8'th Quattember 1668
time – 23:35
Waking up after nearly 12 hours of sleep, without even opening his eyes Meteo immediately spots the lacking presence of Rubi'i within his vicinity. Moving his left hand blindly up, down, right, left, he finally opens his eyes. His sister's not around – obviously - His hand as witness.
Looking around the house, neither he can find her at their home. Question mark above his dishevelled face – not literally – metaphorically – after all he's not in mindscape right now.
The prolongated sleep lasting half a day certainly hadn't shown him mercy – fur going in all directions. Fortunately, or not - his fur is too stiff to get all tangled up in knots, not like it's that long to begin with at his age, but still, this only affects the fur to get all messed up in different ways, the uncomfortable ways.
Getting out of the bedroom, stepping into the kitchen, he neither can find her here. Moving outside, neither he can spot her in any vicinity of home in distance of sight.
Crossing his arms with one hand leaned against the chin, he scratches it in question, wondering where she could had gone to.
"Hey, Shokui, you awake?" Meteo calls internally on full volume. Whether Shokui slept or not, now he certainly won't. This also answering one of the unsaid questions from the get-go, it being Aki currently in control.
"Is there a way, a possibility, that our Migawari could locate elle'e? It's... heavy... now. Mmm." Aki grunts, yawning as he stretches out his limbs until a sudden old pain hits. "Agh-." Yelps as his right half of face stings from all of the movement.
He covers his right eye as he comments "And this scar yet again, why it hadn't healed yet... It had been there for the whole week already!" Exasperation filling his face.
He got this scar ever since he fought that man in the armour, he doesn't know the name, he doesn't plan to get to know it; plus, not like he possibly could identify him in any way, now at this point. Some things are better to be left unknown.
Short answer – it reminds him of bad past.
Long answer – it reminds him of when he was held by the leg as some kind of doll, and as if some kind of whip thrown face first into the bark of the tree. Then immediately thrown into the dirt - again with the face first. Hitting a really sharp rock in the process, right against his right side of the face.
He didn't feel it due to adrenaline, but ouch.
It's not a surprise he still feels phantom pains when he thinks about it.
Now this spot covers a rough scar that's yet to be healed completely.
The scar covers most of his right part of his face, starting from his lower cheek, pausing at his eyelid, resuming from his eyebrow, stopping at his forehead. Luckily, his eye had been spared - somehow, this rock that had imbedded into his eye – was flat enough to cut in only shallow depth.
However, it still doesn't change the fact the there is a scar now, permanently, on his face.
"Poor face."
"Rest in Peace my beauty."
"Small violin playing in background." manifesting himself inside the mindscape with a small violin in him single hand
~
"You get quite elaborate with your imagination nowadays." Shokui finally muses in
"Benefits. I see only benefits."
"Certainly" Chuckles. "All novel because unlocked new emotes"
"Emote what?"
"Not relevant. What matters is that the scar is not the end of the world. But the constant phantom pains make it certainly... troublesome."
"Yeah. You've stole that right from my tongue." Smiles bitterly as he grunts.
Eye-smiles. "I don't know if it'll work on the first try but try pushing the heat that's inside you to where your eye is." Shokui want to get more elaborate and try to say something like circulate then energy into the eye, but that's not something a child would understand. Ether the name of this energy, name which comes from that book, but he knows if he said it like that, Aki wouldn't understand of what he speaks of. So, he chose an alternative which for sure will work. "Don't beat yourself over it if you won't be able to."
"What for?" He asks fully curious.
"Just give it a try, I want to check something."
~
"Hmm... Like this?" Aki asks out loud in the outside world, trying to follow Shokui's words and guide heat inside of his body to where the scar is. At first nothing happens, but slowly, the wound start to ease on with the pain. Then, it fully disappears.
The scar does not disappear fully – no – it's too old to be erased. Unfortunate. But at least he's still alive, so that's what matters. "... Mmm" His face itches in pain for a second as the fibers behind the scar start to mend, reconnect in real time, all pain of the process being felt.
Most of the tissue had already regenerate through the 6 days - not fully - Let's get it straight, the 10 times muscle density needs more energy in everything, even in healing, making the process take longer periods of time.
Especially when you are constantly on your legs, doing the physical labour, not resting when you should.
The amount of regeneration is minimal; however, it still doesn't change the fact that the experience of muscles appearing, growing from nothing, is not something that can be ignored.
If he were to explain this particular feeling in words, it's like needles were to prick his right half of the face. Though, considering the fact he never saw pins nor needles in his life; nor ever experienced being prick by them, he instead compares it to wood splinters being stuck all around his face where the scar locates itself.
He unfortunately had a chance to experience that.
Yeah...
Who decides to start a greeting by throwing someone into the tree? Where's the honour? Ah right, mercenaries. That answers.
The pain ease, then finally disappear, making Aki sigh in relief.
~
"Thought it will be much harder to learn it, congrats, you can now freely regenerate your wounds!" Shokui notes musing in amusement that's basically sourced from the bitter comedy about the unfairness of genetics. He shakes his head, not trying to think on wishing he had such ability in his past life. "I don't know if you noticed before, but your mom had used the same ability to immediately seal her flesh wound from that spear. I wondered yesterday whether you can learn it - And now I have answer."
"Someone had ever told you that you are quite direct?"
"..." Thinking about it, "Maybe. Yeah. I think so?" Scratching his chin. "I mean, I understand I am talking about the Dead. I also was sad when my relatives died. I can stop if it bothers you." Snorts. Rolling his eyes, stopping being dramatic. "Ugh.. Child, how do you think I lost most of my friends"
"Huh?" Moving his head to the side in wonderment about the point. "Is being direct like really that troublesome? - Because I don't find that much of a problem with your words. I am actually happy to learn mom's ability"
"Thanks" replies. "The thing is that not all of the people have such hard skin as you do. Some people revolt from just being reminded of their past." Shrugs as he continues "And I am someone who cherishes the memories of the past."
"I am sorry for your loss?" Rising an eyebrow
"That's a wrong use of this expression... but I know what you mean. It's fine." Shrugs again. "I've gotten used to being a loner". Waving his head right and left as if shaking off the old memories and resumes with the topic at hand. "Am happy to hear that you like having skills of others, but what did you want to ask me before the pain interrupt, again?"
"Oh yeah, nearly forgot." Recalls his question. "Do you think I can use Migawari to find my sister. Sleeping for too long is surprisingly exhausting."
Chuckles knowingly as he knows what he's talking about. Sleep too short and you feel dead, sleep for too long, and you feel dead. It makes him recall the good times, but it's not relevant anymore anyway. Back to present.
"For now, we are capable to activate 2 abilities - of your eyes - at once." Shokui says, mentioning the fact that they still hadn't tried all they possibly could. "And we still hadn't tried the heat vision that at recent you activated. Let's see what happens if we do, what do you say?"
"Sure, why not" He shrugs. "How will we do it though?" Asks the important question.
"Those are Migawari abilities originating from you, so you have better feel for them - I suppose; unlike those strings you got from me." Shokui muses, continuing to say, "But activate heat vision, I will try to maintain it so that you could use that fire ability that created those red strings."
"Sure, but can't you already activate the Fire Enhancement on your own."
"Is that how you called it?"
"Yes."
"Nice" approves
"Hehe."
Snickers, replying to the question "Yeah, but it's better to be safe than sorry, no?"
"True..." Aki moves his face aside, sending a knowing stare - finding Shokui's response as him simply overthinking things again, but he shrugs it off. He doesn't mind.
~
Closing eyes, he re-opens them with Migawari pattern with already active ability of heat vision. Everything in near vicinity being either of shades of blue or red depending on objects temperature.
Shokui locking onto the feeling of the heat vision, he holds the ability from being deactivated. Aki feeling the change, he then proceeds to activates Pyric Enhancement – the heat instinctively following to his eyes, enhancing the sight, changing it, creating layers on the already existing layers, as if changing to a different filter all together.
He sees green miasma that is released from every living entity, whether it being animal or plant. Mixed in between there being darker colours, like blue, being released by trees, natural entities that lived for years and had chance to absorb much more of the Ether.
Looking at the sky – purple. Looking at the Sun – Black, with white core – white as if looking at white hole - like a phenomenon of black being sucked into the light instead of light into the black
Honestly, if to find comparison - it resembles eye's iris, giving idea as if the Void was staring back at you...
Aki Shivers involuntarily. "W-What is all this?" Moving away focus, he looks at his body. He sees his Ether circulating through every vein and nerve in his body. Wherever it touched blood it was red, wherever it was not touching blood, it was green or blue.
Aki does not know what he is staring at, but what he sees is Ether and its different hues of concentration. Green being the colour the surface amount of Ether, a smallest amount; Blue – more rich with Ether surface.
Aether, being the source of it all. It having the highest concentration – Black at surface and White at core. Not that he can see it at this time of day.
His Ether circuits half red due to them being connected to blood veins dyeing it this hue; and blue circuits, those that are connected to nerve system. Them generating miasma that spreads through the whole body, giving off the invisible to eye green aura resembling that of when he breaks the limiter
~
"So that's... Ether..." Forgetting Aki does not know of the energy's name, but that's not that important now. Shokui feels weak as he stares at the world through this kind of lense, feeling small.
"Huh? Ether wha-? Aether? Nether? Why everything sounds practically the same." Aki scratches.
"The book I read previously had mention of this energy inside of your body, it's called Ether"
"...Oh." He's in awe. Aki looks at his hands, watching as the heat inside of his body circulates. He never would have thought that world can look this beautiful. And considering the fact that he can see the 360-degree picture, he sees his whole Ether circulation system at once, and that it concentrates in 8 points all over the body. 2 in his head, 2 on the spine, 3 around the area of his stomach, and finally, last where his heart beats. Noticing those locations due to them being the darkest hue of blue in the whole circuit.
All of the Ether flowing into the heart and from it like a pump into the rest of the body.
Shokui recognizes the feeling of one of those points of concentration, the one inside of the left hemisphere of brain.
~
Shaking off the distracting thoughts, Meteo looks around as he sees a trace in air the same one that appears whenever he moves, slowly fixing itself again into order - a phantom scent of energy, fragmented, that's yet to dissipate fully.
Following those particles which increase in volume the closer he gets to the source, he knows this path. He finds the location of Rubi'i just where he thought she may be - her sitting cross-legged in front of the graves of their family - saying nothing, neither do moving. She just stares at them in melancholy.
Meteo sighs as his eyes return to red hare's ring pattern. The Etheric layer immediately dissipates from his view back into the normal hues of environment.
He doesn't plan interrupt her, if she came here without mentioning him where she goes, she must need some alone time to herself. Knowing now where she is, he instead goes to river to first wash his fur. It turned too messy through that near 12-hours sleep.
He shakes his head.
~
"Don't forget to wash your teeth" Shokui notes as he follows the perspective of Aki, sitting cross-legged with his arm leaned against his thigh.
Out of flabbergastion Aki would have rolled his eyes if he could, but as it happens, it unfortunately eluded his current capabilities to emote this way.
It may be useless of a skill for him, never to be needed, however, not having something that Shokui can do with ease, nags him in this particular, bitter, way, that just makes his forehead itch, and it's not the scar itching, no, that healed already.
The itch is sourced from his frontal lobe.
"I am not Rubi'i to be reminded something that everyone should know."
"Why. She looks quite diligent." Blinks.
"Oh, you don't know her nearly as I do. You are yet to see her true menace."
Shokui chuckles.
Aki joining the chuckle finding the topic amusing.
"I suppose we share one more thing. Our younger siblings are a mess." However, before Aki can join in to the topic, to comment about his sister, Shokui continues "No, at least Rubi'i has yet time to fix her manners." Shokui shakes his head as he scoffs. "She's just a kid. My brother on the other hand needed to have his things taken right from laying on the floor, take his stash of empty containers of food or water, that he always took to his room. He forgets where he places his things. He does not do most basic thing by himself. He eats mostly trash and barely ever washes before eating. The worst part is, he was already an adult, an 18-year-old."
"...Uhm" Blink. "Damn."
"Damn indeed." Snorting for a second. Still holding the same sitting pose with leaned chin again hand. "Also, I don't know if you done that intentionally or not, but you just roasted me, and I don't know how to feel about it." Blinks bitterly while smiling, because no other expression could fit his level of exasperation, his eyes opened wider by few millimetres – But that's just a detail that can be skipped from being mentioned. "I may have not been that much of a mess when kid, but I often forgot to wash the teeth when I was a child. This unfortunately made me deal with quite a yellow teeth set for a long time." Pauses. "To that point I and Rubi'i are similar"
"Gotcha" Blinks in contemplation "I suppose Ruby's not that bad. I'll just have to hit her if she forgets to do something of common sense"
"Understatement of the century. I am looking forward to seeing you do that though." Says with a little bit of amusement. "Really~" Snorts. "But past is past, present is present. I would have said something like – i get it, me being just a human in past life, not some rabbit with horns, with 2 times speed of a brain development"
"If it makes you sleep better" he waves, giggling. "Always wanted to say that after I read this in your memories." Looking at the nowhere as he continues after a short pause. "It's fine. The only reason why I am learning so fast to begin, is because you... hmmm, how to say it... were studying for like most of your life?"
"My life was not just in books, you know. Don't make assumptions when you just scratched nothing of a number of things my eyes had seen, brain thought, mouth said, ears heard, stomach tasted, nose smelled. It would take you 10 years at least - if not 15 - to view, see, every little memory of mine - with that photo like memory that you have"
"True. But I think you belittle it a bit."
"How so?"
"I will not have always spare time to watch your memories. So... it'll probably be about double the amount of your number to actually read all of your memories."
"Naaaah" Shokui waves at Aki "Considering you have me here to summarize and tell stories, 10 or 15 years is not such farfetched number. I may had even exaggerate a bit. Plus, it's not like you always will be in control of the body, most you may even end up spending here, you know."
"Huh. Not wrong." Gotten finally to river side, he begins his daily toiletries. He squats and splashes his face with water, rubbing his squeezed shut – eyes - with his wet index fingers. Particularly focusing on rubbing the area around his lacrimal caruncles.
After tidying his face, he cups a little of water and sucks it into mouth as if drinking but spitting it out immediately after.
Considering the fact his fur is similar of ceramic texture his finger is a really effective teeth brush.
Spitting fire, he dries his mouth from previous water intake, he ends with perfectly clean teeth.
After jumping into water and moving out, he shakes off and finishes by heating up all of his body fur, it immediately resulting in all water that touch his fur or skin, turned into vapour, his washed fur being smooth and clean again.
Satisfying.