Once again, in case there was something wrong with your e-mail and you did not receive the responses I put, here they are below.

Keeroshu- Thanks for the confidence booster, and I hope that you like other plot things I've come up with. I will have Dark Jak, but whether or not he should make a debut in this book is still up in the air. But if I do decide to do it, it will be only once, and it will sort of open the eyes of everyone to the fact that Jak is a Dark Channeler. I'll let you know if I decide to give Dark Jak his first showing, but again, it won't be until the near end. Glad you like the clothes, and don't worry about the writer's block. Writer's block is like a cold: it lasts a couple of weeks no matter what you do. That being said, I hope you enjoy the next chapter. Just so you know, I received the information on Cara, and I will make her the way you desire.

Silver-WindScar- Thanks very much for the compliment. I like that quote very much. If you liked where I'm going with the whole Jak and Keira thing, then I think you will like the end of the next chapter. Also, the true reason for his sudden unconsciousness will be explained this chapter. Hopefully, I will live up to your standards and continue to entertain you with this horrible writing.

Crazy Ottsel- Thanks very much for choosing to read this story, and I hope that I do not disappoint you. I hope that you read the first book first, although nowguess you must have if you are still here.because like I stated last chapter, you might get confused by some developments that happen this chapter. Well, here is chapter thirty two, and I do hope I please.

Red Mage 04- Thanks for not thinking I'm a total idiot, though countless others will probably disagree with you. Yup, Keira is gonna be leading the battles now, at least for a short time. I know how flying can be, and I am thankful that you took the time to read and review my story. On a similar note, I'm grateful that you give me reviews longer than "Good job." Thanks very much for doing that.

animedragongirl- Hope you enjoyed San Diego. Got your email concerning your character's personality and yours will be the easiest, for a very simple reason. I'm smart (by my standards) and I lack common sense, so thanks for choosing that particular combination.

Disclaimer- I do not own any of this, lawyers, please get this through your heads: I am getting tired of saying it. And its depressing me.

Enigmas Enlightened

"Keira, come on!" Kristen shouted from outside.

"Coming," she shouted. Keira got up and then looked back at Jak one last time. Without even thinking about it, she walked over to his body and embraced it, noticing that it was warm to the touch. Regretfully, Keira removed herself from his body and went to join her friends.

"How many?" Keira asked as she caught up to her friends.

"We're not sure," Lauren said as she slipped into a leather vest.

"We think about five hundred: mostly Scouts and Generals," Kristen said. Keira's eves widened in disbelief: never before had so many Lurkers attacked the village at once.

It was with a grim face that Keira led the rest of the village to the Fire Canyon, where a small army of Lurkers waited for them. She was bluntly surprised that the Lurkers hadn't attacked yet. At first the Mayor had called for a defensive battle, but seeing as how they had been waiting from ten in the morning until six at night, they decided to finally bring the war to the Lurkers. Why Mayor Manic had waited so long to make such a decision that was beyond her ability to grasp.

"Keira!" a voice called out from the mass of Lurkers. Said elf looked baffled as all eyes turned to look at her. Everyone was astounded when the mass of Lurkers parted enough to allow one person to pass through. Keira was too stunned to do anything, so Lauren took charge and gave her a little nudge on the back. Keira stumbled forward and mechanically began walking between the Lurkers, her mind racing to try to figure out who could be calling her.

"Ah, Keira," the voice sounded as she neared the back. Keira let out a gasp as she laid eyes on the speaker: it was none other than Benedict. She wondered why she hadn't recognized his voice immediately for a second before taking in his new look.

All in all, Keira thought, the elf had had one Legatee of a makeover. His entire body had been restored, but as to how whoever had healed him had managed it was beyond her. Keira looked at his legs, both of which were flesh, up to his chest, where he wore nothing. Keira saw the outlines of a small machine beneath the skin and assumed that the elf had requested that it remain, as invisibility was an enormous advantage over the opponent. She also noticed that the skin covering the machine was the only bit of fresh skin: almost everywhere else looked merely like a mass of scar tissue. His arms were restored as well, and Keira wondered for a second what Gol and Maia had done with the prosthetic Precursor replacement he had worn up till now. As Keira's gaze rose once more, she saw that his face had been restored and cleansed of all the scars and deformations that had previously covered it. His hair, which hadn't been there the last time Keira had seen him, was now back: light brown and matted down like it had been before. For a wild second Keira imagined that he had changed back to her side and was ready to fight Gol.

Or at least, she thought that before he opened his eyes.

Keira involuntarily stepped back from that gaze: that horrible yellow and black mixture that was so inhuman. She noticed that his eye had apparently been restored, either that or he had painted the Precursor fake to match the other eye.

"Keira, it is time to end this. Just say you'll come with me, and Gol promises to leave your village alone." As he spoke, Keira realized why she hadn't recognized his voice: it was back to the way it used to be; no longer filled to the brim with hatred and malice. "Just leave Jak behind and come with me. I promise to leave the village and I swear that we will not attack it ever again. All you have to do is leave that pathetic weakling and come with me."

At this comment, Keira stepped back up and Benedict noticed a definite difference in her stance. Where it had been hesitant and submissive at first, now it was dominant and aggressive. She marched right up to him and the Lurkers that were sentient and any elves that were high enough to see what was going on were stunned at the sight they saw, while every other elf merely wondered at the loud crack that split the air like a whip.

Keira brought her hand back, the red handprint giving her a small, grim feeling of satisfaction. Benedict looked at her, utterly stunned. She had never actually hit him in all the time that he had switched sides. Benedict raised his eyes to look Keira in her face and stepped back. Her eyes were full of something worse than fear, worse than anger, worse than even hatred.

Keira's eyes were filled to the brim with disgust.

"Don't you dare call Jak pathetic. He's much better than you," Keira snarled. The words went through Benedict like an icy knife and he quickly pulled himself back together and unwisely decided to argue with her.

"Oh yeah? Well which one of us here? Looks like the little coward took off," he gloated.

"Jak can't be here, since you guys did something to him and now he won't wake up."

"Well then that answers the question of which one of us is stronger. If he really is as powerful as you claim, then why isn't he here?" Benedict unwisely taunted. Keira turned scarlet with suppressed rage and it was taking every ounce of her determination not to strike him again and risk his wrath, since she was surrounded by a few hundred Lurkers.

"Keira, I will offer you one last chance. Come with me, or the entire village dies," Benedict said in a loud voice, making sure that his threat carried to every ear in the village. "Will you choose that worthless weakling at the cost of lives? Hundreds of lives that you will be responsible for?" Keira knew that there was no other choice: she would have to go with Benedict. However miserable she might be, she would always get a small amount of comfort from the fact that her village would be safe. And if the village was safe, then there was always the chance that Jak would be all right and live.

"I… I will come with you," Keira said, loathing dripping out of every syllable. Benedict paid no attention however, and picked her up bridal style. Keira shivered: when Jak had done this on Misty Island, she could feel his desire to protect and help her. Now that Benedict was doing it she could feel only selfish desire and savage triumph. Benedict closed his eyes and began to concentrate on teleporting the two of them out of the area when a rock hit his face. He opened his eyes and looked around for the non-Channeler that would dare to hit him and he saw a girl march up to him. His shock was transferred to the Lurkers, who parted for her as they had for Keira, thinking that their leader had some business with this elf.

"Keira told us about you, you pathetic bastard," Kristen said to him, her anger covering up her fear completely. "Using us as a ransom to get her: you sicken me. Go ahead, kill us all. See how much she likes you then." Kristen snarled at Benedict, who took a step back despite himself. Although she was not a Channeler, this elf was a damned scary sight, with those eyes that seemed to be nothing less than orange flames. "And you claim to love her," Kristen continued. "You make me sick," Kristen finished- and spat at his feet.

In an instant, Benedict had put Keira down on her own two feet and grabbed the girl by the throat. His strength was such that he could have easily snapped her neck or suffocated her. Instead he chose to merely squeeze her throat tight enough to inflict some pain and lifted her a few inches above the ground.

"Insolent bitch," he growled, "have you any idea who you are speaking to? Were it not for the fact that Keira is here, I would kill you. Slowly. And rest assured, cross me again and I will make you beg for death before killing you," he said before lifting her up a few more inches.

"You think you can frighten me? I have no fear of you, you pathetic low-life," Kristen said before spitting at him again. Her saliva got him right in the eye and she reflected happily on the fact that at least she had caused him some discomfort.

"That was your last chance. I don't think I'll actually kill you, but my friends have been pestering me for something to eat," Benedict said, quite calmly as opposed to the tone of voice that he had previously used with her. "Of course, they don't like sharing, so I'm afraid you'll be in for a rather nasty game of tug-of-war," he said, grinning, before he hurled her into a circle where there were no Lurkers. As the creatures swarmed on her, a sudden beam of energy blew a good thirty of them away. Benedict looked for the source of the beam, thinking for a second that Jak had broken free, and then saw another Channeler. Keira took this time to begin crawling back to her comrades. Although she could not go through the Lurker tribe, if she climbed the small cliff behind Benedict, she could link up with her companions quite easily.

"Hello, sister," he said with a twisted smile.

"Don't even call me that, you sick freak. I regret being born a relative to you," Margaret hissed. Benedict heard what she said anyway.

"Well then, I assume we have nothing to talk about?" he asked as he began walking toward her, his aura flaring out to indicate that he was summoning his Channeling abilities.

"Not unless you want me to talk with my hands," Margaret shouted before she leapt at her own sibling.

That one event was the spark that ignited the flames of war.

Elves launched themselves at the Lurkers, who eagerly returned the favor. As the first Lurkers fell, the others realized that these elves were not the despairing, easy to conquer elves that they had so far encountered. No, these had fire in their hearts and spirits, and they would not stop.

Hatu emerged from his cave, dressed in elfin clothing so that he was distinguishable, and looked at the chaos that was occurring.

"I wish I did not have to fight," he thought. As usual, the voice of his half brother sounded within his own mind. This form of communication he had with his now deceased sibling helped to calm Hatu down, not to mention be a voice of understanding whenever Hatu needed to talk to someone.

"I wish that as well. But wishing will not do anything unless we attempt to put our wishes into reality. Although blood will be spilt, there is a simple way to end this conflict before all are massacred."

"How is that?" Hatu spoke aloud. He had grown so used to this form of communication that he now spoke with his sibling out loud unconsciously.

"Benedict. If we take him out, then everything else will fall. You know the army: stacked like a giant domino trail. If the first one falls…"

"Then the others will follow…" Hatu muttered. He took the Eco Saber he had on his belt off and he leapt out of his cave, hoping that the surprise of his attack might give him the surprise he would need to slay Benedict.

Kristen screamed as Lurkers swarmed on her, their claws groping at her body, ripping her clothes and pulling her hair. Each of the Lurkers was trying to get the succulent looking elf to themselves so that they might be the only one to enjoy a nice meal. One fortunate side effect of this was the fact that they were fighting themselves. The other was that they were so fixated on the one helpless elf that many of them forgot about the hundred or so armed ones, leading to a quick massacre of about eighty or so Lurkers.

As a Lurker got a grip around Kristen's legs, another got a hold of her arms. Kristen screamed with pain as the two Scouts began tugging on her, each hoping the wrench her out of the other's grip. The others stood back, hoping to attack the one who was the victor before he could eat the helpless elf. What nobody except Kristen herself seemed to realize, that such a strain on an elf's body would result in the flesh simply ripping apart.

Fortunately, this was not to be the case.

A majority of the onlookers were curious as to the reason why the two Scouts vying for the elf suddenly slumped to the floor. The answer was revealed when they noticed the arrows sticking out of the Scouts' skulls. Three turned around just in time to have their own arrows imbedded in their heads, white another ten were blown apart by a couple of well-placed Eco Grenades.

Keira and Margaret landed near the circle of Lurkers, Keira armed with a bow and Kristen with two glowing orbs of Yellow Eco. The two females looked at each other and nodded, an unspoken agreement between them. Keira launched to the right, firing arrows all the while. One thing that one would quickly notice was the fact that said arrows were no longer simply wood and stone. A few of them detonated on impact, sending bits and pieces of the Lurkers' bodies that hadn't been incinerated on impact flying through the air. As the beasts began to get closer, Keira realized that eventually she would be caught up in one of the explosions, and as she had no motivations to leave this world and move on to the next, she stopped using the exploding arrows and began using another type. As she loaded three more arrows into the string, Keira took aim at a Lurker behind the wall that chased her. As she loosed the arrows, they seemed to vanish and appear fifty feet away. Eight Lurkers dropped to the ground, holes through vital organs and bone, while three Generals struggled to get the arrows that had gone through their armor and imbedded themselves in their chests out.

Margaret smirked as minor explosions sounded on the other side of the clearing. Keira had been a genius, thinking of incorporating the power of Eco into the heads of the arrows. Although she hadn't found out what would happen if she used Green or Red Eco, she had discovered that the Blue Eco would allow the Eco to travel so fast that it would pierce flesh, blood and bone and then continue to travel. Surprisingly, the Yellow Eco detonated on contact. Margaret would have thought that the Red Eco would do that, since Yellow Eco was usually much less volatile than Red Eco.

Margaret pulled herself back to the present when a small army of Lurkers attacked. Instead of simply vaporizing them with a Yellow Eco Beam, which was quite within her powers, Margaret opted to toss Grenades at them until they got too close to do so safely. She then used hand to hand combat, enhancing her strength with Red Eco so that with a single punch Margaret could cave in a Lurker's chest. The reason why she did not use long range attacks was simple: she did not want to be responsible for the death of fellow elves.

Hatu landed softly on the ground about twenty feet away from Benedict. The savage elf was overseeing the battle, making sure that the tide would not turn in the favor of the elves. Those who managed to literally carve their way through Lurkers in an attempt to destroy him were valiant, Hatu thought. Valiant, but stupid.

"Honestly, if Jak, Margaret, Keira and I were unable to bring him down, why do these elves literally throw their lives away on such a foolish assassination attempt?" Hatu wondered. He received a shock when his brother answered him: he had not been projecting his thoughts, so he had not expected Wartstal to pick up on them.

"They do it because it gives them courage. And I am sure that at least one of those poor fools is doing it to impress a woman… And I can always hear your thoughts Hatu, I just usually decide not to comment," the voice sounded in Hatu's head, giving the Lurker a mental vision of his brother. Hatu could just imagine Wartstal, an amused smirk on his face as he divulged a piece of information that made Hatu realize how much access his brother now had to his thoughts.

"You mean you've-"

"Picked up on your thoughts of that female soon-to-be insurgent? Yes," his brother mentally responded, laughing, not unkindly, at his brother's blush.

Hatu shook his head and concentrated on the mission at hand: taking out Torqueo and reducing the leaders of Gol's movement by a quarter. The fact that the demented Channeler was protected by a dozen Lurker Berserkers did nothing to dampen his intentions, on the contrary, it simply solidified his resolve to kill Torqueo. Once Torqueo was dead, Gol would be next. And once the Dark Sage was killed, Hatu would try to lead the Lurkers. Hopefully he would be able to lead them farther to the north, away from elves. When that happened, maybe the senseless slaughtering would stop. Hatu took his Eco Saber out and activated it silently, praying that the dozen bodyguards would not hear. If they did, then his sneak attack would be negated and then he would have to fight Torqueo head on. Although it was an underhanded method, Hatu was unsure if he would be able to defeat the Adaptor Channeler on a level playing field. As he stealthily crept towards the nearest guard, he did not notice a figure land behind him and begin to do the same. The only difference between the two figures were their targets: Hatu was ultimately aiming for Torqueo, whereas the crouching figure was aiming for the renegade Lurker.

Daxter sat on the edge of the bed, having nearly a panic attack. He was torn between loyalties. On the one hand, he should go help Keira, since he would be an extra set of eyes at the very least. But on the other hand, doing so would leave his best friend totally unprotected. And if a stray Lurker was to bypass everyone else and make its way here, it would make short work of the Bane of The Lurkers. In the end, Daxter decided to stay with his friend. True, he might be accused later of being a shameless coward, but at least he could live with the knowledge that he did not abandon his friend. Not that he thought for a second that Keira or Kristen or Bryan or any of his friends had abandoned Jak. They needed to go and fight to prevent the Lurkers from getting to the unconscious Channeler in the first place. Daxter noticed that Jak was shaking again and quickly put the cool compress to his forehead, relaxing only when Jak breathed a deep sigh of relief: reflexively relaxing as his body was cooled down.

Daxter looked at his friend and his worry deepened. Jak had used to have white skin, tanned nearly brown as a result of being outside sixteen hours a day on average. Now it was a ghostly, deathly grey. Daxter knew it wasn't because Jak's skin hadn't seen sunlight in a month, because it had. Daxter knew for a fact that his friend was dying. And despite what the doctor had said, Daxter feared that Jak had maybe three or four days left at best. Daxter paced back and forth, racking his brains to come up with a solution to this problem.

As he examined the problem, Daxter realized what a vicious cycle the malady was. He knew that Jak's illness was connected to Gol somehow, he just didn't know exactly how. He also knew that because Jak was incapacitated, they were losing the war against Gol. As a result, Gol's power was spreading as well as becoming stronger. Because of this, Jak's condition was worsening, and from there the cycle repeated itself.

Daxter was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't realize a figure clothed completely in black enter the room. The figure silently drew a long, wicked looking blade out of a holster on the side of its belt…

Margaret leapt into the air as a Lurker shot a Yellow Eco Blast at her. As she landed, Margaret swung her hand and a scythe of Yellow Eco sliced right through the Lurker. It let out a horrible death wail as its body split in half, its upper half landing in a pool of its own lifeblood. Margaret lingered on this slight victory an instant too long and a crushing blow impacted the back of her head. She fell to her knees, dazed. She clutched her skull tightly, trying not to pass out, for she knew that to do so would be to basically post a sign over her body that said in big bright letters, "FREE MEAL!" Another blow drove her body to the floor and she looked up in time to see a Lurker General lean down over her, its mouth opening wide to engulf her body. As the General bent down to devour the helpless elf in front of it, a scream tore its way through the small field where the battle was taking place.

And the body of the General fell to the ground, smoking.

Margaret stood up, shaking from a mixture of apprehension and fear. She looked down at the corpse and noticed small arcs of purple electricity crackling over the body. Margaret looked over to her blood brother and saw him with his hand outstretched, a look of fury covering his face.

"Bro- brother?" Margaret asked, for she had not seen him in a week, and he had changed so much. With the exception of his eyes, he looked as he had before this mess had started and pulled his soul to darkness. "Why did you save me?" she asked quietly, for the last time they had come face to face, they had battled and Margaret had dealt him a nearly fatal blow.

"Sister…" Benedict whispered, the yellow in his eyes beginning to recede. Margaret showed no external changes, but she was celebrating wildly inside. Her presence had once again sparked the goodness she knew was still within her brother, and the darkness within his heart was beginning to ebb. Benedict began to walk over to her slowly, his eyes now white and black. Margaret reached out to him with her hand open, ready to embrace her brother again now that he was returning to the light.

Suddenly, Benedict fell to the ground, clutching his head and screaming in agony. Margaret rushed over to him but stepped back as a shield of solid Dark Eco rose over him, preventing her from reaching her sibling. His screams grew louder and louder as the shield grew darker, until finally they ceased to exist. Margaret looked at the prone form of her brother and felt her heart move up into her chest. Although she had loathed her brother for turning to Gol's side, and although she had blown a hole through his chest, she had never really wanted to kill him. Now, as she watched his still body, tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she closed them. As she turned away, unable to bear the sight of her brother any longer, a small movement caught her eye. Margaret turned and saw her brother's chest move. A wave of relief flooded her body, making her feel almost giddy: her brother was alive.

Margaret ran to him but stopped when she saw his face. His eyes were no longer yellow and black, nor were they white and dark brown. The parts that were supposed to be white were now a solid black, while the pupil had turned into a fiery red. Margaret looked into the eyes, looking for a small trace of her brother, but to no avail. All of a sudden, Margaret realized the truth: this thing was not her brother. There was no look of recognition in his eyes, only hatred- hatred, and a desire to kill everything that moved. Without a word, whatever was possessing her brother's body summoned a Dark Eco Blade and rushed in, screaming an incoherent battle cry as he sliced viciously…

Hatu let loose a stream of curses as Torqueo leapt off after an unseen foe. The foul language caught the attentions of the two remaining Berserkers, who quickly drew their weapons and charged him. Hatu leapt into the air and spun around, slicing the head of one of the Berserkers off and nearly decapitating the other. Hatu watched as the one who he had not managed to behead dropped to the floor, its head held on by half an inch of skin and sinew. Not for the first time did Hatu realize how much stronger the Synthesis had made him. Although his body was built like an elf's he could leap fifteen feet in the air effortlessly, and he recalled lifting a boulder easily three times his weight over his head to save Keira one time.

"Well, well, well. I guess the runt of the litter improved a little," a sneering voice said. Hatu spun around as he brought up both his Eco Sabers, just in time to block two others from sheering him into three pieces.

"Gravis," Hatu snarled as he looked at his foe. "Still wiping Gol's ass then? Or is it harder ever since you lost half your arms?" Gravis glared at the strange Lurker who had been seen killing foes that he should never have been able to overcome. Gol had ordered Gravis to destroy the enigmatic Lurker, and that was exactly what Gravis planned to do. Hatu smirked as he saw Gravis' lip curl, unpleasant memories of how he had been crippled by Jak…

Just as Gravis began his attack, Jak unleashed a massive blast of fire, catching the sword-wielding Lurker off guard. As he went flying back, Jak swung his Blade and sent streams of Yellow Eco flying along the ground. Gravis landed in a heap from the sheer power of the fire blast Jak had hit him with. He let out a swear as he saw the ground-based attack traveling towards him. As he leapt over it, he heard something above and looked up only to get kicked in the face.

As Gravis went hurtling down, Jak sent another couple of slashes at him. These hit and Gravis cried out at the Eco ripped through his body, causing lacerations and incisions to appear everywhere. He quickly got to his feet, realizing that to remain on the floor would be bad. Jak landed and grabbed two of Gravis' arms before leaning back and kicking his enemy right in the face. Gravis staggered back and Jak jumped and flipped over his. As he began his descent, Jak summoned a Yellow Eco Blade and hoped what he was planning worked. Gravis spun around in a vain attempt to prevent Jak from inflicting the damage he wanted to but was not fast enough. Gravis screamed as Jak made his strike, but it was to be expected.

Such was usually one's reaction after having two arms hacked off.

Gravis pulled himself back to the present as Hatu rushed in, both of them twirling their Sabers around in dances of death…
As Keira caused another explosion, she ducked behind a rock and cursed at the inopportune moment the sun had chosen to set. Cursed though it was, the sun still gave off light, though whether Keira wanted to see the withering world for much longer she didn't know.

"Mayor," she cried into her communicator.

"Yaa-hmm?" Manic answered.

"We can't see what we're doing down here. Turn on the power," Keira shouted into the communicator, an explosion of a Dark Eco Container almost drowning out her words.

Instantly, the giant windmill in town lit up, causing a small blue sun to flood the world in light, giving everyone the means by which they could see their enemy.

Keira relaxed as the remaining Lurkers finally began to back away, leaving her alone. A sudden rumbling behind her caused her to turn around. Keira's face turned pale as she watched a Lurker approach her. She recognized the type instantly as a Behemoth, but it was her size, not the twenty foot giants that she was used to seeing.

"Surprised?" The Lurker said. Keira reeled back: the only Lurkers that she had heard speak Elfin was Hatu and Wartstal. "Yes, I know your language. Perhaps you are wondering why I am so small? The answer is simple: Wartstal is not the only Lurker who knows the Synthesis technique." Keira's eye widened as she understood what the Lurker was trying to tell her, since Hatu had explained exactly what Synthesis involved. She activated an Eco Saber and adopted a defensive stance as the being attacked with an Eco Saber of its own…

"Lauren, are you all right?" Bryan bellowed as he rushed to his girlfriends aid. He swung the katana his father had given him for his birthday and the Scout that had grabbed her fell to the ground. Lauren sparred him a grateful look but did not say anything, since she was concentrating on shooting down Lurkers with Keira's special arrows. Suddenly a yell made her turn around. A long Lurker had shot up out of the ground and had Bryan clutched in its mouth. The katana had dropped out of his hand and Lauren quickly loaded a Yellow Eco arrow and launched it. As the arrow flew towards the beast, the Lurker dropped Bryan and dived into the ground. Bryan quickly grabbed his katana and pressed his back to Lauren, both of them knowing that the Lurker was just waiting for them to drop their guard so it could attack again…
"Mike, where are you?" Kristen shouted as he vanished from view, the dust that had risen up from one of the Yellow Eco arrows that she had fired. Had she known that the container she had aimed at was filled with Dark Eco, she would never have shot at it. Now she was alone, and it was that fact that frightened her more than anything else.

"Right behind you," a calm voice stated. Kristen jumped about thirty feet in the air as a hand grabbed her shoulder and spun around to see Mike, smirking as he laughed at her. She playfully smacked him in the chest. For a split second they reveled in each other's presence, but quickly pulled themselves back to reality as a Lurker Warrior stepped out of the shadows and drew its sword and shield, bellowing as it rushed them all. Mike knew that his strength wouldn't be very much, but he hoped that the gloves Keira had given to him, which seemed to be made out of Precursor metal, and which she said had once belonged to Jak, might even the odds. After all, anything the Precursors made was usually very powerful. Unlocking the power was the tricky part. He offered a quick prayer to the Precursors as the Warrior charged, knocking aside the normal arrows that Kristen was letting loose…

"Damn that wench!" Gol raged as he stood from his throne. His sister looked supremely unconcerned as his aura flared, causing nearby object to either detonate, melt, or be thrown across the room.

"The Amplifier again?" she asked coolly.

"Of course, who else?" Gol thundered. "Whenever she goes near him, he always fights and this time he nearly broke my grip on his mind. Now I have to take direct control of his body."

"Let me do that," Maia protested.

"Why?"

"Without your influence, Jak might awaken, and you know what will happen if he should free the Sages once again,"

"You're right. We cannot afford to take any chances. It will not be long now. At the stroke of midnight, Jak will die, and when he does…"

"The resistance will die with him," Maia finished evilly.

"Lurkers have been spotted near the Fire Canyon," Lauren exclaimed.

"Let's go," Kristen said as she and Lauren rushed to get some equipment to use against the Lurkers.

"I'll be there in a second," Keira called after them. As her two friends left, Keira turned around and looked imploringly at Jak.

"Come back soon Jak," she whispered, hoping he could somehow hear her. "We need you…"

"I'm trying Keira!" the young Channeler screamed desperately in his mind. As he battled viciously against the unseen foe keeping him in this suspended limbo, Jak finally began to win. A glorious light that was so close, and yet so far away, could now be seen penetrating the shadows that had up till now completely obscured his vision. As he tried to get close to it, Jak could finally see his body. He looked down at his legs and continued to push his limits past what they had ever been put through previously. A smile lit Jak's face up for the first time in a month as he could finally see Keira's body (a being of light), coming closer.

As Jak reached out with his hand, his heart soared: he felt certain that if he could lay a hand on her, he would be free of this abominable prison to which he had been confined. He retched in horror as a tentacle of what could only be described as solid darkness suddenly seized his wrist. Jak struggled urgently against the icy grip, but it was no avail; it held fast. Jak spun around to see if he could finally see who-or what- was keeping him from protecting those who needed protection. To his horror, but not completely as a surprise, Jak saw none other that Gol Akaron.

"You will never escape, you foolish maggot," the Dark Sage hissed as he tightened, if that was at all possible, on his wrist. Jak closed his eyes as the darkness overwhelmed him and Gol smirked triumphantly as he thought his prey had finally given up.

"Ah well, it was just a matter of time. Soon your mind will crack and then you will be mine. Hmm, how best to extract my revenge?" Gol mused as he circled the imprisoned Channeler.

"Should I kill you first? No. I think I'll take care of each and every one of your friends." Jak's eyes snapped open at that, his eyes filled with fear.

"Yes, I think I know who I'll use too. I think I'll use your body to do it. Let's see, that traitorous Lurker hybrid freak first, and then that annoying Amplifier. Then I think I'll make you strangle your little rat friend and then will come the girl. I think her name is Keira?" Gol inquired, his tone making one think that he was introducing himself rather than threatening to make someone kill his own friends. "Yes," Gol hissed. "I know just the way too. I think I'll make you peel off her skin and you can watch her bleed to death. And then maybe, just maybe, I'll kill you," Gol said, grinning insanely.

"You will NOT touch Keira!" a voice rumbled. Gol looked around for someone else before shaking himself mentally. He was inside Jak's very mind; no one else could enter without his knowledge.

"This isn't over Gol. I'll get loose, and then I'll make you wish you had never been born!" the voice roared again. Gol looked at his prisoner and realized with a jolt that Jak was no longer such a thing. Gol shuddered as he looked at Jak's eyes: never had he seen such a burning gaze. The blue that usually held such warmth and compassion had completely transformed into a hate filled cobalt.

Jak struggled against his bonds but they were as solid as ever. Gol laughed at the fool for trying to break his bond; nothing could free the boy unless Gol's mental presence vanished.

Let me start off by saying that I have absolutely no intention to kill off any canon characters okay. There WILL be deaths of minor/unimportant characters. And maybe Jak. Well, thank you for reading, and I do hope I haven't permanently damaged anyone's mind. If you have any ideas, comments, questions, send a review but I must war you all: flames will be used to heat my cold room. And thanks to everyone who has read my sad excuse for literature and given me their thoughts.
My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

Quote of the week- Me

Me: Rule #1 of Life- If there is anywhere important you have to get to on foot, you can be sure that it's uphill.