How long does this take?

As long as your life takes to come back — there is no clock. Each stage opens when enough has been told — on light, never on a date. A few hours a week is about eighteen months to Alcyone; an evening most days, a few months. The only ceiling is 30 answers a day, so a life is not emptied into a weekend. The late questions ask for detail only you can give, and if it takes you three years, it takes three years.