Chen Kitay

by Angelika Nidua Buergo

**Chen Kitay** was the son of the Defence Minister of Nikara and one of Fang Runin's closest friends.

## Biography

### Early Life

Kitay grew up in Sinegard, where his family resides in the prosperous Jade District. He was a member of the prominent House of Chen, with their house colours being burgundy and gold. His father is the Defense Minister of Nikara, serving as the right hand man of Empress Su Daji. During his childhood, he spent a lot of time with Yin Nezha and Sring Venka, as they shared the same tutor.

Possessing an eidetic memory and great intelligence, Kitay achieved the highest Keju score of his year in the Sinegard Municipality, the most competitive testing region in Nikara. This was especially impressive because he took the examination one year early, making Kitay younger than most of his classmates.

Kitay admitted to Rin that he would rather be at Yuelu Mountain studying to become a scholar, but was expected to join Sinegard Academy because he is the family's only son. He had one older sister, Kinata.

### At Sinegard Academy

Kitay quickly became good friends with Rin during his first year at Sinegard Academy. He excelled in his classes and often placed at the top in Strategy and Linguistics. At the end of their first year, Kitay accepted Master Irjah's offer and pledged to study Strategy.

He revealed early on that he wanted to serve the Second Division upon graduation, as he wanted to be a part of the Army Intelligence.

### After Sinegard

During the battle of Sinegard, Kitay showcased his strategic prowess by designing and succesfully setting off numerous traps, all of which damaged the Mugenese. After the battle, Kitay confronts Rin about her powers, but he gets no answers. He then goes on to serve with the Second Division at Golyn Niis. H e is one of the few survivors of the massacre when the Cike find him. After Rin burns the longbow island, they meet again, though their friendship was in question due to irreconcilable moral differences.

### The Dragon Republic

Later, Kitay was left with the Pirate Queen, Moag in Ankhiluun to do their taxes, until Rin told the Republic to pick him up. At first, he was hesitant to join due to his remaining loyalty to Su Daji, but joined once he learned of his father's death.

In the Republic, he helped strategize for the battles, but he disapproved of the Republic's cruel methods. When on a naval campaign across the Nikaran heartland, he repeatedly clashes with Yin Jianzha about strategy, insisting they turn back before they are stuck in the mountains. Jianzha, unwilling to listen to him, pushes on, resulting in the destruction of the Dragon Republic's fleet and his own demise at the hands of Su Daji . Kitay and Rin make it out unscathed. When they encounter the Hinterlanders, he and Rin become each others anchors, which enables Rin to call the Phoenix once more. During the battle for Arlong, Kitay devises a mechanism which allows Rin to use her fire to fly, effectively making her airborne. After their victory over the army of Su Daji, he and Rin find out about the Dragon Lord's refusal to help the Nikaran provinces during the Third Poppy War in order to seize control of the country himself. Agreeing to join up with the Southern Warlords to rally against the Republic, they begin to plan their escape. Their plans are foiled by the betrayal of Yin Nezha, and in the resulting capitivity Rin loses her hand, causing Kitay permanent pain in his fingers due to the anchor bond.

### The Burning God

Now on the run from the Republic, Kitay and Rin make their way south, aligning themselves with the Monkey Warlord. They begin slowly liberating the villages from the Mugenese invaders still terrorizing them. Kitay always argues for mercy on the collaborating Nikarans, but this wish is never granted, with the southern villagers instead lynching them. The ideological gap between him and Rin grows wider. As Rin ascends the ranks of her Southern Army through assasination and battle heroics, Kitay becomes her closest advisor, alongside Sring Venka.

During one of their campaigns, Rin is betrayed by her closest allies and attacked by Yin Nezha. She survives, but in the chaos of the bombing the Republic manages to kidnap Kitay, taking him to an Hesperian stronghold. Here, Kitay is thrown in jail, subject to daily interrogation about the plans of the Southern coalition. When Rin comes to liberate him she overhears him lecturing Nezha ethics, accusing him of being a monster because he targets children, women and innocent civilians, further showcasing his strong moral compass.

In the final campaign against the Dragon Republic, Kitay is kept safe from harm, as his demise would also mean Rin's death. When they finally capture Arlong, Kitay showcases a talent for statemanship, easily navigating the intricacies of ruling an empire. When they trek through the countryside and see the destruction that years of civil war have caused, Kitay pleads with Rin to accept aid from the Hesperians, causing them to have a fallout. He convinces Rin to agree to a peace negotiation with Nezha on Speer, and when Rin realises her death is the only way forward, he agrees to die with her.

## Physical Description

Kitay was described to be scrawny and freckled with enormous ears. He was also described earlier as having wiry hair.

## Trivia

* Kitay was both aromantic and asexual. [x]