Chapter XIV: Epilogue

LES: Even though I feel like crap, I'm going to postthe last chapter of my story. I feel obligated to inform you that this story has a sequel! (It's actually done on paper, which shows how lazy I am to actually putting it on the computer.) So don't feel upset that a few questions aren't answered. They will all be answered by the time I finish this story line.

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While it had taken Jak almost four days to reach the Metal-Head Nest, it only took one day to get back. The reason? Firenza, using her newfound control over the Metal-Heads ordered that four flying Metal-Heads make sure that Jak got safely back to Haven City. (The Metal-Head's tried to lose Daxter, but Jak wouldn't allow it.) Soon, they dropped Jak and Daxter safely outside of the Dead Town entrance to Haven City, close to where Samos lived.

As soon as Jak and Daxter were safely on the ground, the Metal-Heads flew away without a word. "Well, that was the weirdest thing ever…" Daxter sighed, watching the Metal-Heads fly away. "Being escorted to safety by Metal-Heads."

"Yes…" Jak said, only half listening. Firenza was going to leave Haven forever. Jak walked back into Haven City, where he was greeted by the familiar smell of smog and pollution. "I'm kind of sad to see Firenza go. She's the only living relative I've got, even if she is a Metal-Head Leader…"

Daxter, of coarse, wasn't listening. "Wait 'til Samos finds out you're half-Precursor! He's going to have a Yakkow!" Daxter exclaimed, and Jak couldn't help but agree. "He's probably going to do all sorts of tests on you and ask you all kinds of scientific junk!"

Jak rolled his eyes as he continued walking down the street and Daxter kept ranting about all the tests that Samos would do once he found out about Jak's ability to turn into a Precursor. Jak had only one thing on his mind, however, as Samos' house came into view… Keira, I'm home…

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(Inside Samos' House)

Samos' house may have looked cheery on the outside, but on the inside it was gloomy as a foggy night. Just about everyone Jak knew was there, but they were all in tears! Keira sobbed in a corner onto Tess' shoulder and everyone else was stony faced. You'd think that Jak was dead the way everyone acted. In fact… they did think that Jak was dead. The reason was that Samos watched Jak's aura from afar while he fought in the battle. However, when Jak unlocked his Precursor powers, his aura changed so dramatically that Samos assumed the boy had died. So, Jak's friends were gathered in Samos' house and were discussing if they should go get the body from the Metal-Head Nest.

"We can't leave Jak's body to rot in the Metal-Head Nest!" Ashelin spoke up. "We've got to go get him."

"Yeah…" Torn said sadly, almost acting out-of-character. "Jak deserves a proper funeral." Keira sobbed harder than ever and Tess pulled her in closer.

Tess then asked the thing that had been bothering her. "Did Daxter…"

Samos closed his eyes and scanned for Daxter's Eco energy this time. "Daxter lives." Samos said. "He's coming up the street right now with some… thing…"

Keira wasn't paying attention. "I wonder where Jak is right now."

"Keira…" Samos said. "Jak was a true hero. He's probably in Oaul'I-Uaiq, looking down on us all…"

"Or maybe…" A voice interrupted. "He's standing here, wondering why all you guys are acting like he's dead." Everyone spun around, unable to believe. They gasped when they say Jak, leaning against the doorway, Daxter on his shoulder, and a huge sword that Samos recognized as the sword he sent strapped to his waist.

"Jak!" Keira gasped, jumping up. "You're alive!"

"No." Daxter said. "It's the Ghost of Jak! Fear him!"

"Shut up, Daxter!" Jak said. "Yes, Keira, I'm alive."

"Samos!" Torn roared at the old Green Eco Sage. "You told us Jak was dead! Explain yourself!"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're upset to see me alive." Jak laughed.

Samos began to study Jak. "You've changed!" Samos exclaimed. "I've never seen anything like it! Your aura has changed completely! It's not dark anymore, but a bright light!"

"Jak's a…" Daxter began, but Jak cut him off.

"Perhaps we should start at the beginning." Jak sighed. "It's a very confusing story. You guys better sit down…"

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After a few hours in which Jak talked himself hoarse, everyone slowly but surely began to get the story. May questions were answered and re-answered. Jak had to explain Firenza, Firenza's connection with Mar, Mar's connection with the Precursors, and his connection with the Precursors over and over again.

Daxter's prediction came true. When Jak told the part where he became a Precursor, Samos had a Yakkow, not literally, and everyone else gasped.

"You can turn yourself into a Precursor?" Samos choked on his drink.

"Oh yeah." Daxter said. "He turned into a Precursor to kill the Metal-Head Leader. Jak makes a wicked cool Precursor!"

"Can you turn into a Precursor again?" Keira asked.

"Yes, Precursor blood is apart of me, so I can turn whenever I want."

Silence for a second before Keira continued. "Well… can you?"

Jak sighed. "I'm tired." He said. "I just got back from a crazy adventure! Maybe later…"

"Please!" Everyone begged.

"I would like to see this transformation myself." Samos said. "Professional interest."

"Why am I getting the crazy feeling that this is going to be my party trick?" Jak wondered.

"Probably because it is." Daxter said.

"Ok, I'll go it." Jak said. Everyone held his or her breath in anticipation. It only took seconds, but soon Jak was floating above the ground, glowing with Precursor energy.

"Amazing!" Samos breathed. "Are you still yourself, Jak?"

"Yes." Jak answered in the deep, booming voice of a Precursor, but he managed to maintain the essence of his personality.

"Jak, you're a Precursor!" Keira gasped. (A/N: Thank you, Miss Obvious!) She reached out to touch him. Her hand went right though where his skin would be. She gasped at the feeling. It was like touching everything in the world at once. Hot, cold, smooth, rough, love, and even hate… but only a little hate.

"Can you speak in the Ancient Language?" Samos asked.

"Yes." Jak answered. "I can even speak it in my regular form." Then he added in the Ancient Language: "Theli, S rlga flku whkzqoau nsqo hrr ef xasvz." Onin, who had been listening silently in a corner, smiled, and Pecker snorted loudly. No one else reacted because they… well… didn't know what he was saying. Jak continued, speaking mainly to Onin. "Hvw noav qoaf hib ea ql xa Bsvz, s'e zlsvz ql hjjayq."

Onin began to sign and Pecker translated, still shaking with laughter. "Onin says… haha… 'So you…(giggle) have accepted…(snort) your fate?"

"Yes." Jak answered in the Haven dialect as he let the Precursor side slip away and he returned to normal. "Ashelin?" Jak asked. "If the City ever needs me in anyway, just ask, okay?"

Ashelin looked confused for a second, but she quickly regained herself. "Yes, of coarse I will."

"I'm going home." Jak said, turning around to leave. Keira followed him out.

"Jak!" she called out. "Wait!" Jak stopped and allowed Keira to catch up to him. "I'm glad you're back!" She hugged him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I thought I had lost you for good that time!"

"Keir… these past few days, I had more near-death experiences than most people have in their entire life-times." Jak laughed. "But… let's face it… not many people are as good at not dying then me."

"Jak?"

"What?"

"Let's go home…"

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(Several Days Later…)

"S rlga flk elua qohv rsma sqiarm…" Jak whispered into Keira's ear. Yes, Jak had found one of Keira's weaknesses. Keira had let slip a few days ago that she thought the Ancient Language sounded very pretty, and he would be darned if he let her go for more than a couple minutes without hearing a sweet nothing in the Ancient Language. "Flk eahv agaufqosvz ql ea…" Keira giggled. She didn't understand, but she got Jak's meaning. This really worked out well for Jak seeing as how only Onin and Pecker could understand him and they weren't around much anyway.

"Jak!" Keira giggled. "I don't even understand what you're saying!"

"All the better." Jak breathed in her ear, causing her to giggle harder. "Flk hua qoa rszoq sv ef Whubvaii, qoa hvjolu lm ef ilkr…"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Jak sighed, but he got up and headed for the door anyway, Keira following close behind. Jak opened the door and was greeted by a woman with a traveling cloak on with a large hood that covered her face. "Excuse me, but I was told that Jak Mar lived here." The woman said, "Is Jak here?"

"I'm Jak." Jak answered. "And who are you?"

"I know my appearance here is rather… unusual." The woman admitted. "But I only wished to say good-bye before I left on my journey."

"Firenza?" I gasped, "Is it you?"

The woman lowered her hood. Green hair fell in curls around her green eyes. But the most prominent feature was the skull-gem embedded in her forehead, just like Kor's and Zotz's. "Please." She said, "Call me 'Sara' in my Elvin form."

"You're the infamous Firenza?" Keira asked.

"Yes." Firenza/Sara said. "I am a true Metal-Head Leader now. This is what I looked like before I died… minus the skull-gem."

"So, what brings you inside the City?" Jak asked. "I thought you were leaving for another continent?"

"I was." Firenza/Sara answered. "I just wanted to say good-bye." She laughed, "Is it wrong to say 'good-bye' to your own descendents?"

"No… it's just…" Jak's voice cracked with emotion. "I'll miss you…"

"Hey, I'll visit… someday." Firenza/Sara said. "The continent I picked is only a three day's journey across the ocean to the south… as the Metal-Head flies." She turned towards Keira. "You take care of him, now."Firenza said, laughing. "You are a very lucky girl, you know. Not many can boast that they have half-Precursor boyfriends."

Keira blushed at Firenza's statement, but she replied, "I will."

"And Jak…" Firezna/Sara said, "You have done a great thing for me. You have risked your life to help the enemy. But, I will forever remember this. If ever you need me, come find me and I will be at your side with millions of Metal-Heads in a heartbeat. Oh, and good luck with the future."She smiled and she glanced up at the Palace. "You are ready." With that, she turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

"What was all that about?" Keira asked, glancing up at the Palace, puzzled, for she didn't know Jak's destiny.

"You'll see, Keira." Jak laughed, "You'll see…"

FIN!

LES: It's finished! Wow! I've come this far, and I'm going to continue it! Yeah! The sequel is coming soon! (The sequel is done.) But, if anyone still has a question, feel free to ask it in your review and I will answer it. (Unless it's a spoiler for my sequel.) I REALLY hope that you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please send in your final thoughts: Constructive criticism, warm fuzzies, and things of that sort are most welcome. Flames will be laughed at, and then printed out so that my dog, Sierra, can eat them! HAHAHA! And one final thought:

"Story have no end, stories go on." –Jara Hamee, Animorphs: The Hork-Bajir Chronicles.