Chapter VI: Trouble Everywhere

Haven City had defiantly seen better days, everywhere you looked everything was dirty, broken, and polluted. The only thing still in good condition was the Palace, because Praxis only cared about his well-being and wouldn't care if the whole city went to hell. Inside the Palace, Praxis sat on the throne, while he had Erol sing to him.

Erol sang in a depressed sort of way:

"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen,

Nobody knows my sorrows…"

"Oh, Erol, do lighten up." Praxis commanded, "Sing something with a little… bounce to it."

Erol sang:

"It's a small world after all…"

"NO!" Praxis yelled. "Anything but that!"

So Erol sang:

"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts,

There they are a-standing in a row!

Big ones!

Small ones!

Some as big as your head!"

Then Erol whispered to himself, "I would've never had to do this for Damas…"

"What did you say?" Praxis demanded. "You know the law! Never, ever mention that name in my presence! I AM THE KING!"

"Yes, Sire, you are the King." Erol said. "I just mentioned it to illustrate the differences in your… Royal Managerial approaches."

"Hey, boss!" Phoenix yelled as he walked into the throne room with Firenza, "We've got a bone to pick with you!"

"What is it this time?" Praxis asked, annoyed.

"I'll handle this…" Firenza whispered to Phoenix. "Praxis, there's no food, water, and Eco."

"Yeah, it's dinner time, and we've got no stinkin' entrées!" Phoenix said angrily.

"It's Ashelin's job to make the workers do their jobs!" Praxis said.

"Yeah, but she won't make 'em work!" Phoenix said.

"Damn her!" Praxis said, "I should've gotten rid of her a long time ago!" Praxis looked around. "Oh… eat Erol…"

"Oh, you wouldn't want me!" Erol panicked. "I'd be so tough and stringy!"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Erol." Praxis said. "All you'd need is a little…" Praxis walked away for a second.

Phoenix whispered to Firenza. "And I thought things were bad under Damas…"

"What did you say?" Praxis demanded.

"I said D…" Phoenix began, but Firenza elbowed him. "I said… er… Tramas! It's a Metal-Head word!"

"Good," Praxis spat. "Now get out!"

The Metal-Heads turned to leave, but Phoenix stopped, "But, we're still hungry…"

"OUT!" Praxis roared and the Metal-Heads retreated.

(Utopian Paradise, Night)

Silence in paradise, the only noise to be heard was the crashing of the waterfalls and the occasional chirping of a tropical bird. Suddenly, a loud belch sounded around the valley, causing several birds to take off in fright. On one of the many hilltops, Daxter, Brutter and Jak are laying on their backs, stargazing.

"Whoa," Daxter said, "Nice one, Jak."

"Thanks." Jak grinned. "Man, I'm stuffed!"

"Me too," Brutter said, "Me eat like a Lurker!"

"Brutter, you are a Lurker…" Jak pointed out.

"Oh…" Brutter said. All three sighed and sat in silence for a second. Suddenly, Brutter broke the silence. "Daxter?"

"Yea?"

"Ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there?" Brutter asked, looking up at the stars.

Daxter laughed. "Brutter, I don't wonder, I know."

"Well, what are they?"

"They're fire-flies!" Daxter said, "Fire-flies that got stuck up in that big, blueish-black thing."

"Oh, geez," Brutter said, "Me always thought they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away."

"Brutter, with you, everything's gas." Daxter said.

"Jak, what do you think?" Brutter asked.

Jak knew what his father had taught him, but he didn't want to say it. "Well… I don't know."

"Oh, come on! We told you ours!" Brutter begged, "Please!"

"Well…" Jak began.

"Yeah?" Daxter inquired.

"Someone once told me the Great Kings of the Past are up there… watching over us." Jak said.

"Really?" Brutter asked.

"You mean a bunch of royal dead guys are watchin' us?" Daxter asked. Then he burst out laughing, Brutter joined him. "Who told you something like that? What idiot made that up?"

"Yea, pretty dumb huh." Jak tried to laugh, but he couldn't. He looked up at the stars; he desperately went to believe that his father was up there. He got up and walked away from Daxter and Brutter.

"Was it something I said?" Daxter asked, watching Jak go.

A little ways away, Jak looked up at the stars once more before falling to the ground, in the process kicking up a bunch of leaves and junk.

The leaves went on an incredible journey though the Wasteland, surviving Sandstorms, Metal-Head beasts and other dangers. And, by pure change, the leaves blew to Haven City, right to the door step of Samos the old Sage as he was looking for leaves for his magic stuff.

Samos grabbed the leaves, took them inside, put them in a bowl, and stirred them in a mystic sort of way. When he was done, he looked in the bowl for hidden messages.

(A/N: Much like 'Reading Tea Leaves' from the Harry Potter books.)

Nothing really interesting at first, just a drought in the Wasteland, as if that didn't happen every day out there… Then he noticed something… but it was impossible! Samos leaned in closer to see if he was reading it correctly, he was. "Jak?" he breathed. "He's alive! He's alive!" In his excitement, Samos ran up and grabbed Mar's Family Tree. He saw where he had scratched out Jak's name all those years ago, so he just rewrote it. 'Jak Mar. Born: 1966.' The date of his birth jumped out at Samos If Jak were still alive, then he'd be old enough to take the throne! "It is time!" Samos said.

As the story fades out once again, you get one last look at Mar's Family Tree, with Jak's newly re-added name on it.