Kire's blade swung, and the icy edge became stained in blood that soon froze to add to the width of the blade, with one edge now made of frozen blood!
At some point any hesitation in killing had fled from Kire; he knew his current mindstate would be impossible only a month ago, much less back when he wasn't awakened.
But now a new sense filled him, and everything took on a new light.
He'd seen the kind of things that were done to Bast, things he'd never even thought of.
It wasn't just this new instinct; it was also the change to his worldview brought on by seeing things from another's point of view.
Knowing the things people are capable of, and being so connected to someone with so much rage.
To kill these people would bring no joy or satisfaction, in fact he'd likely feel sad and disappointed they had to die.
But it didn't change that he did believe that they HAD to die.
Because he refused to lie down and be killed.
His life wasn't his to give up. It was the Dragon's, who had returned it to him.
Kire snarled, a sound like that of a tiger or lion, and a whip of water shot out from his free hand.
The thin water cut the heads off of another 3 assassins before the next one in line ducked below it, having had enough time to be warned by the "Snick!" of multiple decapitations heading towards him!
Kire spun as he tucked the blade towards his chest in a way awkward for a normal person before suddenly lunging out with a leap of air fusion!
His blade would have whistled through the air... but he stilled the noise with magic.
And as the leader opened her eyes as the light faded enough for vision to be useful...
Kire sent out a wave of ice shards inside the bubble of space in which he prevented any sound from being heard!
Her eyes widened as a fountain of blood flew from the throats of every assassin around her.
Some of those ice shards had changed trajectory to hit those who tried to escape!
Just how... Who was this man to fight like this without training?!
They'd been sent to kill him before he had a chance to grow, yet already he was terrifying!
Their runic weapons hadn't even had a chance to be used; their lightning protection had been only useful for making him have to use a different tactic!
To not even make him expend effort... he'd looked more tired from his practice than from killing 16 assassins!
Kire sighed and turned to her.
Looks like this battle wasn't enough to help him push past that veil he could feel impeding his progress.
"You're going to tell me everything I need to know."
She was the one they'd followed the direction of, and his instincts told him she was the strongest, so she probably was the most guaranteed to have valuable info.
"You think because I'm a woman I'll talk easier? Rape me if you like, I won't talk."
She smiled as her hood fell back to reveal black hair and amethyst eyes... right as she lifted a blade to slit her own throat.
As she stabbed toward her own neck... the blade shattered into frozen shards in midair, dissipating into dust as it disintegrated.
Her eyes widened as second before an invisible force picked her up and THREW her, slamming her into the ceiling of the large hall, and she was plastered against the ceiling by the relentless, silent wind.
Kire waved a hand as all the bodies around his froze and shattered, disintegrating as well, and only 2 blades were left in the end which he picked up and examined at his leisure as someone came running in.
Kire looked up at the panting guard. "Yes?"
"Sir Kire... I thought I'd heard a disturbance?" A flash of confusion drew across the guards face as he unconsciously looked around, to see no one around but the man before him.
"Looking for the assassins?" Kire asked with a gentle smile.
"W-What?! How did you-I mean what do you mean?!" The guard floundered, tried to recover, and then his face went ashen as he realized he had already damned himself.
Kire laughed. "Well, now I have 2 possible sources."
He didn't know the means the assassins had, so keeping one was risky enough. Any more and he'd be tempting fate to have them escape.
This was a normal guard who'd either been bribed, betrayed the kingdom, or served whoever was trying to kill him, so he was more easily hidden and interrogated.
"...two sources?" The guard dimly said, only for some instinct to make him look up.
The woman in a black cloak spread eagle on the ceiling stared at him in panic.
'No! That guard knows too much! He can't be allowed to speak!' She screamed, but no sound came from her mouth, silenced by the gale holding her and the air stifling all vibration.
~ ~ ~
"Kire, are you alright?"
Zanna came into the hall that had been lent to Kire for the nights, since a smaller room could often be damaged by his refinement of the elements.
"I'm fine Zanna. Why do you ask?"
Kire stuck his head out from behind a corner curiously.
Zanna waved a hand. "It's fine, a guard just disappeared. It's being looked into, but's the it's just a desertion? It's a weird time for that though seeing as morale is higher than ever with the 'almighty awakened' here." She giggled, only to cut off as Kire stepped out.
Pants, boots, but no shirt.
"Zanna?"
"Ah?"
"You're... ahem. You're staring." His cheeks went a little pink as she suddenly shook her head, her face going bright red as a tomato!
"I... I wasn't... I didn't say you were good!"
Zanna panicked before clapping a hand over her mouth, leaving Kire to laugh as he doubled over.
"Hahahahaha, wow, hahahahaha, ahh... I can't believe, hehe, that... wow." Kire straightened up after his bout of laughter.
"I guess I should feel good that even a noble lady thinks I'm 'good for something' then?"
Zanna rolled her eyes as she stomped out.
As she left, the mirth left Kire's expression.
He looked over to the area behind the corner where Zanna couldn't see, and two bodies with lacerations and many signs of electrical burns covered their skin.
Hints of 3rd degree frostbite existed on the parts fingers and toes that hadn't fallen off with the rest of them.
Kire sighed. "I think perhaps I'm adjusting to my new circumstance in this backstabbing environment just a little too well."
He smiled slightly to himself. 'It's fine. I will survive and grow strong, so that if ever he needs me...'
Who knows when this goal began to form, when he took his name or became truly thankful to live again, but at some point Kire began to burn within with a faith and a goal.
He wished to be someone of use, able to even slightly repay what the dragon had given him.
A new life, in the most literal sense.