Sig: YES. SHUT UP WOMAN!
RB: Are we writing the first AU in the J&D section?
PC: I think so...unless you count talk-shows, it's the first ACTUAL AU!
RB: O_O *throws confetti in teh air*
PC: *tosses RB a swivel chair* this calls for a spin-around! *spins, until very dizzy*
RB: YEEEES! *spiiiiiins* *falls to teh ground* Errr...
PC: Y0, Sig, Jak. Little help here? *stumbles around*
Sig: I'm not helping you two; I have the camera.
Jak: *Sighs; picks them up and sits them on the couch* Enjoy the fic. They sure had fun writing it. *glares*
RB&PC: *grin innocently*
The Disclaimer: _ We dun own Jak or Dax or any of dat... Well, maybe teh plot and Deliri but THAT'S IT!
*~*~*
After the Fall of Angelsby Past and Future (AKA Phoe-chan and Rocker Baby, respectively)
Chapter I: Mephistopheles*~*~*
"See it rising
Stare in wonder
hear it beckon
you to dance
Feel it hold you
take you under
I'm your god of second chance..."
*~*~*
Do you know what it's like to die? To leave your body and actually look at it? As a soul?
I do. You see, on a cold, winter day...
I died...
*~*~*
London, England 1810Jak Hallowell sighed and gave his younger sister, Wren, a tight embrace. She wiped tears from her and eyes and looked up at her brother sadly. They were standing on the fourth platform of the train station.
"You promise you'll come home for the holidays, right?" she asked, sniffing. Jak smiled at her and nodded.
"Yes, Wren, I promise I'll come home for the holidays. Now don't worry, all right?" Wren looked a little trite, crossed her arms, and stuck her nose in the air. Jak rolled his eyes and stooped down, holding her by the shoulders. "Don't give me the silent treatment. I'm about to go off to school and this is how you treat me?" he said, feigning hurt rather well. Wren opened one eye and looked at her brother. Now she felt a little guilty.
"But you never keep your promises!" she whined. Jak sighed and ran a hand through his short, dirty blonde hair.
"Look, if I don't make it home for Christmas, you can hate me forever. You don't have to give me my Christmas present, okay? You can give it back and use the money for a doll." Wren raised an un-amused eyebrow.
"I'm twelve, Jak. I don't like dolls anymore," she deadpanned. Jak laughed nervously, feeling like a shoddy big brother.
"Err.. right then. Then you can use the money to buy whatever it is you like."
"Really?"
"Of course." A smile spread across Wren's face and she hugged her big brother tightly.
"Okay then! I'll see you at Christmas time, then, right?" Jak nodded and placed an affectionate kiss on her forehead. The train gave a loud whistle of steam, signaling for him to get on board soon. Jak and Wren's mother, a spidery looking woman by the name of Amelia, walked on to the platform.
"Are you done, Wren? It's getting cold and I'm tired of waiting for you," she said impatiently. She kissed Jak stiffly on the cheek. "Do good at school, honey. Come along, Wren." Jak frowned after his mother, knowing her never to be a very loving woman. Wren prepared to follow her mother, then turn to Jak and waved.
"Bye Jak!" Jak couldn't help but smile at the young girl and he waved back.
"Bye Wren! I'll see you at Christmas!" And with that, Jak Hallowel stepped onto the train headed toward Oxford University of Law.
*~*~*
Jak sighed as he looked out the window of the train car he sat in. Trees, buildings and carriages passed by him in a swirl of monochrome colors. Everything was dead, colorless. Winter had set in and taken its toll on Britain, making people scurry for warmth and security. Jak hugged his overcoat tighter and ignored the wisps of foggy breath that escaped his mouth. Now, he had wished he took that extra blanket his sister wanted him to take.
At the thought of the young girl, a small smile flitted across his features. He was keeping his promise just like he said he would. No more boring classes at the university or essays five thousand words long. He could be home for Christmas and enjoy time with his family in London.
Jak placed his hands on his briefcase, tapping the gloved fingers on the leather casing idly. He was anxious; glad have gotten away from the university. Being a lawyer took a lot of stressful concentration and many, many lectures. He was exhausted, yet wired at the same time. 'Why do I feel like something big is about to happen?'
Jak looked across the aisle to a young woman who sat staring straight ahead. A forlorn look marred her pretty features as if she knew something dark and dreadful was going to happen. She then turned her head to the side, pale gray eyes boring into his. Jak's brow furrowed as he stared back at her. "Excuse me, Madam. Why do you stare at me so?"
She tilted her head before replying, "Are you ready, Jak?"
"Ready for what, Madam? How do you know my name? Who are you?"
"I am your angel of death, Jak. Are you ready to die?"
Jak sat up straighter, a feeling of dread washing over him. The entire car seemed to get colder, causing Jak to shiver a little.
"What in the world are you talking about? I doubt I'm about to die any time soon, madam." She hung her head, gazing down at her hands. Jak sat up bolt straight, feeling immensely apprehensive toward the woman.
"It does not matter what you think, because in a moment you will understand everything, Jak," she said softly. Jak glared at her, his eyes blazing.
"I think it's best you tell me right now, or I'm going to call security," he snapped. She looked up from her hands and into Jak's eyes. The dull gray suddenly became a fathomless black, like the night sky. All the anger in him suddenly washed away.
And then there was a loud explosion. Jak's eyes widened and he jumped to his feet. He ran to the door and opened it, just as an employee on the train ran by. Jak's hand shot out and he seized the man by the back of his coat.
"W-what happened?" The employee, who didn't even look as old as Jak was, turn to him. His face was pretty pale.
"Thu-there's ju-just some trouble further up, sir. No need for alarm. Please, return to you cabin." Jak felt hesitant and then closed the door. He turned to face the young woman, only to meet an empty seat where she once was. The next moment was like a blur.
There was the loud sound of screeching, followed by the cabin shaking violently. Jak gave a shout as it flung him to the floor. Then the car tilted to the side, off the tracks, sending Jak into the door of the cabin.
She couldn't really have been... No.
Jak cried out in pain as the car crashed down the side of the tracks, windows shattering and objects crashing around him. His scream was cut short when he felt a thick liquid fill his lungs, causing him to choke and spit up the fluid.
Blood.
Wide-eyed, Jak managed to look down to see a large piece of shrapnel lodged in his chest, piercing his right lung. 'Oh, God. I am going to die.'
Jak slumped, his body going limp as the life drained out of him just like the blood seeping from his wound and trickling out of his mouth. His breath became shallow as the pain turned into a dull numbing sensation. His eyes drifted out of focus as he voiced his last thoughts in the cabin that was now his grave.
"I'm...sorry, Wren..."
Eyes glazed over, Jak's last breath exited his body and his soul was released.
Jak was dead.
*~*~*
"Jak? Jak, darling, I'm sorry, but it's time to go," whispered a very gentle voice. Slowly, Jak's eyes opened and he groaned a little. Standing above him was that woman again, smiling at him sadly. She extended a hand to help him up and Jak gladly took it. As he was pulled up, he noticed a crumpled figure next to him. To his horror, he realized it was himself, lifeless, snow dusting his black jacket. Blood was pooling beneath his prone body, coming from a deep wound in his heart. Jak couldn't tear his eyes away from his own body. This wasn't really happening. It was a bad dream! It had to be.
"What... what happened?" he whispered hoarsely. His throat was constricting.
"You died, Jak," she said mournfully. Tears soon sprang to Jak's eyes.
"No... NO!" he shouted. His angel of death looked surprised at Jak's outburst, but quickly took on a matronly look. She gently grasped Jak's hand, trying her best to comfort him. He pulled his hand away from her, eyes wild. "Don't touch me! You knew this would happen! Why didn't you try to help me!?" She sighed a little.
"Even if I was allowed to help you, there was nothing I could do. I am only allowed to carry people into the next life, not to prevent people from dying," she explained calmly. Jak stepped away from her, but she just grabbed his arm. "I have to take you, even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming." Jak struggled against her grip, but it was like an iron clamp.
"NO! I don't want to die! Anything but that!" he screamed hysterically. Her gray eyes grew wide at his words. Suddenly, a soft, menacing laughter drifted through the air.
"Let him go, Death. He could always go with me," the voice whispered, sounding like it was coming from all sides.
"Who's there?" Jak cried out, trembling. He was beyond scared. He was dead, the angel of death was trying to take him to the next life and here was a whispering voice who wanted who knew what. Death held tighter to Jak's arm. "Do not listen, Jak. He is no friend of yours."
"Bah. I can give you back your life, Jak." The chilling voice offered.
"Y-You can give me my life back?" Jak inquired, eyes wide. He stepped forward only to have the woman known as Death pull back. "Do not listen, boy! He only offers you a life of neither living nor dead. Come with me to the other side, now!"
The voice laughed again. "Is that what you tell the fresh catch these days? Come, Jak. Do you not want your body back? I can give you so much more than what you had before. For such a small price..."
"I don't want to die!" Jak cried out, his accented voice echoing out. "I want my body back, please! Don't make me go!"
"Let him go death. You know the rules. If they wish to speak to me, they can."
"No, this one cannot go with you." The woman kept pulling Jak towards a now growing white light. Jak struggled fiercely against her vice-like grip. "Let go, I say! I am not ready to die, woman!"
Suddenly he was jerked out of her hold by a dark force, pulling him back into the shadows. Jak's eyes widened as he gave a yelp. He seemed to be falling. Death ran to the edge and looked down, yelling for him to be let go. But he was too far down, too deep within the darkness to be brought back.
"No!!" Jak cried out.
And then the darkness cleared away enough for Jak to realize he was laying on a marble floor. Jak picked himself up from the floor, trembling badly. Slowly, he stood and looked around. He was standing on a balcony made out of marble and in front of him sprawled a barren land that reeked of many awful things, but prominently the smell of blood. The sky was as red as blood. The air was horribly still, making the smell only worse. Mountains jutted from the earth. He could see things flying around them. As he looked closer, he was horrified to see that it was monsters of all sizes, flying around. They were sticking hot coals on naked, writhing human bodies, chained to the mountains. Jak stepped back, wanting to be very far away from this place very soon.
"What do you think of my most humble abode?" An ominous voice asked behind him. Jak turned to see a man sitting on a throne covered in a white sheet that's edges were stained red. The man was beautiful, really. Pale skin, light blue eyes and long metallic white hair tied back in a pony tail. From his back were two dirty, blood stained, white wings. But he was still very beautiful.
"Wh-where am I?" Jak whispered, voice shaking. A smile spread across his face and he stood from his throne. He approached Jak and looked him in the eyes.
"Where do you think you are?" he asked simply. The realization crashed into Jak like a ton of bricks. He slowly sank to his knees.
"I-I'm in Hell?" The man nodded, a haughty smile playing across his face. "And you're... you're the Devil?" The smile faded from the man's face a little and he snorted.
"You humans. Always giving me the oddest of names. No, I am not a devil. They are my lackeys. I am Lucifer, but you may call me Praxis, boy," Praxis said, a smile gracing his face once more.
"But... someone said they could bring me back!" Jak cried. Praxis laughed. It was a cold, numb sound- no real humor in it. Jak doubted the winged creature in front of his had laughed in a very long time.
"Yes, someone did. I did."
Jak's face contorted into a scared, yet confused look. "Then why am I in hell?! You lied to me! Where is the lady? I wish to go with her than be in this wretched place!"
His tantrum was cut short when the man held up a hand, immediately silencing him. "I did not lie. You may have your precious life back. However, I must be given something in return.
"What do you want? I will give you anything! Money, possessions, you name it and I'll find it!" Jak cried out, falling to his knees, clasping his hands in a prayer-like manner, begging Praxis.
"Anything?"
"Yes!"
"Very well then. For your life, I want two souls."
"I'll do it! Tell me whose souls!"
The man smiled a very chilling smile, sending shivers down Jak's spine. "For the price of your life, you must give me the soul of the first woman you fall in love with...as well as your own."
Jak's trembling stopped as he stared at the eerily beautiful man before him. "M-mine?"
"Yes. However, with your new life, you shall be given glorious power, Jak. You will be more than any mere mortal. And all I'm asking is for your soul and the soul of the first woman you fall in love with. I do believe you're getting the better end of the deal, my dear boy."
Jak's expression contorted as he thought hard. He could live...but as what? With his soul in the possession of Lucifer himself, would he even be himself anymore? However, the promise of life after it has been taken away can make any man agree to the most sinful of offers.
"I'll do it."
A positively elated look crossed Praxis' face and he smiled eerily at Jak. He placed a hand on Jak's shoulder, sending a frigidly cold feeling all through his body. Then, mercifully (if Satan could have any mercy) he released Jak's shoulder. Praxis clapped twice. There was a pause before a horrid thing appeared in the doorway of the balcony.
It appeared to be a woman who was completely nude. Half of her body was beautiful- perfectly tanned skin, full, red lips, and flowing brown hair. But the other half was a nightmare. Her face looked like someone had torn the skin off her skull, leaving only what was beneath it behind. In fact, her entire left half of her body was like that- without any skin at all. Jak couldn't tear his eyes off her, morbidly intrigued with the woman.
"Nefretali, bring my guest a contract, darling." Nefretali bowed respectfully. She spoke, but it came out a halfway garbled mess of words. Jak could vaguely make out "yes, my lord." With that, she left the balcony, leaving Jak with a feeling of terror in the deepest parts of his soul. A few moments later, she appeared holding a scroll of paper and a dagger. She unfolded the paper, which was blank, and left it floating in the middle of the air. Praxis smiled compassionately at her, causing her beautiful side to blush slightly. She bowed once more, then walked off the balcony, through the door she came from.
Praxis seized Jak's hand suddenly, grabbed the dagger, and slashed the flesh of his palm wide open. Jak cried out in pain, holding his now bleeding hand tentatively. Praxis smiled a little coldly at him, then took Jak's hand and let the blood flow onto the paper scroll. The minute it touched the paper, words, in a language Jak did not know appeared, followed by Jak's signature.
"It is finished. You belong to me now," Praxis said. And then things went black once more.
*~*~*
Jak stirred, eyes opening to a heavy-lidded gaze. His body felt stiff, sore...as if rigor mortis had set in. He turned his head and was startled as a pile of snow cascaded off, landing on his chest.
His chest.
No shrapnel...
Just his chest.
He sat up, wincing as he felt a cold blast of wind smack him in the face. Pulling open his heavy overcoat and the shirts underneath, he stared at the scar on his chest.
He was alive. Again. Alive!
Jak stood up, massaging his temples. 'It wasn't a dream...I really died! But, I was brought back to life...'
He stumbled down the hill, ignoring the fallen train, as well as the small fires surrounding the cars. It looked like the train had exploded.
And then, something strange happened...
He began to laugh.
Tilting his head back and throwing his arms out, Jak laughed to the high heavens. "I am alive! I have cheated death and I live!"
He ended his statement with almost maniacal laughter.
Finally lowering his eyes to the wrecked train, Jak began to walk through the ruins, stumbling over the heavy snow and parts of the train. No signs of life could be seen other than the sole man making his way through the wreckage.
Suddenly, Jak tripped, landing hard on his hands and knees in a patch of shattered glass. Jak gave a yelp as he recoiled and cradled his hand, which had been sliced open upon hitting the glass.
Plucking the glass from his hand, Jak stared as the blood immediately quit flowing and the wound healed rapidly, leaving not one trace of a scar.
"What sort of trickery is this?" Jak murmured out loud, shaking in wonder. He raised his eyes to a shattered mirror a small distance away. It had fallen out of the train car and now his reflection stared back at him.
Jak's eyes widened as he stared at his image, barely recognizable, reflecting back at him.
Panic overwhelmed him as he stumbled to his feet, clambering to the mirror. "What is this?! What is happening to me?!"
By the time he reached the broken mirror, he observed his skin now white, his eyes soullessly black without any iris. His ears had grown points and horns spiraled up from his head. His hands were clawed and his hair was completely ghostly white.
Jak looked down at his body, eyes widening in fear. However, his skin was still creamy and pale, not the ghastly white that it appeared in his reflection. He felt his head. No horns.
"What is this?!"
Jak suddenly yelped and lurched forward as pain sprung from all parts of his body. He stared down at his hands as they grew long black claws. "NO!"
He was turning into that demon in the mirror.
And then, he remembered Praxis' words. "Your soul... You belong to me now."
'No! I'm a monster!' Jak then jerked his head back, screaming into the night upon realization of what he had become.
"'EY! Will you quit your bloody screaming? You're giving me a headache!"
Jak whirled around, eyes wide and feral at the voice. There, stood before him another man, small in stature, with a heavy maroon overcoat on. Locks of dark red, wavy hair covered his head and partially hid his beady black eyes. He looked about him before adding, "Why the hell are you changing out here? Someone could see you, if there are any other survivors."
Jak stared at him. "What am I? What have I become?"
The man arched a brow. "You don't know? You look like a demon to me. Of what type, I'm not sure. Why not tell me what happened."
Jak began talking rapidly, his words coming out so quickly the other man could barely understand him. "I died...but then...this man, no, Satan gave me back my life for the soul of the woman I fall in love with as well as mine and then I was alive again! But I cut my hand! And it healed just like that! Then, I saw my reflection, it was hideous! And I started changing..."
Out of what seemed like nowhere, a young girl's head popped out from behind the man. She had wild, multi-colored hair and mismatched eyes. One was sunflower yellow and the other was an ugly, vein blue. She looked a little like the man in front of him in facial structure. She let out a small, airy giggle and stepped out from behind him.
"You're a... a... a... Oh, what is he? I can't remember. I always forget things..." she trailed off, not even looking at Jak anymore. The man patted her head and turned to look at Jak once more.
"You gave your soul, and another's, up to Praxis so you could live again. This makes you a demi-demon... which is unfortunate for you." Jak looked at him, confused. He slowly stood to his feet, realizing he was much taller than him.
"A what?" The man looked a little annoyed and stuck his hands in his pockets. Behind him, the young girl was created multi-colored flying fish without a care in the world.
"A demi-demon. A human who gave his soul to Praxis and got demonic powers from it. It's not that hard to understand," he explained casually. "Now calm down or someone's going to see you all changed like that and believe you me, it won't be pretty if they do." Jak looked at him warily and took a few deep breaths. A warmth passed through his body. He glanced at his hand to see it returning to normal. A small smile spread across Jak's face and he looked back up at the man, who smiled a lopsided smile. He pulled a hand from his coat and extended it to Jak. "My name is Daxter. The girl is my little sister Deliri. We're demons." Jak raised an eyebrow.
"You don't look like demons," he pointed out. Daxter shrugged slightly.
"We're like you. We hide our true selves. It makes it easier to walk among humans... As long as they don't see your reflection. Then it gets complicated." Jak looked at Daxter oddly for a moment, then turned to look in the broken mirror. Where Daxter stood was a thin, black creature with bright red eyes and what looked like veins of lava running across his body and his hair stood up in what seemed to be flames. In the snow next to him sat Deliri, only she had blue skin and a pair of gold antennas. On her back were a pair of black wings, only they looked like they had been broken a long time ago and never healed. Jak turned his gaze back to Daxter, bewildered. Daxter smirked haughtily. "Told ya."
"Deliri doesn't look very different." Daxter's smiled faded and he looked at his sister's reflection.
"She's the demon of insanity." Daxter turned his head to Deliri, who had changed her hair color from curly and multi colored to spiky and red. "Come on Deliri. We're leaving." Deliri jumped to her feet, a silly smile on her face. She bounded over to Jak and Daxter and smiled, tilting back and forth on her heels. Jak realized she was barefoot in the snow.
"You said it was unfortunate for me. Why?" Jak inquired, turning his head to Daxter.
The other man sighed, raking a hand through his choppy red locks before smoothing out his coat, which Jak noted was ripped, as if the man had been wounded. "Demi-demons are looked down upon by the demon society. Many demons think humans with demonic powers are a disgrace. You're going to constantly be challenged, attacked or shunned because of your 'status'."
"Why aren't you attacking me then?" Jak questioned, confronting Daxter. The latter gave a small smile. "Because I know how it can feel to be an outcast. Deliri is a type of demon who can't take care of herself, and most demons find her an easy target. Fortunately, we hide well since I'm not all that powerful. 'Sides, you seem like a nice fellow who could use a friend who knows what's going on. What do you say, son?"
"Sounds good to me. My name is Jak. Jak Hallowell, and by the way, I doubt I'm younger than you, my good man."
Daxter grinned. "I'm over 3000 years old, Jak. Demons do not age."
Jak's eyes widened. "You mean... I live forever?"
"Of course. How do you think we survived that wreck? Did you not read the contract you signed?"
"It was in another language..."
"Oh, yes. My apologies," Daxter chuckled. Turning his head, he caught sight of Deliri trailing behind. "Come along, Deliri, before you start coloring the snow!"
The girl giggled and bounded ahead, latching onto Daxter's hand. Jak arched a brow and watched as the colorful footprints she left in the snow faded back to a crystal white. Deliri looked up and offered her hand. Jak paused, an image of his sister running through his mind. Taking her hand, he joined the two in walking away from the wreckage... not of the living...nor of the dead.
End Chapter I
*~*~*
Lyrics from: Beethoven's Last Night
A/N: SIG! For god's sake, roll the film!
Sig: *sticks tongue out at her* BI-YOTCH!
RB: WHAT CHU SAY!?
PC: *grins* I have no socks on.
Daxter: *arches brow* That was completely and utterly random and pointless.
PC: I know. *still grinning*
RB: *grabs camera from Sig and points it at PC* I think that's the point of closing statements. Hey, Phoe, should we add pictures with every chapter like my story?
PC: *bounces* Yeah! As long as someone doesn't hid the scanner like last time. *glares at Jak*
Jak: *huffs* You two were trying to draw me after I got out of the shower; IN A TOWEL!
RB: _ Errr... would you believe me if I said it was a project on human anatomy for school?
Jak: NO. You aren't even IN school yet, dammit. *RB pouts a lot*
PC: Oh! You think that's bad? You should see the shrine she has made to you in her rooMPH! *RB covers PC's mouth*
RB: Now would be a good time for you to review.
Jak: No, WAIT! TELL ME!
RB&PC: REVIEW!!!
~Past and Future ("Life is but a dream!")