Page 2 of Vylit: Glowing for Her
The giant's luminescence flared brighter, patterns rippling across his chest and face in complex swirls. His expression shifted to one of alarm. He glanced down at the water beneath us… a lagoon of some sort, though like no lagoon I'd ever seen. The liquid glowed with the same unnatural purple as the tide that had swallowed me, but here it moved in perfect geometric patterns, forming and reforming as if communicating.
"The translator must be malfunctioning." He tilted his head, studying me like I was a particularly interesting specimen. Welcome to the fucking club, pal. "You asked me to 'set you to low tide.' This is impossible with your structure."
Understanding dawned. "No, I said put me down. DOWN. On the ground. Or whatever passes for ground in this... wherever we are."
His glow pulsed rapidly, and his massive arms shifted. For a terrifying moment, I thought he was going to drop me into the strange lagoon below. Instead, his grip faltered just enough that I slid several inches before he caught me again, pulling me tight against his chest.
My lungs seized. The air burned suddenly, searing through my airways like fire. I clutched at my throat, gasping for oxygen that wouldn't come. The atmosphere here, whatever it was, wasn't compatible with human physiology.
The giant's expression transformed to horror. His fingers moved with surprising dexterity for their size, producing a small, slick object that reminded me of a jellyfish crossed with a surgical mask.
"Forgive me, small ebb. I forgot your species requires specific atmospheric ratios."
Before I could protest… not that I could since I was busy suffocating, he pressed the gelatinous mask against my face. It sealed around my mouth with a sensation like being kissed by cool silk. Then he pressed his lips to the outside of the mask. The substance pulsed once, then began to feed oxygen into my lungs.
Oxygen tinged with something else. Something that tasted like ocean depths… and him. His essence, somehow transferred through this living apparatus. The intimacy of it shocked me more than the alien technology itself.
My breathing stabilized. Our faces hovered inches apart as he watched me adjust to the mask with anxious intensity. His eyes caught the light, pupils expanding and contracting with each pulse of his bioluminescence.
"Better?" His translated voice rumbled through the patch at my throat.
I nodded, unable to speak past the mask and the lingering sensation of having just somehow indirectly kissed this enormous glowing stranger.
"Excellent. Remain moist, small ebb. Your adjustment period requires careful monitoring."
A laugh burst from me despite everything… a high, slightly hysterical sound. The translation patch was clearly struggling with nuance.
"Remain moist? Seriously?"
His luminescence responded to my laughter, flaring brighter in time with my voice like a living visualizer. The patterns across his skin reorganized into more complex formations, pulsing in what seemed like pleasure.
"You find my concern humorous?" No anger in his tone—just genuine curiosity.
"The translation is... not great." I shifted in his arms, becoming increasingly aware of the heat radiating from his body. Not uncomfortable, but definitely noticeable. "Look, can you please set me down now? And maybe explain where I am and who—what—you are?"
He hesitated, then carefully lowered me until my feet touched a surface that felt like polished stone. His hands remained at my waist, steadying me as I wobbled.
"You are in the Gathering Lagoon of the Sixth Quadrant. I am Vylit of Mavtros, Last Warrior of the Luminous Deep." His chest expanded with obvious pride, light patterns forming what looked like ceremonial designs. "And you are Maya Poe, marine biologist of Earth, my genetic complement and destined mate."
I jerked backward out of his hold, nearly falling on my ass. "I'm your what now?"
"Mate." Vylit said it like the most natural thing in the world. "The Intergalactic DNA Registry identified your genetic structure as complementary to mine. We are biologically compatible for reproduction and spiritual union."
My mind raced through the implications. Alien abduction? Interdimensional travel? Some kind of elaborate hallucination caused by neurotoxins in that violet algae? None of those possibilities explained why he thought I'd signed up for alien dating services.
"There must be some mistake. I never registered for any... intergalactic matchmaking."
Vylit's glow dimmed slightly. "Your Earth governments have exchange agreements with the Registry. Random sampling occurs during routine medical procedures."
That blood test during my last physical. Those extra vials they'd taken "for research purposes." Son of a bitch. Sometimes I really hated working for the government.
I looked around properly for the first time, taking in my surroundings. The lagoon stretched in all directions, its surface broken by crystalline formations that caught and refracted light. The shore where we stood wasn't sand but some kind of iridescent material that shifted colors beneath my boots. In the distance, structures rose from the water… not buildings exactly, more like massive coral formations sculpted into functional shapes.
Nothing looked remotely like Earth. The sky above burned with three small suns of different colors. I wasn't just in another country. I was in another world entirely.
"I need to go back." My voice shook despite my efforts to sound calm and rational. "Now. This is a mistake."
Vylit's expression fell, his luminescence dimming to a soft glow that somehow conveyed disappointment. "The Transit Gate is preparing to close. We must reach my vessel before the cycle ends."
