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Kiyoshi wasn’t exactly human, not really anything that could be labeled. A mixture of so many different things yet none of it truly defined them. Horns had sprouted from their head a long time ago, and only during Marika’s reign were they cut off. It hurt them but it was what had to be done; even if no one was to see their face. They had scales across their arms and legs, doting their skin like freckles would’ve. Feathers that made up their ears, few of the feathers trailed their cheekbones too. They had long forgotten what other features they had - they had become shameful of their unnatural being long ago. They rarely used the incantations they were blessed with as a result too. The tail that sprouted in a golden ray, too unsightly and the growths of horns seemed so gross. The wings that blossomed out in a flutter of feathers once garnered a holy appearance was called something dragconic. The horns that padded their shoulders to protect themselves, and throw enemies off their feet now are treated like an Omen's horns, bad luck; more animal than human.
All those things that made themselves — Them, were outlandish and so greatly frowned upon. But they didn’t care, that wasn’t a weakness that would stop them in battle. Those features were what made them so fearsome, almost unstoppable.
But none of that seemed to matter as they were shunned from the cities, forced to be locked away or killed on sight. So very few of any person in power seemed to care about the Crucible’s existence anymore. Their presence wasn’t needed, because if they didn’t stand for the golden order, they had to be rid of. That was the law of the land, even if unspoken. Anyone that didn’t fit Marika’s ideals were delt with swiftly, Kiyoshi had thought that she was a woman of great power, a leader that was to be respected; they knew what she was now. A coward hiding behind an outer god’s power. Kiyoshi wasn’t entirely sure what it meant to have a god, they never understood the importance of having such a powerful being, doing almost nothing for the people, yet being worshiped so. They stood for the primordial tree, the essence of life itself.
Originally, they found it so hard that they were being thrown out, Godfrey too. That they were being ripped from the life they had grown so accustomed to, the children they had grown used to caring for now looking at them like they were nothing. Seeing Godwyn glance at them with a sad look before walking away was painful. But nothing hurt more than when Morgott and Mohg were forced underground for the sake of appearances. Morgott looked so ashamed of his accursed blood, Kiyoshi saw the way he looked at his tail, the horns that grew from his skin and tearing up. He looked so broken.
Mohg was furious and crying, he tried to fight back but in the end it didn’t matter. They were put in the deepest room possible in Leyndell's sewers for protection. So they wouldn’t be hunted down by omen killers, yet, even so, Not a single guard was around to protect any of the omens. Nobility or not.
They were heart broken. They remembered the way Mohg and Morgott looked at the crucible with stars in their eyes. How Morgott would compare his tail to the Crucible’s tails, how similar they looked. Mohg loved the way the horns on their shoulders sprouted, the horns that were atop their heads, curling and sprouting in all sorts of directions. The Omen twins were treasured by the crucible, whether they knew it or not. Kiyoshi wasn’t particularly close with any of the other knights, they found comfort in the idea of being alone, and once everything was said and done, they were alone.
Yet, when Tarnished all over the place were revived, some being more in shape than others, They found themselves being less alone. An astrologer by the name of Dante, who looked ever confused when he stumbled upon them, started babbling about so many things. Kiyoshi never listened in the start, though they wished they had. Dante had often returned after various adventures, being more and more open as time passed. And kiyoshi found themselves mumbling responses sometimes, and each time Dante was surprised. It was a silly thing, to get attached to some measly little tarnished, but it happened anyway. Kiyoshi had told themselves not to get attached, they failed that task, so easily too.
However, even if they were attached they held themselves from traveling with him, spending anymore time with him than they had to. Because even if he had defeated godrick, he was a nobody. He would perish at the hands of any of the other champions, that much was certain. And it broke their heart a little. So they didn’t budge from their spot until he had defeated someone more powerful than the mere runt of the litter.
And came back he did, he came back with armor from Rahdan. They were surprised, and a little relieved to some degree that the War general had finally been put to rest. Kiyoshi had felt terrible for the man, stuck in a crazed state to forever devour his men. Though, Dante seemed different. So distinctly different, battle changed people, kiyoshi knew that well. But they had never seen him look so far away?
Kiyoshi wasn't an expert when it came to reading people, emotions were never their strong suit. They never explicitly asked Dante what was wrong, and he never let much slip out when it came to his own feelings. But even with that, he seemed to light up at the fact the stars were moving again. And Kiyoshi shared that joy too, just on a lesser scale. They hadn't seen the stars move in a very long time.
He looked more excited at the idea of something else, and while they should've seen it coming from a moon away — they didn't expect him to be so open about it.
He asked them, officially, to travel with him. Here is where they found themselves too weak to say no, Kiyoshi wouldn't ever end up regretting this decision though. They almost always indulged Dante in his desires of the little adventures he wanted — the trips that strayed them away from their main goal. They could see it in his eyes, the fear too. The fact he was already holding the shards that could have him ascend as the Elden Lord. Kiyoshi never touched on that subject though, it wasn't their place to say anything.
They were too attached to the small tarnished, they knew this well. But they couldn't help but hold onto the idea that he liked their company — they were weak towards his friendly demeanor, and wanted nothing more than to serve the rest of their life as the guard by his side. They found a new purpose.