11:04 PM

Didn't I eat a few hours ago? Why do I feel hungry again?

Luther Chen clutched his tummy and frowned. He had eaten a dozen pork buns not long ago but somehow, he was still hungry.

As if in agreement, his tummy rumbled once again.

His lips twitched in amusement and faint annoyance when he wondered how his stomach was still grumbling for food.

'Isn't it late? Should I sleep on it and eat something heavy in the morning? …Fuck.'

His resolve crumbled in seconds and soon, he was opening his fridge. Apart from some cans of soda and chips, it was rather empty.

And the kind of hunger he felt really wasn't something soda and chips could satiate. Running his fingers through his stubborn black hair, Luther sighed.

'I'm really not a foodie…'

Luckily, he didn't share his room with anyone. He had rented a cozy little apartment near his university, saving him from being teased for his gluttonous eating habits.

At least, his body wasn't proportionate to the amount of food he consumed daily.

Luther had a surprisingly lean build, but not to the point of being called skinny. He barely worked out too so his physique was unexplainable.

He checked his wallet to see how much he had left after those pork buns.

'150 dollars huh? 30 dollars would be more than enough to get a large sized bowl of noodles at the night market… I'll still have a lot of money left over.'

Luther nodded to himself and pocketed his wallet. His hand turned the door knob and he stepped out of his room.

As he descended the flight of stairs which led down and out of the apartment complex, he whistled a low tune.

Feeling too lazy to turn back and take his headsets, he decided to make do with that.

Besides, being out at this time wasn't that safe. Though the likelihood was low, he could get robbed.

The night was cool and the sky filled with a multitude of brilliant stars. There was a full yellow moon in their midst. A windy breeze caressed his hair and Luther inhaled deeply.

Who didn't like cool nights?

Still whistling, Luther turned a corner, his footsteps lightly kissing the ground as walked in the direction of the night market.

It wasn't far at all; it was a mere five-minute walk from his apartment; knowing how lively students were, the various sellers still kept selling food even at night in the university.

Luther had gone to the night market many times and knew that even with how late it was; the place was always lively.

'Hmm? Is it me or the starlight is actually becoming brighter?'

Luther paused and looked up. One of the stars was actively moving in the sky, blinking periodically.

That was probably one of those satellites, right?

His brow furrowed as the 'star' moved at visible speed in the sky. It definitely wasn't a satellite; they couldn't move that fast.

Then was that a comet, perhaps?

Luther wondered for a moment then shook his head. Since when did comets blink?

The 'star' then came to a stop, right above him. It was no longer blinking and for a moment, Luther doubted whether he had seen something happen.

Suddenly, a magnificent pillar of light shot down from the sky!

It pierced the earth and engulfed Luther, lasting for half a second… then it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving onlookers wondering.

…

'What just happened?'

Luther blinked painfully as he struggled to deal with the brilliant light. Thankfully, it began to dim and became much more comfortable.

He opened his eyes.

'Am I dreaming?'

He closed his eyes, counted to ten and opened once again. Then he pinched himself on the wrist to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

'I'm really not dreaming, am I?' Luther winced while looking around in shock.

Involuntarily, he had lost control of his jaw. The world didn't make sense anymore!

He was in a futuristic looking place; the walls were of silver and white, a brilliant metal sheen unlike anything he had ever seen.

Mentally he estimated that he was in a space which was as large as a football field.

Some sort of control pedestal was a couple of feet away, having multicolored buttons which glowed faintly in the bright light.

Also, there were other gadgets and mysterious contraptions arranged systematically around.

Luther looked down and realized that he was standing on an elevated circular platform which glowed white.

'Where on earth am I? What just happened to me?'

Questions ran riot in his head as he stepped off the platform he stood on.

There was a low chime and suddenly, the wall nearest him split open and a certain strange being strode out.

He was a milky white in complexion, like the color of white marble. He had golden pupils for eyes and no facial hair.

His lips were stretched thin and his nose slender and narrow, just like his whole body. He was about Luther's height, about six feet tall, and he wore pure white robes, hemmed silver.

Apart from his weird color, extremely long ears and golden eyes, he was humanoid with two legs, two arms and one head.

'W-w-who no w- what are you?' Luther stammered as he reeled back in horror, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the strange looking man.

'Usarne? feb%!!%%*' the alien tilted his head, evaluating Luther.

'I don't understand a thing,' Luther replied.

The man- no alien- cocked his head to the other side, as if trying to hear what Luther had said.

Luther sighed and made universal gestures which conveyed dumbness, hoping the alien would understand.

The alien nodded in understanding and reached out to touch the air.

'Holy fuck…'

To Luther's shock, a holographic screen appeared in front of the marble skinned palms and the alien tapped in some commands.

The panels above stirred and something like a bracelet dropped a few meters, before zooming to Luther.

'Am I supposed to wear this?' Luther wondered aloud and in response, the alien nodded.

'Let's hope it doesn't zap me or something…'

With a sigh, Luther wore the bracelet on his right wrist.

'Can you hear me now?' the alien spoke again and this time, Luther understood perfectly, much to his surprise.

'Yes.'

The alien heaved a visible sigh of relief. 'At least something still works properly.'

Luther was dumbfounded. What did the alien mean by that? 'Excuse me! Where am I and who are you?'

'Ah, young friend, don't mind me. I was just carrying out some routine experiments,' the alien replied, waving his hand like it was nothing.

'Routine experiments??'

The alien nodded seriously. 'Yes. My particle transmitter malfunctioned so you were accidentally beamed onto my spaceship.'