Chasing Starlight (Akuaysun)

[Chaelnomyl]

TS: 35th Night of Summer, 509 AV

Ravok was probably not the best place for an Akvatari to be at night. However, Chaelnomyl was also not exactly the most learned person in cases Ravok and how it truly was, and the scene at night was something that drew her attention. The way the stars and the low lights reflected off the still surface of the water made her curious enough to venture out into the city's night life and observe the canals once more. Syna's rays had long since departed the skies and the world was bathed in moonlight again, something Chaelnomyl could admire too, as it was plain to see in the dark of the sky. Not that she knew much about astronomy, the stars, the moon, the Goddess Syna or the God Leth, but Chaelnomyl knew one thing - their canvas there in the sky was one that she envied. How wonderful it would have been to be able to paint an infinite canvas with her mere thoughts... the winged creature couldn't help but be jealous on some deep, rarely shown level.

It was often found that things changed in most cities and scenes when the sun went down, and it appeared that Ravok was much the same. Despite Chaelnomyl's admiration of it in the daytime hours, when the light was bright and the waters reflected sometimes blinding streams of sunlight, she had found a fond renewal of interest in it at night. Something about the way the moon bounced off the more still waters and the way only a few Ravosalas could be found here and there... The way the first sound she heard was the lap of the water against the stilts the buildings sat on and not the hustle and bustle of the haphazard "port"-like town... It was almost peaceful. Had she not been warned about the people of that town and their less than admirable districts by its own guards, Chaelnomyl might have even found it peaceful, serene, and definitively... relaxing.

Dranquay had been concerned for her safety because of what Ravok was known for: Slavery, evil, and unsavory land-bound creatures. Chaelnomyl could see the need for concern if one had thought that the younger sister of the two children of the sea and sky had been completely oblivious to the tragedies of the world and was somehow blissfully unaware that not everyone's first love was that of the arts... But this was not the case. She knew that. Dranquay was simply remembering the thirteen year old girl she had been when he'd left. That had to have been the reason. Regardless, the Akvatari was quick to shrug it off and instead spend her evening after the sun had set by the edge of the docks, off in a nook of sorts, an area that should have been safe from prying eyes at least in a few directions... and took to observing the way the lights above and through the city splashed on the water in a spray below, as if someone had stretched them out in ovals and separated them by their varying hues.

When Chaelnomyl had grown comfortable with her chosen location, looking back across the waterway to the deeper parts of the city - for she was simply just outside and about in the Docks still, having not explored the inner city to any well extent - her hands searched her satchel for the bound layers of parchment and the ink as well. Looking at the cityscape before her, she slowly began to sketch the domes near the bottom of the opened page, but also took in the waterway, trying to study how the water acted in the low light and outline the shapes delicately in her would-be sketch book to later recreate more properly with paints. Whenever she got back around to actually getting paints. It was worth note that the Akvatari allowed her spotted lower half to dangle off the edge, the flippers brushing the water as best they could though staying well enough away from it that it couldn't be nipped at by a passing shark - she'd seen that fin, and didn't intend to meet its owner anytime soon...

"Leth really knows how to paint a beautiful picture, doesn't he..." Chaelnomyl mused softly aloud to no one in particular, marveling at the way the stars were placed with such precision and purpose in the canvas of dark blue, almost blackened sky.

A long, agonizing pause caused her to pick up her hand and stop, as she peered skyward and let her eyes become lost in that endless canvas as a cloud passed over what was visible of the moon that night. A thin smile partially split her face, though it was not overly expressive - merely there. One day she'd recreate that beauty. One day. Not tonight, though. Tonight was a study in canals and water... and probably some of the sky, if she could manage it well enough. Light blue wings waved back and forth slowly as she watched the lights above reflect off her skin. Truly the Akvatari were children of some sort of union of the sea and the sky - the water below her and the canvas above her were doing their best to prove that tonight.

[Akuaysun]

“Those still lingering in the cycle have a saying, ‘Time heals all wounds, with time the pain will fade…’ It does not.”

Journal of Akuaysun


“It’s actually a paring between Akajia, goddess of the night and Leth, God of the Moon. Without her shadows he could not shine so bright, nor without him would her sky be so beautiful.” The voice came softly from behind, a mid tenor that floated on the wind like a feather to the Akvatari. If she chose to follow it, her eyes would lead her back to a tallish man of just over six foot with the most beautiful of presences. His skin glowed like the full moon light, and deep cobalt colored eyes shined with an unearthly glow, adding soft color to his flowing features. Wrapped in a cloak of black it was hard to make out much more of his frame but as he slowly stepped forward with not a sound his heavenly grace shone brightly.

His voice sounded again as he continued his steps forward, gracefully floating to her side with the confidence of the gods but a presence that would put the most skittish of hearts to rest. “You see though, Leth does not care for Akajia, instead his heart belongs to the Sun Goddess Syna and all her radiant beauty. It is for her that he shines and paints the sky so, for love, the single thread that binds mortals to the gods.” As he spoke slender hands pushed back the worn leather of the midnight cloak about his shoulders revealing a body hid by well cut clothing. From boot to glove all was as black as the night sky with the exception of the shirt that fit his lithe body well. It was dark as the sea, a navy blend of cotton edged and embroidered with silver designs that softly caught the moonlight and sparkled in it. “My name is Akuaysun, well that is the word that sounds closest to my real name. Try as I might, I can not speak the splendor of it in this realm.” He smiled softly, thin lips only a shade or two darker then his flesh curling gently into the comforting gesture as his eyes were locked with the moon.

Chaelnomyl would have a decent enough view of his face, most of it, including his horns was still hid by the cloaks hood however. Aku let out a long soft sigh, one the woman would recognize all to well, the infinite sigh of deep despair and sadness. As he looked to the moon it plagued his face, and gentle as they were, his features flowed with more grief then any song the Akvatari had ever heard. For he was, he carried an infinite sadness that no mortal born could ever understand, a sadness that was infinite in its bounds for he had sat next to the gods and was then stolen away. Though, even with his despair, the Ethaefal was beautiful, insurmountably so, a being of the celestial realm with all the pure inspiration of the gods and goddesses.

He had only been parted from Leth for one day now, just the evening before he was torn from the heavens and cast into the water below. It weighed heavy on his heart, and showed in every action. There were so many questions he had, so many thoughts that ran through his mind, it was all so horrid, so very depressing. The only thing that brought him peace was staring to the sky, gazing upon his lord. Unfortunately that which brought him peace also brought him the most pain, and it was that which was most clear in his words, in his eyes, and mostly radiating from his very soul.

[Chaelnomyl]

To any other creature, the voice of the Ethaefal might have been startling, unsettling, unnerving especially in a town like Ravok. No one wanted to be approached in such a way; no one wanted to be caught unaware of their own surroundings. Yet there was something in the way that Akuaysun spoke that would have put anyone – and especially a reserved Akvatari’s nerves – to rest. Languidly her head rolled from its elevated position back over her shoulder to observe who it was that was speaking to her, one thing did take Chaelnomyl back. There was one thing that the Akvatari admired and that was visual beauty. Skin that shone like the moon itself made her double-take, and flippers splashed the surface of the water lightly – just enough to make a few ripples and upset the closest reflections of light. The touch of the cold water brought her back to herself quietly and quickly, though only a fair few sprinkles met her sand colored, spotted fur before she had twisted around and hauled herself completely back on to the docks.

Of course, Chaelnomyl hadn’t managed to move until Akuaysun was stepping forward with a grace that rivaled that of the greatest Akvatari artists, and his voice? Well, it reminded her of her mother’s, the sad song that had brought her up and into existence, that had given her words and taught her the true meaning of the word lament. As he explained of Akajia and her work in concert with Leth, Chaelnomyl tilted her head back up to look upon their collaborations and gave a half hearted, half formed smile. Syna. She knew that name, at least. Akajia was also familiar, though perhaps it was the confusion over the gods and goddesses – there were so many in the skies above and the sea below that it was no wonder none of them had claimed her race. Perhaps they had worked together to create such an oddity of nature… one could never be too sure.

Palms down on the docks for just a moment, Chaelnomyl leaned on her side to thrust the journal and utensils that accompanied its use back into her satchel before taking to the air to get a better look at the six foot tall man. After all, she was five foot six inches herself, but that would be if Akvatari could actually stand on their flippers… and without some work of morphing and a bit of practice with her legs – something she hadn’t taken time to do quite yet – it would prove useless to stand on them anyway. She was a creature not used to the balance of the bipedal and the landbound. However… something told her as she gazed upon the oddly philosophical soul that he was not exactly used to it either. In a different sense, though. The blacks and navy lined with silver barely caught her eye for a second as he revealed his name. It was a name that sounded funny to her ears but also possessed some sort of quality as if it were grasping at a greater beauty, and instead was probably mangled by the mouths it came out of. Except for its owner’s, of course.

In this realm. Chaelnomyl’s lips thinned and she crossed her small arms across her pale upper torso, which was covered by a singular strand of fabric, bound tight enough that it did not move unless she forced it to, and thick enough to serve as some sort of cover of modesty as to not alarm – or attract, in Ravok’s case – the local unwanted attention. Her expression was not one of discontent, nothing angered or upset about it. It was nothing in particular. She rarely gave an overly outward expression of feeling and this was no exception.

”Perhaps not all mortals…” And that much was true – if love were to bind the mortals to the gods as Akuaysun had said, where was the love for the Akvatari race? Perhaps their very nature had made them so that they were unable to openly express it and their would-be patron god had turned their back on them. Or perhaps the gods, in refusing to claim them, acknowledged them as equals… Although that was also highly unlikely, unless they were to be the gods of visual art and all things utterly depressing. Theirs was a story of bastardization, unknown, detached and forever searching.
” I am called Chaelnomyl.” The creature responded, and creature was definitely an apt description for the Akvatari – human from the waist up, seal from the waist down, light brown spotted fur, and bright blue butterfly wings… All accompanied by deep blue eyes and auburn, shoulder length hair. While everything flowed together and she was not some mishap of a wizard whose favorite personal magic was morphing gone awry, there was something to be said about how odd the children of the sea and the sky appeared in contrast to just about every other race to walk that realm.

The sigh prompted her to silence. Of course she recognized it – she often reciprocated such emotion, as it was one of the rare emotions that particular Akvatari felt. His gaze was at the moon and not, at least at that moment, on how completely odd she appeared. There was a certain sad beauty about him, one that Chaelnomyl could respect… though she wasn’t entirely sure what he was at that point. This of course quietly led into something else of Chaelnomyl’s personality… the infinite curiousity.

”Where is it that your true name is spoken?” Maybe they weren’t so different despite outward appearances. This Akuaysun was in a “realm” where he did not belong, or so it seemed, and the Akvatari was a race with no god to claim them. Nearly every other race had someone that owned up to their creation… and the Akvatari had merely awoken after the Valterrian, with no memory of how, why, or what they might have been prior to the destructive force that had swept the lands. He was something of beauty; a living work of art… and yet there was something definitively hauntingly depressed about his speech and the way he looked longingly towards Leth’s tapestry in the skies. Silent, reserved admiration was the least she could afford him – it was obvious the wound was raw and time had shown her that while it may not be the great mender it was thought to have been… pressing and picking at the scabs never did anyone any good.

[Akuaysun]

“When you have all the knowledge of every life you have ever lived and then that of every being of every form tied to a body that was not designed for such things, its hard to understand all that you know. Things grow foggy, memories have blanks and you walk blindly through the information much the same as a man who has lost his eyes. Things are familiar to you but you can’t always grasp them, when suddenly you understand however, when those lost pieces begin to form a picture, it’s like being hit by a wagon pulled by thirty raging bulls tumbling down the slope of the steepest mountain. It’s as if the gods themselves caress you, and whisper the answers into your ears.”

Journal of Akuaysun


Akuaysun’s eyes were transfixed with the glow of the moon, the way it shined in the night sky and in turn seemingly made his own flesh that much more heavenly. It was as if he were a piece of it that had fallen and now so desperately fought to will him self back home. There was another soft sigh as smooth skin rolled over the nearby railing. He was lost, oblivious to all that surrounded him, even the Akvatari. “It is a pleasure to speak with you of such things Chaelnomyl.” There was a pause, followed by the softest of smiles. It wasn’t a smile of happiness however, more the smile that one let fall upon their face when they thought of brighter days. “All of us have the love of our gods; the problem is that we often do not understand how they show it, or do not see it. Much like lovers that have been connected for to long or a parent to their child, the words are often forgotten when they should be said. Lives grow together and are intertwined, then before long you simply expect one to know.”

There was a long pause, one that lingered in the air like a leaf that fell to slow. At last the man turned to face his inquisitor, and tilted his head ever so slightly as his eyes fell upon her. The look that came with the slightly raised brow was one of pure curiosity, as if he were looking upon something completely foreign. “The name of which I speak was given to me by the god Leth. I am one of his chosen sons, fallen and tasked with things and reasons unknown to me.”

His left hand moved to the hood that shadowed his head, catching its lip wit thinly pointed fingertips. With ease the leather of the cloak pushed back, falling freely to reveal what lay beneath in hiding. Akuaysun’s beauty only intensified, its subtle grace flowing from his face into long soft features about his strong but smooth jaw line. The soft glow of his skin highlighted raven hair that cascaded like the flow of a small waterfall behind his head back into the cloak, and was held there by emerald colored horns of jade that cut from his temples and swept rearward in smooth contours. Flecked by a milky white they too seemed to glow with otherworldly light, stretching outward above small ears and ending just behind the rearward curve of his skull.

“You see, I know the gods and their ways well, I have watched them for centuries upon centuries. Now I rest back in a world that seems so foreign to me, filled with people and creatures I have never before beheld. My god said nothing of my falling I simply awoke in this strange land. I know however, that if I seek him one day I shall find him and he will explain why I must suffer these pains. Things have been so chaotic in the realm of the gods since Sylir was fragmented.” Again he paused glancing back to the moon.

It was hard to say what the Ethaefal was thinking in those moments, looking back upon it likely even he would not be able to recall. However, as if he suddenly realized something the man pulled his hood back about his features and the cloak he wore back about his body. Turning his deep blue eyes back to Chaenomyl he words were soft, only loud enough for her own ears. “Forgive me, this world seems so different now, and my words are not always right. When I speak of the realm of the gods what I am referring to is the Ukalas. It is where we resided, where all gods, all spirits chosen by them and all sorts of other fantastical things rest in forms that I can only describe to you as life itself. It is very hard to explain but everything is connected, everything has an essence bound to that realm. It flows through everything, it is everything and everything is it. You and I are connected and share the same energy as the water, stone and air that surrounds us, it is simply how much of this energy that we contain that makes us who we are. I have heard rumors of your kind, whispers on the wind one might say. We are all connected Chaenomyl, every person, every thing, every being even the gods. Sometimes we just forget.”

[Chaelnomyl]

Well, at least the man seemed receptive enough. If it could be called a man – Chaelnomyl was not exactly sure what to make of Akuaysun quite yet, the way his skin shown with an unearthly glow, the way he spoke of different places where he held different names. His smile was soft and delicate and he had this aura about him that reminded her of elderly scholars of the human sort who had come into a wealth of knowledge and only had a few short years left to share them with the world. The only difference was that an Ethaefal looked absolutely nothing like a human elderly scholar.

Akuaysun spoke at length in a gently informative way of the love of the gods and that they could not hope to comprehend how exactly that expression of love was shown, much as a parent forgoes the reminders to their children verbally each morning before they were sent off to chores or academic studies. Chaelnomyl supposed he’d had a point, but where could one hope to even try and find that love if the God or Goddess had not even made themselves known? A distant glaze crossed the Akvatari’s eyes as she looked skyward with him for a moment and wondered… Who was showing their love, even now, to the children of the sea and the sky, and why were they being so secretive about it? Long had the Akvatari grown apathetic, melancholy, sad, dejected in the wake of their abandonment. They knew not of love from the gods and goddesses, though they had picked some for themselves – such as Nysel, which she had grown familiar with through her mother’s laments over the visions he sewed into her subconscious while she slept.

The look of slight surprise and curiosity from Akuaysun was not something that had not gone unexpected in Chaelnomyl’s mind. He was as foreign to her as she was to him. Even more so as the creature moved back the hood to reveal the grace of the fallen soul. His skin was starkly contrasted by his darkened hair, sleek and smooth, perhaps even as well groomed as the Akvatari’s own. There was a manner of respect among the artistic soul of the winged one, something she could respect about another was the way their appearance shrouded them in beauty. For Akuaysun, this was a mysterious, intriguing beauty – chiefly because she was still highly confused about him. He possessed horns but they did not detracted from his physique as one would have expected, instead they shimmered as the rest of his skin did. Her eyes lingered upon their curvature curiously in a pure artistic manner. She was observing, even had the desire to copy the beauty as best as possible but was sure she could do nothing to replicate his true essence for many years to come.

He had continued to speak while her vision lingered on his unnatural form – though, honestly, unnatural was a relative term considering Chaelnomyl was anything but natural herself. Akuaysun spoke of suffering and that was something she knew all too well… in the broadest of scopes, at least. She had not suffered in the same manner he had, but the suffrage of the Akvatari was more that the more Chaelnomyl in particular learned, the more dejected she became about the world around her. It was a place of disarray and chaos. Cutthroats and liars. Thieves, brigands and weak-minded land-bound individuals who, despite their attitudes, were no smarter than the creatures they ate at least ninety percent of the time. Ignorance was bliss, as they said – and Chaelnomyl was anything but ignorant.

He spoke of falling and of a god named Sylir who had become fragmented. A small half-frown formed quietly on the Akvatari’s face… She had no idea who Sylir was – her race had awoken after the Valterrian, and its history was nothing more than a thing for textbooks, scholars and records. They had known nothing more of themselves prior to that point, and this world, this current state of Mizahar, was all anyone of her kind had ever known. And though she had said nothing, Akuaysun seemed to react as if he had just realized what he had done – the hood was tugged back about him once more, though his gaze was more wholly on Chaelnomyl despite her reserved expression and generally distant gaze. She was looking at the sky again even as he spoke, and only slowly did her own eyes make their way back to the one who had been educating her on himself for the past fair few minutes.

Sometimes they just forgot. The half frown fragmented into a half smile as her eyes dropped from him again and seemed to focus on absolutely nothing at all. A sad sigh ended her breath before she replied.

”I have no doubt that everything is connected in some manner… It is benevolent of your Leth to remain so close to you. You are wise, and must have been wonderful in his eyes to have been graced with that honor.” Her words were soft and slow, almost as if she was having difficulty choosing them – despite that simply not being the case at all. The slow wander of her eyes had paused on the curious creature again. ”I suppose… I… cannot relate, though.” A cross of the arms, and her eyes were once again on the sky – ”We call ourselves the children of the sea and the sky because that is all we have ever known. No God has taken claim of us. No particular deity has shown his or her face to our race. None of them proudly proclaim that we are their children…”

They could relate in some way, though. The world was just as foreign to them as to him. Their commonality between the two races was that they were both equally confused. ”I do not know what this world was like before… before what happened. We awakened after that event. We do not remember any of it, nor anything before it. We were just as lost and confused, as you are, Akuaysun… So I suppose there are areas in which I can relate. I suppose we are doomed to always be outcasts, though, because of our bastardization… So to speak.”

She had paused long and hard, considering all that the Ethaefal had said, and despite all of it being so true – she was sure, after all… he was from Ukalas himself! Still, there could be no denying the sad serenity that plagued her own features. ”So I suppose, despite our connections… We are nevertheless abandoned. You would have thought after five centuries the answers would have been written in the stars, and yet…” She gazed upward again, a sad concluding expression of finality crossing her face. ”They are not.”

[Akuaysun]

“When mortals found out exactly who I was, or rather where I came from they often had many questions. Something I became quite akin to telling them was that I simply did not know. With looks of bewilderment in their eyes I would often continue. ‘If you can’t find the answer to your questions right away perhaps you should look a bit harder. Otherwise the answer might not mean as much as you think.’ You could always separate those that were true in their convictions and those that were simply lazy that way.”

Journal of Akuaysun



“Perhaps you’re looking in the wrong place…” Akuaysun paused, his own eyes glancing to the sky and then back to the Akvatari. His words still soft as he spoke them, as if carried on the wind and delivered expressly to her. “The stars are a peculiar thing, they never really change, simply shift their location. Thus they can’t be expected to give all of life’s questions an answer but instead should be thought of as a guide. Could it be that your people have been looking at the map for so long that they have forgotten they already walk a road?”

At that there was silence from the Ethaefal. He considered all she had to say and milled over it in his mind. Time held little relevance to him; it was simply the passing of light and seasons. In this form he did not have any age, any hunger, or any true want other then returning to Leth’s side. It was a simple existence that left many puzzling questions but one that he would take as the road was set before him.

“Lives are what we make of them Chaelnomyl, perhaps your god is trying to teach your people that. I myself know not why I must walk this existence again, but I do, and I will in order to complete whatever task is before me. Even Sylir, the god of Peace knew that at times you must step outside of your bounds for the betterment of all. He sacrificed himself so that Ivak’s rage could be contained and the greater whole could survive. He was destroyed, but even the fragments of his former being live on and guide those that would come and listen.”

Silence fell over him once more as he continued his pondering and let the words sink in. It was merely his opinion and observation but there was truth in the statement no matter how you looked at it. A slender hand reached to the crystal moon that hung at his neck beneath the cloth and cloak. Aku’s fingers traced out its shape as he thought of his god and his time with him before concluding his musings to the woman.

“As I said I do not know why I am here, but I do not lament about my situation either. It is my plan to seek out Leth and ask him what is needed of me here, and in the mean time I will help as many souls along their way as possible. Perhaps you to should seek out your god instead of waiting for his or her guidance, if they will not speak to you then speak to them, remind them of the creatures that want to show love so dearly. Help them to remember…”

[Chaelnomyl]

Where, then, was there to look? Chaelnomyl stared past him, out into the darkness, out into nothingness as his words washed over her. However, he had brought up an interesting point. Perhaps they’d been looking in all the wrong places and had forgotten what it meant to stab blindly westward, so to speak, to find an existence through the guiding of their souls instead of searching the writings, both mortal-made and god-made for their answers.

Perhaps your god is trying to teach your people that. A small twitch of a smile echoed briefly on her face. Again the strange being spoke of Sylir, God of Peace, a name that she was unfamiliar with. Her gaze returned to him slowly, lingering over the beauty of his natural state and watched in silent respect. Akuaysun had a purpose and a direction – Chaelnomyl was lacking that in her current state. She did not know where to turn, where to begin. Perhaps painting their race’s purpose, their lives was to be her direction at that point. Instead of waiting for whatever God should have claimed them to show himself, she would seek them instead. Beg them to answer for their absence. Had Chael been anything other than an Akvatari, perhaps she would have even demanded they answer for their treatment and neglect of her race.

They were, however, slow to violent thoughts and tendencies unlike the mundane necessity of the humans and the Myrians. It was a concept that was quite foreign within those minds, despite their vast array of knowledge.

”I think you are right,” responded the Akvatari at length, slowly, distance held within her tone and expressed within her eyes. ”I suppose the problem therein is finding out where to start. It is difficult to speak with someone when you do not even know their name.” She closed her eyes for a moment and let her hands fall to her side. Perhaps Dranquay would have known where to start. Not that she knew where he was at that point in life. Seeking him out might have been a worthwhile endeavor…

”It is a shame my brother is nowhere to be found – and has not been for upwards of twenty years. He was always a scholar of sorts. Perhaps he would have known where to start. Though moreover, I suspect he would have enjoyed speaking with you.” It was true; Dranquay had always been a sponge for knowledge while his sister had always been heavily obsessed with the arts. If you could call her affinity for the art of depiction an obsession – their race hardly ever would have displayed the emotional attachments that went along with that word.

However, this strange Ethaefal man had said he had spent much time in the realm of the Gods. Could he help provide direction? It was hard for her to figure out where to start when she was just not as knowledgeable in the aspects of the Gods.

”Your view on the Gods is exponentially greater than my own,” Chaelnomyl continued after much contemplation, ”There are so many aspects within our race that… well… I am unsure as to where to start looking. Who would you turn to if you simply did not… Could not know?”

Thought she was not always clear and concise with her wording, Chaelnomyl’s implied request was obvious – she was asking Akuaysun which God he thought it would be wise to seek out first. The irony in that statement was that the Ethaefal likely had no knowledge of the bizarre creation and therefore could not make a good conclusion about what was most likely the story of their creation. Honestly, the only thing that made sense from what he had said so far and what she knew of her own race would have been Sylir. And Akuaysun had just mentioned that he was dead.

”We are not a people of war like the Myrians. We are not Seers like the Konti. We are peaceful artists… And it seems that nothing logical applies to that disposition.” She watched him carefully for a moment, attempting to gauge his own reaction, though the man was proving to be just as distant as was natural for the Akvatari woman herself. Maybe, like Chael, he was observant just enough to fill in all the words that she wasn’t saying. Had he any idea how much of an impact he was making on her path even on that very night? He had wanted to help souls along their way – here was a prime opportunity to do just that, whether he had been expecting it or not.

[Akuaysun]

“When one looks at why people do things it comes down to one simple idea. Want. Whatever the case may be it is because the person wants something. Even if a man kills another man to protect his family it is because he sees the justification of the killing as a more suitable alternative. Thus he wants to protect his family. If the world had no want it would be nothing, we would not even be alive, for the reason we eat is that we want not to starve. Conversely if there were no want their would also be no darkness. It is without doubt that the parallels of light and dark will always be and at their core their can always be found the simple thing of want.”

Journal of Akuaysun


“If we knew all the answers then we would never have to search. Even in the Ukalas it was a quest of thought and reflection. These are the traits of Leth however, a pondering of knowledge. He paused, his eyes still locked with the night sky, counting the stars and arranging them into their constellations. Summer was still early it seemed, perhaps a third passed. The night would in turn be short, and he held little time before the next shift would take place. His body would break and twist, turning back into that mortal presence, the one of his last life all those years ago.

Lips curling slightly the train of thoughts had brought him full circle to their conversation. Reflect and be seen, think and you shall know, change is ever coming but if the same questions are asked then the same answers will be given. “You say their as so many traits that you are overwhelmed, I think you perceive it in the wrong manner. Instead think of it as you would the stars. Separate they shine alone but together they draw out paths in the sky. Use them together, and see each for what it is. You have been blessed with many paths to follow and if one leads nowhere, then chose another. The god’s walk among us, all one has to do is look, even when they die; their great power is splintered and spread across the realm. I know that many gods choose to sit amongst their followers, and many more answer when called for by those that interest them. I can not say where they are in these lands but I can say that they are out there if one seeks.”

His slender hand moved up to the crystal pendent that hung from his neck, his fingers tracing out its lines beneath the cloth. It gave him comfort to know that others of his faith were abound, and that they were loyal and friendly to their god’s followers. Perhaps much the same was true for the others? Was it not true that in turbulent time’s people often gathered into communities of equal goals, beliefs and aspirations? Yes the very existence of this city proved that.

“I walk a path to gods that would likely not benefit you. I think that our roads run in different courses though very much the same. For you I would seek out the followers of gods that represent yourself. You say you’re of the sea, why not look for the god of the oceans and waters, surely there are people that worship him in these times. With such a vast and powerful realm I do not see how there could not be. All of my knowledge is old world, far before these times. Even you are new to my eyes, and thus I can not predict what I have known to carry over into this land. In the old days though there was a port city, south and east of here full of the best sailors of the world. Perhaps that would be a good place to start.

[Chaelnomyl]

For a long moment, the Akvatari stared into the distance, listening to the foreign being speak softly. The way he presented a counter argument to her statements intrigued her – though little emotion shown through her eyes or upon her features in response. It was simply not her way. Many mortals did, after all, forget to show their affections and the Akvatari were no exception… well, perhaps except that they were often among those who could make the smallest of gestures seem so powerful, considering they rarely made them at all.

”Perhaps there is something that embodies us more than I had initially thought.” Chaelnomyl replied with a timid smile. She could tell that Akuaysun was also quite distant, and it was something that, despite their complete strangeness to one another, made her feel closer to him than she had felt to anyone in many a year. It was encouraging, the wisdom the Ethaefal had given. Even if their original creator was no longer alive in the sense that gods were alive, their power continued on. A bit of searching, a bit of hunting and perhaps the Akvatari could one day find them.

Chaelnomyl’s eyes widened ever so slightly as the Ethaefal mentioned the god of the oceans and waters and a port city. Sailors would surely pay homage to such a god – he was right, it was a good place to start. He grasped at his pendant and a fleeting thought reached the woman of heirlooms and reminders, of her paintbrush and her mother. Connections to those that had been forgotten. To those that had been left behind. For Akuaysun, it was Leth. For Chaelnomyl, it was nearly her people entirely… but that was their way, and they understood it. They were isolationists. Despite that generalization, nothing really made up for the longing inside them all.

”I suppose that is as good as any. We often refer to ourselves as the children of the sea and the sky. It may be worthwhile to seek those that would lord over such realms as a start.”

”It is comforting to be reminded that we are not as alone as we would have ourselves think.” She responded at length, eyes falling to the waters below them and wondering idly how everything could be connected when nothing could openly show it. ”And that, as you say, the gods are not so reclusive that they will not show themselves to those who earnestly seek them.”

”Thank you.” She concluded, spirits having been lifted a fair bit by the creature’s willingness to explain and encourage. It went back to what he had said earlier about everything being connected, somehow. Did that also mean that everything had a carefully orchestrated purpose? Maybe the gods were not able to predict the future and predestine them in such ways… except for a few that would possess such foresight by their very nature.

Perhaps that was the secrets of it all. Everything was the essence of that realm the son of Leth spoke of, and yet, nothing was aware. Nothing could be aware, shy the gods and their own creations. Mortals like herself? Blissfully clueless and left to feel cast aside, frustratedly searching for answers and only rarely finding them. Perhaps the gods had not forgotten her… Perhaps they’d orchestrated that entire meeting, so that someone who knew firsthand what the truth was could explain it, plainly, and renew her connection to the world before Chael gave up on everything entirely.

[Akuaysun]

“Sometimes just a little is more then enough…”

Journal of Akuaysun


Aku’s eyes shifted from the sky to Chaelnomyl as her words drifted through the air. His lips curled upward ever so slightly as his skin glowed in the pale moon light. “No need for thanks, it is my pleasure to pass along what knowledge I can. If it helps guide you in your quest then that is all one could ask. Perhaps our meeting was destined and this is part of why Leth has sent me back to this realm. I think now our time has passed, good luck on your journey, perhaps if fate destines it we shall cross paths again.“

With no further words, he nodded to her softly, his brilliant cobalt eyes shimmering in the light. She could see the peace held within them, it stood side by side with the pain also held within. For whatever reason Aku knew that this was the path he was on and nothing in this realm could change that simple fact. His want could be the force that drove him but only his hands could create his future.

Turning away he slipped away from the railing of the walkway and toward the shadows from which he emerged. In all truths he had little more to say on the topic, it seemed that the woman now had a new path to walk and what service he had been meant for was now fulfilled. Aku had his own path to pursue, and a bright new future to explore…