Suikoden Fan Fiction ❯ In the Dark ❯ Admiration ( Chapter 3 )

Gensosuikoden: In the dark

By: Kouken_Sasarai

Notes from the author: It's Chapter 3 of my odd attempt. Concerning Luc's age… Luc was born in the year of Solis 444 according to records. The Liberation War that McDohl joined happened in the year of Solis 455 and the war ended in the year of Solis 457. So in S1, Luc was at least 11-12 in the beginning and 13-14 by the end. S2 occurs 3 years after in the year of Solis 460, thus making Luc 16-17 years of age. S3 happens 15 years after S2… that means he would be at least 31-32 years… not 30. I don't understand why the counting part screwed up on the game. It may have been the translation of the game to English… but still… that's some pretty bad math for corporate people... I'm also following the Konami novels gave the two heroes. If I had used the names from my game… well… I named them the same and people may not like the name either. Not that it was bad or anything… XD

Disclaimer: Suikoden and its characters belong to their respected companies (Konami and such) and no money was made in the production of this Fanfiction.

Chapter 3: Admiration

It was night time already and most of the people inside Toran Castle were sound asleep… all except the sentries and the young mage that usually stood in front of the stone tablet of Promise. At night, he took the opportunity to sneak up to the top floor of the castle while everyone slumbered. No roof covered that floor or tall walls surrounded it. It was open to the sky and allowed the cool breeze that swept across Toran move freely above it.

The wind calmed him. Feeling it against his face, caressing his skin, and brushing through his hair cleared his mind and lightened his heart. There was a possibility that it had something to do with his rune… but he was sure enough that the moment he was free from that room in Harmonia, he had welcomed the wind the moment it touched him.

But this was a side of him that no one knew. It did not need to be known. He sat down at the edge of the structure, letting his legs swing freely over the ledge. It was chillier than usual tonight. He might only be able to stay out for a little while. He closed his eyes, listening to the waves as they crashed onto the outer walls of the castle, revering in the tranquility of the night.

"Luc."

He opened his eyes and turned to the entrance of the roof. They exchanged glances for a brief moment as Luc quickly averted his eyes, turning his attention back to the open waters that surrounded the castle.

"Am I disturbing you?"

"No…" Luc replied.

"… May I… join you then?"

Luc remained silent. There was a shifting of feet. The person was going back inside.

"It's your castle." He called out to him.

"… Right." The person chucked lightly.

Tir McDohl, leader of the new Liberation Army, sat about a meter away from him at the ledge. He had a cloak wrapped around him… one that Luc could clearly make out as his former guardian's, Gremio.

Gremio had just died 2 days ago. His opinion of the guy wasn't too high then. He followed Tir just as how a faithful dog would follow his master. He intervened many times with Mathiu's decisions and only giving in after Tir tells him that it was something that was needed to be done and was necessary. Only with his final actions did Luc find a level of respect for the man. He was loyal to the end and he was willing to sacrifice his life for his young master. He was serious all along. Luc had underestimated him.

Luc had never felt the pain of loosing someone he cared for before. In fact, he's never even cared for anyone before. So he could only imagine how it would feel like… well… sort of. The person he could consider as someone he 'cared' for would have been Leknaat. He looked up to her at least, as she was the one who freed him from Harmonia. She was also the person who took him in and taught him most of what he knew. He wondered… how it would feel if Leknaat disappeared.

"No… it's not possible." He thought as his mouth formed a small weary smile.

Imagining someone dying who holds a true rune, even if it were incomplete, was impossible. There was also the fact that she rarely left that tower.

He turned his attention to Tir. He had changed so much despite the fact that the true rune he held in his right hand refrained his body from aging. His eyes showed it. They were clear yet profound… no longer bearing the innocent glint they once did when he first saw him in Magician's Isle. Tir was now a leader of men (and women)… a whole army of them. And despite what he has lost… what pain he's gone through… he stood tall, leading the rebel army against the powerful Scarlet Moon Empire… against the people he once looked up to, took orders from… against his father.

Luc immediately turned away from him again as Tir had noticed him watching. The young leader of the Liberation Army smiled at him.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked.

"No." Luc quickly replied, suddenly finding the loose hemming of his right sleeve something of interest.

Luc had also aged a bit as he stayed among these people. At least he thought so. He felt his urges for mischief ebb away as he watched Tir and his comrades. He slowly became much less talkative… He had even stopped teasing the man they called Pahn when opportunity openly called. It just… didn't feel the same.

He looked at Tir again, only to see him staring out into the sky while rubbing the back of his right hand half-heartedly. He wasn't wearing his gloves tonight.

"… Does it hurt?" Luc asked, catching the older boy's attention.

"Hm? You mean this?" Tir held up his right hand, showing him the insignia of the Soul Eater that resided in it. "Sometimes I guess…"

"No, I mean…"

Tir looked at him, befuddled as he failed to understand the young mage.

"Never mind…" Luc muttered as he turned his attention back to the hem of his sleeve.

There was silence between them and only the crashing of waves could be heard. Tir shifted a little from where he sat. The clouds had covered the light of the moon, darkening their surroundings further.

"It hurts… a lot." Tir suddenly said to him, his voice sounding lower and quieter. "After all… it could have been no one else's fault… but mine."

The wind howled as it passed through the rock formations that surrounded the castle. It was getting stronger.

"But… as a leader of an army… I can't…" Tir's paused; still not letting his eyes wander from the sky above them.

"I see." Luc mumbled as he understood what he meant to say.

The clouds slowly moved as the wind blew on, letting the moonlight touch the surface of the land.

"Luc… how did you end up with that rune…?"

"I was born with it." He plainly replied.

Tir looked at him in surprise.

"Born with a rune? But you grew up. How is that possible?" He asked keenly.

"I don't know." The young mage answered in an almost irritable tone.

This was something he didn't wish to discuss. Again… silence.

"… You don't like it do you? Being with the rune…"

"No… I don't." Tir said as he leaned back on his arm. "I never even dreamt of having anything close to it. But Ted… my friend… he needed to be freed from it… He couldn't possible protect it any longer and Windy was after it."

Luc watched him silently as he spoke. The memory of how he gained the Soul Eater, the True Rune of Life and Death, was clearly re-opening injuries that had not even healed at all. Sadness poured out from the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice, just as blood would pour out from an open wound.

"I need to protect this rune… so it will never do the same wrongs again… so people like Ted who have suffered so much will never appear again." He grasped his right wrist tightly the further he talked about it.

"But why…?" Luc thought as he found watching Tir… hearing his voice… agonizing enough. "Why would you do such a thing… for something you never asked for?"

Memories of his days in the dark room flashed in his mind, his arms on his knees as he buried his head in them, sobbing silently in the dark cold night. Pain beyond what one can ever feel. Bearing the gifts that fell from the heavens… Gifts they never wished or asked to receive.

"That rune… it grows stronger by taking the souls of the dead… of people you loved. Then why? Why would you…" Luc's voice trailed off as he soon found it hard to talk further.

The frustration and failure to understand the reason for Tir's intentions… his way of thinking… it was bringing him close to tears. It was sad. It was too sad.

"It's reasonable that power has its consequences. And as I said before, I don't want to see anyone else to suffer as Ted has suffered…" Tir looked at Luc, smiling wearily. "For that reason alone… I'm willing to burden myself with the agony."

He got up and dusted the back of his pants.

"Well, I think I'll be going back to my room to try and get some rest. It is rather late… and the winds are getting stronger. A storm may be coming." He explained. "You should get inside too. If you catch a cold, it would be my fault… and I fear the possibility of Gremio visiting me in my dreams and scolding me for failing to take care of one of my youngest comrades."

Luc nodded silently, not bothering to turn to him. Tir smiled at him gently and walked towards the door.

"…Luc." Tir stopped a few steps from the door when he spoke. "I… have a reason to live on… Even if it means that I must suffer for eternity. But you… you can find other reasons to live for… other ways to live your life. It doesn't have to be the same. It's only the matter of finding it…"

Without another word, he went back into the castle, leaving only his footsteps echoing as he walked down the stairs.

Luc touched his cheek as a tear fell from his eye. He was crying without understanding the reason why. Somehow, he felt relieved but his chest clenched painfully as emotions he failed to understand swept within him in turmoil. He reached his right hand out to the sky, letting the moonlight pass through the gaps of fingers and touch his skin with its gentle radiance just as he used to in that dark prison. The wind blew strongly, his face feeling its chill as he let his tears continue to fall freely… flowing from solemn emerald eyes… not questioning the reason why. He would understand the reasons soon enough… slowly… but surely.

(to be continued…)