Genshin Impact | "The Last Night in Aaru Village" | Alhaitham x Lumine

Return of the Scarlet King, Part 7

Return of the Scarlet King, Part 7

When Alhaitham was a boy, he had asked his grandmother what it meant to dream. She had told him that dreams were something only the children of Sumeru possessed and that once they grew up, these dreams would be cast out because they were unnecessary. Sumeru had been this way for 500 years. He clutched his book closer to himself with his small hands and nodded in understanding when she delivered those words. So, when he had the first dream which he remembered for the rest of his life, he did not fear.

It was of a man who had the same teal eyes as him. His hair was silver-gray just like Alhaitham's although it stretched all the way to his feet. He wore an elegant, golden robe that partially covered the intricate markings all over his body which the seven-year-old boy didn't recognize and a pair of golden sandals fit for royalty. The two were standing far away from each other amidst the barren desert with the sun high up in the sky and not even a single sign of life anywhere he turned.

The stranger gave the boy a look that spoke a thousand words. And when he opened his mouth, his voice filled the entire land and drowned every possible sound there was. "Fear not, child," he said, "for I am you, and you are me. In due time we shall meet. And we shall partake from the same cup when blood fills the the skies and storms swallow the moon."

He woke from his bed, squinting in the dark, unsure what he had just witnessed. The boy never told his grandmother about it because he thought it was just like any other dream.

The first dream became one of the many.

The second was of the stranger sitting on a throne in a vast hall with the boy Alhaitham standing at the foot and three people kneeling before them. These three wore crowns on their heads, and when the stranger beckoned the first person, he stood up and said, "lord of the four corners of the earth, the power and wisdom of this land can build you a palace that surpass the heavens and give your people a prosperous future." The second person rose and said, "subjugator of gods, the present oases hold the wisdom that you seek." While the third person said, "guide of the living and the dead, forget the void but seek resurrection and eternal life."

The stranger shrugged and turned to Alhaitham. He said, "child, what do you propose I should do with my three magi?"

The boy opened his mouth but before he could respond, he woke up. He had so many questions which only spurred him to research what these dreams meant and who the stranger was. His akasha terminal glowed green as he looked for the titles the three people had mentioned, it bore a list of historical books he hadn't read before.

It initiated his obsession on reading texts about dreams and histories, both fictional and evidence-based writings. His grandmother had dismissed it as hobby he had developed naturally because his parents were scholars from the Akademiya. It was especially evident for her when she had seen him perusing through a book called "The Lay of Al-Ahmar". His mother, after all, was from the Vahumana darshan. It made sense he would inherit the same interest in Sumeru histories.

The third dream was of him and the stranger sitting side by side on a boulder in an oasis. The boy finally had the chance to speak. "I know who you are. You are the Scarlet King, King Deshret. People also call you Al-Ahmar." A dusk bird settled on one of the trees surrounding the lake, preening its feathers. The King turned to him, the corners of his mouth pulling up. "How does one person truly know another simply by learning their name? You have much to learn, child. This is but the beginning."

"I have read plenty of books about you, yet none of them mentioned any possibility of you being alive. You merged your soul with the souls of your people which lead to the death and decay of your body. So, how are you able to communicate with me like this?"