MLII C3.1, P7- "Saved"

"Saved" is the seventh Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's third Chapter (Episode Two).
It was released on 24.01 2021.
== Plot ==
Having gotten rid of Rentar-Ihrno and given her the eternal peace that wanted, Jared can finally get out of the inner sanctum and help his allies defeat the remaining warriors. However, his problems are far from over.
The keep starts to burn immediately after its master's demise, endangering the lives of everyone within. Jared has to escape the sanctum (along with the fort itself), facing tragedy after tragedy as he struggles to reach the end of his task and save his friends from the vengeful warriors of Rentar-Ihrno.
Will he return home alive?
== Story ==
Jared opens his eyes and looks around. He notices that he is not in the real world anymore.
Instead, he has been transported in an alternate dimension, away from reality..
He takes a step forward and sees a light ahead of him. Once he is close enough, he takes a good look at it.
"A... shade?"
The creature looks strangely familiar. It looks at Jared and shakes his head.
"It has been a long time since I felt so many emotions at once."- It says- "Anger. Peace. Satisfaction. All of those were erased from me when I shed my physical form. Until now, I only felt a lust for vengeance. Nothing more."
Jared raises his eyebrow.
"So... you are Rentar-Ihrno?"
The spirit nods.
"I must say. I faced many foes in my lifetime. Many of them were very powerful, almost undefeatable. But even they had their flaws."- She says- "When I saw you for the first time, I thought that you would be like them- a fool with visions of grandeur who depends on others to achieve the goals that the world has set for him. But, when we fought for the second time, I realized that I was completely wrong. The light that rests within your soul. The determination that you show in every battle, no matter what you fight. Your desire to keep everyone safe, even if you must sacrifice your own life to succeed. It is truly inspiring for someone like myself, someone who has dwelled in the darkness for decades, searching for an answer to my existence and a way to end my endless suffering for good."
She bows.
"And for that, I thank you, Hero of Avernum."- She continues- "Your heroism showed me that there are still good people in this dark world who are not afraid to do what is right."
Jared smiles.
"I am glad that you finally realized what you were doing."- He says- "Does this mean that you have changed?"
Rentar-Ihrno looks down at her arm. She smiles.
"I would gladly try to correct my mistakes. But... "
She looks at the void in front of her.
"My time in this universe is short and all I can do is simply watch myself fade away."
She looks at Jared.
"But, before I go... I want to grant you a boon, a reward for your bravery."
Jared raises his eyebrow.
"A boon?"
Rentar-Ihrno nods and approaches the boy.
"My child, I know a lot of things about you. The Universe has been talking about the young Angel who was sent from Heaven ever since he was born. The young hero who is determined to correct the sins of the corrupted souls around him."- She whispers- "You lost a lot of loved ones along the way. Friends. Family. Even people that you barely knew in life. But each tragedy gave you the motivation to fight, to protect those who are still alive. Your soul, always guiding you towards the right path, has never been corrupted... and I am sure that it will remain this way."
She motions for the boy to step forward. When he does, she touches his forehead.
"The gods sent you here to fulfill a sacred task with no end on the horizon. However, they took away something from you in the process. Something that has always been rightfully yours. Your immortality."- She continues- "I shall fill this piece of the puzzle, once and for all. But first, I want you to promise me something."
Jared looks at her. He is unsure what she is talking about, but tries to understand it as best as he can.
"What should I do to receive this boon?"- He asks her calmly.
Rentar-Ihrno smiles.
"I want you to promise me that you will keep on fighting, even when everything seems lost. Fight the vengeful souls of this world and make them believe in the Light. Show them the errors of their own ways, just like you showed mine."- She says- "Do you think that you can succeed in such a perilous task?"
Jared nods. His eyes flash with determination. 
"I am afraid that I cannot do such a thing. Only fools can make promises that they may not fulfill in the end. I shall not be one of them."- He says stoically- "Words rarely matter in a situation like this. Instead, I will prove my worth by showing determination and acting in the name of those who have been hurt, those who deserve to be saved from the harsh reality that has been bestowed upon us, against our very will."
He looks at Rentar-Ihrno.
"I hope that you will be watching from up here."- He continues- "Because this journey... is far from over."
Rentar-Ihrno smiles. From the look in her eyes, one can easily realize that she has not seen such dedication and determination within a mere mortal.'
"I understand. You are a person of few words and the way you speak to your enemies... is with your blade."- She says.
Suddenly, a massive wave of energy hits Jared. He takes a step back.
"Do not fear the power that shall be bestowed upon you. Embrace it. Show it that you are not afraid, that you can master it with your very being."
Jared stands in place, not afraid of the mystical energy anymore. Soon, it subsides, leaving him with a newfound power.
"Yes, yes. I can see that I was not wrong in choosing to return this power to you."- Rentar-Ihrno says- "Now close your eyes. I shall transport you back to the real world. The people there still need you and it would be cruel of me to take you away like this."
Jared looks at Rentar-Ihrno.
"Thank you."- He mutters- "For the kindness."
Rentar-Ihrno smiles.
"No, Jared. I should be the one thanking you for sparing me in our final battle."- She says- "If it weren't for your final move, the Darkness was still going to reside within me. Were it that way, I would be wandering the Cosmos as a vengeful soul, still wandering and trying to find peace."
For a moment, she becomes serious.
"We should hurry. Time is valuable and we are wasting it. Even as we speak, my former allies might defeat your friends and subdue them. We must stop this!"
She smiles again.
"Farewell, Jared Kaos."- She says- "Good luck on your future adventures. May the Gods guide you towards the right path."
Jared closes his eyes. A few moments later, he finds himself somewhere else.
Rentar-Ihrno's throne room.
But something seems to be wrong.
As our hero tries to regain his senses, he fails to notice a rock falling from the ceiling. Just as it is about to fall on his head, a magical shield envelops him and protects his delicate skull from the incoming blow.
"I protected you with this shield, though it will not last for very long."- Rentar-Ihrno says in his mind- "Please, Jared! Get out of there! Don't end up like, like... "
Suddenly, the connection between her and Jared is severed when the boy is pushed to the ground by a Vahnatai warrior.
Just as it is about to draw its weapon, it is stabbed in the head by Farrar.
"I saved you."- He says and helps Jared get up- "Are you okay?"
Jared raises his eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
Farrar looks concerned.
"A-are you hurt?"
Jared shakes his head.
"No."- He responds- "I... I am fine."
Farrar nods, relieved.
"Good. We should get out of here, as soon as possible."- He says- "The place is falling apart!"
Jared looks around and realizes that the walls of the sanctum are on fire, even though they are made of stone. Worse, the fire is spreading fast.
At the same time, rocks are falling from the ceiling, obstructing some of the passages.
"It seems like the keep is not as powerful as it seemed to be."- Jared says to himself- "Without its master, it is destined to burn down and return to the ground from whence it came. And we will meet the same fate, if we do not get out of here."
Jared and Farrar get out of the throne room and into the hallway.
Just as they think that they avoided disaster, at least for a short time, a wall breaks and fire spreads on the nearby walls.
"Wait a minute!"- Jared says, having realized something important- "This is Quickfire!"
He turns to Farrar.
"Do not let this fire touch any part of your body!"- He warns him- "Because, if it does, it will spead fast and engulf you in seconds!"
Having warned his friend, Jared runs towards the stairway.
There, he finds two Vahnatai guards who attack him on sight. He avoids their attacks and steps back.
"This is not good!"- He admits.
At the same time, the Quickfire spreads further, getting near Jared and Farrar.
Farrar sees that his friend is in trouble and shoves the Vahnatai away from him.
He sees that the fire is getting much closer and turns to Jared.
"I-I'm sorry, my friend."- He says.
Jared raises his eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"- He asks him- "We can take care of them!"
Farrar shakes his head, then points towards the raging Quickfire. Within seconds, the throne room is blocked by the massive flames, getting closer to the stairway.
"I will stay here and distract them!"- Farrar yells- "You go down there and save yourself!"
Jared gasps.
"No! I won't let you die like this!"- He yells- "I refuse to help a friend in need!"
Farrar shakes his head.
"Listen. The fire is coming and either both of us are going to die... or only one of us, if the other runs fast enough."- He says- "And I will gladly fight for the first option to become a reality!"
He pushes Jared towards the stairway with the strength that he has left and continues fighting the Vahnatai.
"But why?"- Jared asks him- "Why are you condemning yourself because... because of me?!"
Farrar shakes his head and lifts his armor.
There is a huge wound resting on his stomach, bleeding at an alarming rate. It is covered with a bloody bandage.
"I was mortally wounded on my way to the throne room. My time in this world is limited, no matter if I escape or not."- He says, noticing Jared's concern- "Before I succumbed to my wound, I wanted to fight for somebody one last time. I wanted to help a person in need, a poor soul who does not deserve to die."
He smiles.
"I'm glad that I spent my last moments with... with you, my friend."
He sees that the fire is getting near his feet. He looks at Jared.
"Now live! Live, for both of us!"- He yells- "Fight the dangers of this world and don't let them change you. Because you're perfect, just the way you are!"
He smiles again and salutes his friend.
"It has been an honor for me to fight alongside one of my most trusted allies."
He wipes a tear from his eye.
"When I die here, nobody will miss me."- He says- "So, I want to leave this world as a hero, rather than see myself become a villain... again."
Jared looks at him, sadness flowing in his eyes like an endless river.
"This is not true!"- He says- "It is true. Some people will not miss you, because they remember who you were. But people like me and our friends, we see you for who you are, not who you used to be. And we will miss you very much, believe me."
Farrar nods.
"Farewell, young hero."- He says- "No matter what happens next, I will always believe in you."
And with that, Farrar is engulfed by the Quickfire along with the Vahnatai guards.
Jared runs down the stairway just as it is blocked by a massive amount of rubble.
Down there, he looks around. 
He is alone now. Alone, in enemy territory.
And the fire is getting closer.
Nearing the verge of panic, Jared runs towards the stairway that leads to the first floor. Soon, he is forced to step back.
A massive amount of rubble has already blocked the passage. It seems like the Vahnatai do not want him to get out of this keep alive.
"The exit is blocked!"- Jared says to himself- "But this means that... "
He looks at the window. Part of it is broken because of the falling rubble. The glass is fragile and will break easily upon impact.
He sighs.
"I want to stay here. I want to end this pain once and for all. I want to end the suffering that my family is forced to face because of me."- He says- "But this is no time to die! Not when the people of this world still need me. Not when my friends are still counting on me. For the sake of their safety, I must succeed."
He smashes the glass with his elbow. Fragments of it fall on the floor, but do not hurt him in the process.
Taking a step forward, the boy takes a deep breath.
"This is no time... to be afraid!"- He yells and jumps.
He looks at the ground below him as he quickly descends. Calculating his chances of survival with a second, he realizes that the chance to survive an impact like this is very slim.
Realizing that he has no other choice than to expect the inevitable, he closes his eyes, knowing that he will be out of trouble either way.
Just when he thinks that it is all over for him, he realizes that he is standing on solid ground. He opens his eyes and sees that someone is holding him.
It is his father.
"Nothing is over yet, son."- Aleks says- "As long as I am still here, you will always make it."
Jared looks at his father. His eyes fill up with tears.
"Dad!"- He says and hugs him- "I defeated Rentar-Ihrno! But Farrar is... is... "
Aleks sighs and shakes his head.
"I know. I heard his last words, how he was telling you to move on and fight. I was angry that couldn't get in there and save both of you."- He says sadly- "He... he was a good man, Jared. A really good man."
As father and son talk to each other, they look at their allies.
Just as they are about to approach them, they are stopped by a small band of Vahnatai, led by a young human girl with short, orange hair.
"That's far enough, criminals."- She says, pointing her weapon at them- "Now, you will pay for killing our leader. Expect no mercy from us, because this is the end."
Jared immediately recognizes the girl. He gasps.
"A-Annie! What are you doing?"- He asks her, barely believing what he is seeing- "Why are you fighting for... for them?!"
Annie looks at him and recognizes him as well. Then, she looks ahead and sees a huge Vahnatai behind him, lifting his sword and preparing to kill the boy.
"Jared!"- She screams- "No! Stop! Leave him alone!"
She manages to push him away just in time and gets struck in the process.
Annie falls in Jared's arms, mortally wounded.
"Forgive me, Jared."- She says- "I made a mistake. A terrible mistake. But now, I am going to... to fix it. For me. For you. For our future."
With her last strength, she leaps to her feet and stabs the huge Vahnatai in the chest, killing it in mere seconds.
At the same time, the rest of Annie's squad fights Jared's allies and are easily slain in the process.
A few seconds later, Annie falls back into Jared's arms and bleeds to death, peacefully closing her eyes as she does.
"Annie... "- Jared mutters, shocked- "Annie, wake up!"
He hugs her.
"Wake up, Annie! Please, wake up! I beg you!"
Everyone watches him sadly as he tries to revive her, to no avail.
He falls to his knees and starts to cry.
"I... I can't believe it."- Aleks says- "We lost her... "
John shakes his head and pats Jared on the shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, my friend."- He says- "This will be a loss that will haunt us forever."
He wipes a tear from his eye, barely believing what just happened himself.
Suddenly, Jared's eyes close. He falls limp and loses his footing.
Moments later, he falls on the ground, seemingly dead.
"Jared!"- John yells and kneels to look at him.
He checks his pulse and tries to wake him up, but to no avail. He is gone.
"I-is he... ?"- Jared's father says.
John checks his heartbeat and shakes his head.
"No. He's still alive. His heart is still beating, but his soul seems to be gone."- He responds.
He looks up.
"I... I can't believe that this is happening."- He says to himself- "Jared, please. Wherever you are right now, fight this nightmare. Fight for your life. We cannot afford to lose you as well. Not you, of all people!"
Meanwhile, Jared's soul leaves his mortal vessel and travels to a new realm, one that he is very familiar with.