MLTNL P8- "Lessons That We Learned"

"Lessons That We Learned" is the eighth and final Part of "Miracula Luxia: The Northern Lights". It was released on 20.03.2020.
== Plot ==
Having passed all seven challenges and satisfied the council's wishes for a true hero, Jared confronts the biggest evil in the temple- Vanitas himself.
The young hero has to use every single ability he has managed to obtain during his journey before and after coming into the temple to defeat this ancient foe and destroy him... once. And for all.
The final battle begins and there is no going back. 
== Story ==
Jared is teleported into the final room- the place where he has to meet Vanitas.
Unsurprisingly, he is already there. However, he is definitely not expecting him to return from the challenges alive.
Jared clangs his blade into the ground to get the attention of his enemy. Vanitas turns around, startled by the sound.
Once he sees Jared, his expression immediately changes from surprised to angry.
Jared smiles, realizing how angry and confused Vanitas currently is.
"Hello, O Dark One!"- He greets him.
Vanitas sneers.
"W-what?!"- He yells- "Impossible!"
Jared smiles again and continues.
"From the darkest depths of the challenges, I have returned, shining with my brightest light and ready to show you how powerful I have become, thanks to my superior knowledge."
Vanitas grins.
"Oh really? N-no, it can't be true. The spirits must have let you pass them out of sympathy. Or pity. Or possibly out of desire to make me pay for ruining their precious temple!"
The spirit appears once again, this time standing in front of Jared.
The boy also notices that a few more spirits are now standing behind him.
"You are wrong, Vanitas!"- The spirit says- "We did not let Jared pass out of sympathy, or pity. We didn't let him pass just so we can drive you out. We let him pass, because he is a true hero. The way he passed all of those challenges has really intrigued all of the spirits, especially myself and that is why he is here with you. As for our desire to slay you, we have none. Jared wished to deal with you himself... and he will now. So, we bid our farewell."
Just as all of the spirits are about to fade away, one spirit peeks from behind Vanitas and approaches the friendly spirit in front of Jared.
The spirit is amazed to see an old friend.
"Elyse?!"- He says her name.
Elyse shakes her head, not wishing to talk to him.
Vanitas laughs.
"Yes! That's right, Elyse! This is the spirit who left you to die in life and doesn't care about you now!"
"I learned a lot about you, Aiden. While you and Jared went through the challenges, I studied things about the temple's spirits and I read some info about you. That's why I invited your old friend, so you could have... a "friendly" conversation! Hehehe."
Elyse stares coldly at Aiden. The spirit is unable to speak to his old friend.
Finally, he decides to begin.
"Elyse, I am so sorry about what happened to you. I... "
Elyse shushes him.
"Aiden, you left me to die. You let that man torture me, stab me, and... even worse than that. You left me in that room, just to save your own skin."
"But now we meet again. And this time nobody will be able to save you!"- She yells and raises her ghostly blade to slay him.
Jared tries to interfere, but is stopped by a magical barrier as Vanitas laughs at him.
Aiden drops to his knees.
"I know that you will never be able to forgive me, my dearest Elyse, but please... listen to your heart. Hear what it says to you. And do whatever it says."
Elyse realizes that she has to kill a friend. She drops her ghostly blade and begins to cry, unable to do so.
Suddenly, Vanitas loses his temper and approaches her.
"You weakling! You incompetent fool!"- He yells- "Finish him off already!"
Elyse looks up at him angrily as Aiden hugs her and tries to comfort her.
"You! You... tried to make me kill the dearest person to me. In life. Tried to make me forget what good deeds he has done for me and only remember... that moment. For that, I will curse you. You shall be the weakling now!"
With a hideous ghostly howl, she manages to curse Vanitas, like she promised. Suddenly, Vanitas feels much weaker.
She turns to Jared.
"You. You are the... good person. I thank you for passing the challenges. Well, you will now be able to leave the temple. If you wish."
"But, before that happens, you need to defeat Vanitas and show him what it means to be a warrior of the light. Can you do that?"
Jared nods.
"I have done it for so many years. Why not do it again?"
Elyse smiles as she, Aiden and the other spirits begin to fade away.
"Show him what you have learned, Jared. We believe in you."- Aiden says before he fades away completely.
Jared stares at Vanitas for a few moments.
"All this time... you have been with me. In my darkest times, in my greatest sorrows, you laughed at my pain and you made fun of me. Because you thought that I was weak. Well, the weakness is now over. I have completed the challenges and I am stronger than ever. And I am ready to use what I learned against you and finish you off once and for all. Because this is what true heroes do- they vanquish the evil without thinking twice. And don't think that I am doing this, because I hate you or anything. I am doing this, because you endanger my family and friends with your presence. And, most importantly, you endanger the whole world. You are a true menace, my dear Vanitas. Everyone hates you and wants you gone, including myself."
"So, get ready, because here I come."
Jared draws his sword and prepares his shield for battle.
Vanitas giggles. It is not a pleasant sound. Not at all.
"Yes!"- He yells- "Show your emotions! Tell me how you truly feel! Let your anger out! I know you want to!"
Instead of lashing out at Vanitas, Jared does something very surprising- he stands where he is, waiting for his enemy to make the first move.
"I know you want to."- He repeats the words of Vanitas, smiling while doing so.
Vanitas smirks.
"So that's how it's gonna be, eh? Well then."- He says quietly and pulls out his sword and shield.
Then, he charges at Jared without thinking twice about his intentions.
With a swift motion, Jared evades Vanitas's attack and, with a single blow he manages to knock Vanitas to the ground.
Vanitas stands up without difficulty and charges at Jared once again.
The two of them fight like it is the last battle of their lives- each one of them fighting for their own goals, Vanitas to crush Jared and take over the temple for himself... and soon enough, the world, and Jared fights to save the good people around him from Vanitas's ancient evil and to get rid of him once and for all.
After a few very strong blows, Jared manages to knock the sword and shield out of Vanitas's hands.
Vanitas smirks and surprises Jared by pulling out a huge sword from his back.
For a few moments, our hero is unable to do anything. This gives his enemy the chance to strike and deliver a blow without any resistance from his rival.
Vanitas swings his blade at Jared and manages to bring him to his knees.
As Jared attempts to get up, he hears a cry coming from nearby. He sees a child that has fallen to the ground, unable to get up. A huge piece of the ceiling is about to fall on him.
Jared doesn't think twice about what to do next. He quickly pushes Vanitas away from him, runs towards the child and succeeds in pushing it away from the area where the ceiling is going to fall.
Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that Jared won't get hurt. Once he is assured that the child is at a safe distance, away from the falling ceiling, he tries to get away himself. However, the ceiling begins to fall at that moment, two big pieces falling on Jared's left arm and right leg, severely wounding them.
As the child thanks Jared and slowly scampers away, Vanitas approaches our hero and laughs at him.
"Hah!"- He exclaims- "You managed to save the kid, but you became the one who is wounded by the falling ceiling. Pathetic!"
He points his huge sword at him.
"Now you're useless. Unable to move. Unable to fight back. Useless!"
Just as he is about to strike, Jared surprises him by getting up and grabbing his sword with his other hand.
"Just because I got wounded by the falling ceiling doesn't mean that I won't be able to fight you, you fiend!"- He says slowly and quietly- "Heroes never give up, no matter the circumstances or their health. They keep fighting until their last breaths."
Vanitas smirks.
"Then consider this your last breath!"- He yells and tries to stab Jared in the chest.
However, the boy manages to push the huge sword away from his chest without struggling too much.
As Vanitas tries to attack again, Jared prepares for his next move.
Once the evil one is close enough to him, he forms a magical shield to protect himself from the blows temporarily.
Vanitas laughs.
"Really? A magical shield?! That won't stop me, you fool!"- He yells and begins to strike at the shield to weaken it.
Slowly but surely, the shield gets weaker and weaker. Soon, Vanitas will be able to strike at Jared again.
"Surrender, you fool!"- He yells- "There's no escape from the Darkness! Accept it! Don't fight back!"
However, Jared doesn't do so. He doesn't beg to be spared, he doesn't plead for his life. He doesn't even beg him to stop striking. He simply waits, aware of his enemy's desires, waiting for a moment of weakness. Even if it is an insignificant one.
Finally, he manages to see a flaw in his attacks. Even though they are strong and able to easily knock him down, they leave a vulnerable spot in Vanitas's body- the torso.
Vanitas is almost done destroying the shield. Once he does so and tries to strike at Jared, the boy manages to evade his attack, knock his huge blade on the ground and stab him in the chest while he is vulnerable.
Vanitas falls to his knees. Jared watches his coldly.
Instead of executing him immediately, he simply wants to see what his enemy is going to do next.
Vanitas smirks.
"How?!"- He yells- "How are you so strong? Why are you so strong?!"
Jared smiles.
"It is called "determination", my friend. Every hero has it and every hero uses it to achieve his goals. Determination is what has kept me alive so far, and it will keep me alive in the future."
"Well, will it keep you alive from this?!"- Vanitas says and tries to punch Jared in the face.
However, his wound proves to be too much for him. He falls to his knees once again, this time unable to move at all.
Jared shakes his head as he watches Vanitas struggle to get up and fight him.
"You said that I am pathetic, but I can see that it is otherwise now. What I mean is that you are the one who is pathetic, who doesn't know how to make good decisions. And there is a reason for that- because the Darkness has reworked you like this."
"I know about you, Vanitas. I knew that you were not intended to be evil, but helpful. But Master Xehanort has made you otherwise. And for that, I am sorry."
Vanitas smirks.
"Pity... no. I don't deserve it. I hate people who pity me. I hate it!"
Jared smiles.
"Very well. I will not pity you for your actions in the past."
Jared watches him for a few moments, unsure what to do with his dark self. A small part of him wants to finish him off and rid the world of his evil influence. But another much bigger part of him wants to leave him where he is, so he can think about what he has done in the past and cry about it. And maybe die afterwards.
Fortunately, his wiser self prevails. He decides to leave Vanitas be.
Before he leaves, however, he forces Vanitas to materialize something that he has lost in the past. It was at the moment when our hero held up the item that Vanitas realizes what he has given to him.
Jared is now holding the Chosen One's weapon once again- the Keyblade.
The boy smiles.
"Thank you, Vanitas. I can say this now- you really did something good today."- He says and leaves Vanitas to struggle for his life.
When Jared leaves the room, Vanitas sighs.
"All this time, I've been doing evil things. I made people regret being good. I tried to make them evil. And, worse than that, I laughed at their mistakes."
"What have I become? Why... have I become like... this?"
He cannot handle the pressure anymore. He begins to cry.
"I'm sorry. Ventus, Terra, Aqua. Eraqus. I am so sorry for hurting you, for making you evil. Oh, if only I could turn back time and show that fool, Xehanort that I am not his puppet. If only I could."
We leave Vanitas crying in the dark room, alone and go back to Jared, who is now near the exit of the temple, smiling.
The spirits of Aiden and Elyse appear before him, holding hands and smiling.
"You did it, Jared."- Elyse says- "You defeated Vanitas and saved the temple from his evil influence. For that, we thank you, brave hero."
Jared smiles.
"It wasn't just thanks to me, my friends. All of us did it. You, me, the other spirits. All of us defeated this ancient evil and won the battle. And the war."
"Yes, Elyse. He is right. We worked as a team and showed Vanitas that we can fight together."- Aiden says.
"But what matters the most now is that you have managed to complete all seven challenges, Jared. You completed them without a worry, without a fear. Knowing that the world needs you to save it from the endless evil, you did not give up and continued fighting until the end."
"And now, me and the other spirits can finally declare you a True Hero. Congratulations!"
"But before we let you leave... "
Aiden motions for Jared to bow down. He does so and Elyse gives him a small amulet with a small red gemstone inserted in it, a symbol of peace and bravery.
"For your bravery."- She begins- "We give you the Amulet Of The Hero. This is a very rare artifact that we give to only the most devoted heroes, so wear it well. It will remind you of who you really are, even in times when you've lost the faith in yourself."
Jared gets up and thanks them for this unexpected gift.
"I thank you for giving me this precious item, Aiden, Elyse. I promise to wear it wherever I go and fight for the good of everyone, no matter how hard the fight seems to be."
Aiden and Elyse smile.
"Very well then."- Aiden continues- "Go outside and be the hero that everyone needs. And help them out. Because heroes like yourself are the reason why this world exists in the first place. Or, at least one of the reasons."
"Anyway, don't let me slow you down. Safe travels, true hero!"
Jared nods, smiles once again and leaves the temple, ready to go outside and be the hand that will help the people in need.
He looks back at the temple one last time.
"Well, I did it."- He says- "I thought that I would not get out of this temple alive, but I have surprised myself with the results. Once again."
"Now it is time for me to surprise other people around the world by helping them out. Let us go!"
With a clear goal in mind, Jared leaves the temple behind and heads towards his hometown- the city of Paris, ready to help the people in need.
== Trivia ==
* Originally, "Miracula Luxia: The Northern Lights" was supposed to have only seven Parts, but AleksProdzBG (The creator of the "Miracula Luxia" series) decided to create one last Part to conclude the conflict between the Hero (Jared) and the Villain (Vanitas) once and for all.