Miracula Luxia C6, P6- "Falling Apart"

"Falling Down" is the sixth Part of "Miracula Luxia" 's sixth Chapter- "The Great War". It was released on 20.12.2019.
== Plot ==
Tragedy!
Jared and his allies managed to win the war against the Order of the Black Fist and kill its leaders... but now without a great cost. From which Jared may not be able to recover.
It seems like there will be no Happy End for our heroes, even though they finally won the war.
== Story ==
Jared looked up at the thrones.
There were three old-looking women sitting on them.
Their faces were hidden under pitch black robes, but their grins were still clearly visible.
"Welcome, oh great hero."- The one to the left croaked- "We are glad that you came to us. After all, you did not have any other choice."
Jared drew his weapon.
"What did you do to my father? And my friends? Answer me!"
The women laughed.
"Oh dearie, you don't need to worry about your beloved father. Or about your beloved friend. And your pets. They're all safe in our dungeons which you will never reach."- The one to the left mocked Jared.
He grew angrier. He was moments away from attacking the women.
However, the one in the middle stood up and raised her skeletal hand.
"Shush, ladies."- She croaked- "We shouldn't treat those intrders like this! After all they are our special guests!"
"Special Guests?"- Jared asked her to repeat herself.
"Yes, dearie. Special guests. You will be the first to witness the fall of the Human-Vahnatai Alliance... and the first to suffer from it."
She looked at John.
"Ahh. So you're with them now? You're pretty indecisive, John. First, you ally yourself with us. Later, you go back to them and beg for mercy. Why? Why are you so indecisive?"
John smirked.
"I didn't beg them for forgiveness. I was allowed to return, because Jared believed in me. Because he knew that I didn't want to hurt any of them and that it was you who made me do all of those horrible things."
"Biting the hands that fed you for so many weeks? Very bad decision, dearie."- The woman on the right throne shaked her head.
Then, all three of the women stood up.
Jared looked at them and sighed.
"Why? Why do you want to destroy all of those innocent creatures?! What have they done to you?"- He yelled.
The woman in the middle grinned.
"We... are known as The Crones. We have lived in this godforsaken world since the beginning of time and we have seen what happened to many nations and species- disappeared, hunted to extinction, fell victim to stronger species."
"At first, we tried to help the species. We tended to their wounds, we healed them and we protected them from certain death. But they kept dying and dying, even with our help. And we finally noticed what the other species were trying to show us- that you are either the Hunter or the Hunted."
"We decided to let those creatures die. What's the point of saving someone who ends up doing the same mistakes his ancestors did?"
"We sat for many years, contemplating whether the Humans were actually worthy of living on this planet. Until we turned into something that is not human."
"What do you mean. You... you're not... Human?"- Jared stepped back, afraid of what they were going to say.
The Crone in the middle rolled up her sleeve and revealed a skeletal hand- a hand that no human would ever have. Or, at least, no living human.
Jared jumped back, terrified. What was standing in front of him was definitely not human!
"Oh, don't be afraid. We are still humans in souls, but not in bodies."
"What happened to you?"- Jared wondered.
The Crone rolled down her sleeve and looked Jared in the eyes.
"We were cursed by Mother Nature for trying to stop what was actually going to happen. We were going to die and rot away."
"Until the dark powers reached us in our last moments."- The Crone to the left added- "They offered us immortality in exchange for our human bodies."
"And so we became what you see now- Liches."- The Crone in the middle finished.
Jared remembered what his father told him about undead creatures a few years ago.
He told him to watch out for Skeletons. Ghouls. But, most importantly, Liches.
That's right. Liches. Undead magical creatures, formed from the bones and spirit of someone who had a lot of magical power in life, unable to move on to the afterlife. Thus they are stuck in this dimension forever, until someone or something kills them and ends their miserable existence.
"I see now."- Jared said to himself- "They are Liches. They must be slain, or they will cause total chaos upon our poor world. Even a single Lich is capable of inflicting harm if left alive."
Jared drew his weapon and approached them.
The Crone in the middle raised her hand.
"Wait! Before we begin, we want to show you something. Look through the window behind us."
Jared and his allies looked at the window. They saw destruction.
"No... this cannot be."- Jason stared at the dark wasteland in fear, unable to fully comprehend what was in front of him.
"Did we... did we lose?"- Jared said, knowing that this is probably the end.
The Crone grinned.
"Oh, no! Not yet, at least. This is a magical window that acts like a mirror. Here, you can see our greatest desires, our biggest achievements."
"We won so many battles. And in the end, we did not feel satisfied. But now, we know that the Human-Vahnatai Alliance must be crushed. And it will start with your deaths.
The Crones cackled and raised their wands towards the team.
However, just as they were about to shoot them, Jared was able to form a big magical shield to protect his allies. He knew about The Crones' Plan- to distract the Heroes and kill them in one clear shot. Or three, in their occasion.
The first Crone smirked.
"You blocked our attacks. So what? You will still go down."
The Crones prepared for another blast, but were easily distracted by the Heroes' charge.
They managed to land in some solid blows before being forced to step back.
One of the Crones emitted an unpleasant noise.
"Sisters... those intruders are powerful. Let's combine our dark powers and repel them!"
The rest of the Crones nodded and prepared a very powerful Dark attack.
They cackled.
"It is your end, intruders. You shall suffer a gruesome defeat at the hands of us- the mighty Crones. Now stand still and accept your fate!"- The first Crone yelled in an otherworldly voice and casted a spell on our heroes.
All of them felt weakened. Jared began falling asleep.
"Nephew!"- Jason yelled and ran towards him.
He caught him just in time and opened his eyes.
"I won't let you die so easily, Nephew. I would never let you die!"- He exclaimed as he looked at him.
Jared smiled and thanked his uncle for saving him.
"Once again, you saved me. I don't know what I can do without you, Uncle. You're the best."
Jason smiled and looked at the blast. It was almost complete and there was no way to stop it.
"Looks like we must run. Come on, everyone, run!"
The Heroes nodded and ran towards the exit.
Galantis-Bok tried to open the door, but to no avail. It was locked.
"Strange. It wasn't locked before."- He wondered as he tried to pick it.
However, he was unable to do so. The door was sealed with a magical lock, impossible to unlock by anyone without the appropriate spell.
They looked at the Crones who have almost completed the spell.
They were aiming it at the leader of their small team.
Jared.
Jason realized that and tried to move his nephew away, only to find out that he was frozen in place. Unable to move.
"Uncle. Am I... am I destined to die?"- Jared asked his uncle.
"No! No you aren't! Don't worry, Jared. I will free you from this spell, even if I hurt myself."
"Uncle... No... "
The Crones cackled once again.
"You fool! You cannot save someone who is destined to die! Just let him accept his fate and don't interfere!"- They yelled at Jason.
He didn't listen to them. Instead, he tried to use a spell of his own to break the seal and free his nephew.
It didn't work the first time. The result was the same the second time.
But, the third time...
*PHOOSH*
Bam! The curse was lifted! Jared was free!
Jason managed to save his nephew. But they didn't have time to move away to evade the blast.
"Run, mister! The blast is going to kill you!"- John tried to warn him, but he shushed him.
"It's okay, kiddo. I may not be here, but I know that you folks will."
"My time in this world is complete. But not his."- He said as he looked at his nephew- Jared.
"Please take care of him when I'm gone. I know that his father will be confused and filled with guilt and despair when he's freed from the prison, so I leave it to you."
"And stay safe. You guys were my allies for a while and it is an honor for me to call you my comrades. For the last time, unfortunately."
Having said that, he smiled and closed his eyes as he embraced his nephew and shielded him with his own back.
A pitch black magical spear appeared from the Crones' circle (which they had created with the spell) and pierced Jason in the back.
However, he didn't scream. He didn't beg for mercy. He just stood there, taking the blow and shielding his nephew from harm.
After the spell was done, the circle and the spear disappeared. Jason fell to the ground.
Jared looked at him. His uncle looked at him weakly, his eyes barely open. 
Every process was hard for him now. Even breathing.
But he knew that he had done one thing right- protected his nephew from his destiny.
He managed to reverse it and prove The Crones wrong- that there is a reversal of Fate.
The Crones were shocked.
"No, you fool! You weren't supposed to die! Your nephew was!"- The first one yelled at him.
He stared at her weakly, weakened and mortally wounded by the blow and smiled.
"Believe me, I would do anything for this young man. I've been protecting and advising him for a long time."
"And we made a promise- Anything can happen to me, just so he can live on."
"Today, I reversed fate and I saved him from certain death. I know, it won't be without a cost, but who needs me? The world needs a hero like him, not someone grumpy and unimportant like me. And that's why his life is more important than mine."
He looked at his nephew. Tears were falling down from his eyes like small waterfalls.
"Don't say that, Uncle!"- He said tearfully- "You can't leave me here! I still need your help, your advice, your support! Don't do this to me, I beg you!"
Jason grinned.
"Why, you wouldn't need someone like myself. I know, we are family, but you need to move on and become stronger. Heck, you even have two girls to look out for."
"Anyway, my time in this world is done. But, before I go, I wanted to say one last thing. Jared... "
He placed his cold hand on his nephew's shoulder.
At this point Jared was staring at the ground, tears still falling from his eyes.
"Nephew, look at me. Don't be so sad! My death won't be the end of the world. Quite the opposite, it will be otherwise, because I know that you will help make a new world in the name of those you love."
"I just wanted to tell you that I am sorry for being so ignorant until now. We could have saved many more lives if it hadn't been for my stubbornness. I'm sorry."
"But, like John said, I won't beg you for forgiveness. I just wanted to say that I am sorry for my past deeds."
Jared looked up and hugged his dying uncle.
"Uncle! Of course I forgive you! Why wouldn't I? You're my Uncle, for God's sake!"
Jason smiled.
"Well, that's good. Now I can die with no regrets, knowing that the person closest to me does not hate me for my past mistakes. 
He closed his eyes for the last time and fell into his nephew's arms.
"Uncle... all this time... you protected me. You advised me. More than my own father could ever have."
"But then... then you had to get into harm's way. To protect me. And to make sure that I will be alive."
"You want me to move on. To be the leader I was destined to be from my very birth, just like you always reminded me throughout the years. But how will I be able to?! Without you?"
"I miss you, Uncle. Please come back! I cannot... I cannot go on without you!"
Jared fell to his knees again and began crying uncontrollably.
This wasn't his body's reaction. It was the combined reaction of both his Heart and his Mind.
John approached him and kneeled down, wrapping his arms around his friend and trying to calm him down.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Jared. Your uncle was a good man."
The Crones laughed hysterically.
"Oh, so your Uncle is dead. How sad, how sad indeed. Well, know that you are next. You won't escape the bonds of Destiny!"- The first Crone yelled.
Having said that, she prepared another spell.
Jared stood up. John tried to help him, but he pushed him away.
"Sorry, John. This is a personal matter. Let me handle it."
John looked at his eyes and saw his desire to kill those ancient deities for what they did to his uncle. He stood back and gave him "Faithkeeper".
Jared threw it to the ground.
"Why did you throw it away, Jared? You need it!"- John said to his friend, but he didn't listen.
Instead, he began channeling his holy energy and forming a powerful sword.
Soon, the sword was formed. A weapon made from the purest fragments of his soul, sparkling with dazzling magical energy.
"I don't need the Faithkeeper (At least for now). I will use this. Stay back."
John nodded and took another step back as Jared swinged his sword around.
Suddenly, the time around them stopped. No one was able to move, except for Jared who started at The Crones.
One thing was clear while looking into his eyes at that moment. They were filled with hatred and desire for revenge. Something that they never showed before.
"Crones! I don't care how strong on ancient you are. You may be powerful. You may be hard to kill. BUT YOU'RE NOT IMMORTAL!"
After saying that, he charged at them and jumped in the air.
"DIE!"- He screamed in pure hatred and swinged his mighty blade at the first Crone.
She screamed in pain and fell to the ground.
Jared continued his series of mighty blows by striking at the second Crone.
There. She fell to the ground as well. 
No resistance. They were unable to protect themselves in any way.
John stared at his friend, amazed by what he has become. Somehow, his uncle's death gave him new strength. Strength that could turn this war around once and for all.
The last Crone looked at Jared, who was preparing the last powerful blow for her. She knew that the end had come for her and her sisters. After so many years, a mere kid from a big city was the one to kill them.
"Impossible! How do you have so much-- "
But before she could finish her question, he cut her off with a powerful blow which pierced her heart.
She screamed and fell to the ground, joining her two sisters in death.
Jared landed on the ground and looked at The Crones.
The deed was finally done. The almighty Crones were no more, and it was all thanks to him and his allies.
Especially his uncle, without whom he couldn't have found the strength to perform this bold deed.
He ran to his uncle and looked at him.
He touched his cheek.
His skin was very cold and... very pale.
Yes. Almost every person in Avernum had pale skin. But his was much, much paler than that.
"Why is his skin so pale?"- Jared wondered. Until he realized what was happening to him.
Suddenly, his uncle opened his eyes.
"Uncle! You're alright!"- Jared exclaimed and tried to hug him.
His uncle tried to bite him. However, he was pushed away from the boy by John before he could do so.
"John? What are you doing?"- Jared said.
"Jared, no! This is not your uncle! Not anymore!"- He said quickly and unsheathed the Faithkeeper.
"Mr. Kaos, what you did for us a few minutes ago... it was truly heroic. You saved not only your nephew, but all of us."- He said to the undead Jason- "Now... it is time for me to save you from this fate."
He tried to stab him in the head, but stood back before he could do so. The dagger slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
Jared looked at his uncle who was close to biting John.
John refused to kill someone from his friend's family, even though he was not human anymore.
Jared acted quickly by grabbing the dagger and stabbing his uncle in the head, in order to save his friend from death.
His uncle fell to the ground, now completely dead.
John sighed.
"I know it was tough, but it had to happen. I hope you aren't angry at me for what I said."
Jared looked at him and smiled.
"Why would I be angry at you, John? You're my friend! I can't be angry at someone who is my friend."
He looked at his dead uncle.
"Or family."
John looked at him sadly and reminded him of their task.
Jared snapped to his senses and realized he had to collect The Crones's items.
He noticed a charm resting on the lead Crone's neck. He ripped it off and put it in his pocket.
Then he looked at Galantis-Bok, Captain Viridian and John.
"John, Captain, Galantis-Bok, I want you to take my uncle's corpse and take it to the capital."
"What about you, Jared?"- John asked him- "We cannot leave without you!"
Jared sighed.
"I have a few more things to do. I will meet you at the capital soon."
They nodded and grabbed the corpse together.
They carried it outside. Jared came after them to see what happened with the brave soldiers.
It seems like the soldiers had actually killed the defenders. They were sitting near the gates.
One of the soldiers approached Jared to congratulate him, but stopped when he realized what happened.
"Soldier, I want you and the others to take my uncle's corpse to the capital. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir! It will be done!"- The soldier said and joined his fellow comrades in carrying Jason's corpse to the capital.
Jared looked at them one last time and entered the fort once again.
The hostiles were gone, but the fort was still standing- a grim testimonial to what happened only a few minutes ago.
Jared managed to slay The Crones. Now it was time for him to rescue the prisoners.
But where were they?
Jared looked for them for about half an hour before finally finding a secret passage.
It was leading to some well-hidden cells.
As he entered, he heard the sounds of many wailing prisoners. It wasn't just his father, Annie and his pets that the hostiles had captured.
Many poor souls were stationed here, for their pure enjoyment.
Jared noticed a lever on the wall and noted how close it was to the gates.
"It must be the only way to open those cells. Alright then, let's go!"- He said to himself.
Suddenly, all of the jail doors opened at once. Hungry, but still energetic prisoners escaped from their cells wielding crude daggers and long sticks.
One of them nodded at Jared, as a sign of thanks, and headed towards the gate.
All of the prisoners left the secret room. Now it was just Jared, Aleks and Annie.
Annie jumped into Jared's arms and hugged him, overjoyed that he was still alive.
His father approached him and smiled.
"Thank God, Son! You did it!"- He said.
"Yes, Dad. I did."- Jared answered and smiled.
Aleks noticed his brother's absence and looked around.
Seeing no one else with Jared he turned back to him.
"Jared, where is your Uncle? Is he okay?"- He asked him.
Suddenly, Jared's attitude quickly went from cheerful to desperate. He stared at the ground and shed a tear.
Aleks realized what had happened to his brother.
"Oh no... my brother... "
Jared began to cry.
"He... he saved me from The Crones. He sacrificed himself, so I could live."
Aleks looked at his son and hugged him.
Jared was still crying uncontrollably.
"It's okay, Son. I'm here now. Don't worry. Everything will be okay."
Jared hugged his father.
"I don't want the same to happen to you. Please, Dad, promise me you won't do anything reckless!"
Aleks sighed.
"I won't make any promises here. But I'll try to."
"Now it's not time to stay in one place and grief for the ones we lost. We must leave this place right this instant. Let's go."
Jared nodded and left the secret passage with his father and his friends.
Yes, friends. Jared's pet Worg was still alive. Jared petted him and smiled, happy to see him again.
He looked around for his other friend- Bucky, but was unable to find him.
"He didn't make it, unfortunately."- Aleks gave him the bad news- "He died from an illness not long after we were imprisoned. It seems like Gremlins are not used to living in tight spots."
"I'm so sorry."
Jared sighed.
"I won't grief for him. I cried enough tears and I have no more to cry. I'm just glad that I've been friends with him while he was alive and that I knew him. That's all."
Having said that, he and his allies left the dark fort behind and headed for the capital.
However, no matter how much he tried to shrug it off, Jared couldn't forget how his uncle died back there.
He slowed down.
"Still thinking about him?"- Aleks asked him, knowing what he was feeling.
Jared sighed.
"He was gone for so long. He came back. And then, he died. I didn't even have the chance to say how much I missed him."
"I am very sorry too, Son."- Aleks responded- "But we all lose someone important."
Jared looked at him.
"Did you... lose someone important?"
Aleks looked down.
"Yes. I lost my mother not long before you were born. Lost her in a battle against a bunch of fierce pirates."
"I still can't forget about her, either. How she protected me, like your uncle did. How she told me to take care of him."
"She... she didn't have to die. I wanted her to see you and be happy."
"But no! Destiny wanted otherwise! It wanted to take her away from me."
"And it actually took her away from me. But it gave me the strength to move on, to know that there are people that I must protect at all costs- my family."
"Not long after her death and the fall of the pirates, I tried to commit suicide, but my father stopped me. He said that she wanted me to live on and create my own legacy to be proud of, not the opposite."
"And that's why I'm still here. And that's why you're here. Because I knew that I would have a son (or a daughter) one day and that they would depend on me when they're in danger."
Jared hugged his dad. He did the same.
"I won't lose you, Son. I promised my brother to be a better father and I will fulfill my promise. I will protect you from harm and make sure you grow safe and sound."
"Thank you, Dad. But I must start to make my own decisions. I won't always be a kid!"- Jared said.
Aleks smiled.
"Yes, yes. I know! That's why I will be here. To help you make your first decisions right."
Jared smiled and waved and Annie who was running to them.
"Come on, Annie! Last one arriving at the capital is a poisonous potato!"
Then he started running towards the capital.
"Aw, come on, Jared! You're no fun!"- Annie exclaimed as she continued running.
Aleks ran after them, smiling at the thought that his son was growing.
"He will be fine, Jason. Don't worry about him. Me and him will make it."- He said to himself as he approached them.
== Deaths ==
* Jason (Alive and Undead)
* The Crones (Undead)
== Trivia ==
* This Part's name has two explanations.
The first is that the Part's name- "Falling Apart" explains Jared's status after his uncle's death- getting weaker, much more desperate, unable to move on from what happened.
The second is the fact that the Order of the Black Fist is going to become a simple, weak band of miscreants after the deaths of their leaders, thus making them fall apart completely.
* The sentence that Jared says around the end of the Part- "Last one arriving at the capital is a poisonous potato!" is a reference to Minecraft where you can find Poisonous Potatoes (Which have a small chance to drop while breaking normal Potato crops)