Human One

9. With Core in the Clouds

The figure steps out from the shadows of the trees, coming to a stop in plain sight.

"Core." I greet him, confused for a moment as to whether I should bow, or kneel. It's not everyday you see an all-powerful being for the second time.

The being in question is decked out in his trade-mark, polished suit, his black hair combed back with and held in place with gel, his dark eyes gifted with the ability to see into the windows of anyone's soul.

"Ashley." He nods, before slowly reaching into the pocket of his suit pants.

I watch as he pulls out a length of rope, and attached to that rope, is a crystal identical to the one currently hanging around my neck.

I hurriedly pull out my  necklace from my shirt, looking at the dark blue which is turning a deep, violet purple at the base. I glance up to see Core's necklace imitating the color perfectly, or maybe it's my necklace that's imitating his?

"Barely on time." He comments, holding his necklace up to view the part that's turning purple. "I did warn you the last time about what would happen if this had turned purple before you arrived...?" He questions, looking up and pinning me with his gaze, which sends shudders down my spine.

"Yes, you did." I confirm after clearing my throat.

Core raises a lazy eyebrow, before closing his hand around the crystal. When he opens his hand, the crystal is gone, no trace of it left.

I look back down at my necklace to see it's still there, and then I notice that the color is slowly restoring itself to it's former bright blue. 

"If you would kindly follow me." Core suddenly speaks up, snapping me out of the awe-filled gaze I had fixed on the necklace.

Without waiting he turns on his heel and heads in the direction that leads further into his territory, where I have no doubt a clearing with a waterfall resides, if my memory serves me correctly.

I start to follow behind Core, and sure enough, the more I walk, the more pronounced the sounds of roaring water become.

I follow Core past a few more yards of trees and emerge into the predicted clearing, the waterfall opposite of us.

"Maybe it's time for a change of scenery." Core comments, making my eyes snap to his form which is angled away, surveying the area. "That waterfall has become irritating with it's constant noise."

I nearly open my mouth and rebut that it's a given a waterfall would be constantly noisy, but snap it shut at the last second. I am in no mood to be turned into ash and dust now or ever.

Core brings his hands up and claps them once, and I yelp as the environment around me morphs and transforms into something completely new.

Endless blue surrounds me, and when I look down, I notice that my feet no longer stand on hard, stable ground, but wispy, white cotton.

A cloud......I'm on a cloud.

The notion takes a moment to sink in, but when it does I become the opposite of a pretty sight.

The shriek that escapes me is something any person would be embarrassed about, but I'm not too concerned about that. At the moment I looking around for something, anything, that could be considered safe and stable.

"Quit panicking." Core reprimands from where he sits a yard or two away on a white couch cushion, lounging back and putting his leg across his knee as if he's done this a million time's before, which he probably has.