Meteo stares up through the leaves of the tree crown at the sun slowly disappearing behind the horizons of the Gas Giant Aether. Aki never looked at the sky, never appreciating the view that his planets solar system provides. Never had he seen it as some kind of phenomenon which is rare on itself within the universe.
Now however, having the perspective of an outsider from the Shokui's side, his eyes truly are now opened wide at it all.
Yet.
How to even appreciate this miracles spectacle, when even nature decides to drop its tears at this sombre start of this week. Covering the sky with clouds of a weather that is currently going through the change.
He looks at his hands, rubbing his paws, clenching his palms, making a retrospection about his current state.
Truely, he knows not what he would do without Shokui being here with him. Whether he would be alive, and what would have happened with Rubi'i.
Sigh.
Speaking of her. At least Rubi'i looks fine, sleeping with her head on his laps, peacefully, from having stomach full.
Melancholiac smile appears on his frowning until now face.
Reverting back into the deepest parts of his consciousness, he appears in again withing his mindscape, space which appeared with the appearance of Shokui.
Looking at notebook with 14 pages filled with his scribbles, attempting to learn writing, starting from the 23 basic letters, 9 special signs, within the local language of the place where Shokui comes from. With addition of special symbols that symbolizes end of sentence, a question, exclamation, hyphen's word compounding, and apostrophe's pronunciation breaks.
First words that he ever wrote was names of his family; Meteo, Ryu; Rubi'i, Ne; Hee, Rin; Amea, Rasu; Igni'i, San. Then surnames: Taete-Te, Taete'Shoku-Kuroboni, Aki'i'Te-Boni, Akaiboni.
And finally: Aki and Shokui.
He did not fail to realize the fact that the word "Shoku" had already existed within his mother's surname, now at least he knows what this word means exactly.
Funny coincidence.
He knows not yet however its roots; from what kind of family his mother comes, from what kind of family his father comes, who were his grandparents, who were his uncles and aunties. Who exactly he is.
This state he is currently in, is result of writing down the names of his family with his own hands. He never was thinking about his mother's family, or father's, but now...
It's troubling his mind.
"You're distracted about your family situation, aren't you?" Shokui states the obvious, noticing the troubled face that currently Aki has.
"Yeah... you know. I wish to know, to do something about it all, yet nothing comes to mind, it's... annoying. Fru- Fruste-"
...
"Frustrating"
"Yes, that's the word"
Sigh.
...
"You know, I had been through many partings in the past, some of them I regretted all my life". Shokui states as he sits next to Aki. "I had an uncle. Not exactly an uncle, but I called quite a sum of people my 'uncles' when I was yet a kid." Pauses to smile melancholically in remembrance. "He died of old age. Yet what hunted me was not the thought of his death, but my last words to him, that 'he'll live yet for long~'...". Chuckling powerlessly. "I never knew that the next time I will see him, it'll be me looking at his cold body inside a coffin."
Aki's eyes turn at Shokui, continuing to listen.
"There also was my great grandma who I knew that she was sick, and I had option to go to visit her, yet I had to go to school, study, I don't exactly remember of what the reason was, of me not being there. So, I missed chance to say my goodbyes." Sighing. "She left me a Bible though as a keepsake, which I had all the time placed within my nearest vicinity, on one of my desk's shelves. Whenever I looked at it, I was reminded of her." Smiling softly remembering past regrets. "I always regretted not seeing her then and there at hospital, not visiting her when I could. One day she was lively, the next she was no longer there"
"At least you knew who your grandparents were"
"True"
"So, what are you trying to say?" Aki asks
"What I am trying to say, is that we don't know when we'll die, and who of our loved ones will depart first. We can do nothing about it. But we shouldn't be drowned in regrets, for there is the next life, in Heaven". Patting the kid, messing up his short fluff of a hairs. "What we can control though is how we honour their departure. As example making for them a funeral where all of their close ones are present"
"What's a funeral?"
"A funeral is creating a place for the rest of someone who already left this world. A reminder, that whenever you visit that place, you can pray for that soul, and talk to them, even though they no longer here, in hope that they will hear you in heaven"
"Will they hear those prayers?"
"No.. At least not directly. But God will, and he will mention to them our prayers, conversations, either personally, or through his Messengers".
"What is Heaven like? Who's the God you speak of"
"God is the creator of all the worlds within this vastness, a father, but also not to be considered as a single persona, a Holy Trinity." Seeing he's about to ask an obvious question, I interrupt with "No there's no multiple gods", which considering he shut his mouth without saying anything, means he indeed thought of making this question. "We - humans – are made of flesh, soul and spirit; yet we are a single person. Same with God, Father the soul, Son the flesh, Holy Spirit the spirit." Before any question mark above Aki's head could appear, Shokui continues. "We - humans – don't deserve heaven, none of us do. We would have to be perfect, yet we are sinful creatures by nature, due to the one of the first sins, within the vastness of God's creation, being made by first humans, eating 'fruit of True and Evil'. But Father is a merciful father, so he sends his Son, the incarnation of himself into our world, creating a path by sacrificing himself as our scapegoat, so that there would be no consequences for our sin. The only thing we must do is believe in sacrifice of the Son. A Holy Spirit is a connection between us and Father within our own spirits, making us know what we do is wrong by feeling bad about our actions, making us want to fix those mistakes."
"... What is a sin?"
"Sin is a rot on our souls. A corruption"
"Then why did the first men sin?"
"When I said that one of the first sins were made by humans, I said it deliberately, because we did not make the first sin. The first sin was made in Heaven, made by an Angel, Helliel, also known as Lucifer. He thought of himself as better than God, so he made a rebellion, resulting in him and his angels being expelled from Heaven, not even being able to breach the gates due to Archangel Michael." After a short pause. "Helliel then was envious of humans, of how they were considered God's adopted children. So, he then tempted the first woman to eat the fruit, which she gave that fruit to first man to eat."
"Why God would then not forgive those angels when he forgives us"
"It's because they knew what they were doing, we humans, don't. We cannot comprehend God; We think we do, but our understanding is limited."
"As for the first thing you asked, it being something about what is Heaven like." Pauses to think over it truly. "I don't know. What I know is limited by what had been already said. That there are mansions for us prepared by God himself, and that whatever life we'll have there, we shall not recall the past. Not because we can't, but because the past problems are nothing in comparison to the Joy of being reunited with God presence as a constant, for the whole eternity. No suffering, pain or death."
"I think... I think I want to believe that mother, father and brother went there... I never knew God you speak of, but... I think I know Him now. A loving Father he is."
...
"Is it hard to make a funeral?" Aki asks with no more deep sadness, staring into the Void of his consciousness as if looking at the sky.
"!" Thinks over this question for a bit and answers honestly "Not really. Prayer, I can give you so to make it sound more official. The hardest thing probably will be finding a resting place and digging a hole" Chuckling. "Also, happy to make you feel better."
"Heh.." Smiling with no longer the anxiety hidden behind his expression of joy. Not fully happy, but happier at least, no longer showing signs of depression. "If place like Heaven exists, then there is no need for me to be sad. And. Yeah, digging a hole is not a problem." Responding in a joking like tone. "Aren't am hole digger at the end of the day?"
"Calling yourself a specialist, bunny?"
"Maybe~" Chuckling as well. "And about place... Hmm. What about next to the home?"
"I would not recommend that"
"Why?"
"It's just asking yourself to have a haunted house" Shakes his head while shrugging, continuing in a serious tone. "Rule of 102, one hundred meters from home, two meters under the ground"
"Something like this really exist?"
"No." Scoffs, snickering at last. "I am just remixing old joke about the best mother-in-law"
"What is a mother-in-law?"
".. Well, in simplest words, mother-in-law is a mother of your girlfriend, mate, darling. And~.. It's basically a stereotype joke. For you see, most of the time mothers in law are seen as really annoying"
"Oh!" Thinking he understands, but not really "... .. What's a stereotype?"
Flabbergasted, though considering not long "... it's like saying rabbits eat carrots"
"But we don't eat carrots that often, practically never."
"Exactly."
"Oh. Now I get it."
"Happy to hear that!" Chuckling
~
"Hmmm... So where to dig" Aki while being in control as Meteo, asks himself, still sitting in his previous spot, having his sister laying against him.
While standing up, he puts the sleeping Rubi'i into a princess carry, taking her to home instead of letting her sleep against the ground floor of a dirt, in the middle of rain.
Not being far off from their living place, he opens the doors to the Porch part of the house with his Migawari's finger strings and pushing the doors open with his back, he brings his sister inside without waking her up.
Due to the natural heat elimination characteristic of his fur, he doesn't feel the coldness of the rain glued to his dampened from the wetness of raindrops, fur. Instead, it dries fast from the constant radiation of the same temperature coming off of his fur, the 37 degrees of Celsius, sped up by a little bit of using fire all around his and sister's bodies.
Dried up, they enter inside where he lays his sister down onto the bed's blanket, Returning back outside, while leaving his sister to rest inside. This time however, the second raindrops come in contact with his fur, they evaporate straight into their gas form – Hydrogen.
He walks around, spectating the environment within the close vicinity to judge the best spots. Strolling through the forest trees, he enters Meadow, place where everything had begun to screw up. Being in the opening, he looks at the background. In far distance yet still within the horizon, a mountain from which waterfall goes down, the source being a cave.
Although climbing tall as some petrified tree bark rock, the top is flat plain with a forest.
Most of the mountains here look like this, as if tectonic plates were to be directly pushed into outside of the surface, not grinding against each other as it typically so is.
This said waterfall does not go into the river that is near the house, that river is totally a different river all together. The one that is sourced from this mountain cave is the source of another river that goes further down inside into the continent of Terrmagnam, towards where the capital of Poid'e-Agle'c-rown lays. Towards where the Dragonriopillago starts – flying islands which spread in direction to Eastern Mountains of Elven-dwarvian Commonwealth, to Dyadalis on one of those islands, and Sassilis below.
Those flying island are agglomerated mainly all around those mountains, close enough to create bridges, close enough to connect the two cities.
Ironically the Commonwealth due to this has the largest city on the whole continent. Not the most populated, but the largest, most forested, and most wealthy, due to it being most technologically advanced in one subject that is steam machinery.