Part 10: The Rune of Beginning

Huh, well, we know who Genkaku is. But who's Han?





All of a sudden, Jowy and Azure are teleported away from the group.

Suikoden 2 Tunes – Their Star ~ Leknaat's Theme (must listen, callback to the first game)





Leknaat, like she does in all games in the series, appears to the main character and to Jowy. The wheels of fate are about to spin...

: To weave your destiny, you must first attain them.

Let's head forward.

Suikoden 2 Tunes – Days Past must listen)


Watch the Video!

Where's Grahf when you need him... ?







We're put through a series of flashbacks, and because this is from Jowy's perspective, our main character has spoken lines.



“I knew we would fall in love.”



Don't come here, Azure! We might catch your father's disease!





Failure, dudes.





Thankfully, Nanami is tougher than both of them.







The two of them later decide to sneak a peek into a Highland courtyard.



: Just... just a little more...

: Can you see her? Isn't she cute?

: Huh? Huh?

: Hurry up!





I wonder who that is.





We had an epic bromance...







Nanami is totally annoying.

: Well, you see...

: Hey! You're not allowed to tell!!

: What? … What? C'mon, it's okay.

: It's a secret between boys.



Under cerulean skies, perhaps?









Now it starts to bleed into the game's current plot, but gives Azure some lines to compensate.



The game also remembers the choice you made back then.







: I'm here, Jowy!!









Now, see, I like that scene for fleshing out their friendship a little, but Jowy's speech comes off as a bit... more than friendship, if you know what I mean. I guess it's supposed to be super sappy bromance, but it sounds more like Jowy's in love with the main character which kind of colors their relationship in a way that the game probably didn't intend.



: You're the one from before! Who are you?

: I am the inheritor of the 'Gate Rune'. The keeper of the gates between worlds. She who watches the great scales of Fate. Here begins the gathering of the 108 Stars of Destiny. Fate quivers, the future cannot be seen. One of the '27 True Runes' has recognized you. Oh followers of Destiny, the path is now open for you.

: Recognized us? Is that what that vision was about?



: Stand before the runes and hold up your right hands. You will be granted the power to alter fate. Think, and then decide. 'Power' will not grant you peace. The storms of Fate cause misery for many and few will be able to calm them once they start. If you do not desire 'Power', return to the world outside.





: Azure, I'm taking the cave to the right. You go in the cave to the left.









: ….... Now I have a chance...



: Jowy, you have the Black Sword Rune. They are the two aspects of the Rune of Beginning. Go now. Go and write your own fates.









So now our characters have fixed Runes. If you put any Runes on either Azure or Jowy beforehand, they will be removed upon getting these Runes. Azure's Rune, the Bright Shield Rune, is primarily a defensive rune. It has this spell first, which is a pretty good healing spell for some of the game, and cures status effects. His next level spell, Shining Light, deals 130 Shield damage to all enemies; that's right, the Bright Shield Rune has its own elemental category. In III, this is only an affinity, and cannot be factored into damage, and in V the Shield Rune is considered Holy instead of Shield element.



Jowy's Black Sword Rune deals non-elemental damage. However, Twinkling Blade is the one players commonly use with the Matilda glitch. Twinkling Blade has a 30% chance of killing the entire enemy team, and enemies around the Matilda area are surprisingly susceptible to it.

No one knows the exact power of the Rune of Beginning, nor if the Black Sword and Bright Shield are the same as the Sword and Shield from the creation story of the universe. The Rune of Beginning grants its owner the ability to judge war, and represents the “initial chaos of birth.” I personally think it kind of fucks with the creation story too much and almost retcons in to have these Runes exist, considering that would mean that Sword and Shield gave birth to themselves along with the other 26 True Runes (Black Sword and Bright Shield are not True Runes on their own).



Next time: The plot comes to a screeching halt for a filler dungeon.