MLII:TB P1- "The Void Within"

"The Void Within" is the first Part of "Miracula Luxia II: The Bond".
It was released on 06.09.2021.
== Plot ==
Twelve years have passed since the death of Jared's sister and the defeat of the ultimate enemy. Throughout this time, the peace was kept intact and everyone lived happily under the rule of the new King of Avernum (And, years later, the King of a huge Empire on the Surface)- Jared Kaos.
Even though the troubles for the entire world have finally ended, the problems for the Kaos family have yet to happen. As they continue to live on with their lives, they fear that something dangerous may occur very soon. Something that will be catastrophic for them, that will leave them baffled and speechless. Something that will change their lives forever and ever.
Yes. It is clear that the worst of their troubles have yet to come. And the best thing that they can do for now... is to wait and watch as they happen in front of them.
== Story ==
Adam sits on his bed. For some reason, His eyes are closed and he seems to be lost in thought.
"If she already has such a happy life, why would she do that? Why would she want to revive my grandparents when they said that the world would be better without them?"- He wonders to himself- "And, most importantly, why would she give up her own life instead of finding another way?"
He sighs.
"It makes no sense."- He continues- "In fact, nothing makes any sense. Not anymore."
A few moments later, the door in front of him opens. His mother, Meggy, enters the room.
"Honey, you've been sitting like this all day."- She says to him- "Aren't you hungry?"
Adam opens his eyes for a moment to acknowledge his mother's presence. He shakes his head and closes them again.
"I don't want anything, mom."- He responds- "I... I just want to rest."
Meggy shakes her head.
"No. You can't just sit here and starve like this."- She says- "Come on. Dinner's ready. I want you to be there in five minutes, okay?"
Adam opens his eyes again and sighs.
"Fine. Fine."- He responds- "I'll be there. Just go."
Meggy smiles and kisses him on the forehead.
"That's my boy."- She says to him and smiles- "We'll be waiting for you downstairs. Your father has something to tell you."
She turns to leave the room, then turns around and winks.
"It's very special!"- She adds cheerfully and leaves him alone.
The fact that his father wants to see him makes Adam leap on his feet.
"Dad. He... he wants to see me?"- He wonders- "He promised me something not too long ago. I wonder if it's actually about that."
Having said that, he opens the door that leads out of his room, leaves and carefully closes it before he goes downstairs to see his parents.
Once he is downstairs, he sees that both of them are sitting on the table and talking to each other. His father, Jared, soon sees him and motions for him to sit on a nearby chair.
When he does, he smiles and turns his attention to him.
"I heard that you want to tell me something, dad."- Adam says excitedly- "So, what is it? I want to know!"
Jared nods.
"You are a little impatient, I see. But it is okay. The news that I am about to share with you can truly leave you breathless."- He says.
Meanwhile, Meggy takes a deep breath. She prepares herself for the event that will turn her son into the one that he is destined to be.
And so does Jared himself.
"I spoke to the priests in the church nearby."- He continues- "Tomorrow, they are going to give you a blessing. And then, you can finally become a real hero!"
Adam gasps.
"A real hero? I... I will be just like you?"- He asks- "You must be joking! Me? A boy that has little to no potential that will help him fight evil? I'm not sure about it."
Jared shakes his head.
"On the contrary, Adam. You are the most perfect image of a hero that I have ever seen."- He says to him- "Yesterday, I was impressed by the way you held that wooden sword and tried to defeat those imps all by yourself. It was amazing."
Meggy smiles and pats her husband on the shoulder.
"Actually, dear. He did slay three of them."- She interrupts him- "You just didn't see him."
Jared looks at his son and smiles.
"And that's just one of the reasons that you are destined to be a hero."- He continues- "Remember when you helped that old lady escape from those imps and how you valiantly protected her as they tried to kill both of you? Everyone is in awe with you, Adam. There isn't a single person in this city, no, this empire who is not impressed by your abilities. Everyone is looking up to you and dreaming of the day when they will see you become a true hero. You do not want to let them down, do you?"
Adam shakes his head.
"Never."- He says- "I will never let anyone down. Especially those who believe in me."
He looks down.
"Although."- He adds- "There is one person whom I want to see so much. And now, I... I can't do that anymore."
Jared and Meggy stare at each other for a moment. Then, they turn around and sigh.
"It's your aunt, isn't it?"- Jared asks him.
Adam nods, but fails to lift his head back up.
"Aunt Mari. I... I've always wanted to see her in person. Not on a photo or on a banner pinned on the wall."- He says- "I want her to see what I am capable of. To be proud of me. To tell me that that I did well. That I deserve to be a hero, like you. I want her to hug me and tell me how much she loves me, how she will always be there for me."
Finally, he looks up at his parents. His eyes are filled with tears.
"Why is the world so cruel?"- He asks- "Why did it take aunt Mari away from us?!"
Meggy looks down. It is clear that she is unable to respond to her son's question in any possible way.
Jared, on the other hand, seems to be completely understanding of his son's struggles. He stands up, approaches him and hugs him.
"I know how it feels, son. I understand that you want to see her. She must be like a guardian angel for you and I will be very happy if she actually is."- He says to him in his most soothing voice- "However, she is gone. There is nothing we can do to bring her back, except cherish those precious memories that we had with her and hope that the future ahead of us will be at least a little bit brighter."
Adam shakes his head.
"You don't understand it. Nobody does."- He says angrily- "She meant so much to me. I want her back."
Jared sighs.
"In fact, I do understand your struggles. Very well, too."- He continues- "There was a single person in my life. Like you, I have never seen her before. She died before I could have the chance to do so. It is not your grandmother, nor your grandfather. In fact, it is someone who is older than them, whose wisdom helped me defeat the pawns of evil and become who I am right now. Now listen as I tell you a story about someone who would have been very important to you as well."
Jared tells his son the story about his own grandmother. About the time when his grandfather told him how she died and how he felt a lot of pain, how he wanted to avenge her untimely demise and prove that her sacrifice was not in vain.
When the story is concluded, Adam's eyes are still in tears.
"This is... horrifying, dad."- He says- "I didn't know that you felt the same way."
Jared nods.
"There are things in life that can never be avoided, no matter how hard you try. Pain. Grief. Darkness. Despair. All of them make our boring lives a little bit more interesting, but much harder to handle."- He says- "The burden that has been cast upon you. The darkness that you have to face and fight off with your own two hands. It all makes your life a living nightmare. However, there is one thing that makes your life better. Brighter. It is the fact that you are the light in everyone's lives. You are the beacon that will pierce the veil of darkness and bring hope to all of us."
He looks at him seriously.
"So, I expect you to act like a true hero."- He continues- "Sure. It must be painful. However, you must learn to move on with your life. To make every second worth living and live it to the fullest. To make every move that you make count. Not just for you, but for the entire world around us. So, get up and rest while you can. Tomorrow is going to be the first day of your life as the person that you are destined to be. There is no avoiding it, so be prepared to say goodbye to your old life as a normal child. A bright future is ahead of you and we will make sure that you reach it safe and sound, no matter how long it takes."
Motivated by his father's words, Adam stands up and walks back upstairs, but not before turning around and smiling at his parents.
"Thank you, dad."- He says to him- "I will not let you down."
Then, he turns around and goes upstairs, eager to do what has to be done.
The next day, he wakes up, feeling refreshed and ready for the things that have yet to come.
As he leaves the new Kaos residence, he is greeted by his parents who were waiting for him until now.
"Everything is ready. The preparations have happened and the priests are in the church."- He says- "Now we are only missing one important detail."
Adam looks at his father and raises his eyebrow.
"Me?"
Jared smiles and pats him on the forehead.
"Of course. It is you."- He responds- "So. Are you ready?"
Adam nods.
"I am."- He says- "Let's do this!"
Meggy looks at her son and then, at Jared.
"He's very eager to become a hero."- She says to him- "I like it!"
Jared smiles and nods.
"Well then. Let's proceed with the next step of the holy ritual, shall we?"- He says- "To the church!"
Soon, the two of them reach the church in question- a massive, white building with a beautiful red carpet laid near its entrace.
"What a beautiful place."- Adam says to himself- "How come I've never seen it before in my life?"
As they enter the church, they are greeted by two priests.
They inspect Jared for a moment and nod.
"Is this your son, sir?"- One of them asks Jared.
Jared nods.
"Yes. This is my son. He has arrived to receive his first blessing."- He responds- "Is everything ready to go?"
The priests nods.
"Of course, sir."- The other one says- "We prepared the holy water. Lined up the rest of the priests. And, when all of those things were done, we cleaned up the church and made it worthy of a future hero, just like you wanted."
Adam is amazed by the fact that his father is the one who organized everything.
"He's such an awesome person."- He says to himself- "And that's why he's always been my hero."
Jared nods and smiles.
"Very well. Then, begin the ritual immediately."- He says to both of them- "Time is of essence, so hurry up and do what must be done."
The priests nod and bow to him.
"As you wish, Your Majesty."- They say and wander off.
Jared looks at his son.
"Are you still eager to do this ritual, son?"- He asks him- "It might be a little confusing at first, but don't worry about it. As long as me and your mom are here with you, everything is going to be fine."
Adam grins.
"Back then, I wanted to try this ritual out of pure curiosity. I admit that I was not sure. Just curious."- He says- "But now, I am entirely convinced that you did all of those things for my well-being. You want me to become a hero and here I am, ready to step on the altar and begin my new life as a protector of everyone. To embark on a perilous journey that will change me. It doesn't matter if it will be for good or for bad."
He takes a step forward, still smiling from ear to ear.
"Lead the way, dad."- He continues- "I am ready."
Jared smiles and leads his son and his wife to the altar further into the building.
There, ten priests stand next to it, waiting for the arrival of the new hero. Once he is there, they cheer and approach him.
They accompany him to the altar. Then, one of them opens the holy book of incantations and starts to read one of the rituals within.
"O, Mighty Ruler of the Sky. Hear our prayers as we send them out to you."- He begins- "Bless this young warrior with the light that shines within you and reveal his true self. Help him attain infinite power and knowledge and always guide him towards the right path. Show him the true meaning of peace and prosperity and bless him with countless victories and thousands of divine accomplishments. Amen!"
"Amen!"- Everyone else repeats.
Adam sees that everyone is staring at him and looks down at the altar.
"Amen!"- He says as well.
Nothing happens, at first. However, as Adam starts to back away, the altar is struck my a bolt of lightning as the entire room is illuminated by it.
"God has responded to our prayers!"- The lead priest says- "Now, place your hands on the altar, child. Feel the power of the divine as it descends into you."
Adam does what he is told and carefully places both of his hands on the altar. Moments later, he feels stronger as huge amounts of divine energy seep into his body.
When he looks up, he notices that his father is standing next to him. In his left hand, he is holding the legendary sword known as Ragnarok. In his right one, he is holding the blade that was broken and reforged many times before- Demonslayer.
He hands both of them to him.
"You are the new owner of those weapons, my child."- Jared says to his son- "Here. Use them wisely."
Meggy watches from a distance, excited that her son is steps away from becoming a hero.
"Place Ragnarok and Demonslayer on the altar, child."- The lead priest says- "Then, he can throw the holy water on them and complete this ritual once and for all."
Adam wastes no time to place both weapons on the altar, making sure that neither of them fall off during the entire process.
When they see that the weapons are in place, the priests approach the altar and start to throw holy water at them.
"For the safety and prosperity of Adam Kaos!"- They say in unison- "We bless your life and we hope that you bless us in return. Amen!"
Soon, the work is done. Adam takes both weapons away from the altar and looks at them.
At first, nothing seems to have changed. Nothing on the outside, at the very least. However, he soon notices the inner light emanating from them. He feels the energy resting within them and grows more confident.
"This is it. The ritual has been done."- The lead priest says- "Adam Kaos. From now on, you are a hero. A messenger of God himself who will carry his name across our troubled world and smite those who are foolish enough to defy the hope and peace that we have created together. Good luck. We hope that your future is a bright one."
Then, one by one, they all bow down to him as he and his family leave the church.
Adam is still very excited from this series of events.
"It happened. It finally happened."- He says to himself- "It is done. I am finally a hero!" 
He sighs.
"However, there is still a wound in my heart that remains open, no matter what we do."- He continues- "A ceaseless void that will always consume me and try to drag me down into the darkest depths of the Abyss."
He looks up.
"Still, it does not matter. I must move on with my life, just like my father said."- He finishes- "Now, I am a hero and those people depend on me."
He smiles.
"And I will not let them down."- He says- "Never."