Suikoden VI

Chapter Five: Part Six

Part Six

The group returned to the inn that night full and in better spirits than they all expected to. They had met the President of the Toran Republic and they met the hero of the Gate Rune War. It was surreal how much they accomplished in just one day.

For Daunte, however...the whole situation had felt a lot more awkward than he'd wanted it too. He did feel a kinship with Tir McDohl but instead of forging a bond with the other man he'd instead offended him and made him feel uncomfortable. That night he went to bed in lesser spirits than his companions.

Except...

In the dead of night Daunte woke to feel a peculiar sensation in his right hand. He looked the True Rune and saw that it was reacting. For a moment he felt nervous, but the moment quickly passed. It almost seemed like the Rune was trying to tell him something...

Seconds later he was dressed and hurrying down the stairs. The halls were naturally deserted but he took care not to create a lot of noise or disturb anyone as he reached the ground floor. He hesitated for a moment, but then mustered his courage and stepped outside the inn.

"Lord Daunte."

Daunte's eyes widened as he recognized Tir McDohl standing three meters away. He was alone, and his expression was coldly intense. Daunte swallowed thickly and approached the other man. "A-Ah, Master Tir. What are you doing out here at this time of night?"

"To see you, of course," Tir said bluntly. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior at dinner. You were my guest and I was impudent with you."

"No, you don't have anything to apologize for," Daunte said, shaking his head. "I was the one who was rude."

"How long have you had your True Rune?" Tir asked him.

Daunte shrugged. "Less than a year."

"While I wanted you to be aware of what it means to be a True Rune user, I should have been more tactful when we spoke."

"I understand that this Rune technically grants me immortality," Daunte said, pressing his left hand over the back of his right. "I can still die, and the Rune can leave me at any time, but I know that while I hold the Rune of Restoration I won't age and I will almost be invulnerable."

"This is all true," Tir said. "You will not physically change. The world around you is going to change, but you will not. That child with you—Arin, was his name?"

"Yes, he's my brother."

"He will continue to grow and you won't. You will watch him grow to be the same age as you, and then older than you. You will watch him grow to be an elderly man, and then you will watch him die. And you will remain the same."

Daunte did not like putting things in this context. Arin was the only family he had left, and the only reason that he even had the Rune of Restoration to begin with was because he was trying to save Arin's life. He didn't know how long the Rune would remain with him, although he hoped that the Rune would eventually move on. But he also knew there was a distinct possibility that it would never move on and he might be stuck with it forever. Stuck in the body of a seventeen-year-old while the people he cared about grow old and die, and the world changes and leaves him behind.

This is what Tir is going through now, isn't it? Cleo, Pahn, and Gremio are clearly aging but Tir is not. They will eventually be gone, and Tir will be alone. But it's even worse for Tir because he doesn't know if his friends will die of natural causes or if their souls will be eaten by his True Rune.

"I...hope that the Rune of Restoration will find a worthier host than I before that happens," Daunte admitted softly. "I didn't ask for this Rune. Arin was dying and I sought the Rune to put it on Arin to save his life. But the Rune chose me, and I've been slowly but surely learning its powers. You've put a lot into perspective for me, Master Tir. Thank you."