Chapter Text
The Withering had always been a dangerous phenomenon. Even skilled Vision-holders were advised to exercise caution when dealing with one of these deadly pockets of aggressive flora. So to nobody's surprise, when a massive Withering zone appeared right at the front of the Sumeru city gates, every available Vision-holder with combat experience was sent to the site immediately. This included a rather grumpy Scribe and his bickering blond roommate.
“I cannot believe Tighnari was right! It seemed so unlikely.” Kaveh yelled over the sounds of battle. Thorny vines and aggressive plants were being cut left and right, with the pair right in the middle, fighting back to back.
Alhaitham let out a grunt and sliced another root clean down the middle. They were almost done and the final massive flower in the center of it all flickered to life with a roar. Kaveh stared in disbelief.
“It has teeth ! How can a flower have-!”
There was no time to talk, the plant in question shot forward, snapping at the architect. Kaveh stumbled backward and regained his composure.
“Eyes on the target, Kaveh.”
Alhaitham bridged the gap between them and the pulsing heart of the flower sitting inside a thick stalk underneath. With his flickering ability, he propelled himself forward, chiseled emerald mirrors manifesting next to him. Focused on eliminating the threat with a single precise strike, the Scribe failed to notice that the flowerhead was able to swivel grotesquely, surging forward, aiming to bite him clean through the ribs. Alhaitham, weighing the risks and outcome, stayed on his path, and as predicted, Kaveh shot forward at high speed, aided by his own Dendro energy, and pinned the flower in place with a stab of his claymore. Thinking the threat quelled, the architect turned, making sure his roommate was still on track unhindered. A snarl from behind startled him and he spun around, only for the flower to rip itself free and dart for Alhaitham yet again. Kaveh lost no time, abandoning the claymore still stuck in the ground, and dashed forward, arm outstretched to shield the Scribe from harm.
Rough teeth sank into his flesh, drawing a pained grunt from the blonde. But the plan was a success, Alhaitham plunged his sword into the core, and shortly after, the zone dispersed in a burst of Dendro energy.
“Finally.” Kaveh watched as the flower wilted around his arm, only leaving behind the marks it inflicted. In a fluid motion, Alhaitham retracted his sword and let it flicker away in golden dust, turning to his roommate.
“You took a hit for me. While I appreciate the quick thinking I would advise you to not use your body as a shield. Show me the wound.”
Kaveh scoffed and turned his head with a pout: “‘ Thank you, Senior’ would have been the correct answer here. It’s just a bite, nothing serious.”
He outstretched his arm regardless and Alhaitham turned it gently a few times, spotting purple marks along the rim of the torn skin. As if prompted, Kaveh swayed and fell forward but quickly regained his posture.
“Sorry, just a bit lightheaded. Must be more exhausted than I thought.”
Alhaitham released his arm and gripped the architect by the shoulder, softly shaking him.
“Kaveh, how do you feel? Be honest and to the point. You might be poisoned and I need information for the Bimarstan in case you pass out.”
Incredibly slowly, Kaveh dragged a hand to his face, arm shaking from the effort.
“Lightheaded… dizzy. Sight… blurry?” He managed to press out, tongue heavy and leaden. It felt like a dense fog was slowly creeping into his skull, obscuring any thoughts he tried to grasp.
Without hesitation Alhaitham steadied him by the hip, slinging one of Kaveh’s arms over his shoulder, and trudged toward the Bimarstan. The purple marks had started to spread and the Scribe was not willing to take second chances. Especially not when his charge slumped into him the further they went, mumbling incoherent nonsense into Alhaitham’s shoulder.
When the Bimarstan finally came into view, Kaveh had grown quite warm, which indicated a fever. It didn’t take long for someone to spot the pair, quickly removing the architect from Alhaitham’s care and onto a cot. Minor poisoning was the diagnosis and an antidote was swiftly administered, leaving the blonde a bit more lucid. Kaveh groaned, recoiling from the bitter aftertaste, and turned to Alhaitham.
“Remind me to throw that Sumeru rose out of the window when we get back.”
The other man suppressed a snort and raised his gaze toward the Akademiya in the distance.
“You seem well enough to get home on your own. I’ll file a report and join you afterward.”
Shooting him a glare, Kaveh managed to struggle to his feet.
“It’s not like I’ve just been poisoned by an unknown plant or anything, I’ll just skip back to our house like a Rishboland cub!” He took a shaky breath and righted himself before continuing: “Everything still feels strange and heavy but I can get home I think. ‘Thanks’ for the concern.”
Alhaitham eyed his roommate one last time before turning toward the road leading to the Akademiya.
“Be careful.”
The blonde stared after him for a while until he slowly started limping along the path back home.
His body was on fire. Quite possibly melting. The antidote should have helped, and at first it had, but now that Kaveh tried to fish the key from his sash with shaky hands and leaning heavily against the door, it was clear that either the effect had worn off or his body was trying to expel the toxins.
Almost tumbling straight into the floorboards, Kaveh managed to catch himself on the wall when the door swung open. Moving was a chore, no, torture. His bones seemed to crumble under heavy weights, every too-hot breath leaving his lips exhausting Kaveh further.
Just a few more steps then he could crash onto the soft mattress and sleep this off.
If the room would just stop spinning so violently.
At a snail’s pace, Kaveh managed to reach his bedroom, collapsing into the sheets with a pained groan. Maybe now this could all end as he would be carried into unconsciousness.
A strangled cry burst from his lips as Kaveh’s body convulsed. His hands cramped into claws, back taut as a bowstring and suddenly arcing. Unimaginable pain surged through every fiber of his being and the architect felt like being thrown into molten steel, tears carving streaks along his burning cheeks.
Was he dying? Had the doctor been wrong?
Kaveh couldn’t even scream for help at the moment, hands clutching into the fabric of his shirt and scratching the skin beneath. Quick and heavy pants made the dizziness even worse.
And then his body snapped under the pain. Kaveh registered himself screaming , throat raw and the taste of copper accompanying it. He thought he heard a loud slam from the foyer but quickly sank into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness.
Since the incident had been so close to a civilian area and the city itself, the Akademiya and matra were on high alert and bustling with activity. Alhaitham moved with efficiency, quickly penning the report before leaving for home. Kaveh had been looking quite worse for wear and the Scribe still felt a pang of guilt for his roommate’s condition. Yes, it had been the most logical and efficient route, but seeing the architect so weak and out of it still unnerved him.
Not responding to any plea or question on the way back home, Alhaitham reached the door and grabbed a silver key from his pouch. Through the noise cancelation of his device, Alhaitham heard an ear-splitting scream coming from inside. Throwing all caution out of the window, the Scribe turned the key and swung open the door, slamming it into the adjacent wall.
That was Kaveh. His roommate. His friend.
Silence greeted him as he sprinted through the foyer and living room, busting right into the architect’s room without warning.
“Kaveh!”
The blonde was nowhere to be found. Bed sheets lay crumpled on the mattress, shoes splayed across the floor. His favorite cape and black pants sat in a heap on the bed.
But Kaveh himself wasn’t there.
Alhaitham called again, scanning the room for evidence of a struggle. Tiny movement caught his eye, something was wiggling underneath the blanket. Carefully, as to not startle the thing, he stepped closer, grabbing the sheet and quickly ripping it away, revealing a golden fungus.
Its cap was round and bouncy, decorated with a flower symbol Alhaitham recognized from Kaveh’s combat style and Dendro energy. A blue and teal feather stuck to its head between blond tendrils, the latter turning brown at the tips. The tiny body itself sat right underneath the cap, eyes closed. From the way they were scrunched up, Alhaitham wagered it was in distress.
Upon further inspection, it even sported two of Kaveh’s red hairclips on one of the squishy tendrils. Something was very wrong.
Hesitantly, the Scribe poked the forest creature and it groaned without a mouth. It trembled and carmine eyes fluttered open to stare at him.
“Al… Alhaitham?”
The Scribe raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
“Kaveh?”
Blinking sluggishly, the creature tried to turn but Alhaitham lifted him into his arms.
“Woah, woah, you’re… a giant! And why can’t I feel my hands…? My head is killing me.”
“Kaveh, I want you to calmly listen to me. Can you do that?”
The golden cap wiggled and Kaveh blinked, giving what had to be a nod.
“It seems you have been transformed into a fungus. I suspect the poison is the culprit. We have to return to the-”
“I’m a what ?” Kaveh almost screamed, tendrils flailing around wildly, tremors shaking the tiny body. “No, no, no! That’s impossible! I can’t be a- a…!”
Alhaitham noticed the little eyelashes flutter. It would be unhelpful if Kaveh fainted again.
“Hey, focus on me. This is not an insurmountable problem. We will go back to the Bimarstan and they will find a solution. Understood?”
Kaveh glued his gaze onto the sunset teal eyes, nodding slowly. It took a moment but the shaking finally subsided.
“Alright, okay. Yeah. Bimarstan. Let’s go.”
Much to Alhaitham’s surprise the fungus jumped out of his grasp, landing on the floorboards with a squelch, and promptly toppled over. He continued watching Kaveh struggle until the other huffed.
“How do these things move? And would you stop staring?”
Watching the adorable display, the Scribe almost smirked but decided to help his struggling roommate out.
“Fungi typically float, Senior. Why don’t you try that?”
Floating. Kaveh turned and stared at the other man with an incredulous look. How, in the name of the Seven, was he to just float? Maybe a bit of Dendro energy would do the trick…
The architect frantically twirled around, seemingly looking for something.
“Alhaitham, where is my Vision?”
His roommate turned to check the bed and drafting table but came back empty-handed. The tiny fungus was still distressed and Alhaitham lifted his Senior to inspect the unusual body further. Kaveh yelped, wriggling in his grasp.
“Put me down! What do you think you are doi- AH !”
Surprised, Alhaitham stopped what he had been doing, namely pulling on the tendrils to check underneath in hopes of finding the missing gem. That noise had startled him and he could see Kaveh changing color from gold to crimson.
“Don’t… don’t touch those uh... antennas, please.”
Embarrassed, the architect turned away and gave a clear view of his back with the slender tendrils almost resembling strands of hair curling upward. A tiny crystal that looked suspiciously like a Dendro Vision was embedded into the soft flesh of the fungus.
“I found it. It’s on your back. Can’t you feel it?”
Kaveh closed his eyes, the blush slowly fading, and concentrated.
“I do. Maybe I was just too overwhelmed. So maybe with this, I can…”
He managed to float a few paces above ground before falling back down, panting. How Kaveh was doing that without a mouth was a mystery to the Scribe.
“Okay, this is tough. Maybe walking is the better option?”
Two tiny feet emerged from the bottom of his face part and with unsteady steps, fungus Kaveh waddled forward. Alhaitham had to stifle his laughter and instead sighed.
“Kaveh, at the pace you are currently walking we will reach the Bimarstan in a week.”
The architect turned, head squashed down into what looked like a pout.
“Do you have a better idea, oh brilliant Scribe?”
“Actually, I do.”
Alhaitham ignored the yelps of protest as he cradled Kaveh between his arms at chest height like a plushie, making sure the carmine eyes could still see over his forearms.
“This is humiliating! I’m not some toy, Alhaitham! Let me at least…!”
Kaveh wiggled around until he was able to escape the embrace and hopped onto the Scribe’s shoulder, settling down with a satisfied hum.
“Better. At least now I can see the world from your perspective. And it’s a lot less embarrassing. Let’s just go, the sooner I can get my body back, the better.”