There seems to be some confusion as to how Samos and Kassra know each other, and I wanted to explain. Back in chapter 39, during the scene where Jak and everyone else are having dinner, Samos mentioned that there was someone asking him about Gol and Maia, and that someone was Kass, who is quite good at harassing people into conversations, and therefore I thought it was plausible that she may have been able to learn that the Green Sage once lived in a time centuries in the past, and so on and so forth. I hope that clears things up.

Chapter 45: Carvings

The next several days went as well as could be expected. The woman talked at him plenty, about her trek to Spargus and her time there. About her new home and how she had to get used to city life. She even went so far as to make a comment about how many of the people there were nearly as cranky as he was. And she made mention of her time fighting in the war, his war, and despite it all being his doing, his and his sister's, the idiot-grin never left her face as she described her triumphs over his soldiers. If any of that could be believed, it was no wonder she appeared to have no issues with his servants, even before he got around to telling them not to bother her. Not that he was sure they actually listened to him anyway.

And just as she had in the past, she tried to pry information out of him, but just as it had been back then, it was none of her business. Just because she desired no privacy whatsoever in her personal affairs, it in no way obligated him to return the favor.

But, it was often a pleasant enough time, even with her chattering. They ate dinner together, but shared no other meals, as he really didn't even have the appetite for that. And they worked to clean things up better, just to make a nicer place to live for the time being, downed bookcases set upright and the remaining books returned to their shelves, along with the loose papers, which had since been formed into a few neat piles, not because it really mattered, but for his own sanity. The mess was really starting to get to him, he had to admit.

And sometimes they sat, in the lab or one of the upper rooms that had a desert view, and they'd watch the night sky, and he'd name the constellations he remembered learning long ago, and she'd just listen. And when a comet went by, she decided they had to wish on it, but these wishes they kept secret, as wishes don't come true if revealed to others, though, from what he had learned, they don't come true even then.

And he thought. He did a lot of that, when things were quiet, and he was alone. He thought about the past, when his dear sister and he were just children and would play and explore the woods together. When they grew older, and she would assist him in his work, and Dark Eco was at its most wondrous and most mysterious, when there were still so many secrets yet to unlock. And he thought about how he could have done things differently. If he would have done things differently, knowing what he did now. What could he have done? What could he have done to prevent all of this? If they hadn't decided to claim the world as their own, Maia would still be okay, wouldn't she? If they hadn't tried to strive for so much…

It was like a human could only attain so much before they had to give up something. Like he had reached his capacity for power and happiness, that it was too much, and he had to lose something, and if he had known, he would have obtained less so he could keep her here with him. But, he didn't know. And such a thing could happen again, if there even was anything left to lose at this point. If there was, he would lose it, as well, if he failed to see how close he was coming to losing it. Or if he was too stubborn to see it and acknowledge it. Maybe he could see it. Maybe he did, and he just was choosing to do nothing about it. But, why was he choosing that, and why, when he thought these things, was he still taking no action to prevent it?

And this brought him to another thing he had been thinking quite a bit about lately, what Kassra had said. But, he hadn't changed. Surely he hadn't. Not for the worst, at least. His dear sister and he were not bad people. They were forced into their current situation. No one would ever understand this, but it was true. But, Maia had indeed changed in some ways, ways that were not all pleasant. Her rage and her seeming bloodlust was not the Maia he once knew, but this was because of the way people treated them, wasn't it? It must be. If not, then what else could have caused it? What changes had he undergone that he didn't notice? Did he become more violent, as well, just as his dear sister had? Could he have done such things then that he didn't think twice about now?

But, he was weak back then. He hadn't yet reached his breaking point.

Did he break?

And he pondered and pondered over these things, to the point that he lost sleep and often had no choice but to wander the citadel at night, where not only his thoughts drove him crazy, but he was haunted by images and sounds, of a specter of Maia that surely wandered these halls now, if he had believed in such things. But, he saw her nonetheless, flashes of something pale in the dark, and it was her, even if he couldn't always get a very good look at the misty shape he could have sworn was there just a second ago, even if common sense told him otherwise. He couldn't get away from her, the form that looked like her, at least, that he knew was not really there but he saw anyway, and when he didn't see her, he thought about her and how she had changed and why, and then he would ask those same questions of himself, over and over, even if no amount of thinking seemed to give him the answer.

It was tiring, but his sleep brought no rest, either, and maybe her ghost haunted him so because she was angry with him and the procrastinating he continued even now. He hadn't so much as seen the incomplete bomb in several days, let alone worked on it. It was his procrastinating that caused what happened to her, in a way it had, and he was still doing it. But now, if he continued his work…no, that was just one more thing he couldn't get his mind off of. Every time he thought about finishing the bomb, a sickness would settle in his stomach, even when not doing it wasn't any better. He couldn't give up on their dreams, but their dreams had already cost him so much, and he couldn't help but think it would only take more from him. It was an impossible quandary, but he'd have to make a decision soon, before it drove him mad.

So he thought and he wandered his nights away, chasing visions until he remembered they were not really there, while daytime was a more tolerable affair, even if he did have to be around Kassra. And the war that seemed so far off returned to him one night when he was wandering and spotted a small band of Wastelanders within one of the citadel's decrepit courtyards, trying their best to remain hidden, only found when he chased the ghost of Maia here, as if she wanted him to find them. And while they tried to hide from him, he knew that they were there, and he called out to them, to show themselves, for they were fooling no one, and it wasn't long later before they were all dead, though it was more out of instinct than a real desire to live that he did this. Surely, if he had been asleep, they may have been able to sneak up on him, and maybe then his worries would be over. He wasn't certain if that would have been for the best or not. And afterward, he disposed of the bodies, taking them far out into the Wasteland where no one could find them.

And then one day, one afternoon when they sat in the library, him turning through the pages of a book, but not looking at them, she spoke the words he knew eventually would come.

"I think it's about time I got going."

He looked up to where she sat across from him, arms on the table before her, fiddling with one thumb.

"Is it now?"

She nodded. "Mm-hmm."

Did she really have to? She would be safer here. But, Maia wasn't.

"I see."

Her usual smile grew back onto her face. "I'll…maybe I can…maybe I'll visit you again someday." The smile weakened. "If I can, I will. I promise."

"Hmm." No, she wouldn't. She wouldn't be able to.

She looked down and began to rummage around in her pockets before pulling out two objects. "You remember the secret thing I was carving?"

"Of course, I do. You started it a week ago. My memory's not that bad."

"Actually, I started longer ago than that, when I started talking to that Green Sage about you. And I made two, actually. See." She leaned across the table and deposited two small carvings before him.

He studied the two objects. They were in the shape of people. He glanced at her, her face beaming in a most ridiculous manner, then, picked up the two figurines. Now that he got a closer look at them, they appeared to be a man and a woman. They were rough, but based on what he could make out from the faces and the clothing, they appeared to be him, with both sleeves intact, and Maia. His dear sister would be none too pleased by her…proportions, however.

"I probably didn't make you skinny enough, or grumpy enough, but they're not bad, if I do say so myself. I thought your glove would be too hard, so I skipped it."

"Thank you," he said, his voice soft.

"Do you like them?"

"I do. I really do."

He heard the squeak of her chair as she stood. The likenesses were not the best, but it was them. It was still them.

He stiffened when she wrapped her arms around him. "What are you doing?"

"Hugging you."

"I know that. But, why are you doing it?"

"Because I want to."

"Release me, please." And as unexpected as it was, she did, allowing the Sage to relax again, at least, as much as he could with her grinning down at him like that.

"I'll miss you. And I hope you'll miss me, too, but I won't ask you if you will because you'll probably say 'no' just to be mean."

"Would I do that?" he said to the bookcase behind her.

"I don't know. You tell me."

His eyes returned to her, to find her watching him, before she began a hesitant turn towards the doorway. She stopped, however, and went no further before speaking again. "Well, I guess I gotta go."

Gol set the figurines down, just for now, and stood, as well. "Come."

He walked by her, and after a moment, she caught up to walk beside him, and they made their way upstairs and eventually outside, where she then led him to the vehicle she had used to get here. It was hidden amongst the rocks, but it was not hard to find, surrounded as it was by his servants, sniffing and pawing at it like it was the most interesting thing in the world. As they approached the group, Kassra clapped her hands.

"Okay, nothing to see here."

The creatures turned around, hissing as they came towards her, several members of the group branching off in an effort to surround her.

"Enough of this," he said. "Get going!"

Despite his commands, they kept coming, the woman just watching them do it, and he repeated his warnings. When this didn't work, he sent sparks at the ground before their feet, causing one to jerk back. That would get their attention. "Go! Now!"

This time his words were heeded, and the creatures began to stalk off, hissing at the woman several times more and looking back at him with a reproach they had no right to have.

"They never listen to me," he said, and she chuckled.

They stood out there, the sun heading towards the west, as they looked out over the desert that stretched in all directions around them. They would have had a good view from this height if there was anything out there worth looking at.

"You think you'll get back before nightfall?" he asked.

"Close enough." She half-turned to look back at him, always with the same smile. "We'll…see each other again. I know we will."

He said nothing, and she looked away. "I guess I already hugged you, so there's not much else to do." Nevertheless, she turned back to him, something creeping into her eyes that her smile tried to hide. She opened her mouth, then, closed it again, turning to watch the sky to the west as it turned red, the same kind of red he remembered seeing…that day just a week ago. She heaved one breath before returning her attention to him. "Goodbye, then, I guess."

"Yes." This may be it. The last time. The last time he would talk to someone, really talk to someone, like regular people. The last time someone treated him just like anyone else. "Goodbye."

She watched him a moment longer, and he noticed her smile weaken as she turned away from him, and she began to head towards her vehicle, resting a hand on its frame once she reached it. She then spun around, smile returned, and jumped in, one hand waving.

"Well, it was nice seeing you. You weren't too cranky this time. Bye!"

He raised an eyebrow at her, an expression missed by the one who had caused it as she looked down for a moment to start the vehicle, the rumble of its engine interrupting the silence, and then glanced up once more, her eyes catching his, before backing the vehicle around the rocks with much more skill than seemed likely for someone like her to possess, and then she was weaving her way around the rocks and was lost from sight once she went over the side of the mountain's slope, the sound of her vehicle beginning to grow more and more distant, as he stared off at nothing in particular.

She was gone now, too, and when he could no longer detect the sound of the engine, he floated off the ground and drifted over the side of the mountain, the land opening up beneath him. At first, she was nowhere to be found, and then he spotted her, a dark object far below, speed picking up when the rocky terrain began to give way more and more to sand dunes.

He watched her for some time, the vehicle speeding away, getting smaller and more distant as the sun went down, and eventually, the combination of distance and waning light as the sun created long shadows from the mountains in the distance caused her to disappear, like he knew she would soon, for good, once he completed the bomb.

Jak continued to do about the same thing he always did during this particular war, wait, and as was customary for him lately, he did this outside, in whatever section of the city he could find where there were as few people as possible that could bother him. Out here, he didn't have to see the worry on his friends' faces, and they couldn't see the worry on his, as he obsessed over whether or not today would be the day that Dark Jak got out and did something unspeakable.

Though, for once, Dark Jak was not so much on his mind right now as he wandered the now dimly-lit streets of Spargus, only Wastelanders out at this late hour, the muted chatter of people from Haven coming through the canvas of their tents the only hint that people actually resided in there.

Another day was ending, another day with no sign of Torn. He had last spoken to the man about a week ago. He had had harsh words for him at the time, words Jak deserved. And yet he did nothing about it. Still he hid himself from the world, not any help to others or to himself, hiding from Ashelin when she came looking for him to ask about any information he might have on Torn's whereabouts, she having to go to Samos instead, as usual, and the old Sage scolding him for his behavior once he returned home for the evening. Again, he deserved it, and again, he stood by as Ashelin sent a group of Wastelanders out to the citadel. And it made him sick. He was doing nothing. They were going to die, and he let them go. Let them go out there, as much to try to stop the two they had no chance against as to see if Torn had gone there ahead of them. He knew that was Ashelin's other reason for sending them out. He knew she was worried about the man, as he was. Even without having to see her, he knew. Where was Torn? Why had he been gone for so long? And why was he being so useless lately? He was useless lately. And now, he wasn't even trying.

And as he had been doing ever since hearing Torn had gone missing, he left Spargus' gate to see if anything could be seen out over the Wasteland, but as usual, nothing met his gaze but blowing sand, stretching beyond the city for countless miles, the desert as lifeless as always. And he sat by the wall and waited longer, as the sky turned red with a setting sun, then darkened, the sun pulling with it a blanket of black on an invisible string as it prepared itself to dip below the horizon, as if it, too, had been waiting for something and had given up after not finding it.

Jak sat in the sand, the air still warm, but cooling, as nightfall came. The longer he stayed out, the more upset the others would be, but it was already late enough that he would receive some form of discontentment upon his return no matter what, whether it be Samos's disapproval or Keira's worrying, though more likely both, so what was another hour? If he got back after they had fallen asleep, perhaps he could avoid any discomfort altogether.

The desert was quiet, only a gentle wind to break the peace, and Dark Jak was not so noisy right now, Jak's mind too busy with other thoughts to be bothered with whatever nonsense his dark side had to say. Something horrible was out there. Far away, but out there, and it would be coming for them. Someday, it would be. Maybe even tonight. Maybe. And he knew that then, the time for sitting around would be over. It had been over long ago, really, but could he get himself to act, or would he continue to lie around while everyone else did the work? He had saved the world before, and that was why people expected him to do it now, but maybe there were only so many times one could accomplish such a feat. Maybe…maybe he wasn't special anymore.

His head jerked up as he heard a sound in the distance, a rumble, and his heart began to pound in his chest. It could only be something bad. It always was. He sprung to his feet and looked for the source of the noise in the moonlight, the source of their newest set of troubles, but nothing could be seen, but maybe it was just too dark.

The rumbling drew closer, and two points of light came up over a dune, and he stepped back, his mind racing over all the options available to him if this turned out to be one of the many things he worried would eventually come, but these twin lights remained close to the ground, the rumbling, now that he paused to think about it, bearing quite a resemblance to a mere Wastelander vehicle. He relaxed, but only a little. It could just be a patrol, hopefully with no news to report, at least, no bad news. Or simply someone foolish enough to be driving around at this hour for other, less important reasons. Or it could be something else.

Jak squinted, raising an arm over his face as the headlights got into his eyes, and the vehicle began to slow, stopping not far from him. Someone stared at him from the driver's seat, a woman, he thought, and then she jumped out, the engine still running. He watched her approach, and she stopped before him, studying his face for a moment. Though the light was dim, her face obscured by shadows, he didn't like the way she had gotten out of her vehicle to come to him, with no urging on his part, and had stopped to stare at him for so long. Finally, she spoke.

"I'm…I'm sorry."

Villain and hero alike seem to be having some rather unexpected trials ahead of them. Please review.