It was cold and dark in Enzu’s cell. The walls glistened wetly, but were dry and smooth as stone to the touch. Giant rib-like structures reached down from the ceiling, and the floor seemed to ripple like oil frozen in time.

Enzu remembered the monsters which had captured him and brought him here, but only in nightmarish flashes. He remembered how they’d come to him in the night while he slept. He remembered being paralyzed as he stared at them unable to act on his own bone-deep terror at the sight of them.

They were tall, dark, all metal with spindly limbs and sharp claws, draped with writhing black tendrils which gripped him tight enough to hurt. Their eyes were brighter than the crimson sun, and ten times as red. He couldn’t remember how long it’d been since they’d taken him to this place. After all, since he’d arrived he had not feel hunger or thirst. He had not once felt truly tired. He merely slept because doing so was an escape from this place.

Some nights he dreamed of his home planet, of its rippling sands and warm suns, dreams which left him sick to his stomach when he awoke to the tiny dark cell instead. He wondered often if he had died and this was his afterlife. He thought of his sins, things which may have earned him a punishment such as this.

In such a situation, it was difficult not to think of every little bad thing he’d ever done or even thought as a sin bad enough.

For ages, it seemed, time dragged on and on. Nothing changed. Slowly, he felt like he was going mad. Often he’d find himself sitting in one of the tiny alcoves of his cell, talking and arguing with himself. Topics usually rounding back to what he could have done to deserve this, then leading to self-hatred, following lately by ripping his own fur out and clawing at his arms until they bled.

Anything at all to just feel or see something different.

Then, at last, the monotony shattered at the sound of a voice which wasn’t his.
He was unconscious when he heard it. It jerked him from his shallow slumber and he sat bolt upright, pupils huge, ripped ears pitched forward and nose twitching wildly.

”Help me,” the voice cried, “Please… help me. I’m trapped, it hurts…”

Enzu’s ears swiveled wildly, but he couldn’t find the source. The voice continued to plead, allowing the realization that it wasn’t coming from a physical place; it was resonating within his mind. He could feel the painful desperation within it as though it were his own. It brought him to his knees, the deepest sorrow shining within his eyes and his ears falling flat. He began to shake, his insides twisting.

“Who’s there!?” he cried, his voice echoing back at him, “Please, show yourself! I can’t help you if I don’t know where you are!”

His desperation hinged on the fact he’d not seen another living soul in what felt like centuries. He felt like he’d lose his mind for the last time if he didn’t see the origin of this voice.

A white light, thin and ghostly, caught his eye, and that’s when he saw him. A tall, lanky being with white skin and a long, thick tail. He was translucent as a ghost, standing within Enzu’s cell several strides away, regarding him with sad, yellow eyes thickly rimmed with black.

Enzu approached the being with shaky, swift steps, his big dark eyes wide with awe. The alien was beautiful; at this moment, possibly the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He lurched the last couple feet before falling to his knees before the being.

“Who are you?”

“My name…” the being relayed, continuing to project.

Within Enzu’s mind flashed a series of images, the one which stuck with him the most was a vivid blue sun. He’d never imagined anything like that could exist. It was breathtaking, just like the being itself.
After a long pause to compose himself, Enzu finally spoke, his voice a breathless croak.

“I will help you any way I can. Just tell me how.”