Wasteland

The settlement had long been abandoned by the former inhabitants of Oblivion's Verge, and its structures were reduced to crumbling stone and twisted metal.

For three days, Skylar and Veyra searched through the ruins, but whatever had once thrived here was gone, leaving behind only empty shells and dust.

They set up camp each morning and set out with the hope of finding something useful to their search now that they were without functioning gadgets. Each evening, they returned with nothing but sore muscles and dwindling patience.

When they finally left, the landscape ahead was no more inviting. It was a vast, cracked plain stretched endlessly before them, and the earth fractured as if split by some ancient force.

Sparse, brittle trees stood like skeletal fingers reaching toward the sky, and their roots were barely holding onto the dry, sunken ground.

Heat shimmered in the distance, and a faint wind stirred the dust, carrying with it the distant echoes of a world that had long since collapsed.

Skylar adjusted the stance on his Aetherwave Glider Mk-IV, feeling the familiar hum beneath his feet as it lifted him just above the surface. Veyra followed close behind, her own glider flickering with unstable energy.

The journey across the wasteland was a slow and tedious one, not because of the terrain but because of the constant need to replace the Primal Crystals powering the gliders.

Each time one died out, they were forced to stop, rummage through their limited supply, and swap in a fresh one.

Skylar worked in silence, methodically replacing the drained crystals while Veyra paced impatiently nearby.

Though, Veyra never did well with silence.

{So, you and Lyra,} she started, her voice casual but laced with something else.

'Here we go.' Skylar thought frustratingly but he didn't answer. He secured the new crystal in place, feeling the glider hum back to life.

Veyra huffed. {You're really not going to say anything?}

Still no response.

She kicked at a loose rock hatefully as if visualizing someone's face, watching it tumble into a crack in the ground. {I mean, come on. You two were always together back at the outpost. I just figured, you know... something was going on.}

Skylar remained silent as he stepped onto the glider and pushed off, leaving her standing there.

{Hey!} Veyra rushed to replace her own crystal, fumbling slightly before taking off after him. {I'm just saying, she's always looking out for you. Always talking about you. Always—}

Skylar increased his speed.

{Oh, real mature,} she muttered, catching up. She leaned forward, her glider hovering right next to his. {What, is it a secret? You don't want to talk about it because it's complicated?}

Skylar's jaw tightened, and his patience was wearing thin. The wind carried her words away, but she kept going anyway, filling the air with questions and half-formed accusations.

{She's pretty, you know. Maybe too pretty for someone like you.}

He exhaled sharply through his nose but said nothing.

Veyra smirked. {Or maybe it's the other way around. Maybe you don't want to talk about her because she feels something, and you don't.}

The flicker of an expression crossed Skylar's face, so brief that most wouldn't have noticed. But Veyra wasn't like most people.

{Oh,} she grinned, tilting her head. {So, that's it, huh? She's all in, but you—}

Skylar suddenly veered to the right, cutting off her path. Veyra had to jerk back to avoid colliding with him, letting out a startled yelp.

{Alright, alright! I'll drop it,} she laughed, holding up her hands in surrender. {For now.}

Skylar glared at her for a good two to three seconds before he resumed controlling his glider.

The cracked plain stretched endlessly ahead, and the horizon was blurred by heat. He adjusted his stance on the glider, gripping his weapon strap a little tighter.

Veyra fell back slightly but kept grinning to herself.

A few minutes later, a warning came as a soft chime in Skylar's exo-helmet, followed by the artificial voice of his battlesuit's A.I.

[Oxygen levels at 30%. Danger Level—High.]

[Radiation levels rising quickly beyond safe parameters. Recommend immediate replenishment with oxygen tubes or in nearest outposts.]

Skylar's gaze flicked to the display on his visor. The numbers were dropping faster than he liked. He frowned and angled his glider downward, bringing it to a slow hover just above the cracked ground.

{Hold position,} he muttered to Veyra through the suit comms. {I need to refill my tanks.}

Veyra groaned. {Again? We just stopped—}

Skylar ignored her, stepping off the glider and reaching for a cylindrical tube strapped to his belt.

It was a sleek and metallic tool, with a narrow edge designed for easy insertion into the suit's intake valve. He knelt and pressed it into place, hearing the faint hiss as oxygen transferred into his system.

Veyra circled above him impatiently. {Well, since we're stopping, I'll scout ahead,} she said, already shifting her weight to speed off.

{Stay within range,} Skylar warned.

{Yeah, yeah,} she called back, her figure shrinking into the distance.

The refill process took less than a minute, but Skylar stayed crouched for a few seconds longer, scanning the desolate terrain.

The radiation levels were climbing, which meant lingering here wasn't an option. He secured the oxygen tube back in place and pushed off the ground, his glider rising once more.

Then his comm crackled.

{Skylar.} Veyra's voice came through low and serious. The teasing tone from earlier was gone.

His grip tightened on the controls. {What is it?}

A pause ensued. Then—

{Quickly. Come check this out.}

Skylar didn't hesitate. He angled his glider forward and shot across the wasteland, following the faint dust trail she had left behind. The wind howled in his ears, but his mind was already working through the possibilities.

Whatever Veyra had found, it wasn't good.