MLII C4, P6- "A World Worth Fighting For"

"A World Worth Fighting For" is the sixth Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's fourth Chapter. It was released on 08.03.2021.
== Plot ==
Jared finally has the chance to meet, face to face, with the mysterious and all-knowing Council- a group of five Humans and Non-Humans that have been supervising the world for many centuries and defending it from all sorts of malice. With the help of brave heroes, of course.
Together, they will be able to divise a plan which could save the world from yet another war. Entering a conflict with another hostile race is going to be exhausting and it must be stopped, at all costs.
Whether they are going to succeed or not remains to be seen.
== Story ==
Jared bows, a sign of respect towards his elders, no matter who they are.
The eldest member of the Council looks around, seeing the rest of the Councillors. He smiles, remembering the times when they were young. He clearly misses them.
A few seconds later, he gets back to his senses. He looks back at Jared.
"Oh! Please forgive me, my boy."- He says- "I forgot to introduce the rest of our humble Council to you. You need to know us better if we are to work together!"
He looks at the rest of the Council and nods at the pointy-eared man who is sitting next to him.
"This is Ainando."- The elderly councillor says- "He is my most trusted man, an elven councillor who takes every important matter very seriously."
Ainando nods and salutes Jared.
"Your heroic deeds have impressed me, o young one."- He says stoically- "I am eager to hear tales of your victories in the future. It will be an honor."
The elderly councillor looks at an aging woman with raven black hair that is sitting next to Ainando.
"This is Ina. She is a human being, just like us. Relatively normal, from the looks of it. However, she possesses an innate power that makes her a valued member of this Council."
Ina nods as well.
"Welcome to our little society, child."- She says and smiles.
Next in line is a young human male with long, brown hair and a small beard. He has a serious look on his face.
"This is Craig, the youngest member of our family."- The eldest Councillor says- "Completely loyal. Does heroic deeds with no questions asked. Always evaluates our guests, no matter how friendly they may be."
Craig does not say anything. As promised, he evaluates the one that has entered their hideout. He continues to look at Jared, even when the young hero does not look at him directly and searches for a sign of treachery that he must purge, if needed.
This is slightly unnerving for Jared. He shakes his head and turns away, trying not to think about his stare.
Jared looks at the final councillor, who is shorter than the rest.
"And the final member of our society who is known simply as Jarod."- The elderly councillor says- "A jolly fellow who is very excited to meet new heroes, like yourself. People who perform heroic deeds to save the world."
Jarud grins and motions for Jared to come closer.
Once he is close enough, he shakes his hand vigorously.
"I've heard so many good things about you, youngling! Your exploits have reached the ears of all of us!"- He says- "I'm happy that I got to meet you! Knowing that a young man such as yourself is helping the people outside and defeating evil without a second thought makes me positive that there's a brighter future ahead of us!"
Finally, the elder councillor points at himself.
"And last, but not least, I am High Councillor Lee- sacred protector of the lands around us and most trusted councillor, as well as its founder who has been here from the very beginning. I am responsible for supervising the young heroes who help the lands in both Avernum and the Surface and provide advice."
Jared nods and bows again.
"It is a great honor for me to meet all of you. It is like a dream come true, to stand in front of the legendary Council whose members have done much more than I have."- He says- "However, there is an important matter which cannot be avoided. I am afraid to say this, but we must speak of it as soon as we can."
The councillors whisper something to each other. They are clearly concerned about the new danger and they are trying to figure out what to do."
Finally, High Councillor Lee turns around and looks at Jared.
"Of course. We need to speak about this problem."- He says- "But first, we need to speak about another urgent matter. We heard that you visited the Unbound cave recently. And, best of all, you managed to defeat the creature without perishing. If so, did you find anything peculiar around its neck?"
Jared nods. He pulls a small key out of his pocket and shows it to him. 
It is the same key that gave him access to the first chest.
"Yes."- He responds- "I obtained this small key in the process."
High Councillor Lee nods.
"Very well."- He continues- "This is one of the items that were required to open a master chest in the cave. A storage unit which was supposed to contain important papers, related to the Slithzerikai's work. Did you manage to open it?"
Jared smiles and hands all of the papers that he found to the councillor.
"Indeed, I did!"- He responds- "After a lot of struggle, I found this. It is a very important set of items and I think that it will be very helpful to us in the war."
This gets the full attention of the Councillors. They look through the papers, both forwards and backwards and gasp. They clearly did not expect to see something so valuable.
Councillor Ainando looks at Jared and nods.
"Kid. The papers that you showed us today."- He says with a smile on his face- "They will help us win this war, that is for sure."
High Councillor Lee smiles as well.
"I agree with Ainando. This information will be very useful."- He says- "Thank you, Jared."
Jared bows.
"It was an honor to fight for the right side, like I always have."
High Councillor Lee raises his eyebrow.
"Speaking about fighting for the good of the world reminds me about my next question."- He says and sighs- "Normally, I do not ask loyal heroes like yourself about something like this, but I need to rest assured that you are not going to betray us and help the lizard people."
Jared smiles.
"I am ready."- He responds.
Lee smiles as well.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, young hero."
He stands up and starts to speak:
"Jared Kaos!"- He says in his most serious in intimidating voice- "As the Council that is tasked to protect this world from evil, we have been thrilled by the tales of heroism that have been told about you. All of the settlements that you saved, all of the people you kept alive, it all shows that you are a true hero."
He takes a deep breath and continues:
"Today, the Council gives you a chance to fight one of the mightiest enemies of Mankind- the Slithzerikai. With our blessing, you will be able to jump into battle and show those treacherous creatures that there are still loyal heroes in this world. However, first... you must prove your loyalty to us.
High Councillor Lee takes another deep breath. The speech is clearly exhausting him.
Ainando stands up and tries to continue the speech, but Lee stops him.
"No, Ainando. I will be fine."- He says to him- "Jared is an honored guest. I must take the risk."
Defeated, Ainando sits down and watches silently as Lee continues to speak:
"Jared Kaos! Are you ready to fight for what is right, once again?"- He says- "Are you ready to fight to the death to achieve this sacred goal and win the war between Humans and Slithzerikai? Are you ready to show them what it means to be a true warrior? Are you ready to protect your family, your friends and the rest of the innocents who were wronged and hurt by the savages? Are you ready to prove your worth to this world? And, most importantly, will you keep fighting them, even if it means that you must lose what you have achieved so far, what you became, everything that you have obtained? Will you risk those things to help the people around you... or will you watch as they despair and be unable to help them?"
Jared bows and says:
"All these years, I had a purpose. The purpose to fight the enemies of our world and make my mother proud. All these years, I never gave up and I achieved so much. But that does not matter. If it must vanish to protect those innocents, those tortured souls who are screaming for help, I will happily give it all away to ensure their safety and see the smiles on their faces. Even I must risk my own life, that does not matter. The safety of the people does, however... and I will gladly fight every single enemy that tries to make them feel unsafe. I am ready."
He looks up.
"I swear that I will ensure their safety! I swear that I will make everyone proud with my actions!"- He continues- "And, finally, I swear that I will do my best to contibute for a better world, free from creatures of darkness!"
The Councillors clap. High Councillor Lee is thrilled.
"I knew it! I knew that he is the one! We were not wrong"- He says, excited.
One by one, the councillors stand up and approach Jared.
The boy sees this as a sign of honor and kneels.
Each councillor places their hand on Jared's right shoulder, one after the other. Some of the magic at their disposal flows into him as they do.
Finally, High Councillor Lee approaches Jared and motions for him to stand up.
"And now, it is time for me to give you the final blessing."
He touches the boy's forehead and closes his eyes. A massive surge of energy enters our hero's body and invigorates him.
It makes him more determined. More confident. And, most importantly, more capable of defeating the enemy.
High Councillor Lee smiles.
"That is all, young hero. You have been given the power. You have the information that will guide you towards the right path. Now, it is time for you to go."
He hands him back the papers.
"Our common enemies have assembled their mightiest fort on the Surface. That is where the savages are hiding, away from the main force. Pretending to be an innocent settlement. They are due west from the city of Tevrono, established near the ruins of an ancient province."- He says- "We are counting on you, young hero. We know that you can destroy them and foil their plans... whatever they are."
He clearly regrets having to send the boy on its way. He wants to know him better, but time is getting less and less and the world needs its greatest heroes to protect it.
"Now go. Show the world that you are not afraid. Make us feel proud."- He continues- "Time is of essence and every second spent on the battlefield may mean a certain victory for us, no matter if it is big or not. Stay brave, my bo-- "
However, just as he is about to finish his sentence, a large group of armed humans enters the building and interrupts him.
As the councillors prepare to defend themselves, one of the warriors steps forward and says:
"By the order of the King and Queen of Thais, everyone in the city of Formello shall be taken to Thais and kept safe until further notice."
"No exceptions!"- He adds.
Jared stares in horror as John and Uma appear. Three more people are behind them.
Once they are close enough, our hero notices who they are. They seem to be dispirited and unable to do anything.
"Dad? Annie? Devin?"- He says in disbelief, unable to comprehend this madness.
As some of the guards approach the Councillors, Jared watches his best friend and his wife get closer to him. At the same time, two guards stand behind the boy and watch him silently.
"John!"- Jared yells- "What in the world is going on here?!"
John shakes his head.
"There's no time to expain, Jared. We must go to the city of Thais as soon as possible. We cannot delay this for any longer."
He extends his left hand to him.
"Come with us, my friend."- He continues- "I promise that we will keep you safe from the incoming disaster. Trust me, it's for the greater good!"