Suikoden and all it's places and character are owned by Konami.
First I'd like to thank all who reviewed.
Canelle. I always remember Pilika as being very energetic form early in Suikoden 2 before she went into shock. So it's that happy and energetic image of her that I'm working from but she will have more serious scenes later on.
Suikodenfan. Thank you for not hitting the back button. I usually don't read a whole fanfic if it has a bad opening. So thank you for giving me a more then fair chance and reading it all. I'll try to make it rest flow better and be as good form start to finish.
Patroklos. Well I'm done with 'Blood, Pain and Forgiveness' but I'm still a big Chris/Hugo fan so I'm planning to work that in later. Fact is I think I'll have Chris pop in the next chapter.
Karana Belle. Thank You very much for your review. I was worried that people would go all Mary Sue crazed. I feel that's the knee jerk reaction when someone makes a fan character. I'm sorry for the typos but I try my best to get rid of them.
A quick note before I get started. When you see text Italic that's Lucian's thoughts when he's having flashbacks. When the text is ITALIC AND CAPITAL that's the Beast Rune talking.
-Tenzan Planes sixteen years ago-
"The fires of L'renouille almost look beautiful, don't they Lucia?"
"Lord Jowy…"
A sixteen year old Lucia looked on as Jowy Blight watched his kingdom and his dreams being consumed by fire and then crumbling into dust. It was just too painful to watch and not do anything.
"It's not over Jowy, your still alive and I'll fight to the death for you! You could go live the Grasslands and…"
"Don't you mean I could go and live with you?"
Lucia winced when Jowy said that, was the thought of running away with her so much worse then dieing. Did Jowy care so little about her? She was about to say something when Jowy handed Lucia a sealed black box.
"If this where to stay in Highland I doubt this land would ever know peace, so I'm trusting you to hide it for me. Hide it somewhere unknown to the rest of the world. I'd do it myself, but I have to go and keep a promise I made with an old friend."
Jowy looked towards the Tenzan pass, the place where his journey started and where Riou would end it and his life.
"No, let me stand by your side till the end!"
"I know that If I don't order you to go home, you'll just throw your life away here…" Jowy put his arms around Lucia in a tender hug. " … … and that would make me very sad."
Tears slide down Lucia's face despite all her will trying to stop them. She swore never to cry again after her father died, and defiantly not to appear week in front of a man.
"After my task is done I will join you in death my Lord… …"
"No, you'll find a better reason to live."
"How could I? It was not out of loyalty alone that I served you."
"I know Lucia, I know."
Jowy kissed Lucia ever so softly on the lips before letting her go. As Jowy turned to leave he said the last thing that Lucia would ever hear him say.
"I should die, not for losing this war or for the people I've killed but because the ones I hurt the most are the ones I love with all my heart."
-Grasslands Present Day-
"So that black box held the True Beast Rune?" Pilika asked after listening to Lucia's story.
"… … Yes that's how it happened. I hided the Beast Rune in a place that the Karaya Clan considers to be unholy." (Lucia did leave out the part with the hugging and kissing, but that was nothing they needed to know about)
Lucian could see why the Karayas thought this place was cursed. There was just barren gray earth with dead rotting trees as far as the eye could see. There was not a blade of green grass, animal or even monster to be seen anywhere. This was definitely an evil place. The lack of landscape and life didn't seem to bother Lucia and Hugo nor did it worry Pilika or Alice. Perhaps it was being so close to the Beast Rune that made Lucian apprehensive.
'Get a hold of yourself! Your not going to runaway after all this time you spent looking are you?' Lucian scolded himself for such cowardly thoughts.
Hugo taped Lucian on his shoulder and Lucian almost jumped right out of his skin.
"You nervous Lucian?"
"No, what would give you that idea?" Lucian answered in an very poor attempt at lying.
"It's just that I remember the long seconds of waiting for Chris and Geddoe to arrive in the Flame Champion's hideaway. Spirits, I can still feel my heart race just thinking about it."
"You where anxious?"
"Anxious, I was terrified! When I stood up infornt of Chris and Geddoe to be the successor of the True Fire Rune was more nerve wrecking then the fight with the Rune itself."
"Cut the chatter you two… … we've made it." Lucia called out to Hugo and Lucian.
Three large and jagged rocks leaned against each other to form the entrance of a cave. The wind blowing through the entrance made a low howling nose. Looking at it you'd think the darkness of the cave was threatening to spill out and devourer the world. Pilika shuttered at the sight of it.
"I'm not looking forward to going in there…"
"You wont have to, I'm going in alone."
Pilika and Alice looked at Lucian as if he was crazy, well technically Pilika was the only one 'looking' but Alice was shocked as well.
"You can't be serious! I'm not letting my only little brother go off and fight some True Rune incarnation all alone."
"This is just something I have to do on my own, end of debate."
Alice folded her arms and coldly said. "So all these years we where just unnecessary baggage to you."
Lucian could feel the veiled pain through Alice's icy words and that hurt him deeply.
'How could you two ever be a burden to me? We've all been friends for years, but this is not a fight I can take risk having you by my side. If I lose to the Beast Rune and die then I'll have no regrets about any of it but if one or both of you die then it be to painful bear even if I won.'
That is what Lucian was thinking and wanted to say but what came out was this.
"I don't need to explain myself or my actions to anyone, least of all you two."
Lucian then grabbed a torch and a water skin. Then just as he was about to enter the cave he took what may well be his last looked at Pilika, Alice and the outside world.
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'Lucian you moron! You just couldn't say that you were worried about your sister and Alice. No you had to yell back at the two people who've always been on your side.'
Why did Lucian's guilt have to nag at him now of all times. The battle he's been training for his whole life is at the end of this cave and all he can do is make himself feel like a complete jerk.
Seeing nothing to vent his anger on Lucian pressed on at a faster pace. Had Lucian not been rushing, or had his mind not been so preoccupied maybe he would have noticed that the cave made an abrupt and steep decline. However, because Lucian was not paying attention, he lost his footing and tumbled down into the darkness.
As soon as Lucian felt himself fall he drooped his torch and covered his head with his hands for protection. He tumbled down into the darkness for about a minute with his body hitting the hard rocky ground every second. He finally hit the bottom with a loud thump.
When Lucian had hit bottom his whole body was curled up in a ball. Slowly he began to get up to check if any bones where broken. Thankfully that was not the case and the worst damage he suffered was a lot of bruising. The only really bad thing that happened was the torch, is sole sources of light, had gone out.
Bruised, alone and now left in the dark Lucian remember the words of his teacher in Kyaro.
'Even if everything around you falls into chaos you can over come any obstacle as long as you keep your mind calm and clear.'
Lucian choose to ignore his teachers good advise. "Damn it all to hell, I'd bet a million potch this never happened to Tir McDohl!"
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Having voiced his anger to an unhearing world and with no reply forth coming, Lucian decided to calm down. Sitting down in a meditation pose Alice had taught him. He regulated his breathing and waited till a solution presented itself. Lucian didn't have to wait long.
A flash of light suddenly got his Lucian's attention. It was another torch falling down the decline and it landed right at Lucian's feet. He quickly grabbed the torch and thought that the world had finely gave him a break. Then his rational mind set in and the only way a torch would fall in here was if someone was caring it. Then the sound of a that person tumbling down reached Lucian's ears and just as he turned to move that person plowed right into him.
"Whoa, good thing I hit something soft." Said a very familiar voice form atop Lucian's torso.
"Get off… … can't… breath."
"Sorry Lucian."
That was when Lucian recognized the person's voice.
"Hugo, what are you doing here?" Lucian asked as Hugo pulled him to his feet.
"I came to help you. I know my fight with the true Fire Rune would have been much harder without Geddoe's True Lighting Rune."
"Ok then, why are you here helping me? We only just met yesterday and your running off to help someone you barely know." Lucian asked a bit skeptical of Hugo's appearance.
Hugo picked up his torch form the floor and in the fire's light his face appeared both somber and thoughtful.
"It's about Lulu, my best friend who was killed just before my eyes. After that I've never had a friend who was my own age. Then you came to the village I just thought, well it's really silly of me to say this, but even thought we just met I thought that we could be friends. So I'm not going to sit around while you go off and get yourself killed. Remember I did beat you in a duel so I know you need my help like it or not."
"Hugo... … … Thank you for being here."
"Alright then, the sooner we get this True Rune the sooner we can go throw a victory party!"
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After an hour or so of slow progress the two finally made it to the end of the cave. A huge circular camber carved out of the cavern rock that was illuminated by magic blue flames. Yet that was all there was, no Rune incarnation, no alter, no seal or anything. It was just a huge empty space.
"so Hugo, what happens now?"
"I don't know, it was the flame champion's wife Sana who broke the seal on the True Fire Rune."
Lucian though hard trying to remember everything he'd heard about the True Beast Rune. Then an idea came to him, so he drew his sword and cut his left palm.
"Lucian!" Hugo exclaimed shocked by Lucian's sudden act of self-mutilation
"I think I've got it Hugo, Leon Silverberg had to cut himself to brake the seal on the True Beast Rune. The key to the seal is blood, at least I hope so or I'm risking infection for nothing."
Just as the first few splashes of crimson blood hit the ground the entire room started to shine in blue and silver light. A low menacing howl echoed off the walls. A giant two headed wolf with a large rune floating above it started to appear. In a few seconds but the Beast Rune went from ghost like to flesh and blood, yet something was wrong. The Rune Beast looked more like a staved and abused dog then the king of all beast. It's ribs where visible to the eye and it's fur was matted and unclean. Hugo and Lucian readied their weapons all the same. Injured or not it was one of the Twenty-Seven True Runes and they could not afford to take it lightly.
The Beast Rune growled low as if it where ready to attack.
"BLOOD… … WE KNOW THIS BLOOD!"
The Beast Rune was speaking right into the minds of Lucian and Hugo. It's voice was deep, low and there was the scenes that two voices were speaking at the same time. Both pairs of the beast Rune's eye's where locked on Lucian.
"YOU ARE THE KIN OF THAT ACCURSED MAN WHO SEALED US AWAY IN THIS PERUGATIOY! I SHOULD EAT YOU WHOLE FOR THAT ALONE."
Lucian calmly walked up too the Beast Rune and put his sword at his side in a disarming manner.
"That may well be, but I am the man who has just freed you from that purgatory and I need your power."
"WE ARE THE KING OF ALL BEAST, NOT SOME DOG TO BE TRAINED. THOU WE MAY NOT LOOK IT, A WOLF IS AT IT'S MOST DANGEROUS WHEN CORNERED AND WOUNDED."
"Ok, then we can fight but you'll lose. With Hugo backing me up I'm confident we can take you down. However on the off chance you win it's not like you can just walk out the door, but maybe you'll get lucky and Holy Harmonia will find you. Now that your unsealed your aura is like beckon to those seeking True Runes."
" ARE YOU TRYING TO SWAY US WITH YOUR PATHETIC HUMAN REASON? ONLY ACTIONS CAN CONVINCES US TO CHANG ARE MINDS."
"Fine then, if I can't reason with you then test me and see if I'm worthy of your power. If I am you will lend me your strength. If I'm not then you can have every drop of blood in my body."
The True Beast Rune though about Lucian's offer for only a few seconds.
"AGREED."
A flash of blinding white light filled the caver blinding Hugo and Lucian for a second. When the light faded Hugo found himself alone in the cave, Lucian and the Beast Rune had disappeared.
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Where am I?
"So that's what you, with your little knowledge of life, have decided."
"Yes Mother, This is how I want to live my life."
A ten year old Lucian stood looking up at his mother Jillia. Her hand where clenched in anger and her knuckles had turned white.
The older Lucian then realized what was happening, he was watching his most important memories play out before him. This was the day he told his mother that he and Pilika where leaving Harmonia for Higheast, with or without her consent.
Jillia in a fit of anger slapped her only son across his faces. It took Jillia a second later to notices the blood on her hand. The diamond in her wedding ring had torn the skin just below Lucian's right eye. Jillia Instantly dropped to her knees and hugged her son as she fight back tears.
"I'm sorry… … … … I'm so sorry but I lost everyone I loved to Highland. If I lost you I don't think I could bear this life anymore."
I'm sorry to, it was selfish to leave as I did but I would rather die then live my life in shame of who I am.
The image shifted to a young Lucian and Pilika walking into Kyaro. The two enrolled in the town dojo. The same dojo that his father and Riou had trained in. They where taken in by the new owner of the dojo, a young man named Ko and his sister Ellie. Ko was a huge fan of Riou and had moved to his idol's home town to revive the fighting techniques of Riou and his grandfather Genkaku.
The memories of the long days and hard nights that Pilika and Lucian worked and lived there passed in an instant. Stopping briefly on the day he met Alice.
A younger version of Alice limped down the streets of Kyaro. She scraped the ground ahead of herself with a stick so as not to fall over anything. Unfortunately it didn't seem to help her that much as she feel to the cobble stone streets for what must have been the hundredth time.
"Are you Ok?" The thirteen year old Lucian asked Alice as he and Master Ko where running some errands and saw Alice fall flat on her face.
"Shut up! I don't need or want your pity!" the young woman shouted back.
Ko then knelt down next to Alice and then helped her to her feel.
"You shouldn't mistake empathy for pity. If you need help we'll be happy to assist you in any way."
"… … … I'm searching for my brother. We used to live here but moved to Toran after the war. He said he was going back to help in the uprising but I have not heard form him after that."
"Well I don't think you'll find him by your self, If your bother fought for Highland then I'll help you find him." Lucian said.
Alice then ran her fingers over Lucian's face and she felt something very familiar about his face.
"Jowy?!"
"No my name's Lucian ,but Jowy was my father. Did you know him?"
"Yes, when I was younger he and Riuo would come over and play with me. I guess I can trust you if your Jowy's kid."
Alice you made it all the way form Toran to Kyaro by yourself. I never told you how much that impressed me. Still to this day you continue to impress me.
The years in Kyaro passed quickly as Lucian spent almost ever waking moment either training with Ko or studying with his teacher Klaus Windamier. It suddenly became clear to Lucian that how much love there was and how happy he was with all of them. Then two years ago he left that loving home with his sister and Alice to go on what many would call an impossible search for the True Beast rune.
In retrospect it was also a good learning experience as well. In the course of the two years Lucian had trained under the knights of Matilda and the Kobolds of Two River. Took a semester at Greenhill academy and spent a summer in a traveling theater group. Dunan had just as much influence on the Highland Princes as his homeland had.
The flashes of memories didn't stop there but went right up the yesterday when he met Hugo.
Hugo I'm glad that I met you and that you followed me to fight the Beast Rune. Form the first time I saw you I just knew… … … that we would be good friends.
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A white flash of light filled the room once again as Lucian and the Beast Rune appeared right before Hugo. Just has Hugo was about to say something to Lucian, the Beast Rune roared so loudly that the whole cavern shook.
"WE HAVE LOOKED INTO YOUR HEART AND HAVE MADE OUR DECISION, WE WILL GIVE YOU OUR POWER YOUNG PRINCES. HOWEVER SHOULD YOU FAIL TO SHOULDER THE BURDEN OF OUR POWER, THEN A DARKNESS WILL CONSUME YOUR VERY SOUL. NOW LET'S US GO AND WATCH THIS WORLD UNFOLD TOGETHER."
The Best Rune the broke apart into a thousand points of shining light and reformed itself on Lucian's right hand. Lucian looked at the Beast rune on his hand and could not really believe that it was there, that after two years of fruitless searching that the True Rune was his.
As Lucian turned to say something to Hugo, his vision blurred and he lost his balances then fell to the floor. He could just barely hear Hugo call out his name as the world faded to black.
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"Lucian… … … wake up Lucian"
Slowly Lucian opened his eyes, but instead of the real world he found himself in a dream like place with all the starts of heaven spinning around him in a void. He was standing on something that was not ground but it was as if part of the void became solid. The only thing that gave Lucian a point of references was the beautiful woman standing before him at arm's length.
She was dressed in a fine pale blue robe with gold trim. The woman's face was flawless and ethereal. Long dark black that went right down to her feet. Her voice was soft and had the eternal patient quality of a loving mother.
"I am Leknaat, the one who hears the words of the stars and weaves them into prophesy. Lucian, your attaining of the True Beast Rune is proof of the 108 stars of destiny joining together again."
Lucian just stared on, he did know a little about Leknaat the Seer of Toran and the 108 stars of destiny. Yet to be right in front of the woman who guided Tir McDohl and Riou Genkaku on their paths was something he never could prepare himself for.
Leknaat put her hand on Lucian's chin and tilled his head up to look her in the face. He could feel the blood rushing to his face and was afraid that his heart would jump right out of his chest it was betting so fast. The fact that this woman could get such a rise out of him with barely touching him was a bit unnerving.
"Lucian, listen to me well. This path you have chosen will be full of hardships. You may fall and feel as if you should walk away but you must not. Lastly burn this into your soul, as my apprentice Luc, had forgotten this and paid with his life. Fate is not unchangeable and even at his most powerless a man's existents never without meaning. Do you understand what I'm saying to you Lucian?"
All Lucian could do was nod his head. This was all so surreal and dream like that he could not put his thoughts into words.
"Good…"
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Lucian awoke with a start and It took him a minute or two to figure out that he was in Hugo's home back in Karaya. Lucian looked at his right hand and traced the blue two head wolf of the Beast Rune with is left index finger.
'Why do I feel as if time is running against me.'
End of part two.
Well that's good and done with. As of late my best friend has me hocked on "Ratchet and Clank" and with Front Mission 4 coming out later next week I'll have even less time to write. Still I'll keep at it and who knows I may get an idea on what the hell the Beast Rune is used for.
