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Damas tried to go back.

He dropped Praxis' bleeding, prone body at the medic's transport and turned right back around. He shoved his way past retreating soldiers, pushing back towards the nest. A few called out for him to stop, but he was far too focused on going back for Ionna.

He passed by the Krimzon Guard transport and felt someone grab his arm. He whirled around to see Antwon, his face pale and exhausted. He squeezed Damas' bicep.

"Damas. Get in the transport."

"No." He tried to yank himself out of Antwon's grip, but the man held fast. "Ionna's back there, I have to go back! I have to save her!"

Antwon pulled him back. "It's too late, you're too late!"

He suddenly gasped in pain, letting go of Damas to grab his own leg. Damas looked down and swallowed.

It looked like Antwon's leg had been chewed on by a metal head. There was dark eco mixing in the blood, and the flesh looked burned around the wound. Damas stooped next to him.

"You need to get a medic to check that out," he said, but Antwon shook his head as he straightened.

"The medics are dealing with serious injuries right now," he said tersely. "They're trying to keep everyone alive long enough to get them back to the city. I'm…I'll survive."

Damas stared at his leg for a moment, then said boldly, "I'm going back. I can't…I can't just let Ionna…"

"Ali! Get over here, please!" Antwon seemed to have reached his limit of strength. He limped back into the transport and Ali took his place. "Just…get Damas in here. We've already started retreating."

"You're not going to—" Damas began, but Ali abruptly grabbed the front of his armor and hauled him forward. "Whoa!"

"Get your dumb ass in here!" Damas was startled as Ali lifted him into the transport and slammed his back against the wall. "You stupid son of a bitch, don't go acting noble right now."

Damas blinked up as Ali kept him pinned to the wall. Ali was rough around the edges, often blunt and informal, but he'd never been flat out disrespectful. As the door closed, Damas tried to get out of Ali's grip.

"What's your problem?!" Damas shoved him away and ran for the transport door, but too late; it had already closed.

They were already taking off. He was too late.

Too late.

"Damn it!" Damas turned around to face them, ready to shout and scream and curse them out.

But he stopped.

He stopped because of their faces.

Antwon was sitting down, gripping his injured leg. He looked tired more than anything, weary and beaten. Defeated.

And Ali was glaring straight at Damas, hatred in his dark eyes.

"You dumb bastard! Don't you understand?!" Ali slammed a fist against the metal wall. "We lost! Praxis is half-dead, Ionna's probably being torn apart as we speak, and Yasir is…"

Ali's voice went high-pitched and faltered, his breathing heavy and ragged. He clenched his fists and sat down, his head in his hands. Damas felt a chill go through his blood.

"What happened to Yasir?" he asked. Ali glared up at him. "Guys, what happened to Yasir?"

"What do you think happened, you fuck?!" Ali snapped. "He's dead! He's dead, just like half the other people who walked into that damned nest."

"...Ali. Ali, I'm sorry. I—" A lump in his throat stopped Damas' words.

Yasir. Yasir, who had always been kind and even-keeled, a voice of reason in every situation.

Yasir was dead. Ionna was dead.

"Shut the hell up," Ali whispered. "Just…be quiet."

Damas reached out and went to squeeze Ali's shoulder. To try and show some comfort.

"Damas." Antwon's voice was low and dangerous. "Don't. Just…don't."

"Ali," he said solemnly, "I'm so sorry. Yasir was—"

"I said, shut up!" Ali was on his feet in an instant, his hands gripping Damas' armor. He hauled the king a few inches into the air, his boots barely brushing the floor. "Don't talk about my brother! Don't say his name, don't apologize, just…shut up!"

"That's enough!" Antwon grabbed Ali's forearm and squeezed it tightly. "Ali, let him go. It won't do any good to fight right now."

Ali let go of Damas with a snarl. He sat back down and Antwon led Damas to the other side of the transport. "You sit here, no arguments. And just…stay quiet, please."

With that Antwon sat back down, wincing in pain. Damas looked out the window of the transport, where the metal head nest was getting smaller and smaller.

He told Ionna he'd go back for her. He gripped the Seal of Mar that hung around his neck, hidden in his armor.

He'd told her he'd save her, and he'd failed.

Now the only thing that could save her was the Precursors themselves.

"What do you mean, something came up?!"

Both Jak and Damas winced at Daxter's shrill voice. It didn't help that the throne room seemed to echo noises.

Including Daxter's rant about Seem.

"We spend all day walkin' around and gettin' our butts kicked, and she can't even show up?" He huffed and folded his arms, leaning against Jak's head. "I tell ya, Jak, we get no respect!"

Damas glared at him. "Seem is the leader of the monks, and her duties at the Temple take priority. You will simply have to accept that sometimes, a change in plan is unavoidable."

"So what came up?" Jak asked. Damas' eyes slid over to him. "Why'd she'd have to cancel?"

Damas eyed him cautiously. "...I didn't ask," he replied. "She didn't go into specifics."

"Does it have something to do with that dumb artifact we need?" Daxter asked. "'Cause we could really use that right now!"

"As I said," Damas repeated, "she didn't tell me anything more."

He was in no position to demand answers from Seem. He knew, better than anyone, that the monks only answered for the Precursors.

"How's your jaw?" Jak asked suddenly. Damas smiled slightly at him. "I mean, I did hit you pretty hard."

"...Not that hard." Damas' smile widened. "How are your ribs?"

"Ugh, I need to get some new friends." Daxter jumped down from Jak's shoulder and dove into the water. Spitting it out as he came to the surface, he sputtered, "Ones who don't like to beat the crap out of each other for fun! Ones who like to nap and read and chill out once in a while."

Damas chuckled. "Daxter is right," he said. "You've earned a rest, especially after today's training. Consider this an opportunity to relax a bit."

Jak shrugged. "I still want to know why Seem cancelled on us," he muttered. "Just wish people would keep us in the loop."

Damas was watching the two of them, almost suspiciously. "...Jak. My order still stands. You are not to go out into the desert, especially not because of curiousity. The Dark Makers are looking for people traveling between here and the Temple."

Jak folded his arms. "You already told us that."

"And I'll tell you again, until I am sure you understand." Damas stood up from his throne. "You've become much less reckless since you've come here, but you are still prone to rash decisions. I'm trying to caution you against another one."

"We hear ya, Sand Man." Daxter hopped back onto Jak's shoulder. "You don't have to worry about us, trust me. No desert for this ottsel!"

Damas stared at Jak, waiting. "...Well?"

Jak rolled his eyes and echoed his friend. "Dax is right. You don't have to worry about us."

Damas eyed him warily, then nodded. "You are dismissed. Take a well-earned rest."

Jak nodded back, while Daxter gave him a mock salute. They headed for the elevator, with Damas still watching them as they went down into the city.

Jak had never been good at listening.

Actually, he thought, as he spun through the desert on the newly-upgraded JetBoard, he listened just fine. But he always did whatever he wanted.

Just like when Samos had told him to stay away from Misty Island. Sure, Jak had listened when the old sage spoke. But the allure of the far-off island, shrouded in mystery and full of the bones of monsters, was louder than any warning he'd been given.

"Tell me again why we're doin' this?" Daxter grumbled in his ear. "Didn't the Sandman tell us specifically not to come out here?!"

"I need to get to the Monk Temple." Jak's voice was muffled through his scarf. "Aren't you curious, Dax? Why'd Seem suddenly just cancel on us? And why isn't anyone telling us why?"

"No!" Daxter said petulantly. "Well…maybe a little, but not enough to head to Death Mountain for it!"

Jak ducked and spun over a gap over the sea. "We'll never find out if we don't go up there," he argued. "Besides, maybe we can help Seem find the Eco Sphere."

"Ugh, fine!" Daxter gripped his shoulder plate tighter. "But next time, I'm picking our adventure. And I'm picking somewhere nice!"

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the Monk Temple. Keira had definitely improved the JetBoard: it zoomed across the sand and up the mountain without a problem. Jak hopped off of it and pulled his scarf down.

The Temple was empty, not that Jak expected otherwise. Seem was probably in the Atrium. As he started to head down, he grinned at Daxter. "See? No trouble at all. The Dark Makers are probably looking for vehicles, they won't bother with a single person's movements."

"You say that now," Daxter grumbled. "But we still gotta go back the way we came!"

"We'll be fine." He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, jolted by a loud voice.

A familiar loud voice.

"...such betrayal. You are my monks! Your duty is to serve me!"

Jak snuck a look past the pillar to see the source. He bared his teeth when he managed to get a good look.

Veger was there, towering over Seem, his staff whistling through the air. Seem glared at him as it blew air in her face.

"My duty," she said firmly, "is to the Precursors themselves. I have no duty to you."

"I am going to save the world!" Veger was practically apoplectic, his eyes bulging. "The Precursors have chosen me! I need to access the catacombs!"

"You have heard my words, Veger. I have no desire to help you further." Seem folded her arms. "You would do well to leave."

"How dare you order me around." Veger's eyes were shining with manic energy. "I gave you a chance to help save the world, but now you will face the wrath of the Precursors."

He pulled something out of his jacket. Jak automatically went for his morph gun, at the same time that Veger took out his own pistol. Seem hardly seemed bothered.

"I should put you out of your misery now," Veger said silkily. "It would be a mercy, you know. Dark eco eventually kills all living things."

He raised the pistol, and Jak got his blaster ready. All he need was an excuse...

One that never came.

Seem sighed in an almost exasperated way. Before Veger could make any kind of movement, she waved her hand towards her chest. With a flick of her wrist, dark eco shot from the vent nearby. It sparked and crackled into her outstretched hand, a jolt going through her arm.

"This temple is a sacred place."

Her voice had turned rough and low, guttural and raw. Jak could feel the swell of dark eco, powerful as it swirled around her hands. Veger took a step back, his eyes wide. A look that Jak had seen a thousand times.

"Your arrogance and cruelty go against the will of the Precursors. You will find nothing in our care."

The dark eco pulsed around her, a reflection of her own righteous anger. Veger scrambled backwards, all pretense gone. He gave a huff of breath through his snarl. "How dare you! You would use dark eco against me?"

"I would, and I will."

It wasn't like when Jak changed; there were no horns or claws, no teeth bared and no guttural groaning. It was just Seem, with dark eco flowing around her like shadowy chains. She hovered above the ground, similar to how Samos did sometimes, though Seem was much less relaxed about it. Purple orbs of dark eco gathered on her palms, a stark contrast to the white of her paint.

But Jak wasn't paying attention to any of that. He was looking at her eyes.

Black.

Pupil-less, completely blank, deep and dark, nothingness.

Jak pushed down the part of him that said to get away quick and kept watching the spectacle. Veger had backed up all the way to one of the doors, though he was still speaking to Seem.

"I wanted to work with you," he snarled. "I believed that you were an agent of the Precursors, and I would help to purify you of your curse."

"Leave." Seem's voice was strained and her words curt. "Before I make you leave."

Veger sneered at her, though Jak could see his hands were shaking. He gestured wildly with his gun. "I will rid the world of abominations like you, and flood our world with a glorious light!"

Seem pulled in more dark eco from the vent, streams of purple winding their way around her wrists. Jak could see that she was shaking with exertion; he flexed his fist, knowing just how hard it was to hold back dark eco.

She pulled her hand back and the eco crackled to life in her palm threateningly. Veger flinched and shuffled back a few steps, just as Daxter's voice echoed through the Atrium.

"Hey! Count Vulture! You gonna sic the Precursors on us, too?" He hopped down from Jak's shoulder and walked up to them, casual as always. "Because I, uh, I got bad news for you. They're kinda buddies of ours."

"You!" Veger was furious as he turned to Jak, who sauntered just as casually after his friend. "I should have expected this…birds of a feather, I suppose."

Jak glanced at Seem. "You should go back to the city, Veger," he said in a low voice. "Before you end up getting hurt."

"Yeah!" Daxter agreed. "Because Seem here's got the nice, pleasant dark eco powers. Jak? Our boy's got claws." He folded his arms. "And he ain't afraid to use 'em."

Veger looked between Seem and Jak. He moved to point his pistol at Jak, but seemed to think better of the idea. Instead, he simply scoffed.

"It matters not," he said darkly. "You can't hide within temple walls. My triumph will be seen across the world!"

"Yeah, yeah." Daxter rolled his eyes. "Precursors blah blah blah, light blah blah blah. When you decide to say somethin' worth listening to, give me a call, will ya?"

Veger glared at him, but between Jak and Seem, he appeared to realize he was outmatched. He turned around and quickly left through one of the doors, his coat tail swinging behind him. As it closed, Seem suddenly fell to the ground.

"Seem!" Jak whirled around and ducked to see if she was alright. She groaned, but was still conscious. "What happened?"

"Ugh…I haven't…used that much eco in…a long time." Jak helped her sit down properly. "It would appear you…are not the only one who goes overboard."

"Are you okay?" Daxter had scrambled to grab one of the cisterns, carrying it over with some difficulty. "Geez, take a break, chalkboard. You look worse than Kleiver after a week in the desert."

Seem took a drink of water with a grateful nod at Daxter. The boys sat beside her on the ground: Jak cross-legged and Daxter lounging against his friend's side. She sighed and set the cistern back down.

"So, does this mean you're not working with Veger anymore?" Jak asked. "You aren't going to help him?"

"I'd think that would be obvious." Seem glanced back towards the door Veger had fled through. "To be honest, I may have given him all the assistance he needs. He can already access the catacombs, he only requires the Eco Sphere."

"Us, too," Jak said dully. He shifted his weight and sighed. "So, is that why you didn't come for our lesson? Because Veger was here?"

"...You two should not have left Spargus," she said, completely avoiding the question. "Heroes always think they are invincible." She frowned, then turned to them. "Though, I owe you both my gratitude. If you were not here, I may not have been able to restrain myself."

"You seemed like you were doing alright," Jak commented. "Better than I would've, that's for sure."

"Yeah, ol' Velvet wasn't even hurt," Daxter crowed. "Might've pissed his pants, though."

While Daxter snickered at the image, Jak shifted to look at Seem. "You need to be careful around Veger. He's the one who attacked the palace in Haven City."

"Hmph. I assumed it was his doing once I heard about it," she told him. "Unfortunately, I know all too well what sort of man Veger is. I'm not sorry to see him go."

Jak hesitated. There were dozens of questions that were bouncing around in his head, but he couldn't bring himself to ask them. Not politely, at least.

Daxter never had that problem.

"How come you were even hangin' out with that creep, anyway?"

Seem was quiet at first, but Jak didn't get the feeling that she was mad. Just thinking. Finally, she said, frowning, "You would not understand." Daxter must have looked affronted, because she continued, almost kindly, "I mean no insult. It is simply that…we monks have a different view of the world than most people."

"Try us," Daxter challenged.

Seem chuckled. "Very well." She stood up with some difficulty, her legs still shaking. Jak followed suit, taking Daxter with him.

"Do you see these murals and carvings?" she asked, gesturing around them. "These are the ancient stories of the Precursors. Specifically, their mortal descendants."

"The sages." Jak brushed his fingers over one of the murals. It had an electric blue theme, with clouds and storms swirling around a lone figure. The murals seemed to flow into each other, changing color every few feet.

Seem nodded. "The sages are considered to be the surrogates for the Precursors. Each sage holds an…essential quality within them and their eco."

Daxter pantomimed yawning, but Jak batted his hand at him. "Knock it off," he muttered. "You asked."

Seem either didn't hear them or didn't pay attention. "To become a fully realized sage, we must have what is called an Awakening."

Something stirred in Jak's memory. "When you communicate with the eco, right?" Seem nodded, smiling slightly. "Keira and Ionna told us about that, remember, Dax?"

Seem didn't wait for Daxter to respond. "Awakenings come in different forms. Usually, they take the form of visions."

"Visions?" Both boys glanced at each other as they said it.

Seem nodded as she walked along the walls. "Visions. For me, they are visions of the future. Dark eco shows me…the end of things."

She inhaled slowly. "And that is why," she continued, turning around briskly, "I helped Veger. I saw a vision of our future crumbling, and a vision of myself assisting him. According to Precursor doctrine, my duty was to assist him."

"So, why'd you give him the boot then?" Daxter asked. "See another vision?"

Seem closed her eyes. "...There are times when I rely on the Precursors and their wisdom. But there are also times…when I must simply have faith."

"Faith in the Precursors?" Daxter blew air out of his mouth. "Yeah, right. I wouldn't trust those guys with anything."

But Seem was shaking her head. She clasped her hands together and eyed them both solemnly.

"Not faith in the Precursors. Faith in myself."

The first vision Seem ever had was of death.

In seclusion, in her prayer chambers, sitting amongst the idols and scriptures, Seem had no idea of the danger that Ionna was in.

She didn't know about any battle, or the fate of hundreds of dead soldiers, or that the metalheads had successfully defended their nest.

The sun had set. There was a single candle lighting her room now, its orange flame flickering in the room. She stood up from where she'd been kneeling; the smoke of the incense swirled around her head. A little bowl of dark eco sat on the altar.

She absorbed the eco and put out the incense. She moved in front of the candle, took a breath, and blew it out.

That was when a shock went through her body, something that took her breath away and slammed into her chest.

The world was plunged into darkness, the sort of darkness unique to dark eco. It was like she was being smothered by the eco, as if she were drowning in it, unable to breath, unable to speak, unable to see…

And just as suddenly, it was gone.

She was standing somewhere unfamiliar, somewhere dark and dank and cold. A cave, she thought, as she looked around. The place was saturated with dark eco, so thick she could practically taste it on the back of her tongue.

As she looked around, she realized it was too quiet for anywhere in the city. Even though Seem had no idea where she was, had never been here before, it was almost as though the eco supplied an answer.

Metalheads.

She was in the metalhead nest. She couldn't quite pinpoint how she knew that fact. After all, she had barely ever ventured into the city; she'd certainly never been outside of its walls.

Her eyes caught movement in the corner of the cave. A soft groan rang through the rock and then a cough. Seem looked over towards the movement.

"Ionna!" Her voice echoed and dissipated into the ether. Seem realized that Ionna couldn't hear her, and there was no indication that Ionna could see her, either.

Ionna was on the ground, struggling to stay upright. Her eyes had the dim glow of eco behind them, but it was fading. Fading, fading, into darkness, and even as Seem watched, they closed. Ionna dragged herself to the wall of the cave and collapsed against it, coughing and gagging.

Outside the cave was silence. The metalheads were gone. But they would return, Seem knew. There were crystal deposits of dark eco, pools of it sitting nearby. This was their nest, and they would never abandon it.

With the danger gone, it was only a matter of time. And once they returned…

The vision faded away into a bruise-purple haze. Seem opened her eyes, gasping as if she had just been dunked in water.

She was lying on the stone ground, the candle blown out, only a streak of moonlight through the window. She pushed herself off the ground and gripped the edge of the altar shakily.

She knew, innately, as if the eco itself had told her, that what she had seen was the future.

Seem straightened her back. She had been shown this vision for a reason. Ionna was in danger, and if this vision was anything to go by, she was alone.

Seem bolted out of her room. The Temple was silent; all the monks were secluded right now. The only sound was that of her own small footsteps. She considered, briefly, that she should go back to her chambers.

But the Precursors didn't give out visions like that for no reason.

In the lower levels of the Temple, the monks had an armory, one that was specifically to be used by the sages. Ionna sometimes went there to pick out armor for different missions. Seem had never had an occasion to use it.

Not until now, at least.

Ionna was the only person Seem had. Her only friend, her only confidant, her sister.

And no one, not even the Precursors themselves, would take her away.