Archive of Our Own

“Alhaitham!” Kaveh called out. Despite caring not to be obnoxiously loud, the vast hall carried the name from bound to bound, increasing its volume with each echo. “Come look at this.“

He heard his roommate’s silent footsteps tapping nearby until a figure crouched next to him, his face presumably sporting a neutral yet inquiring expression. The blond knew for a fact that this was as giddy as the robot man could get, with him barely containing his excitement and all. Because Kaveh wasn’t even ignored for the first few seconds after he demanded his attention. He simply got straight to Kaveh’s side in a hurry to see the new discovery for himself.

“This was buried under the debris,” Kaveh held out the broken mural so that Alhaitham could have a better view. “I know some runes but-”

The other, as gently as his impatience allowed, tugged at the stone tablet until Kaveh had to begrudgingly let go, so as not to damage the millennia-old piece of history. Then, wordlessly, he delved into a contemplative mood, completely shutting off the architect for the seconds that followed.

Kaveh felt a brow twitch.

Patience is a virtue, he reminded himself. And murder is generally frowned upon, even if your roommate is a jerk.

“Mora for your thoughts?” Kaveh inquired with a strained smile.

And he was ignored yet again.

“Well?” He raised his volume just a tad and poked him on the shoulder. “What does it say?”

Alhaitham hummed rather dismissively before falling back into his silent antics. Kaveh just knew he was trying to get a rise out of him.

Whatever!

Kaveh shot to his feet and heatedly looked around to find another item of note. Coincidentally, with Kaveh’s outburst, Alhaitham was reminded of his companion.

“I cannot read most of it,” was all he said at first, getting up and dusting his pants with his free hand. After narrowing his eyes at the runes for one last time, he gave up on the effort. “Mehrak,” he called. “Could you enhance this for me?”

“Breep?” She responded from the other side of the room, where she was conducting her own investigation before floating towards their location.

“Would it kill you to say ‘please’ every so often?” Kaveh mumbled, complaining just for the sake of it.

Mehrak chirped and bobbed, a happy smile on her screen, before scanning the text in Alhaitham’s hands. She probably didn’t at all mind the lack of courtesy and was just glad to be of help.

“I already requested nicely,” Alhaitham retorted, staring at Mehrak with keen interest. “Ah. Much appreciated,” he nodded when Mehrak presented the enhanced image before once again falling into deep silence.

Kaveh waited patiently. His single foot tapped in lazy rhythm until it became clear that Alhaitham needed another nudge. “And?”

“Still not perfect. But from what I can tell… Lady, or a queen. She was bathed in somewhere, or she bathed someone in somewhere. Also, the word ‘Destiny’ is emphasized,” his lips pursed. “Rather, ‘Fate’ would be a more accurate translation.”

Kaveh scoffed. “Is there a difference?”

Alhaitham shrugged. “Depends on the language and the dialect. Some don’t even have the distinction, while others have a more exhaustive approach where they look into the concept from more perspectives.”

Why does he even try… 

“And the language we speak right now? Common? The language you just translated the text to?”

He definitely saw the small quirk of his lips just now. Alhaitham, being in a good mood, decided that now was the perfect time to force Kaveh to talk in circles. Even his sense of humor was as twisted as his beliefs.

“Basically, Fate could be interpreted as inevitability, while Destiny has a more positive subtext, even though the semantics of both are still a topic of heavy debate among Haravatat scholars.” He hummed in thought before resuming. “Since investigating the origin of words is a Cardinal Sin, I believe it is a debate Fated to last forever.”

Kaveh considered for a brief second. “We saw a few murals moving past. Servants serving a queen. So the Lady must be referring to that?”

Alhaitham shook his head. “Even though it could be translated as such, it is not a typical rune that would be used in a royal setting. Besides,” Alhaitham gestured around. “This is not a royal chamber.”

He was right. Kaveh studied many desert structures and found that this monolithic architectural design, consisting of only one grand chamber, supported Alhaitham’s claim.

“A temple?” Kaveh offered, connecting the dots. “And the murals depict followers, not servants.”

His useless travel buddy only shrugged in return. “You are the expert.”

“I am,” Kaveh mumbled, mostly to vent his frustrations out into the air to prevent bursting like a popped balloon. “What about the Fate part? Or bathing?” He said, already back to investigating the rest of the room.

“I told you that the text was mostly unreadable. I will need the equipment back at Akademiya,” he replied, knowing full well that Kaveh didn’t ask that. The blond was ready to give him a piece of his mind before Alhaitham resumed. “But if you are asking specifically for my opinion, I would like to refrain from answering for the time being. There is little to go off of, and I do not like to form baseless conjectures.”

Kaveh actually chuckled at that, surprising even himself. Even though it was mostly motivated by irritation, he did find amusement in correctly assessing his roommate’s personality. “I figured you might say that. You hate being wrong, after all.”

Mehrak worked in the background, scanning the pillars and the walls by herself, mirroring the scholars. It was always awe-inspiring how the little guy possessed such innate curiosity about the outside world, to the point of mimicking her role models to learn how to interact with grander Teyvat.

“That would not only be oversimplifying a complex inclination of separating facts from opinions when most people on Teyvat lack the ability to do so themselves, but it would also be inaccurate. Historically speaking, if I had acted shortsightedly on any of the debates I had engaged in, I showed the humility of admitting my mistake afterwards. It is hardly my fault that it rarely happens.”

Kaveh huffed because that wasn’t true. Alhaitham would rather eat chunks of Cryo Slimes before admitting he was wrong. Kaveh would have given examples of how the other had just spoken falsehood, but Alhaitham had more to say.

“It is intriguing, though, to say the least. To claim that it is I who has an aversion to making incorrect claims or admitting fault afterwards, while you stand there and ask about my opinion before sharing yours. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you were creating an environment where I would be the one to throw out a weak hypothesis, and you would be the one to correct it when we acquired more information.”

Kaveh gaped at the accusation. “I was just making a scholarly exchange! You know, like a conversation between colleagues?” He turned to face the vexing man who wasn’t at all bothered by the heated blond. As Kaveh took several steps closer, Alhaitham continued to merely ignore him by checking the walls. “That was the first and so far the only substantial piece of information we found since we got here, and I got excited. Why is it always a transaction with you?”

“I didn’t claim it was a transaction,” Alhaitham replied without turning back.

Honestly!

Kaveh spared one single glance at what could have demanded his roommate’s attention so fiercely and found it unsurprising that it was just an empty wall behind a pile of rubble. So this lackadaisical attitude towards Kaveh was nothing but his usual antics.

“You implied- no, scratch that, you outright suggested that I sought a way to come out on top in this trivial brainstorming session. Because guess what, you dunce, not everyone has the same thought process as you. Sometimes, people just say stuff without trying to steer the situation to make it serve themselves.”

Alhaitham finally turned back. “Everything serves a purpose. You say your altruism is born of selfless empathy towards suffering, while I say it is to receive an intrinsic reward in the form of gratification. All that is to say that we both seek pleasures in different forms. The only difference is that I am at peace with my selfish nature.”

Kaveh definitely felt the heat rushing to his face as his heartbeat quickened in rising fury. “Wha- How is this in any shape or form related to what we are talking about?”

Alhaitham shrugged before turning his head back to inspect the wall. His hand slightly raised as he traced along the earthen structure while he moved forward. Kaveh followed the other from a stride behind, to see what nonsense the other was about to spew.

“Might I remind you that it was you who brought up how my egoism obstructs me from assessing the true intention of words spoken? And how you claimed to have no self-serving agenda during the-”

Kaveh cut him off with a poke. “Okay, okay. I get it. But this is the exact problem with you. Even this debate is one of the means for you to succeed. I was only attempting a simple brainstorm, and yet you still get on the offensive like this is something you need to win.”

Alhaitham turned to him fully this time. Brows slightly raised as if what was just suggested was utter lunacy. But Kaveh raised a finger to let him know he wasn’t yet finished.

“You claimed that you do not like to form baseless conjectures, and one of the reasons for your aversion was that you liked to avoid adding to the pile of misinformation that plagues our academic world. Which I tend to agree with, don’t get me wrong. But you either insult my judgment skills and assume I will take everything you say at face value, or that you see this very conversation as a transaction and you do not want to be on the losing end.” Kaveh finished. “Or that you didn’t share your entire reasoning, but I assumed you shared what was relevant.” He quickly added before Alhaitham had the chance to open his mouth.

Mehrak chirped in the distance, and Kaveh was too preoccupied to register the meaning behind it, so he simply ignored the call.

After making sure the architect was finished with his argument, he took over. “You are certain you aimed for nothing but to sate your curiosity?” He asked. Straightforward and tone devoid of its pointy edge.

“With my initial question? Mostly,” Kaveh responded quickly. As firmly as he could against the unyielding man.

“Mostly?”

“I won’t lie and say that I wasn’t going to feel the urge to rub it in your face when we came across the full picture,” Kaveh huffed and looked to the side as the shame surfaced. It was tempting to claim otherwise and bend the truth, but his overall objective was to help Alhaitham understand his flawed view of the world.

“I see,” Alhaitham said with that humor-ripening tone of his as a small upturn of the edge of his lips became evident for the architect to see.

“You see what?” Kaveh demanded. “I just proved that- AAAARGH!”

Mehrak bumped into his shoulder, and Kaveh wished he could claim that he hadn’t jumped with the sudden intrusion.

Alhaitham held the same smug expression. “You now have our attention, Mehrak.”

“You almost gave me a heart attack!” He hissed while trying to calm his thundering heart. Alhaitham could have warned him about the silently approaching Mehrak!

The suitcase in question beeped as she sank down in shame, leaving Kaveh feeling horrible for his overreaction.

“What is it that you want to show us?” Alhaitham steered the topic back on course and effectively barred the blond from apologizing to Mehrak, as if him doing so would make them go off on a new tangent.

Kaveh huffed in indignation. Just how lowly the other had thought of him?

Mehrak beeped again, bobbing up and down to showcase her excitement before leading them to a corner. The duo followed until they were face-to-face with yet another wall.

“What is it, Mehrak?” Kaveh couldn’t help the confusion in his tone. He knew firsthand just how smart she was, but he was beginning to wonder if there was a problem with her input modules.

“Breep. Beep.”

Then, thankfully, she began scanning the entire room they were in. Kaveh and Alhaitham waited patiently until she was done before projecting a miniature layout of the structure they were in.

It took Kaveh a few seconds to fully understand what she was suggesting. “Oh! Mehrak, you are a genius.”

Alhaitham stood silent, clearly waiting for an explanation. Kaveh hoped he was doing a good job hiding the pang of pride that was swelling inside his chest. Especially after their most recent conversation, he knew he had to maintain a magnanimous front. But he wasn’t sure if he succeeded in doing so because it was a very rare occasion when Kaveh came to a conclusion faster than Alhaitham.

“Let your senior teach a few tricks, hmm?” He grinned at his still clueless roommate. “Our dear Mehrak cleverly pointed out that something doesn’t add up.” 

As he explained, his hand traced over the sandstone, trying to get a feel for the even surface until he ran into the slightest of bumps. At times, he gave a soft knock on the surface and pressed his ear against the wall. He knew Alhaitham was starting to catch on as he observed Kaveh working for an obvious result.

“As you can see,” he vaguely gestured for Mehrak’s location, where she still projected the three-dimensional model of the structure they were currently inside. “She noticed that some main load-bearing pillars are missing. It is safe to say that-”

“There is a hidden room behind the wall,” Alhaitham finished the sentence for him.

“Or that there is a mechanism behind the wall. Either way, there is a hidden entrance to somewhere,” he tapped once more and frowned when he couldn’t hear the distinct hollow echo from behind. “It is common practise to add secret rooms, especially in a place of faith. My guess is that they buried whoever that lady was in the secret chamber.”

He spared a pointed glance at his roommate before adding on. “Even though it is just conjecture, I have no issue saying it out loud because we are just scholars sharing our educated opinions.”

“And I won’t be rubbing it in your face if you are proven wrong because we are professionals and not a couple of juveniles.”

Kaveh grumbled to himself but otherwise left it at that. Now hyper-focused on the task at hand, he wandered through much of the wall’s surface until-

“Ah!” Just a little dent on the wall, almost out of sight. When Kaveh pushed it with his little finger, invisible lines all around the inside of the temple lit up, and the very ground began to shift right under their feet.

Kaveh nearly toppled over with the irregular tremors before a hand stood out and kept him in place. The duo’s gaze snapped up, afraid of the roof coming down on them, and found relief that the whole chamber stood structurally sound.

It was the ground, they realized a millisecond later. A few steps away from them was the stone parting, revealing a spiraling staircase leading down into the depths.

A wordless exchange between them before both arrived at the same conclusion. Alhaitham took the lead and Kaveh took the rear as the group moved forward with the intention of descending.

“Good job, Mehrak,” Kaveh smiled at his companion, who bobbed happily in return.

It didn’t take long for the trio to reach the bottom of the stairs, where the light didn’t shine. Mehrak’s faint glow like a glow stick was the only source of light in this confined, if not claustrophobic, space.

“Mehrak,” Alhaitham called from ahead, hand subtly making an inviting gesture. Mehrak happily obliged and stationed herself right next to the crouching scribe.

“Tablet,” Alhaitham informed the inquisitive blond. “More preserved. I can read it.”

“And?” Kaveh squatted next to him, taking the side Mehrak didn’t fill.

“Sign of Apaosha,” Alhaitham breathed, and Kaveh immediately recognized this tone: Awe. His pitch slightly increased, Alhaitham continued. “May our Lady Shai carve Her own path beyond Her material tether.”

“What does that mean?”

Alhaitham didn’t look back at the blond. Instead, he got up and began inspecting a rectangular prism standing right next to the tablet they read. “It is claimed that the Dahri, or Khaenri’ahns, had a method of reaching beyond the Sea of Stars above the Firmament. Sign of Apaosha could be roughly translated as Sign of Truth, and it is believed that it is a phenomenon when Truth is reflected on Celestial Lake and reveals the Threads of Fate.”

That was… something, for sure. Kaveh let the gears turn in his head.

“Bathed in something. Maybe it refers to…” He petered off, knowing Alhaitham must have understood what he was getting at.

“This is a tomb,” Alhaitham changed the topic, gently patting the carved stone next to him.

Was it? It was so hard to see with their limited light.

“It is disrespectful, right? We don’t get to just open a-”

He was effectively silenced with a gaping mouth when Alhaitham pushed the lid away. The initial shock of surprise immediately made way for immense disgust when their small room was filled with the smell of dust and rotten flesh.

“Gods,” Kaveh took a step back and hit his back against the nearby wall. Hands waving in front of his nose to disperse the awful stench. Both Alhaitham and Kaveh fell into a coughing fit as Mehrak watched the duo fighting for a clean patch of air.

“Your-cough-fault,” Kaveh sneaked the words in even though he was struggling to breathe.

Keeping a hand over his nose, Alhaitham dove for the tomb and fished out a small trinket that Kaveh couldn’t catch a glimpse of. Then, this selfish bastard simply teleported to the furthest point he could see before shooting up the stairs.

“Alhaitham!” He yelled and winced when the echoes disturbed his eardrums greatly. Before he knew it, he was also running for his life, Mehrak tailing behind.

When the sweet, stuffy air welcomed them upstairs, both gulped large amounts of air until their airways cleared. Only then did Kaveh find the strength to berate that idiot.

“What do you think you are doing?” He demanded. “You can’t just loot a tomb like that. What was even-”

He stopped when he noticed Alhaitham was barely sparing him an ear while most of his attention was directed at the trinket he had just stolen. At first glance, it seemed like a small container, maybe for kohl or a type of unguent, made from ceramic material. But when he inspected it closer, Kaveh quickly realized there was more to it.

First of all, it was made into a necklace. An impractical one. If Kaveh were to guess, it was probably a later installment to bury it next to Lady Shai. The strain on the rope where Alhaitham held the trinket in the air proved that it was not meant to be held like that, let alone be worn. Lastly, it was the design of the container. There was no lid to access what was inside. Like it was not meant to be opened.

Alarms rang in Kaveh’s head when he was reminded of the danger of their situation as he was pulled out of his musings. Kaveh reached into his Vision’s power and telekinetically seized the trinket before yanking it out of Alhaitham’s grasp.

“Hey!” Alhaitham had the audacity to be offended.

“Are you insane? What if this is cursed or something? You don’t just touch artifacts like that!”

“It was full,” Alhaitham ignored the words said, gaze still fixed on the item floating by Kaveh’s will.

“What?” He sounded exasperated. People called Kaveh single-minded while he worked on projects, but they definitely haven’t met an excited Alhaitham. 

“Something was sloshing in it. It might be-”

“Part of Celestial Lake?” Kaveh finished it for him.

“It explains why Fate was emphasized in the text. Lady Shai is either capable of changing one’s Fate or reading into it. That liquid is the proof of that.”

Kaveh ran a hand over his face. “You still shouldn’t touch it so carelessly.”

Alhaitham finally faced him with a playful glint flashing over his eyes. “You read too many Inazuman novellas. Even though curses are not purely a product of fiction, I doubt we will encounter them in such a place.”

Kaveh rolled his eyes. “And why is that, may I ask?”

Alhaitham shrugged. “Lack of warnings. Even though the tomb was hidden out of sight, there were no traps for us to avoid. What would be the need for inflicting curses if not for deterring the raiders? No warnings, therefore no risk.”

“Fine, whatever. Get cursed for all I care,” he said before dropping the container back into Alhaitham’s eager hands.

Seemingly content with having acquired his shiny toy back, Alhaitham hummed before inspecting the item again. “It is curious,” he said, eyes gleaming with palpable wonder. “I have yet to learn the implications of using the power of the Lake. Nagarjunites are a seclusive sort, and it is nigh impossible to find their scientific notes on the matter, let alone a peer-reviewed one.”

“An uncharted territory, you mean.”

“Largely undiscovered, yes,” he corrected, dismissing the container into his Vision Space. “We should make another thorough search around the place. Make sure we did not miss anything before going back.”

“Is it okay if I sketch a little? There is some inspiration to be found here.” Kaveh asked and didn’t wait for Alhaitham’s answer. “Actually, I don’t need your permission. I will join you in a moment.”

So the group members busied themselves for the rest of the day. After taking several shots with the Kamera he brought, Kaveh summoned his sketchbook and got to work before the inspiration faded from his wonder-filled mind. His thoughts drifted off to the world above clouds, a kingdom of Heavens with staircase of reverie, as his hands swayed all by themselves to form the unreachable.

Thoughts were always the precursor to action. Daydreams preceded grandiose fantasies that essentially became trimmed-down thoughts. As long as the connection between those remained separate, so would the notion of a utopia remain unreachable. The world would stay the way it was because the world would continue to fear the true power that lay beneath a pure dream.

Kaveh vaguely acknowledged his movements as he operated in a trance. He knew he must have summoned his lunch from his Vision Space at some point with the intention of munching it down, but the food remained untouched for as long as he stayed distracted, hunger forgotten the moment he willed the bag into existence.

Only when he felt a creak and then a pop in his back did he realize he should probably take a walk. He got up and stretched, making a big arch back, while distantly noting that Mehrak was beside Alhaitham this whole time.

Kaveh could never understand how or why she favored the scribe’s company more than his. If he was being honest with himself, he was feeling the rise of an ugly emotion. One that he didn’t associate with himself, most of the time, but what was he supposed to feel for this situation other than jealousy?

He summoned a pocket watch and winced when he read the time. “Alhaitham!" He called after getting to the entrance and peeking inside. “Have you had lunch?”

The lack of response indicated that he either was very dismissive of Kaveh or that he didn’t want to have lunch when he was busy with something he enjoyed partaking in.

Kaveh made an educated guess. “Come on, you big baby. We can take a break.”

He definitely caught the way Alhaitham’s lips quirked down in defiance, clear that the childish tantrum died in his throat as he took a step towards his travel companion.

Kaveh didn’t even know why he had agreed to take this trip with his annoying roommate, when said person was insufferable on the best of days. Pairing his inflexible personality with a sour mood born of the harsh conditions of the desert and sprinkling in his hunger for knowledge created the abomination before him.

“We can continue later, you know that,” Gods, it felt like he was talking down to a child.

“You mean I can continue?” Alhaitham retorted readily. “I don’t see you contributing.”

Kaveh rolled his eyes. “I will join after lunch, alright? I didn’t realize the time.”

“One would think that-” he said before he was cut short.

Because Alhaitham passed the door frame, made his way out, and somehow planted face-first into the sand below.

“Alhaitham?” Kaveh couldn’t hide the concern rising because this was Alhaitham. Kaveh didn’t even know the man could trip. Let alone fall!

Alhaitham propped himself on his elbows, spitting clumps of sand out of his mouth because, apparently, not only was he lying on his stomach on the ground, but he managed to get some sand into his mouth as well.

His roommate looked absolutely disgusted and stunned.

“Are you alright?” Kaveh knelt next to him, hand hovering above his head.

“Of course, I am-” he spat once more, quickly pushing himself back onto his knees. “I am fine. This is unnecessary.”

“What did you even trip on?” Kaveh looked around. “There is nothing but an even surface. How?”

“Sand is, by its nature, not even, senior. I assumed you knew that already.”

Kaveh ignored the biting tone. “You don’t expect me to believe you tripped on a tiny dune, right? Be honest with me, was there something under the sand? Something grabbed your ankle or something?”

Alhaitham hurriedly got back to his feet and dusted his pants, but ultimately failed to clean his dark pants. With a huff, he replied. “As unbelievable as it may sound, I am not inerrable. What stands before you is not unshakable Morax but a feeble mortal.”

“It is so easy to forget that fact about you, you know?” Kaveh exclaimed, still feeling the fading disbelief. Wordlessly, he got to his roommate’s side and offered his generous aid in dusting the pants clean. “Like seriously. I don’t think I ever saw you tripping and falling.”

“It happens. No need to dwell on it,” he eyed his senior with a disapproving frown. Pointing at the white spots Kaveh had missed as if the blond was his servant.

“Does it?” Kaveh momentarily stopped. “Does it happen? Are you genuinely capable of tripping and falling?” He repeated, feeding into his petty side, knowing that the choice of words clearly upset the man. “I thought your hydraulic pistons were working according to protocol. Maybe there is a bug in your motion control algorithm?”

Alhaitham glared. Or rather… He simply stared with an impassive expression. But Kaveh knew that a lack of retort meant that he was the sole winner of their exchange.

Utter hypocrisy, he knew it. Especially when it hadn’t been long since Kaveh argued against Alhaitham to not do that. But Alhaitham had a unique, annoying aura around him that made Kaveh not feel guilty for stepping over his own ideals and beliefs.

“You missed a spot,” Alhaitham pointed, very clearly capable of reaching his back thigh by himself but for some reason refusing to.

“Alright, robot man.” Kaveh rolled his eyes and dusted as harshly as he could in the form of petty revenge. “This is as clean as it gets,” he announced finally before getting back on his feet as well. “What I don’t understand is why you insist on wearing dark green pants in the desert.”

“I don’t make decisions regarding my clothing based on whether or not it will get stained,” Alhaitham said, summoning his lunch bag.

“It’s not that,” Kaveh also made a beeline for the lunch bag discarded on the sand. Hoping the meat didn’t get spoiled under the desert sun. “Well, it’s not not that, but I didn’t mean it that way,” he eyed the completely impractical clothing choice. “Don’t you get hot? All dark colors and it feels like some parts don’t breathe.”

“I don’t,” he replied matter-of-factly. “I have my clothes custom-made, with adequate materials.”

Kaveh kept holding onto the bag, waiting intently for Alhaitham to finish explaining his reasoning. The said man, on the other hand, took a moment to safely take a bite out of his own sandwich. Kaveh knew how much Alhaitham disliked talking while eating, claiming that it wasn’t safe and-

Alhaitham promptly spat it out on the sand.

“Wha- Are you alright?” Kaveh rushed to his side again. Was it poisoned? Probably the meat, Kaveh quickly arrived at the conclusion. He didn’t use chicken for this very reason, knowing that it tended to get spoiled faster compared to red meat.

“...Tomato,” Alhaitham mumbled, face beyond soured. He gagged as the word was forced out.

“...Tomato?” Kaveh repeated, brows dipped to the deepest pit until the meaning finally sank in after a full second. “By the Archons, Alhaitham! What a total overreaction!”

“You mixed the bags,” Alhaitham put the sandwich back into the bag. “This is yours.”

“Yes, I figured that!” Hands thrown about, he exclaimed, because fuck that guy!

Kaveh prepared two bags for their trip and made one sandwich without raw tomato in it, knowing how much Alhaitham despised the taste and texture of the vegetable. He clearly mixed them while handing one to his childish roommate.

“Here,” he offered the correct one while heatedly yanking the other out of the scribe’s hands. “Who makes such a fuss about tomatoes-”

He began complaining to the empty air, but something once again interrupted the duo.

A snake jumped out of Kaveh’s bag before any of them had a chance to react and latched onto Alhaitham’s arm. Eyes widened to the size of saucers, both of them. Alhaitham was the first one to regain his coherence before grabbing the head of the snake and carefully yet forcefully clipping it out.

“Mehrak! Scan this. Search your database.” Kaveh ordered in a panicked haze.

Gods, please don’t let this be venomous.

As Mehrak whirled into action, Alhaitham simply crushed the serpent’s head, silencing it forever.

Kaveh was too distressed to feel for the life taken.

Alhaitham turned to Mehrak, waiting for answers in eerie calm while Kaveh stomped towards the floating suitcase, not having a single clue what to do with his hands, feet, or any other part of any limb.

An answer lit up on her screen. That was when both sighed in relief.

“Harmless,” Alhaitham broke the silence. “What baffles me is how you failed to notice the snake’s uneven weight and mistake it for your lunch.”

Two seconds passed as the adrenaline died down and the buzz in his ears dissipated. Only then did the meaning behind his words reveal itself to the frozen architect.

“You blame me for this?”

Alhaitham simply shrugged. “Blame is a childish concept in any given situation. But it would be foolish to turn a blind eye to the events that led to our current predicament,” he pointed at the bag in Kaveh’s hands. “It was you who mixed the bags, and it was you who let my lunch sit out in the open for the snake to feast. Then, it was once again you who were completely oblivious to the foreign entity.”

Heat rushed to his cheeks because how dare he to-

Wait…

“For the snake to feast? It ate your lunch?”

Alhaitham shoved a hand in the lunch bag, showcasing that it was very clearly empty.

He rubbed his face, then his temples. It did little to help his growing headache. “Just eat my sandwich. Gods.”

Alhaitham sighed in a tired resignation. “It is fine. I wasn’t hungry to begin with,” he then took a step back into the temple.

Oh… Right, his had tomatoes in it.

Simply removing it wouldn’t work, for Kaveh had firsthand seen how eating even a small piece would leave Alhaitham heaving for his survival.

They did have rations with them, of course, because no lunatic would venture into the desert without proper preparations. But with this setback, they would have to space out the interval between meals to compensate.

Something dropped at the pit of his stomach, a feeling Kaveh was immensely familiar with. His appetite vanished without a trace, he followed suit behind Alhaitham.

The rest of the day passed without any significant hiccups. Mehrak noted down their field reports for them while Alhaitham took additional notes of his own. After examining every nook and cranny, including the room where the tomb was located, the group made a unanimous decision of taking their leave already. Even Mehrak looked beyond exhausted after the arduous exploration.

Their small wagon felt like a haven after the long day. Kaveh petted the sumpter beast and fed him the tastiest of feeds from the pile before calling for his roommate.

“You sleep in the back. I can drive us back in the meantime.”

Alhaitham squinted suspiciously. “You are just as tired.”

“I know you say that, not out of concern for me, but for your own safety. But rest assured, I wouldn’t put another person in danger like that. I am tired, but I am wide awake, and I don’t think I can sleep soon.”

“Suit yourself,” was all Alhaitham said before taking up on his offer.

So their journey back began. Kaveh’s eyes scanned the star-filled night, stricken by how beautiful the sky tended to get without the abundance of artificial light. Galaxies were laid bare for him to gawk at, filling his puny mind with the thoughts of infinity and the insignificance of a single life against an endless cosmos.

Yet the human mind suffered under the weight of incomprehensible emotions. It sought acceptance and understanding among the many, even though it knew the short span of human life was nothing but a speck compared to the grand universe.

Maybe that was what gave everything meaning. Importance. 

Every single atom working together to give form to nothingness. A single flicker of emotion, born from the desire for connection, made the universe move in harmonious rhythm. An isolated node would remain meaningless in a graph unless there was an edge connecting two points. The answer to life would begin from a single individual as a spark of fire, then the desire for connection would fan the tiny ignition into a blaze.

A meaning to all suffering. An end to all delusions.

An answer every heart yearned for.

It was not out there. It was deep within every each one of them. People would just have to listen to their inner voice.

As Kaveh dove into deep thought, the darkness obscured the path ahead, and it was hardly his fault when he missed the rock on the road. The wagon shook from side to side with Kaveh letting out a hiss, hoping it didn’t wake his sleeping roommate.

There was a thud at first. Then a splash.

“Fuck. Gods damn it!”

Taken aback by the uncharacteristic profanities, Kaveh snapped his attention back at the vehicle, where his roommate undoubtedly fell into a predicament.

“Are you okay?”

Kaveh heard hurried shuffles and disconcerting mechanical crackles. Which only added fuel to his rising panic. “Alhaitham?”

“I am fine,” the reply came back as a bark. Without providing more context, the wagon shook with Alhaitham’s stomps before the man jumped out.

“What the-?” Kaveh pulled on the reins hard, ordering the beast to halt in its place before jumping out to the side to find the reason for Alhaitham’s abrupt exit. “What is the proble-” He was about to ask, but the answer appeared all too clear.

Because what stood before him was a very disgruntled scribe with his arms extended out to allow the water to drip out freely as he shook his limbs for added measure. From head to toe, Alhaitham was drenched as if he had jumped into a lake and just stepped out. One hand holding a book, pages soaked like the man holding them, while the other was clenched around his headpieces in what seemed to be fury.

Alhaitham was no doubt reading in the back at the time of the accident, instead of sleeping as Kaveh had assumed. 

“Don’t just stand there,” Alhaitham bit sharply. “Bring me a towel and my spare clothes.”

Kaveh got to work. “What even happened?” He asked while rummaging through their combined belongings. “Were you holding a giant vessel of water?”

“The packs,” Alhaitham replied curtly. “The ones we placed on top. They dropped on me when the wagon shook.”

Kaveh hummed as he listened half-mindedly while searching for Alhaitham’s clothes in the mess. It took him a while to understand what was just said, which caused his mind to blank with a blue screen.

“The ones you secured? Like fastened? Those ones dropped on you?”

It was Alhaitham who insisted that they didn’t rely on their Vision Spaces so heavily. Putting all their eggs in one basket was never the wiser move because they would be left sitting ducks if they were somehow stripped of their Visions. It made sense for Kaveh, so he obliged.

Alhaitham took on the job of packing their extra material, possibly because he did not fully trust Kaveh to gather everything necessary, and it was his job to secure it in the excess space of the wagon they rented.

“Yes, Kaveh,” he sounded peeved out of his mind.

Still in the same position, task forgotten because of the insane scenario, he reiterated. “The ones you fastened fell on you? Like you made a shoddy job? You?”

“Just bring me clothes.”

Head shaking in disbelief, he resumed his search. It took a minute total to come out empty-handed. He got back up with a guilty grimace. “I think… I think all of your clothes are on the same boat,” he offered a strained smile. “Do you have spare clothes in your Vision Space?”

“No,” he muttered, not exactly paying his mind to Kaveh when his attention was divided between the two objects he held.

“What is the damage?” Kaveh empathically questioned. It was heartbreaking to see Alhaitham so down in the dumps, which was an exceedingly rare occasion.

Alhaitham sighed, shoulders dropping. Kaveh couldn’t help but visualize a wet cat before him. “Zolfikar’s journal and my headwear.”

Kaveh blinked. “Zolfikar’s journal?” He squawked. “Isn’t there like a handful of copies of that?”

“I hadn’t gotten around to mass-reproducing it yet,” Alhaitham lamented.

Kaveh got closer and held onto the other hand holding the scribe’s prized possessions. “And the headwear?”

“I don’t understand,” was what he said, a contradiction to everything Alhaitham stood for. “It is not some cheap product that gets broken with mere contact with some water. But it shot electricity the instant the water touched its wiring. I just-”

Kaveh squeezed his arm to attract his distraught roommate’s attention. “Just grab something from my wardrobe that you fancy, okay? The journal won’t be an issue because, as we have established already, there are other copies. For the headphones, let me take a look at them in the meantime. How does that sound?”

“This was the only copy in Akademiya,” Alhaitham replied weakly. “I will have to conduct a search for other copies.”

He didn’t object to the headphones thing, so Kaveh gently tore it out of his firm grasp.

“Mehrak, I will need your help.” He called for his little helper, surprised at the fact that the suitcase was still somehow in power-save mode.

With the activation input, Mehrak beeped back to life and scanned her environment. Slightly confused at what was happening, she was by Kaveh’s side in no time.

“Show me the schematics for Alhaitham’s headwear, please.” Then, he glanced at the disheartened man. “And you. March. Put on dry clothes.”

“Will you be able to fix it here?” He asked, almost hopeful. Kaveh knew just how important these were to Alhaitham. Not just with their sentimental value, but with their needed utility as well.

Alhaitham simply hated walking around without these.

“Don’t count on it,” he answered truthfully. “But I will see what I can do.”

He nodded wordlessly and turned away to get back into the wagon to freshen up. Kaveh hummed as he delved into thought while trying to inspect the device under the soft light of the moon. He sighed and was about to ask Mehrak to get closer for a source of light, but was interrupted in his task.

Because he heard the loudest thud imaginable happening right next to him.

Alarmed and almost had jumped out of his skin, Kaveh snapped to the source of sound. It was Alhaitham again, holding his head while a hiss seeped through.

He hit his head. How in the-

“Can’t you watch where you are going today? First you slip and now you hit your head?”

“You may not believe it,” Alhaitham gritted through his teeth. “But I don’t do these on purpose.”

Kaveh ran to his side because the sound just now was so loud that he was now fearing if Alhaitham’s skull had a dent in it.

“Stand still,” he grabbed his chin with his free hand. Turning it from side to side until a relieved sigh escaped. “No deformity. But I worry for a concussion.”

“Which you are not medically trained for,” Alhaitham pushed his hand away. “I am fine.”

“Are you, really?” Kaveh huffed. “In any case, I doubt you will be in the near future unless you put a stop to this clumsy spell. I am still shocked at how you did a poor job fastening the packs.”

Alhaitham, having mastered the art, professionally ignored the words directed at him. Kaveh could do nothing but grumble, with the act lacking its usual heat.

It was so out of the realm of possibilities for Alhaitham to be out of it. Kaveh would sooner believe that a skinwalker took his place, and now he was going through the daily schedule of his roommate than Alhaitham was this clumsy.

It was then that it hit him like a tidal wave born from the Primordial Sea.

“Alhaitham!” He shrieked, darting inside the wagon, not caring about the indecent scribe standing only in his underwear.

“What is-”

“It’s the curse!” His hands shot up in the air with the revelation. “You disturbed the tomb and touched the artifact. I told you this would happen. I told you, but who listens?” He poked a finger at his bare chest. “For once you had to listen to me, but no! See what happens.”

Alhaitham blinked before swatting the finger away. “As much as I also like to attribute my incompetence to external sources, I don’t believe it is the case.”

“You still deny it?” Kaveh yelled again and saw the way Alhaitham flinched at the raw voice input without his headphones. Guilt settling on his stomach, he tuned it down just a tad. “Alhaitham, I have known you for many years, and not once have I seen you this distracted. Even with all the stress weighing down on your shoulders, be it being a student in the most prodigious schools in all of Teyvat or saving the entire nation from corruption. Hell, even while grieving a loved one, you manage to keep your cool. Yet today, you consistently fail to stay on your feet.”

Alhaitham looked away in dismissal of his company. As if he was entertaining an overly yapping child.

“That is bordering on the problem of induction. Just because a set of observations was noted in the past, it doesn’t indicate a particular set of results for the future. I am simply having a bad day. As I have told you before, I am not inerrable,” he said, putting on one of Kaveh’s pants he had his eyes on.

“Those observations set us a frame for the scholars to work on. The very foundation of empirical research, might I remind you. I can’t believe how you can still turn a blind eye to what is clearly happening in front of you!”

“I am not oblivious, Kaveh,” he hissed back. “I am simply exercising a measured distance since I am too emotionally involved in this situation.”

“Well, I am an independent party, and I am telling you that there is something fishy about this.”

Alhaitham had the audacity to scoff. “You are never not emotionally involved in anything, Kaveh.”

The blond glared. Letting him search through the wide variety of shirt options and land on a decision. Taking a deep breath and counting to ten, he continued as Alhaitham put on the shirt.

“I understand,” he began with a controlled composure. “That you are not having the… best of days. But right now, I am trying to help you.”

He dared him to press on the touchy topic again.

When he stood silent, Kaveh took it as his chance to go on, while Alhaitham was still deciding to be civil. “For my peace of mind, let’s just return the container back to the tomb. Isolate the variables and test whether I was correct in my assumption.”

Alhaitham merely dismissed him and took a step outside the confined space, shoving Kaveh to the side while doing so. “For the sake of the argument, let’s assume I am indeed under a curse. Who is to say that it will break once I discard the Celestial Lake water?”

Letting out a yelp of indignation when Alhaitham pushed him to the side, he cursed under his breath before following him outside. “First of all, we don’t know what’s in that sealed container. For all you know, it’s just normal water. Probably filled with disease after all those years. Secondly, it is the best chance we have got.”

Mehrak beeped for attention as she showed the schematics for Alhaitham’s headphones right to his face, a bit adamantly, urging them to get fixed already.

Kaveh had to ignore her for the time being. 

Sorry, Mehrak. We are in the middle of an argument.

“Conducting thorough scientific research takes a long time, and not to mention, we do not yet know the exact variables for your assumption. And we have a small sample size, which is only me.”

Kaveh gaped. “The temple is literally a short distance away, and all I am asking you is to return the artifact!”

He caught the ways Alhaitham's fingers twitched instinctively, like he was moments away from reaching up to his nonexistent headphones and bar Kaveh’s voice from entering his ears.

“No,” Alhaitham retorted with that annoying neutral tone of his. “You are asking me to isolate variables to test a hypothesis. What else would you have me do if returning the artifact didn’t work?”

“Nothing else-” he began, but then his mind supplied him with other tests they could try out while they were at it. “Why are you so against this?” He asked instead. “Are you okay with tripping every other step for the rest of your life?”

Alhaitham shrugged. “I have yet to believe such a curse exists.”

“Let me turn this around then. What are you going to do if and when you reach a point where you have no choice but to admit there is a curse afoot?”

Alhaitham put on his smug expression, no doubt having already settled on a comeback, but before he could say it out loud, he began thrashing where he stood. Hands patting on his chest in a hurry, Alhaitham cringed and squirmed.

“Alhaitham!” Kaveh took a wide step forward. “What is-” That was when he saw something walking under his shirt.

Kaveh might have recoiled in disgust. Whatever was under there, it was too big to be a bug.

Alhaitham first began undoing the buttons as fast as he could before giving up altogether and pulling the shirt over his head. 

Then they both saw it. A scorpion. Not as large as the ones reaching their waists, so probably an offspring. Kaveh remarked with utter horror that Alhaitham had already been stung a good couple of times.

Carefully unhooking his pincers, Alhaitham threw the beast away. Lips pursed and face sporting an intense stare, Kaveh could guess that his roommate was more than a little miffed.

“That doesn’t prove anything,” he eventually broke the silence, refusing to look at the architect.

“The snake, too!” Kaveh had to point out. “If anything, this proves that this is more than just clumsiness.”

“Hmph.”

“Come on,” Kaveh seized his arm, dragging the scribe back to the wagon. “We are going back to the temple.”

Alhaitham yanked his arm free. “Absolutely not.” He stood his ground for no sensible reason. “The temple is a newly discovered site. Soon the scholars will rush in to disgorge as much academic nonsense as they can from the excavation for their reputation while the plunderers will raid the area clean. If this is truly the thing I think it is, a little hitch on my daily routine is nothing.”

“Do you hear yourself? A little hitch? You just had a scorpion on you!”

“A nonvenomous one. Same as the snake. If there is such a curse, the risks are manageable.”

Of course it was his hubris. Same as using the Divine Knowledge Capsule while knowing the consequences of one misstep all too well. Alhaitham may claim that he was aware of his own fallibility, but his actions always proved otherwise.

Kaveh pinched the bridge of his nose. “You will not be able to course through whatever this is with your usual attentiveness, especially when we don’t know the extent of these risks, as you put it. I already told you that you could always drive away distractions, no matter what you might be going through. But today alone, you tripped, mishandled the equipment, and hit your head.”

Alhaitham took a moment to consider. “I fastened the packs before I claimed possession of the artifact. By going through what we learned so far, it should not be related to this so-called curse.”

Kaveh groaned.

“You are not going to go back, are you?”

Alhaitham stood firmly. “No.”

“And if I drug you and drag you there myself?”

Alhaitham shot him a knowing look. “With your pure heart?”

“Oh, don’t you worry about my pure heart. It is for a good cause.”

Alhaitham grinned like he had the winning hand. “A strong philosophical argument, I agree, but I never pegged you for a consequentialist type. The ‘end justifying the means’ ideology. Are you aware that this way of thinking is usually frowned upon by those who harbor altruistic beliefs?”

“Why, you!” Kaveh poked him on the bare chest again. For a man who stood half-naked in the middle of the night because of a curse-sourced scorpion attack, he sure had a lot of sass in him. “I have half a mind to abandon all my ideologies just to make your life a little more miserable, you know?”

He saw the moment self-consciousness flashed in his teal eyes, right after Kaveh made physical contact. The feeling didn’t linger long, as it immediately morphed into slight embarrassment. He subtly looked around to find where he had thrown Kaveh’s shirt during the moment of panic before his gaze landed on the white clothing on the sand.

Kaveh sighed, looking at the sky, knowing full well he was going to regret dropping this topic. “You drive from now on. I am going to tinker with your headphones in the meantime.”

Mehrak bobbed happily, which made Kaveh chuckle in return. “Even Mehrak is worried about your headphones.”

Alhaitham hummed while making his way to the front of the wagon, carefully inspecting the shirt for any other critter traveling unlisted. “She knows how much I value them.”

A choked snort almost made it past Kaveh’s throat. “You admitting to harboring a sentimental value towards objects? Wonders never cease!” He said, also moving towards the passenger’s seat beside the driver’s.

It was going to be difficult, trying to fix a device on a moving carriage, under the moonlight, but Kaveh was sure as hell going to try it.

They got seated almost synchronously. Alhaitham grabbed the reins and ordered the sumpter beast to get back on the road while Kaveh began his silent assessment of the damage with Mehrak’s help.

It didn’t look promising…

“How is the head?” He asked, not wanting to share the headpiece’s condition with the victim. He made sure to keep his voice as soft as a summer night’s breeze for Alhaitham's sensitive hearing.

He heard Alhaitham fiddling with the idea of dishonesty before settling on the truth. “It still hurts.”

“That was a nasty hit. We will get it checked out when we get back to Aaru Village, okay? I would administer ice but…” He trailed off.

Obviously, they didn’t have one. A Cryo Vision would be wonderful for such occasions.

Alhaitham hummed but otherwise kept his silence.

The rest of the road was full of nasty surprises, which only supported Kaveh’s hypothesis. Alhaitham had swallowed a bug (Disgusting), almost set the wagon on fire (How?), and had his headphones almost been eaten by a stray eagle (Kaveh immediately stored them into his Vision Space and refused to take them out again)

In this eventful night, Alhaitham even suggested that Kaveh should go to sleep if he wasn’t going to fix the headphones.

“Are you insane?” Kaveh squawked, once again disturbing Alhaitham’s delicate senses with his high-pitched scream. “I dread to think what will happen if I take my eyes off of you.”

“Nothing significant will happen,” Alhaitham insisted. “If you are not going to sleep, then I should,” he concluded, unceremoniously handing him the reins.

Kaveh sighed. This was going to be a long night.

Came the morning light on the horizon and shone on the distant village for Kaveh to sigh relief at.

After several encounters with desert animals and forming doubts about the wagon’s structural integrity, they were finally going to be safe from the hazardous conditions of a dangerous environment.

He knew it was wishful thinking, but something told him that if they made it home in one piece, Alhaitham was going to be surrounded by the safety of his walls, never to be disturbed again by the perilous world outside.

Until then, it was up to Kaveh to keep the pieces together.

“My treat,” he called out to his groggy roommate, who wasn’t allowed more than an hour of sleep the entire night due to unfortunate happenstances. “We can have a nice breakfast there.”

Alhaitham’s head peeked out from the curtain. “I would rather you pay off your tab before putting yourself deeper into financial trouble.”

“I told you I am going to pay,” Kaveh hissed. “I am just trying to be nice.”

Alhaitham stepped out of the window and took a seat beside Kaveh. “Nicesities are unnecessary. Especially when every single expense is funded by Akademiya.”

Kaveh nearly stopped the wagon right then and there. A loud record-scratching noise erupted from inside his skull, and his gaze snapped directly at the scribe in an instant.

“What?” He screeched, not even caring for the wince that followed on Alhaitham’s part.

“The expedition is funded by Akademiya,” Alhaitham repeated, and Kaveh definitely heard the subtle hues of humor in his tone.

“Travel, food, equipment. Everything?” He asked, reining in the rising fury, just in case he hadn’t gotten the full picture yet. For the benefit of the doubt.

“Everything,” Alhaitham finally looked at him. 

With a little smirk.

Kaveh sputtered in wide shock. “I paid for my half of this wagon we rented! I bought your meals yesterday!”

“It was your offer to do both those things. I never prompted you to do so.”

“No, no!” Kaveh, obviously, wasn’t going to have that. “Don’t you dare twist it like that! You knowingly withheld information just to make me look like a fool!”

“You don’t need someone else’s interference to make yourself look like one.”

Kaveh’s fingers curled into the shape of a ball. Hands strangling something invisible in the air. “I swear, Alhaitham-” I will join forces with this curse to have you meet your untimely demise.

With great force of restraint, he kept the words sealed behind his lips.

“You are buying me food,” he said instead with a loud huff.

Alhaitham shrugged as his gaze turned back on the path ahead. “I can. Since it will not cost me any Mora.”

Heart thundering in his chest in uncontrolled wrath as Kaveh feared what might slip past his lips if he were to let the words run rampant. He was all too familiar with the feeling of regret, and the last thing he wanted was to say something wrong in the heat of the moment.

So, the silence stretched until the strain bothered even Alhaitham.

“It was a tasteless joke,” he admitted. “I assure you, I had your name written as a consult for the research. Expect payment from Akademiya soon.”

“I don’t need your pity,” he bit back. “I don’t even care about you fooling me. It was a tasteless joke, but it was harmless overall,” he shouted when the floodgates opened with a trigger. “It was that last comment because fuck you.”

Alhaitham considered for a moment. “You don’t make yourself look like a fool,” he tried again. “It was once again supposed to be a humorous remark that is not founded on a real basis.”

Kaveh laughed acidically; he knew his nerves were getting the best of him from that restless night. Even Alhaitham seemed to have noticed the uncharacteristic way he had taken offense, noting how easily he had backpedalled.

“Not founded on a real basis? For some reason, I find that hard to believe. Your every little action towards me is motivated by the clear mockery of my ideals. You look down on me, and that’s fine. But I always expected you to be respectful about it. But that’s on me, I know. I don’t know why I expected human decency from you.”

Alhaitham sighed through his nose, taking care not to agitate the blond any further. Seemingly lost on what to say next, he opted to stay silent.

It was the wiser move. Because Kaveh himself didn’t know why he was shaken to this extent. Alhaitham hadn’t crossed a line they had established. Kaveh wasn’t even sure if there was a line to begin with. The medium of the conversation was through their usual bickering, which meant that Alhaitham hadn't exactly done anything wrong.

Kaveh knew Alhaitham was also confused about what he had gotten wrong this time, and he couldn’t blame him for that. But one thing was for certain: There was some blame to be thrown in Alhaitham’s direction, and Kaveh was failing to control his bubbling anger.

None dared to break the fragile silence the rest of the way. Not even Mehrak.

Suffice it to say, the first relaxed breath he had managed to take was when they entered the village’s borders without Alhaitham running into any curse-related incident.

They got themselves cleaned, got Alhaitham’s injuries checked, handed off the wagon, and finally sat somewhere nice to get themselves a well-deserved lunch. Alhaitham’s treat, of course.

“You are still discontent,” Alhaitham stated, though it was phrased more like a question.

“I am,” Kaveh admitted with a stern tone.

Alhaitham took a guess. “It wasn’t because I devalue your opinions that I disagreed with going back to the temple.”

There that was. Alhaitham had assumed that Kaveh was having a misplaced anger tantrum.

“It’s not that!” He began quickly, but the words said felt dishonest. “I just-” he rubbed his face. “I am still mad about the funding thing and what you said.”

“But?” Alhaitham inquired, invested. He was seeking answers; that was clear.

“Why do you still keep it around?” He asked instead because Kaveh still couldn’t understand. “Just how important a thing can be compared to human life?”

“Your concern is valid and acknowledged,” Alhaitham said carefully. “But I thought you would know me better than not to take needless risks.”

“But this is a needless risk. Do you want me to count all the misfortunes that befell you since last night?”

“Which is why I need to tread carefully in determining if there is a curse. Otherwise, I would not be any different from old wives who spew spurious superstitions. For the likelihood that there is such a curse, I need to understand the extent of it. Right now, I am simply observing. Trying to determine the risk factor and whether the artifact is worth keeping.”

This was getting nowhere. So in lieu of an answer, Kaveh shoved the piece of asparagus into his mouth in a heated fashion.

Alhaitham saw the way Kaveh yielded. At least for now. Not looking all that pleased with how they finished their conversation, he also fell into silence while enjoying his lunch in small chunks.

Kaveh would have congratulated him for not eating and speaking, considering their luck so far, but the universe loved to prove them wrong.

Because Alhaitham had started wheezing.

His hands shot to his throat, and there was no air circulation. Alarm spiking to lethal levels, Kaveh shot up from his chair and let it fall back in a loud thud.

He rushed to his roommate’s side, fully prepared to execute the Heimlich maneuver after witnessing the man failing to gasp for air.

Ramming the chair out of the way, Kaveh clasped Alhaitham’s chest in the middle. Lifting the taller man in the air with sheer strength and adrenaline alone, He applied one upward pressure on his diaphragm. He applied one more. Then one more-

Alhaitham spat out a tiny piece of almond before falling into a coughing fit while trying to gulp down a desperate mass of air.

Kaveh felt his knees buckle underneath him as the tension melted, but kept himself straight despite the sensation, knowing someone needed to keep it together.

“You only eat soup from now on,” he ordered, his tone leaving no room for objection, even though he felt like he had just run a marathon and back.

The shudder in Alhaitham’s breath didn’t cease as he spared a tiny nod.

“You won’t give it to anyone,” Kaveh instructed.

“Yes.”

“Don’t even let anyone touch it.”

“I know.”

“We should consult some Rtawahist scholars. Fate and curses should be under their area of expertise.”

“Mhm.”

“At first, we will try to separate you from it. Place it somewhere in your room and keep your distance.”

“Okay, Kaveh.”

The blond finally felt the irritation get the better of him. “I am not doing this for fun, you know? This is not just for your safety but everyone else’s.”

Alhaitham scoffed. “I wouldn’t put anyone else in danger, rest assured.”

Kaveh didn’t actually know if it was the truth. At least for every given scenario. He knew Alhaitham was never cruel for the sake of it, and Kaveh would even go so far as to argue that he harbored goodness within him.

His uncertainty arose from the circumstances Alhaitham would be placed in. Kaveh didn’t know for sure whether Alhaitham would put others in danger if it meant freeing himself from a predicament. Pushing someone else under the aquabus for a favorable outcome for himself.

Such was the principle of egoism, was it not?

“I know,” he lied. “But I need you to take this seriously, nonetheless.”

Alhaitham rolled his eyes. “I have been taking this seriously since the beginning.”

“Yeah, well, forgive me for feeling jittery when we are so close to home.”

“I will need Mehrak to go over my notes for the field report. If you need me, I will be-”

A loud splashing sound, and when Kaveh turned to see what had happened, already half expecting it had something to do with Alhaitham, he saw his roommate being drenched yet again.

“Sorry!” A girl from the balcony above shouted, and Kaveh pieced together the small story.

A person cleaning their balcony, throwing the water over to the street and not noticing the scribe walking underneath.

Kaveh fought back a mighty laugh.

Alhaitham silently wiped his face clean of the dirty, soapy water and flicked his wrist in one swift and yet calm manner. He waved the girl off, not wanting to interact with her any longer, and the duo marched wordlessly for a few more steps. Kaveh didn’t dare to initiate anything because Alhaitham was exceedingly silent. Eerily so.

“Biadam!” He shouted finally, foot stomping and arms thrashing. “Mi muhe ye ika ya.”

Kaveh didn’t even know what language that was supposed to be.

“We are so close to home,” he patted him on the shoulder. “Final stretch.”

“It will be the same wherever,” Alhaitham hissed.

Well, you brought this on yourself, idiot.

But he didn’t have the heart to say that. “You like being at home. It will be a much-needed break. You can work on your report while I fix your headphones.”

The twinge of displeasure on his lips didn’t fade, yet he welcomed the attempt at comforting all the same. His strides grew wider, and Kaveh had to rise to a jog to catch up. Kaveh once again fought an almost losing battle to a bout of cackles when he heard the squelching of Alhaitham’s boots, reminding him of the previous scene and the absolute horror on Alhaitham’s expression.

When they finally arrived at the front door, both let out the breath they were holding. Alhaitham fished his keys from his Vision Space, but Kaveh gently pushed him out of the way.

“Let me,” he simply said and retrieved his own set of keys.

Alhaitham scoffed. “I won’t be bested by a door, Kaveh.”

“Well, with your luck, I am not so sure. Besides, if there is something inside, I would rather be the one to face it first.”

“What would even be inside-” he began before cutting himself off. Recounting the events of the last twenty-four hours, he knew there was a nonzero chance of encountering a spinocrocodile right inside their house.

The resounding click of the key was followed by the two scholars peeking inside, despite the clear instructions for Alhaitham to stand behind for the time being. When Mehrak flew overhead and into their abode without a care in the world, the other two had no choice but to step inside as well.

“Stay safe,” Kaveh warned one last time before making a beeline to his room.

“Stay silent,” the other retorted. “It is late, and I cannot deal with your hammering at this hour.”

Kaveh gawked. “This hammering is for your sake, jackass.”

“I don’t have my soundproof headphones to take to bed, so your offer to fix them in the middle of the night is nothing but an impediment. I would rather have them fixed tomorrow,” He explained. “Or while we were on the road. But you refused,” he added petulantly.

“Might I remind you how not one but two wildlife creatures tried to peck at your-”

Alhaitham was on the move during their argument, and Kaveh was effectively silenced when the scribe kicked the coffee table in their living room by accident.

Something died on the scribe's throat, another curse word no doubt, and Alhaitham jumped away with one foot in the air, hissing with pain.

Kaveh grimaced, empathizing with the suffering Alhaitham was under. “Little toe?” He made a guess.

When Alhaitham continued to stay on one foot and clutch the injured one in his hands, Kaveh took it as affirmation and got to his side in case his roommate fell over clumsily while standing unbalanced like that.

“You are unbearably vacillating when you are irritable, you know that? Just a minute ago, you were all too eager for me to get to work on your headphones, and now you are entirely against the idea.”

“I didn’t ask you to disrupt my full night's sleep. If it is such an insurmountable task, I would be happy to-”

Kaveh interrupted before he finished that sentence. “I want to help,” he said, all too quickly. As if he wasn’t good for anything if he weren’t of use.

Alhaitham sighed. His expression softened when he heard the immediate, almost instinctive need to please.

Kaveh liked to admit he knew Alhaitham all too well. And, as much as he hated to admit it, he knew the feeling went both ways.

“Do you have a job tomorrow?” The blond changed the subject.

“I am on paid leave one more day. I am assuming my vacation day will mostly be spent listening to you working on one of your projects.”

“Listening to me?” Kaveh picked up on the word choice. “I am not forcing you to do anything.”

“You will complain out loud,” he said with a wince. “Make a model with power tools and order Mehrak around, presumably while being unable to control your volume due to your anxiety about meeting deadlines.“

“If you are so hateful towards my presence in your house, why did you agree to our arrangement in the first place?” Kaveh asked, hoping to mask the hurt.

“Hateful is a strong word. Not to mention inaccurate,” he answered. Kaveh expectantly waited for the elaboration that never came.

“I will be working on that report,” he said instead, after the silence filled the air.

“Try not to get a papercut,” Kaveh said, accepting the attempt at aversion. Welcoming it, in fact.

Alhaitham chuckled at that. “I would be ecstatic if the only thing the curse throws at me is a papercut.”

Kaveh’s eyes widened. “So you finally admit that it is a curse!”

“The possibility is getting more likely by the second, yes.”

“Heh, I will get what I get. This is as close as you admitting you were wrong.”

“Let’s not push it.”

With that, they parted ways, a small smile blossoming on their faces.

Kaveh briefly considered if he should follow him to his room but ultimately decided against it. The only thing that stood before them was a pair of closed doors, and as soon as Kaveh were to hear a whisper of a sound that indicated danger, he would be rushing down the distance like a bull on steroids. Him standing closer wouldn’t change the way this curse operated.

From what he had observed, it didn’t only affect Alhaitham’s perception of things. Alhaitham may have acted distracted for the past twenty-four hours, but according to what he had claimed, he wasn’t feeling out of sorts.

Which Kaveh tended to agree. Because whatever the curse was, it affected Kaveh as well. The snake came to mind. It was beyond Kaveh how he had failed to detect the presence of the serpentine creature when he was actively holding onto the lunch bag. He wasn’t particularly distracted in that moment, and yet, the snake remained unnoticed. As insane as it sounded, Kaveh was inclined to believe that the snake simply spawned there.

But that idea was simply ludicrous, so Kaveh discarded it immediately.

The only other explanation is that the snake stood perfectly still, perfectly in the shape of a sandwich, until it was handed to Alhaitham. It was that moment when the snake decided not to be so docile anymore. It was as if the world itself was working against Alhaitham and Alhaitham alone.

His clumsiness streak could also be explained by momentary shortcomings or environmental factors. 

The unfastened bags could be attributed to a random rodent gnawing at the straps. Kaveh felt like a fool not checking if there was foul play, but both of them assumed the issue originated from Alhaitham’s incompetence at the time, given the history.

It was as if…

“He is unlucky,” he breathed.

They used the word in passing a couple of times, but Kaveh hadn't exactly connected the dots.

All this time, Kaveh assumed the curse affected him mentally. And maybe he would still be right in his assumption, but Kaveh doubted it summed up the entirety of the curse.

Lady Shai utilized the Sign of Apaosha and dealt in Fate. Was it so out of the realm of possibilities that the curse dealt in Luck?

His musings were cut short when he heard a crash in the other room. Not a moment to spare with the curse tainting Alhaitham’s life, Kaveh was in the other room in an instant.

Alhaitham was on the floor on his back, sporting a disgruntled frown. His feet were suspended above the chair, one that had three legs sticking out from underneath and a fourth one shattered beyond repair.

Kaveh could only blink at the scene. It was honestly an achievement to destroy a chair leg so wholly while doing nothing but sitting down. Kaveh would ask for the full story, but he knew Alhaitham had nothing to do with this.

“Are you going to help me up?” Alhaitham snapped, and Mehrak flew to his side to provide her assistance.

“I don’t think you can carry his weight, Mehrak,” Kaveh snorted before holding out a hand for Alhaitham to latch onto. The scribe grunted as he got up and dusted his pants.

When he was done, Kaveh decided he had had enough of this nonsense. He grabbed his wrist without any explanation and began dragging the man across the hallway. Alhaitham was certainly startled by the sudden motion but allowed it to happen to see what had gotten into the architect.

They stopped when they were in front of Kaveh’s bed. Alhaitham raised a brow at him.

“You are done for the day. Now sleep.”

“Here?” He asked in growing incredulity.

“Yes, here. I think I have this curse thing figured out.”

Alhaitham squinted. “Do tell.”

It was a lie. At least not a wholly honest statement. What Kaveh was trying to do at this moment was test a hypothesis.

They were both already in their pajamas, so Kaveh simply pushed him to the bed. He knew Alhaitham must have let it happen, because Kaveh knew his gentle dig at his shoulder wasn’t strong enough to sweep the bulk of muscle off the floor. When the other was settled, he lay next to him.

“Luck,” he said simply. “And don’t look at me like that. I know you must have come to a similar conclusion yourself.”

Alhaitham’s intense stare made Kaveh squirm under its fierceness. When the vexing man made no move to carry this conversation, Kaveh had no choice but to resume his explanation.

“That is what Lady Shai did, right? We don’t know yet if she can read Fate or can alter Fate, but it was related to Fate. The curse has to be in the same vein.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Alhaitham corrected. “But it is a reasonable assumption.”

Kaveh rolled his eyes. “The punishment for your greed. For disturbing her tomb. Your Fate has changed. At least in some ways.”

“Do you claim that Luck is a parallel term?”

“I mean that there can be a correlation,” he said, pushing a tuft of hair from Alhaitham's face because it was disturbing Kaveh this whole time. “It is not an insane leap to make.”

“It’s not,” Alhaitham agreed. “And why am I here?”

Kaveh huffed, praying to the Gods that the moonlight was dim enough to hide away his blooming blush. “Because you are the only person to be affected. Meaning that a meteorite might actually hit you if you are alone. But it won’t if someone else is in the picture,” he said. “That and if you somehow choke on your tongue or your saliva in the middle of the night, I won’t have to get up.”

Alhaitham hummed. “Why do you think Luck and Fate are correlated?”

What a stupid question. If Kaveh didn’t know any better, he would think that the man just enjoyed Kaveh talking. “I am not the first person to make the connection. It’s not exactly a groundbreaking discovery. But I will bite. Let’s assume two people are Fated to meet. Their companionship is written in the stars, so to speak. But how does it happen before it comes to that? Do they bump into each other one random day? Why would they bump into each other if that became the case? Why were they in the same place at the same time? Why were they open to connecting with each other? The world in its entirety is such a tangled mess of invisible connections that everything has to happen due to a surge of Luck. Every single variable determining the outcome of one single life.”

Alhaitham considered the words carefully, digesting them to fully reveal the thoughts conveyed.

“If Luck and Fate determine everything about everything in a human’s life, where do conscious choices fit in?”

“Maybe those are dictated by Fate itself too? Our past experiences and our heritage shaping our choices. Maybe nothing is under our control.”

Alhaitham shook his head. “That is a bleak way of searching for meaning.”

“Such a glorified nonanswer,” Kaveh kicked him in the shin. “Are you going to contribute to this debate?”

“I have already shared my opinion back when Sumeru was facing yet another threat.”

“That there are things within individual influence and beyond individual influence,” Kaveh recalled.

Alhaitham nodded. “Whether your decisions are born of a hard-coded set of data or of free will, it leaves a mark on this world. I, personally, think it does not matter which is correct. What matters is which one an individual wants to believe. Because that exact decision will surely influence their future decision-making.”

“And yet, your decisions are stripped from you,” Kaveh pointed out. “You cannot be sure if your path is safe ahead even though you checked it beforehand.”

Because Kaveh knew that, deep down, Alhaitham must be furious with the implications of the curse. No matter how much he attempted to control the variables, he was going to hit his head against something he had somehow missed.

Alhaitham’s gaze cast down. “Maybe such is Fate. The more one acts against it, the harder Fate reacts accordingly.”

Alhaitham must really be exhausted out of his mind, thinking such despondent thoughts.

“I believe it is time for both of us to retire already. Tomorrow is a new day.”

“There is much to try to rid myself of this curse.”

“And you will listen to my instructions this time? Hmm?”

Kaveh lifted up his chin in pride and placed a hand over his ear. Alhaitham sighed in response.

“You were right, Kaveh. I was wrong.”

“Huh? I didn’t hear that.”

Alhaitham turned the other way.

“Don’t think I will let this go, okay? I expect my due gratitude thrice.”

He heard Alhaitham grumbling, and Kaveh felt a bliss so pure he could die in that very moment.

When the silence settled and Alhaitham’s breathing evened out lazily, Kaveh let his mind wander. Thinking of all the things to add to the list they were going to do tomorrow. As much as he liked to joke about it, he genuinely hated witnessing Alhaitham being miserable like that.

His hand reached for the silver hair to play with it absentmindedly. His roommate was already fast asleep, and the act did not stir him back to life. Finding the comfort he was searching for, Kaveh slowly drifted off as well.