Questions To Remember (Akumu)

Nilo entered his bedroom with a determined look, his book within a satchel by his side. Within it contained a long list, Puppet, and multiple writing implements to write down the information he hoped to receive. He had never been to Akumu's world yet, and he was slightly excited to go back. He quickly wondered if it was dangerous in the elven like man's world, but he wouldn't back down now. He had to get information and so he was determined.

He opened the palm of his hand, focusing on the humming in his head. He envisioned the key his teacher had given him, its ornate glowing blue form appearing in his mind. The boy felt a warmth and light tingle in his hand, opening his eyes as a glowing blue key now floated in his hand. He willed the key forward, it transforming into an equally ornate blue door.

The boy smiled lightly at himself; proud he was able to open the door to Akumu's world. He walked towards the door, smiling lightly before opening the door, feeling a warmth bathe over him. He gasped as he saw the scenery around him shift to one of an aquatic place, a wooden place that was flowing with water and fish. The boy smiled in awe, taking a moment to take in his surroundings. He didn't know how to perceive the place, it was so strange and sureal.

The Velvet Room had been quiet most of the day, but then probably around noon, the still waters rippled and the lazily drifting fish scattered as a foreigner entered the room wielding a bag and other things they were not use to seeing. Hiding under furniture or behind the tilted lamp shade, the fish watched the newcomer from a distance as he took in the watery world that defied all logic humans ran by. The boy would remain in the silence and calm of the world, being allowed to take in as much detail as he wanted before from somewhere in the shadows to his left a voice spoke to him.

“I see you have used the key to come to this plain of existence. How pleasing,” a familiar male voice would say before falling silent as Akumu stepped out of the shadows with a warm smile on his face. He would bow to the child before him. “Welcome to the Velvet Room, Nilo. It is a pleasure to see you again,” he would begin before straightening up and tilting his head at the boy as he took in the bag he had brought with him.

“You have packed a bit heavier than before. Where you going somewhere and decided to stop by and say "hi"? Or is there something I can assist you with?” the old attendant finished the light smile still in place as he watched his guest. He was truly intrigued as to why Nilo had wandered in the room, but also very glad. He had been quite concerned about the boy ever since that announcement had occurred and interestingly enough, the day he was going to attempt to find the boy on his own, Fate had delivered the child right to his doorsteps. Was this perhaps good? Or was this Lady Fate’s way of pulling his chains before Twisted Luck was unleashed? He supposed he’d have to wait and find out.

Nilo stayed in awe of the room a little longer before jumping and whipping his head over to Akumu's voice, lightly blushing and laughing weakly at his fright. He smiled towards him and nodded his head, glad he could please his teacher so. He took another look at the room, smiling in awe again.

"... This place is so much different than the dessert... Its beautiful..." he said before shaking his head, laughing lightly. "I'm so glad I could please you, my teacher. It's a great pleasure to see you as well." he said with a happy smile before listening to Akumu's words.

"I'm sorry, but I have a lot of questions for you... Something has happened in my world, and I require your assistance." he said, taking out his book and a list on paper from his satchel. "I have so many questions to ask... I've been staying up for days trying to compose this list to ask you what I need to know." he said before blinking, bowing his head to his teacher. "I'm sorry, I haven't even asked you if you have time to spare for me, my teacher. Forgive my rudeness." he said with a light frown, awaiting his teacher's response.

Akumu hardly acknowledged Nilo’s startled state, or the embarrassment that followed when the child realized that it was only him. He had a bad habit of appearing out of nowhere like a ghost and while he had tried to break such habits, they were very hard to kill indeed. In any case, the boy had nodded to his comment about the key and entering this place on his own. He seemed pleased by the attendant's simple words, but Akumu could not quite understand why. However, that did not matter as the boy looked around the room and spoke of its beauty.

“Mmm. The ocean is quite calming and a perfect place to seek guidance from. Many prefer the motherly arms of the ocean over the bite of the desert, but even the desert with all her fiery energy can be a place of much beauty if you know where to look,” Akumu said with a light smile before tilting his head at the boy as he spoke rather strange words to him. As the boy spoke, Akumu shifted lightly in his spot as he bowed his head lightly.

“While I do not mind you calling me teacher, let me make it clear that I am here to serve you. I am not above you or a master, so please don’t be so formal. We are more or less on even ground, Nilo,” he said in gentle tones before considering the child's other words with a light smile. “I told you before that my door is always open for you, so you need not apologize for simply coming when you need or want to. I am always ready for you when you come," Akumu said to the other and then becoming serious he narrowed his eyes lightly at what the boy spoke of.

“Oh? Well then, shall we begin?” Akumu said as he gestured towards the sofa where the child could sit. If that something the child spoke of was the something he had discovered too, then this Q and A session could get pretty lengthy… and complicated.

Nilo listened to Akumu carefully, looking over to the fish a moment longer. This place was amazing and lovely, two things the boy was easily enraptured by. He stayed silent as Akumu spoke of the ocean's effects on one, as well as the effects of the dessert. Whilst he didn't think of it like that or meant for his comparison of the two different worlds to be described in such a way, he couldn't help but agree with his teacher. However, the boy's attention shifted back to Akumu as he scolded the boy lightly.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean for my actions to come across as me placing you higher than I... It was intended that I would come across as respectful of your time instead of placing you on a pedestal... Sorry, I'm not... Good at having someone helping me the way you do, teacher..." he said with a sigh and roll of his eyes at himself, rubbing his temples before looking back up at Akumu. The boy nodded though, taking a seat next to the attendant. He looked down at his book, taking a breath before speaking.

"... My first question would to be if you know what occurred during the Broadcast, as a brief over view of what happened there is requested for a better view of the task at hand for you, teacher." he said politely as he placed a finger under a specific page in his book, marked by a small book mark.

Nilo listened as he watched the fish appearing to be calm until Akumu had tried to correct the child’s formality towards himself; however, the results were not exactly the expected one. The boy went from calm to apologetic in a blink of an eye causing the old attendant to sigh lightly as he listen to the boy began to put his reasons forward in a formal fashion. While Akumu could understand what the boy had to say, the old attendant didn't want the other to be uncomfortable speaking around him either. So remaining patient and gentle, Akumu spoke lightly at the other.

“I appreciate what you are trying to do, but please be at ease around me. You can speak like you usually do here and don't worry about time. I am here for you. I have no schedule to keep to,” Akumu said with a gentle smile trying his best to ease the child’s nerves. When he offered the other to take a seat with him on the sofa, the boy complied easily enough after performing a series of actions that probably was used to calm himself down. It was hard to say. In any case, once the other had settled down next to him and opened his book.

Akumu listened to the other requesting information on the broadcast. To help with such an answer, the boy flipped to a book marked page and pointed at it. He mentioned it was an overview of what had occurred.

Blue eyes would scan the page the boy had pointed to taking in details occurring around the event and the details of the girl that was there. After reviewing the material, Akumu looked away as he leaned back on the sofa with crossed arms as he thought.

“This is quite a strange event. While shadows are easier to track and understand, gods, demons, and angels are on a different form of level; however, if one Angel let you approach her directly, I would say whatever war they are having has almost reached the climax of events before the fall. You and the ones pulled into that tower…means the woman is summoning warriors…in a less than desireable way. That partial broadcast will indeed ruffle the pieces on the other of too causing much movement, so the end Fate chooses is questionable here…” Akumu said with a light hum before looking over at Nilo. “As things are now, it is a tangled mess. Let’s see if talking will help. What do you wish to know?” the attendant asked with a light tilt of his head at the other.

Nilo listened to his teacher with a nod of his head, looking on his list. He had already indirectly asked a few questions, which was good; it would prove to save time in the end. He looked at his list and began musing over which one to ask before finding one he would like answered soon.

"... For starters, what do you know about these specific gods? Dis they plan to do what Angel told us they would do in the past?" he asked, flipping to an empty page to begin writing.

Akumu let the other absorb what information that could be gathered from what he said as he waited patiently for the boy to collect his thoughts and ask a more specific question. The old attendant took note the boy seemed to have this all laid out pretty well on paper, so when the boy asked his next question, the old attendant bowed his head lightly in thought.

“That is quiet difficult to answer since most of what I know is based off of facts of old and speculation,” the old attendant began and then paused to gather his thoughts before continuing.

“There is much to not know about gods and little to know about them. While it is true my powers allow me to speak to spirits and even use their powers to a degree, gods are always on a level far beyond my powers. Gods are mysterious beings with various motives. Some are less harmful than others, but at times they like to wage war using humans. This sort of play has gone on for some time now and will more than likely continue as long as the upper beings cannot agree. Angels are lower form of gods, sometimes servants and sometimes not like Angel. Much like their higher counter parts they to can wage wars amongst each other. From what I can gather from what I am told and hear, this one in particular prefers not interfere directly. Instead she pushes and guides the humans to do what they please with the world or to face off the malice that threatens it. She seems like an attendant in a way, but on a different level in the fact that she pushes by awakening others and stirring the pot when the waters are calm. As for the others, you’d have to directly face the challenge posed by Angel to find out such answers. My records have no recalling of these specific beings, so I am afraid the only way to find an answer is to seek them out,” Akumu said as he looked over at the other.

“I apologize if that was not helpful. I too am searching for what exactly these creatures are,” Akumu said calmly to the other.

The boy wrote down what his attendant spoke of, tapping his pencil on his book after he had finished. He mulled the information over, twirling the pencil in his fingers for a moment. It wasn't exactly the information he was looking for, but it was still helpful none the less. Hearing the educated thoughts on the angels from Akumu provided a helpful view point, one he appreciated greatly. He looked over to his attendant, shaking his head at his apology.

"No no, this is perfectly fine." he said with a reassuring smile before looking down at his book again. "Any information you provide, teacher, is immensely helpful, honest. Besides the Angel, you're the only one with a large amount of knowledge considering the other worlds and their mysteries." he said before mulling over a question to ask.

"Teacher, what do you make of the waiting room that will become a tower where our fates will be intertwined?" he asked curiously, prepared to write down what his attendant will say.

Akumu said what he had to say as he listened to the boy scribble down notes. The tapping of the pencil suggested thought, but whether or not the thought that ran through the boy was pleasant or not was beyond the attendant. While he had answered the question presented, he could only answer it with the knowledge he already contained. This Angel and her friends… He wasn’t sure exactly what they were planning, but he had a feeling that Fate would be moved in a way that would be impactful upon the world and the beings that lived within it. Still, this was speculation until he had more facts to back it up.

When Nilo shook his head and spoke in regards to the apology, the attendant took in the smile with calm eyes as he listened to the rest of the boy’s words. As the boy fell silent, a light smile crossed the attendant’s lips. He was relieved that despite how outdated he sometimes was, he and his information was of some use to others that had the mind to use what was said in other fashions to understand the new truths of the world.

“I suppose,” the attendant said humbly taking the compliment easily enough before falling silent and waiting for Nilo to speak once more.

To the question asked Akumu took a moment to think as he slipped out his compendium and flipped the old thing open to a blank page. As soon as the page was revealed, a scene of grass, flowers, and a large tower reaching towards the heavens drew itself on the page.

“Towers are quite strange. On one hand, they symbolize a rise to something. Perhaps to some sort of power or change that will occur when the end of all this comes forth. On the other…” the picture changed as a great hammer came down from the heavens and destroyed the tower sending the structure and the residents in it to death below. “They symbolize something ready to fall. Perhaps…this tower Angel spoke of is the same. Perhaps it is the place where humanity’s fate will be decided….rise or fall…” Akumu said before falling silent once more as blue eyes slid back to Nilo to see if he was following what was said.

The boy looked up at his attendant as he took out a book of his own. He looked down at the blank page, awing as it changed into the picture of the tower. He watched it as he listened to his attendant, blinking as the tower eventually was destroyed. He stayed quiet, writing down what his attendant had told him. He stayed quiet though, mulling over another question to ask. His eyes shimmered with curiosity as he formed the question in his mind.

"... Teacher..." he said, looking up to him. "The angel said we would be able to decide the fates of humanity... What do you suppose would happen if we recreated mankind in our own vision?" he asked, looking down at his book. "A world where everyone is loving and caring sounds wonderful... But... What if it turns out to not be the utopia one where to think of? What if one with dark intentions gets to recreate humanity and turns the world into hell? This gift, if you could call it that, for defending the world from the goddess and her brother... It seems terrifying... Do you think we're capable of handling such a power as that?" he asked, looking up to his attendant with curious eyes.

The boy listened and wrote, thinking before asking a question that had the attendant quiet for a moment as he mulled over just how to answer that.

“It is true that humans do have a way of turning Fate’s hand from good things or evil things; however, I am not sure what it is humanity truly wants. I believe that some do want the world of peace, but whether the mass majority agrees with such notions is questionable,” Akumu said as he bowed his lightly as his eyebrows furrowed with thought and a light frown crossed his lips.

“I am…uncertain if humans could agree enough to reach a utopia…and even if they did achieve this, I cannot say if it would be everything that was hoped for. Humans are complicated creatures full of contradictions that make it hard to even speculate what such a world will be like. The only thing that is certain is that angels and demons are very good about keeping their promises. They will indeed grant whatever world the humans wish for. The majority…it will most likely win or attempt to in some fashion. It is true those of power can rise to meet the challenge of the majority’s wish and while I have absolute faith in the powers within changing things, in the end I can only hope for the best. It is not guaranteed anyone can succeed in this game, especially with such high stakes…”

The attendant fell silent after his grim words. He hated doing this, but the truth was the truth. There really was no way to tell what would happen at this rate. Everything was still hidden in the dark and so everyone moved forward blindly. Even himself….

The boy sighed and nodded, smiling lightly as he wrote down his attendant's words word for word. He twirled his pencil after he was done staying quiet and looking up at a fish that had strayed toward him. He smiled at it, waving lightly at the fish before it swam away. He looked down at his book and mulled over another question, humming her tune lightly.

"Teacher, your words are all extremely helpful and I thank you for them." he said with a grateful smile, turning to look at the room once more. "... Oh, but here's a question not really relating to the topic... But what is this place? It's not like the other worlds... This place feels different... If that makes any sense..." he said in an interested tone, looking around the room again in silent awe.

A sigh, a nod, and then a smile. Akumu wasn’t sure if the boy was content with the answer or not, but to be honest there was not much more he could give without digging further into the matter. Sure, he could hand out guesses, but guesses weren’t truths and often could lead to dangerous pitfalls and danger was the last thing Akumu wanted to add onto when it came to his guests. They had their hands full enough as it was.

In any case, Akumu would observe the child lightly as he wrote and then looking up and waved at a curious fish that had dared to stray close. Naturally the fish ran away, but the boy’s action was of more interest than what the fish did on a daily basis when it came to strangers. The child was still so innocent despite gaining power, it made Akumu wonder if the boy’s innocence and kind demeanor could win over the collective thought and turn the wish being built into something good….or would he be swept away in the tides like so many others?

Terrible thoughts? Perhaps, but ones that had to be considered when looking at the strange board that they had been set upon. Angels and demons coming out to fight wars using human pawns? The tides were changing to something unpredictable, so all options had to be taken into account. Even if the doors such wanderings open weren't pleasant to peek into.

Akumu would remain in thought and quiet study for a while longer until it was broken when the boy began to speak thanking the attendant to for what had been said as he gave a smile to the old resident that easily conveyed feelings that words simply could not. Feeling relieved that he was doing his job well enough to please his guest, the old attendant tilted his head lightly as the child asked his question.

To this child’s words, the attendant closed his eyes as a smile played upon his lips. Now that was something he could answer without fear or hesitation.

“The Velvet Room is a space that resides between reality and nonexistence, awakening and dreams. It is the place of the soul where invited guests come to strengthened and open new pathways for the spirits they contain within and for themselves,” Akumu answered eaily enough as his eyes reopened to watch the fish that were circling about his sleeves and hiding in them now or moving amongst the pages of his book that swayed with the tides of this space.

The boy looked around the room again as his attendant spoke of it. The Velvet Room... The boy thought the word over in his head, watching the fish swim about. He eyed one that strayed close to him, watching it as it swam near his book. The boy was fascinated by the place, it was magnificent and beautiful.

He looked over to his teacher and smiled lightly at how the fish swam about him as if he was a statue. The boy laughed lightly, writing down the scene in vivid detail.

"Teacher, it appears the fish like you." he said politely, looking around the room again. "This place is beautiful... You actually get to live here, though?" he asked curiously, laying his pencil down on his book.

"It must be amazing to live in such a beautiful place..." he said with a light smile, humming the maiden's song quietly. "My home is right next to a huge park... I go there to get lost sometimes just to see if I can find something new... I found a beautiful reflecting pond once, and even a wild rose bush in full bloom." he said with a reminiscent tone of voice. "I take Scruffles there sometimes to... He likes to play in the grass... Silly cat." he said, looking back at the fish who now swam around him curiously.