An Assassin's Respite

The First Human Bestowed with a Power

They immediately begin their search, flying from safehouse to safehouse unsure of who or what they were looking for. Bahamut was on the verge of giving up when a strange tingle went down his spine. He stopped mid-air and looked around. He was close to just calling it a passing feeling when he had an urge to fly south. Without hesitation, he flies south at full speed. After a short flight, he runs into Karma and Kirin.

“Did you have a strange tingle down your spine as well?” Bahamut asks.

“Did it come with a sudden urge to fly south?” Karma asks.

“I don’t like the fact that I had the same feeling as you two,” Kirin says.

“It appears we’ve found the human in question,” Bahamut notes.

“It would seem so.” Karma agrees.

“Well let’s hurry up then. I'm interested in what makes this human so intriguing.” Kirin barks.

The three fly south until they reach the first safehouse they created. They land and head for the human that acted as the village leader.

“Well if it isn’t the three kings. What brings all three of you here today?” An old man asks.

“We came searching for a human. Ra, the sun dragon, told us he would be of use to us.” Bahamut answers.

“Although I’m not sure how any of us could be of use, if there is anyone that might fit that description, it would have to be Kan.” He replies.

“Kan?” Bahamut questions.

“Yes, I will go get him immediately.” The man says before he walks away.

He returns shortly after with a man that was muscular and quite tall. He appeared to be in his mid-20s.

“I am Kan and I am the head warrior for the village. What could the three kings need me for?” He says.

“This is him?” Kirin asks as he gets close to him.

“Not quite what I was hoping for.” He says with a disgruntled look.

“Now now, don’t be so quick to judge.” Bahamut states.

Bahamut looks Kan up and down before speaking to him.

“Tell me a little about your story.” He asks.

“I was born in a village that lay west of here. My father was our village's strongest warrior so as a child I was trained to be the next leader of our warriors. I was praised for my physical prowess and combat ability. I quickly rose and strength and was nearing my father when the dragons attacked. My father quickly evacuated everyone that he could and led our warriors to battle. I wanted to go with him but he forced me to lead the evacuation stating that there must be a strong warrior leftover in order to protect our people. I followed his orders begrudgingly when another dragon showed up. I was prepared to fight and die there, but they offered to shelter us. I was hesitant to trust them but then they protected us from the dragon that first attacked. They led us here where we have been living,  but I have not seen nor heard from my father since so I can only assume that he perished from the dragon attack. Now I watch after my mother and sister, who live here with me.” He says.

“I see. I would like to deeply apologize for the pain that my kind has caused you.” Bahamut says while lowering his head.

“There is no need for you to apologize. I understand that not all of you dragons are our enemies. Even us humans fight amongst ourselves.” Kan says.

“I appreciate your forgiveness,” Bahamut says while raising his head.

“Still, what’s so special about him?” Kirin wonders.

He reaches out and gently touches Kan. Once his claw touches him, he feels a tingle and a lightning bolt crashes into a tree nearby. Everyone was frozen from shock and confusion. 

“What… just happened?” Kirin mutters.

“I don’t know.” Bahamut says.

He looks at Kan thinking that he may be able to provide an answer, but he looked just as confused as the rest of them.

“In any case, it seems we have found the human in question.” Karma notes.

“It would appear so,” Bahamut says in agreement.

“Kan, would you assist us? We were instructed by Ra, the sun dragon, to find an interesting human that will help us defeat Amaraz. We think that you may be that human.” Bahamut states.

“I would be happy to assist you. After what just occurred, there are many questions on my mind. Also, I could never turn down a chance to avenge my father.” He says while bowing. 

“That’s the spirit!” Kirin says with a laugh.

“Would it be alright if my mother and sister came along as well?” Kan asks.

“Don’t worry. My brother is here so there is nothing for you to worry about.” Kirin says.

As if he was summoned, Raikirn, Kirin’s brother, appears next to him.

“Don’t you worry, I will protect them with my life.” Raikirin assures him with a hearty laugh.

“I see, then I will put them in your trustworthy hands,” Kan says with a bow.

They decided to have Kan ride on the back of Aeros, one of Karma’s followers to avoid another situation similar to earlier. They were headed for Karma’s castle since it was located in the sky. Once the castle came into view, Kan was left speechless.

“How is that possible?” He asks.

“The winds move to my commands. Something like this is easy.” Karma states.

Kan continues to stare in disbelief. Karma’s palace was literally on a cloud and appeared to be made of clouds as well. Once they landed, Kan was surprised to see that the cloud was solid. 

“I'll have to rearrange the interior so that you can move around more easily.” Karma notes.

“Huh?” Kan chokes.

He looks around and notices that the interior begins to move. A staircase forms leading up to the second floor. On the second floor, a bathroom and bedroom are created.

“Although it may be a little makeshift, I have done my best to create a place for you to sleep and relieve yourself,” Karma says.

Kan inspects the bedroom and the bathroom.

“The bedroom looks more comfortable than any that I have seen before and the bathroom has a better system than what I’m used to.” He notes.

“I am glad it is to your liking,” Karma says.

“But it is surprising that dragons live in mansions. I always thought you all live in caves.” He says.

“Most dragons do, but us kings are special. Castles are seen as places that show authority thus us kings all live in castles.” Karma explains.

“I see, so it’s kind of like how we treat village leaders.” Kan surmises.

“In a way, yes. Now, we should talk about some more serious matters.” Karma says.

“I agree,” Bahamut says.

“I wonder what happened then?” Kan says while looking at his hand.

“It’s obvious you were able to tap into my power.” Kirin states.

“We know that, the question is how and why?” Bahamut says.

“Yes, it is quite the intriguing turn of events.” Karma notes.

“For now, we should rest. The best course of action is to ensure that Amaraz can’t locate us in the sky with Gaia’s power before testing anything.” Bahamut says.

“I agree.” Karma nods.

“Fine, I'm hungry anyway.” Kirin says as he turns and heads out of the palace.

“Kirin, I know you are a free spirit and like to do as you please, but do try and return in a timely manner, you’re a pivotal piece to our cause.” Bahamut pleads.

“Yea, yea.” He mumbles as he flies out.

“Why is it so hard for him to listen to directions?” Bahamut groans.

“He is very much like lightning, never at the same place he was at last.” Karma notes.

“Are all dragons like him as in they take after their respective elements?” Kan asks.

“Yes, we are. Karma is very free-spirited and goes with the flow just like the wind.” Bahamut says.

“And Bahamut has a burning passion for what he cares about,” Kamra adds.

Kan looks between the two dragons and then at his hand again, deep in thought. While Kirin was gone, Bahamut took the opportunity to explain to Kan why Amaraz had decided to attack humans. Kirin came back to the palace a few hours later and was greeted by Bahamut, Karma, and Kan.

“Have you all been waiting there the entire time? I’m flattered that you missed me so much.” Kirin says.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but we all left to get some rest as soon as you left, we just so happened to be here discussing something that Kan thought of. Actually, you’re just in time to, he was about to explain.” Bahamut says.

“Oh, and what is our human pondering about?” Kirin jokes.

“Well, you dragons have personalities that match whatever element you command right? What if I’m able to tap into your powers because I have similar traits to you all?” He says.

“I guess that’s not too unbelievable, but that doesn’t explain why humans haven't been able to utilize dragon’s powers until now. I have come into contact with many humans in my life and not one has created the same anomaly as you.” Bahamut replies.

“That is true, but what if the sun dragon activated something inside the three of you?” Kan asks.

“He definitely could have done something like that,” Karma says.

“Also, you said that Amaraz was attacking humans because he feared the speed at which we evolved. What if he foresaw more humans like me gaining the ability to tap into dragon’s powers through coexisting?” Kan adds.

“How could he predict something so far-fetched as that?” Kirin questions.

“Amaraz had always had a somewhat prophetic ability.” Bahamut states.

“Do you think he could predict something like that?” Karma asks.

“He had been aware of humans since their conception and his order to have me watch over them seemingly came out of nowhere so it wouldn’t surprise me.” Bahamut elaborates.

“But I’m not even sure how I have this power let alone how all humans could obtain it,” Kan says.

“Ra could have done something to you. It’s possible that there was some type of catalyst he activated.” Bahamut

theorizes.

“Do you think he did something similar to Kan that he did to us?” Karma questions.

“Maybe, Kan, did you feel something strange happen to you a couple of days ago?” Bahamut asks.

“There was a time a few days ago where my body felt hot and I felt a tingle go down my spine.” He answers.

“I see. It seems very likely that Ra had something to do with this.” Bahamut suggests.

“Maybe it was a hint in ways. It could be possible that the way for humans to use our powers is for us to bestow them.” Bahamut theorizes.

“I’m glad you all are having fun with your theories, but what does this have to do with him learning to control his power?” Kirin growls.

“Simple,” Bahamut says as he places a hand over Kan.

There was silence for a moment before a light shines around Kan.

“Now, try to produce flames. Raise your arm, think of what you are most passionate about, and imagine that or those things bursting forward.” Bahamut instructs.

Kan followed his instructions and before long had released a powerful burst of flames from his hand. The four were left with surprised expressions on their faces.

“I see. It seems that Ra granted you the ability to tap into our powers on touch so that we could find you more easily. We had to bestow our powers onto you once we found you.” Bahamut notes.

“Are you saying that any human could use our powers if bestowed upon them?” Karma asks.

“In theory, they could as long as they met a certain criteria, but we would have to test it out.” Bahamut answers.

“Still, there is something that’s bothering me about all of this.” Bahamut thinks to himself.

“Is it possible that Ra’s plan was to get humans to join the fight?” Kan suggests.

“Could that be the reason? No, if it were, then Ra wouldn’t have us find such a specific person. There must be one more thing for us to do.” Bahamut thinks to himself.

Kan’s suggestion floated in the air for a brief moment before Bahamut spoke.

“I don’t think that’s what he was aiming for. It would take time to explain things to the other dragons and train humans to use their newfound powers properly, time we do not have. What’s more likely is that Ra bestowed you with something special, something that would help us get an edge over Amaraz.” Bahamut states.

“You think so?” Kirin asks.

“With Amaraz having Gaia on his side, there is nowhere to hide humans other than Karma’s castle presumably and we cannot have an army of both humans and dragons here,” Bahamut says.

“That is true. So do we focus on making Kan as powerful as possible?” Karma asks.

“That seems to be the best course of action.” Bahamut says.

“Then let’s stop talking and get to it,” Kirin says as he bestows his power onto Kan, and Karma quickly follows suit.

Before Kirin and Karma could explain how to use their powers, Kan could feel his heart skip a beat. He fell to his knees, it had felt like the gravity in the room had tripled and it became hard to breathe.

“Kan! What’s wrong!” Bahamut exclaims.

“It’s our power. His body must be struggling with the new strength that’s coursing through him.” Karma suggests.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Bahamut asks.

“Let him be. If he dies, then he is unworthy of my strength.” Kirin says.

Bahamut tries to say something but is stopped by Karma.

“Although he was a bit crude in his delivery, Kirin has a point. He must be able to handle our powers at once on his own.” Karma says.

Bahamut grits his teeth and reluctantly pulls back. Kan was on the ground, struggling to breathe. He was writhing in pain and couldn’t even think. He felt like he had been struck by lightning and was both on fire and felt chills down his spine.

“How, how do I stop this sensation?” He thinks to himself as he chokes for air.

It was becoming harder and harder to think clearly, but he forced his mind to think of solutions until he got an idea. He closes his eyes and thinks about what he used to produce those flames earlier. Once he had those thoughts gathered in his mind he tried to suppress the heat in his body. Soon, his body began to cool down, but he was still in immense pain and barely able to breathe. He looks at Kirin and Karma with a pained expression.

“Tell… me.” He mumbles.

“Calm yourself and feel the wind. Ignore the outside world.” Karma says.

“Pure chaos, think of what you want, of what excites you,” Kirin says.

Kan takes their advice and dispels both the feeling of being struck by lightning and that freezing chill. His body still hurt from the event, but he was able to breathe and move properly now. He stands and looks at his hands before clenching them.

“I can feel immense power welling up inside of me.” He notes.

“Are you okay?” Bahamut asks.

“Yes,” Kan answers with a nod.

“Well, that was interesting if anything. I like you kid, you’ve got spunk.” Kirin says with a boisterous laugh.

“Are you sure you should be laughing? He could have died.” Karma points out.

“If he died then he simply wasn’t worthy,” Kirin says.

“He’s right. If merely being bestowed with your power was enough to kill me, I wouldn’t have been any help to you anyway.” Kan notes.

“You see, he understands. Now, all that’s left is for you to control the power you've been given.” Kirin says.

“It would seem so, for now, you should practice using them before we begin training in combat scenarios,” Bahamut notes.

Kan nods in response and promptly starts to get accustomed to his powers.