Light Ice or Black Ice, how about a snowcone?

[Jak Mar]

The eco warrior took it upon himself to quiet his voices in his head. Daxter wanted to come with him but it took some convincing that  it was for his own good.  Daxter was bummed and tried to convince Jak otherwise with his whining and begging tones. But in the end, he stayed behind to find himself alone within the confines of Jak’s room.


What the ottsel found, was a totally different story…


But let’s get to Jak’s own story, shall we?


Jak’s own journey began with his hoverboard, his barely used machine that Keira had made him over the years. At first, he just stared longfully at it, like a big hole was missing in his heart as he gritted his teeth and shook it off. If the woman wanted him back, she should've come herself.


He sighed as he hopped on it, making sure it still worked before he was off toward the frozen fields. Heaps of memories he didn’t want to remember still plagued him but it was going to take a bit of time to perhaps get over it.


The familiar glow of the machine made Jak kick it and hop on it, like he barely forgot how to use it. At least it would be faster than walking. Jak’s feet was pointed forward along with his back foot planted firmly on the mechanical skateboard.


“Here goes nothing”


The wastelander took time to direct his hoverboard to where he wanted to go, as he moved toward the Nexus gate.  The time to get to the frozen fields was going to take a while at this pace, but the man was in no hurry to get this done.  Once Jak got the balance right, he was moving toward the Nexus gate faster than usual.


He stared up at the large gate, and stared up. He was bracing himself for the Nexus’s bright white in his eyes as they began to water, making Jak wince. He took a breath, and moved into the Nexus gate.


“There’s that prime again, I swear they are everywhere these days” Number #260 mumbled under his breath.


“At least he’s not haunting Courscant this time..”  #266 mumbled back, not caring if whoever heard that.


Jak gritted his teeth, hearing the failure stories of the rise of his heroing and then his fall in Coruscant.


“Figures.” He mouthed while turning his back. The Wastelander moves past them toward the Frozen fields gate and almost trips on his own boot in his own carelessness and rubs his neck.
As he entered the winter wonderland, the first signs of cold he began to feel right away. He wasn’t used to places that had a arctic climate painting the landscape in a multitude of colors like the snowy mountains he visited almost 4 years back at home.  Bits and pieces of memories from home floated in his head as a casual reminder how long he’d really spent in the Omniverse.


The mornings were beautiful, but the nights reminded him of an artist’s palette who had decided to paint the sky as white as Light Jak.


Crispy flakes fell onto the eco warrior’s tan skin as he felt the kiss of a winter’s day in the Omniverse. The winds whistled as Jak held his hands over his arms trying to ignore the bristling cold now on his skin.


Was this the “test” the Precursors would of set on him to make him a better hero or were they too just laughing up that their “chosen” one was stupid enough to step foot in a freezing area without a coat or anything to survive?


Jak’s metallic boots made prints in the snow while slippery ice ahead told of unforeseen danger ahead. He found smoke coming from his mouth in the form of breathing from his lungs.


From his view, the long eared warrior stopped in front of a permafrost lake glimmering with blue diamond like waters underneath. The lake seemed almost an endless distance out into wherever.


Stopping didn’t help the cold eco warrior any for his test had just began.


“Keep moving, Jak, keep moving.”  He told himself over and over to force himself to keep walking to avoid any risk of hypothermia.


Sooner than later, the man began to rub his hands with furious rubbing

[Jak Mar]

The eco warrior sighed and finally stopped, trying to warm himself up. He thought of a warm, winter coat and every little tiny detail of it while he could see his breath.

As it fell from nowhere in particular, he caught it and placed it on, his regular body temperature finally starting to increase as he slipped his hands in.

As the fur coat began to warm the man’s body, he also realized his hands were going numb. So he summoned a pair of mittens to go over his hands.

As soon as he was fully equipped for a cold winter environment, he hopped back on his hoverboard as he found a cosy little house along the frozen ice’s edge. The house held no smoke coming out of it, no fires blaring or even any lights.

Either the person who owned it was gone or liked living as simple as possible or it was abandoned. But who would abandon such a cozy log cabin like this. But there was a choice, he could risk getting colder, or he could go inside to decide what to do next.

He didn’t stop as his breath could still be seen every movement he made as the house grew closer and closer.

After the warmth of the hovercraft started to warm the snow, Jak stopped to check the house’s door which was … strangely open.

He gripped the handle and pushed in. The place was amazingly equipped for a abandoned house. Something or someone must of scared the inhabitants of the house out, leaving the eco warrior full run of the house.

But he didn’t care about the amenities. He came for something more important.

He shut the door and threw the other winter clothing over a leather chair in the corner.

A bear skin carpet laid on the floor where the long eared wastelander sat and calmly crossed his legs to meditate and to find himself and Light Jak.

[Jak Mar]

The flames of the wood fireplace burned as a protector kept it in check. The warm, orangish red flames swirled and crackled making a smooth glow.
The Wastelander found himself trying to concentrate a little longer than usual to calm his mind since his stomach was acting up. Luckily, the refrigerator was stocked (fully) I might add.

Jak groaned as he pushed himself up off the carpet and took the short walk to the kitchen where he started to pick through the standard fare of the food chart. His first decision was to eat some protein, as he eyed raw Ork steak.
He winced as the man usually liked his food cooked and he had never eaten a ork steak before. However, there was no pan to cook the food with so for the sake of eating, he opened the package and took a bite of the raw ork steak, shrugging.
For once, the man actually liked this and shrugged off the fact it was raw.
Once Jak found himself quite full, he forced himself to sit down once again as he felt the familiar glow, giving off heat to him. Once he held his hands out to warm up, he crossed his legs and took a deep breath, focusing inwardly.
Once the man began to relax, he could feel his two sides appearing to him like he was the only one that noticed the dark king on his shoulder and the Light angel standing next to him, ready to push him off.
The Dark King showed up in Jak’s head first, sitting on the darkened throne eyeing the eco warrior with a stare. I see you decided to play favorites again, huh?”
Jak growled “Shove it, dark king. Today’s Light’s turn.”
“It’s time to talk about giving up your control on me.”
“Oh? Try to stop me. You failed before.”
Jak smirked “Remember, Light controls you as much as you control him.”
Dark squeezed his fists, now remembering “Fine, I’ll let you talk to that accursed … light.”
Jak shook his head “That’s what i thought.”
The imagery in Jak’s head danced as the scene switched back to that of a bluish glow.
The familiar blue angel stared at Jak, a blank look on his face.
“Ah, Mar. You’ve returned to see me. Why?”
Jak looked up at the divine version of himself “I want you to bring me back to the light. I’m sick of being a monster to my friends and myself.”
Light looked to be the same position as Jak himself. “Come here, Mar. I will help you return to your roots. Remember who you are and not the one who hates you.”
The dream jak walked toward the light and appeared to step inside it.
There was a vision of white, then a like a fading dream the light blinked and there stood the hauntingly beautiful version of Jak.
As the angel appeared to touch the man, it took him back to visions of Damas.
In another world, Jak and Damas own father-son relationship had almost faded away, however there was still a part of both of them that was hanging on to find each other again. One was lost in the Endless Dunes, one felt lost in the Frozen Fields.
Mar, why did you alienate all your friends? Your friends see more than you realize.
Jak turned, trying to avoid the past like the plague. “I.. didn’t know what I was doing at the time, it just came so fast and..”
“You must learn to forget and forgive your past. Are you willing to take back who you lost or would you rather see your friends past and present disappear forever.”
Jak frowned, standing up “Is that a threat?”
The angel sighed “No. It’s a warning call. “
“The dunes are a dangerous place. It’s a warning not to leave the old man alone there for his fate is tied to yours.”
Jak gritted his teeth “When did the old man finally decide to care for him in the dunes? Or did the guilt spread by Damas to build his city again delude the man’s mind?”
The angel calmed Jak. “I see some guilt still left inside your mind, Mar. I see you trying to keep what’s left of your friends alive.”

[Jak Mar]

The angel calmed Jak. “I see some guilt still left inside your mind, Mar. I see you trying to keep what’s left of your friends alive.”
Jak frowned, angry grunting  “I won’t and can’t…. I have no desire to become the next leader of the Waste-...shhhh..”

A wisp of light touched Jak’s cheeks, quieting him.

“Mar, you’ve seen the abyss too long, one day you might not be able to come back from that deep dark hole.”
Jak turned once again and placed a hand on Light’s own. “I’m not strong, I’m…”

The divine figure sighed and once again placed it on Jak’s lips “You are better than what you became. There’s more in the future for you than you know.”
Jak stopped “What is there in store? I’m back to square one with Dax, Ashlien’s walked away, Damas hates me and I’m wanted by the same place that I SAVED!”
“... I couldn’t save Ash and Desman.”

The light figure couldn’t stand to see Jak hurting himself like this so the figure took over Jak’s mind. Jak’s body now becoming a bluish, translucent figure of himself as he looked around seeing in the eco warrior’s eyes.

“Mar, I’m sorry for this.”

His wings stood out in the back, once again restored to their former glory and beauty. 
The bluish form broke free through the snow and flew  through the night, even past the night of the winter moon.

He didn’t know how long Jak’s sensitive body could handle the cold before having to return to the abandoned log cabin.

[Jak Mar]

The glowing form of Light was seen throughout the dark skies of the Frozen Fields, as snow blew through the divine being’s hair, creating somewhat of a dramatic effect. However, the cold didn’t affect the eco warrior’s more sensitive form. However, his form seemed like a man on a mission, confused maybe.

The moon shone on the winter wonderland where small lights scattered the literal landscape of pure snow and crystalline ice. The angel was obviously dragging Jak’s body through the skylines this time.

Jak frowned at this inside as he was tugged sharply inside “What are you doing, Light?”

Light spoke on the outside and was looking for something in particular or someone in particular. I heard there was creatures within this area. Shall we observe?”

Jak eyed him for a second and stood up in his own mind. “I’m not sure, depends on what they are and if they are friendly toward a Prime.”

“As Long as I get to feed on one of them, we’ll be ok.”

The eco warrior stopped to stare “Dark, I’m trying to get on these creature’s GOOD side, feeding on one won’t exactly help.”

“You got a better idea?! The dark king bared his teeth and hissed, he was still salty.”

The man sighed and landed softly near a settlement of orks. He’d never met a orc but he’d be eager to see what he could find out to say the least.

His light form wisped away in a blink of an eye.

[Jak Mar]

The beryl glow of the divine angel, Mar stood in place of none other than the home of Dwarfholm, the home of the dwarfs.

The eco warrior’s short-lived angel form whisper from existence as he turned to face the shorter but rugged dwarven man and tomboy woman standing next to each other.

Rardoli Mineshield took on a more rugged jarring brown beard, 5 feet tall and showed off his rough blue eyes, showing how long he had survived the often torturous conditions of the Frozen Fields. His silver armor shone.

He was the first to grit his teeth and point at Jak himself.

Ererer rungrar rost ròbîr kablang dust koträs, öl ketîr zill úngl zâddist, rostarkim kêbkir zårlatererer rersîr zanel zâddist osal ognób rek kàlrast dust iztozdëzstib.ererer

English translation of Dwarf text( “So you look like an elf, why should we trust ya?, your race is rather… flighty and always singing instead of doing a real job.”)

Jak eyed the troll and frowned “Because I am not a elf, but also a prime to boot. He pointed at himself “I can handle anything you can throw at me.”

The trolls muttered among themselves as the eco warrior was pacing trying to keep himself warm.

The armored dwarf eyed Jak and turned, “lzak Rost rareg zanel kobem, zil dêr'irtan mot zòlug rít rost kàlrast öl rost savot relzak.

("You cause any trouble, we won't hesitate to cut you down where you stand.")

Jak raised an eyebrow, the dwarfs spoke a different language than what he was used to.

The eco warrior raised an eyebrow and nodded.  

Lucky for him, one dwarf seemed to translate what they were trying to say in other terms.

The lady dwarf had an axe slung over her shoulder and turned toward the Wastelander. ““Mot'esesh rungrar rungrar rek mot korlal zeg REMZAT!relzak (This guy is a monster! He’s been in DA over the last few years!)

Rardoli turned to the wary lady chatting in private elzakketîr zil gamil mádkik koträs relzak. (Should we trust this prime?)

The lady looked back at the long-eared prime and discussed secretly with Rardoli “There’s a lot of primes out there, who knows what this guy’s capable of?”

Rardoli looked over at the colorful Wastelander out of place and had the eco warrior sit near a fire pit of some sort, just enough to keep the hypothermia away. Jak finally felt the heat and rubbing his hands near the fire pit to keep warm as he listened contently “Thank you for the warmth. Now explain what your business is and what’s in it for me?”

The woman eyed him with a slight growl but stopped when Rardoli stopped her “Elves are on our side, you understand we are a little weary. Our town razed by trolls who want nothing more to kill our dear leader and fight us.”

Koträs eskul ur kal adek, rost arôlsavot zil eskul dust tokmek zil. Kal amost kir rilarrilar rashgur mezik alkob öl räd ingstëb zonmil zòlug vagúsh kal asen erar zanelbardum ungrib ererer.

The eco warrior looked up as he warmed up “So you’re saying if I want to see your leader, I have to bring back an artifact of importance?”

The lady crossed her arms and frowned “Yes, something from the giants or a troll husk.”

Radoli nodded and eyed the lady. She stopped Radoli from speaking any longer and blinked for a second “Trolls are not a friendly bunch if you know what I mean, if they know you are on our side. They will kill you.”

Jak crossed his arms, still rubbing his hands near the fire. “I love artifact hunting, this is what I do well.”

Radoli stood up, his armor shining in the light “What’s your name warrior?”

Jak eyed Radoli and stood up “Name’s Mar.”

Zarha looked up and nodded “Not only that you have to find a deposit of cobalt, wumpa hide and the tusk of a troll. If you do that, we might let you see our leader, King Bruenor Battlehammer even if you do get lucky.”

The eco warrior nodded, considering the long journey he was about to partake might be dangerous, as dangerous as fighting a giant demon with Dante. He remembered what had happened. The long-eared man frowned to himself as the Son of Sparda disappeared without a trace leaving him to fight the demon all alone which seemed like a typical Friday night journey for the hero.

The man turned to the trolls “I appreciate your hospitality, but I will return with the items you desire. I promise my loyalties to the dwarves in return.”

“Zarha and Radoli looked up and eyed Jak. We forgot to mention that you must defeat a troll champion in battle before you are to return.”

Once again the heroic eco warrior turned “I’ll return with everything you asked.”

[Jak Mar]

As the Wastelander left the safety of Dwarfholm, he swore he noticed what seemed like someone who was covered in snow. He blinked, placing his hands up trying to discover what or who actually was there in the snow or was it another illusion from his mind.

There was no time for hallucinations but the cold wind blew the long eared man’s hair as he shivered a bit to keep warm. He didn’t know if he should even stop because of past trust issues but he had to.

He stopped in front of what looked like a cold woman lying there, a dusting of snow on her body and she looked almost half dead. What was she doing lying there in the middle of a place like this? The only reasoning was she was left to die.

Should he get her to shelter?

Jak blinked and sighed, it was the only logical choice, plus he was somewhat of a hero.

Jak hopped off the hoverboard and blinked, kicking the woman lightly “HEY! Are you alive? Are you alright?”

She appeared cold to the touch as he tried to lift her off the freezing ground. He was no medic but she appeared to need to be warm.

No response..

She was breathing though.

Jak tried again as he touched her “Hey!” “Wake up!”


Weiss heard a faint voice, somewhere in the back of her head, as she exited the realm of the dreaming, and found herself waking up in an unfamiliar area. She remembered falling asleep next to a tree - her changed nature allowing her to ignore much of the cold in the area.

It took her a moment, even as she blinked, to remember the horrors of the astral realm, the cold smiles of the men she’d battled there, and her last desperate battle against them. Though she’d managed to come up on top in the brutal four-way battle, the struggle had left her bleeding and broken from a dozen different wounds… and unfortunately, upon waking up, Weiss realized with disappointment and no small bit of pain that the damage had followed her home.

With a groan, Weiss resisted the urge to fall back into unconsciousness that threatened to settle on her like a blanket. She counted herself lucky that the voice in question didn’t sound hostile… not completely, at least. She could hardly move, let alone defend herself.

“Hey! Are you alright?”

“Nngh… I…”  was all Weiss managed to breathe through clenched teeth. The pain was in full, feverish overdrive now, but at least it’s blinding clarity took away any concern of falling back asleep. She opened her eyes and saw a face that was… relatively human. She breathed a sigh of relief. She’d seen so many nightmarish beings since she’d appeared in the omniverse that it was nice to see a… mostly human face staring back at her.


Jak felt horrible not being able to do something, for he didn’t expect having to help someone in this frozen environment besides the dwarves he promised he was going to help.  He picked Weiss off the ground, curse his new found calmness and helped her up. She was freezing, perhaps even half-dead.

He stopped as he tried to summon at least something warm for the woman nearby as it would take a short time before a coat appeared in his midst. “Here, put this on. It will help you against the cold right now. It’s not much so far.”

He’d hope she would take it and follow him. Even if she was a prime, he still didn’t want another dead body on his conscious.

He left some warm summoned things and hope she would take it. He couldn’t take her with him if he had to fight a troll. But as much as he didn’t want to leave her behind, he couldn’t take her without the extra weight.

Plus his Light form would be on his ass.

The curse of caring sometimes.

He gritted his teeth and sighed, this woman would have to see his Light form now, hopefully not for long.

He closed his eyes together and let the relaxing feeling warm over him as his body held a wisp of bluish and white where the snow was dancing around him.

He slipped the closed warm items in his pack as he lifted toward the sky, holding Weiss like a superhero would to a lady but still not that close.

He learned he still had a heart left in his body, something that made him give a damn about all the folks he cared about.

But why this woman? Why did she deserve his caring?

Perhaps this is exactly what he needed to start caring about himself and others again. The precursors were right, perhaps for once. Omni sent him someone to give a shit about.

The freezing air chilled Light Jak’s wings in the air, as he kept the woman close.

He needed this for ..

Himself..

Ash..

Desman

Ashelin..

And even Daxter.

The skies were filled with the frosty airs as he silently wondered how much time had past during his adventures.

After a cold, freezing journey, he was cautious to move Weiss somewhere safe and warm before slipping back into his normal form. He slipped his own pack on his back and summoned a few of his favorite guns

This was going to be no easy task for the long eared anti-hero but he’d do that as he took a breath that hurt his throat a bit as he shut his mouth.

Wait.

[Bzz...Bzz… Bzz]

Something was shaking in the eco warrior’s pack.

“Oh, why NOW?” Jak muttered as he pulled out his part com/part dataverse device.

Jak blinked, and held out his phone, reading the message silently.

He bit his tongue and his spit went down his throat

The device was silently and almost frustratingly put away.

He knew what he had to do. Like the whole “Banished to the Wastelands” Fiasco back home.

[Jak Mar]

When you stand in between two paths, and two of your sides are silently arguing which side you should take, take the roads less traveled.

A silent growl took over for what seemed like a second as Jak eyed the icey ground. He was willing to throw everything he worked for up to this point for what? For the chance to grovel at the empire’s feet?

Sit in the Empire’s jail, only to listen to the empire’s lies that someday he might be released for “good behavior”

Silent shadows taunted Jak in the darkness. The only people who could hear his own screams was himself in the snowy wastelands.

He could hear the pained voices now.

“WHY?!”

“Why.. Jak… Why did you betray us?”

Daxter’s red eyes stared into Jak’s very soul and frowned “You left me to rot in favor of the empire? To become what? The very thing you HATED?!”

Ashlien’s anger was evident “STOP, Jak… what about your friends, US! Desman, Ash?”

“Think about them!, US!”

Jak covered his ears “NO! STOP…. I know what… I’m doing.”

Once again a fight reigned in the eco warrior’s own head between the three parts of jak’s mind.

Instead of a normal situation, however somehow inside his own mind, Jak found himself in a orange jumpsuit. A ugly one standing into his own self-created prison. The same circumferences, just different faces.

Light Jak stood by to watch the test.

Dark was pulled to the side.

It was Jak’s turn to fight his own prison before he fell into the same trap he wasn’t able to fight himself out of in Haven City.

If Jak couldn’t pull himself out of his own self created prison, he’d wallow in himself forever, but if he was, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Jak screamed into the snow “AGHHHHHHHHHHHH! Why the fuck do I have to play the Hero, the Martyr?!” “I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS ROLE!”

His voice echoed over and over.

Nobody responded to his cries of anguish.

He knew Coruscant would be listening in on him now due to his silent “Yes.”.

He wiped the tears that wouldn’t fall, nothing but ice.

For all he knows, Torn would of bit his ass a new one after all he tried to accomplish to save Jak’s ass.

He needed his friend’s warm, positive vibes inside his head.

He dragged himself through hours of snow and ice, almost falling several times.

“Hey, come on Jak, I know you’d kick the empire’s ass for me, for all of us. Don’t give up now just because I’m gone. If you give yourself up, you aren’t bringing me or Daxter back. You’ll be the empire’s lap dog.

“But Dax is with-

The voice didn’t respond for a while until the speaking again came up..

“Did you really want to become the same prisoner you became in Haven City?” I didn’t think so.”

Jak stood shocked “Torn.. But how… why?”

“I’m just a figment of your imagination… It’s the only way to get you to smack some sense into you.”

“Oh com-

Torn smacked Jak’s face “Shake it off, asshole.”

Jak held his face “Damn, you don’t have to hit so fuckin’ hard.”

Jak held a red cheek and a smile on his face, “Heh.”

It was then he kept pushing on, and the nightmare of prison stalking him was slowly fading away as he took one step at a time.
Calmness enveloped him as words became his thoughts, his thoughts became his actions and much more. He could feel himself returning to his normal self, he was growing.

For each step he took, a new person stepped in

Daxter was next and hung out on his shoulder.

“Huh? How’d I get here? Oh wait…”

“I’m just a figment of your imagination, Jak.”

“I’m here to help you.”

Jak asked “By what”

“Getting you to listen to yourself.”

Daxter patted his shoulder

“Come here, Jak. -What the hell happened to ya’ face?”

“Oh false Torn punched me and it hurt.”

[Jak Mar]

Jak didn't know he was talking to himself, mostly to figments of his imagination.

"Dax, you aren't real, Torn...is DEAD!

Jak gritted his teeth, and shook off the cold-induced hallucinations.

He took one step after snowy step. He couldn't let his story end here.

He screamed a callous dramatic "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"!

He shook off the cold as he flashed into his Light form, lifting off the ground mostly lazy as he felt like he was about to fall, he forced himself back up again "Gotta do THIS!"

The hallucinations screamed in his head "DO IT, JAK! COME ON! FOR US!"

[Jak Mar]

Ppshhhhhshhhs..

Mar… are you still there?

Jak let his communicator buzz and buzz letting it go quiet after a while.

Flashbacks plagued him of Coruscant, that horrid city, that technology fused area. Some days were worse than others as his distant trip toward the Frozen Fields finally was coming to a end.

His Light wings landed him at the gate leading back at the Nexus as he closed his eyes.

Even memories of her… Ashelin appeared in his mind.

He squeezed his fist as he remembered a memory

Jak gritted his teeth and blinked “Ashelin, why are you here?”

Daxter stood behind Jak, doing what he normally did.

Ashelin looked concerned for her friend said “Jak, it’s good to see you.”

Jak looked up “That beacon you gave me, thanks.”

Ashelin nods “I knew he would find you. Damas doesn’t miss much in this desert.”

Jak questioned Ashelin firmly “How do you know him?!”

Ashelin looked sad “It doesn’t matter now.”

Ashelin looked worried “Jak, I need you to come back to the city.We are losing the fight.”

“Veger is drunk on power and is taken command, he doesn’t understand what he’s up against.”

“I need you to-

Marauder cars surrounded him and Ashlien.

After finishing all them off.

Ashelin handed Jak his hoverboard and said “Jak, Keira wanted me to give you this. Your friends need you, I… need you.”

The CITY THREW ME OUT, REMEMBER? They can ROT for all I care!” Jak growled softly.

Haven City, Coruscant… So similar yet so different, the memories blended together. This Ashelin, home’s Ashelin. They were one in the same.

Ashlien tried to change Jak’s mind “ But what about your-

Jak had it up to here “FORGET IT! Just LEAVE! I have NEW Friends now!”

Ashelin looked sad “So the hero I knew did die in the desert or WAS IT LONG BEFORE THAT?.”

Ashelin frowned as she handed him the Seal of Mar “Don’t you remember who you are?!”

Jak turned and frowned, as the puppet strings pulled on him again, the Precursors thought this was all some sick joke.

“I’m THROUGH WITH SAVING THE World.”

Jak looked mad as Ashelin flew off into the desert.

Jak found himself moving toward the frozen fields gate with a growl on his face and walked in, now out of the cold.

He desummoned his coat and looked up into the bright lights.

The hero’s journey is a long and cold one.