Time to see what our poor Dark Sage is being subjected to now.

Chapter 54: The Treatments

Gol heard voices, but whose they were, he couldn't tell. And now he was lying down, on his back, his breathing even more labored than usual, as his lungs had filled up with fluids once again, a state he had the discomfort of finding himself in every morning since his lungs had long ago decided that they hated him. He coughed, a difficult thing with such shallow breathing, his eyes opening to blurriness just as they had the last time he had woken up, and for all he knew, nothing he thought had happened really had, and he was actually still in his bed back in the citadel, the voices in his head the result of some recently begun insanity.

He attempted to sit up, finding it impossible to do so, his arms and legs immobile, something holding them in place. Were the manacles not enough, that they now must do this to him? What was it they had even done? And why could he still not think straight?

He blinked as the bright sunlight stabbed at his eyes, and he swiveled his head from side to side in an effort to surmise just where exactly he was, shapes beginning to come into focus, though they remained blurred at the edges. There were other beds, he thought, for that was surely what he himself was on, but as for what this room was or why he was in it, he still hadn't a clue.

The Sage's head then shot to the other side in response to footsteps, which slowed once he turned in their direction, and he caught sight of someone who had just stopped nearby, a woman based on their stature, but not the woman, for this one had darker hair. Green, perhaps.

He squinted at her, a face coming just a little more into focus. "Where am I?" he said, before coughing, as he tried yet again to free his lungs from what was confining them, his breathing coming out in wheezes.

"This is Spargus' palace. You're in the infirmary."

"The infirmary?" he repeated once his coughing fit had died down. "Don't tell me my enemies have decided they'd help a sick and frail Sage, that just tried to kill them, mind you, out of the kindness of their hearts, have they?" If so, they sure had a funny way of going about it.

"As a matter of fact, you're here so I can treat you. You've been poisoned by Dark Eco for so long, but we think it might be possible to help counteract its effects with Light Eco."

He blinked at her. "What nonsense are you babbling about?"

"We've decided to give you another chance, to try to see if we can break the hold Dark Eco has on you. It might just be possible if—"

"And did anyone stop to think that, perhaps, they should get my permission for this?"

She stared at him, silent, before she said, "We're just trying to help you, even if you can't see that."

He growled. "What I can see is you've decided to experiment on me against my will, and I will have no part in it!"

"Jak spared your life! Would you rather—"

"Who are you?"

She grew silent.

"I said, who are you? Answer me when I ask you a question, girl!"

Though her face was still indistinct, he thought he detected a frown. "Keira," she said.

"Keira…"

"Keira Hagai."

"I see," Gol said, his voice a low hiss. "Samos's daughter. How is the old fool anyway?"

She pursed her lips. At least, as far as he could tell with his vision as it was. "Look, I'm only helping you because Jak asked me to, though I'm finding it pretty hard to convince myself that you deserve the help right now."

"Then, don't. I never asked for it."

"It's not up to you."

His voice began to rise. "And why—"

"Because you're not currently in a position to make such a decision right now," she said. "In case you didn't realize it, it's either this or your execution. There aren't any other…"

"Then, I choose the latter."

Once again, she paused, before saying, "You don't mean that."

"Yes, I really do."

She watched him, and he looked away, to stare at the ceiling. Wasn't it enough, that his dear sister had been taken from him, and that everything he had worked so hard for these last several centuries had crumbled away to nothing? What was left for him now? If he had known he would have just failed in the end anyway, he would have done everything he could to prevent his dear sister from being slaughtered as she was. He should have anyway, but to lose her and still not succeed in his plans…that was just too much to bear. If they were going to kill him, then they should just go right out and do it, instead of doing so under the guise of compassion. And even if he did survive whatever they planned on doing to him, he would still be as good as dead to have as vile a substance as Light Eco used on him. He had lost enough, without also losing the Dark Eco that had been a part of him for so long. What would he have left once even that was gone?

He heard her sigh. "Well, I guess I have no choice but to ignore your wishes. This is no life, either."

Gol looked over. "What isn't?"

She gestured at him with one hand. "This. Being old and sick. The Dark Eco made you this way, you know. It made you sick and insane, and…"

"You know nothing! Dark Eco made me strong. It kept me alive all these years. And if I wasn't…if you hadn't done whatever it was that you did to me," he said, struggling against his restraints, "I'd have killed you before you even knew what was happening!" Finding himself to be far too weak to break free, he grew still again, breathing as heavily as his ravaged lungs would allow.

"That's what the sedatives are for."

He snarled at her. "And how are you in any position to help me anyway?"

"Because I'm the Light Eco Sage."

He scoffed. "Surely you must be joking. There has never been a Light Eco Sage. Not in the entire history of—"

"Well then, I guess you're looking at the first." She smiled at him, and he glared back. Just because one apparently worshipped Light Eco and found the wretched stuff to be the greatest thing in existence, it didn't make one a Sage. No one's ever been able to… His eyes grew wide. That's right. The boy could channel Light Eco. But, the odds of two people being able to do it…

"No," he said, voice nearly a whisper.

She raised both hands, taking a deep breath, and he flinched, for that was all he could do in his current state. "I'm sure this is going to hurt, but there's not much I can do about that. At least your attitude makes this a little easier."

And then he was enveloped in pain, just as white hot as when the boy had done it, and he couldn't help but cry out, as it began to further kill the Dark Eco flowing through his veins, and surely it was killing him, as well, for he couldn't see how he could live without Dark Eco, not after it had been a part of him for the majority of his life, and he wouldn't want to. And then the most frightening thought of all entered his mind, the question of whether or not, once this was all over, he would even be the Dark Sage anymore.

Jak managed to wake up at a more reasonable hour the next morning to find Daxter still curled up, fast asleep, on his chair, proof that the natural balance of the world was finally being restored, something that wasn't present the day before when the ottsel actually managed to wake up before him. And now, for the first time in quite a while, he wasn't sure how to spend his time. No longer did he need to hide away in order to prevent Dark Jak from hurting those he cared about, and no longer did he need to bide his time until Keira could heal him, nor was there any need to worry any longer about what the next day may bring, and what he would do when their next trials came. He was himself again, and his time was his own. To use as he saw fit, his thoughts now able to focus on the things he wanted to think about. Though, quite honestly, he didn't really have that many things to think about right now to begin with, except for Keira's safety when she would leave later today to see what she could do about the Dark Sage.

And one more thing. Haven City. Finally, he had the time to think more about his old home and to ponder over any possibility of its restoration. He had seen what Light Eco could do in the past, but never had he seen it cancel out Dark Eco like water putting out a flame like it had the day he had stopped the bomb. If it had such power over its opposite, then what could that mean for Haven City? Was the place not lost, after all? An entire city was a much larger place to wipe clean of Dark Eco than a single, if not enormous, bomb, but if it could work in one instance, surely it could work in another. It would take time, as he could only do so much in his light form before his energy was exhausted, but if it could indeed be done, Haven City would be theirs again. They had, perhaps, not failed so severely, after all.

Keira headed off to the palace later that day, and while he asked her if she wanted him to go with her, she insisted that she'd be perfectly fine on her own, plus, she didn't think she'd be able to channel Light Eco that well with him watching her anyway, and once she left, he spent some time longer relaxing at home, something he had done very little of lately, and frankly, he was no longer quite certain how to do it. Eventually, he gave up in this effort to wander again, something he had gotten quite good at over the last several weeks. And with Daxter on his shoulder, he ambled outside, the streets once again occupied with the tents the people of Haven City had returned to, while soldiers and Wastelanders alike seemed about as much at a loss for what to do as he felt, as there was no need to patrol the city any longer, as there was nothing left for them to watch out for.

He passed by the empty bomb again, everyone about him keeping their distance from the massive object, as if they worried that it might still contain one final trick. It would be a very difficult thing to move eventually, but at least it had caused no damage in its fall, leaving nothing but a crater where it had landed, something he was sure the wind would be able to erase once enough time had passed.

Jak eventually wandered into the palace, a noisier place than he remembered, as if life was just now returning to the refugees here, as if they finally had hope of a life they might be able to return to. And this time, people looked up at him as he walked by instead of avoiding his gaze, with far less fear in their eyes than before. No, that wasn't fear he was seeing, just simple uncertainty, but that was a step in the right direction. They were dead people last he saw them, people with nothing to look forward to but more suffering to add on to what they had already been through, but now that the majority of their struggles were over, he just hoped he could now give these people back their homes.

He didn't do much else upon his return to the palace but wander, the confusing hallways and many rooms of this place reminding him once again of the citadel he had spent far too much time in, but that didn't matter now, the memories these similar hallways conjured up not nearly as haunting as they once were, as he knew he would never have to return to the temple in the desert, nor would he ever again have to face the two who had once occupied it. Because it was over. It was all over.

The two of them spent much of the day here, keeping busy with all manner of things, such as getting lost or passing through tranquil courtyards or even raiding the palace kitchen (after what he had done, he was sure Sig wouldn't mind) when their stomachs began to rumble, Daxter certain that the palace surely must have better things to eat than what they had at home, though he turned out to be wrong when they found that this place had about the same kinds of things that were normally available to them. This palace, unlike those found in other cities of the world, while large in size and impressive in splendor, didn't withhold the best for itself. Nevertheless, they got to pretend for a time that they were eating like kings, as they lounged in the shade of some palms in one of the courtyards, the waterfalls and artificial streams playing a happy tune to accompany them. And keeping the alcohol away from Daxter didn't turn out to be much of a problem when the ottsel found out how much stronger the stuff was than what he was used to back in Haven City.

Once they had their fill of palace food, Jak found himself to finally be getting the hang of relaxing again, and they spent some time longer in the courtyard, cool with the water and the shady stone, talking about whatever came to mind, what they had accomplished these last few months, including Daxter's victory against the monster factory, a point he came back to several times, and what they hoped to do now that this whole ordeal was behind them. Once Haven City was restored, as he hoped it would be, Jak thought a bit of peace and quiet was just what he needed, and while Daxter described epic adventures they would surely embark on next, his agreement to Jak's plan came about readily enough.

And after a bit more lounging, Jak began to bring up memories of all their time spent goofing off in Sandover and causing trouble in a time now centuries past. Not a lot happened in Sandover, but they managed to find ways to keep themselves busy, whether it be chasing seagulls on Sentinel Beach or exploring the Forbidden Jungle. Once, they thought it would be a great idea to hide Farmer Zeb's yakows from him, but it didn't turn out to be a very entertaining endeavor when the man slept the entire day and, thus, was never even aware of their antics. And they still got punished by Samos for that one. At least it wasn't a bad idea in theory, and they got a few chuckles at first, before they realized their scheme wasn't going to pan out, after all.

It was strange to think of how many things had changed, of how much he had changed, but at least Daxter hadn't, not really, not in the ways that mattered, or Keira or Samos, either. Even if the century had changed and the scenery, as well, he still had them to remind him of the life he once had. And he now had new people to call friends in addition to the ones he had known since childhood. He had obsessed over it countless times, had despaired over the fact that he couldn't go back to how things were long ago, but he just had to remember that he had a new life now, and it was up to him to make the most of it.

The two of them left the courtyard they didn't know how long later, but Jak was pretty sure it was late afternoon by now, with their first goal that day, the task of locating Keira, if she was even still here, to see if she wanted to walk home, though he wasn't sure where she would actually be, or how to get there even if he did, but it didn't matter much in the end anyway, as his search was halted when Ashelin caught sight of him as she rounded a corner.

"Jak, I've been looking for you," she said, and his footsteps slowed as she made her way for him.

"Did you see us the other day?" Daxter asked, standing tall with his fists to his waist. "Pretty impressive, huh?"

"Well, I know I was impressed with what Jak did."

"Hey!"

Ignoring the ottsel's indignation, she continued, a rare smile gracing her lips, "I don't know how you did it, Jak, but you really came through for us the other day. And I know that I, along with everyone else in Spargus, are eternally grateful."

"Well, you know me," Jak said, stretching his arms over his head, "I was just doing what comes naturally."

"Oh, puh-lease," Daxter said.

"And I know that you've already done plenty, but I now have another thing that I need to discuss with you. It's about Haven City. Sig and I watched what you did the other day, how you were able to use Light Eco like that, and…"

"You think I can do the same thing for Haven City. Right?"

She nodded. "Exactly. So what do you think? Do you think it'll work?"

"I…I think so. It may take me a little time to get my strength back, but I think I can do it."

"Wonderful."

"But, one thing…" He scratched the back of his head. "About Gol, he can't get away, right? They're making sure—"

"The Wastelanders are more than capable of watching over him. After everything he did, they're not going to risk anything happening. Not for a second."

"So, you're sure I shouldn't stick around for a while, in case…anything happens?"

"Jak, there's nothing to worry about. And I'd appreciate it if you got to restoring Haven City as soon as possible. You've already done more than enough, but you can understand that I'm getting a bit anxious to get our old home back."

He was silent for a moment, before nodding. "I'll head out as soon as possible."

Ashelin smiled. "Thanks, Jak." Though, her smile disappeared when she added, "And you're not having second thoughts about keeping Gol alive, are you?"

He had been corrupted by Dark Eco once himself. It was still a part of him, even now, even if it was under his control. "No, there shouldn't be a problem. And Haven City's as good as ours again, I promise."

"I don't doubt it for a second."

Jak was not able to find Keira until he returned home later that day, and it was here that he questioned her about her visit to the Dark Sage, which went, according to her, as well as could be expected, especially considering that the Sage was none too pleased about the whole thing. And again, he reminded her that, if she didn't want to do it, she really didn't have to, while she insisted that it was fine with her. She felt guilty inflicting pain on another, she said, but she could only hope her efforts would pay off in the end. And he really couldn't say what he thought would happen. Or if he cared. But, whether those feelings were justified or brought about by pure spite, he wasn't certain. All he knew was that several people thought it was worth a shot, and they would just have to see what came of it. As long as those he cared about were safe, that's all that really mattered.

They had dinner sometime later, something Tess and, surprisingly, Daxter attempted to cook up, for once allowing Keira some time to relax. And while the meal ended up being quite burnt at best, and rather dubious as to its identity at worst, the fact that the peace they had longed for was finally here was more than enough to keep their spirits up, even Tess's earlier frustrations at Jak forgotten. They ate and they talked of old times, with little being said, however, of what Keira had been up to that day, as it very well was too soon to bring up any reminder of their past troubles, and maybe there was just no more to say about the matter.

The rest of the evening was a peaceful affair, and Jak found sleep to come as easily as it had the night before. And then the next day was much the same as the one prior, with Daxter and him spending the day doing whatever they felt like, as he put off his return to Haven City for just a little while longer. It was true that he needed more time to get his strength back, kind of, but what he needed most of all was a bit more time to ensure that Spargus was safe and that Gol couldn't get free and cause any more trouble. In all honesty, it would likely take more than a few days to satisfy him, but restoring Haven City was not really something he could put off forever. And it certainly would be nice to sleep in his old bed again. He had still not quite gotten used to the backaches that couch left him with every morning.

And so the next couple of days were spent, or possibly wasted, in this manner, before one afternoon arrived where he realized he couldn't put off his duty any longer, let alone make any more excuses to Ashelin, who was never an easy person to fool. He finished with his goodbyes, promising to return as soon as he could with news of his progress, a group of Freedom League soldiers already on their way there ahead of him to assist and to ensure that no more of the Dark Eco monsters remained in or around the city. And as he headed in the direction of Spargus' gate, he veered off course, his feet deciding to take him in a new direction for just one final detour. With a little bit of questioning for directions, he eventually found his destination, the infirmary. Before he could go, there was just one last thing he needed to do, and he asked the ottsel to wait outside for him before entering the room, and while he wasn't entirely certain why he was putting himself through this, he just had a few things to say to the person who had caused him so much grief.

I'd like to give some special credit to Gaius Germanicus, as in the past, we had discussed the details of Gol's redemption and how Light Eco might be used to bring about such a thing (sorry that Maia didn't make it this far, though…). While this is an idea I had been pondering over ever since the story began, the brainstorming we did was very helpful in allowing me to come up with details for this process that I likely would have overlooked otherwise. Thanks!

And by the way, I got the farmer's name from a "Jak 3" walkthrough. Please review.