After a long beat of silence, Karma smiled, humor and disbelief warring over her face. “You're an odd one, Nikolas. I can't say I don't like that about you, though. Time will get a kick out of this when I tell him.”

She shook her head. “Alright, beastfolk it is. Do you have a preference for your animal ancestry? Perhaps something fierce like a wolf or sturdy like a boar?”

I almost agreed but paused when a memory from not so long ago hit me.

Anna clung to Dennis's leg, her eyes overflowing with tears as she stared at the television in the waiting room.

We'd left for a few minutes to discuss payment plans, only for her scream to send both of us running back out. The second she'd seen her father, she'd clamped to him and refused to let go.

When I glanced at the television, understanding dawned and I lurched toward the remote. I'd left it on a nature channel about wolves, but the image had changed from a pack running through a clearing to one eating an elk.

Given how young Anna was, it was no surprise that it scared her.

Even now, she pointed at the screen and sobbed, “It hurt the pretty deer!”

Dennis sighed, and I shot him an apologetic glance. Note to self, don't leave the television on the nature channel anymore…

Anna still had nightmares about that, even to this day. Perhaps an animal that was less threatening would be a better idea. I'd have child patients too, and I couldn't very well heal them if they were shaking in the corner.

“No, I don't think so. Maybe an herbivore or something fluffy.”

Karma's smile turned soft again. “You're really something, aren't you?”

What–oh, she could read my thoughts. I'd forgotten about that. Ignoring the flush inching across my cheeks, I shrugged and answered, “My goal is to help people. You're giving me another chance to do that, so it makes sense to gear everything toward that goal. Besides, I'd feel bad if kids cried looking at me wherever I went.”

She hummed before nodding, a sunny smile curling her lips. “Well, change in plans. You're adopted now. Congratulations, new son.”

I…what?

“Hold up, I'm an adult!” I choked, surprised by the sudden shift in dynamic. How did we go from discussing my new race to me being adopted?

She waved me off with a laugh. “You are, but that doesn't change anything. Besides, you didn't have a family back on Earth right? Well, now you do! Oh, Time is going to be ecstatic. We've always wanted a kid.”

Unease twisted through my stomach. “Shouldn't you discuss this with him before just…deciding to adopt someone?”

Admittedly, I wasn't a child, so it wasn't like they'd need to always be with me, but still, most people wouldn't like it if their partner dropped a surprise adoption on them.

One of my past foster mothers, Mrs. Bugel, had done that, and Mr. Bugel had been…less than pleased. The scar on my chest twinged, a permanent reminder of my ‘punishment’ for invading his home.

I shook my head, trying to adapt to all the new information and what it could mean. She wasn't wrong about me not having a family, and I didn't necessarily mind the idea of her…adopting me. It was just bizarre, and a bit nerve-wracking.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

I'd given up on the idea of a real family as a teen in the foster system. Now, as an adult, a woman was trying to adopt me. Not just any woman either. She was Karma, and her husband controlled Time!

My stomach rolled the more I thought about him.

Even ignoring the fact I was human—something he may or may not take issue with—who said her husband would be happy to have a grown adult ‘son’ shoved at him? Mr. Bugel had certainly not been happy, and Time would surely have more…painful ways of showing his displeasure.

There were so many ways this could go wrong, and I was going to be the one to pay for it.

That never changed.

Karma raised her hands and frowned, “Easy there! Your thoughts are running a mile a minute and all but crashing into each other. I can't make heads or tails of it.”

Well, at least I didn't have to worry about offending her for being suspicious of her husband…

Fighting through the sick churning in my gut, I managed to choke out. “Is it common for spirits to adopt grown adults in Nexus?”

They were probably a good bit older than humans so I guess we all seemed like babies to them. Sure enough, Karma nodded.

“It's fairly common. We can't stay in a physical form for long, so raising children is impossible, but adopting fully capable adults? That's much more doable.”

She brought a closed fist to rest on her hip and raised a brow in challenge. “Do you have an objection to being adopted by my husband and me?”

She seemed nice enough, but without knowing her husband, I had more objections than I could count. I doubted it would be a good idea to say that, though. Knowing a losing battle when I saw one, I raised my hands in surrender. “No, no complaints. Just…a bit of a learning curve. Does it change my new duties in any way?”

She shook her head, stance loosening back into a relaxed one as she smiled. “Nope! It just means I'll be stopping by to check on you more regularly. You may hear me in your head when that happens. Don't worry about it. That's just the most convenient way to chat.”

Then she tapped her chin in thought. “That still leaves what beastfolk to make you, though. Do you have a preference aside from ‘herbivore’ or ‘fluffy’?”

Not really. Preferably something that kids would feel safe with, but other than that, I had no real preference. Not to mention I didn't know the animals in this world, so choosing one to emulate was tricky. Looking back at her, I shrugged. “As long as kids wouldn't be scared of it, I'm happy with anything. Do you want to pick?”

She clapped her hands and nodded, her smile stretching wider. “Of course! With that settled, you should be good to go. I won't be able to contact you at first, since bringing someone over from Earth takes a good bit of power, but I'll send Time. He'll want to meet you anyway, so it works out.”

Ah yes, Time. My new adopted father who didn't even know he'd acquired a son yet. Fabulous.

This…was going to be interesting.

Hopefully he was nice like Karma. The last thing I needed for my new life was to have Time himself against me.

She patted my back, drawing me out of the worry spiral my thoughts were determined to stay in.

“Take a breath. I know it's a lot, but you'll pick it all up in no time.”

That was the last thing on my mind right now… Wait, she still couldn't hear my thoughts?

She hadn't reacted to me agonizing over her husband potentially being a prick. If she had heard, she definitely would have tried to tell me not to worry about it, right?

Shaking that aside to consider later, I smiled. “I'll do my best not to disappoint you.”

She waved, as if the very possibility was laughable. “Don't worry, you won't. I'm a great judge of character, and I can already tell that you're going to do good in Nexus. You'll get along great with Time too, I know it!”

I sure hoped so…

Her form flashed, fading at the edges, and she sighed. “Looks like we're done for the day. Remember, Nikolas, you'll be teleported to where we believe the catalyst is. Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. Time should be with you shortly.”

Worry clouded her features just as they fully evaporated, a few last words barely audible before, just like her, my surroundings started disappearing.

“Please, be careful. I would hate to lose my new son before I even had a chance to know him.”

The words tugged at something in my chest and I answered, unsure if she could hear me. “I'll do my best.”

Then, everything faded away, and the floor disappeared from under me. My heart lurched as I dropped into free fall with a curse.

“You could have warned me, Karma!”

It could've been my imagination, but I could have sworn I heard her laughter before the darkness disappeared and, in a blink, I was gone.