A/N: And so, now, I leave you (On a touch of a downer...sorry)! Well, for authorship anyway...I'll still be reviewing, JKA, but Silver, I won't be writing any more stories for a while. I do have a story planned for the Batman Begins/ Dark Knight forum, so once I've done other stories that I've had planned, I'll be back. And then? Well, we'll see...In the meantime, guys, thanks ever so much for everything, it's genuinely humbling and appreciated to see your reviews and reactions. I want you to do one more thing for me – go onto your music streaming service and search "Building" by Funeral For A Friend. It's kinda short but keep playing it until you've finished this chapter (if you're a slow reader). And I'll see you guys around soon... ~ Mika
Between Chapter 31 and the Epilogue, "What Sorrow..."
Jak rarely relied on anyone, even as he approached sixty years of age. But now, on this Dark Eco-black day, he had to rely on his son and the doorframe of his home to keep him upright.
He didn't cry. Mar forbid he cry so openly, especially after the scene with his daughter in Senzanome. He didn't feel anything. After forty plus years of all he had seen, his spirit had finally broken.
All it took was the death of his child.
My baby girl...
Blood. Ash. Burns. The armour, blackened, twisted at the edges. Her eyes, her mother's eyes, filled with pain and sadness, the light fading from them.
She's dead.
His body stiff with age and fighting grief, he ignored his son's and grandson's pleas as he made his way upstairs. Stopping at the top of the stairs, he turned to face the door that led into the room that once belonged to his daughter and Deimin. Her husband, at least by common-law marriage; they had changed their surnames to be one and the same, although she was still Jakuelynn Mar Hagai or Princess Jakuelynn Mar in public.
God, how she hated being reminded of her title.
For a long time, he stood there, breathing heavily, body like rock. Eventually, he willed his limbs towards the door, not consciously knowing why he wanted to venture towards his daughter's room. Time slowed down, although as far as he knew he had not commanded it to do so with the powers he was given. He pushed the door open and stepped reverently inside the room. The sun was shining through the window, and he felt anger boiling up inside him. He felt like the sunny day was mocking him, celebrating what was good in life.
"Well, I'm so fucking glad everything's going well for you," he growled, voice shaking. Treading cautiously, he tried not to disturb anything on the floor, for fear it would eradicate her presence completely. Dust mites swirled in the sun beams, shooting in the air as he sat down on the bed heavily. Silence reigned over the room for many long, long moments, including Jak's insides. He gazed around the room, hands clenching the covers on the bed, remembering the times he'd sit by the bed for hours as the night slipped into the small hours when she was pregnant with Rufas, ensuring she would get enough sleep so her then-unborn son wouldn't be hurt.
Come back.
He closed his eyes, curving his upper body, head bent in sorrow.
Come back, Nelly...
When he straightened up again, his eyes were blurry with unreleased tears.
I barely knew you.
"Tin can in hand
Waiting for God to come around
But he never comes around
He never comes around..."
THE END