MLII C2, P13- "Beg For Forgiveness"

"Beg For Forgiveness" is the thirteenth Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's second Chapter. It was released on 16.11.2020.
== Plot ==
After the death of Dorikas and the fall of the Darkside Loyalists as a group, Tholmen- one of their most valued allies and the person who is responsible for the harm that has been done to Annie, has been captured by John and the soldiers under his command while they were scouting the area for survivors from both groups.
It is decided that Jared should be the one who has to deal with the former villain- whether to kill him on the spot, imprison him for a very long time or simply let him go, despite all the mistakes that he has made during his time as a Dervish in the army of the Darkside Loyalists, under the employment of Dorikas. The reason for this is because he has dealt with the Darkside Loyalists the most and knows them better than almost everyone else in the group.
Although he trusts Jared and always respects his decisions, John is still worried that his best friend might make the wrong choice in this matter. He knows that Tholmen is a dangerous man and that he shouldn't be shown any mercy, being the person who almost killed Annie.
Whether Jared will indeed show mercy towards him or not remains to be seen.
== Story ==
As he goes outside, Jared is approached by John.
"John, you are back!"- Jared says and smiles.
John nods, but does not smile back. He seems to be thinking about something important. And, because of that, he is very serious.
Jared notices this. His smile vanishes in an instant and he looks into his eyes.
He can see the concern within, no matter how hard he is trying to hide it from him. Something worrying is clearly on his mind right now.
"Did everything go well?"- Jared asks him- "Were there any survivors back at the fort?"
John nods.
"There was one. Or, rather, still is."- He says stoically- "A member of the Darkside Loyalists surrendered to us. One of their most important units. And we had to decide who should take care of him, to ensure that he doesn't harm anyone else.
He looks at Jared sadly.
"And the only person that I know who can make such an important choice... is you, Jared."
Jared nods.
"Where is he?"- He asks him.
John points to the north.
"We put him in Ghall-Ihrno's house, tied up. He's still there, guarded by our friend."- He responds- "But we have to deal with him soon. If we don't... well... things will likely get worse for all of us."
Jared sighs.
"Well, if this man has to be dealt with quickly, so it be."- He says- "Let us go there."
John looks at him again, surprised.
"Umm, right now?"- He asks him, confused- "Don't you have other things to do? What about your father? Annie?"
Jared shakes his head.
"No. I will visit both of them later."- He says- "This person must be dealt with. And I will not allow anything to distract me from doing that."
Without another word, he heads north with John.
They soon arrive to the door of Ghall-Ihrno's house and ring the bell. Once that is done, they are welcomed by the Vahnatai and Jared explains why he came with John.
"I understand that there is someone dangerous in this house that has to be taken care of as soon as possible, so I came here to help."- He says- "And I am not going to take no as an answer.
Ghall-Ihrno nods and smiles.
"Very well, my friend."- He responds- "Then go right ahead. The prisoner is in my living room."
Jared enters the living room and sees a man tied to a chair. They stare at each other in a way that suggests that they have never met before.
The man knows that Jared is an enemy to the Darkside Loyalists, perhaps one of the most dangerous. However, he does not try to untie himself and attack him.
Instead, he simply watches him, waiting for him to make the first move.
Seeing that the prisoner is getting impatient, Jared begins to speak:
"I have been informed that you are a member of the Darkside Loyalists and was asked to deal with you."- He says stoically- "So, I have arrived."
The man smiles.
"You must be Jared Kaos, heh?"- He asks him.
Jared nods.
"Yes. Dorikas told me a lot about you. You're the one who caused so much damage to our army with your brilliant tactics and even managed to kill our leader while he was transformed into a Haakai. You're a really talented warrior, kid. I've got to give you that."
John gets angry, draws his sword and points it at him. Ghall-Ihrno tries to stop him from getting closer, but ultimately fails.
"We are the ones talking here, you fool!"- He yells- "Stop trying to act like you still have the high ground. Because you don't! Not here, not now!"
Jared takes a step forward.
"John, please leave him alone."- He says quietly- "Let me deal with him. Intimidating him will not convince him to speak, trust me about this."
John sees the wisdom in his best friend's words. He looks down, sheathes his sword and steps back so he can speak with him.
"We mean you no harm, at least for now."- Jared continues- "We just want to know why you were involved with the Darkside Loyalists and how you came to be there."
The man nods.
"Alright then."- He says- "What do you wish to know?"
Jared is surprised by this statement. In his experience as an interrogator during the time when members of the Darkside Loyalists were brought in Paris for questioning, not all of the prisoners were this cooperative. Most were simply cowering in fear or foolishly intimidating him, only to be taken to the prison immediately afterwards.
However, this man seems to be different. Jared notices a gleam in his eyes, something that he has been unable to notice in the eyes of the regular brigands in the loyalist army when he questioned them.
He nods.
"Tell me more about yourself, loyalist."- He says stoically- "First of all, what is your name and initial occupation?"
The man sighs and begins to speak.
"My name is Tholmen. I used to work as a Dervish in the Empire army, up until the time when Dorikas awakened. I assure you that I was completely loyal to my Empire masters before the disaster occured, but when I heard that Dorikas was hiring warriors from the empire to assist him in making a better Empire. Blinded by the visions of a better world and foolish enough to believe what this madman said, I joined him and became one of his most trusted men, due to my superior military knowledge that I used against our enemies."
Jared is not surprised by those words. At first, he wants to simply kill him here and be done with this problem.
But a small part of his mind tells him that this is not the whole story and he decides against it in the last moment.
John seems to be angry about something. His hand is close to his sword and he seems like he is going to draw it at any moment and attack Tholmen. However, Jared ignores this and focuses on questioning the prisoner, just like he was told to.
"Please continue."- He says with seeming interest.
Tholmen nods and continues:
"Just because I was at the opposite side of the war does not mean that I didn't feel bad when I hurt people. Worse, I felt very, very bad about it. And I regretted it every day."
Suddenly, John loses control, draws his sword and quickly approaches him.
"Lies! The things that you're saying are complete lies!"- He yells at him- "I saw what you did to Annie! I saw how you treated her and how you felt absolutely no remorse about harming her! Worse, you almost got her killed with your stupidity and if it weren't for Jared's bravery, she would have died by now!"
Jared looks at his best friend, surprised.
"What do you mean, John? You... you know this man?"- He asks him- "And you are saying that he is responsible for Annie's near-death experience?"
John nods angrily.
"Yes! Yes, he is!"- He responds- "He revealed everything to me when you were absent! He told me how he harmed Annie and that he ensured that she wouldn't survive this ordeal! And I hate him because of that!"
Tholmen raises his eyebrow.
"Wait."- He interrupts the two boys- "You said that Annie is still alive? But now? Wasn't the supposed to succumb to the infection within her body after the battle?"
John stares into his eyes.
"Yes!"
He slaps him on the right cheek as hard as he can, leaving a huge red mark behind.
"Because of you, she almost died. Because of Jared, she was saved... despite losing an arm!"- He yells- "And if you try to harm her ever again, I swear to God that I shall be the one who will end your life!"
Tholmen looks down. He is clearly ashamed by what he did to John's former fiancee.
Jared tells John to back away. Then, he takes a step closer and tells Tholmen to look up.
"I still have questions for you."- He says- "And I do not like being interrupted."
Tholmen nods.
"Yes."- He says- "I will tell you everything. I... I promise."
Jared nods.
"My best friend and his soldiers discovered you after the battle between us and the Darkside Loyalists was concluded. However, you did not flee with the rest of your fellow soldiers."- He says- "I would like to know more about that. Why did you decide to stay, endangering your life in the process?"
Tholmen sighs.
"It was a foolish move. After the death of the leader of the Darkside Loyalists, I decided that it was wiser to surrender to the ones who killed him instead of running away and trying to hide from them, knowing that they would find me eventually."- He says- "So, I decided to betray my comrades and put myself at your mercy."
Jared nods.
"This was both a very brave and a very foolish move from such a high-ranked warrior such as yourself- "He responds stoically- "I admire your determination, loyalist."
Tholmen sighs and shakes his head.
"Anyway, I'm here now. I was captured and brought here."- He says quietly- "My fate is in your hands, Jared Kaos. I'm not going to beg you to spare me, like some of my foolish comrades who feared you. I am a Dervish and my kind never begs or shows signs of weakness when they are captured by the enemy. However, I do hope that you will be kind to me, despite everything that I did to both you and your allies."
John does not draw his sword this time. However, he points at Tholmen angrily.
"Be kind to you? You allowed yourself to be captured only to ask my friend to be kind to you and let you go?!"- He yells- "No! We will not show mercy towards our enemy, even when they have surrendered!"
He turns to Jared expectantly.
"Right?"
Jared thinks about this. The fact that the fate of a human being is lying in his hands now is making him unsure how to answer this question properly without accidentally making a mistake which will endanger both him and his allies.
"Jared is such a wise boy. He makes better decisions that I ever would in situations when the lives of many people are in danger."- John says to himself- "But I'm worried about him now. Such a decision is surely pushing him to the limit and making him unsure. I don't want him to make the wrong choice, but I also don't want him to blame himself for the death of another human being. Lily's death was way too much for him."
He sighs.
"I just hope that he will make the right choice."- He continues- "However, I will always respect what he chooses to do, no matter how dangerous it might be to him and everyone else."
A few minutes later, Jared finally makes a decision and tells Tholmen what he has decided:
"Tholmen. Normally, I would kill you right here for what you did to Annie. I would make you pay for how you treated her and show you no mercy. It is what my vengeful self would to to you."
He sighs.
"However, my wiser self has decided that I want to give you a second chance."- He continues- "In your eyes, I can see the spirit of a true warrior who was forced to fight for the wrong side, who did not have a choice in a matter like this. And I feel really bad for you because of this predicament."
He unsheathes Ragnarok and looks at him.
"So, I am going to show mercy towards you and let you go... despite everything that you have done to my dear friend."
John is surprised by this.
"Jared, stop! D-don't do this!"
Ghall-Ihrno seems to agree with Jared's decision and decides not to interfere.
Despite his best friend's pleas, Jared swings Ragnarok and cuts Tholmen free.
However, as he does, he notices that he has accidentally sliced his arm in the process. Remembering what happened to most of Dorikas' warriors, he gasps, realizing that he just condemned this man.
Tholmen looks at the fresh wound and smiles.
"Oh. Don't worry about that."- He says- "I have not infused by body with demon blood, unlike our foolish leader. I'm pure and I always have been, even after most of the loyalists decided to do the same thing."
Jared smiles.
"I knew that you are actually a good person, Tholmen. Right from the moment when I first saw you!"
Now free from his bonds, Tholmen approaches Jared. When Jared's allies think that he is about to attack him, he simply smiles and pats him on the shoulder.
"Forgive me for harming Annie."- He says with guilt in his eyes- "She is such a good girl and she did not deserve being hurt like that, especially when she was just separated from her beloved one. I'm honest about this."
He turns to John.
"I hope that you forgive me as well."
John sighs and looks down.
"Just get out of here before we change our minds."- He mutters.
Tholmen nods and looks back at Jared.
"Jared, today you have redeemed yourself as a hero in my eyes. Today, I can say that you are true hero... despite what my comrades said about you."- He says proudly- "You're such a wise and brave young man and everyone should see that, even the enemies that you have to fight."
He sighs.
"Words won't be enough to describe how thankful I am to you for showing mercy towards a broken and desperate man like myself, so I will simply say this. Thank you... for being so kind to me. Thank you for giving me a second chance, despite what I did to all of you."
He turns around and begins to leave. Just as he reaches the door, he looks back at Jared and smiles.
"I'm eager to hear more about your adventures when I go back into the Empire."- He continues- "I hope to see you again in the future. And, when I do, I promise to help you out... whatever you decide to do."
Jared smiles back.
"I will be honored to fight beside you, my friend."- He responds- "Farewell, for now. I hope that you return to the Empire safely and I also hope that you will see the Light when you do and fight in the name of Justice once again!"
Having said that, Tholmen leaves Ghall-ihrno's home and begins his journey towards the Empire- his true home, intending to correct the mistakes that he has made in the past and be a better person.
John looks at Jared, surprised that this was the right choice in this matter.
"I'm amazed, Jared."- He says to him- "So, you knew that he was actually a good person and you decided to spare him because of that? Impressive!"
Jared smiles and nods.
"Good people can easily recognize each other, just like I found out that you were a good person back when we first met in Duskwood, John."- He says- "Even if Tholmen is not a hero, he still showed respect towards me and did not beg like the fools before him. This is what I truly like within him- That he is an honorable man who shows respect even towards his enemies and does not act like a weakling."
John nods, seemingly understanding what his friend just said.
"So, what are we going to do now?"- He says- "Do you have any ideas?"
Jared looks at him.
"Actually, there is something that I want to talk about with you."- He says to him- "Come with me."
John realizes that his friend needs his advice and quickly heads after him as he heads to the Kaos residence, concerned about his well-being.
"I wonder what is on his mind this time... "- He wonders as they near the destination.