Thunder roared in the distance as Ullr and Aya made their way through streets littered with rusted cars. The sight of crumbling buildings and plants everywhere still made Ullr uncomfortable, stirring a mix of curiosity and unease. It was just wrong. Still without any memories, he knew the city should be brimming with life and noise. Now, only the wind and occasional animals echoed through the city.
Aya was bouncing in the air all around him. She enthusiastically hummed a tune he didn't recognize. "This is so great! Now that I found you, things are gonna be so incredible! By the Traveler, I can't wait!" Ullr just watched as Aya rambled on. Her excitement began to infect him the longer she went on.
"Oh yeah! The Traveler!" Aya stopped dead in the air right in front of Ullr. Her lone eye met Ullr's. "You have to see the Traveler! You're gonna love it! I've heard of people just changing from seeing how breathtaking it is!"
As she rambled on, her voice filled with awe, she got closer and closer to his face. Ullr stepped back, lifting his hands to push her gently away. "Wait a second. What are you talking about?"
"What? The Traveler?" The ghost took a second to process the question. "Yes?" Ullr answered, confused, as Aya just floated in the air. The top part of her shell slowly dropped over her eye, covering it while the rest shook lightly. "The Traveler is the coolest thing ever! So cool and soo soo round, hovering in the sky! It gave life to all ghosts, so it's like our mother! OH! And it's what gives me the power to bring you back!"
Aya's sudden burst made Ullr jump back a little, causing her to giggle.
"We really have to go to the Traveler, it's going to be incredible! Well, it's a little far from here, but I'm sure we can find a way!" That last part piqued Ullr's interest. "How far away is it?"
"I mean, we are kind of almost on the opposite side of the planet, but it could be worse. We just have to find a sh-" A massive explosion in the distance interrupted Aya as both of them flinched. They turned to see a swirling mass of black clouds. Lightning crackled all through the storm, some of it striking the earth not far from them.
"What is that!?" Ullr shouted, turning to Aya just in time to see her fly away. "Wha-Hey! Where are you going!?" Ullr scrambled onto the car, trying to keep sight of her. Another lightning strike made him turn back to the storm in the distance. He needed to run, fast, as far away from that as possible, but with Aya gone, how co-
"We need to find shelter and qui-" A voice spoke behind him.
Ullr screamed as he jumped back. He nearly fell from the car. Turning around, Aya was right behind him, her shell tilted to the side as if confused. "The hell! Why did you do that!? No, wait. Where did you go!?"
"Huh? OH!" She suddenly seemed to realize something, her casing flaring out in response. "Yeah, sorry" Aya answered, followed by an uncomfortable laugh. "Force of habit. I'm not used to being around people, you know...searching for you and all. But that's not the point! I went up to try and spot somewhere we could take shelter from the storm safely"
"Did you find anything then?" Ullr sighed. He rubbed his forehead. Everything was moving too fast.
"Yeah! There's a huuuuge building close by. We can stay put up there until the storm passes. Maybe we can find some supplies and all!" That sounded like a plan, better than nothing.
"Let's not waste time then. The sooner we get there, the better." Aya nodded and began hovering away. Ullr followed close behind her as best as he could after being brought back to life.
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It didn't take long for the storm's strong winds to reach the pair. Ullr's tattered jumpsuit did little to shield him, and the biting cold was getting to him. They had already been running for a few minutes, and there was still no sign of the building. Resurrection was beginning to take its toll, his muscles refused to cooperate with his mind. It was as though he was moving through mud.
"How far away are we?" Breathing was becoming an increasingly difficult task with every breath of cold air that made its way into his lungs.
"Just a few more turns and we're there, come on!"
Something in the corner of Ullr's vision made him stop. Shadows inside the dilapidated buildings were moving across the shattered windows and walls, too big to be an animal.
"Why did you stop? Come on, we need to get there fast!" His head snapped back to Aya. By the time he turned his attention back to the shadows, nothing was there anymore.
"Just needed to take a deep breath." It wasn't the time to dwell on weird shadows.
The winds didn't relent. Now, they were the only ones out on the streets. Any animal wandering about had already run off to find shelter. The pavement and obstacles made it harder and harder to move without falling face-first to the ground. How the hell was he supposed to- A weird smell took Ullr out of his thoughts as it assaulted his nose and mouth. A metallic taste coated his mouth, followed by a faint crackling echoing through the air.
"Do you smell that?" Aya stopped midair at Ullr's words. Her shell exploded outwards with the individual parts orbiting the sphere of her eye before snapping back together.
"The surrounding static charge is spiking! It won't take long bef- get down!" A violent flash of light engulfed everything as Ullr was ripped from the ground and thrown like a rag doll.
His back slammed into something solid before collapsing onto the pavement. Ullr screamed, or at least he thought he did, the deafening ring in his ears made it impossible to tell, apart from his throat ripping itself. Then, a rhythmic tapping nudged his forehead. A soothing warmth flooded his whole body, chasing the agony away.
He opened his eyes as the tender blue light slowly faded, leaving Aya floating in place before him. "Are you okay!?" Aya asked in a panic-filled voice.
"What happened?" Every word Ullr spoke felt like a challenge to get out. The pain was gone, but the world was still spinning around him.
"It worked!? oh uh... I mean, of course it worked! You're lucky that lightning didn't hit you directly and only fell close to us!" Hearing that, Ullr unconsciously gritted his teeth.
"That was being lucky!? I got thrown around like nothing, I was in so much pain!" Aya backed away, taken aback by the sudden outburst. As Ullr lay on the floor, they looked into each other's eyes, unblinking.
"Considering the alternative, I'd say you were lucky, yes." Aya moved aside so he could see. A dozen meters away from them, a crater had been carved into the earth, lightly filled with molten stone. "And either way, if you die, I can bring you back"
"If you had been a little closer, you would be a burnt husk. Instead, you only had your eardrums ruptured, some burns, and a fractured spine."
"What!?" His hands quickly went to his back to check, but nothing was wrong, no broken bones or anything. "How am I fine? Did you do something?"
"As my Risen, I can heal you. It was my first time. I'm just glad it worked." The ground shook all around them with another thunder strike.
"It's getting more intense! We need to run! Now!"
He had to get up! Ullr pushed against the ground with his hands. Fatigue still plagued his body, but he ignored it. He couldn't afford not to. The ground shook violently again the moment he made it back to his feet, threatening to throw him back down once more. Every cell in his body screamed the same command. RUN.
Lightning struck all around them, sending bits and pieces of dirt and metal flying toward them. Ullr's lungs were screaming for air, but there was no time. Aya was already far ahead, and he was falling too far behind. If he lost sight of her now, he would surely die. Again.
Come on, they had to be almost there! Surely it couldn't be too far!
CRACK!
One of the many trees in the city toppled over and crashed ahead of him. With barely any time to react, Ullr dived away, rolling across the ground. Dirt covered his face, and his heart pounded in his ears. Every muscle in his body pulled at him to get up as his nails dug into the asphalt.
Ullr's head snapped back up, frantically turning in every direction for any sign of the ghost. His throat and his hand started shaking as he failed to locate Aya while lightning fell all around the city. No matter where he turned, she was nowhere to be found.
Where is she!?
"Ullr! Over here!" His head snapped to the side. There she was. Before he knew it, he was already running to her. "It's just around the corner!"
As they rounded the corner, finally, the enormous building came into view. Bigger than anything around, and mostly intact, unlike the other destroyed buildings. The front was covered with scrap metal, sealing all of the windows and holes. The only part uncovered was a set of metal double doors. Ullr slammed against the door shoulder-first, with all the strength he could muster, but it didn't budge.
Hissing in pain, he grabbed his shoulder. That hadn't been his brightest idea. "It's not opening! Aya!" The ghost quickly flew beside him and began shooting a strand of light from her eye into one of the door's many panels. "Give me a moment. I should be able to open it," she replied. The ground trembled again, reminding them time was running out. There had to be another way into the building.
"Open, you damn door!" Aya shouted while Ullr inspected the front of the building for any point of entry. There had to be something, anything! Just something they coul- There! Above them, one of the many windows was covered up by scrap, but with a hole big enough for him to fit through. No time to think, just a few meters of crumbling concrete and metal. No pressure.
Ullr sprinted as fast as he could, pushing off the wall. When his body left the ground, he soared high, reaching for any ledge above him. He managed to grab a handhold on the cracked concrete, barely securing his hold.
Grunting, Ullr pulled himself up. There was still a long way to go. His hands burned the further he got, the cement peeling skin from his fingertips. He was almost there, just a little closer. Another blast of lightning struck the earth as he reached for another protrusion, causing him to lose his grip.
"Shit!" Ullr barked as he dangled from one hand. If he fell now, he didn't think he'd have enough energy to try again. The screaming caught Aya's attention as she flew up to him.
"Were you going to tell me about this any time soon?" Ullr let out a grunt of acknowledgment, or at least something that could pass for one, and shot his free hand over his head. His fingers barely caught themselves on the ledge he just missed.
"Come on! You almost got it!" His whole body was protesting at him while his fingers were beginning to be soaked in blood. The window was almost within arm's reach. He just needed one more push. With a final heave, he gripped the window frame. He did it. His fingers were smearing blood everywhere, and he was sure his feet were no better.
It didn't take long before he managed to sit on the windowsill and look inside the building. He needed rest badly. Every muscle burned, and he was sure his arms couldn't move anymore. "Hey, are you okay?" Ullr halfheartedly nodded at her. "Sorry for not helping much back there. I don't exactly have a lot of muscle, but we did it! We are inside! Now there's only a little leap of faith left."
Both of them looked down into the abyss below. With almost all the windows covered, it was mostly dark inside. Barely any light made it through. With his arms in their current state, there was no chance in hell he could climb down. Both exchanged glances with one another.
...
...
"No." Ullr plainly stated
"I can heal you!"
"It still hurts! And you don't know what's down there!"
"Come ooooooon! How bad can it be?"
A sigh escaped Ullr's lips. They'd made it this far, no point in backing out now that they've reached safety.