Kellan’s arrival unsettled Oko because it created a responsibility he had not chosen. Oko could perform warmth, offer instruction and place a hand on his son’s shoulder, yet he continued to evaluate Kellan as another useful ability. Affection remained inseparable from strategy.
For Kellan, even limited attention felt significant after months of pursuit. He wanted to understand fae glamour, his own evolving magic and the history his mother had withheld. Working beside Oko seemed to provide answers that conversation alone would never produce.
The imbalance became clear whenever the plan demanded risk. Oko expected loyalty before earning trust and interpreted objection as inexperience. Kellan had to decide whether rejecting his father’s judgement meant abandoning the identity he had travelled so far to find.