MLIII C2, P6- "Divided"

"Divided" is the sixth (and final) Part of "Miracula Luxia III' 's second Chapter.
It was released on 06.12.2021.
== Plot ==
Adam and has allies have managed to defeat Steele, killing him and saving the Light Crystal... and the world.
However, their struggles are far from over. Although the wicked villain is gone, his employer is not. And he has managed to set up a trap for the rest of their allies, the ones whom they had to leave behind to save the crystal.
It turns out that Steele was chosen as the sacrificial lamb- the one who will try to steal the crystal and allow the rest of his allies to capture Adam's team, leaving them with few possibilities to strike back.
This is bad. Very bad.
== Story ==
Adam looks around and sighs.
"So, we... did it."- He says- "We really did."
Aiden nods.
"Honestly, I'm impressed."- He says- "Steele was quite the spoon for our little mouths. Too well-known by those no-good villains out there."
He sighs.
"In other words, a true menace."
Derion nods.
"Well."- He says- "If he's gone, then this means that we stopped a potential invasion that threatened both of our kingdoms. We should celebrate."
Aiden seems to agree, but Adam is not convinced.
"You know, something does not seem quite right."- He says and sighs- "I have the feeling that he was far from the only fool to threaten our lives."
Aiden nods.
"Adam's right."- He says- "That Mordred Darkthrop. Is he some kind of a higher power?"
Adam shrugs.
"We cannot be sure until we have seen him personally."- He responds- "Until then, keep your eyes on the road. Do not let fear overtake you. If something else jumps out, we will be ready."
He looks at the crystal and sighs.
"However."- He adds- "There is something else that needs to be done. Something that would be crucial to cure my... curse."
Aiden raises his eyebrow.
"Curse?"- He says- "But you seem fine to me."
Adam turns around.
"Before I met you and Derion, I was on a mission with your brother. And Sharla."- He says- "We were to go to Sucia Island and investigate the Geneforge, eliminating all possible threats that were present."
He sighs.
"Of course, not everything went well for us."- He continues- "When we approached the island, we were stranded by a group of mysterious invaders who called themselves the Sholai. Nasty people with murder in their eyes. We were separated from each other and had to travel to different parts of the island, to find new allies and prepare to face the Sholai's leader- Trajkov."
Aiden gasps.
"Trajkov! I've heard that name!"- He says- "My brother told me a lot about him! Is he some kind of dangerous villain?"
Adam nods.
"Yes."- He says- "Or rather, he was a dangerous villain."
He sighs.
"Anyway, that does not matter. Not anymore."- He says- "Once we defeated him, I approached the Geneforge that he wanted to use. I felt the power within. And I... I wanted to use it. For myself."
Derion nods.
"Well."- He says- "Did you?"
Adam sighs.
"I am afraid to say that I did. I used the Geneforge and gained incredible power."- He says- "However, using an unpredictable device has its risks. And I did not anticipate it."
Aiden nods.
"What would your family think about this... sudden transformation?"
Suddenly, Adam gets very angry.
"This does not concern you!"- He yells at him- "My family is away. Far away. And I do not want to talk about them!"
He takes a step forward.
"I do not care what they think!"- He continues- "To them, I am a hero who lives to help those in need... and that is all that they need to know!"
Aiden stares into his eyes. He sees the rage within his soul, burning like a wildfire.
He takes a step back.
"I... I'm sorry. I didn't know that you felt this way."- He says- "Forgive me."
Adam looks at him. He realizes what is going on and calms down.
Then, he looks down, feeling guilty of what he just said.
"See?"- He says- "That is why I think that the Geneforge has changed me... in a way that makes me unpredictable."
Derion nods.
"I've heard about the curse that troubles those who use the Geneforge, but I never thought that I would actually see someone who suffers from it."- He says- "Is there any way we can cure it? For the time being, at the very least?"
Adam nods.
"When I was staying in Canonia, I read books about the Geneforge. I memorized all of the information regarding a cure for its downside."- He says- "But... it was rather vague. Incomplete."
He turns around and stares at the crystal.
"However, I think that I remember one of the entries."- He says- "Apparently, using the power of an item infused with pure Light can cure my curse for good."
Aiden looks at the crystal.
"And you think that the Light Crystal is your only chance for salvation?"
Adam nods and sighs.
"Unfortunately, it is true."- He says and takes a step forward- "I want to give it a try. I want to see whether it will accept me... or whether it will shun me because I am too far gone."
Aiden and Derion stare at each other.
"This is a priceless artifact, isn't it?"- Derion says to Adam- "What if the light simply corrupts you further?"
Adam sighs again.
"I already shared my opinion with you. I do not want to repeat myself."- He says- "Besides, I only want to use a small portion of it. To cure this curse once and for all."
Aiden nods.
"Give it a try. Maybe it will work. Or maybe not."- He says to him- "Just... try to be careful. Using the crystal's power for your own desires can be pretty dangerous. And tempting. We don't know what effect it will have on you."
Adam nods.
"Stay close to me."- He says- "If something horrible happens to my body, just put me out of my misery. I do not want to suffer."
Now both Aiden and Derion are terrified.
"I hope that we don't have to resort to that."- Derion says- "I regret having to kill an ally of mine. Especially after they helped so many people."
Aiden nods.
"Same here."- He says.
Adam smiles.
"Either way, let us do this!"
He carefully approaches the Light Crystal and places the palm of his hand on it.
"O, mighty crystal of Light. I have come to seek your hope and purity."- He chants- "Grant me a portion of your incredible power and help me defeat the enemy within my own body. For the good of everyone."
The crystal senses Adam's presence and starts to glow white. At first, the light is dim, but it slowly grows in intensity.
Soon, the entire room is bathed by the beautiful light emanating from the artifact.
Aiden and Derion close their eyes, but Adam does not. For some reason, he is not affected by the crystal's magic.
"Yes. I can feel it now. The purity is pushing the darkness away."- He says- "Thank you, crystal."
It takes approximately ten minutes for the crystal to stop shining. When it does, the light fades away as quickly as it appeared.
Aiden and Derion open their eyes, wondering what just happened....
Then they see Adam.
For some reason, he has changed. Not on the outside, but on the inside. Now, he is more confident. More powerful.
"Did the crystal just... "
Adam nods and smiles.
"The crystal gave me a boon. A very powerful one."- He says- "It cleansed my body from evil. Every single trace of Darkness has been erased, never to return again."
He takes a step forward.
"I am ready!"
Derion nods.
"So, you claim that you're pure, but do you really believe what you're saying?"- He says- "If so, then tell me. What do you think about your family? Do you still miss them?"
Adam looks down.
"Of course I do."- He says- "Every single moment, I wonder whether I did the right think or not."
Then, he looks up and smiles.
"But then I remember my purpose- protecting them and the rest of the world from evil."- He continues- "Right now, they are far away from me. I do not endanger them with my actions. However, I am certain that they are still doing well and I am happy. That is all."
Derion smiles.
"He has changed."- He says to Aiden- "This is... amazing."
Aiden smiles as well.
"What shall be our next move, then?"
Adam takes a few more steps towards the door that leads outside.
"First, we need to reunite with our friends."- He says- "We need to tell them what happened here and deliver the good news."
Aiden nods.
"You said it!"- He exclaims- "Come on, then. They must be really worried about us."
Having said that, he joins Adam and goes outside. Derion does the same.
Soon, they approach the gates that lead out of Castle Goznor. For some reason, everything is eerily quiet.
"Not the usual signs of celebration after a long and hard battle, eh?"- Aiden says- "Don't worry, though. I'm sore that they're planning a surprise party."
He takes a step forward.
"Just a little more... "
Suddenly, someone shoots an arrow and barely misses him.
He leaps back.
"We're under attack!"
Adam and Derion draw their weapons. They step outside and realize that someone is waiting for them.
However, those people aren't what they expected to see. They look rather... short. Demon-like.
"Who are you?"- Adam asks them- "What do you want from us?"
One of the creatures grins.
"What we want?"- He says- "No need to say anything. Our leader shall explain."
Adam raises his eyebrow.
"Leader?"
Suddenly, a tall man on a horse approaches them. His weapon is drawn.
Derion recognizes him immediately.
"Father!"
It is Torion- the elven king who attacked them earlier.
He smiles.
"I knew that i would meet you again, young traitor."- He says- "It does not matter, though. I am not here for you."
He turns to Adam.
"So. How does it feel to be surrounded?"- He mocks him- "Even though you defeated my warriors, I never gave up. I looked for ways to bring you to your knees, to make you pay for this insolence."
He smiles again.
"And now, I am here."
Adam glares at him.
"Why are you doing this?"- He asks him- "Most elves are noble warriors! Why are not like them? Why did you betray them?"
Torion shakes his head. He clearly thinks that they do not matter to him anymore.
"It was Mordred Darkthrop. I met him when I was lost in your kingdom's woods."- He says- "He promised to grant me incredible power. And he did."
He swings his longsword a few times, to prove the point. A faint glow emanates from it, making the weapon shine with each swing.
It is an intriguing sight. To many, but not to Adam, who knows who gave this power to him.
"Your master has been threatening the safety of our world. And this is what you did?"- He says- "You became his servant?"
Torion is insulted by Adam's words.
"I am nobody's servant!"- He yells- "Mordred may be an ally of mine, but I do not serve him. Take note of that."
Derion sighs.
"Sure. Sure."- He says to himself- "Keep fooling yourself."
Torion grins.
"Anyway."- He says- "I'm sure that you want to know about what happened out here."
He turns around.
"Well, let me show you!"
Suddenly, a small pack of creatures emerges from the nearby woods. They are carrying a group of humans with them.
Once they are close to their leader, they place the captives on the ground next to him.
"Yes. Well done."- He says to them.
Then, he turns around and looks at Adam.
"Remember those people?"- He asks him- "You fought alongside them not too long ago."
Adam looks at the captives and gasps.
"No."- He mutters- "This... this cannot be!"
They are Emela, Mardek and Elwyen.
A few moments later, two more creatures emerge, carrying more captives with them.
"Master."- One of them says to Torion- "We found those humans while they were running away from the castle."
The humans in question are Donovan and Sharla.
Torion turns around and smiles.
"So, this means that I have five of your allies now!"- He says.
He turns around, looks at the captives and grins.
"I was going to negotiate a deal with you. Their lives for your capture."- He says- "However, I can tell that you are not going to back down very easily."
Adam is about to say something, but Aiden draws his weapon and takes a step forward.
"You're not our boss, elf!"- He yells- "We will not be your slaves!"
Derion nods.
"You heard the human, father."- He says- "We would rather die than to accept defeat and be taken somewhere else. We are free souls and we do what we think is best!"
Torion smiles and points his longsword at them.
"If you don't want to come willingly, then I guess that I'll have to drill the wisdom into your brains."- He says- "Resisting our mighty leader is very unwise... and it only makes your punishment worse than it already is."
Adam looks at him and sighs.
"Prepare yourself, elven king."- He says- "It does not matter how much Mordred Darkthrop wants you to capture us, we will not yield! We will fight until the bitter end!"
Torion smiles again.
"Well. Why don't you?"
He turns to his allies.
"I'm tired of those foolish children."- He says to them- "Kill them or capture them alive. Whatever you want to do, I won't shed a tear."
The creatures nod and draw their weapons.
"We are the Darklings- servants of the shadows. We live to serve our queen- your sister."- One of them says- "She has asked us to capture. However, we can see that the situation is getting quite complicated."
It grins.
"Either way, you won't escape!"
Having said that, the darklings surround Adam and his allies and attack.
Their attack is quite effective. They may be small, but they are also many.
This leaves Adam and his allies feeling lonely in such large battle.
"Do not give up, everyone!"- Adam says to his allies- "If today is our last day, then let us do our best to remain in history!"
And so, our brave heroes fight the forces of darkness, refusing to give up.
Derion shoots his bow and manages to strike three of them at once. Then, he spins around and fires shots that prove lethal for twelve more of them.
Aiden swings his sword at the creatures, managing to kill four and wound two. 
Meanwhile, Adam uses some of his powerful Light magic to protect his allies. Seeing that the enemies are close to breaking his defenses, he realizes that he has to change his tactic. Thus, he uses some of his offensive magic to wipe out fifteen of them and eradicate a large portion of the force. Then, while the magical shield fades away, he draws his weapon and slams it into the ground, The ground under his enemies cracks and belches holy fire, incinerating a large amount of them on the spot.
Seeing that his allies are easily slain by Adam and his allies, Torion becomes infuriated.
"How can this be?!'- He yells- "Come on, you imbeciles! Fight harder!"
One of the darklings sighs.
"We're doing our best, boss!"
Torion sighs. He realizes that there is nothing that they can do without his help.
"Fine."- He mutters- "I'll do it myself."
Having said that, he charges toward Adam. His horse kicks the young hero into a nearby wall, stunning him.
"Weaklings."- He says- "All of you are a bunch of weaklings."
He turns to face his own son.
"Watch and learn."- He says- "This is how a true warrior fights!"
He lunges forward and swings his blade at Derion. The prince barely parries his father's blows before he elbows him in the stomach. As hard as he possibly can.
Derion grunts and curls up. The pain seems to be too much for him.
In the meantime, Aiden sneaks behind Torion and attempts to stab him, but the king anticipated this. He leaps back and turns around, then throws his blade and knocks the young warrior back. Into a tree.
"Ugh."- Aiden says- "He's too strong!"
Torion laughs.
"Yes! That's right!"- He says- "That's what I want to see."
He turns to his companions and grins.
"Now is your chance."- He says- "Get them."
The darklings waste no time to capture and line Adam and his allies up while they are still disoriented.
"So, you thought that you could escape?"- Torion says- "Bad luck, kids. Maybe next time."
He draws his blade and smiles.
"Actually."- He adds- "There won't be no next time."
He points his blade at Adam.
"Now."- He says- "How about we start with the one who caused so much trouble to us?"
However, before he can do anything, an arrow strikes him in the back and forces him to fall on his knees.
"Argh!"- He yells- "What is-- "
Suddenly, a mysterious person emerges from the shadows behind him and kicks him down.
As the darklings wonder what happened to their leader, the warrior approaches Adam and his allies and unties them.
"We've got to run."
Adam shakes his head.
"I am not going anywhere!"- He says- "Not without all of my allies!"
The man shakes his head.
"There's no time to feel sentimental."- He says- "Soon, they'll regain their senses and attack us."
He takes his hand.
"Our best option right now is to run."- He says- "So, come on!"
Regretfully, Adam joins his allies and runs as the darklings regain their senses.
"Yes, Adam! Go!"- Emela yells- "Don't worry about us, dear! We'll be fine! Promise!"
They look around and watch as the darklings draw their weapons.
"Don't let them escape!"- Torion yells as two darklings pull him up- "After them! Now!"
A group of darklings is dispatched. They run off into the woods, intending to honor the wish of their dark master.
However, Adam and his allies are a fair distance away from them. All they manage to do is find their footsteps. Nothing else.
"We have to report what we found."- One of the darklings says.
Another one nods and says "Yeah." .
Having decided what to do, they run back to Torion.
"They're gone. Too far away to give chase."- The lead darkling says to him- "We think that they went west."
Torion smiles.
"We might still have a chance."- He says- "Good work, servants."
The darklings bow and stand beside him."
"I think that we all know what must be done. We must capture them, to appease our dark master and to strengthen our dark kingdom."- Torion says- "Let's make haste. Begin our hunt before night falls. I'm eager to end this as much as you are."
The darklings nod and leave the area, but not before taking Emela, Mardek and Elwyen with them.
"I hope that they're fine."- Elwyen mutters- "Knowing that they're still out there gives me the shivers. Makes me wonder whether they'll be fine without us."
Emela nods.
"Of course they are!"- She mutters- "Adam has handled a lot of enemies before. This situation's not different. He'll lead his allies to victory, I'm sure of it!"
Mardek shrugs.
"Against such a large and dangerous army?"- He mutters- "Well, I hope that you're right."
Emela sighs.
"Yes."- She says- "Me too."
As Torion and allies give chase, Adam, Aiden, Derion and the person who saved them stay in Canonia, planning their next move.
"By the way, why did you save us?"- He asks the stranger- "You risked your own life to save us. However, we do not know you."
It is not quite clear, but he thinks that the man is smiling.
"It is my duty to help those who need my help. It would be a crime to ignore their cries."- He says- "But to me, what is truly important... "
He lifts his hood and reveals his face to them.
"... is my family."
Although Aiden and Derion do not seem to recognize him, he does not mind. Instead, he looks at Adam and smiles.
"Jon!"
He hugs him.
"I thought that you left us for good!"
Jonathan nods.
"I never did, dear cousin."- He says- "Even though I had to leave you and my parents, I was always worried about you. I wanted to make sure that you're fine. So, I went on an adventure. I allied myself with many brave warriors. But they were not strong enough to survive this arduous journey."
He sighs.
"Thus, I am the only one who made it out here."
Adam sighs.
"I am so sorry to hear that."- He says- "Anyway, I am glad that you are alright. I wonder whether I would see you again or not."
He smiles.
"And yet, here you are."- He continues- "Your presence gives me hope that we will survive."
The person whom Adam is talking to is his cousin- Jonathan Braveheart. A young warrior, son to his uncle John and aunt Uma, who left to investigate a dangerous area shortly before Adam graduated. For nearly two years, the young hero thought that he had lost all communication with him. He never thought that a miracle like this would ever happen. Not at all.
"Anyway, we are not safe yet."- Jon says- "Until those fiends roam the world, our people are still in danger."
Adam nods.
"Saving those people is of utmost priority to all of us."- He says- "I also hope that we can save the people you saw with us, too. I am so worried about them."
Jon nods.
"Don't worry about them, cousin."- He says- "As soon as we're done, all of them will be saved. All of the people who suffered because of Darkthrop will be avenged. The world will turn back to normal. Peace will return to our troubled home."
Derion sighs.
"That's what we all hope for."- He says to him- "However, I can see that you're capable of doing such a thing. You will be a good ally, just like your cousin."
Jon turns to him and smiles.
"It's nice to meet you both."- He says- "Even though the circumstances are not exactly... well... normal, as you can see."
Aiden sighs.
"This is just a part of our list of adventures."- He says- "We are always ready to fight!"
Jon smiles again.
"I'm glad to hear that."
Having said that, he turns back to Adam.
"Now, let's go somewhere safe."- He suggests to him- "Night is coming soon and we don't want those fiends to capture us... or worse."
Adam nods.
"Let us go to my home."- He says- "Then, we can plan our next move. In peace, that is."
There is no need to say anything else. The moment he mentions that he has a place where they can stay for the time being, his allies join him.
"Off we go, then."- Jon says- "Let's go."
As Aiden and Derion approach Adam's residence, Adam looks at Jon.
"By the way, I wanted to thank you for what you did back then."- He says to him- "You might be a strange person, but you do know how to protect your allies and when to help them. We appreciate what you did for us."
Jon smiles and pats him on the shoulder.
"I'll take it as a compliment."- He says- "Now, come on. We don't want to keep them waiting, do we?"
Adam nods.
"Of course."
Having said that, he joins him and enters the residence, making sure that the door behind him is closed.
"And so, we are now separated. Away from society, planning our next move in secret. Making sure that those creatures do not get to us. It is hard, but we will manage. I am sure of it."- He says to himself and sighs- "I wonder if our struggles will ever end. I am not positive, though."
He smiles.
"Even so, there is still a chance. And I will take it."
Having said that, he wanders into the darkness ahead, eager to join his allies in whatever adventure is about to start soon.
"Do not worry, everyone."- He says to himself- "I will keep you safe. At all costs."