And for the first time
He didn't correct it.
The morning carried forward whether Kael adjusted to it or not.
By the time Iren reached the office, the city had fully settled into its usual rhythm. Traffic flowed in steady lines, people moved with purpose, and the building itself felt exactly as it always did.
Predictable.
Structured.
Unremarkable.
Which should have been enough.
But something about it felt… thinner.
Like the surface was intact, but whatever sat beneath it had shifted slightly out of place.
Iren noticed it the moment he stepped inside.
Not in the environment.
In himself.
"Late," Milo said the second Iren reached his desk.
"I'm on time."
"You're exactly on time," Milo corrected. "Which means you're late by your standards."
Iren dropped his bag beside the chair.
"That's not how time works."
"It is when you're predictable."
Iren sat down, turning on his monitor.
"That sounds like a problem for you."
