Jak II Chronicles

by Neo Yi

Yes, a Jak II fanfic adaptation, but do more then merely adapt it. But enhance it. The First in my Blue Curtain Trilogy. Special Director's Cut editiom. ALL CHAPTERS ARE NOW REVISED Finally.

25. The Prince or the Pauper

Jak II Chronicles
Part 3: The Future Awaits…
Chapter 25: The Prince or the Pauper

After that incident with the dance (which Jak told me about, as he usually does pertaining his life), a lot has…well, happen. Jak and his friend, Daxter had quite an adventure and he had a lot to tell me. He told me of a sage named Gol and his sister Maia, how the two formed an alliance with the Lurkers to seek something called a Precursor Robot. Ahh…I've heard of Gol and Maia. Too much study with dark eco made him who he is today. Another rumor spouting he was already born devious and black hearted. The same for his sister.
When I found out Jak had to go see Gol (before we discovered how black hearted he has become), I was dishearten he had to leave.

"I'll be back." Jak softly spoke. The reason for him leaving is because of his best friend, Daxter. A small boy with buck tooth, the Daxter we all knew and loved has become…an ottsel. Jak blamed it on himself and was too ashamed to even come out of his own room, especially when Daxter's parents saw their only son turned into a furry being. While Jak did get a lecture from both Daxter's parents and Samos for going off to Misty Island (a place off limits ever since Lurkers got a hold of it a while back) and dragging Daxter along, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. So, Jak decided on journeying to Gol to find a cure. I knew he'd survive, as an explorer; I gave him the tips of the trade.

………………

Naturally, he did come back safe and sound later, but that didn't mean I didn't worry. There was no difference when Jak, Kiera, Daxter, and Samos returned, except they were carrying a giant, round object being pulled by one of the villager's wagon, covered by a giant cloak. During the night of his return, I asked him questions.
I found out he manage to save the entire world from Gol and Maia. Jak, a young boy of 15 years manage to defeat Gol and Maia and save the entire world!

"I'm not sure if they are dead though." Jak spoke after he told me of his adventure, "They fell down the Dark Eco silo where our battle took place…but…they were inside a piece of the Precursor robot I destroyed with the sages' help…"
"So, you think the precursor robot could have kept them safe from the dark eco?" I asked.
"I…I don't know…Precursor robots can withstand ecos, I read it one time in one of your books." Jak spoke out.
"I see." I mumbled, not knowing of this small info. I couldn't remember everything my books told me. Silence fell as I eyed Jak eating my sugar cookies. He was scarfing them down like he hasn't eaten proper food in years.
"What was that you dragged here?" I asked.
"Huh?" Jak asked, temporarily stopping his cookie rampage.
"That round object you brought back…it was cloaked." I spoke.
"Oh, it's some sort of…warp hole…gate thingy." Jak commented, "I'm not so sure what it is, so we brought it back. It was located on top of the giant Dark Eco Silo on top of an ancient ruin that the Precursors probably inhabited."
"I see." I nodded slowly. Warp gate…I had a huge hankering on what that could be.

Lo and behold, Samos and I talked a few days later concerning the gateway, now established near his hut. Other villagers have questioned what it was with Samos merely responding that it was a secret project he was working on. They even asked me what that giant object was since I had close ties to Samos, of course, I kept my mouth shut. Upon entering the hut, we had our usual round of tea.
"Well, now I know how Jak will go home, I believe that thing is the key." Samos spoke.
"You THINK?" I gasped.
"I know he'd go back during spring…I spoke with the trees asking when he would, but they never told me how." Samos came, "I believe that thing will take him home, but even I'm not so sure myself."
"Not so sure?" I gasped again, putting my teacup down harshly, "Honestly, Samos, and to think I thought you were a powerful sage."
"HEY! I AM a powerful sage!" Samos countered, "At the moment, Kiera and I manage to research a bit behind it."
"…So…how will he go back?" I asked softly, almost a whisper, "…Well, you THINK he might go back?"
"The Rift Rider." Samos quickly answered.
"The device that I first saw you with when Jak fell from the sky?" I gasped, "That was years ago. The machine doesn't even work now."
"My daughter is fixing it up as we speak." Samos spoke, "I gave her the instructions of the Rift Rider."
"Where did you get the instructions? Is the Rift Rider an ancient Precursor device?"
"No…it was something Kiera created in the future…which I used to take Jak to the past…where the machine broke down as the years rolled by, and Kiera is fixing again."
"…Kiera…in the future?" I was puzzled, "I thought she was born here."
"I was young when I saw Kiera back in the future…of course; back then, I didn't know who she was." Samos came, "When I came to the past and adopted Kiera, I knew then that she was that green haired girl I saw…seems like Kiera will be coming with me…apparently, Daxter, too."
"Oh, what will Daxter's parents say?" I gasped, "They love their son."
"I'm not so sure either." Samos shook his head, "I'm not so sure. I refuse to say anymore."
"So, you think this is the key, the one where Jak will go home in." I spoke. Samos nodded, although in an unsure manner.
"I wish you wouldn't risk the boy as well as his friends…and yourself on something you're not so aware of."
"We have no choice." Samos sighed, "You just need to do what you must do, now that you know your destiny." I sighed and nodded.
"Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to see how far Kiera's progress with the machine is going." I watched the old sage left, sat on my chair for a bit, and then left home. There, I saw Jak and Daxter talking. Despite Daxter's radical change, the two still kept a tight friendship.

………………

Haven Palace
Month 3: Marcina, Day 15 (Spring Time)
Year: 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

Another week passed. The race has been over for that long. News has now spread on the racing incident. People had mixed opinions on the Baron, especially since he admitted to trying to kill his own daughter in public. Praxis spent most of the week brooding, however, instead of anger with the news press. He spent most of the time either in his office or his bedroom, formally belonging to that of his brother and wife. He was depressed. To him, his family seemed to all be against him. Ashelin has been kept in her room for the past week. She willingly obeyed, depressed over the events. Torn was sent to the palace dungeon which was just below the basement of the palace for betrayal, and the child still remained locked in his room for the most part. But everyone of the Romanir family knew…they were depressed because of Erol.
Erol landed on a month's supply of dark eco. Such a matter could have easily destroyed him, but if Daxter manage to get out alive, Erol could and indeed he was, except he wasn't the same. The former racer was now inside the palace's main clinic, comatose. He was placed in a frozen container where he was literally frozen until a cure could be found for his ailments.
"He probably has dark eco growing inside him. Him bring frozen will greatly reduce the spreading, but we'll have no clue how long he'll be in there." The head doctor explained, "We're doing everything we can."
"Try harder, you buffoons!" Praxis would say to them. Erol did succeed, however…Praxis finally gave attention to his only son. Now…he's regretted ever beating his son, let alone insulting and ignoring him. He visited everyday. Of course, by the end of the week, he pretty much was back on his feet and part of the reason was because of a phone call from Krew saying he was near complete with his machine, the one to
open the Precursor Stone. Praxis knew he had to get his priorities in order, so the first thing he did was have a chat with Ashelin…chat, as in manipulate.

"Still upset over your brother?" Praxis asked.
"What do you think?" Ashelin mumbled. She barely left her room as it is, "I lost mom…what if I lose my brother?"
"My dear, this is all because of Jak." Praxis started. Ashelin, who recently had her head buried underneath her desk, now raised it up and stared at her father.
"He poisoned your brother's mind, ruined the city of my rule and wrecked everything!" Praxis cried, "He wants to take away the Precursor Stone, something I can use to stop the Metal Heads once and for all. Once I crack it open, its energy will spur out and destroy the Metal Heads."
Ashelin had no clue on what to say. She wasn't aware of the consequences when opening the Precursor Stone.
"I have been trying to destroy the Metal Heads for years now and with this stone, I can finally do it." Praxis came, "Jak wants to get rid of me and use his stone against me. His own selfish purpose."
"He worked with Torn who's been trying to help the the city." Ashelin defended.
"You honestly think the Underground's work is beneficial?" Praxis gasped, "They destroyed this city so many times; any more could cause the city shield to fall!" Ashelin grew silent again.
"Ashelin…who do you trust? Your father or some stranger you've only know for a few months?" Ashelin gave a concerned and worried face…

……………

Underground HQ
Month 3: Marcina, Day 15 (Spring Time)
Year: 299 TOMH (Time of the Metal Heads)

"Well, I'm going." Jak nodded, "To stop Praxis once and for all, retrieve the Precursor Stone, and save the kid."
"Jak…"The two Samoes spoke gently.
"Be careful, Jak." Kiera came towards him. She was in the hidden Underground HQ for safety reasons. Everyone of the Underground mumbled a "good luck" or a "Be safe" speech.
"Make sure to bring back Torn, too!" cried Tess. Jak nodded, and then slowly left with Daxter and Ani in tow
"Good hunting!" Both Samoes cried.

They had to be extra careful. Ever since the racing incident, Jak's "wanted" list became super high on the KG's list of most wanted people, as well as the Baron. Of course, Jak maneuvered through the city with such ease and elegance as he made his way to the palace. He climbed over the high wall fence and hid behind a tree. It was already pass sunset and was now a calm dusk, so the KG didn't notice him immediately, but they were guarding the front door. Jak had to somehow get in.
"Maybe we should dress you up as a noble." Daxter muttered, "Say you have some sort of meeting with the Baron." Jak nodded in agreement. The nobles of Haven were sophisticated, gentlemanly or ladylike, depending on the gender. Their outfits were colorful and bright with males wearing long, thick, elegant crafted coats, and pants that reached only to their knees, their clear, white socks and black shoes taking over the rest. Powdered wigs or fancy hair were also common. Women donned dresses with multiple frills and bows, the dress nearly covering every aspect of their body but their chest area. Their hairs were in impossible fashion and they usually carried a parasol. They were a walking set of Victorians. Nobles were everywhere in the Haven Palace area, which was, of course, no surprise.
Jak went about to nearest male noble, quickly took him behind a tree and beat him senseless. Jak was quite reluctant to wear that entire outfit (it would take him too long, for one thing), so he grabbed the noble's jacket and powdered wig, then proceeded to enter, hoping the disguise would be convincing enough. As usual, Daxter hid inside his bag with Ani following behind. Jak tried to hide his face with the noble's jacket
as he causally walked over to the Krimzon Guards on the front door. There, the two Krimzon Guards that stood ground immediately saw Jak walking up the steps and blocked his way.

"Halt! What business do you have here?" A KG asked.
"I have a meeting with the King." Jak spoke as snooty as possible.
"The Baron doesn't want anyone meeting him." The second KG spoke. Jak sighed, he HAD to get in.
"Rubbish! Why, the baron and I have been arranging this meeting for months now and this is the only time I can go in!" Jak cried.
"Yes, but-"
"-But nothing! I have a company to rule over and I took the time to clear out my busy schedule just so the Baron and I can chat!"
"Yes, but-"
"-And you lot comes in and tell me I can't enter! Well, let me tell YOU something, I AM a NOBLE!" Jak was really getting into this, "I eat Krimzon Guards like you for lunch…and dinner…and maybe even brunch! Now, let me in, damn it or I'll sue the lot of you!"
"Y-Yes, sir." The KG soldiers stepped away reluctantly. Jak made a noble, "hmph!" then used his key card he won and entered. Once inside, Jak removed his noble garb and grinned.

"REAL sly." Daxter spoke as he climbed out of Jak's bag as well Ani, "I think you were getting a little too into the noble role though. Your pose was SO snooty."
"Oh, hush." Jak kept that cocky look, "Come on, we got lots to do."
Jak and his trio of friends made their way around the palace, avoiding any maids, guards or anyone for that matter.
"Jak, who or what are we getting first?" Daxter whispered.
"The kid, of course!" Jak whispered back as they hid beneath a potted plant as a maid passed by, "The problem is I don't know where he is. Maybe he's in his room."
"Do we even know where it is?" Daxter whispered, if not loudly. Jak shushed him.
"No, but Ani will." Jak eyed the small pup. Ani wagged her tail and nodded. So, they followed the green crocadog as she led their way to the kid's room. On their way, Jak eyed many rooms that he was fortunate to see with the door's wide open. Several caught his interest, including the main weapon's room where he went right in, almost in a trance-like way.
"Jak!" Daxter gasped, following after him, "Are you nuts? There could be security cameras everywhere!" Jak ignored Daxter's word; he was too memorized by a sword inside a glass case like a museum display.
"Daxter…the sword." Jak whispered, "The only sword that can kill the Metal Head Leader."
"What?" Daxter gasped, climbed on Jak's shoulder, and eyed it with him. The sword was a masterpiece. Not too big or tall, not too skinny or short, perfectly fit in the middle. The steel felt clear and beautiful, a real touch of elegance. It looked like nobody's ever used it. The handle was silver with elegant designs. The bottom handle had a round circular hole where it looks like something needs to be placed inside.
"This is the sword that can defeat the Metal Head leader." Jak responded, "I remember the description the kid told me of this sword…it's exactly how I imagined it…which is strange."
"Why's it strange?" Daxter asked.
"The sword is EXACTLY how I imagined it…how?" Jak gasped, "Coincidence?"
"Maybe…look, Jak, we gotta go before someone sees us." Daxter commented. Jak nodded.
"Yea…come on."

Again, the four traveled for a sizable amount (with Daxter complaining the place was too big). They seemingly followed Ani, but the further they got, the more Jak started to explore the place more independently, stopping every so often to eye a certain room, even as far as going inside. Whether it be a simple vase or furniture, Jak felt the need to examine it as if he was an archeologist exploring old artifacts. Daxter and Ani had to keep dragging him in the right direction, but Jak couldn't help it.
"Something about this place rings a bell." Jak muttered, "I don't exactly know how I feel, but…but it feels…so…familiar."
"Jak, I know you have magical issues and stuff, but this is not the time to act like this." Daxter came, "We got a mission, remember? Most importantly, I wanna get outta here. It's luxurious, yes, but I'd want to eat chocolates, with some slight mint, in a soft bed in that room over there (he pointed), while having a harem of girls surrounding me WITHOUT Krimzon Guards or anyone inside here wanting to persuade me!" Upon Daxter pointing to a room, Jak went inside, pushing the double doors.
"HEY!" Daxter cried.
"This is the…throne room." Jak gasped. The throne room was entirely blue except for the usual red banners that graced the entire palace when Praxis took over. Half of the throne room had glass on the bottom to top floor and ceilings of the room. They gave a beautiful view of the city and other location (the palace slowly spins in a clockwise direction). On the far end, in the middle were steps covered by red carpets. On the top was a throne.

"Yes, Jak, the throne room, can we go now?" Daxter asked.
"It's…a lot bigger then I imagined." Jak muttered.
"We saw this room from the rooftop the last time we came here, remember?" Daxter asked, "The Baron was here and he could come back! So, let's leave!" Jak didn't waste any time though and just casually stared at the throne chair as he came closer with each step. When he did reach the chair, he slightly touched it and felt a sense of oddity waving inside of him, a familiar oddity, more or less. It was a comforting feeling. Jak suddenly had the urge to sit down.

"BACK AWAY FROM THE CHAIR!" cried out a familiar voice: Ashelin. Armed with a standard Krimzon Guard pistol, Ashelin headed straight for Jak. Jak quickly came down to defend himself, but her gun aimed directly at his face.
"I shouldn't have trusted you! Jak"
"Back where we started, huh?" Jak sighed.
"Don't play with me! All along you've been trying to undermine our war with the Metal Heads!" Ashelin held that gun tightly, her hand almost shaking, "Whose side are you on?"
"WHAT? Listen Ashelin, your father's planning something terrible, and if-" Jak started to speak.
"-My father can destroy the Metal Head armies once and for all!" She interrupted. Ani whined.
"If he cracks open the Precursor Stone, the explosion will kill all of us! Don't you get it!" Jak cried.
"That's right! Not so hard, huh? Even I can figure this one out!" Daxter admitted, pointing to himself. Ashelin eyed the two, still keeping the gun towards Jak's face. She was at a lost for word. Trust the man who was halfway responsible for her birth or trust a boy whom she only knew for a year? You'd think a daughter would choose her own flesh and blood over a stranger, but Ashelin spotted deep honesty in Jak's eyes. In fact, upon further examinations, those blue eyes rang familiar in her head. She quickly shook it off and sighed. Jak tried to move out of the way. There he was, both hands halfway up in the air. Now would have been a good time to escape, but Ashelin refuse to let him leave.
"Don't you move!" Pulling out her intercom, she called someone familiar, "Vin? Come in."
"What? What? I've got my hands full here, you know!" Vin's shaky voice is heard.
"Vin?" Jak gasped.
"Oh, Jak, is that you? OH! I saw you win that race, congratulation!" Vin spoke, "My son saw it, too! He's become your official #1 fan!"
"Cut the crap, Vin, we got business." Her gun still pointing to Jak's head.
"And that might be?"
"You know all about the Precursor Stone myth, right?"
"Sure, I did my Econecic Energy Doctorate on Precurian Theoretical Physics. Why?"
"What would happen if the Precursor Stone were to be... say... violently cracked open?" She asked in such a causal manner.
"Great! As if I didn't have enough to keep me awake at night, you need one more thing to dread! Thank you very much!" Vin sarcastically and angrily spoke.
"Well!" Ashelin grew impatient.
"If someone actually had the Stone, according to my calculations, a runaway eco surge from cracking it open would... theoretically destroy... EVERYTHING!" Vin shrieked.
"Everything?" Ashelin gasped, clutching the intercom tight.
"All things... every single thing... Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go throw up! Bye bye…" Vin disconnected. Ashelin eyed Jak who kept that "Please believe me" look. Ashelin sighed. She lowered the gun and turned away from Jak, embarrassed.
"Trust me Ashelin. We have to stop him." Jak spoke. Silence fell, only the sniffs from Ashelin could be heard. She spoke after sniffing her nose.
"…..Ever since my brother's incident, I haven't been myself…I let father manipulate me. Led me to believe you were the enemy."
"Ashelin…" Jak started.
"My father isn't an evil man…he's just…corrupt." Ashelin chocked on her own words. Her entire body was turned over Jak, so as to not let Jak and the others see her form tears, but her voice was all that was needed to know she was in pain.
"We can help him not be…corrupt…but we need your help. We need everyone's help." Jak softly spoke, "We need to know where the Precursor Stone is, where the kid is." Once again, Ashelin was silent. She tried to sniff back a few tears.
"The kid's in his room, the stone…probably with father."
"Where would that be?" Daxter asked.
"My father is meeting Krew at a secret Weapons Factory near the Dig." Ashelin turned to face Jak, then dug in her pocket and handed another keycard, "Here. That's my top level security pass. It'll get you into the factory, but it won't get you back out."
"….Thanks." Jak softly spoke.
"Don't thank me." Ashelin mumbled.
"Ashelin, can you take us to the kid?" Jak asked. Ashelin sighed, nodded, and then ran. Jak followed behind.

They continued to follow her until they reached the child's room. Unlocking the double doors, Ashelin led them inside a fairly large room. It had a nice king size bed, two giant windows and one balcony entrance, a nice table with two chairs near one window (incidentally, little tea cups were there, neatly placed), bookshelves filled with literatures, a couch with matching love bug and chair and a small table nearby as well as a carpet underneath, another door that led to the prince's private bathroom, and little other oddities that made up the kid's room.
"Wow, I want me this room." Daxter whispered. Yes, it was a lovely room…problem is, the kid was nowhere to be seen.
"Kid?" Jak searched, "Kid? KID?"
"Oh-No." Ashelin gasped, "Father…he must've taken him to the Weapons Factory."
"WHAT?" Jak cried, "WHEN? HOW? WHY?"
"I...I don't know…he left a few hours ago!" Ashelin shook her head, "He must be trying to persuade the kid to open the stone one last time before he does it himself."
"No." Jak whispered, down on his knees.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Daxter cried, "Let's go find the kid…I can't believe I just said that." Everyone agreed. Jak slowly nodded, getting up. The others ran out through the door. Jak was the last to go, but a blinding white flash of light stopped him from moving. He let out a small yelp.
"Jak?" Daxter asked, "Are you okay?" Jak unblocked his face which he did previously when the light blinded him temporarily, He shook his head as though he recovered from a faint.
"Ow…it felt like a sledge hammer went through my head!" Jak groaned, "It…it hurts!" Not any moment sooner, his pendent half started to glow.
"Jak!" Ashelin came inside as well. Jak eyed the pendent and slowly picked it up.
"What's it doing?" Daxter gasped. Jak then noticed a small pyrefly was hovering near him.
"Hey, it's one of those things we saw in the ruins of Sandover!" Daxter shrieked.
"What th-What is that?" Ashelin gasped.
"It's a pryefly." Jak mumbled slowly, "I know this one…it helped me find the Life Seed."
"How can you tell?" Ashelin asked.
"...I…I don't know, but it feels like the same pyrefly as the one who helped us earlier." Jak mumbled, "I don't know much about myself, but it's no surprise I'm having an epiphany over this."
"Jak you're scaring me." Daxter gulped.
"Jak, are you saying you can speak with the pyrefly or have some connection with it?"
"I think I do, but I just can't make out what!" Jak groaned, "It's been like this for a few years. I can hear voices in my head so often. It's been happening for years." Jak turned his back towards his friends.
"What sort of voices?" Ashelin asked.
"I'm not so sure…they speak in a kind of whisper." Jak answered, "And I'm not talking about my Darker counterpart who seem to have stop talking to me (possibly because I'm gaining control of it), but…it's strange."
"Jak, you're describing what my Uncle Barailor told me when he heard voices when he was 10." Ashelin walked up to him. Jak made another, "huh?" look, "My uncle later found it was the mysterious beings beyond, more then likely, the Precursors. Only first born royal family of blood can hear things, how can you?"
"Well, he was exposed to dark eco." Puar popped in.
"But I remember hearing voices before back in Sandover, 300 years in the past." Jak shook his head, "Now this room looks familiar to me!" Jak wandered around the kid's room as the others started debating on this unusual issue.
"This is impossible." Ashelin muttered, "How can he, a total stranger to the Romanir family have visions and hear voices similar to that of the royal family?"
"Maybe it has to do with that pendent the kid gave him." Daxter pointed out, "Jak got even scarier with that thing around his neck."
"Maybe Jak is more then what he seems to be." Ashelin muttered.
"Come to think of it, rumors back in Sandover spoke that he fell from the sky as a small kid." Daxter pointed out, "That he was a "gift" from the Precursors."
"What?" Ashelin gasped, "That's…that's something." Ashelin, Daxter, and Ani eyed Jak who was now power walking around the room, looking through old books, eyeing the tea cups that were so carefully placed, looking at papers left untouched that Christof wrote on of his thoughts on his work desk.
"I remember…everything. The little things. I always had sour fruits in my tea, I kept a stash of chocolate hidden in a small hole in my bookshelf, and I remember the one time when I had that one dream of flying Lurkers."
It was Ashelin who had the most shocked appeal. All memories as far as Jak was concerned. Ashelin had a theory automatically, but decided to test Jak first.
"Jak…do you know where you hid the chocolates?" She asked. Jak gave a short shrug, went to the book shelf, took out a green leather bound book, opened up a small wooden board, and fetched out a bag of chocolates.
"Holy…Crap." Daxter gasped.
"Who am I? I just…know."
"Jak! Stop scaring me!" Daxter screamed, "Stop this stupid charade! Let's get out of here! This palace is doing something to you!" Jak didn't move, he didn't feel compel to. Ashelin, with a worried look, slowly went over to the young man and stared deeply at him. Jak hardly blinked his eyes when Ashelin stared. He wasn't so sure what she was doing, but he didn't feel scared. It went on for about a minute before Ashelin gasped and backed away a bit.
"What? WHAT?" Daxter leaped, "What is it?"
"Jak…" She whispered, "….Christof?"
"What?" Daxter cried out, with Ani giving a confused dog bark. Jak slowly blinked a little and lowered his head down.
"Wait, wait, Ashelin, did you just call Jak…Christof?" Daxter shouted, "Okay, let's go back here-" He was cut off when the small pyrefly circled the band of heroes and misfits. Jak's pendent half started to glow and soon, the entire cast was blinded by a white flash of light.

……………

Month 3: ?
Year: ?

Upon opening their eyes, they saw they were in the throne room, but everything was bright yellow, even themselves.
"Umm…okay…why is everything yellow?" Daxter asked, "Although I do see some hints of goldenrods and topaz…"

"Christof, finally, you are born into this world."

"Whoa! Who said that?" Daxter cried. The heroes turned around to face a bunch of people on the throne room. Ashelin gasped.
"That's my uncle and aunt, the former King and Queen…there's my father…and my little brother…me and Torn (he was coming to visit since he was a KG at that point and was meeting a more experienced one in the palace) when we were a bit younger. There's Grandmother Alexandros as well!"
"Looks like the royal family is holding a bundle of blankets." Daxter popped in. The "bundle of blankets" was lifted high by the King himself.

"Finally, Christof! You have given Haven a new heir!" He proudly shouted, "You will be a shining beacon on us all!"

"This is when Christof was born!" Ashelin gasped, "Uncle Barailor and his wife wanted such a day for this to happen. They've tried so hard to get a child for years, to get an heir…after so many years into the marriage, they finally got him." Jak was silent throughout this whole thing. He approached the small family and stopped enough to stand his distance and take a peek inside the bundle of blankets. There, he saw a small figure with small locks of green hair. He was sleeping peacefully.
"Jak…" Ashelin whispered, "Are you okay?"

…………

"Father!" The heroes turned around and were now in the gardens of Haven Palace where they eyed young Christof where he looked no more then three.
"Father!" he was trying to catch up to his father who was a few feet ahead of him. When the little boy did reach his father, he smiled and spoke, "The road to being the King of Haven is frustrating and a hard road indeed. If I stopped for you, you would have given up and walked away or just quit. A king can never do that." Young Christof nodded.

"Repeat if with me, my son."

"A king can never give up. To give up the kingdom so would be treacherous. The road is long and hard…but guidance and persistence shall lead us into the right path…" Jak softly spoke. Ashelin gasped even further. Jak was repeating everything the King as well as young Christof spoke. Soon, the two figures vanished, leaving the current batch of heroes on the gardens.
"He always said that phrase to me." Jak lowered his head, "Even until his untimely death. He told me being King would mean sacrifice and to help the greater good. Even if it meant making decisions the people would not approve…even if it meant dying to save his people…that's the duty of a King. He told me that…I didn't want to believe I had to do such a thing and that it was something he said to scare me…but when he died during the Metal Head invasion…I knew his words meant what he said." Jak's voice was breaking, "Why did the Metal Heads have to kill him, why?" Jak muttered, "Why my mother, too?" The pyrefly flew around Jak and the others some more until they were inside Christof's room.

…………

"Where did you come from?" Christof asked. He was still younger then he was now.
"This is none of your concern at the moment." It was Puar.
"Puar!" Jak gasped,
"Yea, she just appeared one day, seemingly out of the blue." Ashelin stated, "We don't know where she came from and what her true purpose is. We still don't know."
"Don't be scared, Prince Christof. I am an ally sent from the great powers that be. I am special in more ways then one."
"This is weird, she's not yelling and being all perky here." Daxter sighed, "Why can't we have that here more often?"
"Who are you?"
"All will be revealed in time…Prince Christof."
The scene changed again until they were in the bottom of Haven Palace.

……………

There, they witness the royal family starting to flee.
Torn, Ashelin, and Erol were fighting off the Metal Heads so the Queen, her mother-in-law, and her son could escape safely. A mix of rain and thunder overtook the entire kingdom. Metal Heads were everywhere.
"This is the battle of the Metal Head invasions nearly 3 years ago!" Ashelin gasped.

"MOTHER!" Jak turned around from Ashelin and saw Christof's mother mauled to death by a Metal Head. The Metal Heads then headed for the small child, but something lifted the Metal Head and sent it crashing
into the palace walls.

"You is need to be escaping here!" It was Brutter, well, three years ago, anyways.
"Mother!" Little Christof cried, going over to his mother's dead body.
"Christof, we must leave!" Alexandros panicky shouted, trying to pull Christof away.
"I WON'T LEAVE MOTHER!" He cried.

"I can't believe we're watching all this." Ani gasped, she was obviously disturbed by all this. Daxter noticed the poor Crocadog's behavior and gave her a gentle pat. Ani, in return came to Daxter close for out of fear and sadness. It seems Ani had witness the disaster of the Metal Heads as well.

………………

As the scene disappears, leaving Christof to grieve over his mother's death, there were now on top of the Haven Palace, but in another location. They were on top of the palace, where the rain and thunder continued.
"What now?" Daxter gasped.

"WATCH OUT!" The heroes turned to see a man pushing another from a giant beast.
"My brother, I thank you." came the voice of the man who was saved.
"You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours!" Praxis grinned.

The heroes were witnessing a grand fight between Baralior and his brother, Praxis, and a giant Metal Head. The Metal Head leader.

"FOOLS!" the leader cried, "With the shield wall down, I am my all powerful being and once I have the last Precursor Stone, I will me immortal…all the Precursor Eggs have been suckled by me, so will the last one!"

"I do not understand how the city shield broke down, but I will stand up and defeat you!" came the triumph voice of the King himself. A raging battle put forth, each man drawing a sword as they tackled the beast. Barailor was using the sword Jak saw earlier, the one that can kill the metal Head Leader. No other weapons can. It seemed for a while, the two brothers worked together in complete and utter trust. The two brothers fought bravely until Barailor was gravely injured from the Metal Head Leader who threw him back, his claws slightly digging into his chest.
"NO!" Jak cried, wanting to do something. It was only a flashback, so he couldn't interact with them.

"Ugh…" Baralior lean against a wall, blood spurring out of his chest and mouth. His sword nearby him. Praxis causally walked up to him.
"B-Brother…cough…Help me…" Baralior weakly spoke.
"I am helping…helping myself, actually." Praxis causally spoke, "You see…the reasons the Metal Heads entered this city so easily is not because the city shield wall has been destroyed or anything, it's because I unplugged the main power core supporting it."

"WHAT?" Jak gasped with his fellow friends gasping from behind.

"I allied with the Metal Heads…the decision that you didn't want me to do, brother." Praxis smiled, "Together, we can benefit from each other…we'll rule the world together."
"You…You…why…then why did you do this?" Barailor choked, more blood leaving his mouth.

"Don't you get it; a Metal Head rampage is perfect for you to die, so I can take over." Praxis kneel down to his brother, "In truth, it'll look like the Metal Head Leader will be the one to kill you…in reality, I'll be the one."
"Praxis…" Barailor coughed some more blood, but his face was angry and hateful, "I cannot believe you would do this… betray the kingdom!"
"I'm not betraying it, I just want it." Praxis grinned, "And if I have to kill my brother to get what I want, I'll do exactly that. Your view of the world is uninspiring." Praxis slowly took out his sword and with the Metal Head Leader watching, Praxis stared down at his own brother, close to his face where he whispered, "But don't fret, I plan to double cross the Metal Heads as well, but we'll just keep that one a secret between you and I." He let off a sinister, egocentric laugh.
"Any last word?"
"You cannot handle the power of Haven rules! You don't have the powers the Precursors gave you!" Barailor coughed, "I can't liberate this, but don't think my son won't!" Praxis let out a boast of laughter.
"Your son is just a small boy…helpless and weak…an easy victim to kill." Barailor stared wide-eyed at him.
"Long Live…the King…" And with that, Praxis shoved his sword down Barailor's chest.

"DAD, NO, DON'T!" Ashelin gasped. As Praxis pulled the sword out on the now dead King, Jak watched in horror, eyes wide open, face pale, hands shaking.

"You can tell the Metal Heads to leave now." Praxis spoke.
"I refuse to leave this city without the Precursor Stone." The Leader's loud, booming voice rang.
"When I find it, I'll tell you." Praxis scoffed.
"No, I plan to stay." The Leader growled some more, "I will be weak due to the city shield, so I will adapt a precursian disguise."
"Suit yourself." Praxis grinned, and then he stared down at Barailor, "As for this useless body…just for a bit of drama…" He kicked his brother to the edge, and then kicked him down the tall palace where the body plummeted. The body hit the hard ground where Christof was moaning over his mother's death. His father's body was in a much worse shape. Christof started to scream while the other family members started to notice the Metal Heads leaving. Then they tried to comfort the poor boy. All Christof could do was scream, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-"
"-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" And the voice, that scream continued on as Jak cried out, now kneeling down, tears flowing, his hands on his head as though he had the worst headache of his entire life.
The flashback now led to another scene…

………………

"We have to send him to the Underground." Alexandros spoke with Ashelin of the past, "Praxis has gone too far! He's corrupt and his search for the Precursor Stone is maddening! The child would be forced to open it if Praxis found the stone!"
"I know, but is this wise?" Past Ashelin asked.
"Christof is our future, Ashelin." Alexandros spoke in a strict, yet gentle tone, "We need to send him away…"
"He still hasn't gotten over the death of his parents." Past Ashelin spoke, "…Poor guy."
"We don't have much choice…tonight, the boy leaves."

The words echoed in his head and the bright flashing light entered and blinded them all.

"The word keeps spinning and spinning, doesn't it…yet, can you accept the responsibilities that befallen on you? I, your darker half am starting to wonder about you. You took over me twice and I feel myself slipping…ever so slipping…perhaps there is more to you then meets the eye…but can you accept the responsibilities? Can you? You are last Romanir…"

Jak then saw darkness. Voices, whispering voices. So much going in his head, he couldn't keep up with them! Jak wanted them to stop, he wanted to shout, but no sound left his mouth. All he could do is clutch his head while his entire body and soul was surrounded in pitch black. He couldn't feel his friends or his family, all he felt was pain. The voice grew louder and Jak wanted to run, but he couldn't. His legs felt paralyzed. Why? Why was he given voices? Why are they hurting him and overwhelming him? Why? Tears from his eyes, his skull ready to spilt in two. The voices grew too loud that not even a harrier jet could pierce through it. Jak then heard a screaming voice, quickly realizing it was his own. Everything started to turn white and the next thing he knew, everything was silent…He fell unconscious.

……………

"My dear boy…"

His voice was soft and familiar…was Jak being hugged by him? Cradled like he was a child again?

"My dear boy…you've suffered so much. So much voices in your head."

"…Ugh…"

"Don't speak, save your strength."

"Once you get use to the voices, they will be your allies…Your ancestors always watched over you…including me…"

"….So…familiar…"

"You are so different…you've changed…not so innocent…but the purity in your heart never left you, it cannot."

"You are too precious to let the darkness consume you. This is a time for your need. Everyone asks you for so much, but in the end, everything will turn out alright…please smile and be happy…never lose that purity, that kindness…live up to your name…the Miracle Child…"

"And please…wake up…"

"What?"

"Wake up…wake up…"

"WAKE UP!" Jak gasped and saw Daxter on top of him, yelling for him to get up.
"See, I told ya yelling would work." Daxter grinned, "Hey there, Jak, you okay?"
"How long have I been out?" Jak weakly spoke.
"A few hours." A gravely voice spoke. Jak made a weird face, a voice he didn't recognized…not at first. He slowly turned to see…
"WAH!" Jak shrieked a little, "…You're Queen Alexandros."
"Last time I checked." She responded with a cool and calculating face. Her hair was in a bun, she had on a light blue dress, and lavender eye shadows. Rings adorned her fingers, a silver tiara on her head, and she kept a stern appeal throughout. Quite an intimidating sight.
"When you fainted, she came in and we were at a lost for word." Ashelin spoke.
"We were pretty surprised she didn't drag us all to prison." Daxter came on.
"So…Jak Bannon, the renegade." Alexandros sat on the cough Jak was on. Jak was now sitting, rubbing his temples, "We finally meet." Jak stood up slowly, and then blinked continuously.
"Those flashbacks…"
"Yea! Why did we see Christof's flashbacks!" Daxter cried.
"The precursors are obviously telling the boy something." Alexandros spoke, "Everyone…please leave the room…I wish to speak with Mr. Bannon alone."
"But…" Daxter was pulled away by Ashelin, giving him a face that indicated the Alexandros wanted to speak with Jak alone." The door closed, leaving the two alone.
"I don't understand why there are voices in my head." Jak shook his head, staring at the starry night, "Then again, I don't remember a lot of things." Alexandros remained silent.
"How far back can you remember?" Alexandros asked.
"I…I'm not so sure…the farthest memory I could think of was when I was a small kid." Jak spoke, "I can't remember anything before that."
"You didn't get those visions for any reasons." She spoke in a calm manner, "The Percursors gave them to you or sent someone to give them to you."
"Huh…why?" Jak asked.
"You tell me." Alexandros kept that stern face. It was intimidating. Jak didn't know what to make of her. Jak noticed he was in the family room. The entire place was different from most of the palace. It wasn't drab and gray covered with red banners that Praxis enjoyed. There was a giant chandelier that cast the entire room with a yellow glow, fine china were inside large cabinets, a brown table lined with white table cloth in the middle, two blue candles on each side, and five chairs. A fine framed painting hung on one side, there was a nicely designed red carpet on the floor, two chairs, and a couch.
"….I remember he and I had a lot of practice meetings here." Jak mumbled.
"What?" Alexandros spoke. Jak went over to the table.
"Yea…father and I would sit right here…he'd quiz me on meetings, strategies, debates…anything that a prince and future King should know." Jak spread his arms out, illustrating his point, "He was a strict man, but he loved me and I respected him."
"Yes…" Alexnadros whispered. Jak then rushed over to the couch.
"And this couch…I remember I fell asleep in mother's lap one time when I was sick, she sang me a song…a special song."
"A special song." Alexandros came close. Jak nodded, then was silent, his face in a slight cringe, as if he was trying to remember something.

"Silence did the world sound at first…
Never managing to utter a word
Then a light came from above
A glorious light I have seen
Beautiful and magical, it shone up a light…"

The Queen stared as Jak softly sang the song. He was awfully quiet, but got a bit louder as he sang.

"Great Precursors gave us life.
Enriched our world with green and aqua…
Power of Good and hope shone through
Never aware of the chaos that grew
Though mist is bitter sweet then the gentle rain
Tis' sweet the melody of the birds
I live in another part of the world
But always know I am here."

The Queen came and smiled, she repeated…

"Though mist is bitter sweet then the gentle rain
Tis' sweet the melody of the birds
I live in another part of the world
But always know I am here."

Jak turned around to face her and it seemed like a whole new light opened on him.
"You are Christof." The Queen lightly smiled, "…That song is only known to the royal family…I'm not sure how, but you are that small boy…it means Christof of right now, the young one will be safe."
Jak had no idea what to do…all he could do was hug his grandmother. Every single time, every single memory during his time in Sandover and before now, he always had questions of his life, his past, his destiny, and his connection with the Precursors. Although he still had many questions of his life, Jak, for once knew…every last ounce of it…he was Prince Christof…more importantly…he was home.
To Be Continued…