Genshin Impact One-Shots 2 (Readers insert)

Alhaitham - 3

It was afternoon, and at the corner of the Akademiya library was you, sitting there surrounded with books. Your hair was tied loosely into two ponytails and your feet wiggles in excitement as you read your favorite topic in the book.

Ever since you followed Alhaitham to find books, you had becoming obsessed on reading them. Alhaitham would come and recommend you many books, and you would find yourself reading until the sky turning dark.

Although, you had not seen him for a couple of days. It was quite sad, but the books he recommended were really good. You had loved reading and studying and you did not know why you stopped doing so.

Suddenly, you heard footsteps coming and you looked up to Alhaitham. Your smile grew feeling yourself becoming full of happiness out of nowhere.

However, he seemed to be a bit down.

"Alhaitham, are you okay ?" You asked him, putting aside the book you were reading and focused on him. He went to sit on the floor with you.

"It's nothing. You seemed to like the books. Don't you want to be a student here ?" Your eyes widened at his question.

"Be a student here ? In Akademiya ? Of course I want !"

Alhaitham chuckled weakly.

"I can recommend you to the Sage. Akademiya need students like you." You nodded with enthusiasm, and Alhaitham noticed your excitement.

"Hey." You looked up to him as he called you. You noticed how the sadness dawned on his eyes became more visible.

"Do you know.. how to make up with your mother... while ignoring her affairs ?" You blinked at his personal question.

"She... changed her heart so easily for another man after her husband died. I've been harsh on her... because she just let the people say bad things about her."

"Instead of just going out with the guy, she just... ask money so shamelessly. Who knows how she gets it."

You looked down.

"If it's me..." Alhaitham turned to look at you as you speak.

"I would ask her why. Why didn't she make it official and make things worse ? Maybe... she did everything she did in order to raise you ? She's a single mother after all." Alhaitham looked down as his face turned even more dreadful.

"Though, it's all up to you. I hope everything's alright between you and your mother !" You smiled as Alhaitham smiled sheepishly at you.

--

It had been hard for him.

It had been two months since Alhaitham searched for his mother.

He went to ask for the tourist guide of Sumeru but she had return back from Fontaine yet you did not join the tour in the first place.

He had a sleepless night, abandoning many of his work just to find you, but to no avail. He cannot find you anywhere, and it was the first time he would beat himself for what he had said to you.

He went to the desert knowing your friend would be working there. He did not want to bother her at her work, but it had been months and you had not yet return. As he was desperate, he would go there and also visit the site he was supposed to work on.

There was a building where miners work to find resources in the mines in underground. Your friend works there all her life and Alhaitham knew her since he was a kid.

"Mrs. Atiya." Atiya turned around to see the kid that used to play with his late son now all grown up. She smiled hugely and went to hug him.

"Oh, Alhaitham, it had been ages ! You're as tall as your late dad now !" Alhaitham sheepishly dismissed the skinship and the mention of the father he never met.

"You never visit the site before. What's up ?" Atiya asked while she was arranging the place she was assigned for.

"Have my mother contact you ?" Atiya froze a bit before she turned around. She had a look of horror on her face.

"What happened ?" Atiya asked as she walked closer, and Alhaitham seemed reluctant to say.

"She's.. gone. I don't know where she is."

Atiya grabbed his arm.

"You, too ? She hadn't come to work for two months now !" Alhaitham frowned at the statement she just said. You work ? He remembered telling you not to work since he would be giving money. Atiya sighed as it dawned to her.

"She has work her for almost a year to surprise you the Fontaine trip. Have she told you ? Have you ask the tourist department ? How come she's gone ?!"

One after another, he was hit by a huge rocks to his heart. You being missing had made his life in a mess, now learning that you did not ask for the money from Zubayr for the Fontaine trip was like a flip of a switch. Now, he had messed up big time.

Plus, mining was a risky job. You could have died like his father. And you were old, how can he let you do such a heavy job ?

Since he already notified Kaveh to stay and take care of you if you ever return, he went to the cave he was tasked to look into.

He only wanted to get away from everything that went downhill right now. He needed space, yet his heart still felt heavy and full of thrusted pain. The knife continue to slice his heart.

He never felt this way when it comes to himself. Whatever everyone had to say to him, it did not affect him. However, whenever he heard anything about his mother, you, he felt so mad he could go crazy for suppressing it for so long.

Yet, you continue to smile despite all the rumors about you going around. He did not know how it can drag even until he was this old. How much of an influence you had for the whole city talk badly of you ?

He went deeper into the underground as he followed the traces left by the dead. Sure enough, he did not die instantly. If help was issued early, he could of stay alive.

"They wanted me dead. My emotion overtaking logic, I became desperate and put myself into the trap. It was a fault at my part. While I'm still alive, I'll explore the cave."

That was the first note he has found left at the first campfire. The place was deep and lack of oxygen. In any case, he needed to hurry.

He found many notes where he included informations of the history and solution for the puzzles in the underground. This place was inhabitant until thousand of years ago as they moved upwards to the surface.

The more he picked up the notes, the more he noticed the regrets looming over this person, where his logic slowly diminishing and emotions took over.

"I thought the deeper I go, there would be at least a single way out. I'm... stuck here forever."

He crouched down before a scattered clothes, and a final note that left next to it wide opened. He picked it up, and read the content.

"This is the end. I can't believe this his how I left the world. I once had accustomed with death. But things change now... I have a wife and a son.. I need to take care of them. I don't want to die. Not until I've left enough so they could went to a trip to Fontaine once in their lifetime." Alhaitham's hand began to tremble as he read the last few lines.

"I'm sorry, (Y/n), Alhaitham... Please tell them I love them so much if you find this note. All the things about the underground, you can find it in my bag."

For the first time in a very, very long time, he cried. He shed tears and hollered as not even words could fathom what he was feeling right now. The note crumpled as he curled onto the ground, biting down onto his lips so hard, yet his tearing heart was in even immense pain.

"She's gone, dad. I can't find her anywhere. It's all my fault." He hit his head as he was reminded how he had hurt you despite all the warm smiles you gave him. The look you had the last time he had seen you kept playing in his mind.

"I'm sorry I failed you, dad. What should I do now ?"

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