Kael stepped out of the Dimensional Gate. The portal flickered shut behind him with a faint hum, vanishing into nothing as if it had never existed.
He climbed the narrow wooden stairs to the main floor, pushing open the basement door.
It was morning now. Light was streaming in through the broken windows of the house.
"I could fix this," he murmured to himself. "Bit by bit."
If he was going to be moving goods regularly between worlds, this house would become his Earth-side base. Storage, restocking, maybe even crafting. Eventually, a legitimate business.
A secure, remote location with no neighbors for miles. Surrounded by forest. The perfect place to hide something extraordinary.
But first, it needed a proper repair.
"Hmm," Kael muttered, grabbing his bike. "I should talk to Eli about this."
...
Kael pulled up outside Martha's shop and leaned his bike against the wooden fence.
He knocked on the door.
It swung open a moment later, revealing someone new.
