Genshin Impact | "The Eagle Solstice" | Alhaitham x Lumine

The Aftermath, Part 8

Part 8

Alhaitham's teal eyes fluttered open. White and green colors blurred his vision. Hushed voices, the sound of footsteps and cluttering objects being moved about reached his ears. Somebody gently took his arm as he lay in bed, pressing fingers on his wrist.

"He's awake," a familiar voice spoke.

A collective sigh followed and as Alhaitham's vision cleared he discovered three pairs of eyes watching. The white walls and green windows of the Akademiya's infirmary slowly became recognizable. He stirred in the bed and tried to sit up. A blanket rolled to his lap and when he tried to remove it with his right hand, chains rattled and a cuff tugged his wrist back, stopping his movement. His other hand was otherwise free.

"Huh?"

"It's for your own safety," Tighnari's said with an air of assurance that was easy on him.

"And ours," Cyno spoke rigidly. His sharp gaze never left Alhaitham. The Mahamatra watched the Scribe like a hawk, the distrust evident on his posture as his stood at the foot of the bed, arms crossed like a sentinel. "Try anything funny and Tighnari's going to sedate you without further questions."

"I believe that won't be necessary," Nahida joined. She was sitting on a stool beside the bed, short legs hanging down.

Alhaitham looked at everyone with a blank expression.

"Do you remember what happened?" the forest ranger asked gently.

Alhaitham frowned. Drawing on nothing, he was unable to answer.

"Perhaps, a glass of water would help," Nahida answered for him. She hopped down the stool and went to fill a glass on the bedside table. She offered it to the Scribe who took it passively with his free hand. He gulped down the contents until it was empty. Tighnari took the empty glass away.

His expression cleared as the memory of last night returned to him. "I remember going to bed," after reading Lumine's letter. "That's the last thing I remember... can someone enlighten me as to how I ended up in the Akademiya's infirmary in the," his eyes flicked to the windows, "middle of the day?"

The three fell silent. Alhaitham scratched the skin under the cuff. It wasn't tight but it was uncomfortable. He wanted to take it off as soon as possible.

Nahida's eyes glazed. "He's telling the truth. Let's remove the cuffs for now."

Tighnari shifted to the other side of the bed to do as the god bade.

Cyno interrupted, "I do not dare to question the God of Wisdom, but are we sure this isn't the entity that attacked us? He could be pretending. And if he isn't, who's to say that entity won't possess him again while we interrogate him? I say we keep the cuffs on."

Quick to process Cyno's words, Alhaitham jerked his head to the Mahamatra. "It happened, didn't it?"

Cyno's red-orange eyes narrowed. "Yes. And you conveniently redacted important details of the mission you gave us."

"I read his mind. That's Alhaitham. I do not believe the entity that possessed him will resurface because I am right here," Nahida said.

Tighnari removed the cuff and Alhaitham massaged his wrist. "Now, can anybody fill me in about what happened while I was supposedly asleep?" He was starting to feel irritated.

Cyno delivered the story starting from how he instructed Kaveh to monitor the Scribe's movements. Any unusual activity from Alhaitham and Kaveh was to send a signal to Cyno. The Scribe nodded as he spoke. Upon receiving the signal, he, along with Dehya and Candace who had been on stand-by around Alhaitham's house, attacked the Scribe, thinking it was best way to confirm the spirit's identity.