"You're kidding me right?" Cyrus gawked. His lower lip was trembling. I stared at me and looked up at the crystal candle holder on the table.

"You must be mistaken, big guy…" Daxter said in a slow tone. His tail was twitching. That was a sure fire way to know Daxter was feeling nervous or upset about something. I sighed. "No." I recalled the picture in Damas' journal. My mother's face was engraved into my memory. I remembered every line in her face, the way she smiles. It all matches the expectation of the new black patch over her eye. It was a small price to pay for surviving a metal head ambush, but after all these years how could she have ended up in the brink! And why didn't she return? How did she learn to learn to channel eco like that anyways? A millions questions swirled around in my head and I couldn't silence any one of them.

I will make them be quiet.

I grimaced as dark made his presence known again. He wasn't as aggressive today. As a matter of fact he was feeling apprehensive. He wasn't sure how to coup with craving your mother's blood.

I said it was odd, not that I didn't want to.

I shook my head. Dark wasn't imitating today, just irritating. He envisions me killing Aurora. My claws protruding out from her back and he blood slowly dripping down to our feet, but not before I slashed her other eye out of her pretty little head.

"Have you no fucking shame?" I muttered to myself. Dax raised an eyebrow, but Cyrus didn't seem to hear. I didn't need Light this time to shut up Dark, but light was there in the background. His jaw metaphorically clenched. He was usually calm, but even he was unsettled.

"I'm positive." I said taking out the picture of my mother, Damas left me. I would keep it on me in my wattle from now on. Cyrus took it wryly, and glanced over it. "One in the same." He admitted after a tense pause. "But she doesn't recognize you at least."

"How could she?" I asked shrugging my shoulders. "The son she knows would still be a child."

Daxter looked up towards the door suddenly. "Someone is coming." He said holding his ears up.

Cyrus sat down. "Be cool guys." He warned.

Me cool? I stay reserved all the time.

Dark let out a sarcastic chuckled and I wish I could reach into my brain and punch him in the face.

Aurora came floating through the doors. She was smiling happily. She had a face that always seemed like she was humming some sort of jazz song that relaxed her. She had changed outfits to a pair of leather pants and a shirt that resembled my own blue tonic, yet it was crafted for a female. Behind her was a plethora of servants holding sliver plates filled with ever single breakfast food. Daxter was first to react. "It's a never ending breakfast!"

Aurora winked at us suddenly, sending me to shudder. "Anything thing for my three most favorite workers." She said hovering over the table. She was position as though she was laying on her stomach with her legs bend up. "Please eat your fill."

"Thank you for your kindness, milady." Cyrus said filling up a plate up with waffles. Daxter started on the sausages, which apparently were god sent by the way he was downing them. I was transfixed on my hands when Aurora tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up nervously at my mother. What was I too say?

"Aren't you hungry, son?"

I tried not to make a face at the word son as I answered. "No thanks, I um… "

She stuffed a fork load of eggs in my mouth suddenly. She grinned at me as I chewed and swallowed in shock. "Nonsense. Your stomach is growling."

"For an evil crime lord, you're flamboyant." Daxter noted absent mindedly. Aurora raised an eyebrow. "Were you excepting a reincarnation of Crew?" she paused to laugh at Daxter's nod. "No. I'm much more pleasant. And pleasant looking for that matter." She began to fly around extending her left hand on her head and her right on her hips striking what she considered a sexy pose. Daxter chuckled and whistled.

"Thank you. Thank you." She blew kisses to an imaginary crowd. "fourty-two and I still got it!"

"That old?" Daxter said downing a pancake. Aurora stopped floating around the dinning room. " you know eco altars your appearance slightly. It's why I have these damned grey hairs."

"No, it looks good on you. Gives you a old world charm and all that junk." He mused. She giggled happily.

I couldn't believe it. My best friend just hit it off with my own mother…

"Be gone servants." Aurora said to the servants. Within a few second the room was cleared and I was just us four. She said down on the chair next to Cyrus and cleared her throat. "May I ask what business you have here?" her voice was deep. Not like bassy, but like a woman with confidence and had a position of power. Right in that moment she was very intimidating, even for me.

"We have information." Cyrus lied swiftly.

Aurora nodded. "Well please explain yourself…"

"Cyrus." He spoke up smiling sweetly. "And this is Jak and Daxter."

She smiled at us, then looked at Cyrus. "Continue."

"Praxis is turning twenty-four tomorrow. I'm sure she will have her guard left down."

"you don't say…" she fiddled with her fingers.

Cyrus nodded.

Aurora looked intrigriged. "I wonder if she is stupid enough to be alone."

"With all due to respect, milady. That's where we come in. I will be happy to lead her out into one of haven's deserted areas."

"A dirty worker? What's the price?" her cynical glare burned holes into Cyrus' eyes.

"Justice." Cyrus said grimly. I sighed. Killing my mother so Cyrus' mother could live. Yeah, Justice alright.

Aurora looked at me and smiled. "If you're feeling tired feel free to rest here."

I blinked. Her friendly personality takes me off guard. Usually I am rankled towards affection, because I'm not used to it, but hers was so generally kind. I didn't know how to deal with that. "No thanks."

I stood up and started to walk off silently.

"Jak?" Daxter called

"I'm going to get some air. This place is so damn stuffy." I said curtly. I was more bitter than I wanted, but any excuse to get out this room was enough for me. Daxter scurried behind me and climbed on my shoulder. He gave me a promising smile as our eyes met and I nodded in response. Good ol' Dax.

"I have a garden that I'm sure you'll enjoy." She called. "It's right through those doors we past." She sounded like she was still smiling as I left. How was she so happy? I nodded and walked out. The first place I came to was the main hall then I turned around and went through another door I never seen before. "Must be her garden." Daxter said.

I nodded, but before I could go through Aurora's main goon walked up to us.

"I trust you're enjoying your stay?" he said in a pissy mood. Now here's something I can deal with, anger.

I rolled my eyes. "It's a blast."

"Listen you freak." He got real close suddenly. "This is my turf. I worked hard to get here and I don't appericate you making a fool out of my men back there."

"You made a fool of yourself." I said

He grimaced. "Watch yourself you dirty eco freak. What you don't think we watch the news. I know who you are, renegade, and frankly I. Don't. Like. You."

I grinned. "The feeling is mutual, buddy."

"I am not your buddy. I am Meriwether!"

Daxter burst out into laughter. He sled off my shoulder in violent spasms of laughter. I was fighting back my own laughter.

"Stop it! Stop it, right now you fools! Meriwether happens to be a name of royalty." He shouted at us. His face red.

"Yeah royal homosexuality. King of the fairies!" Daxter said wiping away his tears. Then I lost it. My laughs bounced of the wall and I couldn't stop.

"Look here Mary… we'll leave you alone if you leave us alone, deal?" Daxter pushed the door open and we left Meriwether rotting in his anger.

The outside garden was beautiful. It was on a valley that dipped down slightly so you could see the entire garden from the ledge you were on. There were vegetables, fruits, flowers. Everything that grew seemed to be in this garden.

But our eyes were directed to something else.

"Do you…" Daxter said shaking his head. My eyes couldn't met his for a second.

In front of us was the prescusor basin we rode my zoomer through so many years ago, only it was fallen apart. The structures were pieces of crumpled rusted metal littering the ground. It was ruined. Nothing left except sorrow.

I felt my anger rise then fall. I mean Kor was dead. Who do I impose my anger on now? No, I just felt a great sense of hollowness at the reminded of the barrens of my world.

"It's a crime huh?" said a sweet voice. I looked behind me quickly. It was Aurora. She was smiling sheepishly. "The way time is so harsh and unforgiving with the land. I can imagine it was quiet the sight back in its day."

Daxter and I keep looking at her in shock. She pulled hair from her face behind her. "I was afraid you wouldn't find you're way around. It is a big complex."

"I can take care of myself." I grunted and she nodded, but walked closer to us. Daxter's whiskers twitched. "Um, I going go…pick some flowers to send back to the girls." He said jumping down and getting lost in the fields. I grimaced and cursed at him in my head. What the hell do you think you are doing Daxter?

"Jak?" she asked shyly. I turned to see she was grinning at me. I backed up. "Yes?"

"You just remind me of somebody I once knew." She sighed and looked down, then back at the deserted basin. "I chose this place because I think the precursors had a wonderfully elebroant design in what they did."

I looked at her silently before sitting down. I took out my gun and cleaned it.

"A morph gun?"

"You know?"

She smiled. "I spent most of my childhood handling one. I'm more of a RFT 3000 gal myself."

I blinked at the technical name of the gun in question. "The peacemaker?"

"Yes. It was my adoptive brother's favorite. Those were the days…" she sighed.

"We both wish for better days." I said. She nodded. "Better for sure. Better enough to stop meddling with this buffoons."

"What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes. Aurora blushed slightly, and then started to hover in place. "I was absolutely fascinated with the old world. It's like my hobby. I want to restore this awful place to a time before baron. To before metalheads."

"News flash. They're both dead." I said closing my eyes.

"I know." It sounded like she had that same grin in her words. "I know a lot of things young regenade."

I didn't bat an eyelash.

"So if you know Praxis is gone, then why go through so much trouble to erase everything to do with him? It's over, is it not?" I thought of veger's death and her planning to knock off Ashlien. She sighed. "Over? Yes, but it's never done. Scars are never heal. You of all people should know that."

I surprised the need to rub my chest scar from the dark warrior program.

"And killing Ashlien will make it work?"

"How can I trust her to rule?" she focused on the distance. "How can I trust her to remain pure? Even if it was my plan to usurp her how can I trust myself to be what the city needs. No that's not my plan at all. I want to have place with no active government."

"Anarchy." I noted, but she was already shaking her head. Her blonde green hair flowing like a waterfall down her back.

"No. Utopia."

I looked at the ruins as she placed her hands on her hips. "No more sorrow. That's what I want Jak. And I will purge the world from all it's scars to get there."

I nodded. "If that's the case. Then I'm on your hit list too." I looked at her sharply. She didn't look down at me. "A challenge, Jak?" she smirked slightly. "If you want a fight, then…"

She suddenly had me wrapped up in a blue light. I gasped and noticed she had the same wings as Light had only hers were longer and much more angelic. The light wrapped around me was like a tentacle that came out of her wings and I couldn't move. She tightened up her grip. "I won't hold back." Suddenly she was flying up in the air with me. "And let's not use that pesky gun, huh Jak." She flew me at lighting speed to the basin and soon I found myself free falling into the ground. She let me go!

I tried to grip onto something, but I couldn't find anything up air. Vainly I grasped for something, but it was too late. I crashed into the ground and I was cratered in.

I blacked out.

The next thing I heard was a bunch of chuckles. My entire body ached, but I was alive. Barely. I focused my eyes on the woman sitting happily on the giant cliff. Her wings were spread out for what looked 3 yards and her body was the same shinning blue as light. The only difference was Aurora had retained her trademark eyepatch.

"Oh Jak? Wakey Wakey." She taunted. "If you hurry you can watch me destroy Hevan City."

Huh? She couldn't…

"I told you I'm getting rid of the scars! Including that eye sore of a hell hole. I wonder who I should torment first after kill that Praxis woman. Maybe that blue hair vixen I saw you race with? If memory serves she dated Erol. She's impure by default."

Mother…don't…do this. I lifted myself to my feet as she smiled wickedly at me.

"Well aren't you going fight me? Or are you just as useless as your father? He is probably rotting in this grave huh, Jakky."

I felt my heart stop, before the pain erupted. It was like being burnt, but it was an all consuming fire. My rage turned into hate, into a violent powerful blood lust and I turned into Dark. My humanity faded in one painful second.

I snarled at the emeny I was presented with. I didn't remember everything, but I did know one thing.

"You will perish!" Dark snarled as she took over the last few string to my body and a furry of dark eco sparks flew out. Aurora gasped as she flew up, but she was slow. I dashed up to her and caught her by the foot; swinging her down into the ground. I followed after pointed her claws at her throat. She got up and flew away, barely escaping death.

"You do have some fight!" she mused. "She focuse a beam of blue light and held out her arms. Suddenly a metor shower of energy balls flew from her and I used my dark bomb to nagate all of them. I managed to gain ground and punch her squarely in the face, pleasing Dark with her nose bleeding. But she landed one hell of a kick sending me into the ground again. She Walked over me. I sprang up using my claws to kick dust into her eye. While she was blinded I hit her and begun a series of slashes across her torso making her fall to her knees. "Cheater." She chocked out. I smiled as I wrapped my hand around her throat. She coughed.

"Death… is so sweet."

Then I noticed something. Not Dark, but me. I wasn't usually conscious when Dark fought, but I caught a glismps of Aurora to notice she was grinning. Her nose was really beat up and blood was all over her mouth and chin from it. She was crying tears and her breaths were labored. Yet she was laughing. Wincing from where the dark eco entered her wounds.

"Yes. Death is sweet when it's at your hands Mar."

Even Dark Stopped. "What?"

"You…t-think I don't know my son." She laughed again. "But I wasn't sure so I picked this fight. Mar you fight just like your father."

Dark was casted aside so fast I didn't have time to register the change. Suddenly I was light and I was healing her. She was still laughing.

"Dark and Light?" Aurora chuckled. "My son, is a genus."

"shh now." Light ordered. "It's going to be ok."

"Now it is." She said smiling towards the sun. "Now that I have my son."

Light continued to heal her as the queen laughed at her life threading wounds.