#act x

The house is a mess, the books are damaged and everything is scattered everywhere. For Kaveh it feels like chaos, for Alhaitham the material side of it is secondary because they're alive and managed to stop something far worse.

That shows how differently they perceive the world. While Kaveh transforms suffering into meaning, Alhaitham focuses on reducing it.

When Alhaitham points out that people usually try to improve their situation once anguish becomes the norm, Kaveh confesses that anguish has become a source of inspiration for him and he isn't sure he could break his reliance on it.

Then Alhaitham replies:

"happy that you can always find an answer that backs up your views."

Acknowledging Kaveh's remarkable talent for constructing narratives that justify his suffering and make it feel meaningful, framing it as a skill Kaveh has been mastering.

Then Kaveh asks what Alhaitham has mastered perhaps expecting something intellectual, but Alhaitham responds with help instead. He grabs Kaveh's paints, offers to take them to his room and assists without making a big deal out of it.

Kaveh is caught off guard and internally wonders if this is some kind of bribe, failing to realize that this practical action IS Alhaitham's way of showing care.

They both take care of each other even if they feel the other doesn't know how to show it properly.

Now that the storm has passed, everyone finally finds a quiet afternoon to unwind. Some bicker over a chessboard as always, while others stretch out together in the sun...

Paimon tells Wanderer that she feels useless because even though she's always with the Traveler she can't do anything in moments of real danger and she recalls the time the Traveler was kidnapped by Dottore and how helpless she felt, which leads her to think about what would happen if the Traveler never came back and she had to face everything alone, ending up feeling like a burden and wishing she could be a friend who's actually useful.

Wanderer acknowledges her feelings and says that when doubt appears, the only options are to give up or change, and that the decision has to come from within because no one else can solve it for her. He puts the choice on her telling her to decide whether she wants to become stronger or learn more, and to take action so she'll have no regrets knowing that she at least tried.

"I'm not gonna try and encourage you. What I will say is this: When you start doubting yourself, you have two choices - give up, or change. You have to make the decision to move forward. Otherwise, no amount of consolation from other people is gonna help you. So ask yourself - what do you want? To get stronger? To learn more? Whatever it is, go do it. You won't have any regrets if you can at least say that you tried."

Wanderer is helping her face her doubts and the insecurity that makes her question her own worth. What matters isn't avoiding failure but reaching a point where the choice was made consciously, so nothing is left as a regret because the real risk is getting stuck.

PS. The fact that Alhaitham insists so much on her education is one of the most beautiful and low profile things in the story. It has been going on for around 3 years and he keeps sending her books, reminding her about exams and even applying her for the Driyosh giving her the tools to understand the world and hold her own. It says a lot about Alhaitham that he decided to invest time and effort into educating Paimon even if it brings him no direct benefit.

The rooftop scene with Alhaitham and Kaveh at the Mausoleum of King Deshret was another one of my favorites in this archon quest.

Every time they had to work together during this mission (and any mission where they're together), Kaveh's ability to get irritated at Alhaitham over the smallest things always made me laugh. I kept rolling my eyes at him but it never gets tiring because they know when to stop, and under all the bickering there's familiarity, trust and balance.

The more I watch Alhaitham, the more fond I grow of his character. He filters everything through logic first and stays highly rational, but he doesn't feel heartless to me (I think Dottore is the real example of rational and heartless). Even if he won't be dragged by emotions, he always ends up helping for real by actually solving the problem and preventing things from spiraling further.

I relate to Kaveh a lot and that's why I see how important it is to have an Alhaitham in your life, or to build that clarity yourself. He drops something practical and suddenly everything feels smaller and clearer like you've been drowning in a puddle. But he doesn't do it out of cruelty, he simply doesn't sugarcoat anything and just lays the facts straight.

He basically says: focus on what you can actually control, everything else just turns into pointless suffering. Accept the situation, drop the unnecessary pain and put your energy into what you can do for yourself.

Some people remain in our memories, while others move on...