Saint || Alhaitham x M! Reader

Chapter 13 || Maybe

Alhaitham POV:

The early morning sun painted the world in a pale light as the moon faded away in the far horizon. I don't remember how I really got there but I caught myself wandering outside Sumeru city. It had been only a few days since Cloette told us of M/n's sacrifice, that he risked his life for what I think now is to please King Deshret, but does human sacrifice even work. It bearly does from what I've read about. I walked along the pathways that M/n used to take, he always talked about how enchanting the world looked in the mornings light, how it made you forget everything that bothered you and you felt light on your feet. But I didn't. I felt heavy and my mind was absent. I haven't talked to anyone since I came back, I bearly slept even though Kaveh wasn't clawing away at some peice of wood this time. Before that day I would have been grateful for the chance to have a good night sleep. But now I feel as if I can't do anything, that everything in my life had been stripped away from me. It hadn't been this bad since my grandmother passed away all those years ago.

My brain started to go on a very shitty airplane mode
(Yes Ik planes don't exist in this world) it blanked out parts of my day that went on for a little too long, like walking from one place to another. My headphones were on silent all day, no music, no sound, no reading. Just me sitting by myself with my thoughts.

3rd person POV:

Kaveh looked at Alhaitham who laid on the couch, looking at the ceiling with half opened eyes. He looked tired and confused, and disoriented. Cyno told Kaveh of M/n's passing only a few days ago, Kaveh's eyes were also puffed and red from the news. But he wouldn't expect this from Alhaitham. It was normal to see Alhaitham laze around the house, but he was just stagnant, quiet, no grumblings or snarky comments. Alhaitham didn't know it but Kaveh had invited Dehya and the Traveler over to talk with Alhaitham, the poor thing hasn't been eating. Alhaitham, slowly sat up when the door bell rang and Kaveh answered while he did so.

Aether spoke quietly and Paimon was snuggled up in his arms. Dehya stood silent in the background, she looked frustrated, confused and all the more disturbed by M/n's passing. Kaveh let them in without a word, Alhaitham looked up at them, suddenly a book in hand, suddenly he sat up straight, his expression as calm as it was before. Like nothing had ever happened. Though Kaveh obviously saw past it, he said nothing. Aether and Paimon sat across from him, Kaveh next to him and Dehya stood. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Alhaitham blinked and rubbed his slightly swollen eyes. "Alhaitham...I brought them so we can talk this out. You don't need to hide anything, we're all mourning right now as well"

"I'm not hiding anything? I'm fine" he responded.

"Don't lie to us Alhaitham. Were here if you need any support" Aether leaned forward

"I don't need support, I'm perfectly fine"

Kaveh sighed at his stubbornness, he likes to hide things too much. Alhaitham looked at Dehya who simply stared at the door, deep in thought. "What are you thinking about?" The words left his lips without thinking. Without looking at him, she said "there's just something so off about it all, the sacrifice was so random, king Deshret was never the type who wanted a human sacrifice, he sacrificed himself for everyone else, leaving behind everything, so why would the robbery make him so upset?" Everyone stayed silent. Paimon sat up "you're right...it doesn't make sense! There would be no reason for him to sacrifice himself, so why did he do it?"

"....I suppose it wasn't his choice." Dehya words hung in the air. "What do you mean not his choice, you're saying someone...killed him?"

"No. None of it makes...." She muttered to herself. Alhaitham stared at her, his eyes tired and red, a hint of frustration in his face that everyone noticed. His upper body leaned forward "You know something we don't. I can see it in your face, it's best you tell now that he's gone." He couldn't bring himself to say the word "dead" and bearly managed to say "gone"

"I know, that's why I'm here." She inhaled deeply and leaned back on the couch. "When we were kids I saw M/n quite often, but we weren't really that close. I remember seeing people worshiped them like gods, saviors who would help them and cleanse the land of impurity. They showered M/n and his sister Ellenore in flowers and praise"

"Why?" Was Paimon's, and everyone else's question. "They had some sort of high status. I'm not too sure, those celebrations only happened in a city located in a domain. Me, and some other kids snuck in from time to time. The citizens seemed as if they would protect the two with their lives. I never understood what was so important about them except there...unnatural strength and agility. My best guess is that there descendants of some warrior deity."

"But as M/n is an Erimite, he has some sort of ties with king Deshret, why sacrifice him?" Aether said

"Wait WHAT?!" Kaveh broke the silence "oh- yeah M/n's an Erimite, and he stole the artifacts" -Paimon

Kaveh: 😃🧍

"It doesn't make sense, any of it. King Deshret would never want a sacrifice like that, nor of someone like M/n" Alhaitham leaned forward and rest his head in his hands.

"I mean, do we even know M/n at this point? He's probably hiding so much more from us. He's living a double life! Well...lived." Paimon gulped

"...what if he's not dead?" Aether looked up "Maybe this isn't the time for false hope" Kaveh sighed

"No- think about it, what if Cloette was just saying that to drive us away? It's obvious that we're not supposed to be in this situation, especially Alhaitham."

"She was practically sobbing her eyes out Aether, she believes it just as much as we do" - Alhaitham

"What if M/n tricked Cloette? It's obvious that he doesn't like her, his death was too rushed, normally human sacrifices takes a group of people, a priest, guards, servants and other offerings. Sometimes people on the outside can feel a shift of energy." - Dehya

"Your saying there's a chance he might be alive?" -Alhaitham

"M/n always seemed like the type of guy to challenge death"