I did not return to Aetherfall right away.
I thought I would. I had planned to. In my head it was supposed to be simple. Handle whatever the Realm Union dragged me back for, pack up, step through the gate again, and get back to the mess waiting for me on the other side. That was the expectation.
Reality had other ideas.
Kyren complicated everything.
The moment the paperwork shifted from "temporary ward" to "legal guardian," the process slowed to a crawl. Every agency suddenly wanted a say. Every department had forms. Additional interviews, confirmations, signatures. The fact that I intended to bring Kyren into Aetherfall made it worse. Minors crossing was not unheard of, but it was uncommon, and uncommon always meant scrutiny.
Kyren had to be registered. Pre-approved. Flagged as an initiate candidate. Evaluated for psychological stability, compatibility, for risk. Evaluated for things no one bothered explaining to me in detail, but all of them took time.
