Disclaimer: Konami owns Suikoden. I merely make adaptations for the sake of honing my terrible writing skills.

Basically post Suikoden III scenario with a focus on Sasarai and Harmonia. Basically it always appeared that the third game served as a big setup for doing something with this country and with enough time passing I figured to give my shot at this. This one is going to be a bit on the lengthly side and I do not know with what frequency I can maintain such updates due to school. I am also looking for someone who is willing to beta this thing and catch my stupid errors and make sure I keep the story moving in a logical manner. My profile has contact means.

Oh and please point out when my writing sucks or makes no sense. Seriously... I gain more from someone who is honest more than a mere comment on liking it.

Chapter 1: Changing Views

Soft scratching noises came from the desk as the ink dipped quill etched the formal writings of a political document. It would grant the conquered city of Lebuque second class status for their involvement in the most recent war. That was the major purpose with a handful of minor additions concerning additional territories to appease the politicians who remained reluctant to the concept of freeing such a city so soon after its assimilation. To them fifty years was far too soon despite how their actions prevented complete disaster.

Sighing, Sasarai rested the quill into the inkwell, slowly flexing his cramped fingers. Over fifty years seemed like such a long time; in actuality longer than many humans lived. Yet in Crystal Valley and according to Harmonian standards, the length of time was minute. The other bishops and various members of the political elite had not witnessed how useful the mantor trainers were as allies and that the best way to maintain control of territories was not through force but through inclusion.

The aftermath of the war seemed to have several indirect repercussions on the third class territories. Having heard of the 'failure' to bring control to the grasslands and the confusion concerning the masked bishop, several towns had recently staged uprisings to overthrow their status. Several units of the army had been dispatched to such locations and the young looking mage feared what was likely to be a violent outcome.

Sasarai had never been a large advocate of violence, opting for peaceful negotiations whenever possible. He had seen war several times in his short span of life and saw little glory in the destruction it brought. It was easy for those who sat in cozy rooms all day to draw out strategies and handpick favorite territories to venture into. However, easy quickly becomes foolish in that Harmonia was hardly the stable homogeneous mass that was projected on the world. Recent decades had made many territories difficult to control. Rather than engaging in more conquests, it was necessary to contain what as possible and alleviate the current social unrest.

But his recent position has drawn few friends. Most of those in power in Harmonia were reluctant to accept the need for a changing approach concerning conquered nations. His treaties concerning the grasslands following the second fire bringers' war deliberately made another movement into that region diplomatically difficult. The loss of the True Wind rune and the failure to retrieve the other elemental runes added to what was seen as a complete failure. Many of the bishops had questioned his recent motives with a few outright claiming disloyalty.

However, try as they might they didn't dare act on their displeasure with the situation. He outranked nearly anybody in Harmonia, with only orders from Hikusaak trumping his ambitions. The rune on his right hand also allowed some protection as few would act out physically against him in fear of their own life or knowing the consequences of being responsible for the loss of the True Earth rune in the case of an assassination. It was not the most ideal means of protection but Sasarai welcomed what he had.

Green eyes turned toward the faint outlines of the rune embedded just under his skin. He had always considered the object as both a blessing and a curse. Many of the runes seemed to carry its own significant burden that was unique to its character. It was known that the Rune of Punishment was the most unwieldy of runes due to its tendency to drain the life of its user bringing death within a few months or years. On the contrary, the Rune of Life and Death had been nicknamed the Soul Eater as death seemed to stalk bearers of that rune. Bearers of the two components of the Rune of the Beginning seemed destined to face off together as countless historical records show. The elemental runes lacked such a distinct fate but instead was representative of unbridled power. The loss of control could bring massive destruction on a large area.

His own rune was a constant reminder of how a bearer could affect the outcome. If used in a certain manner, it was possible to level a city within minutes with a massive earthquake. However, it also offered great protective abilities that had become the magician's focus. Combined with his strong ability with water magic, it often prevented the massive casualties associated with battle. Their relationship was much more complex in warfare than merely destruction.

It had been the power of the runes that had prevented a calamity that would have endangered not just a country but a continent. It could also bring an end to a conflict quickly and minimize the casualties as opposed to a long and drawn out affair. Sometimes ending the battle quickly was the best way to prevent loss. History could be looked at as examples of both the best and worst aspects of the runes.

History was a tool that could be used to find our a variety of things, wedged between yellowed pages in continuously aging binding. Of course, there was no record in any books to depict the situation behind his own birth and that of his brother. Piles of books were stacked in his personal study, wedged between various unimportant papers and neglected documents with the hope of understanding why or how he had come to exist. Even the dustiest corners of the most classified library deposits offered no clues.

The need to explain his existence had become of the utmost importance. Ever since the information was revealed that he was indeed a clone of Hikusaak rather than derived from a proper mother and father, Sasarai had felt the need to investigate his brother's claims. Certainly there had to be some within the temple who did know the truth. Was he truly human? Was there more of a reason to his existence than simply holding his rune?

When he was young, he had often imagined what it was like to have a true family. He wanted to believe that his parents had simply died at some point an would have been proud to see their son accomplish what he had. How he wished that he had known about his brother under different circumstances. It was with Luc's death that all illusions of family had left him.

A firm knock on his door prompted the bishop to draw his attention away form his thoughts. Clearing his voice quickly, he responded, "Come in."

Dios entered, his uniform immaculate as usual and as Sasarai was glad to note, lacking a new stack of the paperwork he dreaded so much. "What brings you here Dios? I thought you were taking a holiday to be with your family."

After the majority of the paperwork resolving the recent conflict had been completed, Sasarai had insisted that his assistant took some time off to pay proper attention to his wife and young child. Dios was a hard worker and stubborn and thus had to be ordered to accept such a gift before everything had been resolved. It wasn't until he was threatened with reassignment that he finally relented.

"Don't worry, I am not coming back to work just yet, " Dios said, approaching the desk, "The missus just fell behind on laundry and this was all I had left to wear."

Nodding, Sasarai responded, "Ah," not quite sure if he ought to believe the explanation.

"Have you finished the treaty concerning Lebuque yet?" the tall man asked.

The bishop shook his head in the negative, "Not quite. It is nearly complete but I know that I need to add in some benefits to get it accepted. I've pulled rank enough in the past couple months that everyone is already upset enough."

"You look terrible." Dios commented bluntly. He was never a person who held back his opinions and his tongue was always ready with a sharp comment. "You haven't been sleeping properly again."

Dios was right. Ever since her had returned to Crystal Valley, Sasarai had struggled between his research and nightmares that caused many sleepless nights. Even having a body that was eternally kept in its prime did little after weeks of exhaustion. Sasarai was certain that his eyes were puffy and most likely slightly dark and that his posture was slumped, his back having given up on holding his weight properly hours ago. Despite knowing this, he simply lifted his quill once again to resume his task. There was far too much pride to admit his recent issues.

Before another word could be written; however, a swift movement of the hand knocked the stained feather away, it simply tumbling to the ground and leaving a small dark stain on the plush carpeting. "Enough. True rune bearer or not you need to take care care of yourself. What do you prove acting this way anyway?"

"What does it matter? If this gets done.."

"You will just busy yourself with some other project, " Dios interrupted, his voice taking the slight turn from sharp concern to annoyance, "Ever since we've returned from the Grasslands my lord you have acted differently."

By now, the tall blond man had laid a hand along his boss and friend's shoulder, and Sasarai immediately knew it was pointless to ignore the conversations and retrieve the writing utensil before it made a larger mess. It would hardly be the first stain he had made in his office. "I know. Just let me deal with it my own way."

Dios gripped the shoulder a bit more firmly, "By killing yourself? What do you have to prove by this anyway? Unless your goal has been to usurp virtually every other member of the clergy, you've merely made things more troublesome for yourself."

"Tell me Dios..." Sasarai said softly, his voice trailing off as he obtained his companion's attention, "Would you want your son sent out into a war just because someone gave some vague reason? Or knowing that there are kids who don't have parents anymore because of some aristocratic game?"

"No..." Dios admitted, "What prompted this demeanor all of a sudden. You're never this serious about anything." he said, making note of the bishop's occasional immature tendencies. In many ways it was easy to forget that the brunette was actually older than he was. Most matters were taken in a somewhat lighthearted manner and it was seldom that the boy was depressed. It seemed like a much different person before him at this moment, ever since the incident with the masked bishop that was never spoken about.

Sasarai remained silent for a moment, clearly forming the words in his head. He wanted so badly to explain how he felt yet was uncertain how much was true nor what explanation could be given that would make sense. "It started with the Grassland children. Particularly with the Karaya clan. So many of them had lost their parents when they were young. I guess it struck a chord considering I never did have parents either."

"If I may ask what happened to them?" It was known that Sasarai lacked family. Dios had never pressed very far into the matter.

The response was a shrug, "I don't know. I was told that they had died when I was too young to remember. But... with my brother... some of the things he said. I really don't know." Words escaped him beyond this point.

"And working yourself like this is going to do what exactly?"

"I honestly don't know. Maybe make things right," came the response, "even if it seems silly."

Knowing he was in a losing battle Dios decided to give up pressuring Sasarai. His stubborn nature had not changed and he was not about to concede to the wishes of many that he would revert to his normal behavior and to drop his recent idealistic slant. "Fine. I know you made an agreement to work with LeBuque, but after you finish you should take the same advice you gave me. Take a vacation and go as far away from Crystal Valley as you can for several weeks. And for goodness sake, get some rest. You are human after all."

Brushing the hand away finally, Sasarai stood, and reached for his forgotten quill, ignoring the now drying ink spot where it had dropped. "It might not be a bad idea actually. I haven't left Harmonia outside of official matters in a long time now..." he stated pausing to count the years in his head, "Over a decade actually."

"It will also give your maids the opportunity to clean up the mess you made about yourself," Dios added, pointing at the disarray of the room. Used teacups were stacked awkwardly on the desk and on a couple shelves of a bookcase, threatening to topple at the slightest movement. Books had been scattered about, either closed with a marker to a specific page or laid out open. The bishop was known to be disorganized and sloppy; one of Dios' duties was to attempt to make sense out of such matters, which more often than not was pieced together from several sections done at various sittings. His boss was intelligent but lacked even the most basic domestic skills. However, despite this, it looked as though the maids who typically tidied up the mess around him had not touched the room in days. And it wasn't as though Sasarai was about to learn domestic chores.

Taking a glance around, Sasarai shrugged, not bothered by the chaos. He understood his own personal mess even if nobody else did. "I asked the maids to take a brief holiday as well so I could get work done. They always put away things I need and then I cannot find it again." The last time they had been in the room, some documents dating back to the Harmonian treaties with the grasslands following the first Fire Bringers' war had been returned to one of the libraries, resulting in a day of searching.

"Only you would consider a bookshelf a strange place for books."

Dios couldn't help the comment, it having slipped out of his mouth without much thought. Such actions had made him difficult to place with other units and it was only Sasarai's easygoing nature that allowed the two to coexist. As much as he had changed, his boss still had kept some of his habits. It was relieving in a way but nonetheless still as annoying as it had ever been. When he returned to his official duties, Dios knew that he was in for a long ordeal.

Noticing the reaction, Sasarai gave a small smile, "Maybe one day I'll get a bit better at this."

"No, it's pretty much pointless now. Besides it keeps my job stable."

A small chuckle escaped the man. "True enough. But thank you for your concern. Just give me time to complete this and I will do it." Sasarai said. "But go home to your wife. She'll write another letter complaining about how I keep you until dinner is cold every night."

"She does that?"

"From time to time."

Bowing slightly, Dios gave his farewell before leaving, "Please take care my lord. If you have need for me do not hesitate."

"Farewell. Please give your wife my regards." Sasarai mentioned as Dios walked out the door he had entered earlier, the polished hardwood door closing with a soft sound.

Turning toward the window, Sasarai observed the sun setting over Crystal Valley. The multiple hills that formed the outskirts of the city offered him a full view of much of the city from his office in the temple. The day had been slightly cloudy, causing the current rainbow of colors before him. The soft yellow glow of the lamps were starting to be seen from the homes of the citizens. Soon the street lamps would also illuminate the city.

There had been many occasions in which he had wanted to venture about the city and through the world. Official trips were as the name suggested. It involved meeting specific politicians or conducting some task in battle. Even the city was considered off limits except when accompanied by an entourage of guards. "Go on vacation and see the world huh?" he muttered to himself.

For years he had hardly seen his situation as anything but normal. Raised from birth with the rune, he had reason to be protected and sheltered. Now, ever since the information from his brother had shaken him, it seemed as though Crystal Valley and the temple were merely gilded cages, only opened when the master wished to be entertained. Seeing the world without being forced to partake in expansion maneuvers had been something that was always alluring, as the days went by it seemed as though that longing had become a need. If only for a little while perhaps he could escape and see what truly existed in the world.

And admittedly he was curious about how average people spent their days. At Budehuc Castle he had been put in the middle of a group of people that varied so greatly. On the battlefield there were only coarse soldiers and the officers barking orders. At that small dilapidated castle though, it was fascinating to witness how casual and laid back everything was.

Maybe he would return there when things were done.

Glancing back at his desk, he walked toward it, avoiding one of the books that had references to the promotion of third class nations through the years. Without returning to the cushioned seat, his eyes browses the document he was writing one last time. It was as good as complete. Even with minor adaptations it would be difficult to convince others to agree to such terms. He could only help that some of the contingencies added combined with their role in preventing Luc's actions would convince the other clergy to agree.

The sky was now starting to darken a bit, and the room was quickly losing it's light source. An oil lamp was situated at one corner of the desk for the long nights but Sasarai did not light it, observing the ever darkening shadows. Tomorrow he would potentially end all respect he held amongst the temple clergy for a single village and only hope that by this some necessary change would come.