Shen Reigan

Wayward Son and Mantle-Bearer of the White Lion

Age: 19
Affiliation: Shen Family (Lin Province Lin) Lelien Empire
Known Relic: Mantle of the White Lion

Appearance

Reigan Shen is tall and lean, his presence marked most of all by the Mantle of the White Lion — a silver-trimmed pauldron and cloak that radiates a subtle predatory aura. Beneath it he wears a white martial uniform, accented here and there with streaks of pink — a rebellion against the Shen tradition of pure white.

His black hair, streaked with pink, began as a prank when Tamaska dyed it in his sleep. Instead of erasing it, Reigan leaned into the color, claiming it as his own. Together with his golden predator’s eyes, the subtle break from tradition symbolizes the man he is becoming.

Early Demeanor

When Reigan first met his companions, he was awkward, unsure of himself, and deferential. Despite his prestigious family name, he lacked the confidence to lead, preferring to remain in the background. Those early months were marked by hesitation in both word and strike.

Travel and hardship burned some of that away. Skirmish by skirmish, his indecision hardened into precision. The lock began to turn.

The War with Castor Malachite

Reigan took part in multiple skirmishes during Castor Malachite’s invasion, culminating in the airborne assault that ended the campaign. He fought in the final zeppelin drop — his first true leap into the unknown — and survived.

As reward, he was allowed into the Shen Vault, where the family’s most hallowed relics are kept. There, he chose the Mantle of the White Lion, a sign both of heritage and of expectation.

Break with the Empire

Despite his victory, Reigan did not remain in the Empire. His father, Shen Dai, commanded him to stay and aid in the post-war reconstruction. Instead, Reigan left, still clad in the pure white of his family colors at the time.

To those within the Empire, he is remembered little better than he was before: awkward, untested, more lucky than skilled. Only those who now travel with him see the shift — the confidence rising like a blade drawn from its sheath.

Growth and Change

The change was gradual. The pink streaks in his hair and accents on his clothing reflected the inner rebellion: his willingness to step away from blind obedience to tradition.

His hardest trial came at The Sweeping Glaive, where he and his companions faced Nitsa the Small. Reigan struck the final blow, severing Nitza’s neck and watching the life drain away. The shallow graves of The Starlings that followed erased the last traces of empathy he had for enemies.

From that day forward, he resolved never again to hesitate.

Path of the King’s Key

The King’s Key is outwardly described in terms of locks and gates, but in practice it is mastery over dimensional space itself.

Interdimensional Armory: Reigan maintains a private pocket-space where he stores weapons and tools, summoning them instantly when needed.

Spatial Step: He can slip through short distances by stepping into his dimension and emerging elsewhere, bypassing obstacles or striking from angles no enemy expects.

Dimensional Edge: His strikes carry the shimmer of space itself, able to cut across guards and slip through armor.

The Unexpected Key: No battlefield remains static around him; he attacks from impossible vectors, opening “doors” that only he can see.

Where others see a wall, Reigan sees a locked gate. Where others stop, he finds the key.

Family and Legacy

As with other dogmatic branches of the Shen Family, Reigan has met his siblings only after his sixteenth birthday, and even then never with the closeness he expected. Shen loyalty flows to those above first, then those beside. Tradition — and perhaps fear — has kept him from truly knowing them. Still, their names weigh on him:

Shen Lanyue – The Veiled Scholar

Shen Yoru – The Silent Blade

Shen Meilin – The Hidden Flame

The Shen elders forbid any one child from carrying more than a single relic, a tradition rumored to date back to the first Emperor, who feared that too much power in one Shen hand might overturn the throne.

Reigan, with his Mantle, now walks that thin line — heir to power, but set apart from the family who will not, or cannot, embrace him.

Rumors and Shadows

Among the Shen, whispers persist of the White Lion’s return. No one agrees on how:

Some claim it is through the relics housed in the Shen Vault.

Others say it is bound to the bloodline itself, waiting for a worthy heir.

A few mutter of omens that the Lion prowls once more beyond the veil.

Reigan does not yet know if those whispers point to him — or to something far older and darker.