You May as Well Break My Heart [Haikaveh]

Chapter one

Alhaitham wasn't entirely certain where things had gone wrong, but he was confident that none of it was his fault.

What began as a relatively straightforward exploration of an ancient Dendro-powered temple had quickly spiraled into chaos. Naturally, one of them activated the mechanism in the wrong order.

That was what happened when you brought over-eager students into the field.

They were inspecting the archaic mechanisms etched into the stone walls—a group of five scholars, freshly plucked from the Akademiya's classes. The task itself wasn't unusual, but having the Acting Grand Sage to oversee them certainly was.

Babysitting novices wasn't high on his list of priorities, and truthfully, he'd only agreed because of Kaveh. A kiss on the cheek, a smile, and a request wrapped in tenderness—it was a trap Alhaitham had fallen for, yet again.

It had started off smoothly. They had been assisting him with the mechanisms while he deciphered the correct order. He had deciphered the sequence rather quickly, and his instructions were simple: activate the mechanisms in the right direction when he commanded them to, no more, no less.

They needed to activate the mechanisms simultaneously, and they were willing to follow his instructions, but when he used his elemental skill to activate the centerpiece and signal the others to move the pieces, one of them turned theirs in the wrong direction, ruining the sequence.

In a desperate attempt to fix the mistake, they tried to force it back into the correct position, but the effort only made the situation worse, and it didn't take long before the mechanism jammed, causing the entire temple to start trembling.

The scribe was immediately alerted, the ground beneath them seemed to shift, and a portal—an unstable rift pulsing with energy—suddenly tore through the space where the original entrance had been. Everything nearby was drawn toward it like dust to a flame.

He could see the students' panicked faces, their hands frantically moving across the mechanisms in a desperate attempt to stabilize the swirling energy, but it was too late. One of them was already being pulled towards the portal, and started screaming.

Instinct kicked in, and Alhaitham immediately stepped forward to shield the scholar. In the span of a heartbeat, he assessed the situation, grabbed the young man by his uniform, and, linking them all with dendro energy, hurled them back several meters.

He succeeded in pushing everyone out of harm's way, but in doing so, he was the one caught in the pull of the portal.

Everything beyond that was a blur. Memories of the in-between felt fragmented, disjointed. He couldn't see anything for a couple seconds, but It wasn't long before he was expelled from it, and he hit the ground hard, his balance unwavering despite the sudden force.

His boots landed firmly on the ground, dust swirling at his feet as if he had simply leapt down from a low ledge.

Dusting off his robes with a quick sweep, he straightened up, his eyes immediately scanning the surroundings. Everything was silent.

Where has everyone gone? Did the portal end up getting them too?

He turned to look at the temple, his brow furrowed as he surveyed the scene. He was half-expecting the portal to still be there, but it had already vanished, leaving behind the sealed temple doors as if nothing had happened.

At his feet, he could see a small device that seemed to be slowly turning off. He could swear it wasn't there before.

That was strange.

Given the kids' absence, Alhaitham's mind raced, trying to reconstruct the sequence of events.

It didn't make sense—if the portal had taken everyone, surely it would've pulled everyone back too, right?

It was unlikely they'd been caught, but then, where were they now?

A sense of unease crept over him, and his head throbbed as he thought of the mess he'd just landed himself in. He stood still for a moment, taking in the fading sunlight, its position higher in the sky than he remembered. It looked like it was... earlier.

How long had he been trapped?

While it felt like only seconds had passed since he'd been pulled in, it was clear that he might have been gone in that portal for far longer than he realized.

Well, at least that would explain their disappearance. The scholars probably panicked the moment the portal swallowed him, and they rushed back to the city to search for aid.

Alhaitham sighed quietly to himself. He just hoped they hadn't tried something impulsive. If they ended up hurt or injured along the way, he would have to face their parents' complaint.

Why did he agree to this in the first place? Right, Kaveh. His beloved boyfriend.

The scribe silently hoped that the blonde hadn't discovered this disaster yet. The last thing he wanted was to worry him, let alone face his anger. For his own peace of mind, he'd rather be spared the inevitable lecture.

Either way, staying here wouldn't solve anything. He took one last glance at the sealed temple doors, ensuring there was nothing left behind, and began his steady walk back towards the city. He trusted their survival instinct would've led them home by now—perhaps already making a fuss at the Akademiya, but safe.

After hours of travel, he finally reached the city. As he walked through the dimly lit streets, his eyes scanned for any signs of life. With the sun setting, the usual daytime bustle had quieted, leaving the city in a peaceful calm, and his mind wandered to whether he should head straight to the Akademiya to report the incident.

Technically, he wasn't obligated to follow up, but it wouldn't be responsible to simply wash his hands of the matter without ensuring the students had returned safely.

Annoyed at the thought of extra effort, he resigned himself to it. A simple glance at the entry records would be enough. At least he wouldn't have to waste time trekking to their homes.

Heading toward the towering structure of the Akademiya, he noticed a pair of guards stationed at the front gates, chatting casually, clearly on night duty. He raised a hand in a lazy greeting, intending to slip past unnoticed, but the moment they saw him, their eyes widened as if they'd seen a ghost.

One of them dropped his spear, taking a stumbling step backward.

"ACTING GRAND SAGE?!"

The two guards shouted in unison, their voices echoing in the empty street. Alhaitham's brow twitched at the volume, and he winced slightly, already regretting this decision.

"Y—you're back?" the younger of the guards stammered, eyes wide. "We thought..."

"We were told you'd gone missing!"

"Missing?" Alhaitham's voice was clipped, clearly displeased. He had no patience for this nonsense, let alone for unnecessary questioning. "Calm yourselves. and lower your voices. I'm here, aren't I?"

The guards exchanged astonished glances before bombarding him with questions—how had he survived? Where had he been? Did they need to report to the Matra?

Their frantic words blended into a murmur of concern, which only irritated him further. Finally, deciding to cut through the noise, Alhaitham raised his hand, his voice cold and composed.

"Enough. The students I accompanied—did they return?"

The guards blinked, taken aback by his calm demeanor.

"Yes, yes, Acting Grand Sage, they returned not long after you disappeared," the elder guard replied, nodding vigorously. "They were a bit shaken up, but they're safe. However, the city's been in an uproar ever since. No one expected—"

"How long?" Alhaitham interrupted, his tone sharper now. He had already picked up on something strange in their reactions, but he needed confirmation. The peculiar looks on their faces, the shock, and the hints of disbelief in their voices—

"How long have I been gone?" he asked, narrowing his gaze, suspicion lacing his words.

The guards exchanged uneasy glances once more before the younger one stepped forward, a strange mix of confusion and worry settling in his expression.

"Acting Grand Sage... you've been missing for almost two months. The Matra... they were preparing to declare you... well, dead."