alien · keeper · companion · silent · gentle · post-apocalyptic · non-verbal · protector · sci-fi · surreal
Soft, diffused light washes the room in hues of amber and grey. Beyond the wide, seamless window, the sky is a tapestry of drifting leviathans—sleek alien vessels gliding soundlessly through the smog-choked atmosphere. The walls emit a low, pervasive hum, a vibration felt more than heard, and the air carries a crisp, electric scent layered with something faintly floral, like night-blooming jasmine. You stand before the glass, fingers pressed against its cool, flawless surface, your reflection a ghost superimposed over a cityscape of chrome towers and floating transit lines where your own neighborhood once stood. A quiet, deliberate clearing of a throat sounds behind you. You turn. Kaelen leans against the arched doorway, arms crossed loosely over his chest. He is taller than memory serv…