MLTO C2, P3

This is the third Part of "MLIV:TO" 's second Chapter.
It was released on 27.10.2022.
== Plot ==
While trying to rescue Geralt from the clutches of Emperor Redmark and his people, our heroes experience a huge disaster. An accident caused by total incompetence that they have to take care of themselves.
Unable to get anyone else to help him out, Kaiden proceeds into the burning camp alone. He is aware that this journey could be the end of him, but he refuses to simply stand helpless as his brother perishes in the wreckage. One way or another, he shall prevail.
What will it take to achieve success?
== Story ==
Jared barely stumbles out of the forest as it is completely set ablaze. He looks back, horrified, as his family joins him.
"Dad! You're back!"- Akira says- "What happened did you find him?"
Jared shakes his head.
"I'm sorry, dear. I was powerless."- He says- "Everything happened so fast that I was unable to act in time. It's over."
Akira gasps.
"No."- She says- "You can't tell me that they... they... "
She falls on her knees and buries her face in her hands.
"Forgive us, little brother!"- She exclaims- "We failed you!"
Linus stares at the forest and shakes his head.
"I think that there's a few signs of life out there."- He says- "But it will be impossible to get in there. The fire seems to be of magical origin. Only magical water will be able to put it out... and we don't have that yet."
He turns to Jared.
"By the time we find a wizard who is able to help us, the two of them will be long gone. And I don't mean that in a good way."- He says- "I fear that the best we could do... is to save ourselves before the flames reach us."
Jared nods, but does not make another move.
"You go and save yourselves."- He says- "I've got something left to do."
Linus raises his eyebrow.
"Are you sure, dad?"- He asks him- "Things will get quite bad soon."
Jared glares at him.
"Didn't you hear me? I want to stay here!"- He snaps- "Get out of here before I get angry!"
Not wanting to risk the wrath of their father, Akira and Linus decide to take the safer route and leave him alone. The archers don't take long to follow them.
Soon, Jared sits at the edge of the forest, alone but unafraid.
"They were worried about me. I could see it in their eyes."- He says to himself- "But their lives are too precious to simply throw them away like this. The best thing that I could do for them is to pretend that everything is alright and try to make it so myself. That will ease their minds, at least for now." 
He looks at the burning forest.
"Now."- He continues- "Where could those fools be hiding?"
He draws his weapon and draws a circle around himself. This helps him concentrate a little bit further.
"Come on, you cowards."- He mutters- "You can't just perish in there. The fight is not over yet."
And then, he sees someone emerging from the other side of the forest. From the looks of it, it's a man in his early 50s. And he seems to be a hurry, for some reason.
"Redmark! I knew that you were the cause of all this chaos!"- Jared yells and runs toward him- "Now stand still and receive the justice that you deserve with dignity!"
The man notices him and tries to run away. However, Jared is much faster and easily manages to catch up with him. He gives him a warning and attempts to have him stand down. However, Redmark refuses to do so, forcing the old hero to throw him to the ground.
"Your time has come, imperial fiend! The world has been plagued by your malevolent presence for too long and I shall be the one to bring an end to your dictatorship!"- He yells- "But I'm not doing this just for my people! I'm also delivering this blow of justice for the family that you so foolishly separated- my family! I'll make you pay dearly for hurting every single one of them! You will not get away this time!"
Marcus stares into Jared's eyes. He pretends to be fearless, but single tick shows just how afraid he is of him.
"You're making a big mistake, old man."- He says to him- "Even if you manage to kill me, my empire shall remain strong. Another bloodthirsty sovereign shall rise in my place and destroy everything that you love. And then, even your great powers will not save you from the clutches of vengeance."
Jared glares at him.
"Once again, you're being very delusional! There is no empire left, you fool! Everything that the mighty nation once was is long gone, and you're the one to blame!"- He yells- "Even though I never saw any of your people in those years, I can tell that they don't want you here. In fact, they would thank me for saving them from you!"
He raises his sword in the air.
"I am tired of talking to you, tyrant!"- He continues- "Let us get this over with!"
----Kaiden pushes his way through fallen timber and charred bodies, slowly making his way into the burning campground.
"Maybe I'm being a fool. Maybe I'm clinging to false hopes and trying to think about something that will never happen."- He says to himself- "But this is the only sliver of hope that I've got left. Geralt's safety is far more important than my meaningless life."
He clenches his fist.
"Besides, I owe it all to Kia. She risked her own life to save Geralt and made it out as a great hero, despite being young at the time of her demise."- He adds- "She gave me a purpose in this life of mine and I won't let it burn away."
It takes a while to push through the entire mess, but he finally makes it in the middle of chaos itself. He stares at the burning tents, barely able to believe what he is seeing, distracting himself for long enough to allow an undead to get close to him.
However, the boy manages to see him almost immediately. He draws his weapon and puts it down.
"I brought you in this place."- He proclaims as he withdraws- "And I shall put you to rest."
He turns around and sees that the battle has caused four more undead to shamble toward him.
"Mom and dad fought those things when they were young."- He says to himself- "If they were able to make it out unharmed, then I shall be fine, too."
Rushing into the fight without any fear, Kaiden cuts through the reanimated survivors with relative ease. Avoiding their scratches left and right, he confuses them and strikes whenever the right moment comes by. 
Soon, all four of them lie on the ground in front of him, never to wake up again.
Kaiden stares down at the blood on his blade. Although he has never had to kill anything before, times have changed for him. He has become stronger, more confident and more determined. Although his fate was predetermined, he went out and changed it, in the name of a better future.
"Alright. That was taken care of."- He mutters- "Now where's the hero in distress?"
A rustling sound comes out of one of the tents. Kaiden leaps around and prepares for the worst. What he sees next surprises him quite a lot.
Geralt emerges from the tent, a little shaken but otherwise unharmed. The fumes are still assaulting his nostrils and keeping himself from passing out in the middle of madness itself is quite an effort for his poor, troubled mind.
Although he realized that something had happened while he was in the tent, he is quite surprised to see that it is not quite what he expected. The fires that are burning all around him awaken the PTSD of the events that happened when his beloved sister died and he starts to shake uncontrollably.
"No. No."- He mutters- "Not again. Please, don't do this to me."
And then, he hears a young girl's scream. He freezes in place, unable to do anything.
Aalia attempts to break her son from this unexpected trance, but only succeeds to make it even worse. Unable to do anything, she is very thrilled to see that her other son has rushed in to help.
"Kaiden, dear! Can you hear me?"- She says- "My connection to this world is fading away. If you can do anything, please, save your brother. He needs you."
Surprisingly, Kaiden is able to see and hear her at the same time. He is delighted to see that his mother is still around to help them out, but soon realizes that she is helpless in the face of this fresh mess.
"Geralt! Geralt, are you okay?!"- He yells- "It's me, Kaiden! Your brother! I came here to save you!"
Geralt is unable to hear him. All that he could think about are the moments that scarred him for life. All that he could see is the fire that burns everywhere. Everything else is seemingly invisible to him.
"Kiki, no."- He mutters- "Don't leave me. Please."
Kaiden looks at his mother.
"This situation is far worse than I thought."- He says to her- "Geralt is close to losing his mind. The best thing that we could do is to drag him out. I'll try to handle the rest myself."
Aalia nods.
"We tried to forget the past, but it's clear that some memories could never be erased from the young mind."- She says- "Believe me, dear, I tried. I tried so hard. But it didn't matter. Geralt was lost in his own world. All that I was able to do was to awaken those bad memories and make him sad."
She looks down.
"It's my fault, children."- She adds- "I never should have come back here."
Kaiden looks at her, his eyes filled with sadness.
"What do you mean, mama? You did a great job!"- He exclaims- "Stop thinking that you're the cause of all of our problems! You're one of the greatest saints that I've ever known and I'm glad that you're a part of our family! Your presence is always a sight for sore eyes and I'm glad that you decided to step back into the chaos when we needed you the most! So stop blaming yourself and look upon the future! We can make it better, all of us! Together!"
Despite being a spirit, Aalia's eyes are still able to fill with tears.
"Kaiden... "
Kaiden clenches his fist.
"This is what you and dad taught me when I was young- to not give up, even when the whole world is falling apart."- He says- "I'm just doing my part in turning the gears of destiny. And you should do the same. When we're together, we're one and the same. A little bit of fire has never scared us!"
Determined to help her children one more time, Aalia nods and smiles.
"Honey. You and your brother are the best things I've ever made. You gave me the strength to overcome the clutches of doom and travel far beyond the mortal veil, just to find the purpose that keeps my soul alive."- She says- "It's true. This fight is not over yet. And it's our destiny to put an end to it."
The two of them look at the terrified Geralt and start speaking to him. They comfort him, assure him that all of those horrors are over and that everything will be alright. However, the boy is too broken to be able to listen to them.
After five minutes of one-sided conversation, Kaiden shakes his head.
"It's not working."
Aalia looks at him.
"What should we do, then?"
Kaiden looks down and sighs.
"I guess that there's only one thing left."- He says- "I was afraid of it. But I can see that it's necessary."
He turns to Aalia.
"I'm sorry, mama."- He says to her- "It has to happen."
Aalia watches as Kaiden gets closer to Geralt, but betrays no emotion. She knows that what comes next is for the best and trusts Kaiden to make the right move.
Suddenly, Kaiden raises his hand and slaps Geralt, immediately breaking him out of his trance.
"Wake up, little bro!"- He yells- "This is not the right time to be weak and dependent! Stand up and fight like a man!"
Geralt blinks a few times. He finally notices that Kaiden is standing in front of him. The sight makes him simultaneously excited and shocked.
"Kai? You... came all the way here for me?"- He asks- "But I thought that you and our family fled. Why did you come back?"
Kaiden smiles.
"Well little bro, some things never change."- He says- "Even though they separated us, our bond was never broken. We're still able to stand tall in the face of danger and shall prevail in this battle of destiny."
He looks up at him.
"Besides, I would never leave a sibling in need behind."- He adds- "It's not my way."
Geralt smiles and hugs him.
"Thank you for standing up for me."- He says- "I knew that you had to make some questionable decisions, just to reunite with me. I understand that it was hard and I appreciate everything that you did and I always will."
He looks at him.
"But tell me something. And be honest, please."- He adds- "Was it you who sent all of those creatures?"
Kaiden sighs.
"I had to take a risk. I knew that it would endanger your life, but I had to make it happen."- He says- "I'm sorry about that."
Geralt smiles.
"No, Kai. You did well."- He responds- "Thanks to you, this entire encampment has been destroyed for good. The people of the world owe you a favor that they might never be able to repay."
Kaiden nods. He starts to say something else, but then notices a group of undead shambling toward them.
"I guess that it's time for us to go."- He says- "Stick around with me. We'll get out of this mess together.'
Geralt nods.
"I am certain that we will."- He says- "Lead the way, big brother."
Hearing Geralt call him "big brother" flatters Kaiden. With newfound motivation, he pushes his way past the charred forest.
The two of them reach an abandoned encampment. Most of the scouts who lived here have died and turned and the place is slowly falling apart in front of them. It is a sad sight, one that makes them want to get out of this place faster.
As they move through the wreckage, Geralt is tackled by an unknown assailant. The man attempts to murder him with a knife, but Kaiden rips him off of his brother and fights with him instead.
"It's your fault! You ruined everything!"- The man yells- "I'll make you pay! I promise it!"
Kaiden glares at him.
"So you're Caleb Carter- the warrior of Sector Beta who forced my brother to surrender."- He says to him- "You used trickery and cowardice to unleash Geralt's worst fears and use them against him. You took him all the way here, thinking that you'll get rid of him."
He points his blade at him.
"Do you think that you deserve mercy, punk?!"- He yells- "No! The only ones who are going to pay are you and your band of incompetent rabble! You're a bunch of pathetic scum and you're getting what you deserve the most!"
Caleb grabs Kaiden and attempts to choke him to death.
"You think that we're worthless, huh?"- He asks- "Well, I'll show you our true power! Sector Beta shall rebuild!"
Kaiden glares at him.
"Yes! That's the spirit!"- He yells- "Show me your true colors! Stop pretending to be someone else!"
Caleb clenches his fist and attempts to punch Kaiden. However, the youth avoids his blow and twists the hand which he uses to choke him, causing Caleb to yell out in pain.
As the new leader of Sector Beta stumbles back, he pulls out a glass orb from his pocket. Inside it, Kaiden can see a small cloud of red mist, swirling inside of the small object in a way that suggests that it wants to emerge.
"I've been training my whole life to be in this place. I deserve it."- He says- "You won't break me down, commoner!"
Having said that, he shatters the glass orb and allows the red mist to enter his body. 
Moments later, his eyes start to glow red. His weapon starts to glow crimson red. Kaiden can feel the strength radiating off of him.
"I'll prevail!"
Caleb rushes forward, striking Kaiden with his newfound power. The youth has no chance against this fierce and dangerous opponent, so he is forced to parry his attacks and wait for the right moment to strike. Unfortunately, his blows leave no windows of opportunity open, forcing the young hero to continue defending himself.
"How does it feel, huh?!"- Caleb yells- "This is what you get! I was kind enough to spare you, but you still came back and killed my people! You deserve what's coming next!"
With a final blow, he creates a shockwave so strong that it throws Kaiden back. 
But he doesn't stop there. 
While the youth is down, he comes closer and inspects him. He sees the confusion in his eyes, the uncertainty that is forming in his mind. He comes face to face with the desperation that he feels and soon realizes that he is almost broken.
"So, this is it. The mighty Kaiden Kaos- son of legendary hero Adam Kaos- has fallen."- He says and smiles- "It was a good fight, kid. However, even the greatest heroes must feel the taste of defeat. And you're no different."
Kaiden smiles.
"What if I tell you that I'm not one of your heroes of old?"
Caleb raises his eyebrow.
"And what makes you think that you're better?"
Kaiden shakes his head.
"I'm not saying that I am."- He responds- "But you're not good enough, either!"
Having said that, he surprises the soldier by springing to his feet and kicking him back. Stunned by the sudden blow, he stumbles away from him, right into two circular saws.
"I hate you!"- Kaiden yells as Caleb continues to stumble back- "Perish! Perish and never return!"
Unfortunately, the woodsmen who were using them were in a hurry. They unknowingly left the machine active. The saws are still attempting to cut anything that gets close to them. Sadly, Caleb is their next victim.
Kaiden watches, emotionless, as Caleb trips and falls. His entire body is ripped in half by the sharp saws behind him and his final scream of pain and terror horrifies Geralt, who stumbles back into his mother's arms.
While watching Caleb's lifeforce being quickly drained away, Kaiden feels a sudden feeling of sympathy and sadness. However, he soon remembers how the same man in front of him almost caused the demise of his dear brother, so he forces himself to remain motionless.
As the new leader of Sector Beta finally closes his eyes, Kaiden looks back at Geralt, sighs and shakes his head.
"Isn't it ironic, little bro?"- He asks him- "Once, this man tried to separate us and make us feel bad about being heroes. He did his best to undermine us and even threatened the lives of our family. And now, the tables have turned. His entire family is gone and he has paid the price for his treachery against the world. It's like a cycle that never ends, only much, much worse."
Geralt shakes his head.
"I just... wish that this didn't have to happen."- He mutters- "Why? Why were they so foolish? Why did they bring this upon themselves?"
Kaiden sighs.
"You care about our enemies way too much."- He says- "Look. I know that you want to make things better. I understand that you want to live in a world that's filled with harmony. But some things in life are not meant to happen. You must deal with it, one way or another, or you will just be another liability to society itself. And I won't allow that to happen."
Geralt looks down.
"I guess that I'm just like mom."- He says- "I care too much and I... I never think how bad it could be."
Aalia shakes her head.
"There's nothing wrong with being emotional, dear."- She says to him- "Every once in a while, there's a certain event that makes you think. It awakens your true self and makes you wonder whether the world would've been different or not if you chose a different path. And yet, it also seems that it doesn't matter. It's all predetermined."
As Aalia continues to talk, Geralt notices that Caleb's ski is turning gray.
"Umm, mom? Kai?"- He says- "You might want to take a look at this."
As the two of them look around, Caleb reanimates and grabs Kaiden's feet. He tries to bite him, but Kaiden delivers a swift and sharp kick, knocking the undead back and giving himself the chance to draw his weapon again.
The fight continues as the living and the dead continue to fight. The stakes get even higher than they were before as Kaiden is forced to avoid the reanimated body of the man whom he murdered in cold blood, awakened from the dead to take his revenge.
As Kaiden continues to push him back, he struggles to swing his sword. The undead Caleb is too close to him and he's unable to deliver a good blow. Just as he wonders what he must do, Geralt grabs a rock and throws it at the undead, getting his attention.
Unfortunately, this distraction is not good enough. The undead Caleb turns back to his victim, ignoring Geralt.
But this far from the end of the young hero's attempts to draw him away. He throws rocks, bits of trash and even a discarded cellphone. However, he finally gets his attention when he grabs a big chunk of burning wood and throws it at Caleb's head, enraging him and forcing him to crawl toward him.
Infuriated that Caleb attempted to murder him twice in a row, Kaiden takes very little time to stand back up. Once he is on his feet, he approaches Caleb and slams his boot into his skull.
As the undead falls to the ground, Kaiden continues to stomp his head in. He shows no intention to stop and his rage only grows higher with each blow that he delivers.
"Die, you fiend! Die!"- He screams- "Your empire will fall, just like you did!"
Geralt has never seen his brother so determined, so infatuated with something. He has become a completely different person from what he once was and this is what he has to face with his own eyes.
Seeing that his brother is on the verge of madness, the boy lunges forward and attempts to drag him away.
"No, Kai! Stop!"- He yells- "It's over! You've done what you could!"
Kaiden looks back at his brother. Then he looks at Caleb's lifeless corpse. He sighs and delives one last stomp to his skull.
"That'll teach you and your people to not mess with us!"- He yells- "Rest in shambles, fiend!"
Having said that, he takes a few steps forward and sighs.
"This forest is about to be completely destroyed."- He says- "Let's go. I don't want us to be its final victims."
Having said that, he and Geralt leave the forest for good, leaving Caleb's body to be incinerated by the flames as they engulf the campground.
Once they are outside, they notice one major difference- nobody is waiting for them. Perhaps they were too busy and fled before the truth about them could be revealed. 
Geralt's eyes start to close. He falls on his knees.
Kaiden notices this and rushes to his brother. As his consciousness starts to waver, he grabs him and puts him on his shoulders, determined to finish this journey.
"Come on, little bro. Keep up the great work."- He says- "We're almost out of this mess. Don't give up, please."
Geralt nods slowly.
"I will try to stay awake."
As the two of them move out of the burning forest, two people approach them. Kaiden immediately recognizes one of them as their grandfather, but the second one is unfamiliar to him.
"Grandpa! You didn't go away!"- He exclaims- "I'm so glad that you kept your promise!"
Jared smiles and looks down.
"I did remain here. I protected you from the rest of those vagabonds. I even managed to confront that Redmark feller."- He says- "However, he was too powerful. At first, he pretended to be a simple warrior who was unable to fight. But then, just as I was distracted, he unleashed his full power. I'm an old man, so I was unable to stop him. I... I'm sorry, kids. I failed you."
Kaiden shakes his head.
"No, grandpa. You did nothing to betray us."- He says- "You fought Redmark valiantly and scared him away. Even though he didn't receive the justice that is due to him, he'll soon get the idea that we're not just a bunch of puppets. And he's not the puppeteer."
He looks at the person who is with him.
"Wait a second."- He says- "Who is this kid?"
Jared looks back at the boy that is standing next to him and laughs.
"I'm surprised that you don't recognize him!"- He exclaims- "This is Aaron, a classmate of Geralt. The same one who began his career as a mercenary not too long ago."
Kaiden looks at Aaron.
"And what brings you here, Aaron?"
Aaron sighs.
"A little bit of unconsidered foolishness. That's what."- He says- "I was greedy. I entered Redmark's army because I thought that I could convince him to stop attacking innocent people and get some money out of it. However, I can see that it will never happen. That man's way too blind and his actions only cause harm to the world. Our future will never be the same when he's around."
Kaiden nods.
"So you admit that you made a mistake."
Aaron sighs again.
"I made it many times. Before and now."- He responds- "However, I made up my mind. I betrayed those people because I wanted to make a difference. And I can see that there's none to be made while I'm on their side."
Kaiden smiles and pats him on the shoulder.
"Welcome to the family, kid!"- He exclaims- "It's good to see someone who's genuine about his own intentions!"
Aaron smiles.
"Thank you, mister... umm... "
Kaiden nods.
"Kaiden."- He responds- "Just call me Kaiden."
Aaron nods.
"Yes! Kaiden!"- He exclaims- "Thank you, Kaiden!"
Kaiden turns back to Jared.
"So. What happens now?"- He asks- "I know that our family must be looking for us. But... they're gone. There are no traces left of them. Where could they have gone?"
Jared sighs.
"Well, it was difficult for all of us. But we made our decision. I had to send them away."- He says- "They don't know that you're still alive. And I... I feel like it would be awful for us to just come back like that."
He looks at the vast expanse ahead of them.
"I fear that the best decision for all of us would be to escape elsewhere and start a new life."- He continues- "Maybe we will be able to reunite with them someday. But this is not the right time. We must go."
Kaiden sighs.
"I understand your concerns, grandpa. It's clear that you had to make a very hard choice."- He says- "But that's fine. We can get through this, even though it has to be on our own. We'll be weaker without their help, but that doesn't matter. Even when he is separated from his loved ones, the true warrior never gives up. He just keeps on fighting and living up to his name. And this is exactly what we'll do."
He turns back to Geralt.
"What do you say about this, little bro?"
Geralt sighs.
"It is quite unfair, I must admit it. Our family is torn apart and they were left devastated by the recent course of events."- He says- "However, this is not the right time to lament about how weak we were. We must move on and hope that our paths will cross again in the future."
Jared smiles.
"It seems like your father taught you very well. That's good."- He says- "And now, it's time for the four of us to begin our next journey."
The four of them walk toward the sunset, trying to reach a nearby town before night falls.