For the Next Story

Huh. I’m alive. And back as a cloud no less.

That’s disappointing.

After all, I expected as such. I was a formless being, probably made out of mana at this point. My host was just a corpse. What else would happen? It was a lot less interesting than I thought it would be. Death, I meant.

Still, staying in one place for so long was more exciting than I thought. Seeing everything from such a small scale was refreshing, not to mention the people. They really could make it through the monotony with some hobbies and a good conversation here and there. It got a bit boring near the end there, but that skirmish perfectly wrapped it up.

But all stories had to come to a close, and this one had reached its conclusion. While I could stick around and see the epilogue, there were plenty of others to see. It had nothing to do with a terrifying chairman that could see right through me. And that smile? It could kill a god or hundred.

So, I hightailed it out of there as fast as I could – a perfect escape. That dreadful feeling hanging over? Who cared. It hadn’t killed me yet.

Flying across the winds as the green forest passed underneath, I took my eye to the ground, watching. Where they would take me, I didn’t know. Maybe I would find something on a passing whim, or maybe I had to wait another millennia or two. It hardly mattered either way. The tale of the world would continue to tell itself, just as it did the last time.

Until then, I would continue to observe from on high as the trees grew and the rivers splashed. As the animals hunted and the people danced. As the wars waged and the gods clashed. As their loved ones cried over their final breath.

After all, I am but a cloud, floating from place to place.