Chapter 138: Human Meets Venduron

It was hardly the answer that he had expected.

Kalon looked at Thea for a long moment. Her blue eyes were steady. There was no joke in them.

"Alright," he said. "I’ll show you. But not here. Your mother could come back any time. Meet me on the rooftop in ten minutes."

Thea nodded. She didn’t ask more questions. She just moved so he could get up.

...

Kalon left the Bluegale house through the side and went around to the back. The garden was dark. He found the old service ladder that led up the side of the building and climbed it quietly. The metal was cold under his hands.

When he reached the top he pulled himself onto the flat rooftop and waited near the edge, out of sight of the street, and the Bluegale garden.

A few minutes later Thea appeared through the access door. She had thrown on a jacket over her clothes and her hair was still slightly messy.

She walked over to him without speaking.

"Stay close," Kalon said. "I’m going to bring someone here first. Her name is Josinia. She’s from Venduros."

Thea’s eyes widened a little, but she only nodded.

Kalon focused on the system and selected Venduros.

[Initiating Travel Sequence...]

[Adapting body to suit conditions...]

[...]

[You have arrived!]

[Welcome to Venduros!]

He appeared inside Josinia’s house. The room was dim.

Josinia was asleep on her bed, white hair spread across the pillow, purple skin soft under the low light. Her breathing was slow and even.

Kalon walked over and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Josinia. Wake up."

She stirred. Her pink eyes opened halfway, then focused on him. A small smile pulled at her mouth.

"Kalon... you’re back already?"

The woman was happy to see him, as always.

"I need you to come with me to Earth for a short time," he said. "There’s someone I want you to meet. Her name is Thea. She’s human. Like me."

Josinia sat up quickly, sleep falling away from her face.

"Thea? The Thea that you’ve told me so much about?" Her eyes lit up with clear excitement. "Yes. I want to meet her. Give me one moment."

She stood, pulled on a simple dark robe over her sleep clothes, and stepped close to him.

Kalon took her hand and focused on the return.

[Initiating Return Sequence with Companion...]

[...]

[You have returned to Earth.]

They appeared on the Bluegale rooftop. The night air of Earth replaced the warmer air of Venduros.

Josinia blinked and looked around, then her eyes landed on Thea.

Thea stared at the woman with gradually widening eyes.

Josinia’s glossy purple skin, long white hair, and pink eyes stood out sharply under the city lights.

She was clearly not human. T

Thea’s mouth opened slightly. She didn’t speak at first. She couldn’t. It was like her body wouldn’t allow her to.

She just took in every detail of the alien. The texture of Josinia’s skin, the colour of her eyes, the way she stood close to Kalon as if it was natural.

"You’re... real," Thea said finally.

Josinia smiled and gave a small, polite bow.

"My name is Josinia. Kalon has spoken about you. It is good to meet a woman from his world."

Thea stepped closer without thinking. Her eyes moved over Josinia’s face and hair with open fascination.

"Your skin is actually purple. And your eyes... I’ve never seen anything like this. You’re beautiful."

Josinia’s smiled at the friendly compliment.

"Thank you. Your world is very bright. Even at night."

The three of them stood together on the rooftop for a while.

Thea asked simple questions about Venduros, about the resistance, about how it felt to travel.

Josinia answered clearly and without hesitation. She stayed close to Kalon’s side the entire time, but she did not seem uncomfortable under Thea’s stare.

If anything, she seemed pleased by the attention.

After some time Kalon spoke.

"That’s enough for tonight. Josinia still needs rest. I’m sending her back."

Josinia looked at Thea once more and smiled.

"I hope we meet again."

"Me too," Thea said.

Kalon focused on the system.

[Sending Josinia to Venduros...]

[...]

[Transfer complete.]

Josinia vanished in the same quiet shimmer of light as before. The rooftop felt larger without her.

Thea kept staring at the empty space where the purple-skinned woman had been standing. Her hands were clenched at her sides.

"She’s actually from another planet," Thea said. Her voice was low. "Everything you told me was real."

"Yes."

Thea turned to face him fully. The fascination in her eyes had turned into something sharper.

"I want to go. Not just meet them. I want to travel with you. To those places. I don’t want to stay here while you disappear to other worlds. If this is true..."

Kalon met her gaze.

"The skill doesn’t work on humans the same way yet. There’s a rank threshold. I need to reach Platinum before it will fully acknowledge someone from Earth and let me take them the way I take Josinia."

Thea’s expression didn’t change.

"Then get there faster."

She said it like it was simple.

Kalon looked out over the city lights. The weight of her words settled on him.

Platinum.

He was Mid Gold now. The gap between Gold and Platinum was not small. It would take serious fighting, serious gains, and probably more time on the higher-threat planets.

But the system had already broken normal rules for him more than once. If he pushed hard enough, if he used every affinity, every skill, and every connection he had, the distance could close.

He needed to reach Platinum rank as soon as possible.

And it was no longer just for the sake of becoming stronger. It was for the sake of advancing his space travels.

So he could bring Thea with him.

Thea stood beside him, still looking at the place where Josinia had disappeared, her decision already made.

Kalon stayed quiet, mind already turning toward the next steps he would need to take to climb.