Chapter 1 – Day One
The land was desolate, matching that of the Wasteland even where there once stood lush jungles and rugged cityscapes. It set off an alarm in Jak's mind as he struggled to understand what had just happened.
Looking back at the place he once called home, he saw nothing but a crumbling pile of rubble. The devastation that took Haven and brought it to its doom was something he never could have prepared himself for. He was the only one who survived, and he cursed the gods above for taking everything, everyone, he loved from him in one fell swoop.
His heart ached. His body screamed. His mind cried out in tired panic.
He was alone. His home was gone. He had nothing.
Where would he go? All he saw for miles upon miles was sand and destruction, and the closest city was Spargus, still many days travel from his current location. Although his sense of direction was off, and using Haven as a landmark was a lost cause, he tried anyway and picked the best course in the hopes of finding another living being.
As he walked, his body continued to scream in protest, every footstep forward took greater effort to complete. It was a miracle he was as okay as he was, but since he was outside Haven's walls when the destruction began, getting out and away was easier for him even though he tried to get back into the city.
He'd been outside on a mission, doing something for Ashelin to aid the Freedom League. He and Daxter had separated to get the task done easier, and although he searched, and searched, and searched, he couldn't find the redhead anywhere. It hurt to know that Daxter was probably dead, crushed somewhere and alone in the concrete jungle they had survived in for years, and there was no hope for anyone inside when the eruption began.
Was it an eruption? An explosion? Jak couldn't know. He had never seen, heard, felt something like this before.
Hours had passed by with no change of scenery. Everything looked the same, scattered stones dotting the landscape and sand everywhere, and the fact night had fallen didn't help the matter.
But something did change up ahead—a figure.
As he drew closer, he noticed this figure was a woman, her long, flowing hair matching that of the moon and glowing, if such a thing could be true. He blamed his odd vision on the sun baking him hours ago, the coolness of night having not yet chilled his psyche enough for it to stop the mirages. However, when the woman turned and looked at him, he knew this was no mere illusion or trick of the eyes.
She was frowning at him, her features ethereal and the robes she wore flowing in some nonexistent breeze. Her long hair was glowing, giving off a cool light and billowing in the same draft as her robes. Her eyes were kind, even though the entirety of them were white and devoid of visible emotion.
"Jak." Her voice matched her translucent looks, a slight echo trailing her words.
"Who are you?" The blond spoke for the first time a long while, the hours of walking and breathing in the suffocating dry causing his throat to sound as rough as it felt.
"I am the moon."
The young man raised an eyebrow. "The moon?"
She nodded, turning her body to face him and clasping her hands in front of her. "You need to go."
"Go where?"
"Away. Far away, or I will be forced to punish you."
"Punish me?"
"With gusts of freezing cold."
"But, why?"
"Just go, Jak. Let go and leave."
"You're a hallucination, aren't you? I'm really losing it, then." Jak laughed, but the woman's frown only deepened.
"Then face your punishment on the 'morrow, and you shall see that there is truth in my words."
Jak moved forward, hand outstretched as if to stop her from leaving, but she faded in a hazy flash, leaving him alone in the barren landscape and taking with her the soft light she emitted.
When he looked up at the night sky, the moon was nowhere to be seen.
l
lll
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Jak woke with a start, a burning cold slipping through the cracks of his makeshift shelter—a small pile of large rocks he'd stumbled across several hours after his conversation with the illusionary woman.
He rubbed at his arms, crawling out of the rocks and coming face-to-face with the same dry and sandy scenery the Wasteland was known for. However, a strong gust of wind bit at Jak's covered flesh as if he were wearing nothing at all. The parts of his skin exposed felt as if they were boiling, the cold nipping at him and causing him to recoil.
The uncontrollable shivers came next, wracking his body and forcing him to return between the stones he called home for the night.
Cursing, Jak curled in on himself and attempted to maintain his body heat, but the effort was useless as the cold wrapped around him like a sheet of ice, stealing what warmth he kept.
With gusts of freezing cold.
Author's Notes: This story was inspired by the song "Six Days" by Cellar Darling, which I suggest giving a listen!
I essentially just took the lyrics and turned them into a story focused around Jak, who, for some reason, this song made me think of.
This is going to be short and pretty much to the point, but I wanted a break from my other stories to work on something I've been wanting to write since I first heard this song! I'll also probably update pretty quickly, since it is so short, and it'll only be, you guessed it, six chapters haha
Hope you like it and thanks for reading!