MLIII C4, P8- "Black Diamond"

"Black Diamond" is the eighth Part of "Miracula Luxia III" 's fourth Chapter.
It was released on 16.03.2022.
== Plot ==
The situation is slowly getting out of hand as the demons get closer to our heroes' encampment with each passing day. And now, with a newborn child in their hands, it is going to become much worse.
Having come to a mutual agreement, Jared and Jon make the painful decision to leave all of their allies behind and explore the rest of the city of Paris, in the hopes that they can find and eliminate the leader of the demons who destroyed it so suddenly.
Time is running out. Resources are getting low. Our heroes' only chance to make a difference... is to meet the mastermind behind the crime that was committed weeks ago. Will they succeed, though?
== Story ==
Adam approaches Jon and gently hands the child back to him.
"Well. I think that I am done."- He says- "It is your turn to feel some joy in your heart."
Jon smiles and nods.
"I appreciate it."
He looks down at the little creature that sleeps in his arms, still not believing that it belongs to him.
"I cannot believe it."- He says- "God has blessed me with this beautiful child. My very own son."
He turns to Gloria, who recently woke up from her slumber.
"My dear."- He says as he approaches her- "Look! We are parents now!"
Gloria looks at the baby and smiles.
"Yes, we are."- She says- "We hold a fragile creature in our hands."
She looks at her beloved.
"So, be careful."
Jon nods.
"I will be careful."- He says- "Don't worry."
He looks down and sighs.
"Oh, well."- He says and gently hands the child to Gloria- "I guess that it's time for me to make a decision."
Gloria raises her eyebrow.
"A decision?"
Jon nods.
"Yes."- He responds- "I can't stay helpless forever."
He turns to Adam.
"I'm sorry for worrying you earlier."- He apologizes to him- "I saw the look on your face as you desperately tried to save Gloria. You were in a lot of pain and I... feel guilty about that."
Adam smiles and places his hand on his cousin's shoulder.
"You do not have to be. I am feeling much better now."- He responds- "Besides, it is something everyone would do for their family. And it is the same for me. I came here, because I love all of you. Because I care about you. I want to make sure that you are safe and sound. As a prominent family member of the Kaos family, I understand that this is my utmost responsibility."
He smiles again.
"Even so, everyone in this world is a part of our family. Our enormous family."- He says- "It does not matter if you are a peasant or a king, I still care about them. And I would never refuse to provide help, especially when someone is in need of it."
Jon nods.
"I understand how it feels."- He says- "When I came all the way here, I did it because I wanted to save those people. Just like you, they are important to me. And, as a shaman, I am supposed to provide aid whenever possible. Heal both their minds and their souls. Lay their spirits to rest. But, after what happened here, I fail to see the sun. All around me, I can only see the ruin. Hear the cries of the innocent. And, believe me, I am not immune to their pain."
Adam smiles.
"The sun will rise again, dear cousin."- He says to him- "And I am sure that it will happen very soon."
Jon nods.
"Together, we can save our world."- He says- "And yet, the darkness has seeped into every corner of your hometown. Wherever we go, we can feel the malice, ready to jump out and devour our hope and faith. But we have to move on. The world depends on us."
Adam nods.
"And that is why we are here."- He says- "Such a crime will not go unanswered."
Jon looks around and sighs.
"So. Have you decided what we should do next?"- He asks him- "I hate to stay here, but I still fear that it's too dangerous to expose ourselves and stan in harm's way."
Adam shakes his head.
"I have a plan. I think that it might work."- He says- "However, I do not think that you will like it."
Jon looks up at him.
"Well, it doesn't matter. Not anymore."- He says- "Share your intentions with me. I'm not sure whether I can help you out, but I promise that I'll do my best."
Adam leans closer to Jon and whispers something to him.
Although nobody else can hear what they are saying to each other, they can tell that it is something very important, as Jon occasionally nods and smiles (and, from time to time, whispers something back to him).
Finally, the two boys stand up and decide to share their plan with the rest of the residents.
"What?!"- Gloria says- "But this... this is madness! You can't just go in there alone!'
Adam shakes his head.
"I will not be alone."- He says- "Jon has agreed to help me out. The two of us will go in there together."
Jon nods.
"If neither of us emerge from the ruins, remember that we died for you."- He says- "And, if the demons approach you while we are absent, pack whatever belongings you can and run away as fast as possible. Don't let them reach you."
Gloria shakes her head.
"I don't understand."- She says- "Why don't you just stay here and wait for more demons to arrive? I'm sure their leader will join them soon enough!"
Adam shakes his head.
"No. That is very unwise."- He responds- "Whoever their leader is, I can tell that he is a wise man. Or wise enough to understand that we could set a trap for him, at the very least. He will see right through our facade and flee the city before we can make our move. Thus, we must place ourselves in harm's way to trick him into emerging from his hiding place."
Aiden stares at Adam. He seems to be scared.
"But why you?"- He asks him- "Why shouldn't we just go there and attack him ourselves?"
Adam shakes his head.
"And endanger the only survivors left in the city?"- He says- "I will not allow that. It is either me or him."
Jared takes a step forward.
"Thanks to our calculations, we realized that their leader is likely hunting for someone. A person whom he truly hates."- He says- "And, after hearing the stories of Paris's remaining refugees, we narrowed our choices down to one."
He turns to Adam.
"Son, I realized something."- He says to him- "Whoever this vile creature is, he is looking for you."
Adam clenches his fist. He is clearly angered by this statement, but knows that his father is right.
"I knew it!"- He yells- "They never abandoned their wicked ways. They never left us alone!"
He sighs and shakes his head.
"The demons who destroyed this city, they are here because of me."- He says and wipes a tear from his right eye- "It is my fault. I should have told Akira to spare Lucifer Griffin. I should not have killed Gabriel. And yet, it happened. Now, people are suffering because of our family's mistakes. Such a sin cannot be undone."
The mayor of Paris steps forward and shakes his head.
"You claim that you committed a sin when you killed Lucifer and Gabriel Griffin. I can see that in your eyes."- He says to Adam- "But that's not true. What you did back there was an act of heroism. You saved everyone from a fate worse than death and the entire city has you to thank for this kindness. This generosity that we can never repay, no matter how hard we try. We don't blame you for the attack on Paris. We blame Griffin's army for existing. And, as the mayor of our city, I trust you to restore its former glory and splendor."
Adam nods.
"You are right. Such mistakes are best left in the past."- He says- "Now, we fight for our future. And together, we will save it from the grasp of evil!"
The townsfolk cheer as he says those words.
"We will go out there and defeat the culprit behind the attack."- He continues- "And when we do, peace and prosperity will reign supreme."
He turns to Jon.
"Are you ready, my dear cousin?"
Jon nods.
"Of course. I will gladly stand by your side as we slay those outlaws."- He says- "Many have tried before us, but failed before we reached their goal. But today, we shall finish what they started. We shall defeat the darkness and spread the light."
He smiles.
"In other words, I am ready."
Adam nods.
"Very well."- He says- "Then, it is time."
He turns to the city and sighs.
"To make our move."
He looks back and smiles.
"Stay safe, everyone."- He says to his allies- "We will be back soon."
Jared smiles back.
"We believe in you, children."- He says to them- "Our hopes and prayers travel with you."
With that, they send the two heroes away, cheering for them as they enter the dark city.
Once inside, Adam and Jon see the ruins around them. They realize that another part of the city has been destroyed.
"The guards have lost control."- Jon says- "They can't control the chaos any longer."
Adam sighs.
"If there were any guards here at the time of the attack, they are either dead or they fled to better places."- He says- "Either way, they are gone. And there is nothing we can do about it. Just shake your head and move on."
Jon looks down at his hands. He notices that they are trembling, but easily manages to keep his fear under control.
"It's clear that we have to be the saviors of this city."- He says- "If nobody else would dare to risk their lives against evil, we will be their voices. So, let's go."
Adam nods.
"Indeed, we will."
The two of them draw their weapons, ready to face any demon raiding parties that they come across.
"Paris is not the same. Not anymore."- Adam says to himself- "I cannot bring the dead back to life. I cannot tell their families that everything will be alright. However, I can still save the city and allow them to settle back. And yet, the wound will still remain. It will never be healed completely. As long as we live, there will always be a chance that the darkness will return and torment our troubled nation."
He sighs.
"And yet, there is still hope."- He continues- "My father is right. No matter how dark our road to freedom is, there is always a light that will illuminate our world. Signs of faith are everywhere around us. And, no matter how many enemies we have to face, we will still fight for our common home. We will free the city from the chains of tyranny."
A group of demons approaches the two of them and prepare to attack them, but are easily slain and burned to the bone by their magical abilities.
However, this reveals their position to a larger group of creatures that are farther away from them and are forced to hide as they run toward them.
"I think that we lost them."- Adam says- "Is it safe to emerge?"
Jon looks around, looking for any signs of their enemies. He nods.
"I think so."- He says- "Let's give it a try."
The two of them leave their hiding place and look around. No enemies are in sight... at least for now.
"I hate to hide from those fiends like this, but we cannot do anything about it."- Adam says- "Even though we had the chance to make them pay, there were too many of them. We would have been slain on the spot."
Jon nods.
"Sometimes, it's best to keep your emotions under control."- He says- "I'm glad that you made the right choice."
Adam sighs.
"Still, I cannot shake the feeling of unease off my mind."- He says to himself- "As long as this city stays like this, I will always question my decisions. I will never think that I did the right thing... until I am proven otherwise."
Adam takes a step forward and draws his weapon.
"So."- He says- "Are you ready?"
Jon nods.
"I am."
The two of them scout the city and watch as some of the buildings fall apart. A chunk almost hits Jon in the head, but Adam pulls him away just in time.
"Thank you, Adam."- He says- "I appreciate it."
Adam smiles.
"Do not mention it."- He says- "I would do anything for my friends and family."
And yet, their troubles have just begun. As soon as they walk away from the rubble, a few arrows are shot at them, followed by fireballs and other malevolent magic.
"They're back!"- Jon says and tries to run away- "Hide, Adam."
He looks back at Adam and sees as he draws his weapon and walks forward.
"Adam?"
Adam shakes his head.
"No, Jon. I am tired of hiding."- He responds- "I do not want to watch helplessly as my hometown is destroyed. I do not want to live as a coward. I will either live as a champion or die as a hero. There is no other way."
Jon stands up and nods.
"Then allow me to accompany you into this confrontation."- He says- "If you want to fight our enemies, then I wish to stand by your side. You helped me when I needed you the most. And now, I see that you need my help. So, here I am."
He smiles.
"I will never let you down."
Adam nods.
"Then let us fight, side by side."
The two of them charge as a barrage of arrows flies toward them. Although the demons manage to slow them down for a while, this distraction does not last long and a large portion of them are slain in the inevitable battle.
The remaining demons panic and start to hurl fireballs at random directions. Smoke fills the air as they explode on impact and set the grass around them on fire.
As the final demon falls, our heroes emit a sigh of relief. Despite the overwhelming odds, they still managed to survive. However, their joy is short-lived when another large party of demons approaches and surrounds them.
Our heroes try to fight their way out, but it is clear that the demons were well-prepared for their arrival. And now, they are slowly weakening them.
"There are too many of them."- Adam says- "Jon, please do not give up."
Jon shakes his head.
"I would never do that."- He says- "We will fight... until... the end."
Adam and Jon manage to slay a large amount of their enemies, but Adam is soon wounded by one of their tainted blades. He tries to heal the fresh wound on his hand, but soon realizes that he is too preoccupied with surviving this fateful encounter than to focus his energy toward it.
"I may be bleeding, but I still have enough energy to fight you back."- He says to the demons- "As long as I am still here, I will not let your malice overcome my desire."
The heroes get weaker with each passing second. It is clear that, if help does not arrive soon, they will fall victim to the darkness.
"I'm sorry, Adam."- Jon says, reluctantly accepting his fate- "I did my best to... protect you."
Adam sighs.
"Do not lose hope, Jon."- He tries to reassure him- "The light is on our side. We must prevail."
As the two of them try to make their last stand, their preparations are interrupted by a loud roar. They turn around, expecting another enemy to join the fight and slaughter them, but receive a pleasant surprise.
A massive dragon dives down from the air, crushing a large amount of the demons and standing by the heroes' side.
"Well met, young ones."- He says to them- "It looks like you're in quite the predicament."
Adam smiles.
"I can tell that you are an ally of ours."- He says to him- "What is your name, mighty one."
The dragon grins, revealing a set of sharp, pointy teeth.
"I am Melanchion- ally of Avernum and the world."- He responds- "And today, I came to redeem myself."
Having said that, the massive creature roars again, terrifying the rest of the demons.
Then, he belches fire at them, easily burning them to death and motivating our heroes to fight back against their enemies.
Now that their hope is restored, our heroes waste no time to make their move. One by one, the denizens of darkness fall down. 
As their unholy screams fade away into the night, Adam and his allies back away.
Melanchion inspects the wreckage, snorts a small ball of flame and shakes his head.
"What a waste of time."- He growls- "Those demons dared to attack the mortals in this city. And, let me tell you, they made a huge mistake. They will pay for it."
Adam nods.
"But why did you help us out?"- He asks him- "I am aware that creatures like you are mercurial and untrustworthy, at best. Why did you decide to risk your life to save us?"
Melanchion looks at the city around him again.
"Many years ago, your father came to my aid. Despite a rather rocky start of our long-lived relationship, he convinced me to help him out and taught my son the true meaning of honor and respect. For that, I feel very grateful and obliged to help whenever I can."- He responds- "Now, I can see that you are in his shoes. A hero who gives his all to protect his people. You remind me of myself, as I have people who respect and revere me, too. And, like you, I would do anything for them. So, I saw the light within your soul. I was impressed by your actions, even though I do not I am not always interested in the good deeds that your human heroes have done in the past. As more time passed, I saw that, just like your father, you are a faithful ally and it would be a shame to see you waste your life away. Thus, I made the decision to fly all the way up to the Surface and show that dragons respect those who are willing to sacrifice everything to save their kind. I came to help you, because you deserve it."
He smiles.
"And I am glad that I did not fail."- He adds- "It's good to see that you're still alive and well."
Adam smiles back.
"Thanks to you, we know that we can turn the tides of this meaningless battle. For that, I want to thank you and tell you that you are indeed someone whom we can trust with our lives."- He says- "So. Will you stay with us?"
Melanchion nods.
"I long to find the fiend who caused this widespread destruction."- He says- "If revenge is his current goal, then allow me to return him the favor."
He takes a step forward. The ground trembles as his massive, muscular feet step on it, emitting loud thuds with each one.
"Let's bring this world back to life."
The three of them come across the city hall. There, they notice a single, massive demon standing in front of it. His blade is drawn.
"I have been expecting you, Adam Kaos."- He says and takes a step forward- "At last, I can take my revenge."
Adam glares at him and draws his weapon.
"Are you the creature that destroyed this city.
The demon smirks.
"Destroy? This place?"- He says- "Oh, don't be so dense. I didn't destroy this city. My minions already did it. I was too busy looking for you than preoccupying myself with such a minor matter."
Jon shakes his head.
"What a show-off."- He whispers to Adam- "Let's take care of him. I'm tired of hearing his voice. It... angers me."
Adam nods and continues to glare at the demon.
"I finally remember who you are."- He says- "You are Arzen- the most trusted general of Lucifer Griffin. You came here to take your revenge on me, because I killed your leader. But remember this. I did it, because he was a danger to our modern society. He endangered our world and was too dangerous to be left alive. I was hoping that you could just swallow your anger back into your soul, yet you simply poured it out and destroyed a settlement, full of innocent people."
His eyes fill with rage as he continues to speak.
"Tell me, Arzen. Why did you do such a thing?"- He asks him- "Why did you turn so many people into refugees and destroy what they fought for? And do not think that I will take "revenge" as a proper answer. I am tired of it."
Arzen smirks.
"I wanted to find you. I wanted to destroy you for what you did."- He says- "I asked the people of Paris to betray you and reveal your location, but they believed in you until the very end. Even as they fell victim to my minions, they still hoped that you would come back and save them. And I guess that they were right, for now you are here. And yet, they are not. You are alone, child."
Adam shakes his head.
"I am not a child anymore, old one."- He says to him- "I fight for my people. And what you did right here will not go unanswered. You will be forced to answer for your crimes. And the only response to the madness that you created with your own hands... is death."
Melanchion shakes his head.
"Arzen was a law-abiding demon. Even a relatively normal one, on top of that."- He says to himself- "However, now I can see that he's not the same anymore. Talking and reasoning with him is impossible. He is way too eager to spill blood and will not stop until Adam is dead. However, such a noble and talented in child must not be left behind, so I will stand by his side and fight this creature of darkness, hoping that I can help create a better world, free of deranged maniacs like him."
He flies into the air and roars mightily.
"Arzen! You fool!"- He roars at him- "We will destroy you!"
Arzen takes a step back. He is shocked to see that the dragon is at Adam's side.
"M-Melanchion? You have betrayed me?!"- He says- "How dare you stand by his side?!"
He sighs and prepares to cast a spell.
"It doesn't matter, though. I will fight all of you."- He continues- "If you wish to die alongside those murderers, then so be it. But keep in mind that I will never forget your treachery. You will be my enemy for life."
Melanchion looks down at him and snorts a small gout of flame.
"You think that your life won't end here and now?"- He asks him and laughs- "Foolish fiend. We will send you back into the underworld."
Adam nods and draws his weapon.
"Well said, my friend."- He says and lifts his sword in the air- "For our free world!"
Having said that, he charges valiantly and tackles the massive demon without any trouble. However, he is soon thrown back and bombarded by a barrage of fireballs.
Jon jumps in his way just in time and defends his cousin by forming an energy shield and reflecting the fireballs back at their caster.
Arzen feels nothing as the fireballs explode all around him.
"Is that all that you've got?"- He asks them- "Pathetic. Now, it's my turn."
He points his finger at Jon. Suddenly, both his hands and Jon's chest start to glow.
Then, without wasting time to worry about the rest of his enemies, he lifts Jon in the air and prepares to slam him down and crush him into hundreds of pieces.
"Let me go, you fiend!"- Jon yells at him- "Stop using your trickery on us!"
Arzen smiles.
"As you wish, you foolish human."
He tries to kill him, but Adam throws one of his daggers into his chest, distracting him and allowing the young hero to save his cousin before he gets hurt.
As Jon tries to recover from the shock, he tries to attack Arzen himself. However, he is soon stopped by Adam.
"Back off, Jon."- He proclaims vengefully- "He is mine."
Jon sees the rage in Adam's eyes and knows better than to stand in his way. Positive that his cousin will succeed, he steps back.
"Go ahead, Adam."- He says to him- "Do it for our friends. Our family."
Adam nods.
"I will prevail."- He says- "We will prevail."
Then, he pulls out his bow, enchants his arrows with the power of light and fires them at Arzen.
Although most of the arrows miss their target, some of them manage to pierce his skin, wounding him and burning the tissue beneath it.
The demon effortlessly pulls the arrows away from his skin and sticks them into a nearby building. However, even though the arrows are gone, the damage does not go away. He grunts as he struggles to heal himself.
"Now's our chance!"- Melanchion yells- "Come on, humans! Let's make him pay!"
Adam nods and draws his sword.
"This one is for the people who suffered because of you!"- He yells as he charges at Arzen- "Feel our strength as we crush your tyranny!"
He jumps in the air.
"Die, you monster!"
Melanchion tries to attack Arzen as well. Adam's distracting gives him enough time to bite the demon general's leg and nearly severe it.
Arzen screams in pain and jumps back, narrowly avoiding Adam's attack. Then, he pushes the two of them back with his malevolent aura, shaped into a ring.
"Curse you, Kaos. Curse you for being so persistent."- He gasps- "You may have defeated me now, but I will never surrender. Mark my words, I will get my revenge! Your murder of the Griffin family will not go unanswered!"
Adam tries to attack him again, but fails as Arzen fills the air with smoke, temporarily blinding the three of them and trying to escape unnoticed.
However, his plan does not go exactly right. Even though Melanchion is blinded, his smell remains the same. This allows him to sniff Arzen's exact location out and burn him with his magical fire.
The resulting attack severely burns Arzen's wounded leg and force a pained yell out of his mouth. Still, this is not enough to condemn him.
Once he realizes that he is losing the fight, Arzen sighs and creates a small portal in front of him. Then, before anyone can do anything else, he escapes and closes it behind him,
Adam sits on the ground, defeated.
"We were unable to stop him."- He says- "He is still out there. Still causing chaos and destruction."
Melanchion sighs and shakes his head.
"Even my powers were not enough to prevent him from running away."- He growls- "And yet, this is a sign that we can win. Wherever he is right now, the damage that we inflicted upon his body is still there. And, no matter what he does, it will not heal fast enough.
Jon stares at the lands ahead.
"Then, what should we do?"- He asks him- "He could be anywhere right now."
Melanchion thinks about this for a while. Then, realizing that he has a decent answer to this question, he nods.
"Demons have an innate understanding when it comes to magic. They are skilled and dangerous. However, their reach is rather... limited."- He says- "This means that Arzen is still around here. Still planning how to kill us."
Adam stands up and cleans his weapon.
"Then I will not rest until we find him again."- He says- "I will not let him get away. I promised my friends that I will make him pay for what he did... and I do not intend to give up. We still have some of our strength left, so I will try to lead us to victory."
Melanchion nods.
"Well said, young one."- He growls- "Then lead the way. Finding this fiend and stopping him is our utmost priority right now, so let us finish what we started."
Having said that, the mighty dragon joins the young heroes as they travel into the darker parts of the city, intending to save the city... and the world.
== Trivia ==
* The title of this Part ("Black Diamond") is a reference to the Chapter's main Antagonist- Arzen, showing that he used to be a normal, honorable warrior, yet he allowed the desire for revenge to overcome his sense of justice and became just like his employer. In the "Miracula Luxia" universe, the Black Diamond is a symbol of tainted wisdom, of a brilliant tactician gone astray. It is a sign of the corruption within one's soul, the darkness that has been allowed to seep into every corner of a person's entire being. And, most importantly, it is a sign of grief. Of the desire to restore what was lost to the ravages of Time. In other words, the Black Diamond is a symbol of the inevitable change that happens within the tainted individual, a transformation that could have been avoided.