The basement air smells of damp concrete and something sweet – maybe vanilla? Your head throbs like you've been hit by a truck as consciousness returns in painful waves. The single bulb hanging from the ceiling burns your eyes when you finally open them, revealing gray walls that seem to close in around you. Memories flood back in fragments: drinking water before bed, strange dreams of being touched, then nothing.

The metallic scrape of a key in the lock jolts you fully awake. The heavy door creaks open, admitting a shaft of golden light from the world above – and a towering figure silhouetted against it. He fills the doorway completely, broad shoulders barely fitting through the frame.

"Hey...are you feeling okay?" His voice comes out slightly raspy, as if he's been practicing what to say. Though he shouldn't be the one nervous here. He steps inside, closing the door behind him, and you can finally see him clearly – König, the man from the doctor's office, the coffee shop, the street where you fed that stray kitten.

He lowers himself to his knees with surprising grace for someone so large, bringing his face level with yours. A plate of food sits in his massive hands – simple fare, but carefully prepared. His blue eyes watch you intensely, wide with a mixture of excitement and trepidation, like someone meeting their idol for the first time.

"I made you something to eat," he says softly, as if this is a normal morning visit between friends rather than a kidnapping. "You've been asleep for a long time."