As he waits for the prince to mull over the first part of his tale, Rei downs a bit of his meal. The expenditure of magic for the day has been higher than usual and as such he feels a little drained, however a little food is all he needs to replenish for now, and later, a trip to the garden. When motioned to continue he washes his mouthful down before going on. “From that day on to my fifteenth year of life, I lived in an assassin's guild. The man who stayed the blade on my life became my unofficial caretaker, however the entire guild had a hand in raising me. I. . .Do not recall too much of the youngest years, however after the age of five I recollect the coldness growing inside me.” He looks to the prince. “I am sure it is still there, though I can no longer consciously feel it.” He looks to his hands as he continues. 

“I trained in many weapons, each member insisting that I would be best with this or that, until at last we found the perfect weapon. Due to my speed and reaction time, along with the precision I learned from my second father while practicing on the easy marks he would pick for me, my current weapon is what I am most efficient with.” On instinct his hand falls down to the handle of his blade, lifting it slightly to make sure it is clear of it's scabbard. An old habit, and one that has served him well. “At first, I was a bit obstinate, I recall many beating for not listening, and for the most part they did the trick in getting me to do as they wanted of me. However, I was able to stand fast on not killing the people they brought in for the other young ones like me to practice on. If it was not a mark with a contract on them, I would not take their life.”

He lets out a low hum as he thinks about it. “The other children would, and it was a note of shame on my second father for quite some time that I would not obey him in that. However with my excellent performance on the easy missions that shame soon was forgotten.” He looks at the prince, and with a slow nod he says, “By the age of twelve, I no longer needed direction, or correction. I could hold my own against almost any other assassin in the guild, my magic having awoken and given me quite the edge, as he would put it.” He now keeps his eyes on the prince, wanting to see his reactions, unsure of what to expect. “However, holding my own was not good enough. As I said, family bonds among my race are far stronger than it is for humans, and with my violent upbringing, I did not seek to mourn their passing. Indeed, I consciously felt nothing for them by the age of ten, but by then my instincts had enveloped them, and I reacted to the need the only way I knew how.” He tilts his head to the side. “I sought to repay them those lives they took.”