Kisen (帰泉) is a battalion commander under Asen in the Palace Guard of the Right. During Asen’s dynasty, he serves as a battalion commander in the Zui Provincial Guard of the Center. Although good-natured, he tends to be tactless. Santou describes him as bright, cheerful, steadfast, and good-natured. Asen affectionately describes him as a “bull in a china shop”, and that he has a “hard time getting things done without ruffling too many feathers”. Hinken says that while he’s gauche, no one sets out to be that way deliberately. He also says that skillwise, Kisen is similar to him. According to Ukou, Kisen is an average swordsman with no special skills.
Career[]
During both Emperor Kyou’s dynasty and Gyousou’s dynasty, Kisen serves as a battalion commander in the Palace Guard of the Right under Hinken’s command. When Asen usurps the throne, he’s transferred to the Zui Provincial Guard of the Center in the same position. He’s considered an average swordsman and has made mistakes throughout his career, but in those instances Asen assures him that Kisen wasn’t at fault—rather, it was Asen’s own fault for giving him those orders.
The Bun Province Rebellions[]
Kisen was one of the 500 men from the Palace Guard of the Right who accompanies Gyousou to Bun Province. When he goes missing, he and Hinken do their best to search for him before Asen summons them back to Bun Province. When he learns about Asen’s usurpation, he accepts what his commander has done out of the belief that Asen should’ve been emperor. The way he saw it, “Heaven made a mistake. Asen corrected it. Justice was served.”
Asen's Dynasty[]
Kisen believed that Asen committed no crime in overthrowing Gyousou and is aggrieved when his commander stops meeting with his retainers altogether. He is under the impression that Kisen and his colleagues must’ve failed him in some way. When he hears that Asen is moving forward with the coronation seven years later, he is overjoyed but aware of how that might affect Santou’s feelings. Kisen is also of the opinion that Asen’s decisions were the Will of Heaven, and that Asen had struck Gyousou down because he was just about to begin straying from The Way.
Gyousou's Capture[]
When Asen figures out Gyousou’s location, he summons Kisen under the pretense of giving him a special assignment and instead uses the jisen to devour his soul. No one finds out until Santou runs into him that night on his way to visit him and sees that he’s showing the same symptoms of those who contract the “illness”. As Kisen walks away from him, he hears him say, “The dove in the warehouse. How horrible—how dreadful.”
After fulfilling his orders to kill Ukou, Kisen and several others are ordered to capture Gyousou in the forest between Bun Province and Ba Province. Kisen is killed when, remembering Asen’s orders to capture Gyousou alive, he jumps between Gyousou and a spearman who is about to attack Gyousou. Even though he’s under the influence of the jisen, he feels happy that he was able to fulfill Asen’s final orders to him before he died and wonders is Asen would be pleased with him.
Relationships[]
Asen[]
Because Asen is a kind, understanding, and forgiving commander toward Kisen, he is the subject of Kisen’s hero-worship. Kisen sees him as perfect and magnanimous and refuses to see him as a criminal when he overthrows Gyousou. Asen was also fond of him, yet uses his jisen on him anyway. Even after everything Asen did to Kisen, his final thoughts are whether he was able to please Asen by obeying his orders.
Hinken[]
Kisen deeply respects Hinken as a commander because although he doesn’t stand out, he’s steady and easy to get along with. Kisen says as much to Hinken, who is touched and compliments him in turn, calling him a good subordinate. When he hears about the nature of Kisen’s death, Hinken mourns him and then chooses to fight for Gyousou.
Santou[]
Kisen serves directly under Santou as a battalion commander and, despite the fact that Santou is one of Gyousou’s retainers, the two men get along well with each other. Kisen does his best to not hurt Santou’s feelings or make him uncomfortable, and at one point expresses sympathy for him to Hinken. Likewise, Santou treats Kisen well and befriends him. He feels happy for Kisen when he finds out that Asen contacts him and his horrified when he finds out that Kisen’s soul is devoured by the jisen.