MLTNL P1- "Patience"

"Patience" is the first Part of "Miracula Luxia: The Northern Lights". It was released on 07.03.2020.
== Plot ==
Guided by the voices of The Beyond, Jared finds the Temple of Light- a place where he is supposed to be tested and show if he is truly capable to be the hero this world needs.
Everything seems to be calm. At first. Until a mysterious figure traps Jared in the temple and leaves him with no other choice than to proceed.
Seven challenges await our hero, each one being more difficult than the other. Will he succeed?
The first Challenge tests Jared's patience- whether he is willing to wait before making an important choice and actually think about the consequences that will happen because of it or he will simply act without thinking twice.
== Story ==
Our tale begins on a snowy mountain in the ranges far, far away from the land we know as Paris. A land of danger, where many dangerous monsters dwell and dine on any unfortunate person who happens to be nearby.
A land where a legendary temple is rumored to be located, built by wise priests and monks alike.
A land suited for only the truest of heroes.
And so comes out the hero of our tale- Jared Kaos. The brave boy who helped countless people and saved them from a fate worse than death.
We can see him in the mountain, standing near a campfire, resting from a long journey. The young hero had defeated numerous powerful mountain trolls and wolves to get there- at the top of the mountain.
From there, he was staring at the lands below, trying to locate the mysterious Temple of Light everyone was talking about.
Guided only by his intuition, this young man crossed many miles alone, having left his friends and family in his hometown- the huge and glorious city of Paris so he can find the clarity he had been seeking for so long all by himself.
"Tomorrow."- He says to himself- "I shall explore down there and see if the temple the spirits told me about really exists. But now, I shall rest."
Having said that, he looks around to make sure that no monsters would bother him in his sleep and opens his tent. There, he positions himself in a good spot and closes his eyes.
After a good sleep of about 8 hours he wakes up, picks his tent and other supplies up, puts them in his backpack and begins to slide down the mountain.
Soon, he manages to get down into the lands below. There, he notices a weird stone protruding from the ground and looks at it. He smiles.
"This is it."- He says- "This is the stone."
With a single push, he reveals that the stone is, in fact, not that heavy to push and manages to trigger something.
With rumbling and cracking that would make a wild animal run away in fear, a temple began to reveal itself. Slowly at first, then faster, the huge building came out of the ground.
Jared stared at it, amazed by how the people who built it hid it so well.
After a few moments of awe and inability to do anything in particular (I mean, who would not be amazed by such a sudden appearance of a huge place from the ground?), Jared smiled again.
"It is time to show the world that I can be a true hero, like my father says. Let's do this."
Having said that, our hero entered the glorious marble temple, staring at its walls with nothing but appreciation for the people who built it.
Fifteen minutes later, after finding numerous dead ends, he finally manages to enter a mysterious little room.
However, when he did so, he didn't notice the pressure plate on the ground.
Realizing what he has done too late, he tries to get back, but hears the clang of a gate slam shut in the distance.
He gets back to the entrance and notices that there is now a gate blocking his way out- a solid piece of steel, completely impenetrable by any sort of damaging source- be it swords or spells.
While trying to figure out how to escape, Jared hears a shrill cackling coming from the room he tried to enter earlier.
After going back in it, he notices a mage staring at him, a huge grin firmly planted on his face.
"Wait! Are you-- "
Jared is unable to figure out who the mysterious figure is. Noticing the boy's discomfort, the figure laughed at him.
"Oh, I'm sure that you don't know me, but I know you."
"You know... me?"
The mysterious figure smiled. That's when Jared noticed the man's face. It looked exactly like his.
That's when he realized who the man really is.
"Vanitas!"
Vanitas smiled.
"Oh, you do know me! I'm thrilled, Jared, but it is too late!"
With a loud rumbling, a button revealed itself on the wall near Vanitas.
"I know what you're here for, Jared. You're here to gain the clarity you've been trying to find for so long. But you never imagined that I would be here to stop you, did you?"
Jared sighed.
"Vanitas, get out of my way! You are a force of darkness and if you try to make go towards the wrong path, I will stop you!"
Vanitas laughed.
"Oh, I won't. But maybe your actions will. Let's see if your actions mark you as a true hero!"
Having said that, Vanitas pushed the button, revealing a bright corridor near Jared.
With the force of a black hole, the light pulled Jared towards it as Vanitas laughed in amusement.
"Good luck down there, Jared. If you survive, maybe we can have a good fight. Fair and square."
"But first, you fight!"
Those are the last words that Jared is going to hear from his dark self for now. With an aggressive flash of light, he is teleported into a whole new nexus.
He tries to resist the dark energies, but his body is just not strong enough to do so yet. Failing to do that, he simply closes his eyes, ready for whatever happens next.
After a few more moments passing by, the boy opens his eyes and looks around.
He recognizes the place he is within as one of the challenge rooms.
He notices a spirit in the distance and goes towards it.
Taking a few deep breaths, the spirit begins to talk to Jared about his challenge, albeit rather slowly and quietly.
"Welcome, hero. You have come to be tested by the light, to see if you are a true hero or not. Whether you will be able to defeat the ancient evil that dwells in your very soul or not."
"But don't let me slow you down. It is time for you to complete the Seven Sacred Challenges. I will guide you through each and every single one of them."
"The first one will test your patience. I promise that it won't be very long, but if you try to trick the other spirits into letting you by faster, I will bestow that punishment upon you."
"Good luck, hero. May the light shine from within your soul and guide you towards the right path- the path of a true hero."
Having said that, the spirit vanished, revealing a strange passage behind it.
Jared walked towards the passage, knowing that he has to brave forward in order to become a true hero. Because a true hero will never back down from a challenge.
WIth another flash of light, this time much more gentle than the last, Jared was teleported in a room far below the ground.
He saw a panel with many buttons and levers sticking from it.
With a few deep breaths, Jared approached it and looked at them. Then he looked at a screen above the panel.
He saw the words "Deliver the pearls to the end terminal to proceed." on top of it.
Below, he saw a small red dot (possibly of the item he is supposed to carry) and a big white dot (possibly of the location where he is supposed to deliver it with commands).
"Mechanics have been an important part of my life so far, so I will not back down from this challenge. Let's do this."
Having said that, the boy stared at the panel's buttons carefully. Some of them take the pearls to "X", others to "Y" and thirds to "Z".
In the middle of the panel, Jared notices a huge lever with a clear inscription written above it- "Pull to speed up the process".
A very tempting lever, but Jared knows better than to pull it. He knows that this is against the rules and that he must try to be patient in order to complete the challenge that is bestowed upon him.
With a few more deep breaths for preparation, Jared stared at the screen, trying to figure out where the "X"s, "Y"s and "Z"s on the buttons are.
He saw three of the corresponding letters. The "X"s being "X=24", "X=48" and "X=72", the "Y"s being "Y=12", "Y=?" and "Y=108", the "Z"s being "Z=8", "Z=32" and "Z=?"
"Hmm, missing numbers?"- Jared says to himself- "Interesting. I have to fill them in to meet the criteria."
Jared looks at a small button on the panel which says "Push to reveal number panel". When he does that, a smaller panel reveals itself, waiting for Jared to enter a number for either "X", "Y" or "Z"
Jared figures out that he needs to move the minecart first. He presses the first "X" button and the minecart slowly moves towards "X24".
Our hero realizes that he has to wait for a while, so he restrains himself from pulling the lever and angering the spirits above, who are watching every move that he does.
After a few minutes, the minecart finally reaches its location at "X24".
Jared smiles, realizing that he is one step closer to completing this challenge. 
But he also knows that he has a long way to go, so he continues thinking about the possible other numbers.
He realizes that he has to move the minecart to the nearest "Y" number now, so he presses the "Y12" button.
With a lot of creaking and a small amount of time taken, the minecart finally reaches its destination.
It was "Z" 's turn to go now. With a long sigh, Jared pushes the "Z8" button and the minecart is taken to that location.
Another push of an "X" button takes the minecart to the "X48" location.
Jared tries to press the next "Y" button, but realizes that it doesn't have a number.
"I need to enter the number first."- He says- "So, if 12 is the first number for Y and 108 is the last, what should be the number between those two numbers?"
Without a lot of thinking, Jared enters the number 36 on the panel.
"Twelve, times three equals 36 and 36 times three equals 108!"- He says proudly.
"Well done, Jared."- The spirit from earlier says- "But there is one more number to write in the panel and some more buttons to press. So, get on with it."
Jared nods and begins to look at the other numbers.
*Click* The minecart is taken to "Z32"
*Click* The minecart is taken to "X72"
And... *Click* The minecart is taken to "Y108"
Jared sighs, proud of what he has achieved so far.
"I am almost there. I'm not going to give up now!"- He says to himself and looks at the last "Z" location on the screen.
"It's been a long ride, but I'm going to figure you out. Just you wait!"- He says, as if talking to someone, and looks at the smaller panel once again, this time to enter the "Z" 's number.
"If Z1 is 8 and Z2 is 32, then Z3 has to be... "
The voice in his mind screams the number "128". Without waiting for a second chance, the young hero enters the number on the panel.
With one last, loud *creeeeeeeeeeeeak*, the minecart finally reaches the "Z=128" location.
Once it's there, a loud alarm sounds and a warning appears on the screen.
"Warning!"- It says- "Goblins approaching! What should the player do? A) Send mechanical soldiers to eradicate the problem, B) Set a quick trap for the goblins and blow them up or C) Just proceed forward ?"
Jared thinks about the sudden problem.
"These options aren't very effective and the goblins are too nasty to simply explode! Some of them will still reach the pearls and steal them."
"Running away is a very cowardly and risky option, because there might be more goblins ahead, waiting for the item to arrive right towards them."
"But what if I send the mechanical soldiers... ?"
Jared presses the first option on the new panel. He hears the scraping on many feet coming towards him. Soon, a small band of mechanical knights enters the room for orders.
"Well, they're not that many, but I think that they will do the job well."- Jared says to himself and looks at the scrap warriors.
"Soldiers, your orders are to protect the pearls with your lives. Understood? Go to "Z128" and protect them from the goblins before it is too late!"
Seemingly understanding his orders, most of the mechanical soldiers leave the room and head towards the designated position.
However, one of them remains and kills a goblin who tried to sneak up on Jared.
Jared smiles.
"Thank you for that. You can move on."
With a nod and a bow, the scrap warrior leaves the room to join his comrades to protect the pearls.\
Jared looks at the screen and sees how small, green dots appear on it- the mechanical soldiers he just sent to protect the pearls and small red dots on the other side of the screen- those of the goblins who try to steal them.
Jared realizes that he has to wait for a while more, so he sits on a nearby chair, still temped to pull the lever.
The time estimated for the soldiers to reach the pearls is actually longer than it is intended. An insane amount of 40 minutes.
Fortunately, the goblins are very slow, so they will reach the pearls around the time when the soldiers will.
Jared looks at the screen. He tries to fight both his boredom and his desire to sleep, in case something happens to the soldiers mid-travel.
Waiting patiently, the boy reminded himself of how his uncle Jason used to train him into understanding the various forms of machinery around him.
He pats himself on the back for the things he has done so far. The knowledge he gained from working with his uncle really helped him a lot- another thing to thank him about.
After almost falling asleep on the chair more than once, Jared finally counted 40 minutes. Fortunately, the goblins hadn't arrived in the location. Yet.
The mechanical soldiers surrounded the pearl and drew their weapons as goblins attacked them from both sides, hungry for the loot inside the minecart and ready to take it for themselves.
The soldiers fought against the filthy beasts valiantly, losing only a few of their numbers. The rest of the active soldiers easily took care of the nefarious little beasts and soon, the caves became very silent, the only sound still present being the dripping of water from the ceiling.
Jared noticed a little microphone device appearing on the little panel and approached it, realizing that he has to talk to the soldiers about their victory.
"Good job, brave warriors."- He congratulated them- "Now that the deed is done, could you please take the cart towards the exit."
The mechanical soldiers nodded and began to push the cart towards the destination, albeit rather slowly.
With a lot of painful creaks and crooks, the soldiers finally took the minecart to the exit and pushed it towards the light.
The image disappered from the screen and the panel began to descend from whence it came- the ground below.
Jared hears clapping coming from around him and sees the same spirit appear before him.
"I am very proud, young Kaos."- He says to the boy- "Even though you were tempted to stray from the right path numerous times, you did not do so. You continued to wait patiently until everything was settled and the minecart is in its place. For that, I congratulate you and proudly say that you have completed the first out of all seven challenges."
Jared feels a strange force placing its invisible seal of approval on his shirt for a job well done. He smiles.
"I do what my heart tells me to. And I will never do otherwise."- He says.
"Very well. Your next challenge awaits you. Follow me, Jared."
WIth that, Jared and the spirit left the room through a small, bright passage, with loud cheering coming from the other spirits behind him.
== Trivia ==
* Originally, this Part was supposed to be released on 05.03.2020, but the date of release was pushed towards 07.03.2020, because of family reasons.
* Therefore, the Part was supposed to be much shorter at its original time of release, but the idea was scrapped and it was made much longer, to fit the criteria for a first Part well.