Crematorium

POV ???:

Professor stood on the bridge opposite the white-haired alien with unusually pale skin. The lava bubbled all around them, but neither of them paid any attention to it.

Lights floated in around the alien's outstretched hand with five slender fingers. The lights quickly arranged into unknown shapes and symbols, floating and ignoring gravity.

There was some pattern in them, making him feel like it was an attempt at communication.

'These patterns... is it maybe some representation of mathematics?'

Without warning, a slight pain as if someone stabbed with a hot blade into the temple exploded in his head, making him step back.

"Can you hear me?" Words reached his mind, but they felt like they weren't coming from any specific direction, even though the being visibly opened its mouth as if speaking.

The two voices, one of gibberish and the second one he could understand overlapped in perfect sync.