh scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Beauty is subjective therefore anything can be considered art as long as it brings emotions, memories and life to the viewer.” The architect grew impatient but carried on. “The ability to appreciate beauty, therefore, is an important virtue that an individual should have in order to lead a life with creative sensibility. That was all I have said and yet all you managed to reply was that the Palace Of Alcazarzaray could barely be considered a piece of art! How was that constructive criticism?" 

"Again, you have not heard half of the things I have told you. The Palace Of Alcazarzaray is indeed a beautiful building, but not everything that is beautiful can be considered a piece of art, otherwise art wouldn't be as valuable. If people could find it anywhere and in everything, what makes it so special about it?"

The architect could not believe his ears. 

"So what? The Palace of Alcazarzaray is just a palace to you? Nothing more? After all the hard work I have put into making this building shine in all its glory, you managed to tear it down with a few words. How befitting of a Haravatat graduate!" Kaveh frowned. 

He was quite hurt and offended by his junior's lack of appreciation for something he had worked too hard on. 

"I merely used the palace as a means to prove a point. No way did I intend to personally attack and criticize your work. I was only being objective and I assumed you were in the same mindset as I was. I guess I was mistaken." Alhaitham also crossed his arms.

"If it's your way of apologizing, I do not accept them."

"Oh, I wasn't apologizing. I was simply saying that you are too emotionally fragile to hold a constructive conversation with me."

Alhaitham's words seemed to anger Kaveh a little more. His arms which have been previously crossed against his chest were now forming fists on each side of hips. 

"You…!” He sighed, “I can't believe such an individual can disregard beauty and art this easily! My whole life I have lived and witnessed with my own eyes countless artworks that could bring any dead man back to life. And here you are, telling me that art is nothing but a concept that does not hold any true value! This is devastating!" Kaveh held his head, feeling a headache coming.

"Well I guess that already makes me a dead man. Anyway, it seems that the ruin I've been looking for is not here. I will take my research elsewhere. I hope my lack of appreciation of beauty won't interfere with my thinking process."  

After putting his book back into his green pouch on his back, Alhaitham walked past Kaveh towards another brick building situated not that far away. 

The architect could not grasp the scribe's constant disregard of people's feelings. Turning around, Kaveh trailed after Alhaitham through the trees and rocks, avoiding pools of water in the way. 

"Hey! Are you seriously going to leave just like that? If I am emotionally fragile then what are you, Alhaitham? Hmm? When was the last time you actually felt something other than arrogant pride about yourself? You always bring up my flaws but perfection is never attainable and that works for you too." 

The lack of response was almost as frustrating as hearing him speak. Kaveh almost believed that Alhaitham activated his soundproof headset if it weren't for the slight laugh he could faintly hear coming from his roommate. 

"That's all you have to say in response?! You're just going to laugh?" Kaveh put his hands on his hips once Alhaitham stopped.

The Scribe stood in front of a mechanism: the ruins standing behind it seemed ancient but solid enough. Walls of stones and bricks were hidden under branches of leaves and plants of all kinds. A sealed door stood before them with an ancient script carved into it.

"The Ruins Of Dahri… I finally found it." Alhaitham mumbled and let his fingers run on the inscription of the mechanism. 

After reading the few symbols, Alhaitham took out his book and flipped a few pages. Kaveh grew impatient, tapping his feet against the mud. Maybe his shoes were not the best choice for this excursion.

"Are you seriously going to spend all day here reading a book? We have not finished our conversation, Alhaitham." 

"Our conversation will never reach its end. You get easily offended and I cannot allow emotions to intervene during a debate, it's counter-productive." Alhaitham flipped another page. 

"Counter-productive… Pff." Kaveh shook his head and crossed his arms. 

He couldn't believe his little trip to the forest to get inspiration was ruined because of Alhaitham's presence. Everytime Kaveh was near him, he couldn't help but feel overly defensive about everything that he cared about. He knew it was mostly because Alhaitham always found ways to share his opinion on things, like the Palace of Alcazazaray, his newest designs, and even Mehrak. It was a constant battle against the void.

"Wait…" Kaveh suddenly jumped and spun around, looking for his toolbox. "Where is Mehrak?!" he exclaimed, his voice loud in the forest. 

Alhatham tiredly sighed and closed his eyes, expressing his annoyance in the calm way he seemed to be accustomed to. "Can't you just go somewhere else to make a scene? I need to decipher the mechanism."

"My toolbox is gone and all you think about is reading? I need Mehrak with me at all times!" He threw his arms in the air in indignation before looking around shouting, "Mehrak? Mehrak? Come here, where are you?" 

Turning around, Kaveh took the path back where they came from when he had first encountered Alhaitham. The latter did not pay attention to him while Kaveh panicked and searched for his mechanical friend. He searched everywhere behind the trees, rocks and pillars that surrounded them. Nothing.

"Mehrak?" 

As he walked further into the forest, a familiar beeping sound gradually rang closer and Kaveh's shoulders relaxed in relief. 

"Mehrak, what are you doing? Come he-" Kaveh's hand slapped against his mouth and his whole body froze in shock. 

In the midst of trees, Mehrak was surrounded by not one but three Rishboland Tigers. 

Their threatening growls and the pace in which they approached the toolbox were clear warning signs for him not to make a single move. But Mehrak was not programmed for such a situation! Kaveh had not installed any pre-requisite action for when Mehrak would encounter a tiger in the forest. Not one but three!

Kaveh could feel his heart sink into his stomach at the realization of the dangers they were surrounded with without any idea. 

Rishboland Tigers were not supposed to be present in this area of the forest. Something was wrong with this place and Mehrak was in danger. Not only Mehrak but Alhaitham and even Kaveh himself.

Kaveh was about to order Mehrak to stay put and not make a move, but the clueless machine's first instinct after seeing Kaveh was to fly to his direction.

As expected, the tigers' attention all followed the floating mechanic as it approached its master almost fearfully and hid behind his back.

Kaveh did not dare to move. Six eyes were on him, and the tigers were slowly and carefully making their way towards him. Colors drained from his face and the sweat trickled down the back of his neck. What was he supposed to do?

"Mehrak…" Kaveh whispered, taking a few steps back.

He was careful not to look away from the tigers. He couldn't run away, either, it would make things worse. "Tell Alhaitham to leave this place, right now. Go tell him to leave."

A few beeping sounds from the toolbox was enough to reassure Kaveh that it understood his command before leaving. 

The architect did not have his weapon with him, and the few exit points he could find out of the corner of his eyes weren't promising a safe exit. He had no doubt he would encounter other Rishboland Tigers on the way. 

The third tiger on the left was the first to take a larger and threatening step toward Kaveh who backed off very slowly. Their growls became louder and Kaveh's brain screamed at him to run away. 

"Easy now… I'm not looking for trouble…" Kaveh tried to ease them.

When he took another step backward, the sound of a branch broke the deafening silence that surrounded them. It instantly enraged the tigers and one of them roared, followed by the others.

RUN!

With a last single look at the tigers, Kaveh turned around and ran. He ran as fast as he could. 

He ran. Would he even be fast enough? What kind human being was faster against tigers? 

As he headed towards the ruins where he had left Alhaitham, a sudden strong grip of his cape pulled him back violently. 

"Argh!" Kaveh fell back, his head hitting the ground. 

The tigers circled around him to lock him in. The pull on his cape had been strong enough that it tore the fabric of his cape apart. Its missing half remained in between the tiger' teeth.

Around the ruins, Alhaitham was nowhere to be found. It was a relief for Kaveh who had worried deeply for his safety. He hoped that the scribe had gone to look for help before it was too late. 

Kaveh rubbed the back of his head and he sat up to glance at the tigers, circling around him. Their steps were slow and calculated. They would feign attacks, enjoying the fear they could bring out of their prey.  

A part of Kaveh felt like shouting out and crying for help.

Before he could come up with another plan to run away, flashes of green mirrors and swords rained down on the tigers.

They jumped  back and roared with pure anger. 

Kaveh could recognize those mirrors anywhere. The figure jumped from the high branch above him and it was when Kaveh realized that Alhaitham had been stupid enough not to stay hidden. 

The scribe lashed on the first tiger, threw his mirrors and his sword sliced through the air. Dendro particles scared the tigers away and Mehrak flew by his side, swinging Kaveh's claymore around.

The circle with which they have been entrapped dissolved, with one tiger's corpse laying in front of them. This intervention finally allowed the Kaveh to grab his claymore from Mehrak and stand beside Alhaitham. 

"Didn't Mehrak tell you to run away?" Kaveh yelled, the adrenaline taking away all signs of tiredness.

"And why would I do that when the fun had just begun?" Alhaitham swung his sword in his hand and turned to the tiger on his right.

Kaveh launched for the one on the left. 

With Mehrak by his side, he was no longer defenseless and he could use his claymore to defend himself. 

A part of him did not wish to kill the tigers but he knew that if it came down between him and them, Kaveh would have no choice but to save himself.

"Kaveh!" 

Kaveh swung his claymore once again and injured the tiger badly enough it was obligated to retreat. Then, he turned to Alhaitham who had already killed his target. 

"What?" He joined him, feeling his heartbeat numbing his lack of stamina. 

Alhaitham nodded towards the path deeper into the forest. Kaveh followed his gaze, only to see more tigers on their way towards the ruins.

"Mehrak, go find the forest rangers and tell them our position. I will find a safe place in the ruins in the meantime… Mehrak?" Kaveh turned to his toolbox in a spin.

Mehrak mechanical parts were badly damaged, mostly from the tigers’ attacks. It could no longer follow his commands.

"There's no time to waste." Alhaitham turned around to the mechanism of the ruins and analyzed it frantically to find a way to get them in. 

Kaveh grabbed Mehrak in his arms and turned to Alhaitham who was trying to decode the chip. 

"We don't have time to read, activate the mechanism!" Kaveh shouted, holding his heavy claymore in his hand.

Mehrak no longer functioned properly to hold it for him.

"I would if I knew how. I read scriptures, I don't solve the puzzles." Alhaitham snapped back, his voice betraying his calm demeanor. 

"Ugh, let me do it!" Kaveh pushed Alhaitham aside.

Kaveh began to move the pieces of the mechanism and the puzzle pieces. He brought each symbol to their place and turned the mini statue in the right direction before focusing on the main square stone that would open the door.

"They're getting closer." Alhaitham pointed out, summoning his sword once again. 

"I'm almost done."

The loud roars and growls of the group of tigers approached them. A virtual screen popped up in front of Kaveh and he swiftly typed the symbols he memorized in his mind. 

The grand circle door of the ruins opened and without wasting any more time, Kaveh and Alhaitham hurried inside. 

Tigers launched forward.

"Kaveh, close the door!"

Once inside and in a quick motion, Kaveh activated the mechanism inside and the door of the ruin dropped down in front of them seconds before the tigers could jump through.

The loud sound of the stone door locking them in was, unexpectedly, a comforting feeling after their near-death experience fighting for their lives. 

Kaveh dropped on the floor of the ruin against the mechanism and finally caught his breath. The air was humid and heavy and his sweat stuck his clothes against his skin.  His legs kept trembling. 

Thankfully, apart from a few scratches Kaveh had not been injured too badly, on the contrary of Mehrak.

"Next time you try to kill us by bringing tigers to the perimeter, give me a warning." Alhaitham's cold remark echoed in the chamber. 

Kaveh groaned, examining his tool box. 

"The tigers were already here. Mehrak and I were only the victims of an ambush. Poor thing." Kaveh caressed his friend's mechanical components before looking up at Alhaitham. "I told you to leave and look for help, you did not listen to me. So don't blame me for your own poor decision-making." 

Alhaitham leaned against an ancient pillar where drawings and symbols were carved, but he did not seem to be interested in it this time. Was he using it as a support to stay on his feet? Was he tired?

"By the time I would have left the ruins, you would have already been dead and become the tigers' meal. The least you could say is a thank you." Alhaitham replied.

Kaveh was indeed grateful for Alhaitham's help and he was also pretty sure that he would not have survived without him. 

“You only saved me so I could open the chambers for you." Kaveh only replied, turning his focus back to Mehrak. 

To his surprise, Alhaitham seemed satisfied with his answer, as he did not press on. 

The chamber they were locked in had some lights already lit against its walls but nothing else was extraordinary. The chamber was smaller inside than it looked outside but it was still spacious enough. 

It was a cold, stone room with ancient artifacts and pillars filling the area. Empty spaces still dominated the territory. It had not been visited for years, it seemed.

Kaveh wondered what this ruin was used for in the past. There were no windows or any other exit or extra doors around. The main door was both the entrance and the exit. Perhaps it was a cell to store treasures? 

Kaveh sighed. Whatever treasure had been inside, it had already been taken. 

The short silence was soon broken when Alhaitham took a seat on the floor on one side of the chamber, his breath louder than expected. A painful groan followed his action. 

It caught Kaveh off-hard. 

He watched Alhaitham grab the end of his own green cape and tear away the fabric with much effort. 

"What are you-"

Before Kaveh could even ask, his eyes followed his hands. They reached the lower part of his right leg where a deep wound bled through his pants and dropped a continuous amount of blood on the concrete.  Kaveh's brain froze at the sight of blood pouring out of Alhaitham's leg. How did he not notice his injury before?

"Alhaitham?!" Kaveh stood up and hurried towards him.

Alhaitham wrapped the fabric of his cape around the wound.

"Don't make a scene. It's nothing to be worried about." He groaned and put extra pressure around the wound to stop the bleeding. 

"What do you mean? You've been bitten, haven't you? Oh no, this is a disaster, you're going to lose so much blood!" Kaveh grabbed his head in panic.

Alhaitham glared at him, silently asking him to stop overreacting. Kaveh felt even more worried: Alhaitham's hands were trembling and he was pale. 

"Let me do it! You can't do that with so much blood loss.”

Kaveh wouldn't have been so worried if Alhaitham had argued, something he would have done if he was feeling alright. Instead, he let Kaveh take over his hands and even allowed him to tighten the knot as tight as he could. Alhaitham's painful sounds and ragged breathing only brought guilt and sorrow within Kaveh's heart. 

They could not remain in this ruin forever.

He did not know how long the tigers were going to wait outside of the ruins, but Kaveh needed to find a solution and fast. 

Alhaitham's cape was not enough to cover all of the wound on his leg and the blood soaked the fabric, with no other means to stop the bleeding. 

Even Kaveh's cape was useless. It had been bitten off by the tigers when he had run away. 

"Alhaitham? How do you feel?" Kaveh worried. 

All his previous frustration and anger towards the scribe had vanished. 

"Like someone who can't walk." Alhaitham simply replied, drops of sweat rolling down the side of his temple. "The tigers are going to surround the territory for a while, my blood is attracting them to the ruins. We cannot open the door until we are absolutely sure that they are gone. I won't be able to fight a second time."

Alhaitham stared at Kaveh, to make his point clear.

"We will have to wait until the next day to open the chamber." He added.

Kaveh glanced down at his hands. They were stained with Alhaitham's blood. His stomach spun twice and the guilt overtook him. It was his fault that they were stuck in the chamber and it was his fault that Alhaitham was injured. It was also his fault that Mehrak was destroyed.

"Kaveh." 

Kaveh looked up to see Alhaitham's eyes staring at his forehead. A hand faintly brushed the side of his head, close to his hairline.

"You're bleeding." 

"Uh?" Kaveh instinctively touched the top of his head, his fingers briefly making contact with Alhaitham’s trembling hand. He finally recalled the moment his head hit the ground during the attack. "Oh… It's just a scratch, it's nothing." 

Alhaitham moved his hand away and looked around the chamber. He was sitting on the floor and Kaveh was kneeling in front of him. The ruin seemed old and yet, the fact that they were able to enter the building in seconds was surprising. 

"When did you decipher the symbols of the mechanism? You managed to open that door in no time." The scribe asked, a hint of curiosity in his tone. 

The softness in which Alhaitham spoke worried Kaveh. It was as if he could barely stay conscious. His eyes remained open and aware, so perhaps Kaveh was a little too worried. 

"What’s so surprising? I'm a Ksharahwarer graduate. I know the basics of puzzle mechanisms. This was a regular puzzle used in ancient times with a moderate status." 

"Who would have known that you were going to be useful for this unexpected trip?" Alhaitham moved his position to rest his leg on the floor, wincing when his leg touched the cold floor.

Kaveh hit him on the shoulder before standing up. 

"I am first and foremost your senior. I should be the one asking for your utility in all of this. You couldn't even bring yourself to open the mechanism on your own." 

"I have no shame in admitting the truth. I do need time to decipher a puzzle, I rarely did such things in Haravatat so I hadn't expected to learn any further skills in this department."

Whatever Kaveh would tell him, it seemed that nothing could ever offend him, therefore, there was no reason to carry on this conversation. Something else was bothering him, were they really going to wait until the next day?

“We cannot possibly have to wait for the next day to open the door, who knows how much more blood you are going to lose? Plus, we have no means to eat and drink in the meantime.” Kaveh sighed.

As he expressed his concerns, the architect headed towards the mechanism. The light on the machine had gone the second he used it to close the door. From this simple realization, Kaveh wondered if they were even able to open it back up. 

As he sat down to decipher the codes, he soon realized that his worries were justified. Opening the door of a ruin was not the same as closing it. 

The mechanism from outside had different symbols and ways of activation than the ones inside. It was probably to prevent any thieves or intruders from escaping the perimeter. Still, the mechanism inside seemed even more complex than the one used on the other side of the door. It would take hours if not days for Kaveh to be able to understand how it would work.

“Alhaitham?” Kaveh called out, his eyes not leaving the symbols on the carved stone. “Have you told anyone you were going to decipher ruins in the forest? Did you tell the matra? The sages?” 

With a painful grunt and annoyed sigh, Alhaitham took his time to answer.

“When do I ever tell anyone where I plan on going? I usually don’t need assistance when it comes to finding my way through the forest nor the desert and I didn’t plan to enter a ruin, not after dissecting all the symbols at least.” 

“Are you serious?” Kaveh spun around, meeting his distant and cold gaze. “The reason why we should warn people of our whereabouts is because of situations like this, Alhaitham. How are we supposed to rely on someone finding us if no one knows where to look?”

“What about you, dear senior? Since you are so keen in giving me a lecture, I presume you have told the forest rangers of your expedition.” 

“I…” Kaveh’s voice fell short, the memories of his conversation with Tighnari and Cyno a few hours ago still fresh in his mind.

He hadn’t specifically told them exactly where he was headed, because quite frankly, at the time, he didn’t have a specific destination. He had only planned to have a walk in the rainforest to admire the sceneries it had to offer. Nature always brought him inspiration when he was stuck in a project. He had only told Tighnari that he would not be too far from the forest rangers. However, during his trip in the forest, he had been so distracted by the beauty of various tree shapes that he had gone way further than he had planned, to the point that he had met Alhaitham on the way. 

He had not planned to go this far and yet, considering the situation they were in, he couldn’t help but wonder if fate had brought him to Alhaitham. Who would have known if Alhaitham would have survived the tiger attack? He would have probably ended up injured, if not worse, dead. 

“Talk about fate…” Kaveh scoffed, shaking his head, his thoughts idealizing the situation far more than it needed to be. 

Alhaitham was still hurt, whether he had been here or not and his presence had only endangered them even more. Opening the chamber only locked them in for good. This simple thought gave Kaveh a paralyzing fear of the future outcomes. What if they could not get out? What if because of his incapability to open the door, Alhaitham would bleed out and die in this ruin? He could not let that happen. 

“Kaveh, I think you forgot to know how to breathe.” 

Alhaitham’s voice brought him back from his spiraling thoughts. Turning away from the carved symbols, his gaze landed on Alhaitham, who held a book in his hand. His leg was still dripping blood on the concrete floor.

“Alhaitham, we need to find a way out of here. The mechanism outside is different from the one inside. I can’t open it yet, I need to study it.” Kaveh brought his hand to his hair, looking for the plume pen he always kept behind his ear.

Without a pen and paper or Mehrak’s assistance, Kaveh’s ability to decipher the ruin would take him far longer than they could afford.

“Are you telling me that we are locked inside?” Alhaitham glanced up from his book. 

The sweat against his forehead accentuated the life threatening state he was in. 

Kaveh’s heart didn’t regain its regular pace. Would Alhaitham survive that long? 

“The ruin is different from the outside. It had been constructed not to keep people out but to keep people in. I don’t know what sort of place it used to be at the time but now that we are inside, the mechanisms and symbols are all different, it may have belonged to another region. I cannot read any of these relics.”

With tiring efforts, Alhaitham moved from his sitting position to take out a small journal and a pen that he had shoved into his green pouch before going to the forest.

“Write the symbols down for me, all of them. Draw me the mechanism and its composition, I will decipher the symbols.” Alhaitham breathed out. 

Kaveh slid to his side. The architect grabbed Alhaitham’s journal and pen. They needed to rely on each other to get out and he needed to make sure that Alhaitham would be awake to decipher them. 

Standing up, Kaveh made his way to the stone door that they’ve closed and analyzed the symbols, drawings and foreign letters that decorated the edifice. As he ran his fingers against the cold stone, he heard the distant roars of the Rishboland tigers outside. Why would tigers be in this area of the rainforest?

From what he could remember from Tighnari's safety lectures, the Rishboland tigers only resided in the northern regions of Sumeru. So why in the hell would they be coming here? 

It was no wonder Alhaitham did not perceive this place as dangerous, only fungi were supposedly common in this area. Unless something was attracting them here. 

It couldn't have been themselves only, another thing must have caught their attention. Was it something that had to do with this chamber? Perhaps the elemental energy and the Ley Lines were strong enough to attract the tigers. 

Kaveh did not know and pondering on the question would only make him waste his time. 

After writing down a few notes on the symbols, Kaveh managed to focus his mind and thoughts into their possible meanings. The drawing of a symbol reminded Kaveh of constellations he would often look at while daydreaming in the library. The walls of the House Of Daena often displayed certain knowledge from all of the Darshans and one of the artwork presented showed the different constellations that could be found in the sky. 

"Wait… Constellations… so this ruin is…"

"This is a ruin from Khaenri'ah." Alhaitham's voice surprisingly cut him off. 

Kaveh jumped and turned around to see Alhaitham standing. He was holding himself in one leg while he deciphered the symbols on the other side of the chamber. Kaveh almost let out a shriek of indignation at the bravery. 

"These are star constellations. They used the position of the stars to create this edifice, every single time the light of the moon will shine down on the symbols, the puzzle will be modified and changed overnight."

"Are you insane?! What are you doing standing up with the amount of blood you're losing?" Kaveh joined Alhaitham to the other side of the ruin, his hands almost reaching forward to help him, but holding himself back at the last second. 

"We are bound to rot here forever if we don't find a way out of here. I may as well use the little bit of consciousness I have left to translate to you the symbols. After all, only a Haravatat graduate would be able to translate any ancient scripts."

Alhaitham's eyes have never left the ruin's wall, already calculating and analyzing the constellations in front of him. 

"I would have believed you if it weren't also concerning Rtawahist knowledge of astronomy to understand its meaning in its entirety. And none of us are Rtawahist graduates."

"Only in details." Alhaitham took out his book, almost stumbling off the wall he was holding onto, but Kaveh was there to hold him for a second. 

The gesture seemed to have taken Alhaitham by surprise. He flinched at the mere contact. His eyes searched Kaveh’s scarlet gaze and the latter instantly stepped back. Clearing his throat, Alhaitham turned to his book and showed its title to Kaveh. 

" The Stars and Its Constellations: A Question of Fate. Where in the hell did you get this?" 

"You know, Kaveh, it wouldn't hurt you to read a book once in a while." Alhaitham replied, opening the book. 

"Hmph, the only thing you keep bragging about is your reading abilities. I read tons of books myself, there's nothing that impressive to brag about. Anyone can do it." Kaveh crossed his arms, stealing glances from the pages of his book. "How did you know it was going to be a ruin from Khaenri'ah? Surely you must have expected it."

"I read a thesis concerning the Ruins Of Dahri and it implied that Khaenri'ah was linked to its creation. I had to make sure I had the right materials instead of looking for it blindly in the wild." 

"Do you think this book will be useful to decipher the puzzle?" Kaveh asked, hopefully.

"There is only one way to find out." 

Soon after, both Kaveh and Alhaitham began to search and analyze the symbols. No one had ever conducted any research in this area of the ruin, therefore, they were starting from a blank page and had to consider every possibility. It wouldn't have been as tricky if the mechanism didn't change every night according to the position of the stars.

An hour passed in silence where Kaveh was writing down and drawing down every constellation he could find to decipher the symbols. 

All of a sudden, a headache hit him against his skull. With a painful whine, he put the journal down and slammed his hand against the door in frustration. 

"I am so done with this! Why couldn’t it just be a regular mechanism from the Desert? Why of all the ruins, it had to be conceived by the Khaenri'ans?!" Kaveh put his forehead against the cold stone, taking a deep breath to calm his anger.

"Complaining and whining about it will not advance our research. You should focus more on the fact that your emotions are a clear obstacle to your reading comprehension and problem solving abilities." 

Alhaitham had taken a seat back down after he had scribbled down some notes on each constellation. Despite his calm and collected demeanor, his irregular breathing and the tension in his jaw showed the real agony he felt.

Kaveh’s guilt trapped him, once again. Someone was hurt because of him. He did not want to think about it. He needed to find a way out of here. He sighed and turned to his inanimate toolbox. He gave a soft and gentle caress to the metallic surface.

"If only Mehrak was not damaged. I would have been able to scan the area and find anything that could be useful." Kaveh brought his toolbox to his lap. 

He searched for the damaged mechanical components. 

"I wouldn't put too much value into that robot. Wasn't it the reason why the tigers found our location? If you hadn't brought this box with you, you wouldn't have encountered them in the first place." Alhaitham flipped a page to his book as he pointed out Mehrak's lack of utility. 

Kaveh's rage erupted at the sudden accusation. 

"Are you serious?! If it weren't for my Mehrak, you wouldn't have been able to hide and fight those ferocious beasts. Quite frankly, I believe that if you had been alone in this area, you would have activated your soundproof headpiece and not even hear the last seconds of your life!"

"It would be best if you don't spit out nonsense. The presence of your toolbox awakened the ley lines around the ruins which attracted the tigers to the perimeter. Besides, if we don't find a way out of here, I may still see the last seconds of my life with or without your toolbox's help. Congratulations." Alhaitham barely lifted his eyes to look at Kaveh.

"You-... Don't speak like that!" 

Kaveh could not imagine witnessing Alhaitham's death, not now, not ever.

"If it were not for my Mehrak, I would have been bitten or killed during the fight. It's my most precious creation and no way will I ever tolerate nor let your arrogant mouth dictate its utility. It saved my life and whether you like it or not, it saved yours too." Kaveh argued. 

He brought the toolbox to his arms and hugged it against his chest. He wondered how much it would cost to repair Mehrak once they got out of the ruins… if they ever got out.

"My life would only be saved only if we solve the puzzle, so less complaining." Alhaitham painfully moved to the side to make himself feel more comfortable.

He reached for the cape and leaned forward, tightening the knot of the cape around his wound. He suppressed cries of pain as blood flowed out from the injury. Then, the bleeding finally came to a stop.

Alhaitham sighed with relief and let his back rest against the wall to catch his breath. 

Kaveh watched in silence. The scribe wiped away the sweat off his face, accidentally staining his left cheek and the side of his forehead with his own blood. 

The architect could feel his heart weaken as the hours went by. Ever since he had met Alhaitham, he had always seen him as this undisturbed individual whose mind and feelings were so unreachable they might as well not have existed. Now, after seeing him at his weakest point physically, Kaveh’s eyes stung with tears. 

This wake-up call seemed to have been enough for Kaveh to put himself back together and find a solution out of the ruin. His determination to get them out of here no longer depended on his own survival but on Alhaitham's fragile life. 

When Kaveh woke up, his face was leaned against the cube stone of the mechanism. His hands felt numb from the cold environment that trespassed the walls of the chamber. It confirmed Kaveh's suspicion that he had slept until the next morning.

After their argument from yesterday, Kaveh and Alhaitham had fallen into deep silence. They had worked on their own respective missions to help each other out.

Kaveh must have fallen asleep after transcribing the components of the mechanism’s tablet since the pen was still secured in his hand. 

He looked around. He noticed that the room in the chamber had not changed. The grand circle door remained closed. Ancient movable pillars were still in the center, matching the different constellations. It was their key out here. 

Match the constellations in the sky.

However, with no sight of it, how would they be able to predict which constellation was the correct one?

His stomach growled. He hadn't had a proper meal since the morning before where he had spent at home, working on house designs and blueprints. Usually, Kaveh would go a whole day without eating, but perhaps with the knowledge that he didn’t have the option to eat this time,  his hunger was emphasized even more.

He couldn’t believe they were still locked in the ruin, with no outside party looking for them. Maybe they were looking for them, but would they ever be found? Kaveh wanted to believe that if they never managed to solve the puzzle, they would at least be rescued by the forest rangers or the matra. He needs to preserve hope, both for himself and Alhaitham.

Alhaitham. 

He looked over to the spot where Alhaitham previously sat. Kaveh was surprised to see it empty with only a dried pool of blood remaining on the concrete floor. His whole body froze at the dangerous scenarios his mind could creatively come up with. Kaveh sat up and frantically looked around, only to be surprised by the figure sitting behind him. 

“Argh, Alhaitham! What are you doing behind my back?” 

Turning around to face Alhaitham’s back, he watched the scribe analyze the symbols on the door, Kaveh’s journal in hand and a familiar plume in the other. 

“As evident as it looks, I am trying to solve the puzzle. Apart from the changes in the sky and its constellations, the mechanism in the ruin remains the same, all we have to do is calculate the night in which each constellation would appear according to our own position and our own lunar cycle and we would be able to open the door. That is, without forgetting, that it would change if we don’t do it before the next day.” Alhaitham replied, his voice monotone and assertive.

“How long was I asleep?” Kaveh asked, rubbing his cheek from the ache he felt. 

“All night. I knew we were morning the second I heard the birds sing. I have already deciphered the majority of the symbols from both of these walls.” 

“You-...” Kaveh looked over at the book and the journal left opened on the side. Half of the notebook was already filled with scribblings and calculus. “Did you even sleep? Like a little bit?” 

“Nonsense, sleeping will not get us the results we need to get out of here.” Alhaitham simply replied. 

“But it will also make you feel worse and kill you? Don’t you have any sense of survival left in you?” Kaveh tiredly crawled closer to Alhaitham and inspected his face. 

“If I didn’t have any survival instinct, I wouldn’t be helping you in opening the door, would I?” 

Alhaitham briefly met Kaveh’s eyes before looking down at his journal again. He would only look back at him when he felt hands messing with the bandage on his wounded leg. With a pained groan, he grabbed Kaveh’s wrist tightly. 

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“You need to change your bandage. Do you really think I’m going to let you bleed to death?”

“I am fine, the wound is not that serious?” 

“Not that serious? I hope you’re joking. You’ve been bitten by a Rishboland Tiger, your flesh is practically half open and your cape is drowned in blood, it’s no longer effective. You will get an infection.” 

“Kaveh. None of this would matter if we get out of here before it happens.”

The blond architect glared at the scribe and freed his wrist from his grip. 

“I don’t think I asked for your permission. I’m going to change that bandage whether you like it or not.” he reached for the piece of fabric around his leg, untying the knot he had watched Alhaitham do yesterday and opened the bandage. 

He could hear Alhaitham’s protests but he did not pay attention to them. As he examined the wound, Kaveh looked for any signs of infection or unusual color on the flesh. The dried blood still stained most of his leg while fresh still dropped down the injury. 

After putting away the fabric drenched in blood, Kaveh took off the few remains of his own cape and tore it apart.

"Lift your leg up." 

“Kaveh-” 

"Do as I say!" Kaveh refused to listen. 

With an unreadable glance from his junior, Kaveh reached for Alhaitham's leg and lifted it up to wrap his favorite cape around the flesh.

Alhaitham violently flinched at the sudden touch, his teeth biting off moans of pain while Kaveh tightened the fabric around the ruin. Instinctively, the scribed reached for a hold, his hand holding onto Kaveh's upper arm, his eyes closed. 

Kaveh's worry intensified after seeing Alhaitham's body tense in pain. He had never experienced Alhaitham in any state of suffering before and he knew right away that he hated it. 

"Almost done." Kaveh tried to reassure as he tried his best to secure the wound in a bandage to prevent more blood loss. 

When the architect finished taking care of the wound, he leaned back and watched Alhaitham's face contorted in pain and exhaustion. He could see the haze in which his eyes would barely focus. 

"You need to sleep. It would not do you good to stay awake any time longer. I will work on the ruin." 

"You won't understand the ruins on the door, I have not finished translating them." Alhaitham shook his head, swallowing the dryness in his throat. 

"I will manage to decipher a few symbols, you're going to rest. Here, use Mehrak as a foot rest for your leg. We don't want your leg to get infected by whatever is on the floor."

His actions followed his words and Kaveh helped Alhaitham find a more comfortable spot where to rest and sleep, using Mehrak as a foot rest, he softly and delicately rested Alhaitham's leg down. 

"Kaveh…"

Looking up to meet tired eyes, Kaveh, leaned closer to listen to the scribe who were seconds away from falling asleep. 

"I'm listening, Alhaitham." 

Kaveh reached for Alhaitham's hands, stained with ink and blood and held it firmly on his own, almost like a promise that he would get him out and save him. 

"I'm sorry."

The words had escaped his lips in a whisper, it was so unbelievable that Kaveh wasn't even sure if he heard him right. Frowning, he tilted his head to the side and waited for Alhaitham to continue. 

"I am not blaming you for our situation and it is not your fault or Mehrak's fault that we are stuck here. I was lucky that you were here, or Mehrak wouldn't have warned me about the tigers." he swallowed and blinked a few times to stay awake. "I am confident that you are capable of getting us out of here, my senior." 

Kaveh's guilt still remained in his heart and soul, however, Alhaitham's words were covering up that guilt added layers of recognition and acknowledgement. Something he had always wihed he would hear from his junior, much more than he would admit.

With a heavy sigh, Kaveh reached for Alhaitham's face and brought it closer to his face to rest his forehead against his own. The heavy burdens and the huge weight bearing down on Kaveh's shoulders were too overwhelming for the young architect to care about trespassing a boundary between him and Alhaitham. 

When they were on the verge of death, Kaveh did not care whether his actions would be questioned or not. He needed to receive comfort but he also needed to comfort Alhaitham, who wouldn't directly ask for it. 

"Alhaitham, please, hold on as much as you can, I will get us out of here. I promise you." Kaveh closed his eyes, quietly aware that there was a chance that Alhaitham was already fast asleep.

He needed to hear it and he needed to say it. His life and Alhaitham's life depended on him. 

When Alhaitham fell asleep, Kaveh did not waste any time lingering on his complex feelings regarding Alhaitham and reached for the journal to work on the ruin. 

Relying on luck had never been beneficial for Kaveh throughout his life and a part of him hoped that he would find the right constellation before the next day.

When Kaveh heard the clicking sound of the mechanism, he could hear his heart break at the realization that the puzzle had reset to another constellation for the next day. Which meant that they had already reached a good portion of the night. 

"No, are you kidding me? The constellation should have been the Lupus Aureus, I was so sure of this one. Oh no, I have to wait the next day for the next one." Kaveh threw away the notebook, his frustration perfectly noticeable by his angry stance. 

Moving the pillars to represent the constellation in the sky in a limited time period was painfully sadistic and Kaveh was surely creative enough to come up with very nice terms to describe the population of Khaenri'ah. 

The outburst must have awoken Alhaitham, whose voice interrupted his solo indignation.

"Lupus Aureus?" 

"Yes! I've made the calculations and it should have been this constellation but by the time I managed to place the pillars in the right order, nothing happened and time was already out."

Alhaitham's tiredness and half-conscious state did not stop him from smiling, amused by Kaveh's frustration. 

"Don't worry, you can try again the next time the mechanism reactivates." 

Kaveh groaned and wrapped his arms around his body, taking a seat next to Alhaitham, the attention shifting on him. Alhaitham had been sleeping for a good eight hours, resulting in him waking up in the dead of night where the cold haunted the walls and Kaveh's skin. 

With a cold shiver, Kaveh leaned forward to examine his wound and then his face. "How are you feeling?" 

"Weirdly, I don't feel as much pain as I used to. It's either because I'm miraculously healing or I'm slowly losing consciousness." Alhaitham muttered, closing his eyes, his head against the wall.

Kaveh swallowed and moved closer, placing the back of his hand against Alhaitham's forehead. 

"You're cold. No wonder. I'm practically freezing too. Who would have known the rainforest could be so deadly." The young architect trembled.

"Tighnari, I assume." Alhaitham replied. 

"Surely." Kaveh scoffed, hating himself for not telling anyone where he was going. 

The silence settling between Kaveh and Alhaitham seemed strange. Not like he wasn't used to a silent Alhaitham, but every single time Kaveh was worried that it meant he would never wake up. His eyes observed Alhaitham's features, his eyes were closed, his facial features weirdly calm but his hands were forming a fist on each side of his body, showing the inner pain he was enduring. 

"If you keep staring at me like this I may as well consider a career as an artwork." 

The rush of heat he felt relaxed his tense posture. The blush that crept up his face was a clear response to the buried feelings Kaveh would not even dare speak out loud. As a retaliation, he let out a surprised scoff, refusing to let his attraction blind him to the severity of Alhaitham's words. 

"Oh so now you believe beauty to be a necessary trait for an object to be considered as art? I thought you said beauty does not equal art?" 

"Now that is where the problem lies in our conversation. I never implied that I was beautiful but a subject interesting enough to peak your interest for a long time. Since you have introduced beauty into the discussion, I assume you meant to say that you find me beautiful enough to be an artwork?" Alhaitham asked calmly. 

"I-Uh? What?!" Kaveh almost shouted, "Me? Finding you beautiful? Why would I tell you that you're beautiful? This is ridiculous! Stop twisting my words, Alhaitham!"

"I have not twisted anything. It is exactly what you have implied. Since you believe an artwork has to be beautiful, you must believe that I must be beautiful in order to be an artwork?" The scribe opened his eyes to look at Kaveh.

"You're the one who called yourself an artwork!"

"And you were the one staring at me for a very long time." 

"I was making sure you were not dead!" Kaveh spat out.

"That's a plain excuse, you can clearly hear me breathing perfectly fine." 

"You know what? I liked you more when you were sleeping, it was less headache inducing than hearing you talk!" Kaveh crossed his arms and turned away from him, finding warmth in the depth of his own arms. 

Kaveh was hoping that the renewed silence would bring an end to the conversation, however, Alhaitham seemed to have found a new form of interest. 

"You liked me when I slept?" 

"Ugh!" Kaveh turned to the scribe, glaring through his skull, seeing the gleam of amusement in Alhaitham's eyes. "You are insufferable. I can't believe that even in such a situation, you would find ways to annoy me."

"I was merely trying to find a topic of conversation but it seemed that I may have hit a sensitive nerve when I talked about your attraction for me. How about we continue our conversation about the palace?"

"Aren't you tired? We still have 10 hours before the mechanism reactivates itself." Kaveh asked, changing the subject.

"I slept enough."

"Whatever."

Looking over at the mechanism, Kaveh mentally prepared himself for the constellation he was certain was going to be set for the next day. Fiosculi Implexi on the right, Sagitta Scutum on the left and Luscinia in the center. 

His thinking process almost made him forget the conversation he had with Alhaitham which surprised him when he heard the scribe speak up again.

"You did not listen to me that night at home." 

Kaveh turned his eyes to Alhaitham, who was staring straight ahead, almost lost in his own thoughts. 

"I do think the palace of Alcazarzaray is a piece of art. Not because of its beauty like you think it is but because the person who designed it gave their heart and soul in the creation. That is what makes an object a piece of art, and the palace of Alcazarzaray's soul is as breathtakingly beautiful as the person who designed it. Beauty does not determine a piece of art. The creator's passion does. That is what I meant." 

Alhaitham's voice sounded partially different, perhaps it was due to the lack of energy, or exhaustion from being locked in for so long. Or perhaps it was coming from a place of misunderstanding and determination to be understood. 

Kaveh did not expect this sort of soft  and delicate delivery of words from his junior. The words implied in his confession on the palace of Alcazarzaray almost felt intimate, as if, for the first time in his life, Alhaitham was allowing someone else to peer through his heart.

The palace of Alcazarzaray's soul is as breathtakingly beautiful as the one who designed it.

Was he calling me beautiful? Kaveh thought. No it couldn't be. Alhaitham never feels things like this.

But Kaveh had heard him clearly and perfectly. Alhaitham might lack some conversational skills, he still never lacked any vocabularies or words to express his thoughts or feelings.

"I-... Thank you."

Alhaitham seemed surprised by the answer given, his blue eyes looking back at Kaveh, noticing the proximity in which they were sitting. 

"Don't thank me. I only state what I believe are facts."

"I take back what I say as well." Kaveh looked down, seemingly nervous about the unfamiliar way they exchanged. 

It was a nice change. No shouting, no shared glares or hurtful statements, simply honest and touching thoughts.

"Regarding what?" Alhaitham tilted his head to the side, his tired eyes focusing on everything that involved Kaveh, as if that was all he ever did. 

For a very long time. 

"I do think you would be qualified to be a work of art. You're beautiful. Everyone sees it." Kaveh could feel the heat on his face threatening to light up a fire in the center of ruin and burn him whole.

On cue, Alhaitham met his eyes, and none of them dared to look away. 

"Are you still cold?" Alhaitham asked as a response which surprised and confused Kaveh.

Instinctively, Kaveh brought his hands around his own body, the cold feeling coming back to him. 

"A little." 

Alhaitham's eyes traveled all over Kaveh's face, as if there was something he knew but did not dare to say it out loud.

"I'm getting weaker, Kaveh..." His hand reached up to brush a strand of hair off Kaveh's forehead. 

"What are you talking about? We are going to be free tomorrow. I promised you." Kaveh's hands trembled as they found Alhaitham's shoulder as he moved to face him. 

Alhaitham's smile both looked tender and sad, almost as if he didn't believe in Kaveh's promise, it only brought sorrow in Kaveh's heart. 

"Alhaitham, you believe me right? I will find the constellation and get us out of here." 

"Shhh… how about we just not talk anymore, hm?" 

Kaveh frowned, feeling the tears pricking the corner of his eyes at the sudden change of mood. Alhaitham practically told him he found him beautiful and Kaveh shared his feelings back and now he had to accept it just as much as he had to accept losing Alhaitham?

He could not accept it. 

"Alhaitham…" He opened his mouth to speak only for them to be met by another pair of lips, embracing them in a warm kiss.

Kaveh could feel his heart pound against his chest. It was loud enough to tune out the exterior noises of nature surrounding the cold walls. He did not understand what all of this meant but he knew he understood everything. 

From the moment they first met in the House Of Daena: their friendship, their bickering, their falling out, their reunion, their hidden feelings. 

He could now read through Alhaitham's urge to kiss him, to feel him and bring him closer despite the pain he felt. For the first time he understood Alaitham without the latter having to say a word. 

I may not survive another day. I have nothing to lose. There are so many things I wanted to show you and do with you, Kaveh. 

I need more time.

The kiss allowed their thoughts to entangle and interconnect. Every single kiss Alhaitham gave him was another message delivered to Kaveh. He felt overwhelmed. He knew why Alhaitham was daring this and why he was brave enough to take the first step. It might be the last time they would ever get the chance. 

Kaveh let a sob escape his lips, a single tear rolling down his cheek when sadness overtook him.

"Alhaitham..." He broke away from the heated kiss, his lips brushed against his lips. 

Alhaitham wiped the tear away. 

"It's going to be okay, Kaveh… It's not your fault…" The scribe barely whispered, bringing Kaveh's face back to him.

In these ways, both Kaveh and Alhaitham shared their feelings, fears, worries and love. 

If he were to lose Alhaitham, he needed to show him how much he meant his words and how much he cared for him. Kaveh stopped Alhaitham from kissing him any further. 

This action made Alhaitham's eyes stare up at Kaveh and the sight of weak and tired blue eyes encouraged the architect to finally express his feelings. 

With both hands holding the young scribe's face, Kaveh leaned his forehead closer to his forehead. 

"Kaveh…" Alhaitham mumbled, his breathing short and mind hazy. "I love you, Kaveh…" 

Kaveh looked at Alhaitham in shock with his eyes wide open. After a few minutes of silence, Kaveh blinked and swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Alhaith-…" 

"I'm not going to take it back. No matter what happens." His hand held Kaveh's elbow, encouraging him to kiss him again, leaning forward slightly for their noses to touch.

"No, that's not wha-..." Kaveh ignored the heat invading his face. He must look so red at this moment. "I will tell you how I feel tomorrow. When we will be out and free. I promise you." 

Alhaitham let out a soft laugh, but Kaveh needed to believe they would. He would not accept any other fate. Before his thoughts could haunt him any further, Alhaitham brought Kaveh's face back to him and they shared a longer kiss, both silently telling each other how they really felt.

After hours of finding comfort in each other's arms, Kaveh fell asleep against Alhaitham's shoulder, praying that once he wakes up, he would be in the Akademiya, in his own bed with Alhaitham safe and sound.

Kaveh opened his eyes a few hours later. He listened to Alhaitham's soft breathing against his hair, feeling relieved to know that he was still alive. He moved away from the sleeping scribe and he stretched himself before crawling off the ground to stand up on his feet. 

His hunger and thirst was excruciating, but Kaveh fought against pondering on it for too long. After everything they had told and confessed to each other, Kaveh needed to focus. 

While reviewing the constellations, Kaveh grabbed the journal he had thrown away the night before.

"Please… Please… Be the right constellation, I cannot allow another mistake." Kaveh silently prayed, closing his eyes and whispering. 

He reached for his his plume and quickly rewrote his calculus and all the constellation for each pillar. He wanted to double check everything while taking into account the error he made in the past. An hour and a half had passed, and the growing heat inside the ruin was a sign to Kaveh that they had reached the middle of the day. He had only a few hours left before the mechanism would restart.

He had so much to think about: the constellations, the puzzle, the ruins, Mehrak, his hunger and thirst, his exhaustion, his anxiety, the time passing by, Alhaitham's health and their safety… and many more things. He could feel a headache coming as he stole a glance towards the scribe who looked dead asleep. 

He put the journal aside and stopped scribbling nonsense on the pages to check on Alhaitham. After leaning closer, he placed an ear against his chest and listened to Alhaitham's heartbeat as it faintly beat, steadily. He was alive and breathing.

Looking over at his wound, his blood had stopped dripping but Kaveh was still worried it was because no more blood remained. The floor was entirely colored in dark crimson. To think that it all came from Alhaitham made Kaveh forget his hunger altogether. 

"Fiosculi Implexi on the right tablet, Sagitta Scutum on the left and Luscinia in the center, is that what you concluded?" 

Kaveh jumped up at the sound of Alhaitham's faint, broken and weak, voice. He looked up, a blush creeping up his cheeks. 

"Yes, according to my calculations and the mechanism this is the solution." Kaveh nodded, his eyes traveling over the paleness of Alhaitham's face, worried. 

Alhaitham nodded and swallowed dryly.

"How's my wound?" His sore throat broke his voice.

"The bleeding stopped if that's what you're asking." 

"When the door opens. You would have to warn the surrounding… I don't know if tigers are going to be waiting outside. Just be careful and don't put yourself in danger, Kaveh. Save yourself if you can." 

Kaveh's jaw tensed at the thought of leaving Alhaitham behind. "I will never leave you behind. I will take you with me, I can get us out." 

Alhaitham frowned and closed his eyes with a heavy sigh, "I don't doubt your abilities Kaveh. I don't want you to get hurt." 

"I won't…" 

Alhaitham simply nodded at the answer and kept his eyes closed, already feeling himself slipping away. After Kaveh made sure he was still breathing, he stood up and worked on the journal again while trying to decipher any noise outside the ruin. It had been one day or two since they had last heard any signs of tigers around the perimeter. Perhaps, they were gone for good?

A few hours later, Alhaitham was still asleep. 

Kaveh has been waiting for the mechanism to start. In a few minutes, he would hear the click of the machine and would have 15 minutes to settle every single pillar into its right place with no error. 

He could do this.

His fingers anxiously tapped against the cold floor as he counted down the seconds. 

It was going to be soon. 

"Alhaitham, I'll get us out of here."

Kaveh took a deep breath. 

Click .

I believe in you, Kaveh.

Alhaitham's voice encouraged him to start on the puzzle solving. Hurrying to the left tablet, Kaveh began to design the right constellations. 

One done, two more to go. 

The center.

Kaveh's trembling hands placed the components in the right order, at least, the order he believed was right. 

When it was time to get to the right tablet, Kaveh had counted that ten minutes had already passed, only five minutes left to go. 

20 seconds. 

"Come on, almost done, come on, Kaveh."

10 seconds. 

A mechanical puzzle was stuck, Kaveh punched it with all his might and lastly placed it where it belonged. 

Click

He did it in time. It was done. However, he wasn't sure if it worked according to the mechanism. Heading towards the square stone next to the door, Kaveh ran his hand against the cold tablet, a bright light coming to life, blinding his vision but also lifting off the heavy weight and burden on his shoulder. 

The key mechanism was lit up. He could open the door. 

He did it. 

They were free. 

A laugh of disbelief escaped Kaveh's sore throat as he brought his trembling hands to his mouth. He could hear noises outside of the ruin, but Kaveh, in the wheel of emotions, did not pay as much attention to it. 

"I did it! I did it…" 

Kaveh touched the mechanism and checked the options to open the door. It was easy and effective. He could open the door once they were ready. 

"Alhaitham! I did it, I solved the mechanism, we can get out!" 

Hoping to get support from Alhaitham, he placed the journal next to the tablets and hurried closer to the scribe, kneeling down next to him, his hands finding his face to the side to face him. 

However, the lack of tension over his muscles and limbs took Kaveh off-guard, Alhaitham's head tilting to the side with no effort. 

"Alhaitham?" 

Kaveh's eyes traveled over Alhaitham's features and the coldness of his skin. Kaveh slightly slapped his cheeks, hoping to get a reaction out of the scribe, who was only asleep an hour ago.

"Alhaitham, wake up, I solved the mechanism, I can get us out!" 

The lack of response drowned out all the noise Kaveh previously heard outside the ruin. Why wasn't Alhaitham waking up?

"Alhaitham! Now is not the time to get a power nap, wake up!" Kaveh grabbed his shoulders and shook him a little, noticing how the movement caused Alhaitham's hand to flatly drop against the floor, almost like a lifeless limb. 

But it did not make sense. Nothing made sense. He kept his promise. he was getting them out.

Leaning down, Kaveh brought his ear close to his chest and waited. 

He waited. 

He closed his eyes, he must have missed it. Come on, he should be hearing it. Where was the sound of his beating heart? Why couldn't Kaveh hear Alhaitham's heart beating? 

"Alhaitham…" Kaveh could barely say his name as a heart-wrenching sob cut him off. "No, no, no… not you too…" 

Kaveh stepped back and grabbed Alhaitham's face and shook him, his lifeless body showing no signs of waking up, his eyes closed and lips ever so slightly parted, feigning sleepiness. 

"You're not doing this to me, Alhaitham you better wake up right now, you can't do this to me!" Kaveh's voice tore through the silence of the rainforest.

He could no longer see the right in front of him as endless tears ran down Kaveh's face and loud sobs tore through his painful and aching chest. "I didn't even tell you I love you." Kaveh's voice as another sob left his lips. 

He could barely breathe through his own pleas and sobs, bringing Alhaitham closer to his chest and holding him so close he feared he might crush him in his arms. Alhaitham's lifeless arms fell to his side, emphasizing the absurdity and the cruelty of the situation. Reality stabbed Kaveh right in the center of his already scarred and bleeding heart. He felt dizzy and weak, the ruin around losing its right balance, spinning around him as he held onto Alhaitham's unconscious body for dear life. 

"Alhaitham please, don't leave me alone! Alhaitham, please wake up, please." Kaveh sobs turned into an endless repetition of incomprehensible whispers.

His shaking body, ragged breathing and sobs were all Kaveh needed to feel to know he was entirely undergoing a panic attack he did not ask for. The noises around him deafening to the point he even wondered if he had Alhaitham's headset on without knowing. 

The architect's mind blurred and spaced out in panic from the situation, preserving the bit of sanity he had left, to remain alive. Kaveh couldn't notice the door of the ruin opening itself nor did he feel familiar arms taking him away from Alhaitham's unmoving body. Only when he could no longer feel the warmth of his body against his own did he start to push the intruder away from him and reach for the scribe again. 

"No! Don't touch him. Alhaitham, please wake up!" 

He could see figures surrounding them both and Kaveh barely could make out the symbols on the fabric of the Forest Rangers and the Matra who helped Alhaitham's body lay down on the floor.

"Kaveh, calm down and breathe, will you? He's going to be okay, Cyno will take care of him." A voice mumbled against his ear, the intruder holding him from the back, on the floor, keeping him close and away from the matra. 

Tighnari. 

Kaveh could hear another loud sob escape his own throat once his brain finally made sense of the situation he was in. They were surrounded by the matra and forest rangers, the cold air entering the ruin indicating that the door had been opened the second Kaveh had touched the mechanism, allowing them to enter the ruin and help them. 

The figure hovering Alhaitham's lifeless body was General Mahamatra Cyno, performing chest compressions while ordering other matras to get the oxygen pouches. After a series of compression, Cyno groaned in frustration.

"Oxygen, now!" Cyno shouted.

"Kaveh, how long was he unconscious?" Tighnari asked carefully, still hugging his friend close.

Kaveh tried to recollect his memories and his ability to speak, he felt dizzy and exhausted and scared. 

"I don't know… I don't know… he was talking to me an hour ago." His cried, bringing his hands to his mouth as he cried, Tighnari tightening his hold on his friend. 

"He's going to be okay, you are all safe now."

Forest Rangers brought oxygen pouches to the General who ordered them to place it on Alhaitham's mouth as he continued his compressions without any break. Another forest ranger held Alhaitham's hand and checked on his pulse. 

"Pulse?" Cyno asked breathlessly but the forest ranger shook his head, swallowing. 

No pulse yet. 

"Damn it, Alhaitham, come on!" Cyno groaned, carrying on his compression.

Kaveh watched Cyno restlessly fighting for Alhaitham's life, feeling his broken heart and pain subsiding to numbness as fatigue took over him. 

"Oxygen." Cyno ordered once again, counting the chest compression before allowing the forest ranger to give oxygen back once again.

After what felt like half an hour had passed, the forest ranger in charge of monitoring Alhaitham's pulse gasped and nodded, sitting up.

"I can feel a pulse!"

Kaveh, with his silent sobs and ragged breathing, could feel his eyelids feeling heavier.

Cyno's tense muscles relaxed, the sweat on his temple and forehead shining over the serious frown on his face. 

Kaveh closed his eyes, his head spinning and nausea rumbling in his stomach.

"Kaveh, don't, stay awake…" Tighnari's distant voice was not loud enough to prevent Kaveh from letting unconsciousness take over him.

Five Days Later

Kaveh closed his eyes as his head rested against Alhaitham's chest, the sound of a beating heart reassuring him and comforting like it never did before. He closed his eyes and counted, relying on the sound only to remember that they were safe, rescued and alive. 

"You're crying, again." Alhaitham's broken voice took Kaveh's mind away from his thoughts. 

"I don't care." 

"My heart is beating just fine, Kaveh, don't worry too much, I am okay."

After being rescued by Tighnari and Cyno and the rest of their teams, Kaveh had fainted in exhaustion and both Alhaitham and him had been brought back to the Birmarstan for urgent treatment.

Kaveh's memory of their captivity in the ruins were both a traumatic experience and a life-lesson to him. He felt different. Life was precious but Alhaitham's life was even more valuable to him. He needed to make sure that he was okay at every chance he could get. 

After all, Alhaitham would finally be allowed to go home from the hospital today. Kaveh had willingly volunteered to be in charge of taking care of him and his healing wound. He would take that responsibility, gladly.

"It is beating perfectly fine, I can hear it." Kaveh closed his eyes and felt gentle fingers brushing through his golden locks. 

Kaveh had spent most of his time keeping an eye on Alhaitham, checking his heartbeat, feeding him and constantly apologizing for not being useful enough. Alhaitham, annoyed by the constant self-blaming of his senior, would always shut him up with a gentle yet scolding stare. He insisted that without Kaveh's help, Cyno and Tighnari wouldn't have been able to open the door as easily as they had. 

"You saved my life, Kaveh. Don't you ever forget that." Alhaitham had told him hours after he had woken up and Kaveh had cried.

He knew it wasn't Alhaitham's fault either but he didn't seem to control his emotions these past few days so he let out every single thought he had to Alhaitham. Tapping his fingers against Alhaitham's chest, he waited patiently for the nurse to come back and allow them to leave. 

"What's on your mind?" Alhaitham's fingers kept playing with his hair as he waited for Kaveh to answer.

The architect didn't answer right away, he took a deep breath and lifted his face up to stare at Alhaitham in the eyes. Kaveh could see that Alhaitham's regained colors these past few days, an evident contrast from the lifeless body Kaveh had held in his arms. Kaveh suppressed a sob. 

"Hey…" Alhaitham brushed away the tears.

"I'm just happy you're okay." He mumbled, moving his face closer to him, resting his cheek against his face. 

"I'm happy you're okay too." Alhaitham whispered in return, placing a kiss against his cheek.

"I want to tell you something. I promised you I'd tell you once we will be out of the ruin, safe and sound." Kaveh carried on, letting Alhaitham kiss his face as he gathered his courage. 

"I'm listening…"

Kaveh closed his eyes and met Alhaitham's tender gaze smiling and whispering. 

"I love you, Alhaitham."

The thought of never being able to tell Alhaitham how he really felt had tortured Kaveh for days and nights. Alhaitham suddenly sat up and wrapped his arms around Kaveh's waist, hugging him in a tight embrace.

"I'm here Kaveh, and I heard you loud and clear. I would have known either way. I could always feel your love. Saying it, wouldn't have made a difference. I know." 

Alhaitham held Kaveh in his arms dearly, comforting him the way he knew Kaveh needed. 

Kaveh mumbled between his tears, "I'm taking you with me forever, you are never going anywhere without me." 

Alhaitham's smile grew. 

"Does that mean you are going to go to work with me as well? What would the sages think?" Alhaitham teased, already feeling Kaveh relax a little more, his cries growing quieter. 

"That as your boyfriend, they have no say in what I do and where I go. Plain and simple." 

"Boyfriend, huh?" The scribe chuckled. 

"What? You really think I would let anyone kiss me? The minute you called me beautiful, you were already promised for at least five years of commitment, my dear junior." Kaveh gleamed. 

"Five years? What will happens after those five years, my dear senior?" 

Kaveh seemed to think about it before he shrugged. "Hopefully by that time you would have gathered the courage to propose to me in the a way most befitting of a man in love." 

Alhaitham let out a surprised laugh, leaning back to look Kaveh in the eyes, his hands wiping away his dried tears.

"Would you even say yes?" 

"If a long speech about how much you love me is involved, I may consider it. As a Haravatat graduate, it shouldn't be hard for you, after all."

Alhaitham rolled his eyes and moved closer, his eyes never looking elsewhere. 

"Perhaps giving you a kiss would ensure me a possible yes for the next five years together, wouldn't you agree?" 

"Kiss me first and I will tell you." Kaveh already closed his eyes.

Alhaitham's lips traveled the small gap between them and perfectly covered Kaveh's lips with his own, in a tender kiss and passionate kiss.