MLFW Part 10- "Kind Lies And Goodbyes"

"Kind Lies And Goodbyes" is the tenth and final Part of "Miracula Luxia: Four Worlds". It was released on 29.02.2020.
== Plot ==
After finally slaying the leader of the hostile forces- Farrar and bringing his forces down to their knees, Jared has one last task left to complete- to bury his beloved Annie and get out of this simulation for good.
His journey in this dream world is coming to an end and soon, he will return to the real world and continue his adventure.
== Story ==
Jared and Lancelot approached the funeral and noticed that there were barely any people left. It seems like most of the deceased were already buried and the ceremony was almost over.
The priest asked Jared if he wants to say any last words before his girlfriend is buried. The boy just stood there, not responding to the quesiton.
Finally, he approached the priest.
"Let me."- He said.
"Let you do what?"- The priest wondered.
Jared looked up.
"Let me... bury my girlfriend. By myself."
Lancelot was shocked.
"But Jared!"- He exclaimed- "We miss her too! Won't you let us--- "
"I said leave!"- He yelled at them.
The priest shaked his head.
"If he wishes to do so, let him do so. Let's leave him alone, everyone."- He said.
Everyone looked at Jared one last time and left the area, leaving him alone with Annie's corpse.
Jared looked at her and shaked his head.
"Oh, Annie."- He began- "Why did I have to take you here with me? You were going to be safe in Duskwood and I just took you away from there, thinking that you're going to be safe with me and Lancelot."
"If only I could bring back the time and correct my mistakes... "
He sighed.
"But... it is too late for that. The damage is already done and there's little left for me to do, other than say one last goodbye."
He looked up.
"I would be lying to you if I say that I'm not scared of the future. No, it's only going to get worse from here. We're going to make more mistakes, we're going to lose more people to the cruel jaws of death. There will be only one difference from how it has been until now- you won't be among us to see what is happening."
He sighed.
"But that's how life goes. You lose people. You lose yourself. You get stronger. Rinse. Repeat. This is the way of life and it cannot be changed."
"All I can hope for is that I made the people around the world at least a little bit happier and safer when I'm gone."
He talked to Annie for a few more minutes and realized he had to bury her.
He looked at a shovel left on the ground nearby and grabbed it. He dug a hole for Annie's coffin and put her in it (But not before giving her a kiss on the cheek and saying "I will always love you.").
Then, with a lot of struggling, he pushed it into the hole and started digging the dirt to bury the coffin.
After about half an hour of tireless digging, Jared finally managed to bury Annie's coffin for good.
"Rest in peace, my beloved Annie. I will always think about you."- He said quietly and gently put the shovel down.
He left the area and looked around.
It was 18 PM. The streets were filled with people, innocent bystanders who are still unable to comprehend the fact that they're finally safe.
People talking without speaking.
People hearing without listening.
People praying to their Neon God for help.
The lights flickered as the people walked around.
Farrar's undead corpse was still sitting chained near the gate. Jared approached him and kicked him once, to make sure that he won't lunge at him.
He smiled.
"You did so much to destroy us all. To ruin all that we love and protect. But, in the end, you were the one to fall. Well-deserved, I should say."- He said and walked away.
He noticed a flower on the ground and picked it up. He recognized it- it was the flower he was going to give to Annie after the battle with Gary Nixom and his thugs.
He dropped the flower and began to cry, but stopped before someone could have the chance to see him.
"No!"- He said to himself- "I mustn't succumb to my sadness. Annie would never approve of that!"
With that, he walked towards the west gate.
Once he reached it, he felt a strange presence positioning itself right behind him.
"Isn't funny how Fate twisted its ways to make you suffer?"- It said- "After all the people you had to slay? All the families that you ruined? You deserved it, Jared."
The boy pulled his blade out and turned around.
"Who are you?!"- He yelled, seemingly at someone else.
The voice laughed, sheer madness emanating from it.
"What is so funny?"
"I am you."- The voice said.
Jared raised his eyebrow in shock.
"You are... me?"
"Face it, Jared. We're cut from the same cloth. You're a good person- I'm not."
"If you didn't already realize it, I am your evil self."
Having said that, the presence decided to show itself.
Jared saw someone who looked exactly like him, the only difference being the energies coming from within the two personas.
This was clearly Jared's other self.
"Leave me alone, Vanitas!"- Jared said.
Vanitas smiled.
"Even if I do, I will still be with you, Jared. You can't get rid of me, no matter how hard you try."
Jared sneered.
"I hate to spoil your party, but you won't be able to do anything while you're within my body."
Vanitas laughed and smiled.
"I may not be able to, but you will."
"See what happened all around you? All this destruction and death... you could have prevented it. You could have prevented your hometown from being destroyed by Farrar's forces."
"And, most importantly, you could've prevented Annie's death."
Hearing Annie's name made Jared become much angrier than before. He swinged his sword at Vanitas, but his other self simply faded out of existence and back in, easily evading his blows.
"See? You can't damage me, no matter how hard you try. We're the same person, inseparable. Nobody can separate us, not even y--- "
Jared casted a Fireball spell, surprising him.
His other self was pushed into a wall by the sudden, tremendous force of the spell.
"How?!"- He screamed- "How do you dare hurt me?!"
Jared smiled.
"You may be hard to hit, but you're not impossible to hit! You're just like everyone else, don't try to be special. Because you are not."
Vanitas looked at his wound and looked down.
"How are you so strong?"- He wondered- "Even after Annie's death, you still have the strength to continue. Why is that?"
Jared looked up.
"Annie may be dead, but the memory of her still remains. She told me to never give up and fight against those who oppose me... and I will!"
"As long as at least one of my loved ones is still alive. Even better, as long as at least one good person is still alive and is in danger, I will keep fighting, no matter what happens next. So, you will never stop me from fighting for the good of everyone, did you undestand that?!"
Vanitas shaked his head.
"In the end, you will be like everyone else. Desperate. Unable to continue fighting. Barely able to live. No matter how much you try... "
"Stop trying to force me off the right path, you fiend!"- Jared yelled- "Disappear and never return!"
Vanitas smiled.
"Okay. As you say. I will disappear, but remember this- With or without me, you're still going to make a wrong choice, sooner or later. Be prepared for that."
Having said his piece, Vanitas turned into a black mist of pure hatred and flew to the other side of the city walls. From there, he laughed one last time and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Jared sighed.
"He's gone. At last."- He said.
"But at what cost? I had to lose Annie and my parents to finally get rid of him. Was it really worth it?"
Suddenly, he began to feel a pain in his chest. A sudden force nested itself in his heart.
He saw how he began to slowly fall down, as if pushed back by someone else.
After a few moments, he closed his eyes.
He woke up, only to find himself in a strange new place. A nexus created by his own mind.
"Where...where am I?"
He looked around, but saw nothing, other than a white mist surrounding the area that he was standing in.
He got out of the area and noticed a mysterious figure.
The figure motioned for him to approach.
"Did you have a good sleep, Master Jared?"- The figure said.
Jared raised his eyebrow.
" "Master Jared"? But... I am not the master of anyone!"
The figure didn't make an expression. Instead, it simply took a step back to show him a strange passage, going towards a bright light.
"You may not be the master to anyone in the real world, Master, but you are a master of your own thoughts. I am a simple apparition of your true self- the one who spreads light upon the world and makes everyone feel safer. The one who is not influenced by what the fiend, known as Vanitas says to you."
"But... what did you mean by sleep?"- Jared wondered.
For once, the figure finally showed an expression. It smiled at him.
"Everything that you saw back there was just a dream. A possible outcome of your years of hard work and determination."
"So, all that happened there... Farrar, Gary Nixom, Annie... ?"
The figure nodded.
"Yes. It was all just a dream. Annie is alive and well, in the real world. As for Farrar, Gary Nixom and the other people you met, they did not exist in the first place."
"Or, at least not yet."
The figure pointed to the west.
"The gateway to the real world is over there. If you want to change your future and keep your loved ones safe, now is the time. Good luck, Master Jared."
Jared nodded and approached the light.
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In the dream world, Lancelot and Stephanie walked on the streets while talking to each other about what happened.
"I'm sorry for your sister, Lance."- Stephanie said- "I wish I could've done something to help you guys out, but... I just couldn't."
Lancelot shaked his head.
"No, Steph. I understand it all now. There was no way for me, you, Jared, or anyone else to save her. She was destined to die back there."
Stephanie nodded.
"I know, but I still feel bad. Poor girl died in such a painful way. She didn't deserve it."
"Nobody deserves to die, but sometimes, Fate can have a nasty surprise for us. I know that it should have been me, but I should also know that I am lucky for surviving that encounter."
Stephanie looked down.
"What about Jared?"- She wondered.
Lancelot raised his eyebrow.
"What about him?"
"I mean, you were really angry when he didn't do anything to save your sister. Are you still angry? Or did your anger dissipate?"
"I mean, he isn't exactly perfect, but... were it not for him, Farrar would still be alive, trying to pester us."- Lancelot said- "The boy didn't do anything wrong and we owe him a lot. I think that I will forgive him, no matter what my foolish heart says."
Stephanie nodded.
"Yes. It's for the best. Jared is a hero, and we should treat him like one."
Lancelot and Stephanie smiled and continued on their way, not noticing Jared's amulet on the ground near them.
In the distance, Dr. Daniel Nixom buried his dead brother and left his beloved sword at his grave, all while cursing at the one who took him away from his big brother and made him evil.
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In the meantime, Jared approached the light and looked at it.
"Well, if what the mysterious figure said is correct, this must be the way back to the real world."- He said to himself- "Everyone must be worried, so let's not make them wait for any longer than they already have!"
He approached the white light and suddenly, he was teleported to a whole new world- his real world.
He realized where he was- all this time, he was sleeping in a pod, his loved ones waiting for him to wake up.
He opened his eyes.
== Trivia ==
* In this Part, there is a single reference- It is a part of the lyrics of a popular song by the band "Disturbed"- "People talking without speaking, People hearing without listening."
* Part 10 reveals that this whole Alternative Story was just a dream sequence, happening inside Jared's head and not in the real world.