MLII C8, P3- "Calm Before The Storm"

"Insecure" is the third Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's eighth Chapter. It was released on 04.08.2021.
== Plot ==
Having obtained a very important item that could become the difference between Life and Death, Jared and his allies secure it and make sure that nobody can break it open, hoping that they can prevent the inevitable.
Unfortunately, Grah-Hoth's spies have managed to find a secret way into the city. They discover the location of the black jar and send one of their kind to free their master.
Will it succeed?
== Story ==
Jared and Aleks gasp.
"This is him?"- Aleks asks- "The one that we're trying to stop?"
Lethal nods.
"Well, not exactly. It is a large fragment of his soul, trapped within this vessel in the hopes that he won't come back and torment us again."- He says- "But I can see that he is still as powerful as he has ever been. Soul or not, his powers are astounding."
He sighs.
"Still, freeing him from this prison is very dangerous. It could turn him into an unstoppable engine of destruction, a killing machine that will stop at nothing until all of us are dead."- He says- "That is why I made the decision to store him somewhere safe and put maximum security in the area, to make sure that nobody will try to free him."
Jared nods.
"I must admit. This plan is better than destroying this vessel and unleashing whatever horrors it is holding back from us."- He says- "Very well. Store him away. When we find Grah-Hoth, we will give him a taste of his own medicine and use his own soul against him."
Lethal smiles.
"Well said, Jared."- He says- "But we still have to find him."
He looks at him.
"You told me that you're going to search for clues that can lead us to Grah-Hoth."- He says- "Did you find anything?"
Jared shakes his head.
"Sadly, this is the only clue that we found."- He says- "Believe me, we tried our hardest to find another clue. But there were so many enemies and so little time. I'm afraid that we failed and I apologize for my ignorance."
Lethal shakes his head.
"It's okay. You don't need to apologize."- He says- "I know that you tried to do what you could. The fact that you were attacked by those bandits was truly a major setback, but it's nothing that we shouldn't be able to take care of. The bigger problem is the one who's sending them here to fight us- Grah-Hoth."
He looks at the black jar and stares at the swirling essence within.
"Lord of the underworld, you managed to escape from me once."- He says to it- "But I will find you. And this time, I will not show you the same mercy that I did before. Mark my words."
He turns to Jared.
"But, before we bring this item of malice farther away from us, I want you to meet an old friend."- He says to him- "Someone who helped you defeat an ancient enemy... and is not afraid to do it again."
Jared turns around, surprised. He sees that someone is approaching them.
A tall figure that looks very familiar.
"Could it be?"- Jared says to himself- "Is he finally back?"
Soon, it is revealed that the mysterious figure is Ghall-Ihrno- One of Jared dearest friends and most loyal allies. A Vahnatai envoy who came to the Surface to seek the help of a brave hero to defeat the maddened Crystal Soul known as Rentar-Ihrno.
After her spirit was freed from this world, Ghall-Ihrno stayed in Paris for a while, helping its militia to establish their defense and protecting them from Ess-Kalyn the Manburner and her army of barbaric Slithzerikai. Once Jared killed her and defeated most of her allies, however, he decided to leave the city and return into his homelands below the ground, seeing that the Surface is finally safe. That is how he saw the current situation, at the very least.
However, when he heard that a new evil is rising and threatening the safety of this world, he made the decision to come back and assist his friends.
He is overjoyed to see Jared. When he sees him again, he shakes his hand and smiles.
"I'm so glad that you made it."- He says to him- "Are you ready to fight our common enemies again?"
Jared nods.
"Of course I am!"- He responds- "You can count me in!"
Ghall-Ihrno smiles again.
"And that's why you are one of my dearest friends, Jared."- He says- "Thank you for being such a heroic and valiant figure."
He nods to Jared and approaches the black jar to inspect it.
"Hmm. I see. I see."- He says- "I can tell that this item holds an ancient evil. But it can indeed be used as a weapon against their own kind."
He turns to Lethal.
"And, if we do it right, this means that we have a chance to fight back before they can assemble their army at the fullest."- He says- "I will analyze it while it is stored away and find a way to put it to good use. For us, that is. Not for them."
Having said that, the Vahnatai envoy walks away, leaving Jared and his family alone.
Jared and Lethal stare at each other for a brief moment.
"There's no time to waste."- Lethal says- "I will call Erica and make sure that this jar is well-protected, in every way."
Jared raises his eyebrow.
"Erica?"- He says- "You mean Erica Redmark? The Archmage?"
Lethal laughs.
"Well, yes. Her name is indeed Erica, but she is not the Archmage herself."- He says- "She is her granddaughter. But she is indeed quite skilled. And, as she once told me, she inherited some of the abilities of her grandmother when she was born. Thus, she is a valuable asset in protecting this city from the incoming invasion."
He sighs.
"Anyway."- He continues- "As I said before, I will tell Erica about the current situation and ask her to create a protective barrier around the jar for the time being. Let's hope that she will have enough energy for this job. She's quite exhausted after defending the town, even if it has only been for a week or so."
He waves to his grandson.
"Farewell."- He says and wanders off.
Jared looks at his father.
"I think that it is time for us to go home."- He says to him- "The sun is going down and it will be night soon. Who knows what kind of horrors will wander the streets during that time?"
Aleks nods.
"I agree. It's not safe to wander the streets of Paris at night."- He says- "Trust me, I made a mistake and realized it. The hard way."
He sighs.
"Anyway, we should indeed get going."- He says- "So, let's go. Stay close to me and watch for danger."
Jared nods and leaves with his father.
A few hours pass. The jar is placed in a hidden room, safe from the prying hands of thieves and wrongdoers and well-protected by both a magical barrier and human guards.
Meanwhile, a creature manages to sneak into the room, unnoticed by anyone. It is an Imp- one of the most tricky and mischievous members of humankind, the smaller and weaker cousins of demons.
"Master, I will free you from this curse."- It whispers as it slowly avoids the guards- "Soon, we will bring destruction upon these lands. We will conquer them and make them our new home. We shall succeed, 'cause it's our birthright."
Having stolen the Blessed Athame from its resting place, it uses it to destroy the magical barrier in a quiet and effective way.
Then, it pulls out a small explosive and attaches it to the black jar.
"Soon, we will rule this world."- It says- "We will be the new overlords. And nobody will be able to stop us."
Unfortunately for it, one of the guards notices it and raises an alarm.
Soon, it is surrounded by guards who are pointing their weapons at it.
"You won't escape from justice that easily, you fiend!"- One of them yells- "It's time for you to die!"
The imp cackles like a crazy person.
"It's too late, you fools."- It says- "Our master has decided your fate. It's only a matter of time for you to suffer the fate of those who died in battle, no matter how long you try to prevent the inevitable!"
Suddenly, someone else enters the room and points their weapon at the creature. The imp stares at him and realizes who he is.
"Y-you!"- It yells.
A moment later, it shot in the chest with an arrow. It dies soon after.
Unfortunately, its demise causes a massive earthquake.that forces everyone else to avoid the impact.
"Everyone, stand back!"- Jared yells as he tries to save the jar from falling down.
Unfortunately, he is unable to do so as the explosive that the imp set before its demise manages to explode before he can even get close to the jar.
All he is able to do is to watch in horror and brace himself for what is going to happen next.
"Is this really the end that we feared for so long?"- He says to himself- "Well. There is only one way to find that out."
He draws his weapon and watches as a black mist emerges from the broken jar.
"Show yourself, Grah-Hoth!"- He yells- "We are not afraid of you!"
Soon, the mist coalesces into a black figure that seems to be resembling a large demon... possibly a Haakai. It notices that Jared is standing next to it and cackles.
"Ah. The young hero whom the denizens of the Underworld have feared for all this time. The one who crushed countless enemies, just to come face to face with his impending doom."- The demonic creature says- "It is nice to finally meet you in person, Jared Kaos."