Adan spent morning after morning reading the stories from the surrounding shelves to me. He would patiently preface each one with the origin planet and a bit of the history. He seemed driven by my hunger for more. It was stark compared to my friends and family that seemed to shrug through my interests without ever grappling with its depth.

"Where do you go in the afternoons?" I asked over one lunch.

"I tend to the needs of the planets. This is the mother planet," He murmured as he diverted his eyes from me.

"Do you leave? I have not seen any crafts departing."

"Shuttles are a primitive and lengthy way to travel."

"And you have a better way?"

"I would not say better, but one that does not require as much maintenance."

"I'm listening," I prodded.

He sighed, reluctance permeating his posture.

"You said you would share. It is time we augmented the books."

"Your people have hardly scratched the service of special relativity."

"Special relativity?" I could not recall the term.

"Black holes," he responded quickly from my call. "Of course, they are much more than that, and when properly harness, the speed and safety are far superior."

"I would like to accompany you."

He gazed across the table at me. "You may join me today, but I fear you will be disappointed. I have no plans to travel."

He was correct; I was disappointed. But I was still eager to partake in whatever his mysterious afternoons offered.

We headed down an extended wing of the castle I had yet to explore. It plunged us into near darkness before Adan stopped abruptly.

"Tell me if you grow uncomfortable," he murmured before plucking a blanket from a hook and opening the door to the bright midday sun.

"Oh my," I said as I shielded my eyes from the blistering light. "I had thought the desolate twilight was constant from our first days here. I did not realize that you had such beautiful days."

"One person's beauty is another's grotesque," he offered to temper the clear warm day.

As if the sky could sense the brightness blasting my eyes, the sun slipped behind a cloud providing relief from the brilliant light.

"Well, in my opinion, this is beauty," I contended as I stepped outside.

The world could not be more different. The gnarled grey branches of the emory were now playful twists and braids accented with dots of delicate white, red, and yellow flowers.

"Aren't you a pretty little thing," I whispered to a perfect little blossom that was just beyond my fingertip. As if it heard my praise, the velvety petals tickled my finger in a caressing manner, like a cat looking for attention.

"Are you cold?" He asked as we walked through the fantastical garden of blooms and foliage.

"No, it is such a perfect temperature today." As I spoke, a soothing breeze twirled around me in a playful manner that pulled a childish giggle from my lips.

"Tell me what you see?" He asked. "I would like to see this world through your eyes.

"Mmhmm, a luxury indeed to have a stranger see your lovely planet with fresh eyes." I let my elbow tap into him playfully, causing him to recoil slightly by my casual touch. "I'm sorry," I murmured as I dropped my eyes.

"You see this place as lovely?" He recovered himself quickly.

"Of course. The leaves are such a brilliant green, and the rainbow of flowers makes me want to giggle and skip like a schoolgirl." But even as I spoke, the feeling was fleeting. A contemplative somber settled in as I thought that my planet had once been this vibrant and lively.

"And yet, you are shrouded in sadness?"

"It makes me worry for my own planet. Was this our past? Did we corrupt this beauty?"

He studied me for a long moment. His gaze sunk deep into me, filling me with nervousness I had not experienced before. I felt a giggle spill from my lips like the schoolgirls that would chase after Luke. The moment brought a flush to my face.

"Let's return now. I am done for the day."

"But nothing has been done?"

"A lack of action does not mean that care has not been given," he corrected.

As we arrived back in the familiar study, a flash of light caught on a mirror facing the windows caught my eye.

"I hadn't noticed that mirror before," I commented as I gazed at our reflection in the mirror.

A painful sear coursed through Adan in the image.

"What's wrong?" I instinctively turned and set a soothing hand on his arm. "Are you hurt?"

I felt his arm begin to twitch away in recoil, but he fought it this time and let my hand settle.

"You still see me as a beast. You still fear me."

"I do not. I see you as a friend, as a teacher. There is no one I respect more than a teacher."

"The reflection does not lie. You see me as a hideous monster."

"One person's grotesque is another's beauty."

His eyes softened on me as a lone finger lifted to my cheek. The rough tip trailed down my cheek. "As enticing as my knowledge is to you, you still feel like a captive."

"I am a captive. I have no way to get home to my family."

"Would you like to? Would you like to return to your family?"

"Of course, as you said, my race is one of packs. We do not live in isolation like you do."

He nodded slightly. "Would you come back? If I were to let you leave and grant you easy passage back to this planet, would you want to return once the shackles were off?"

"Yes, as I said, I respect nothing more than a teacher."

"A teacher," he said back to me as his eyes wandered over my face, memorizing it. "And you are certain the want would be there?"

"Tell me the secret you are hiding, and I am certain the want will be there."

"This planet, my isolation is a balance of selflessness and duty. This planet is one of giving and can be destroyed by those that take. In my zeal to protect this heart and the planets rely on it for survival, I have banished everyone."

"A planet of giving?"

"If you desire it, you shall have it. It is an intoxicating allure that has led many astray. The attraction to more can suck the life from this world. When you first arrived, the want of your team was overwhelming. If I did not purge this place of them, it would have died, and with it, this entire Universe would vanish with a blink."

I took a step back. It was not an intentional step; the blow of reality forced it.

"Breakfast that first morning?"

"The over-activity of nature willing to please. You do not want like most. When you do, it is a want of understanding. It makes the world want to invite you in. This study, these books are all from you. I did not create this room. You created it. Fascinating really, you want books of other civilizations and not the comforts of what you have always known."

"I have always been searching."

"This planet is an endless quench for a curious mind."

"And the reflections?" I prodded.

"My selfishness," he murmured as he turned away from me, closing the answer.

"I will come back. I will come back to study more. To listen to your planet and understand."

He lifted his gaze to me as war raged in his eyes. Reluctantly, he pulled a small round mirror from his pocket. Look into the mirror with the destination you desire in mind. It will bring you there. When you choose to return, it will get you back.

"Thank you, Adan. You will see me again." 

"To learn," there was a somber tone to his words.

"Isn't that what made me welcome?"

"Years of tempering my desire have made me vulnerable. When you arrived, the first book we shared was my childhood favorite. I thought it was from a curiosity of me."

"It was."

"And yet, I am still a beast." His eyes flickered to the mirror. "I wish I could be more. I wish you could see what I see, but I would never impose that on you."

I was taken aback by his profound admission. "I will be back, Adan."