Realm of Noah

Chapter 23

26th November 2019

CLOVER

Mike swiftly slipped a blindfold over my eyes before I could see where we were going.

"Ah Clovie, no peeking," He sang out, his voice brimming with excitement. "It's a surprise!"

"Not even a little peek?" I tried again, my fingers curling around his wrist. "Please, Mikey?"

"Haha, nice try, but I'm not caving in this time," He laughed out, before whispering into my ear. "For one thing Cloves, I can't see your puppy eyes."

I grunted in annoyance, knowing that he was fully immune to me right now.

Everything had elapsed when I'd been sitting in the Realm of Noah, hearing my friends talking about Chantelle. That's when I'd been sucked into a spontaneous dream, with Mike at the end of it, waiting to engulf me in his warm hugs.

We'd talked. We'd kissed. We'd exchanged stories about our lives apart. We'd floated on clouds in a sea of sunset, admiring Mike's architecture of my dream. And just as I was about to comment something clever, he'd conjured a blindfold, claiming that he had a surprise for me.

"Aren't you going to give me a hint?" I asked him, hoping to uncover what it was.

"Well, that would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it?" He chuckled.

"No, it wouldn't," I argued.

"Yes, it would!"

"No, it-"

"Oh wait... We're here," Mike told me, sounding slightly stunned, "I didn't notice."

I could feel Mike's hands at the back of my head, removing the silky blindfold and turned me towards whatever the surprise was.

I opened my eyes, nearly gasping at the sight before me.

Mike and I were standing in the headquarters of the Astrascends, looking through the clear glass panels into a humungous lawn. I knew that it was called the Launchpad, the place where Spirits lined up to ascend into the Realms above.

Right now, hundreds of Spirits were standing solemnly upon the lawn as if they were awaiting a signal. Iridescent silvery globules glittered before each of them, glowing under the starlight in a mesmerizing manner.

"Welcome to the Astrascends, Clovie," Mike grinned, as we settled down upon a couch that adjoined the window. "I bet you've never seen them Ascend before."

"How are we here, within seconds?" I gaped at Mike. "Doesn't it take at least fifteen minutes by the Portal Bubble?"

"Well, let's just say that I have contacts," He gave me a secretive wink. "Being the Head of the Astrascends does give you power-"

"Give you power?" Came a voice from the doorway. "If Clover knew how much you had to beg me-"

Shay stood there, her arms crossed as she glared at Mike. Her white-blonde hair was now in a braid, falling onto her shoulder and reaching up to her mid-thigh, reminding me of an angry Rapunzel.

"Excusez-moi?" Mike turned around immediately, mustering his best glare towards Shay. "Beg you? Shay Williams, you owed me a favour!"

"Anyone would've yelled at Isaac," Shay rolled her eyes. "Durvont, you should've used your human skills and given him a black eye, to say the very least."

"Well, I don't go around punching people," Mike retorted. "What makes you think I'm a bully like you, Williams?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot that you don't pick people your size!" Shay guffawed, turning towards me. "Clover, did you know that he stole chocolate from that Spirit kid yesterday?"