Disclaimer: I do NOT own Suikoden or any of the characters, no matter how hard I tried to own Luc for myself. (Yeah, you don't say :P)
A/N: Hi, welcome to my second Suikoden fic! :D I really am new in this whole writing thing, so please be patient with me... *bow* I'm doing my very best, though! I have decided that this fic will be just four chapters long, and I'm only going to bug you with my ramblings in the beginning of the first chapter here, and on the end of the last chapter. Oh, and to make it clear, the sentences typed in bold that you'll find throughout this story is Luc's inner thoughts. Sooo, please enjoy!
Chapter one
Wavering
Luc was surrounded by very old walls and the floor he stepped on could already be called ancient. He's in a Sindar Ceremonial Site ruins, all by himself, performing the most important ritual in his life to destroy his nefarious True Wind Rune and his body along with it. Sarah, Albert, and Yuber were buying him the time by summoning a swell of monster and illusion armies to confront the Fire Bringers.
Sarah. Her condition was alarming. She seemed to be straining herself too much lately, but so did Luc. And there's too many things going on in Luc's head that he unconsciously kicked out the concern from his head. But still, in a moment like that where the air was too quiet and the time seemed to freeze, her name popped out in his mind.
Luc did care about her. But it sucks to admit that the only reason why his mind would wander now of all times was solely because of hesitation. He froze a moment while the small hesitation turned bigger and overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes.
Why now? Luc knew from the start that there'd be no turning back once he had stained his hands with the blood of innocent lives. Luc wouldn't pretend to be a good guy saying that he's sorry, instead he intended to bear all the guilt and live with it without whining. He was so determined; all for nothing but a goal.
So why hesitate now...?
"-Achoo!"
Luc jumped back a few steps from the shock. A sneeze, and that particular one to be exact, was the last thing he'd expect to break the silence. A painful feeling struck his chest even earlier than the sight of the very familiar face when he gradually recovered from his shock.
"Huh? Where am I now?" Viki started looking around with a troubled face. Luc didn't budge nor he made any sound, he just stood there watching as Viki turned around and found him. "Oh, Luc! Thank goodness! ...Or are you not Luc? I met you a while back in the castle, but people kept telling me that you're not you. They called you Sasha...something. And they said Luc is the bad guy who wants to destroy the continent or something...but there's no way, right? I mean, look at you! You're still the Luc I know."
Luc just watched silently how Viki's eyes rolled here and there; how the pointy part of her hair sprang here and there while she's speaking. Nothing other than genuine glee beamed with her smile; the last scenery he'd expect to see in the last minutes of his cursed life.
Luc almost jumped again in shock before looking around in panic. He released a relieved sigh after he had made sure that no one was being teleported along with the clumsy girl. He almost forgot to consider that possibility back there, which could have put him and his important ritual in great danger.
"Huh? What are you looking for?"
"Nothing."
...That's right. This girl's life won't be spared either when the destructive force of the destroyed True Wind Rune is released later.
Luc finally realized. It's not a mere hesitation he's experiencing at the moment. Luc was doubting what good it could really bring to destroy a True Rune and sacrificing so many lives. Luc had lost his purpose. He just...lost sight of the point of all this struggling and fighting. Was it revenge...? Or was it salvation...?
"Luc? Hey, Luc?" Viki'd been desperately calling out his name, but he didn't give any sign of noticing for a while back there. After a while, he then just lifted his face to face Viki with a dead look in his eyes.
"Luc, are you not feeling well?" Viki looked worried. "And speaking of sickness, I think I might just catch a... a..."
It's already too late when the warning arrived at Luc's consciousness.
"Viki, no-"
"-Achoo!"
The ancient Sindar ruins disappeared and less than a second later Luc ended up in a completely different place. However, the tall stone building in front of him wasn't newly built either and awfully familiar...
"Hey, Luc, that's Luc! I mean, another Luc!"
Luc realized that Viki was right there too (that's good), and was pointing at somewhere behind him.
Shit. Following where Viki was pointing at, there really was another one of himself, only younger. And the building whose yard became the spot where he's sitting right at that moment would be none other than Dunan Castle. Shit. I don't have time for this... "Viki, hurry-"
"Luc! What are you doing over there?"
Luc was startled by the voice. He quickly searched for the owner of the voice in panic. That's when he realized that it's meant for the younger Luc, and the spot he and Viki landed earlier was well hidden by some bushes and trees.
"Is that Futch? Huh, that's weird. I thought he's already gotten older the last time I met him..." Viki said.
Luc―the older one―watched as Futch was approaching the younger Luc, Bright settled on his shoulder. The younger Luc looked up at him for a second, then looked back down without any answer. He was currently sitting on the border of the stone floors of the castle while his feet rested on the green grass of the castle yard. Small breezes were helping him to feel comfortable but you wouldn't find any expression of gratitude in his eyes.
Futch arrived beside him and stood there for a while looking at him then the green scenery around them.
"May I sit down here, too?" Futch didn't wait for an answer since he had already realized that the young lad beside him wouldn't give him any, especially when he's in that kind of mood. So he sat there, only a meter away from the younger moody Luc, closing his eyes as he inhaled the fresh morning air.
No way... The older Luc was overwhelmed as he watched how the events unfolded from behind the bush. This is...
That time.
