Forget Where We Were (reupload!)

Chapter 14

Kaveh was left alone for two days after they were able to rouse Alhaitham from the coma.

It was not because they abandoned him all of a sudden, but it was because he specifically requested some alone time for a while. Tighnari, and sometimes the Dendro Archon herself, would pay him short visits to make sure he was fed, dehydrated, and with a stable mind.

At first, the wave of emotions carried by the memories felt like he was a measuring stone thrown off Aaru's Shut to find out how long it would take for an object with mass to plop down on the sandy surface. Somehow, he expected this. He has had enough experience listening to other people's stories back in Fontaine. He knew that much, at least.

Kaveh looked down at his hands for the nth time today, wondering what would have happened if he was not an excitable kid who wanted to see his father in a prestigious competition. Was it so wrong for a child to want something? Wanting to see his beloved father in action and be immensely proud of him?

Was it so bad that the heavens had to punish not the child who wanted it in the first place, but the father who only wanted to grant the wishes of his precious son?

When it was obvious that it was the child who made it all happen the way it did?

Kaveh pressed his lips together, vaguely remembering that the people of Sumeru believed him dead for over two years, lost in the desert, exactly how his father had met his end. They must have felt the utmost pity, with a family that was finally gone, their line ended by misfortunes.

Another thing that plagued Kaveh was the whereabouts of his mother. The memories that came back to him ended with his mother being plagued with sadness, the shadow of grief and death following her every step. He has not heard of her and Alhaitham never mentioned her.

Something must have happened, and at this point in time, he was too scared to ask. He was sure that having more of his memories would answer the questions he was left with, and that was the only way to truthfully face his own life.

Alhaitham was right. Kaveh was the one who wanted his memories back. He should not waver now.

After a few more moments to himself, he heard knocking on his door before it opened. It was indeed his roommate.

"I have to talk to you," said Alhaitham as he stepped inside the guest room with a small box. He handed Kaveh the box as he sat beside the blond on the bed. "If you need more time alone, let me know so I can tell Nahida that we're moving the schedule of the next one."

"No!" Kaveh shook his head. "No, you guys don't have to do that. You've done so much for me already. I can do it. I have to. It's my life. I have lived it, you know? And I am still here with you today, so whatever I am about to find out, I guess it's safe to say that I survived them all anyway."

Alhaitham nodded, "You survived them all. Even death, I suppose."

"Not funny," Kaveh rolled his eyes as he opened the box and examined the contents. "I was never dead."

He then went silent for a while, with Alhaitham watching him intently, catching every slight reaction and small movements as Kaveh parsed through what was left of his father's belongings. Most of them were his Rtawahist papers on star mapping and some old pictures of their family home.

Kaveh ran a hand through the picture of his young self, holding a paper star, eyes twinkling with glee as his father carried him in his arms.

It looked like a frozen scene borrowed from another person's life. He could not imagine being that child, not a clue of what the future would eventually bring him. That he would never feel his father's arms around him again, that he would never hear his voice as he talked about constellations and dreams and destinies.