I absolutely love this piece for a number of reasons, namely because it was the first to show Kira as he truly is: a warrior. He's wearing a set of armor he receives later on in a story I'm writing, in which he's the main character, and this was the first time it was drawn.

Original: http://drakearts.deviantart.com/art.....1580&qo=18

Also, here's a taste of the scene itself from the story, although a rough sketch, so to speak. It just gives a bit of context:

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He found himself at the center of the clearing, still and wistful like it always was. The temperate evergreens stood like guardians of sorts, adamant and strong despite the darkness that nearly consumed them. Kira flexed his clawed gauntlets, as if they still echoed with the blood of his foes. He remembered the Nightrender, Silas, and the stories he told. At first they were akin to the legends he heard as a child; the gallant warriors coming to vanquish evil. But it turned out to be far less idyllic, as the very ground he stood on was thick with the souls off fallen clansmen, including his own.

“The Cursed One has come again,” Silas’s words came to him, “only a Nightrender can pacify the beast.” Kira unsheathed his blade, carefully pivoting into a fighting posture. The dance began, and he wasted no time in carving the air with his strikes. As it happened, every blow felt like it was carried on the wind, nothing like how he used to feel while training. It was no longer swinging a shard of ebony around with all its weight; it was fluid, just like Silas said. Kira’s low slashes were trailed with sprays of dew, soon whirling into a shower of mist. The young fox halted his dance for a moment, extending the blade outward. A single drop fell from the tip. He sighed and regained his balance, gazing toward the night sky. Many thoughts crossed his mind, all uncertain and reflective. After all he had learned, was it enough to redeem those that were lost? Kira clenched his fist as the dark gauntlets retracted, and he saw Tosian’s face. Though it was a memory, he could still hear his voice as he taunted Shen, the Cursed One’s servant. Tosian’s body was aglow with azure fire, baring the fullness of his Arcanic power, and he lunged at his enemy.

Kira was thankful that the vision faded quickly, and he felt over his shoulder to make sure Tosian’s blade was still there. He swallowed hard, and focused his mind. The song of the evening creatures was enough to calm him somewhat, with their ethereal trills and chirps. He thought about staying for a while longer just to take in the gloaming peace, but he had to return to Meryna soon. Just thinking about her made his chest flutter. Kira turned a few steps away from the clearing before a tall shadow broke through the treeline, releasing a screech that could petrify the faint hearted. It flapped pointed wings and dove towards the fox just as he jumped clear. The dark-skinned avian flared its limbs at Kira and roared; the warrior stood his ground. Soon enough more creatures encircled Kira, bearing cursed talons that pulsed with dark energy. Their crimson eyes made it clear that they were tainted by the Cursed One, though he knew him as Ephyrus. They were once peaceful hunters, now ensnared by Ephyrus’s grip and forced to be his aerial troops. Kira stepped toward the center of the clearing as he felt his Arcanima awaken, sending ripples of verve through his body. The dark creatures began to advance, Kira bore his fangs.

“Steady as water, swift as the wind.” Said Nightrender Reyn. Kira remembered the words just then, and lighting engulfed his blade. He would never stop fighting; it was the duty of the Nightrenders. The mantle was his to bear now, and so it shall be.

“Come on, I’ll send you back to your master.” Kira growled. His blade, the shard of night itself, met the flesh of his enemies, for thine soul is adamant and unrelenting.



Kira and writing is by Me

Art by DrakeArts: http://drakearts.deviantart.com/