Vikigaiden! (aka: Suikogaiden: The Rune of Time)

Summary: A look at some key events in the Suikoden world from Viki's point of view. She has a big responsibility to look after all those Tenkai stars. Things go wrong when she accidentally brings the True Rune of Time into the world and the other True Runes respond. Her superiors will not be happy about this.

Prologue

The day began as most days do: someone sneezed, materialized, and landed on my stomach. The sudden shock woke me up and I gazed sleepily at the offender.

"Oh no! I'm terribly sorry, I always mess up my landings!" the girl apologized quickly, bowing repeatedly and dropping her wand on the white stone floor with a noisy clatter.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and smiled, "It's no problem Viki, this happens to us all the time."

She smiled with relief.

I smiled back and added, a little cranky, "Although, it would be nice if you got off my tummy..."

A few of the other girls giggled at the predicament that they'd seen multiple times before as the older girl scrambled off and picked up her wand gingerly, apologizing all the way.

The abrupt awakening made me feel a bit disoriented, but looking around, it seemed like business as usual. It was good to take in your surroundings when you wake up - after all, you never know when you might find yourself in the wrong time period or continent. The older Vikis wandered around the Blinking Realm. Some were chatting with each other; some practicing magic; others engaged in board games or comic books.

I smiled inwardly, even though I was one of the more senior Vikis, I still enjoyed those silly comic books. One of the older me's was giggling as she paced up and down a nearby staircase, absorbed in one of the books.

I sighed. The older me's were still pretty affected by the memory loss of the time warping and I wondered if the giggling Viki even realized that she kept pacing up the same set of stairs. Geometry in the Blinking Realm was warped in such a fashion that turning the wrong direction could cause one to begin walking up walls or going backwards along looping staircases. It gave the rooms the beautiful effect of resembling an abstract painting, but it certainly didn't help the already addle-brained me's...

I reached over to the nearest counter to grab a comic book from the disorganized stack - it had been a while since the last time I read one - but ultimately decided against it. I spied my Blinking Mirror between the stack and the floating luminous lamp-crystal and picked it up instead.

My next assignment was coming up, so it would be best if I reviewed some of my memories instead. As one of the younger Vikis, it was my duty to be knowledgeable about our past for the sake of the older Vikis.

I stared into the Blinking Mirror, my too-familiar face staring back. The same long black hair as all the other girls in this realm. The same clear blue eyes. The features were softer and rounder, though. I decided I must be about 14. Certainly not the youngest Viki, but younger than most of the girls here. The youngest Viki that anyone could ever remember seeing was about 6 years old, but there were rumors that even -she- took orders from an infant-aged Viki that was the wisest of us all. I giggled at the thought and concentrated on making the Blinking Mirror show a reflection of a certain time period from my past.

I decided to remember the Prince of Falena. I had always felt particularly at ease with him. I watched the scene of the two of us unfolding on the reflective glass.

He had decided to travel the world instead of staying in Falena. He was stricken with grief after inheriting the Twilight Rune upon his best friend's death. I had gone to see him before the celebratory party at the end of the Sun Rune War. He told me he would go with Georg Prime, bearing the curse of the Sun Rune's children by himself.

But I told him he would return to Falena. The Prince seemed shocked when I told him so bluntly.

The me in the mirror shook her head, "Nope, you'll definitely come back to Falena. They need you here, you know. The Sun Rune's children are needed to keep the parent rune safe."

He nodded slowly, still intent on leaving, but he seemed to understand that it didn't need to be forever.

It was a good memory; the first time I clearly remembered -helping- someone with more than just my magic. I giggled again. I really felt like a super-hero from one of my comics when I could give speeches.

I began to focus on recalling another memory. And then, the Blinking Mirror blinked.

I found myself in another white room filled with floating lamp-crystals and a single stairway leading into it. In the center of the room was a steep pedestal encased by a flickering magic barrier. A few of the more senior (they hated being called 'younger') Vikis stood in front of the pedestal and greeted me. I was in the Room of the Time Rune. Floating just above the pedestal and surrounded by several barrier runes was the True Rune of Time - my Rune, or perhaps 'our' Rune.

The Time Rune seemed to be a benevolent True Rune, although it took its toll on its bearer. Our memories were difficult to hold onto and my body seemed to age in reverse - a far less useful ability than the immortality granted by other True Runes. It also seemed to want me to be involved with the Stars of Destiny. And to that end, it sent me through time to whenever I was needed. There always seemed to be a problem about sending me -back- to where I started, though. As this process continued, more and more Vikis returned to this Realm outside of time and the place became rather crowded.

Well, it didn't bother me that much - it was nice that the sterile white Realm was lively now.

The most senior Viki approached me, "We have discerned the timing of another True Rune's awakening, but its power is causing more interference than usual with our surveillance methods. Without much information, we feel we should send one of the more experienced Vikis to this incidence. I trust you can handle it?"

I nodded, smiling. I liked going on assignment, there was always so much good food. I pressed my finger to my chin as something occurred to me, "Well, I want to go, but what Rune are we looking for this time?" I asked.

"That's what is troubling about this mission. We're not sure," she explained, "I suspect it's the Rune of Punishment based on the timing and location, but it contradicts with our history reports."

Another one of the seniors chimed in, her voice slightly squeaky. It sounded cute. "This is why we think you should go, you have more experience and energy than most of the other Vikis available. I hope you can be resourceful enough for it!"

I blushed, slightly flattered that the seniors thought so highly of me, "Well, it feels a little funny to be praised by myself, but I certainly will try my best!"

This seemed to be enough for the Vikis and they nodded their agreement. I stepped up to the Time Rune as I had done innumerous times before and focused on channeling my Blinking Rune's power through it. The senior Vikis took a formation surrounding me and added their power into calibrating the destination.

The Kingdom of Gaien, decades after the conflict in the Island Nations, decades before the civil war in the Queendom of Falena...

Focus on the True Rune's power...

And then, of course, one of me sneezed.