Crouching down, Noah observed the alien robot he had just captured with curiosity evident in his eyes.

Everything had started just fine this morning. He couldn’t help but sigh as he remembered the sequence of events.

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In a small house made of ice, resembling an igloo, a young man slept peacefully, his pale body exposed to the chilling temperature with not even a stitch to cover his nakedness. With a handsome face and long, silver hair and eyes blue like the sky, he emanated an air of fragility.

"Ugh..."

His body stirred as he turned and tumbled out of the ice bed, hitting the ground with a thud, finally awakening.

Groggy and disoriented, his golden eyes surveyed his surroundings until he remembered where he was.

Rising to his feet, he inhaled deeply and exhaled, preparing himself for the day ahead.

"Time to start a new day."

An unusual statement, considering the world outside was enveloped in impenetrable darkness through and through.

It was a darkness so deep that it should have rendered everything invisible to one’s eyes.

Yet, he was used to this very darkness already and his sight was nearly unobstructed in the void that was outside. Just as he had grown accustomed to the biting cold and thin air that was perpetually trying to reap his life.

A gust of frigid wind swept by, causing him to shiver ever so slightly. Being completely naked posed a minor issue for him. But he had no more clothes that could fit him and the knowledge he had was not helpful in creating a set of clothes for himself. Nor did he think, in fact, that he had any need for them in this desolate plain.

"It's time to hunt for breakfast."

He moved, his steps cracking the icy ground beneath him as he started running with force, each stride propelling him forward.

Far on the horizon, a source of light could be seen— it was his target for today.

He ran without hesitation in his stride. The darkness surrounding him from all sides progressively receded with each of his steps on the icy ground, going from pitch black to a more visible world, until he finally emerged from the darkness, stepping into a world bathed in radiant light.

Steam billowed from his body as the stark temperature difference hit him like a tsunami.

Whoosh~!

The surroundings gradually transformed from an icy landscape to a cracked, scorched ground. He knew very well that if he ran for a few more minutes, he would reach a place where the wind was so hot that heat waves danced in the air.

But the other side was not his target for today.

Sensing his internal clock while looking up at the three suns in the air, he was able to figure out that his prey would be out for its own hunt very soon.

He stood in the perfect spot— the only place where creatures, unlike him, could survive. A place that balanced the extremes of heat and cold.

It was a spot filled with beautiful wildlife, a lush forest, and the cry of beasts and insects.

He inhaled deeply, feeling the stark difference in air quality. His lungs filled with the purity of oxygen.

This was his world. His zone.

A world where no one like him existed.

A world where everything but him was food to be devoured and used by him.

He wished to indulge a little more, however, his growling stomach reminded him that lazing around was secondary to satiating his hunger.

It was time to hunt.

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The hunt had been fruitful. A creature that he simply called snake for lack of a better name was on his back now and he was about to go back to his hut, freezing the food and slowly devouring it as time passed by in this desolate world.

‘How long do I have to stay in this place?’

– We need more energy.

‘Tch!’

He clicked his tongue and continued to walk. Whatever form of energy the lifeform needed, the beasts he devoured had basically none of it.

They were nothing but primitive beasts after all.

He sighed. Time had long since become blurry for him. He had stopped counting how long he had been in this place after a few years, straying from place to place looking for companions or any sign of intelligent life.

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His life went on in its tracks, doing the same things every day and sometimes succumbing to bouts of daze before waking up again. His accursed body was refusing to let him die in peace.

He thought that today would once again be a day like thousands prior but—

Boom!

A tremendous shockwave seized his attention, causing him to stare up at the sky, where a star seemed to be hurtling toward the ground.

The direction was the cold zone of the world. The dark side of the world, perpetually locked to never have any form of light in it.

‘A meteorite?’

He wondered briefly, curiosity and wariness consumed him instantly as he looked at the falling star. But there was something more important.

This was something new. This was something interesting. This was— something that would definitely take away his boredom and monotonous life and give him a new lease.

He had to investigate this phenomenon.

And so, forsaking satiating his hunger, he sprinted in the direction where the fallen star now lay.

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Even as Noah ran on the snowy ground following the trail of the falling star, he was both confused and intrigued.

If at first he thought that this was a meteorite, now he was beginning to think that it might be something else. Something completely different. Something that he once knew.

His heart started to beat powerfully in his chest, as a hope he had long since buried reared its head inside his mind.

The star continued to shine and approach the ground until finally, it reached a place not far from where he was currently.

– Should I act?

No need. I will survive if it's this much.

Boom!!

The earth trembled and a large shockwave was released as it finally made contact with the icy land.

The wind was so strong that he had to stop and cover his head to protect himself from the blaring blizzard that was trying to blow him away. He could feel his ears ringing as his sense of balance was thrown off, but still he held on and stayed crouched down.

Metal pieces flew past him, some lightly scratching him while others quite literally pierced his skin and his flesh. This left him bleeding open wounds of different lengths and depths on him but he did not so much as frown at the barrage of harm that his body went through.

The pain was hitting him at the back of his mind, but this was nothing compared to some of the things he had to experience while hunting and even less compared to the experiments he had gone through when he was on Earth.

He didn’t know how long the shockwave lasted but when it finally stopped, only a few parts of his body were not covered in blood. Still, he stayed unmoving and continued to wait for some time. He could stay in this position for as long as was necessary.

It was only after the reverberation of the explosion completely stopped that he stood up and looked ahead at the large hole that had been created ahead of him— the aftermath of the crash.

He wanted to take a look at the contents within. But he first sat on the cold ground and started to take out the pieces of metal embedded in his body.

Disgusting sounds and a fountain of blood flowed out as the pieces were slowly taken one after another from his body by his own hands. Thanks to the way he protected himself, his arms and back were the main part of his body affected by the explosive debris. Taking them out was a pain, in both senses of the term but he was able to do so without issue.

I have truly become something unlike a human.

– You have transcended humanity.

Shut it.

All the while without even letting out a scream of pain from his lips. Only grunts and groans leaked out every now and then when he had to take out a piece that had embedded itself far too deep.

While this part of the world had no life, he was used to making as little sound as possible to protect himself. Being eaten once because of his mistake had been one time too many for someone like him.

‘Alright!’

He breathed in and out and flexed his muscles a bit to take out any remaining shrapnel that he might have missed and then a miracle started.

His skin could be seen wriggling and the places where blood was previously flowing out were closing up and vanishing at an incredible speed. Even wounds so deep that they nearly reached the bones were closing up.

Growl…

His stomach was protesting for a very obvious and understandable reason. He had not eaten anything since he had woken up and this healing prowess came with a price. The price of stamina and calories.

Ugh… I need to go back to my food later.

He started to walk again? Though now with a more careful attitude. His feet made nearly no sound as he advanced. Despite his young and frail appearance, he had all the aura of an apex predator ready to pounce at his prey at any moment.

Thump!

His heartbeat slowly started to accelerate, beating in unison with his growing tension. His perception of the world slowed down and in this world everything moved half a beat slower, only he was advancing normally.

He did not remember the first time he had developed this ability. But he knew that it had saved him many times while he was out hunting.

Finally reaching the crater and looking down, all he received was confusion.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The beating of his heart increased. This was different. It was definitely different from the design and form he was used to in the faint memories of the past.

But this was… without a shadow of a doubt…

“A spacecraft.”

He began descending into the crater at full speed. The heat inside continued to rise, a sharp contrast to the cold temperature of the surroundings. His skin slightly reddened before showing signs of wounds. The progressively growing heat didn't bother him, the blister did not register in his mind.

All he cared for was one thing.

Please! Please! Please!

He begged inwardly, praying to every god he knew out there.

Please let there be a survivor inside.

He finally stopped when he reached the very depths of the crater, wondering where the opening was.

Thankfully he didn’t have to wait long.

Whoosh!!

A sniffling-like sound and gas leaking from the ship startled him, forcing him to take a few steps back as he watched the ship open slowly. Then, someone or something staggered out of it in one go.

A robot?

What came out was eerily similar to the combat robot that he once used for his training in the past. Though with a design far more advanced than anything he had ever seen in his life.

He watched the red and white humanoid-shaped robot move around for a while before finally falling and crashing heavily on the ground.

What is the…?

His gaze alternated between the ship, or what was left of it, and the slumped robot— wariness and curiosity once again flashing in his eyes.

What should he do?

Destroy whatever came out of this ship?

Or try to communicate with it?

This was a question he did not need to ponder for long.

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“My name is Noah. Happy to meet ya…!”

What better way could there be to establish a connection?