"Over my dead body." I snarl.

"That can be arranged." Aella pipes up, watching the little showdown between Zero and I with a glint of amusement in her eyes.

"That will not be arranged." Zero snaps, sending a scathing glare at Aella who shrugs.

To think this whole fiasco only started two minutes ago, when Aella had casually mentioned the idea of taking me on a tour around the territory.

Zero had excitedly jumped at idea, not paying any attention to my adamant refusal to go, and since then we've been locked in a heated argument, the brutal silent treatment I planned to give him completely forgotten.

"I don't see why the human's making such a big fuss over it." Aella comments giving me a sideways look.

"That 'human' can hear you and doesn't want to go. That's final." I retort, pulling my knees up against my chest from where I sit against the wall, Zero slowly inching forward only to pause every time I catch him and glare.

Aella scoffs, and my eyes dart to her, only to dart back to Zero to see he's crossed a large amount of distance and is now crouching about a yard away from me, his silver eyes stopping me from yelling or jolting in surprise.

"Ashie," He breathes and is it me, or did his eyes just gleam? "Please."

"No, no, no." I say, shaking my head to banish the thoughts and keep myself from getting entrapped in his eyes again."You don't get to call me that. Ashie is an off limits name, especially since you know my real name."

"But Ashie," He says again, the name casually rolling off his tongue like it's the most natural thing to say. "It's our thing."

The way he emphasizes the word 'our' and his huge, almost puppy-like eyes make waves upon waves of deja vu wash over me, sending me back months ago and to Braun island, where to me, Zero was just an oblivious overgrown-child and not the leader of an entire race of unnatural humans.

"You better stop it right now, Zero." I try to warn in a threatening tone that honestly doesn't sound very threatening at all, watching as he inches even closer which forces me to press up against the wall with all my might.

"But I don't want to." He whines, and my breathing picks up speed.

His face is a foot away. Closer. Half a foot away.

I find it impossibly hard to breathe right now. A rampage of powerful thoughts are going in my head, half of them wanting to shove him away, the other half wanting to make a run for it, and even a small, very tiny part wanting to grab the weapon of Aella's back and start swinging at him like a mad woman.

"While I hate to break the moment all cliche-like," Aella speaks, "We really have to hurry. I postponed the council gathering, but it should be starting in an hour, and if we want to give her a tour, it'd have to be now." She finishes by giving me a pointed look, which I brush off.

Zero huffs, pulling away and standing while I take the moment to release the breath I'd bee holding. That's when a thought hits me.

"What's the council, Zero?" I ask, the question sliding past my lips casually before I can even think about it.

Zero whips his head towards me, his eyes looking elated to have me speak to him without anger for the first time. Whoops.

"The council are the selected people I entrusted to watch after the Kinling's while I was.....away."

He means while he was at Braun island, where he met me.

Aella clears her throat, nodding to the door again and making Zero let out a low growl.

"Your impatience is wearing on my patience." Zero grumbles, but moves towards the door nevertheless.

Aella exits first, and Zero walks after her, making me blink in surprise. They're just going to leave me here? Just like that?

Then again, it would be the most opportune moment to escape...

Zero pauses when he's in the doorway, his hulking form taking up nearly all the space as he half-way turns to face me.

"You coming?" He asks, making me almost want to pause, but then I remember myself and shake my head furiously.

"Fine, if you won't come, I guess I have no choice but to station guards outside the door and keep you here the whole night."

If he stations Kinling guards outside there's no way I could escape. I'm not as fast, or as powerful as any of the people here. I'd have better luck going on the tour and finding a way then.

I slowly rise to my feet, bending over to push myself up, and when I do, the necklace which had been tucked into my shirt at the time slips out, making Zero's eyes focus intently on it.

"What's that?" He questions, making me pause.

I almost forgot. I never told him about the Core, or this necklace he gave me.

I cup the necklace in my palm, looking down at the ocean blue color that has slowly started turning darker. It only urges me to escape more, the crystal acting as my own personal countdown.

I quickly tuck it back in my shirt, raising my head and not meeting Zero's eyes.

"A gift." I say, not in the mood to sit down and have tea with him while chatting about how his belief that the Core is a sacred place this entire time is partially incorrect and how in actuality Core is a living being.

Zero's eyes flash, and I can tell he wants to push it further, but then Aella speaks up from outside.

"So help me if I have to tell you one more time, High Commander, to get moving, you're going to receive the nice gift of this blade up your rear end."

I gape, half of me wanting to burst out laughing, and the other half still in shock from how she spoke to Zero like that.

Zero growls, but moves outside, and I follow slowly, pausing in the doorway.

I have no idea what I was expecting, maybe a gathering of tents or something similar, but certainly not this.

We appear to be in a vast part of the jungle, where the trees tower miles high and shield the ground from the sun. From these trees hang walkways made of logs and rope, connecting huts and tree-houses together. I slowly take a few steps forward, looking up at all the huts located in the trees above and then the scattering of more buildings in on the ground. My thoughts falsh back to that one Star Wars movie my father once made me watch with him, and how there were these tiny little forest dwellers who took Princess Laya to their home which looked pretty darn close to this.

All around people move with a purpose, some carrying baskets filled with food or resources, others carrying weapons, which must be the soldiers. A group of three children run above across one of the bridges, not scared that at any moment it might break.

"Not what you were expecting?" A voice softly speaks up beside me and I turn to see Zero who had drifted closer without me noticing.

I shake my head 'no', and he huffs a small chuckle.

"The Darklings have a very limited knowledge on Kinlings, and therefore, whatever they told you about us is most likely a lie."

A sudden spark lights up in me, wanting to defend the Darklings, but more arguing won't get us anywhere, so I stop myself.

"They said you were a nomadic group." I say instead,a question in my tone.

"That's partially true. We do move around often from bases like these we have set up in special locations across our territory, and this right here is our main base, where many of our people reside."

I nod once, following Zero as he starts walking on a path worn into the ground with Aella casually striding by his side. Everyone who passes nods at Zero in respect, and he never fails to nod back, even flashing a small smile every now and then

I watch him carefully from where I follow at a small distance, studying the way he interacts with the environment in a completely relaxed way. I shouldn't be surprised, he's home at last, and is no longer having his every move watched like it was back on Braun Island or in Highclere.

Everything is back to as it should be, so why do I feel like something is....off?

I look closer, not liking this uneasy feeling I have at all, and that's when I start to notice the little details that clue me in that something is not right.

Zero isn't as relaxed as I had originally thought, his shoulders bunching up in a tense way. I also appear to not be the only one watching him. As people pass, I notice the way they also study Zero, their eyes not leaving him. Some even stop what their doing to watch us pass.

I pick up the pace until I'm much closer and almost right on Zero and Aella's heel.

The hair on the back of my neck prickles, feeling the many, many eyes focused on me as we walk past.

"Human."I hear someone nearby mutter.

"Stranger."

"Is she dangerous?"

"Hold precautions....," The mutterings continue, the news that there's a human amidst them spreading through the Kinling's main base like wildfire. Withe very murmur my shoulders droop more, and I lower my head, feeling a drop of sweat trickle down my back.

"Everyone has a job here." Zero suddenly says, and I lift my head to see him slowing down until he's walking next to me but still maintaining a casual distance, probably for my sake.He doesn't seem to care for the attention we're receiving, that or he's ignoring it, keeping his gaze forward as he continues to talk.

"We have our hunters, gatherers, constructors, strategists, scouts, soldiers, and so on. The retired remain here in the main base, along with the pregnant woman and children, where it's safest."

"Why are you telling me all of this? Aren't you scared I'll reveal your main base and how your society works to the Darklings?"I ask.

Zero's features turn dark the instant I mention the Darklings, and I immediately regret even bringing it up,but his next words make me regret it even more.

"If everything goes the way I want it to, you won't ever have to go back to Highclere or see another Darkling again."

My throat dries up, and it takes all of my power to keep walking, but on the inside my mind is in turmoil. Is he trying to say he plans to keep me kidnapped and here forever?

"As for why I'm telling you all of this," Zero continues, oblivious to my inner turmoil, "I did say I'd take you on a tour, didn't I? Besides, if by chance, you do end up back in Highclere, it might be a nice wake up call to those arrogant Darklings that the Kinlings are more organized and powerful than they thought."

I glance up at Zero, not liking the dark,almost threatening tone to his words, but the second I look at him he turns to face me with innocent, familiar puppy-dog eyes.

"We're here." Aella calls over her shoulder from a few yards up ahead, and I look around, realizing that while I'd been talking to Zero, the path had gotten more narrow, and the number of people and huts decreased.

The only thing around is jungle, the path, and the hut that has appeared in front of us that is much larger than any of the other huts and has a dome-shaped roof. Behind this different hut is a cliff, high above and casting a shadow over the hut and us.

Aella opens the door and steps inside, but when I start to move forward Zero puts out an arm to stop me, giving me an apologetic look when I glance at him in curiosity.

That's when I realize that without Aella here, or the other Kinlings, it's just Zero and I....alone.

I inch away, suddenly feeling fidgety and uncomfortable.

I've moved away from Zero multiple times since he's kidnapped me, but this must have been his breaking point because suddenly my feet are off the ground and my back is against the bark of a nearby tree, Zero's snarling form towering over me with his muscular arms caging me in on both sides.

"Why do you move away? Do I repulse you that much?"Zero says in his low voice, his snarl breaking away to small rumbles and whimpers.

I close my mouth which had been opened in shock, blinking my eyes twice.

"Z-Zero, you know that's not it. It's just....a lot has happened....and I don't exactly feel comfortable being this close to you......," I trail off, my breathing and heart rate increasing significantly as I try to keep it together.

I keep my eyes on his chest, knowing that if I look up into those silver puppy eyes at this moment I just might break.

"I know, Ashley. I know I hurt you, and I caused you so much pain, and I'm so sorry. It's all I could think about ever since that day you said goodbye. You don't know what parting from you like that did to me. I know I might not ever be forgiven, and what I did was cowardly and unthinkable, but it's killing me to have you so close and avoiding everything about me at the same time." He speaks hoarsely, his own breathing labored.

"I don't understand!" I suddenly exclaim, squeezing my eyes shut and pushing myself farther back against the tree, scared that I'll do something while I'm in this unstable state like pull him close or push him away.

"Core broke the bond! Things shouldn't be like this! The bond was fake! The feelings weren't real! So why are you like this? And why am I like this? What's going on? Can you tell me, Zero? Did you lie about only being able to bond once? Because my thoughts right now are just as jumbled and messed up as they were when the leeching bond was still inside me."

Zero seems to be in shock at my own little monolouge, because for a moment the only sounds are both of our heavy breathing. I keep my eyes closed, slowly calming myself with all my might, although his close presence isn't making it better.

"Ashie...," Zero whispers, and I finally open my eyes, looking up to see if he's finally going to give me the answers I need.

I'm not prepared for those silver eyes locking onto mine and holding them in their intense focus.

"The bond is broken, and even though it was fake, the way I feel for you isn't. You can ignore me all you want, and not forgive for the rest of your life, but I can't ignore the fact anymore that I need you, and I want you to be with me."

The stubborn determination settling in his eyes stops me from saying anything, the words catching in my throat as I instead release a strange noise.

Zero must have taken the noise as confirmation for something, because the next second he's leaning in close, his eyes staying open the entire time to keep me locked in place and focused on me.

He inches nearer, until he's a hairs-breath away, still looking into my eyes.

Before I know what I'm doing, my eyelids grow heavy, wanting to close, and very, very slowly my face starts to tilt upwards towards him.

Zero lets out a breath of surprise, his eyes lighting up, and he starts to close the space between us.

Suddenly an image flashes before me. It's not Zero's silver eyes looking into mine, but a familiar someone else's golden eyes staring deeply into mine.

My breath catches, and I regain my sense, a sudden instinct to get away resounding in my head. I put my hands up and shove Zero's head forcefully away.

He stumbles back, surprised, and I take the chance to move farther away, creating yards of distance between us.

"Wait-," Zero calls out desperately, taking a step towards me.

"Stay where you are." I bite out ferociously, letting a moment pass to catch my breath. "I told you....I'm not ready for any of this."

"My patience doesn't last forever." Zero warns, his expression going dark for a mili-second.

"You'll have to endure it then."I snap, feeling extremely irritated and confused. His expression drops, and a thick silence permeates the air. "Sorry." I bite out, sighing and wiping my forehead with the back of my hand. "Look, I told you that day that I needed time to forgive and forget, and confronting me like that with you feelings isn't helping when I still haven't gotten over it yet."

"When?" Zero asks, making my gaze snap from here they'd wandered off to the forest to look back at him. "When will you get over it."

It takes me a moment to think, my brain whirring when trying to bring up the answer, but coming up blank.

"I.....don't know." I admit in defeat, and Zero turns away, but not before I see the agonized look in his eyes, resting his forehead on a nearby tree and exhaling loudly.

And that's how Aella finds us when she exits the hut,holding the door open.

"The council is ready." She says, noticing the tense atmosphere in the air, but not saying a word.

Zero clenches his fist, before pushing off from the tree and regaining his composure, walking towards the door.

I follow after a pause, entering through the door with Aella following and closing it behind me.

We enter the cavernous room, the ceiling high and and spacial. There's no furniture in sight expect for a lone handmade table and chairs that sit in the middle, where three old man and one woman sit, but they aren't the ones who catch my attention.

"What's that?" I ask softly, turning to Aella, who looks to where I'm pointing.

On the other side of the room, there's an opening in the hut, on the side where the cliff is, and the opening of the hut leads to a a dark, black cave that must lead deep into the cliff.

"Nothing you need to know about." Aella finally replies, before walking over to the table and slinging her weapon off her back, setting it leaning down against the table as she swiftly takes a seat.

Zero takes a seat beside her, and soon everyone's gaze is on me. Not knowing what else to do, I make my way towards the the only chair left, which is between the council woman and one of the men with the cave right behind it.

"You've brought the human?" One of the council men asks in shock, and Zero grunts in reply.

I nervously shift in my seat, feeling the coldness that emitting from the cave. I look among my members, and when my eyes finally land on the council woman beside me, I pause, noticing that while the men are giving me curious and cautious looks, she only has a gaze of gentleness and sympathy. Her eyes are a green almost like Aella's, and she has brown hair with streaks of grey that are pulled up into a bun.

"Let's start." Aella speaks up, meeting the gaze of the council members.

One of the men, this one with a bald head, snorts, leaning back in his seat.

"The High Commander is the one to start the meeting, Aella. You know this."

"As his fiancee, she has a right to start it." One of the other men who's skeleton thin says, and I suddenly let out a hacking cough, attracting the attention of everyone.

"Excuse me." I say, my face heating up and turning red. "Fiancee?"

"That's right, Human." The third human speaks up. "Aella was chosen as Zero's fiancee for a long time, and as a child raised for the position. On the first full moon of the year they will create the bond between each other and become bonded."

Aella huffs and brushes off the statement, distracting the council men with a report about the state of the base and the people.

My gaze goes to Zero, who refuses to meet my eyes. Confusion and rage well up inside me. He never spoke even once about a fiancee, and yet just moments ago declares his feeling for me? And even more, he didn't tell the council that he already used his one chance at bonding on me?

I have half a mind to speak up and tell them myself, but a gust of wind blows out softly from the cave, sending shivers down my spine.

Wait....the cave.

I glance down, pulling my necklace up to peer at it just a tiny bit, the blue which is now navy and turning indigo.

This could be the chance of escape I was waiting for.

I turn to the woman inconspicuously, only to see she's already gazing at me, a knowing, wise look in her eyes.

"Excuse me." I whisper, trying not to attract the others attention who are caught up in the report. "Where does that cave lead to? Just out of curiosity."

"That cave leads directly to one of the borders of the Core. We hold council meetings in this hut because of that fact, since it's an ancient legend of our people that the Core's proximity gives us good guidance during meetings."

I almost feel like jumping for joy. Little does Zero know that through this tour and council meeting he led me directly to where I need to go.

"How far exactly is the Core from the entrance of the cave?" I whisper again, and the woman thinks for a moment.

"Usually no ones dares to try, but if our facts are correct, only about eight yards into the cave."

Eight yards.

I can do it, but not if they run after me. I'd have to distract them and get a head start, then sprint with all I have.

How am I going to distract them, though?

Suddenly the woman clears her throat, catching my attention. She nods towards the council man on my write, then whispers so I can barely hear.

"...deathly afraid of spiders." Is what I catch.

I want to laugh and hug this woman. It confuses me somewhat to how a person who lives in the jungle can be deathly scared of spiders, but this is exactly what I need.

I tense up, preparing for what I'm about to do.

"Sir!" I suddenly exclaim, catching his attention. "You have a spider on you!"

I wait for his reaction, but he just looks down at me cooly with disdain.

"Did you really think I'd fall for that? My fear of spiders is taken advantage of all the time, so I'm quite used to it."

I gape, panicking since everything has been blown now, but just then the man lets out a blood curdling scream, and jumps out of his chair.

Right there on his shoulder, is a thumb sized brown spider.

Everyone at the table gasps, getting to their feet.

"It's a Brown Death, the deadliest spider in the jungle." One of the council men who's gone pale says, and the scared man lets out another cry, starting to panic.

"Quick get something!"

"There's nothing to get!"

"High Commander kill it!"

"I'll kill it." I recognize Aella's voice says as she picks up with sword. The scared man's eyes widen at the weapon and he backs away.

Aella lunges at him with the weapon and it's a short descent into chaos from there.

I spare one last look at the woman, who's watching the whole scene with slight amusement. Her eyes meet mine, and I mouth 'thank you', before seizing the opportunity and sprinting for the cave.

I get swallowed up into the darkness at the exact moment I hear Zero's voice bellow "ASHLEY!"

One of them is going to run after me, I only have a few seconds left. I push with all I have, counting down the yards with each stride.

Two yards.

Five yards.

Just then I hear a snarl right behind me, unmistakably from Zero, but I don't look back, just a few more strides.

Seven yards.

I feel fingertips brush my back just as I see the faint ripple in the air before me.

The Core.

Before The hand can make another grab for me I leap with everything I have, passing through the wall like passing through a huge bubble.

I land hard on the ground on the other side, laying on my back for a second to catch my breath.

I jump to my feet and see Zero through the translucent border, his face twisted in rage.

I smile triumphantly, knowing he shouldn't be able to see me, but his eyes suddenly lock onto mine, causing me to inhale a breath. He snarls again, pacing outside the wall of the border with his eyes on me the entire time.

"Come back, right now, Ashley." He orders in a low, dangerous tone.

I'm surprised he can see me, and will have to ask Core about it later, but for now and I lift my chin and shake my head stubbornly, almost like a child. I turn on my heel, hearing a loud growl escape his chest.

"Sorry, Zero." I call over my shoulder is a non-apologetic tone. "You won't miss me much, you have your fiancee to run back to. But just remember, the next time you want to talk, don't kidnap me, or me escaping won't be your only problem." I threaten.

I start to jog into the darkness of the cave, hearing the slam of a fist against the cave wall.

"ASHLEY!" He roars again, the sound echoing even into the Core.

I don't look back, knowing the only thing behind me is pain and sadness, and only stop jogging when I'm out of Zero's sight in the dim cave.

As I walk I clear my thoughts of everything that's happened, pushing it deep inside me to deal with later. Right now there are more pressing issues, like Core, and the mission he's assigning me.

It only takes a moment to reach the end of the cave and emerge out into the same clearing I was in the last time I was in Core's domain. I take a few steps into the clearing, catching my breath while listening to the musical sound of animals, and the swaying of trees in a refreshing breeze.

"I know you're there, Core." I speak up. "We have to talk."

"Indeed we do...," A voice speaks up behind me, and I whirl around to see a figure standing in the shade of the trees. He steps out into the sunlight, giving me an amused, knowing, smile. ".......Ashley."







Dear readers, This has to be the longest chapter I've ever written. What did you think?Any new opinions on Zero and Ashley? Sorry the update was a little late, but at least I made up for it in length. There wasn't much humor in this chapter, which I'm sad about, but hopefully the humor will be back soon, along with your favorite characters like Max and Becky. Next chapter we'll finally see what Core wants from Ashley, and the a new journey will begin yet again for this main character. Thanks for reading! I'm glad you guys are putting up with my inconsistent updates and such. You're the best. Vote, comment, and have a Happy Mother's Day!!!(My dad always makes my mother chocolate strawberries for mother's day, even though every single year she tells him again and again that she doesn't like them. Oh well more for me! XD) Lots of love,

Dangeroustoken