Alhaitham/Cyno (Genshin Impact), Alhaitham (Genshin Impact), Cyno (Genshin Impact), Nahida (Genshin Impact), Fluff, Alhaitham is Deshret | Scarlet King (Genshin Impact), Alhaitham is Deshret | Scarlet King Reincarnated (Genshin Impact), Cyno is Kasala, Post-Chapter 3 Act V: Akasha Pulses the Kalpa Flame Rises (Genshin Impact). no beta we die like greater lord rukkhadevata, Spoilers
He stood beside a throne, hands clasped in front of him. To his side sat a man draped in expensive cloth, his chin held up by his arm, silver hair covering one of his eyes. They were in an opulent throne room at the heart of King Deshret’s temple. He watched passively as another person approaches the raised dais on which the two, as well as a small handful of others, stood. He did not listen to what this person said, nor the next. He merely stood and watched the people cycle through, each saying something to their king before stepping down and letting the next take their place. Eventually, no one was left to approach, then the others on the dais left as well, until only he and his king remained.
The man on the throne let out a long sigh. Without saying a word, he stepped before the throne, took the king’s hands and pulled lightly until the man stood up with a small puff of laughter and a smile. He tugged the king into an embrace, which the king melted into.
“Thank you, Kasala,” the king murmured into his hair.
“I didn’t even do anything.”
“Your presence is more than enough.”
Then, Cyno woke up.
He was still unused to the concept of dreaming. He didn’t remember most of his dreams. Most nights he didn’t even dream at all. To have such a vivid dream for the first time shocked him. But the dream itself was not the most shocking part.
The shocking part was that Alhaitham had been in it.
Unanswered questions swirled in Cyno’s mind and his sleep the remainder of the night was restless.
Cyno was, unsurprisingly, tired the following morning.
He suppressed a yawn before walking into Alhaitham’s office. Although, Alhaitham would no doubt not want him to call it that. It waas the Grand Sage’s office, but with Azar awaiting trial, Alhaitham had been chosen as the temporary head of the Akademia until a replacement was found. Despite his complaints about the position, he suited it well.
“General,” Alhaitham greeted.
“Grand Sage,” Cyno responded, smiling slightly as Alhaitham frowned upon hearing the title. He stepped forward and placed his report on Alhaitham’s desk. Alhaitham glanced at the papers, then nodded as he returned to his work.
“Thank you.” It was as much an acknowledgement as it was a dismissal. Cyno stared at him a moment longer. He could almost see it, the man who had been sitting on that throne was almost exactly the same as the one before him. It would suite him well, Cyno thought, a throne. That thought shocked him to his senses, and he quickly excused himself from the office.
Since Lord Kusanali’s return to prominence as the Dendro Archon, there had been a recent drop in violations of Akademia rules. He didn’t have a mission at the moment, and he had just given his most recent report to Alhaitham, so Cyno found himself, for the first time in a while, with a significant amount of free time. He didn’t need to contemplate how to spend that time, his feet were already taking him through the familiar paths towards Ghandarva Ville.
But on the way there, he was stopped by a familiar figure.
“Lord Kusanali.”
“Please,” she responded, “just call me Nahida.”
“Nahida. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Not exactly… you’ve been having dreams now that the Akasha System is offline, yes?”
“Yes…” Although, he only remembered the one from last night with clarity.
“Have you experienced any memories from past lives?”
“…Past lives?”
“Yes. For some people, memories from their past lives manifest themselves in dreams. They are usually more vivid than regular dreams, and recalling them feels the same as recalling a memory.”
Cyno thought back to his dream. It did feel like some memory of the past, with all the events around it blurred beyond recognition. But if that truly was his past life, then not only did he know King Deshret, but king Deshret had reincarnated as well.
He looked back to Nahida, who was smiling at him with a knowing glint in her eye.
“Thank you.”
~ ~ ~
He laid on a soft bed, sunlight streaming from the skylights. As he waited for his lover to return, he stretched, the sheet covering him sliding down slightly as he did. Footsteps from another room grew closer, but he kept his eyes closed. He had nothing to worry about, he knew who those footsteps belonged to.
“Still tired, Kasala?” asked the man who had just entered.
He hummed. “I’m not leaving this bed.”
“Good. I have no intention for you to.”
The bed dipped as the other man settled over him. When he finally opened his eyes he saw a familiar face framed by silver hair.
“My priest,” the man said, smiling as he ran a hand down his torso before stopping at his waist.
“My king,” he returned the smile, threading his fingers through the man’s hair and lightly tugging downwards.
With a chuckle, the man leaned down until they could feel the other’s soft breaths against their skin.
Then Cyno awoke with a start.
Cyno tried taking deep breaths to calm his wildly beating heart, but it was no use. Cyno had never thought much about relationships or sex. He never thought he had much interest in it. But he couldn’t get the image of Alhaitham, completely naked, hovering over him. He didn’t understand why this was happening. Sure, Alhaitham was an attractive person, but he had never thought about the man in that way before, so why would his unconscious mind come up with something like this?
The next few days went on like this. He would go to sleep only to be confronted with some memory of himself—Kasala, he had learned was his name—and King Deshret. Some of them were between intimate moments, others were simply them interacting in their daily lives. Knowing that what he saw at night were real memories from someone who lived centuries ago only made them occupy his mind more. Each night he found himself loosing sleep over it.
~ ~ ~
His eyes unfocused as he perched on the wall watching over the main road of Caravan Ribat, until the merchants and mercenaries crowding the street became blurs of color.
“What a surprise, I didn’t expect to run into you here, General,” came an entirely unsurprised voice from behind him. The same voice he had heard last night in his dream, as well as countless times during their mission to rescue the Dendro Archon.
“Alhaitham.”
“What are you doing in Caravan Ribat?”
“My job.”
Cyno realized that for Alhaitham to sneak up on him so easily, he had to be more tired than he thought. He shook his head slightly, hoping it would clear his mind.
“Did you need something?” Cyno asked, finally turning to face Alhaitham. Only after he did so did he realize how much of a mistake it was.
Cyno had always thought Alhaitham was good looking. It was more of a passing observation than anything else. His hair, his eyes, his skintight shirt and exposed arms, the arrogant way he acted, the feet that he was strong enough to justify it.
But now Cyno could see the version of him from his dreams. His muscular bare chest and abs leading down to…
“Cyno?”
Cyno’s eyes refocused once more, snapping to Alhaitham’s. There was a hint of concern on his face.
“Are you okay?”
Cyno crossed his arms and glanced away. “I’m fine.”
Alhaitham seemed unconvinced, but didn’t press further.
~ ~ ~
Despite what he claimed, Cyno was not fine. As he watched Caravan Ribat for the man he had been tasked to find—a researched who had been expelled from the Akademia after leaking its secrets to anyone willing to pay—his eyes struggled to scan the crowd. He found himself taking more time than usual to ensure each person who passed was not his target. It was a nuisance, but nothing he couldn’t deal with.
He noticed again when he fought some eremites the man had hired as protection. He was far slower than usual. Luckily the mercenaries he was fighting were weak enough that it didn’t matter. Still, he knew it was only a matter of time before the fatigue tugging at his body and mind would overwhelm him. He would just have to finish his job before then.
His lack of sleep caught up with him in the afternoon. As he followed his target through the desert, he awoke a group of Ruin Drakes, one flying and two on the ground. He took out the flying one first, though not easily. A few of the bullets had grazed him as he leaped out of the way, using another one of the drake’s as cover. He turned to the remaining two as one of them began to charge.
He jumped behind the motionless body of the one he killed, using the shock from the impact to take it out easier than the first. Finally, he turned toward the last Ruin Drake. He saw the Ruin Drake swing it’s tail back, preparing to attack with it. Despite that, his body reacted too slowly, and the large gear at the end of its tail hit Cyno square in his chest, sending him flying.
The world continued to spin even after he landed. Cyno had dropped his spear when he was hit. He tried to rush forward and grab it, but before he could move, a massive weight pushed all the air from his lungs.
Trapped under the Ruin Drake, Cyno knew he wouldn’t be able to escape. Still, he struggles, desperately trying to pull himself out from under it.
Looking over his shoulder, Cyno saw the drake above him preparing for another attack. There would be no way to dodge it. One hit wouldn’t kill him, but with no way to escape, the number of hits he could take didn’t matter.
He needed to come up with a plan, fast. But his mind was just as sluggish as his body.
His thoughts were interrupted by a flash of green, followed by a person slashing at the Ruin Drake standing on top of him.
The man continued slicing at the drake, green trailing behind his blade as he fought. He moved swiftly, ducking around the construct with ease and leading it away from Cyno.
Cyno took a gasping breath as soon as the pressure on his chest was released. He gave himself a moment to recover before dashing over to his spear and turning around to join the fight.
But when he turned around, he saw the Ruin Drake collapsed in a heap on the ground and the man who saved him quickly approaching him. Now that he could see him properly, Cyno was met once again with a familiar face.
“Alhaitham.”
“What were you thinking?” Alhaitham asked harshly, a mixture of annoyance and a not insignificant amount of concern in his voice. “You’ve been fighting worse than usual today, and yet you still decided to take on three Ruin Drakes?”
“You’ve been following me?”
“You didn’t notice me approaching you this morning, despite your claim to the contrary, I did not believe you were doing well. Clearly, I was correct.”
Out of all the people he could have run into, Cyno wasn’t sure if Alhaitham was the best or worst.
“I’m fine.”
“No. You’re not.” Alhaitham walked past him as he continued talking, “You’re coming with me to Aaru Village to rest, and I will drag you there if I have to.” Alhaitham looked over his shoulder to where Cyno stood rooted in place. “Understood?”
Cyno scowled, but nodded and began to follow. Leaving his mission unfinished left a sour taste in his mouth, but knew he in the current state he was in, he knew he couldn’t beat Alhaitham. They walked slowly, he knew Alhaitham was doing it for him, but even as annoyed as he was, he had to admit he probably couldn’t go much faster.
After the adrenaline of the fight left him, Cyno realized just how exhausted he was. By the time the two of them made it to Aaru Village, Cyno’s feet dragged trenches in the sand with each step. He watched Alhaitham speak with Candace, but they spoke quietly, and Cyno made no move to listen in. After a short back and forth, Alhaitham led him into Candace’s house and up to the guest room. Cyno collapsed onto the bed. Alhaitham shut the door, then turned back towards Cyno.
“Now, tell me what’s been happening. You clearly haven’t been getting enough sleep.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Don’t lie to me,” Alhaitham softened his tone as he continued, walking towards the bed as he spoke, “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”
Cyno’s sharp retort died on his tongue, because…
He wanted Alhaitham to help him.
“…Can’t sleep.”
“Why not?”
“Dreams?”
“Oh? And what sort of dreams could scare the great General Mahamatra?” Alhaitham teased.
Cyno ducked his head, avoiding Alhaitham’s piercing gaze. “They don’t scare me.”
Alhaitham went quiet. When Cyno looked up again he found Alhaitham lost in thought. Locking eyes snapped him out of his trance, and he asked, “What sort of dreams?” There was something odd in his voice, something Cyno couldn’t think clearly enough to place. Seriousness and… hope?
Cyno broke their eye contact once more before speaking, almost nervous of how Alhaitham would react. “Memories, from a past life.”
More silence. Then…
“So you finally remember?”
Cyno’s eyes snapped back up. “…Finally?”
Alhaitham cupped Cyno’s cheek. It was achingly familiar, like being reunited with a lover after years of separation. Then again, wasn’t that exactly what this was?
Cyno didn’t realize his vision had began to blur until Alhaitham swiped his thumb under one eye.
“I—“
Alhaitham pulled Cyno closer. “It’s okay,” he said, his voice impossibly soft. “It’s a lot to learn at once. Take as long as you need.”
Cyno took a deep breath, Alhaitham smelled like vanilla. He had never gotten close enough to him to smell it before. He also never realized how nice it would be to be close to him. The real thing was so much better than memories.
He pulled Alhaitham down onto the bed with him and was greeted with a familair chuckle.
“My matra,” Alhaitham whispered against Cyno’s skin.
My priest.
Cyno smiled. “My scribe,” he whispered back.
My king.
I wrote this during the maintenance and it never felt this fast before.