Aurora's POV

My son hasn't left my side. His Blue eyes were weak and full of confusion as he sat with his knees tucked under his chin. I was still hard to imagine: My son.

My progeny. It's surreal, and not just because his right hook completely knocked the snot out of me. My Mar was only three the last I saw him. But now he is a grown man. If anything, he should be about sixteen. I tried to get up, but he pushed me back on the soft plush grass. "Don't move." He ordered. He was too afraid to move me with such injuries. I pouted.

"I am a queen. I will not let such flesh wounds ruin my day! I am the most powerful sage…"

"Cool, the bravado." He said rolling his eyes dryly. He looked at my abdomen sullenly before closing his eyes. His brow wrinkled immensely as he spoke. "I understand the type of destruction I can cause. We can't move until the bleeding stops."

"Nonsense!" I tried to bellow, but it came out bleak. After all I was the parent.

Jak didn't say a word; he just shook his head and sighed.

"If you could see the shape you're in." he said

But I knew all too well of what kind of shape I was in. My stomach's muscles were filled with gashed two inches deep and went to side to side. My warm blood was still gushing out despite jak's efforts to stop the bleeding with his eco. He did the best he could do and we ran out of eco.

Plus it wasn't the wounds that were an issue. I survived many metal attackers. Hell I thrived as a wastelander in my day.

It was the half gallon amount of dark eco pumping in my veins that killed me. I wasn't an idiot to know my light eco is trying to reject the dark eco and the dark was trying to reject the light. The two ecos were battling it out and taking out many vital organs in their pathway. It felt like my body was ripping open one cell at a time.

Is this what you go through my son? My eyes feel on his face. He was such a handsome boy. I wanted to touch his face. I wanted so very much to hold my son in my arms, but I couldn't lift my arms up.

I doubted he would let me if I could. I managed a smirk and it didn't go unnoticed.

"You're dying. Why are you smiling?" he asked morosely. My mouth was so dry. It made speech hard.

"How old are you now?"

"Twenty."

"That little osstel? How do you know him?"

"He's my childhood friend." He said drly.

"So you were able to have a decent life? Up until this point?" I seemed more hopeful than I realized. I was praying he at least had an inkling of happiness.

He leaned over to me and propped my head on his arm and gave me water. How did he know? My heart swelled up as he spoke. "My childhood? Yes, I supposed it was charmed. I went on this one particular adventure, that was bitter sweet." He smiled. "Ah, it was the best of times and I was the worst of times."

I nodded. Feeling the same way about my childhood life. Living in the awful slums with a father who was never around due to him fighting in the desert scares my heart. But I would do it all again, if it meant causing mayhem in the city with Sig and brothers and reliving each little touch Damas and I shared.

My eyelids fluttered. "Damas!" I suddenly shouted. "Damas! If you're living it must mean he came back to the city! He must be in the wastelands with Sig, still. He resuced you."

Jak's eyes watered. "Yes and no. it's a long story."

My heart stopped and I was suddenly cold. No. he couldn't mean… I shook my head. "Please. Stop."

He raised an eyebrow at my sudden tearful expression. "Let me believe, everything is ok. Even if I know it's a lie. Let me believe…" I pleaded. "Just until I'm back on my feet." I couldn't take anymore hurt after the happiness of being reunited with my son.

His jaw locked and he nodded. I sighed and his fingers brushed against my face. "Ok." He stated.

"You're such a good person." I said and he laughed. He looked around the ruins of the basin. We had taken shelter under one of the cliffs next to the pond. "Not at all. I am scum."

"Don't you dare say that!"

"Being a murder makes you insane. Being one who enjoys murder makes you scum." He said grimly.

How very mature he was! I could see the years of heartache on his face and the wisdom in his blue eyes. I mellowed out a bit.

"But being my son makes you a prince." I smiled at him weakly. "A fairy tale prince who is rough around the edges."

He smiled back. "you're such a little kid."

I laughed. "Well I guess the viper thing went to my head, son. I wasn't used treated like I shit gold till I came into this job."

He raised his eyebrow. "When you lived in the palace?"

"You must be kidding me!" I scoffed. "A sand rat like me? They all hated my guts there. Except your father. He was the exception to all the rules. Because he was too headstrong to become one of the little flunkies of barron."

"I look up to him." He admitted shyly.
"So do I." I smiled.

"How did you escape?" he said suddenly his sapphire eyes were like burning coals. I looked at the sun setting. I was still bleeding. My men are going start to worry soon, but right now. I looked back at my son. He was the only person that mattered. I forgot what it felt like to love. I cleared my burning thoart.

"With the pair of stiletto combat boots your father had specially made for me." I mused darkly. "You see, your father was away when we were first ambushed. Barron had just set a secret coup de etate a few hours ago and I was the first on his list to get rid of. I was busy giving you a bath and you were fast asleep. I remember I was writing a letter to Damas about your upcoming birthday. I wanted to give you a crcodog, but your father figured a "warrior's bow and arrow" set was a good gift for a toddler!" I laughed softly. "We were in my room. I sat you in my crib while I at my desk, when suddenly it came through our doors. It was like a Ligar! But bigger. I never saw this breed of metalhead. I screamed as it torn my room apart. I wasn't afraid to fight, but because you were in my bed. I quickly gained enough courage to push the beast away. It flew into the wall with a huge crash and you started to cry."

"The beast came towards me again and I took my metal pen and stabbed it. It was like I never touched it. I flung the table at his and it feel down. I remember sprinting over to it and stomping it in the head as hard as I could with those boots I told you about. It put my baby in danger. It wasn't going to walk away, animal or not!" I coughed but continued. "Anyways I was trying my best to put the damn thing out of its misery when all of a sudden I heard you screaming. I looked up and there you were in Veger slimy hands. May the deepest pits of hell be reserved for that man! I wished I could've killed him slowly instead of snipping him. He doesn't deserve the quick end he got. But there you were in his hands he was grinning like crazy he said "Take a good long look, Dirt whore. Your little brat is coming with me." The amount of fear in my heart. The anger I felt. You will never understand. I screamed for you, but in my hast, I forgot I was under attack. The creature sprang up and dug his claws into my face and took my eye out with it. I feel on the ground screaming and I heard you yell "mommy." I was losing blood at an alarming rate and all I could hear of Veger's obnoxious laughs. Mar, I only wish I could've tortured him instead of snipping him. I would've ripped every piece of fur off his shameful body, used his blood as lipstick, and then skinned him alive and turn it into a pair of boots. If only I had more time, he would have suffered as though he was trapped in the very darkest pit of hell itself." I spoke very unambiguous and full of acrid rage.

Jak gasped and I looked up at him in question. His face was blood shot red and full of distain.

"What's wrong?" I asked silently. He hesitated. "You can tell me." I assured him.

"It's um dark… my err demon. He is well… he is turned on by your little rant."

It was quite before I left out a huge laugh. "Oh my luckers. What a sadist!"

Jak nodded. "Like you wouldn't believe!"

"But son?" I grimaced. "I understand the whole dark warrior program. I read the news, but how does it work? Samos is the sage of green eco, yet he doesn't get incarcerated by the eco unlike you."

"I guess…" he gave it some thought before continuing. "I when I control eco, it's like I channel it. I let it flow from one part of my body to the next depending on the situation. I guess dark and light, just are too powerful to be told where to go, so they take up all the space they can get." He frowned. "How'd you get your powers?"

"The silly little monks at in the wastelands. My mother was a priest, but it just didn't work out with her and my father. I moved to the big city with my father, but I guess I got the whole "Light Eco ;fight the day star" instincts from her. You were doomed to have a life with eco considering both your father and I can do it freely. It wasn't till I lost my eye that I learned how to really use it. I was able to heal my eye, but my vision was long gone, by the time I got the hang of it." I made a face. "Go ahead. Take off my eye patch."

Jak grimanced. "Um…"

I smiled faintly. "Let me guess, you have a weak stomach?" I jested. He grunted then slowly reached down to take it off. He was so like his dad in that way. Pride before passion and so to speak.

He blinked and I knew what he saw. I could still open my eye, but I couldn't see out of it. I couldn't close it actually. It healed while I had it open so it settled that way. My eyeball was missing chucks out of it, but the most of was till there. Around my face was the metal head claw marks embedded in my skin.

"I took my looks for granted." I said sighing. Jak frowned. He seemed to do that a lot. "You still look very beautiful, mother."

"Why thank you son. That means…A lot." I struggled for the right word. "It really does, but let me ask you a question."

He tensed, obviously expecting something other than what I was going to ask.

"Do you prefer me call you Jak or Mar?"

He blinked then shrugged. "I don't really care."

"Well, I guess you're your own man now, son. You craved your own destiny without help from anyone. I guess in a way, Mar did die and Jak was born." I said, and then I groaned at the sudden onslaught of pain. Jak stood up and started to walk away. "There used to be a green eco vent here once. If it still is here maybe it will take away some dark eco a heal those wounds up."

"what do you mean used to?" I asked as he trotted away. "Mother. I have a story to tell you. It involves a lot of good things, but a hell of a lot of bad. It's the story of the great Mar and the greatest precursor the world has ever known." He laughed at that last part and he trotted off. I was dazed, but I'm sure it was the dizzying pain. No I'm sure it wasn't that.

I think it was being in the mist of a true hero that clouded up my vision.