More Than an Adoption
Kado became Auren’s foster father mainly because he promised her biological father, Zain, that he would protect her. But over time, his role extended beyond just duty. He kept her safe from the Galvadi, helped her prepare for her future, and eventually came to love her like his own daughter.
Auren Was a Child in Extraordinary Danger
Zain was the Foramar, the spiritual leader of the shadow stalkers, and Auren’s birth father. Kado had already been selected as her foster father while Zain’s mate was pregnant with her. However, when the Galvadi invaded the Dark Isle with Drevin’s aid, Zain made him promise to protect her from the Galvadi. Drevin’s reasons for wanting her gone were driven by his belief that she posed a threat to him.
Raising her among the shadow stalkers would have exposed her identity, so Kado took her from the Dark Isle at birth. He concealed her origins by raising her among the people of the Serpent Isles, making her one of them. She was unaware of her true background.
His Guardianship Began as a Promise to Zain
In the shadow stalker tradition, children are fostered by a close friend rather than their parents because training them can be very risky. Due to the strong bond between parents and children, it’s considered more effective for someone else to handle their upbringing and training. Despite this, family remains very important to shadow stalkers, so they keep close family connections.
Zain, who was Kado’s foster father, asked Kado to foster Auren when his mate became pregnant. Kado was honoured to take on this responsibility. However, when he was compelled to leave the Dark Isle with Auren, he had to part ways with his own mate. Despite the separation, they could still visit one another through the shadow world, and eventually, he and his mate had their own child.
Later, upon learning this, Auren felt intense guilt, knowing Kado had to leave his child behind to raise and protect her. She found it unfair because she wasn’t raised in the shadow stalker’s culture and now felt pressured to adopt it.
He Created a False, Ordinary Life for Her
At first, he aimed to raise her in a remote life on the Serpent Isles to train her in secret, but as she grew, he realised she needed interaction with other children. He gave her the common surname, Trask, since shadow stalkers don’t have surnames, and enrolled her in school. Publicly, people believed he was a courier, but secretly, he served as a liaison between the shadow stalkers and the Coalition Council.
Protection and Training Were the Same Mission
Kado was very strict with Auren, believing the Galvadi would return someday, so fear shaped his parenting. During the school year, Auren lived like any ordinary child. During the summer, however, Kado trained her under the guise of a camping trip: tracking, climbing, combat, and survival exercises. Although she saw some lessons as excessive and irrelevant, they ultimately proved crucial to her survival.
Guilt Deepened His Need to Protect Her
Kado blamed himself for what happened to Frai, Auren’s mother. As his foster mother, Frai was very close to him while he was growing up. When he had to choose to save Auren over Frai, it profoundly affected him. Auren, who resembled her mother, constantly reminded him of that loss. Much of his overprotectiveness stemmed from his desire to prevent history from repeating itself. Consequently, his parenting sometimes seemed overly strict and controlling.
Duty Gradually Became Parental Love
By age five, Auren instinctively turned to Kado for comfort when scared. He pulled her from the shadow world, consoled her, and stayed with her until she was safe. While she missed her biological parents, she cared for Kado and feared hurting him. Over time, Kado repeatedly risked capture and death to protect her identity. Their bond strengthened into a true family relationship, despite starting with secrecy and obligation.
The Contradiction at the Heart of His Fatherhood
Kado wanted Auren strong enough to fulfil her destiny, but his fear made him reluctant to let her act independently. He sacrificed his own family life to raise her, yet sometimes questioned his choices when hers put her in greater danger. He wished he had raised her in isolation, while the story suggests her ordinary friendships helped shape her compassion and independence.
From Protector to Father Kado became Auren’s foster father because protecting her required more than just hiding her. He needed to give her a new identity, a home, education, training, and ongoing supervision. While fatherhood for Kado started as a duty driven by danger, it persisted because Auren truly became his daughter in every meaningful way.
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