MLTO C1, P2

This is the second Part of "MLIV:TO" 's second Chapter.
It was released on 02.10.2022.
== Plot ==
Now farther away from the mainland, the Kaos siblings begin their journey toward the mysterious academy where Kaiden is going to study, They talk about the past, lamenting how there was one whom they were unable to save.
But now, it is time to face the future. Are they ready for it to crash into them at full speed? Only time could tell.
== Story ==
Geralt stares at the window nearby. He sees a large countryside, filled with both farmers and their loyal animals.
"Wow."- He says- "I've never seen such a large expanse before."
Kaiden smiles.
"Farming life has never been good for us."- He says- "Dad thought well when he decided that we should be heroes instead."
Geralt looks at him.
"Have you wanted to be something else when you were a child?"
Kaiden raises his eyebrow.
"Did I dream of something else, you mean?"- He asks- "Hmm. Let's see."
He looks at the window outside as well.
"When I was a child, I had the strange desire of becoming a priest. Just like mom."- He says- "However, dad told me that a person like me would rather cause harm than ease the pain of someone. That I was not fit for such a great responsibility and that it takes years of hard work to master the arts of healing."
Geralt gasps.
"That is so mean!"
Kaiden sighs.
"I know."- He says- "But what's done is done. I can't change it, no matter how hard I try."
Geralt looks at him.
"Like what happened to Kiki?"
Kaiden stares back at him.
"What about our sister?"
Geralt looks down.
"Nothing."- He says- "I just... had a bad dream yesterday. I guess that it got stuck into my mind. Haunting my dreams, like the rest that I experienced before."
Kaiden raises his eyebrow.
"And yet, it sounds like this one is somewhat... special."
Geralt looks up.
"How could you tell?"
Kaiden shrugs.
"I don't know for sure."- He says- "But your eyes, they betray a loose emotion. Something that... makes me worried as well."
Geralt sighs.
"It was all just a wishful thinking."- He says- "But then, life itself turned upside down. I didn't know what to do, until I realized that it was just a bad dream."
Kaiden nods.
"That explains the sudden scream that I heard upstairs this morning."
Geralt sighs.
"I was... scared."- He says- "I was wondering how life would be if Kiki was still here with us. I wanted to see her face again, hug her and tell her that we will always remember her as she is. But then, she turned into something... horrible. Soon, she lunged at me... and that is the end of the story."
Kaiden gasps.
"Oh my God... "
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"See?"- He says and sighs- "I felt the same way."
Kaiden shakes his head.
"I guess that things like that are going to haunt you for the rest of your life."- He says- "The best thing you could do to prevent them is to think positively."
Geralt looks at him.
"Well, have you?"
Kaiden sighs.
"I've been trying to."- He says- "But it's hard to do so, especially when you have so much work to do."
Geralt nods.
"And it will only get worse when you enroll in that place."
Kaiden nods.
"It's true."- He says- "But I'll get over it, just like everything else that happened in my life."
He looks at Geralt.
"But tell me, little bro."- He says- "Why did you decide to refuse the officials' offer? Why did you want to continue your current life?"
Geralt sighs.
"I guess that there is something special about it. I have felt this way ever since I began to think properly."- He says- "It is true. I completely abide to the sacred laws. I would be honored to enforce them with an iron fist. But I just thought that this wouldn't be the best way to make it happen. What with all of the things that happen in places like those, I felt like staying with Aunt and Uncle would be my best option. For now, at the very least."
Kaiden nods.
"A wise choice."- He replies- "But what are your plans for the future?"
Geralt smiles.
"I want to become like dad."
Kaiden raises his eyebrow.
"You want to become a hero and risk your own life for people who might not even appreciate it?"- He asks- "Why would you want such a thing?"
Geralt stares at the nearby window.
"Like my current life, I feel like there is something special about it. Something that drags me toward it, makes me want to become a hero."- He says- "I know that many people are ungrateful fools. I have seen how they treat dad, even though he risked everything for their safety. But I have the feeling that it will get better as time passes. I am sure of it."
Kaiden raises his eyebrow.
"So you do think positively!"
Geralt smiles.
"Deep inside, I am an optimist."- He says- "Mom taught me how to change my view toward the world, and I did! I am a better person now!"
Kaiden nods.
"So, you still talk to her spirit."- He says- "Do you think that she is real? Or is she just a figment of your own imagination? A... wishful thinking?"
Geralt shakes his head.
"Everytime I talk to her, I can feel the light radiating from her bright spirit."- He says- "She is real and I would never think otherwise."
Kaiden smiles.
"Little bro... "
Geralt clenches his fist.
"Someday, I will find a way to bring both her and Kiki back."- He says- "All I need is some time."
Kaiden smiles sadly.
"Well, we've got all the time in the world."- He says jokingly- "So, suit yourself."
Geralt sighs.
"Do you think that I'm just daydreaming?"- He asks him- "That I'm just... pretending that everything will get better?"
Kaiden raises his eyebrow.
"Umm... not really."- He responds- "Why?"
Geralt sighs.
"I was just wondering if you believe in what I wonder."
Kaiden smiles.
"You know that I always do, right?"- He says- "Even if the sky comes falling down, for you, there's nothing in this world I wouldn't do."
Geralt smiles back.
"When we were younger, I believed that you are the only person who truly understands me and loves me for who I am. I guess that my claim was proven correct as time passed by."- He says- "Thank you, big brother. I owe a lot to you."
Kaiden nods.
"It's true. I've done a lot."- He admits- "However, you don't need to repay me for my services. Your smile is always my greatest reward."
Geralt smiles, leans forward and hugs him.
"Thank you for having faith in me."
Kaiden nods and pats him on the back.
"And thank you for looking out for me."
Geralt smiles again. Then, he stares at the window, imagining something that cannot be seen by Kaiden.
A few moment, he feels a small headache and pulls himself back.
"Is everything okay, little bro?"- Kaiden asks.
Geralt shakes his head.
"It's nothing serious."- He says- "I just... felt it all again."
Kaiden raises his eyebrow.
"The bad dream?"
Geralt sighs.
"It is as if history is repeating itself again."
He looks down and buries his head in the palms of his two hands.
"Why is this happening to us?"- He mutters- "Why can't it just end?"
Kaiden looks at him.
"You miss her, don't you?"
Geralt nods.
"I miss her more than anything else in this world."- He responds- "Without her, it feels like a part of me... just vanished long ago."
Kaiden sighs.
"I know the feeling."- He says- "Kia was my twin sister. Now that she's gone, I feel like half a person."
He looks at Geralt again and smiles serenely.
"But the best that we could do is to just continue moving on."- He says- "It's best for both of us to just forget, at least for the time being."
Geralt looks down.
"I will never forget Kiki."
Kaiden shakes his head.
"You don't need to."- He says- "Just try not to think about it too much. That way, you'll save yourself some pain."
Geralt sighs.
"You are right."- He says- "Perhaps I have been dwelling in the past for too long. I need to start anew. Become the person that she has always wanted me to be."
Kaiden nods. Then, he looks down.
"I remember when I felt like you do right now."- He says- "When you ran to me and told me about Kia's demise at the hands of those fiends... I felt like I lost everything."
The two of them reminisce the times after the slaughter of the Kaos family four years ago. They see their past selves and hear their words as they approach each other after the conclusion of the onslaught.
"Geralt! Is that you?"- Kaiden asks- "What happened to you? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Geralt does not say anything. He just looks down. Tears fall down from his eyes as he tries to forget what he just experienced.
Kaiden takes his time to inspect him further. He realizes that Geralt is in a much worse condition than he thought.
"Little bro!"- He exclaims- "You're bleeding!"
Geralt shakes his head.
"My heart is bleeding even more."
Kaiden looks at his brother, concerned about his safety.
"What happened out there?"- He asks- "You were with Kia, right? Why is she not with you?"
Geralt remembers what happened back in the city. He falls on his knees and starts to cry. His tears fall on the stone cold floor below, absorbed by the uncaring earth, never to return.
"I am a bad brother!"- He yells- "I failed her, Kai! I failed her!"
Kaiden approaches his brother and kneels, staring at his tear-filled eyes as he continues to cry.
"Are you telling me that she... she... "
Geralt starts to cry even more than he did before.
Kaiden shakes his head. As tears start to fall from his eyes as well, he hugs his brother.
"No, little bro. It's my fault."- He says- "I should've been faster. I should've ignored those temptations."
As the two of them stand in the sunset, Jared and Akira watch from afar. They briefly stare at each other and shake their heads.
"Horrible, isn't it?"- Jared says- "I know that Geralt would have felt heartbroken about his dear sister's demise, but... dear God."
Akira shakes her head.
"Normally, I would've said that this is just another part of lifetime. But it isn't. It just isn't."- She says- "Today, the entire Kaos family griefs for one of its brightest members. And I... I'm glad that I got to know her for so long."
Jared sighs.
"It's even worse for me, dear."- He says- "Ever since Adam became older, I have always been dreaming of how I would become a grandfather to his children. How I would give them all of the love that they deserve. But I... never counted on this."
Akira nods.
"Let's hope that things will get better in the future."
Jared stares at his remaining grandchildren and sighs again.
"Trust me, dear."- He says- "It is only going to get better from here."
Akira looks at him.
"I hope that you're not joking."
Jared shakes his head.
"I never would."
And then, the flashback ends. The two siblings open their eyes and notice that they are back on the train.
"Man."- Kaiden says- "I don't know why, but it felt so real."
Geralt nods.
"Now, you can finally see how I feel."- He says- "Tell me, Kai. Do you feel the same way?"
Kaiden nods.
"Without a doubt, I do."- He says- "I miss Kia a lot. And nothing would ever change that."
Geralt nods.
"Then that makes two of us."- He says- "Thank you, Kai. I am glad that you feel the same way as I do."
As they continue to stare at the window outside, they notice something strange. Cavalry units are approaching the train. Their blades are drawn.
"Wait."- Geralt says- "Why is the military here?"
Kaiden shrugs.
"Maybe there are some escaped criminals on the loose?"
Geralt shakes his head.
"I hope not!"
Meanwhile, police patrols are surrounding the road behind the train, ensuring that no dangerous criminals would try to stop it.
As the two siblings continue staring in disbelief, they hear the train's engineer's voice on the device behind their backs. They also notice that the train itself has stopped for some reason. Strange.
"Forgive us for the inconvenience, dear passengers. However, it seems like we have encountered a problem that we have yet to fix."- He says- "You... wouldn't believe it, even if you saw it with your own eyes. It's only happened in the movies so far, but it's so real. Please continue standing on your seats. Keep calm. The authorities will handle this situation very soon."
Geralt looks at his brother.
"Did you hear that, Kai?"- He asks him- "Something is happening!"
Kaiden shakes his head.
"Don't worry, little bro. It's probably just a giant rock or something."- He says- "I'm sure that the policemen will get rid of it soon."
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"Well, is that rock supposed to shoot a gun?"
Kaiden hears the sound of gunshots outside. He looks at the area below and notices that a group of bandits have arrived at the entrance near them.
"Alright, weaklings! Ante up!"- One of the bandits says- "Let me see your hands in the air!"
Kaiden gasps.
"What is going on?!"
Geralt hears someone speaking nearby. He motions for his brother to stop talking.
"Hold on!"- He mutters- "I think that they already made it in!"
As the two siblings wonder what to do, they hear banging on the door that leads to their cubicle.
"Open up the darned door!"- A bandit yells- "We know there's people in there! Don't keep us waitin'!"
Geralt looks at Kaiden.
"Stay calm, Kai."- He says- "We can get through this mess. Just try not to panic."
Kaiden looks at the door, then at Geralt. He sighs and nods.
"I promise that I'll be quiet."
Geralt nods.
"Like a little mouse?"
Kaiden nods.
"Yes."- He responds- "Like a little mouse."
Geralt smiles.
"Very well."- He says- "Let's hide."
== Trivia ==
* The part of Geralt and Kaiden's conversation where Geralt asks if Kaiden believes in what he wonders and Kaiden responds that he does and that there's nothing he wouldn't do, even if the sky is falling down is the reference to the lyrics of a popular song by Swedish DJ Avicii- "Hey Brother".