Sasalai sighed. His thoughts swirled about in his brain, trying to sort out, as he stared out the window. What all had happened?

Oh yes, Agares spoke with me. He mentioned... the Infinity Stone, was it? He laughed quietly. It seems to be working, doesn't it? Agares is blinded by his own ambition. He thinks I don't believe in my country's own history? If he thinks his soldiers can march into Harmonia whenever they want...

Although Highland and Harmonia had once been one, Highland seemed... foreign to him. The way people spoke, the society... why would anyone even listen to a king? Who chose the kings?

The concept of royalty, though quaint and charming, thought Sasalai, is absolutely, utterly stupid. A king is just a common man in hero's clothing. Agares is no different from the rest of the people in this damnable place. Just a man. What has he done to give him ruling right? Just born into the right family? The customs here don't make any sense. They all seem to involve blood. Blood or loyalty. Which would you rather want?

Suddenly, a shot of pain ran down his spine. His head throbbed, and the dark colors of the palace bled into each other. He shook his head repeatedly, and it quickly cleared up.

What was that?

He heard nothing but the sharp, clanking footsteps of the guards outside, and felt nothing except the slight draft coming from the window and the incessant beating of his heart. He shuddered... but why? Did it even matter?

I need to calm down, he thought. Calm. Calm. Peace. He exhaled, and it suddenly dawned upon him; he had been holding his breath. Perhaps... I should read through the Kaotchu do mae tuorien... that usually calms me...

He stepped slight steps, over to the dresser, which the old book laid on top of, then he slowly lifted it; it was hardly the smallest book in existance, being a good two inches thick. He sat on the edge of the bed, opening the Harmonian holy book to the first page, and he leaned over it, reading the finely-scripted words.

In the Beginning, nothing existed except for a gentle God. God, in all of His infinite wisdom, created the world and the stars. He then created the Rune of Beginning, and He split it into two parts: the Shield and the Sword. Shield and Sword soon collided, and they split into the Twenty-seven True Runes, including the now-smaller Rune of Beginning. However, evil daemons, which called themselves the Sindar, tried to take possession of the Runes. To combat them, God created many races. First came humans. Following were elves. Next came Kobolds, then Wingers. As long as the four races stayed unified, the world would not corrupt. But their combined strength was not enough. God created the final race-

Sasalai slammed the heavy tome shut and set it back on the dresser. He always loathed that part.

Slowly, he felt a song seep into his mind. Soft, beautiful song... he flopped down on the bed and closed his eyes, absorbing himself in the memory.

...She twirled about slowly, silently, almost seeming to travel with the wind. Travel...? She was the wind. His mother. She moved with a fluid grace; it was the only thing he admired about her. Like a chocolate-coated lemon, she was.

His father. Solid, strong man; he was a priest. He taught Sasalai everything he knew about the religion, but his knowledge could not compare to a priest of high rank. Younger than most father figures. Kind, supportive... unlike that horrible witch on the other side of the wedding cake.

Everything turned dark.

Sasalai's eyes fluttered open. Was I asleep? he thought. In my robes? He sat up, staring down upon his now-creased priest's robes. How disgusting... now they're wrinkled. He mumbled a few incoherent broken words under his breath, then pushed himself to his feet. He glanced about, noticing his hat laying on the floor. Annoyed, he scooped it off the ground and placed it back on his head. He then happened to look back up, where-

His eyes met that of a little white dove's. It sat calmly upon the inside of the windowsill, tilting its head to his right, silent. He took a few cautious steps toward it, not wishing to frighten it. Suddenly, it let out a scream and fluttered away from him, landing about five yards away. He quietly followed, but again it took off, leading him to the room's exit. He trailed it with more vigor. Animals sometimes try to communicate with the righteous, he thought. It wants me to see something. The small bird hopped along. As Sasalai looked about, though, he noticed something strange. There were no guards here. Wait, he thought, perhaps I passed by them and didn't notice.

The dove led him to a new door. He opened it; the room was completely bare, and it led out into a balcony. He gazed outside, and he watched a small flock of birds tear across the morning sky. The sun crept over the horizon; the sun always would come up.

"Beautiful," he whispered. No matter where he was, he always could admire nature.

A loud, baleful snarl broke the pristine environment. Sasalai turned around to see a large, red-eyed wolf with fur of pure white, precisely in the spot the dove had been in. Blood dripped freely from its jaws as it growled at Sasalai menacingly, and drops of the blood splattered against his robes, staining them. Sasalai stared at this behemoth of an animal, frightened. The animal stalked toward Sasalai, and he backed away, arms raised slightly in a gesture of helplessness. As it drew near, it stepped closer and closer and closer until...

Sasalai looked below him, where the city of L'Renouille sat, approximately fifty feet below. The wolf blocked his only escape passage, and the fall would surely kill him. It gave out one last growl, then lunged at him, and he fell back, screaming, back, over the edge...

When he felt a strong hand grasping his shoulder, pulling him back. First dove, then wolf, now human? he thought. Not wanting to see this man, he kept his head bowed and his eyes closed as he felt his feet touch solid ground. A few chilly seconds passed by.

"Are you all right?" a masculine voice inquired.

Sasalai opened his eyes and glanced upward, seeing a statuesque gray-haired man, shrouded in black, and remembered him as Krugan, a fellow Harmonian. Unlike his companion, Seed, Krugan did not display recklessness; the man was calm and composed, and the only one here who actually deserved Sasalai's respect. He looked outward again, noticing the charcoal sky. Where... where did it go?

"What happened...?" Sasalai asked, sounding very much like a confused child.

"I woke up in the middle of the night. I heard your footsteps and followed, then you suddenly tried to throw yourself off of the balcony."

Sasalai's eyes widened in shock. What's going on...? This isn't supposed to happen! He wanted to scream, but he couldn't, not in front of Krugan.

"Oh... well, um, Krugan..." I don't even sound like myself... oh well, he would live with it. "General Krugan, I walk in my sleep. Thanks... thanks for not letting me fall..." I sound so ridiculous...

Krugan blinked in slight surprise... but what for? "You're welcome," he replied. "I'll show you back to your room."

"Thank you, General Krugan."

Krugan nodded, then walked out of the room, and Sasalai followed very closely, not trusting this place. After a minute, Krugan stopped at a door, then opened it. Sasalai scuttled inside like a frightened mouse.

"Sleep well, Your Eminence," Krugan said.

Sasalai's eyes widened, and his head whirled, his eyes studying the general. He never ceased to amaze him. He actually had manners, and he knew how to treat a High Priest. Quite unlike the rest of the people in this place.

"You rest as well, General Krugan."

Krugan bowed slightly, then shut the door softly. Sasalai kicked off his boots, then set them side-by-side, right next to the foot of his bed. He removed his hat, placing it beside the Kaotchu do mae tuorien. He then slid off his robes, then opened the small wardrobe and hung them inside, then he took out a long nightrobe and slipped into that. Sliding into bed, he began to feel a familiar presence. It was in Minaina, and it was coming for him.

It could only mean one thing.

Luc.

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"Sasalai" and "Suikoden 2" are (C) Konami. This chapter was posted March 9, 2000