Firestorm (Ace x OC)

Chapter 38: A Storm of Dreams

A cracking sound came from the floor of the room, and then the sensation of falling hit her, her eyes flew open to take in her situation. She was falling through storm clouds before coming out the other side and falling toward the sea below. She desperately tried to take her avian form, but found herself to be unable to, "Someone! Help!" She screamed as she tumbled through the air as the wind began to whip around her in a spiral.

A hand wrapped around her arm, causing her body to stop falling and twisting through the air. She was suddenly yanked up onto a fluffy white cloud, so unlike the storm clouds that still brewed in the sky above. She turned her gaze to the person who saved her, and her brow furrowed.

A strange figure sat upon the cloud, looking down at the churning sea. Three sets of wings flapped idly in the air at their back, stormy grey eyes looked toward her after a moment. The freckles on their lean cheeks shifted into many different eyes which looked toward her. In terror, she took a step back, and her foot met the edge of the cloud, causing her to go tumbling backward. The figure flew forward and looked over the side of the cloud with a hand outstretched, attempting to grab onto her to stop her fall, but the hand missed by an inch.

A different sensation hit her, she wasn't falling, instead, she seemed to be sinking into thick columns of white mist. She managed to turn herself so she was sinking with her feet downward, or at least what she thought was down. She slid through the air as if hit by a current, and she was pushed into the eye of a swirling storm. A figure was sleeping while reclined, floating in the air, which felt spongey but solid enough to stand on. The person had a strange air about them, their hair was white with light blue undertones and drifted upward almost lazily despite the whipping winds. It was hard to tell what the figure was, being almost as still as a statue, with features as smooth as porcelain. Their outfit was similar to the kind that the pink-haired woman from her previous dreams had been wearing, although this one was blue with white and grey clouds toward the bottom and embroidered lightning over their shoulders with what almost looked like strands of real gold. The figure let out a soft snort as if they were waking up, only to turn over and go back to dozing off.

Her eyes narrowed on the figure as thunder rolled around in the clouds surrounding them. There was a part of her that wanted to call out to the person, but another part of her seemed to know instinctively not to speak. The air that was beneath her feet began to feel like she was stepping into a deep puddle of mud, and she looked down toward her feet, seeing silver threads. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and she twisted her head to look over toward the figure again only to feel a shock of electricity strike through her.

~~~

Ryoko's eyes opened, looking up at the trunk of a large tree, her brow furrowed in confusion as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position against the root. "What... happened?" she muttered as she looked around before seeing that next to her was the injured sky knight, who seemed to be sound asleep.

The sound of fighting caught her ear, although it was far off, the explosions and gunfire were something she was sadly familiar with. She glanced over to the injured, but conscious, mount of the Sky Knight. "If you would, tell Chopper I have gone for a flight, I can't sit still." She says before turning away from the creature. "And what is it you plan to do on this flight?" A male voice says behind her, causing her to look over her shoulder and meet the gaze of the Sky Knight. 

"I'm so sorry, did I wake you?" Ryoko says, spinning her body to face the man who remained lying down, although his head was tilted to look toward her, "I believe it is polite to answer the question of your elder before asking your own." He says although the woman didn't feel any scolding nature behind it, he seemed to be simply curious.