Chapter Text
Tighnari once had a dream, a strange dream that left him confused.
"—Nari..."
"Tighnari...!"
Tighnari jolted when his roommate shouted his name—for two to three times—right in front of his face. He didn't even realize the poor darshan had been calling him over and over while he was still in dazed.
His gaze found its way to the window, wondering how long did he doze off for. The sun was setting soon and he was still in his Darshan robe, didn't even bother to change when he arrived earlier.
Earlier? It was probably 3 or 4 hours ago.
"Are you not feeling well, Tighnari?" Mari, his roommate, asked him in a worried tone.
Tighnari smiled and shook his head, assuring the younger that he was fine.
Mari was two years younger than Tighnari, but that gap had never stood in the way of their bond. From the moment they were paired as roommates eighteen months ago, they had simply clicked. In the high-pressure halls of the Akademiya—where most students were either burnt out or busy trying to outshine one another—their room was a rare sanctuary of peace. They hadn't had a single real argument in all that time; Mari was too easygoing to pick a fight, and Tighnari was too fond of his quiet life to start one.
When it came to their studies, they were a formidable team. Both were top-tier students, yet there wasn't a trace of jealousy or competition between them. Instead of trying to surpass each other, they treated their academic workload like a joint project. They spent countless late nights at their shared desk, proofreading each other’s essays and practicing for exams until they both felt confident enough to face the professors.
Socially, however, they were opposites. Mari was a total social butterfly, drifting through the campus with a wave and a smile for everyone he passed. He was the one who knew the latest gossip and exactly which cafe served the best midday snacks. Tighnari, by contrast, was a creature of quiet habits. He didn't feel the need to cultivate a large circle of friends; for him, having Mari around was more than enough. Over time, he had come to see the younger boy not just as a roommate, but as his own little brother.
Despite his private nature, Tighnari was never cold. He made a conscious effort to remain approachable, offering a polite, genuine smile to anyone who looked his way. It was a comfortable, predictable life of research and companionship—at least, until that trip to the desert changed everything.
"You seriously look like a living corpse..." Mari observed Tighnari's face when he joined the younger at the dinner table. "Are you stressed, perhaps? I know the exams are around the corner, but please take care of yourself.. you are making me worried."
Tighnari sipped his tea, swallowing it with satisfaction. He really needed that.
"You do know I don't stress myself out over exams." Said Tighnari, with a hint of smugness in his tone.
Mari chuckled, "Tell me then, what has gotten into you that made you look... whatever this is."
Tighnari suddenly sighed out loud, making the younger guy surprised. Tighnari has never, ever, sighed out loud like so unless he's facing some sort off difficulties in his studies. Though as he mentioned earlier, he wasn't stressing out because of exams. So, what could possibly be the reason?
Mari was ready to lend an ear to Tighnari’s problem and maybe provide a support to solve whatever the problem was.
"I have been... having this strange dream for two weeks now." Tighnari started. "It's not really strange at first, but it keeps coming back at least four times.. a week."
"What is it about?" Asked Mari.
Tighnari tried to remember as detailed as he could.
"I dreamed of a man... a man in the desert."
Mari was waiting for him to continue but the fennec stopped and stared at his cup of hot chamomile tea.
"...That's it?"
Tighnari looked at Mari and suddenly observed his whole being with his verdant eyes.
"What..? Why are you looking at me like that… Now you're creeping me out!"
Tighnari let out a long, heavy sigh and let his head drop onto the wooden table with a dull thud. His ears flopped forward, covering his eyes as if he were trying to hide from his own thoughts.
Mari sat across from him, leaning forward with his chin resting in his hands. He felt like he had been left hanging. Tighnari had started a story and then just stopped, and Mari was far too curious to let it go. He wanted to know every detail of this mysterious dream.
"Well," Tighnari’s voice was muffled against the table. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. "I dreamed of a man. I couldn't quite see his face, but I remember he had white hair... and dark, sun-kissed skin."
The fox-eared scholar squinted, trying to pull more details from his memory, but it was like trying to catch smoke with his bare hands. "That man... he protected me. He treated me like I was a precious gem or something. I have no idea why I kept getting attacked in those dreams, but he was always there to save me."
Mari hummed softly as he listened, his mind already racing. White hair and brown skin? That description was incredibly broad. In a place as diverse as Sumeru, there were plenty of people who fit that criteria. Mari tried to scroll through a mental list of the students and professors they knew, but he couldn't think of anyone who would spend their nights acting as Tighnari’s personal guardian.
"It sounds like a fairy tale," Mari joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Maybe your subconscious is just tired of you doing all the work and invented a bodyguard for you."
Tighnari didn't laugh. He just stared at his notes, his bright green eyes looking unusually thoughtful. "Maybe. But it felt too real to be just a tired brain making things up."
"Could the man live in the desert?" Mari wondered aloud. "Or maybe he's someone well-known out there?"
The two roommates went back and forth for a while, tossing out theories, but they reached no conclusion at all. Eventually, Tighnari gave up on trying to solve the puzzle. He shook his head to clear it and pulled his books closer, deciding to focus on his work instead. After all, a mysterious dream wouldn't help him graduate.
"Right, Nari," Mari said suddenly, breaking the silence as he remembered something he’d heard earlier. "I heard your final project requires you to do some data collection in the field? One of the other Amurta students was complaining about it at the cafe today."
Tighnari nodded, shifting a stack of pressed leaves to the side. "Ah, yes. You heard right. It’s the most important part of our thesis marks."
Mari set a thick Haravatat dictionary down on the table with a heavy thump. As a student of linguistics and poetry, he often found Tighnari’s botanical world fascinating, even if he didn't quite understand the science of it. "Well? Have you thought of any places for it yet?"
Tighnari paused, his emerald-green eyes drifting toward the window, looking past the city toward the horizon. "I think... the desert would be a good choice."
Mari blinked, his eyes widening in surprise. "The desert? Are you certain? The heat alone is enough to wilt anyone, let alone someone who prefers the shade of the forest."
"Mhm," Tighnari nodded, his tail giving a small, decisive flick. "I haven't discovered much of the desert yet, and the ecology there is unique. Besides, from everything I’ve read, the desert is full of... mystery. There are plants out there that survive on almost nothing. I want to see them for myself."
Mari looked at his roommate with genuine admiration. Tighnari was a bottomless pit of curiosity; he never refused a chance to learn something new, no matter how harsh the environment. While Mari spent his days buried in the rhythm of ancient poetry and the flow of languages, Tighnari was a man of the earth. Usually, Mari would spend hours explaining the new linguistic "intel" he’d gathered to Tighnari. Even when the science-minded scholar understood very little of the flowery metaphors, he always listened with patience.
"Right," Mari said, a mischievous glint appearing in his eyes. "And maybe you can actually find that man you’ve been dreaming about while you’re out there~"
He meant it only as a tease, a little jab to get a reaction, but Tighnari didn't immediately shoot him down. Instead, the fox-eared scholar went quiet.
He didn't want to admit it out loud, but the thought had already taken root in his mind. There was no way that man wasn't real. How could a person appear so vividly, so often, if they didn't exist somewhere under that same sun?
Tighnari gripped the edge of his desk, his gaze hardening with a new kind of resolve. "Maybe," he whispered. "I suppose there’s only one way to find out."
The two students were busy packing their books and parchment, preparing to leave the stuffy atmosphere of the library for a long-overdue lunch. But as they stepped into the main corridor, the usual academic chatter had shifted. Instead of debates over thesis topics, there was a low, frantic whispering that seemed to ripple through the crowd like wind through dry leaves.
"Isn't that the General Mahamatra...?"
"What is he doing here? Did someone break a law?"
"Keep your head down. I really don't want to get on his bad side."
"He looks as intimidating as the stories say."
The whispers didn't die down; if anything, they grew louder as a path cleared in the center of the hall. Tighnari turned his head, his long ears twitching as he tried to find the source of the commotion.
Walking steadily through the crowd was a figure draped in a heavy, dark cloak that obscured his frame. The hood was pulled low, topped with two long, pointed shapes that looked almost like rabbit ears—or perhaps something more predatory. He didn't look at anyone, but his presence alone seemed to turn the air cold.
"Ah... so that’s the General Mahamatra?" Tighnari asked quietly, leaning toward Mari. "This might be the first time I've actually seen him in person."
Mari nodded, stepping a bit closer to Tighnari as if for protection. "Yeah, that’s him. It’s a rare sight to see him hanging around the city; usually, he's out in the field. You don’t just run into him like this."
Mari lowered his voice, his social-butterfly nature slipping into "information mode" as they watched the cloaked figure pass. "He’s the one who protects the city’s laws. They say he’s incredibly strong—he once defeated an entire camp of aggressive Eremites trying to cross the desert single-handedly. He punishes anyone who messes with illegal knowledge. People are terrified of him; one wrong move and you’re doomed."
Tighnari nodded, taking in the information with a quiet curiosity. He watched the man’s steady, rhythmic stride. He thought the chances of someone like him—a quiet Amurta scholar—ever meeting the General Mahamatra face-to-face were practically zero.
As the General turned a corner, the cloak shifted for a split second. Tighnari caught a glimpse of dark, sun-kissed skin and a shock of stark white hair peeking out from beneath the hood.
His heart gave a strange, unexpected thump against his ribs. White hair. Brown skin. The description was a perfect match for the man in his dreams, but the thought felt ridiculous the moment it crossed his mind. The General Mahamatra was a cold, legendary enforcer of the law; he wasn't a gentle guardian who spent his nights sitting on a stone bench in a quiet garden.
Tighnari shook his head, pushing the thought away. The face of the General remained hidden, a mystery wrapped in a heavy cloak, and Tighnari decided it was better that way. He turned back to Mari, and the two of them left the Great Hall, leaving the shadow of the Mahamatra behind.
For now, the face of the man from his dreams and the face of the General were two different secrets—even if they belonged to the same man.
"The desert, Tighnari? Are you absolutely sure about this?"
The professor looked up from his desk, peering over his spectacles at the young scholar. Tighnari stood straight, his expression calm and determined. "Yes, sir," he stated with total seriousness. "I’ve thought it through, and I’m certain of my decision. Will you grant me the permission to enter the Hypostyle Desert for my field study?"
The professor studied him for a long moment, weighing the risks. Tighnari was one of his brightest students, and while the desert was dangerous, he knew the boy was capable. Finally, the older man nodded in agreement. He pulled a fresh sheet of parchment from his drawer and began to write, his pen scratching rhythmically against the paper. With a firm press of his official seal at the bottom corner, the permit was finalized.
With this letter, Tighnari would be safe from the Matra’s questioning; he wouldn't be caught crossing the dunes without a legal reason.
"Thank you, sir," Tighnari said, taking the letter carefully. "I’ll do my best."
"You always do, Tighnari. Keep up the good work," the professor replied, a rare note of warmth in his voice.
Tighnari felt a small spark of happiness at the compliment. It wasn't often that the Akademiya’s elite offered praise so freely. He tucked the permit safely into his satchel and made his way back to the dorms, his mind already drifting toward the red sands.
Back in their room, Mari sat on the edge of his bed, watching as Tighnari meticulously packed his supplies. The fox-eared scholar was thorough; he packed light clothing for the heat, extra canteens for water, and a specialized kit for preserving plant samples.
He would be gone for five days—five days of isolation, research, and discovery. Tighnari hoped to find enough unique data to make his thesis stand out. He had heard some of his classmates whispering that his name was already becoming well-known in the Akademiya for his vast knowledge. While the sudden fame felt overwhelming, Tighnari accepted it with a quiet, humble nod. If being known meant his research was respected, he would take it.
"You’d better take good care of yourself out there," Mari said, his voice unusually soft as Tighnari finally latched his bag shut.
It was nearly midnight. The city outside was quiet, the usual bustle of scholars replaced by the chirping of crickets. Tighnari planned to leave the following afternoon, which gave him just enough time for one last breakfast with Mari. He knew the younger boy was excited for him, but he could also see the worry in the way Mari’s eyes lingered on the desert map.
"The desert is full of dangers, Nari," Mari added. "Eremites, mechanical sentinels, sandstorms..."
"I'll be fine, Mari," Tighnari reassured him, his ears twitching as he focused on the distant sounds of the night. "I have my own advantages. With these ears, I can hear a footstep from a mile away. Nothing is going to sneak up on me."
Mari offered a small, hesitant smile. "I hope you're right. Just... don't forget to come back in one piece. I don't want to have to find a new roommate to help me with my Haravatat poetry."
Tighnari laughed softly, the tension in his shoulders finally easing. "I wouldn't dream of it. Now, go to sleep. We have a big breakfast to get through before I head out."
As Tighnari laid down that night, he felt the weight of the permit in his bag and the heat of the desert in his thoughts. He closed his eyes, wondering if the man with the white hair would be waiting for him in the dreams tonight, or if they would finally meet under the real sun.