Zyloth the Undying stared glumly at the gleaming metal walls of his hermetically-sealed sanctuary. Day 3,285,419 of immortality. He sighed, his breath fogging the interior of his helmet.

When Zyloth first achieved eternal life through a combination of cybernetic enhancements, genetic modifications, and sheer force of will, he was over the moons. No more would he have to fear the icy clutch of death. The universe was his oyster, a cosmic buffet to be savored until the end of time itself.

The first few millennia were a blast. He indulged every whim and fancy – visited every corner of the galaxy, tried every exotic delicacy, mastered every art and science. But slowly, the novelty began to fade. Been there, done that. Got the T-shirt, made of rare spider silk from Arachnus Prime.

These days, he rarely left his little bubble, drifting aimlessly through the void. What was the point? He’d seen it all. And everyone he’d ever known or loved had long since returned to stardust. Immortality, it turns out, was pretty damn lonely.

Suddenly, his musings were interrupted by a loud clang reverberating through the hull. Probably another micrometeoroid. They were the bane of his existence, pinging incessantly against his –

The sanctuary lurched violently, throwing Zyloth against the bulkhead with a surprised “oof”. Red emergency lights flickered to life. That was no micrometeoroid.

Heart pounding, Zyloth checked the external cameras. His blood ran cold. Looming outside was a massive, nightmarish creature – a Void Leviathan. Kilometer-long tentacles coiled menacingly, rending great gashes in the hull. One of the monster’s dinner plate-sized eyes peered directly into the camera.

Zyloth knew he was in trouble. Void Leviathans could swallow ships whole. And while he might survive being eaten thanks to his augmentations, an eternity inside a Leviathan’s gut was not an appealing prospect.

Klaxons blared as the creature’s assault tore through the sanctuary’s defenses. In desperation, Zyloth made a mad dash for the escape pod. If he could just reach it in time…

Too late. With an ear-splitting screech of tortured metal, a tentacle punched clean through the hull, whipping around the interior like an angry serpent. It coiled around Zyloth’s leg and yanked him off his feet. He scrabbled madly for a handhold, but it was no use. The tentacle dragged him inexorably back towards the breach.

So this was how it ended. Not with a whimper, but with a slurp. Zyloth closed his eyes, bracing himself for the slimy embrace of the Leviathan’s gullet…

But the end never came. There was a blinding flash, a deafening boom, and suddenly the tentacle around his leg went slack. Zyloth opened his eyes to see the Void Leviathan reeling back, a gaping, cauterized wound marring its flank.

A small, arrow-shaped ship darted into view, guns blazing. It danced nimbly around the behemoth, peppering it with searing energy beams. The Leviathan shrieked in fury, lashing out with its tentacles, but the little ship was too quick. It flitted circles around the monster, landing precision strike after precision strike.

Finally, the Leviathan had enough. With a final, petulant swipe of its tentacles, it retreated into the inky depths of space, leaving a trail of fluorescent ichor in its wake.

The arrow-ship docked with Zyloth’s crippled sanctuary. The airlock cycled open, revealing a grinning, grizzled human in a battered flight suit. He extended a hand to Zyloth.

“Captain Jax Rexar, at your service. Looks like I got here just in time, eh?”

Zyloth took the proffered hand, hauling himself to his feet. “Zyloth the Undying. I… I don’t know how to thank you. You saved my life.”

Jax laughed. “Undying, huh? That’s a new one. And don’t mention it. We void-farers gotta stick together. C’mon, let’s get you patched up.”

As Zyloth followed Jax into the airlock, he felt an unfamiliar warmth blossoming in his chest. It took him a moment to place the feeling. Gratitude. For the first time in eons, he was truly, deeply grateful to be alive.

Maybe eternity wasn’t so bad, after all. Not when there were still brave, kind souls like Jax Rexar out there, ready to lend a hand to a stranger in need. The universe, he realized, still had wonders to offer. All he had to do was open his eyes.

With a smile tugging at his lips, Zyloth stepped into the airlock, ready to embrace whatever adventure came next. Suddenly, the future looked bright. Bright as starlight on a clear night. Bright as the gleam in Captain Jax’s eyes. Bright with possibility.

And Zyloth the Undying, for the first time in millennia, was grateful for every single shining second of it.