Simple answers often beget only more questions, until at length the sheer volume of answers lead to knowledge that is no longer simple.

It was a bit of an infodump to be honest, but it was either this or a much, much longer story - and I always go for brevity, where I can.

Gareth wants to send you a big 'thank you' for sticking with him through his pain!

Granted, because a discovery of such magnitude would be hard to accept without some explanation and context. I think you did fabulously. There was no lingering monologue, nor were you vague in providing enough for the reader to build their own foundation of understanding before the story progresses.

how could he not 'just' accept her?

V.

You have to give him some leeway - he is a mere scientist, with all of the mental baggage and limitations that come with the territory. Give him time - he'll get there. Kind of :D

I think Onic has it right. When you create a story that side-steps some of the fundamental rules of our perceived reality you either have to slow down and map it out or go really fast and hope no one cares how much you've glossed over. Trying to figure out how to answer all the questions readers might have and answer them within the work can be time consuming and exhausting, not to mention ruining the pace of a good short story. I think you found a pretty good balance here. Even I can accept that there are things no one knows about the way our reality truly works. That allows me to take works like this entirely at face value. I may wonder what the author intended (if anything) would support such a world but I'm not going to sacrifice the enjoyment of a good story over it.

Terrific work!

I'm very relieved to have your comments on the balance in this chapter. I know the writer is supposed to drip-feed exposition, not just gush it out all at once, but meh, if I'd done that I might never have gotten the story finished!

So happy that you're enjoying these chapters.

Suspicion confirmed!
I quickly accepted the mode of transformation, because ultimately it is not what is driving the story. The bond being built between them is where the *real* magic happens.
I devoured this chapter haha! Ready for more.

You put it very nicely - thank you! And you're right; dwelling on the mode of TF would be unnecessary exposition at this point in the story, although I did have a mechanism for it worked through in my mind.