MLTO C6, P2

This is the second Part of "MLIV:TO" 's sixth and final Chapter.
It was released on 16.04.2023.
== Plot ==
Free from the torment of Blackstone Keep, our heroes are finally able to focus on their primary task- exposing Emperor Redmark and forcefully pulling him away from the throne. Their triumph in the most dangerous prison has broken the last of Redmark's finest defenses and he is now on the run, finally afraid of the inevitable aftermath of the terrors that he caused throughout those fateful years.
In the meantime, Geralt and his allies have to come to terms with two things- the impending doom of Linus and the inevitable departure of the young soul known as Dante Gonoru. Two souls with different fates, yet similar goals- to help humanity... in their own, special way.
Will the Kaos family find peace, at long last?
== Story ==
Geralt frantically pulls away the giant rocks that have seemingly buried his uncle. Even though there is a very small chance that he is still alive, he keeps pulling away. And then again. And again.
Finally, he manages to reach someone's hand. Once he touches it, he can feel its owner's beating heart. A spark of life that has not been snuffed out just yet. A power that was not taken away.
"This is it!"- He exclaims- "I am almost there!"
He looks back at his brother.
"Help me out, Kai!"- He says- "Uncle is still in there! We need to get him out of that nightmare!"
Kaiden shakes his head.
"I'm sorry for being so pessimistic, but I don't think that this will be worth it."- He says- "Sure, we'll pull uncle out. We'll save him from that horrible place. But what's the point? He's already too far gone!"
Geralt glares at him.
"Alive or not, we made a promise to our family!"- He says- "Remember the oath that we swore a few months ago? That we will keep each other safe, no matter what it takes? Well, I am not ready to give up just yet! And if you feel the same way, do not be shy! Help me out! Let's be heroes once again!"
Kaiden sees the fire in Geralt's eyes. The unending passion in his shining heart. The inner strength that never fades away. And that is when he finally realizes- nobody can stop the Child of Destiny from helping the world, no matter how hard they try.
"Fear not, little bro! We're in this together!"- He exclaims- "Let's pull uncle out together!"
And yet, the two brothers are not alone. Their allies, seeing that they are determined to complete their mission, are more than eager to join the battle and help them out. With the strength of five people, it is quite easy to pull the beating heart out of its eternal prison.
"Uncle!"- Geralt exclaims as he lies down and listens to his heartbeat- "Uncle! Are you alright?!"
At first, he thinks that he has arrived too late. Linus seems to have already left this world. However, just as soon as he is about to deliver the bad news, Linus stands up and coughs. The sides of his mouth get splattered with blood as he struggles to look at his family one last time.
When he sees that everyone is alive and well, he smiles.
"Well, would you look at that."- He says weakly- "Looks like the mighty Geralt Kaos has done his job again. Well done, my boy. You make our humble family proud,"
Geralt looks down.
"I did, uncle. I did."- He says- "But I did not save everyone."
Linus shakes his head.
"Nonsense, kiddo. You've done great."- He says- "Even the best heroes can make mistakes. Even the most righteous and helpful souls cannot save all. You did everything you could and it was far more than enough. The enemies, they paid for their crimes in blood. Perhaps not the best course of action, but excellent nonetheless."
He coughs blood again and looks at his lips. Even an incompetent bystander could tell that he does not have a lot of time in this world left. And as soon as he bids adieu to his loved ones, as soon he can finally feel at peace.
"Look at me, Geralt. I'm already too deep in the abyss. My soul cannot be saved... not anymore."- He says- "I allowed myself to be taken away because I... I wanted to protect your aunt. Your mama. Your cousin, too. None of them deserved to suffer like I did."
Kaiden looks at him.
"Do you have any regrets left, uncle?"- He asks him- "Is there anything we can do to ease your soul?"
Linus coughs again.
"My only regret is that I didn't warn our family sooner. That I could have done a good deed... but I didn't."- He mutters- "Four years ago, I was the first witness of Redmark's attack. I saw his scouts, his cavalry. However, I was too... too proud. I thought that they were just another pack of deranged miscreants. I didn't pay much attention. And for that, I... paid the ultimate price. My life, it was never the same again. And neither was our little family."
Geralt shakes his head.
"I understand how you felt throughout these fateful years, uncle. You were afraid of the consequences, terrified of the blood that was spilled during Redmark's raid. You were unsure how we could ever repair the damage that was done, to our bodies and our souls."- He says- "And yet, I can see that you still managed to move on, much better than I did. Even now, I still feel sadness when I think about Kiki. About the brave warriors who lost their lives to protect us from the servants of evil. About the fires of vengeance that still burn deep in my bones. Some things can never be forgotten. They define us and describe us better than any storyteller ever could. And that is the reason why I will still forgive you, despite the fact that you were a coward back then."
Kaiden nods.
"I could not agree more with my little brother. The deeds of the past are the fuel that will give us the strength to fight back against the darkness."- He says- "Sure, I do feel a little angry about what you did. This revelation makes you different in my eyes. But I don't want to hate you. I refuse to hate you. Redmark is the only one who's guilty about what happened four years ago. And, sooner or later, we shall make him pay for his heinous crimes. Mark my words."
Linus chuckles dryly.
"It's no secret. The two of you have the blood of your righteous father inside of your veins. Your hearts always beat for the good of this world, no matter how deep in the darkness you are."- He says- "If your father was here with us, I'm certain that he would be proud of you. But I know that he always is. You've always been his most valuable treasures in this world. Now that you're heroes, you managed to achieve his dream- to continue his sacred legacy."
He coughs blood again and senses that his remaining energy is fading away.
"But there's one more thing that I need to know."- He adds- "One thing that I've always had on my mind."
He looks up at Jared.
"Father, I... am certain that I owe you an apology, as well. I'm not quite the man I used to be."- He says to him- "All these years, I've loved Akira so much. I took care of our child, even though I was certain that he's not mine. I tried to be a good son, a worthy husband and parent. And yet, I always felt so... empty. So lost."
His eyes fill up with tears.
"My last request is...this."- He adds- "Can you tell me that I've been a good son? Can you reassure me that I did well? Can I... earn your forgiveness again?
Jared kneels and smiles.
"My dear Linus, you've always been very dear to me. Ever since you appeared in our lives, I've always felt that you'll be the one that my little Akira will always love."- He says- "Even though you were not the biological father of little Luca, you always showed so much love to him. You were always very busy, but you never forgot about the people you've always held so dear. And for that, I am proud to say this- you will always be a part of our little family. You will always be a sun in our lives. And, no matter what happens next, you'll be a great hero in our eyes."
Linus's eyes fill with tears again.
"Thank you... father."- He says- "I'll always remember you."
Jared continues to smile.
"Me too, my boy."- He responds- "Me too."
Suddenly, Linus starts to cough uncontrollably. Blood splatters on the ground around him as Kaiden and Jared barely keep him from completely falling apart.
"It is time."- Jared says- "If we want to save his soul, we must do it now."
Geralt approaches his uncle and gets on his knees.
"Uncle. Before you go, I want to know something."- He says- "While me and Kai were gone, I understand that the rest of our family has been looking for us. But what about you? Did you give up on your sacred task or did you keep looking for us?"
Linus smiles.
"Give up the search for my nephews?"- He says and chuckles- "Kiddo, I was the one who looked for you the most. I never stopped believing that the two of you would still be alive out there."
He looks at the two brothers, continuing to smile.
"And now, I can see that my mission is complete."- He says- "The Kaos brothers are alive and well. I can rest easy, knowing that the world is in good hands. No, the best hands."
As he continues to speak, his eyes start to close. His time has finally come, and there is no going back. Not anymore.
"Goodbye, little, noble Geralt. Goodbye to you too, Kaiden, Aurelia, Dante and dad."- He says- "I will miss you. All of you."
Geralt's eyes fill up with tears as his hand gets close to his weapon.
"We will miss you too uncle!"- He exclaims- "Farewell!"
Linus smiles weakly.
"Sweet dreams, young legend."
As Linus finally closes his eyes, Geralt draws his weapon. He considers simply stabbing his uncle in the head, but he knows that this noble man deserves better. So, he gently grabs his head and stabs him in the temple, putting him to rest.
"Rest well, dear uncle."- He says and stands up, more determined than he was before- "Your fire will never be extinguished. Not on our watch."
As the rest of his allies stand up, Geralt looks back at them.
"We should... take him back home."- He says stoically- "As much as I regret having to make aunt Akira sad again, she deserves to know what the imperial monsters did to uncle Linus. We must tell her."
Jared nods.
"And this is what shall be done."- He says- "Come on, everyone. Let's get out of this nightmare... and approach the next one."
As our heroes prepare to leave with Linus' lifeless body, Geralt notices that one of them is absent. He quickly figures out who it is.
"Hold on!"- He exclaims- "Cousin Dante is not here!"
The rest of the heroes look at him.
"What do you mean?"- Aurelia says- "He's right here... "
She looks at the spot where Dante was supposed to be and realizes, too late, that he is not there.
"Oh no!"- She exclaims- "Did we lose him, too?!"
Jared shakes his head.
"This can't be right."- He says- "The boy was here a while ago. He couldn't have just disappeared!"
Kaiden sighs.
"Something tells me that we won't like the answer."- He says- "Brace for impact, little bro. We've got another problem on our minds."
Geralt sees someone in the distance. He seems to be very familiar.
"I think that is him!"- He says- "We need to stop him!"
Geralt starts to run toward the lone person.
"Wait, Geralt! This could be a trap!"- Jared exclaims- "Don't risk your life for that troublemaker! It's not worth it!"
Geralt looks at him.
"Troublemaker or not, this young man is my cousin!"- He responds- "And I will not give up on him!"
As Geralt runs forward, the lone figure tries to run away. However, it soon figures out that there is no point- Geralt is too fast and too determined to find the right answers. It simply stops and looks at him.
"Cousin Dante?"- Geralt says as he takes a few steps forward- "Is that you?"
Dante reveals himself and sighs.
"Well, you got me. I'm the coward who's trying to escape."- He says- "What more do you want from me, Geralt? Do you still want to drag me back to my miserable kingdom? Do you still want to make me king?"
Geralt shakes his head.
"I never said such a thing, Dante. You are just being delusional."- He says- "I just want to know why you are so... distressed."
Dante sighs.
"All this time, I've been the servant of a greater power. I've always stood in the shadows of my beloved parents, helpless and obedient. I listened to them because I had no other choice. I was a prisoner of my own thoughts and my words meant nothing... until now."- He says- "It's true, I love to obey the laws of our world. I like being a loyal little puppy. But I don't like being stuck in the same place for all my life. I don't like staying in the same kingdom, pretending that I'm feeling fine."
He stares at Geralt, his eyes piercing through the young hero's soul like a thousand words.
"I am not fine, Geralt! I will never be!"- He exclaims- "Until I finally have the chance to see the world with my own eyes, I will never feel truly complete!"
Geralt looks down and sighs.
"I understand, Dante. I get it."- He responds- "In fact, I felt the same way before I met all of my friends. All of my wonderful companions."
He looks up,
"When I was younger, I dreamed of adventure. Of excitement. I wanted to be a person who was revered by the locals, respected by the world. I wanted my actions to matter, not to be forgotten after a few decades."- He says- "And yet, deep inside, I was just like you. I suffered because I never had the chance to tell my sister how much I loved her. I anguished because I was always the black sheep in our family. I was born an outcast and I will always remain this way. But you. You have a whole life ahead of you. You can still meet a lot of people, learn about their cultures, defeat countless vile enemies with your mighty spear."
He approaches his cousin and places his hand on his shoulder.
"And yet, I already have my own role in this world."- He is quick to add- "Can you find yours?"
Dante nods.
"I... am not sure how I can do that. But I will. Eventually."- He says- "Thank you, cousin Geralt. Perhaps my place in this world is still there. I can still help whoever I can, however I can. Thanks to you, I can still find my inner light."
As Dante prepares to leave again, Geralt stops him.
"Hold on!"- He exclaims- "Before you go, I want to show you something!"
Dante raises his eyebrow.
"And what would that be?"
Geralt smiles sadly.
"Before I embarked on this fateful journey, I made a promise to a young girl with a heart of fire. She was so infatuated with you that she... she wanted to show her devotion."- He says- "So, I want you to take this. It is a message that might change your life. Or not. What happens next, it depends on you."
Having said that, Geralt pulls out Abigail's message and presents it to him.
"A confession, hmm?"- Dante says and smiles- "How interesting. I've never considered love to be a higher power. Still, this is most intriguing. I would love to see what this beautiful maiden thinks about me."
He looks at Geralt.
"But tell me, cousin."- He says- "What does this girl look like? How can I find her, if I need to know more?"
Geralt smiles and presents him a small picture of Abigail and her parents. It seems like the girl anticipated this and had another plan to get her true love's attention.
Once Dante gets a good look, his eyes light up. It is almost as if he has never seen a girl like her, as if he is eager to get to know her better. It is love at first sight, a spark of life that gives him the strength to move on.
"What a gorgeous, innocent soul."- He says and smiles- "I would love to meet her."
Geralt smiles.
"I knew that you would."
Dante looks back at the road ahead and sighs.
"Unfortunately, this is my final adieu to all of you. As much as I regret it, the laws of fire are written in stone. There's no going back from this one."- He says and looks back at his cousin- "It's been a great one, cousin Geralt. We've been on so many adventures, defeated so many enemies, saved so many innocent people. It almost makes me feel like I want to stay."
He sighs again.
"But I can stay no longer."- He adds- "The road of destiny is calling out to me. My glorious adventure has only just begun. Maybe we can see each other again someday. But until then, I shall keep running. All by myself, in the dark, unexplored world. I'll shine my own light in the sky, even though it will never be as bright as yours."
Then, he starts moving forward, but not before looking back at smiling at Geralt one last time.
"Farewell, my cousin."- He says- "May the light of Helios always illuminate your life."
Geralt smiles back.
"I wish you the same thing, cousin Dante!"- He exclaims- "Good journey! We will be cheering for you!"
Dante nods.
"I know that you will."
Having said that, he embarks on a brand new journey, never to return.
As Geralt continues to stare at Dante, he remembers how he left his own family behind to fight the warriors of Redmark. Memories illuminate his mind as Dante finally disappears into the dark mist ahead of him.
"Looks like he's not coming back, huh?"- Kaiden says and smiles- "Good for him. He's got a brand new life ahead of him, a journey that will change him for good. Not even his parents can stop him now."
Geralt looks back at Kaiden.
"Well, did our parents stop us from being ourselves?"
Kaiden shakes his head.
"As I said before, nobody can stop you from chasing your dreams."- He says- "We're the lawcarvers of our own lives. Nobody else can define us better than we do."
Geralt nods.
"And that is why we will always be together, no matter how far away we are from each other."
Kaiden smiles.
"Well said, my little bro."- He says- "And I think that our cousin has the same thing on his mind as he travels toward the next disaster."
The rest of their allies approach them.
"Are we ready to go yet?"- Aurelia asks them- "My legs are starting to hurt! I need to rest!"
Geralt nods.
"Of course, Aurelia. Our work here is done."- He says- "The only thing left is for us to return to Silverdale. From there, we can plan our next move."
As the four of them carefully drag Linus' body out of the sundered ruins of Blackstone Keep, they encounter a warrior on a horse. A lone messenger, risking his own life to deliver some crucial news. Geralt and his allies stand at attention as he approaches them.
"Greetings, young hero. It is a great honor."- He says- "Is your brother still with you?"
Kaiden takes a step forward.
"That would be me."- He says- "What's going on, soldier? Is everything alright?"
The soldier looks at him.
"It's your loved one, sir!"- He exclaims- "Lady Isabella has started to feel pain in her stomach! She will give birth soon!"
Kaiden gasps.
"Really?!"- He says- "That's wonderful."
The warrior nods.
"I've brought a few more horsemen to help you get to Silverdale faster."- He says- "Are you ready to go?"
Kaiden looks back at his allies and nods.
"We are."- He says- "Bring the boys in here."
The soldier salutes him.
"As you wish, Sir Kaiden!"
As the rest of the cavalry arrives and takes all of Geralt's allies, Geralt looks up and shakes his head.
"I am sorry, soldier, but I cannot come with you."- He says- "I have a heavy burden on my shoulders. I must carry it myself."
Kaiden looks at his brother, shocked.
"But those are your nephews!"- He exclaims- "You must be there to see them!"
Geralt shakes his head.
"Do not try to convince me. I am not coming."- He says- "I have a duty. I must fulfill it."
Jared nods.
"I understand my grandson's decision."- He says and looks at the soldier- "Carry on, brave warrior! Geralt will find his way home!"
Aurelia shakes her head.
"Not on his own, though!"
Having said that, she jumps down from the horse and joins Geralt.
"I'll stay with him!"
Kaiden is even more surprised now.
"Why don't you want to see them?!"- He yells- "This is your sister! You can't just leave her like this!"
Aurelia shakes her head.
"Isa's doing fine! I checked up on her when we were there and I'm certain that she'll be okay!"- She exclaims- "Besides, she's got you by her side! Isn't that enough?"
Kaiden looks down.
"But... the children... "
Aurelia stands close to Geralt and embraces him.
"Geralt's not going anywhere without his uncle. His uncle can't move on his own accord anymore. And I'm not leaving without either of them."- She says- "Is this response clear enough for you? Or do I need to simplify it further?"
Kaiden sighs.
"Sure thing. Just make sure that my brother returns home, safe and sound."- He says- "If something ever happens to him, I will make sure to hold you accountable for it."
Aurelia salutes him.
"I'll be a good soldier girl!"- She exclaims- "I promise!"
Jared nods.
"Then the matter is settled."- He says- "Carry on, warriors! To the sunset!"
And so, the horsemen depart, leaving Geralt and Aurelia alone.
"Look at them go."- Geralt says and smiles- "Such a majestic sight."
He turns around and looks at his companion.
"Thank you very much, Aurelia."- He says to her- "Had you not stayed here with me, I do not think I would have made it back."
Aurelia smiles back.
"Of course, Geralt!"- She exclaims- "I'm always eager to help my l-- umm, my good friend!"
Geralt nods.
"Let's get going."- He says- "We have a long road ahead of us."
And so, they begin their next journey. The journey that will take them home.