PART TWO: HUMANITY

Chapter Six

| THE LAST CITY, CITY WALL MEDICAL |

I heard his voice before I saw him.

"Guardian, are you awake?"

The words faded and blurred together like I was underwater while my brain shifted back into consciousness. I could feel the pillow gripped between my arms and the blanket wrapped around my body like a lasso. The bed was soft and squishy. And it smelt like flowers. As my eyes open they are promptly blinded by a bright red light, causing me to shut them tight again.

"Oh, sorry," he whispers. The light disappears. "Welcome back. You've been asleep for a while."

"Oh no, not again." I groan.

He chuckles while I sit up.

"I had another dream. I was with some people I felt I recognised, hiding in the dark. But some people burst inside and found us… um."

I propel myself up against the back of the bed and let my body droop against it. The ghost had hovered just beside me.

He blinks his red eye. "Was that the whole dream?"

"All that I remember."

"Do you think it was a nightmare?"

"I don't know," I admit. "I wasn't scared. Would you call it a nightmare because the content is scary, or because you feel scared?"

While he thinks about the answer I begin to notice the details of my surroundings. The room was dark, white and clean. Clearly not abandoned or destroyed. This bed was comfortable, and it had a mattress. The lights were turned off but I could tell they probably worked. Behind the ghost were pictures, hung up on the wall; smiling children and flying ships framed within them. He tilts forward as if about to answer my previous question, but one reaches my mouth first.

"Where are we?" I interrupt.

"Oh," he considers, redirecting himself. "Well, we are in a medical ward. I've been mending your wounds. Do you remember what happened?"

My body involuntarily begins to tense up and I pull my arm in front of me. I pull up my shirt's sleeve.

… It was fine. Completely healed. How?

I cross my legs and let my hands fall onto my lap. "Yes. I remember. But I don't understand."

"That's fine. Now I have all the time in the world to explain. We're safe."

Those words washed a feeling of comfort over me. Having gone from adrenaline spike to adrenaline spike. Subconsciously I think I already knew things were safe here - the moment my head lifted from that spongy pillow. But actually hearing it from someone made the difference.

"My arm," I begin, brushing up the skin to the rolled up sleeve. "You did this?"

"I did!" He cheers.

"And this is like how you resurrected me?"

"Correct. But don't get too excited, there's not much else I can do."

"Well," I chuckle, "I think a magical floating doctor is enough to get excited about."

There was a glass of water placed beside me on the cabinet table. Next to that were my old clothes. So nicely folded too. Although the burn was clearly still visible on the jacket. That's fine, I like the clothes I have on now.

I grab the cup of water - the ice within was still solid. Wait, how is that possible?

"Where are the people?" The thought of the possible answers made me choke on my breath. "You're magical, but you couldn't have done this all yourself, could you? You don't have hands. Or thumbs."

"No. People were in here earlier. Others like you."

My head perks up. "-Where?"

"That is the great part. Okay, I have a long story to tell you."

I stare at him with demanding eyes.

"Actually, you know what," he says, interrupting himself. "Let me just show you. It'll be quicker." He hovers behind me and stops to activate a control panel beside some window blinds.

I put down my glass and swing my legs over the side of the bed, placing my palms down onto the mattress. He turns to watch me and waits.

Then the blinds opened.

And I couldn't believe it.

"Oh my god."

Slowly, I stand up and set my feet down on the cold floor. Each step toward the view felt like I was walking on water. It was incredible. A city. A planet!? That's not possible. For just a moment it felt like I was flying. The height off the ground, the scale of the structures. I found comfort from the chilling feeling rising up from the soles of my feet, the sensation of the glass window freezing against my hand, and the effect of my breath fogging it up. But it wasn't these things that I was drawn to. It was what was behind the glass. The way it glows, the way it moves. How can something like this exist? And how can a city like this possibly be here! One just like it was abandoned elsewhere; overgrown and in ruins! I wanted to go down there. I wanted to see it.

"The Last City," my ghost reveals from out of view. "Built under the protection of the traveller."

"The Last City." The air barely escapes my mouth. "It's beautiful. All of it."

"So… What were those other questions you had?"

The Story Continues... 09/09/22