Forget Where We Were (reupload!)

Chapter 13

Kaveh was nervous.

The Dendro Archon advised the rest of the group that Alhaitham would begin the process of breaking the curse that caused Kaveh to lose his memories. He was scheduled to start today, and Kaveh was nervous.

Even if Lord Kusanali could walk Kaveh through the process, it was not a reassurance that things would go well. He could not help but wonder, though, about what Alhaitham was to him before he lost his memories.

Why was Alhaitham the only one who could do this for Kaveh? Why was Alhaitham too eager to do this for him despite the risks and consequences?

They were roommates, but were they only roommates? Alhaitham looked at Kaveh as if he had known Kaveh his whole life. Maybe he once did. Right now, Kaveh was not really Kaveh, incomplete without any recollection of who he was or what the things he stood up for have been.

His own history gone, the context of Kaveh lost in the desert like the wind washing away the sand.

Kaveh lifted his half-finished cup of coffee to his lips. He was lost in his thoughts for far too long, as the coffee has long since gone cold. He drank the rest of it before putting the cup by the sink. As he made his way back to the living area, the front door of the house was unlocked and pushed open.

Alhaitham was back, with Nahida in tow. That meant that they were able to finish the preparations at the Sanctuary of Surasthana. That meant Alhaitham should be ready to attempt ending the curse and bringing Kaveh's memories back.

The scribe was silent, while Nahida touched Kaveh's hand and asked, "Kaveh, how do you feel?"

Kaveh could not look away from Alhaitham, trying to watch the younger man's expressions. When the scribe simply sat down and opened a book, it felt like nothing big was about to take place. Kaveh turned to the Dendro Archon and said, "I am okay, Lord Kusanali. Did everything go well?"

Nahida nodded with a smile, "We had a bit of trouble, but we had enough help. We can start the process now."

"Are you sure?" Kaveh asked Nahida, before turning to Alhaitham.

He closed the book he was reading and headed to the bedroom without saying anything. Nahida smiled at Kaveh once more before gesturing that they both should follow the scribe. Once they were in the bedroom, Alhaitham removed his cape and his belt, putting them on the side of the bed before lying down. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Wait!" Kaveh exclaimed, "What's going to happen now?"

Nahida opened her palms to channel her power to the man on the bed, saying, "Alhaitham has to enter a coma-like state. He dreams of your curse, and that's the only passageway that we can enter as of the moment. We had the Traveler and the General Mahamatra seek out other possibilities of physically entering the bubble, but it's uncertain that a path could exist. We cannot wait for their reports as we have to start as soon as we can."

"And then? How could I help?"

Nahida nodded to the chair near the bed. "You should sit down and rest, Kaveh. If Alhaitham were to be successful, you would most likely feel the effects directly."

After Kaveh obeyed the Lord of Dendro, Nahida turned back to Alhaitham and continued to feed him energy until she glowed a deep shade of lush green. Kaveh watched her do her work until Alhaitham gasped for air, immediately pushing himself into a sitting position. Nahida ceased the whole operation.

Kaveh almost sprinted out of the room to fetch him a glass of water. Wordlessly, Alhaitham accepted the offer and drank his fill, handing Kaveh the empty cup before lying down once more.