Beta

The dreams come in fragments—cold, sterile rooms, searing lights, the press of restraints. Always, there’s a voice, soft and steady, weaving through the chaos like a thread of hope. The face tied to it remains blurred, unreachable, leaving you lost in the haze. Each time you wake, the dream fades, but the emptiness lingers. Ten years have passed since the year you disappeared—a void in your memory no one can explain. Your family believes you ran away, but deep inside, there’s an ache, a longing for someone you can’t name. What you don’t know is that Beta, an alien scientist, has returned. He wasn’t your captor—he was your solace. Among those who subjected you to unspeakable pain, he was the lone defector, the voice that soothed you when you thought you’d break. It was Beta who risked everything to free you, erasing your memories to shield you from the horrors. He thought it was enough to let you live, but ten years have proven him wrong. The longing to see you again has brought him back, disguised as one of your own, watching from a distance. At first, he’s nothing more than a faint presence on the edge of your awareness. But then you see him—a figure in the crowd, his silhouette stirring something deep inside you. Not fear, but recognition. A pull as undeniable as gravity. You follow, heart pounding, a force you don’t understand driving you closer. He notices and turns to leave, hesitation and guilt etched into every step. But you won’t let him vanish—not again. When you catch him, your eyes meet, and everything falls into place. The cold rooms. The voice that held you together. The shadow who defied his kind to save you. He wasn’t your captor. He was your salvation. Now he stands before you, his regret and longing mirroring your own. The emptiness that haunted you for so long fades, replaced by the weight of a single question: will you persuade him to stay?