MLTO C3, P5

This is the fifth Part of "MLIV:TO" 's third Chapter.
It was released on 18.12.2022.
== Plot ==
With most of Shura's servants either turned against him or taken care of, Geralt and his allies are finally able to face the evil monk in battle and make him pay for the crimes that he committed against the temple.
Even though this mysterious man turned out to be much more dangerous than they thought, they are still ready to repel him and take back what is rightfully theirs- the balance of the world that he disrupted with his actions.
Once again, a lot of things are at stake. Every action is going to matter and every blow is going to cause pain. The fate of this world is determined by one fight and our heroes have to do their best to achieve what their predecessors did many years ago.
Will the young do-gooders be able to handle the fire and achieve victory?
== Story ==
Aurelia and her allies rush toward the battlefield where Geralt and Shura the Dark Flame are about to fight. They arrive just as the dark spirit descends and comes face to face with one of his greatest enemies.
"Do you not see it, Geralt? Everything is already predetermined."- He says to him- "Every move that you make. Every event that you experience. The things that happened to you were always meant to happen and there was no way for you to prevent them."
Geralt shakes his head.
"Even though you do seem honest, I do not believe in superstitions."- He says- "I have only believed in my faith and my ability to save mankind from creatures like you. And the result won't be different this time."
Shura laughs.
"You think that I, Shura of the Dark Flame, can be defeated so easily? By a weakling like yourself?"- He says- "Don't make me laugh. I've seen commoners who are more determined than you. Sure, you may have done a lot of good things in the past, but that doesn't make you a hero."
Geralt shakes his head.
"I never said that I am a hero."- He says- "All I said was that I believe that I can stop you from doing... whatever you have on your mind."
Shura grins.
"And how will you do that, exactly?"- He asks- "Take a look at me. Now, at yourself. I am a dark spirit, an ethereal being that has been through countless ordeals and made it out of each one of them. And you are a child with a very unfortunate fate. Isn't the result clear enough to you?"
Geralt sighs.
"It is true. You have much more experience than me. I will not deny it."- He says and places his hand on his sword- "However, there is one thing that you forgot to see in your so-called visions. Sometimes, a battle can be determined by one's will to fight. The fire within my soul fuels my desire and makes me stronger. Thus, our powers are equal, if very different."
Shura laughs.
"Then how about we face each other in one last fight? See who is the true hero meant to bring justice to this world?"- He asks him- "I have been longing for an actual challenge, so you should be perfect for me."
Using his incredible magic, he creates a portal-like vortex and beckons the young hero to approach.
"Come to me."- He says- "I shall be waiting for you."
Without another word, Shura steps into the portal, eagerly awaiting Geralt's arrival.
The monks stare at each other as their master leaves the temple. It is clear that they are relieved that he is gone, but they are still aware of the danger that he poses. It was not easy to get here, but it will be even harder to get out of this mess.
"Geralt. I appreciate your heroism and kindness, but I think that this is way too much for you."- Jared says to his grandson- "Are you sure that you want to endanger yourself like this, just to make this ethereal being pay? Even I, as a hero who has faced many dangers in his lifetime, believe that this is crazy."
Geralt shakes his head.
"Crazy or not, I made a promise to those monks- I either go in there and fight with my dignity intact or I back away and run like a coward."- He says- "I have never been a coward in my life and I won't be a coward today. I am going in."
Aurelia steps forward.
"Are you sure, Geralt?"- She asks- "I mean... you should probably note what he said. He's a strange spirit thing and you're just a human. It might get bad for you."
Geralt nods.
"I admit it. I am a little bit afraid. Such a challenge is way too much, even for me."- He says- "But this battle is not over yet. As long as I have my hope and faith, as well as the people who still believe in me, I know that I can make a difference one more time."
He extends his hand.
"So, who is with me?"
Jared does the same.
"If you want to face Shura the Dark Flame all by yourself, then know that we're all here alongside you."- He says- "We never gave up on you and we never will."
Aaron nods.
"Just like Mr. Kaos said, we're one and the same in every fight that we participate in."- He says- "Our courage shall prevail!"
Aurelia smiles.
"I'm just glad that I'm here with all of you."- She says- "It's so exciting to be out of that prison."
Geralt nods.
"Then we are ready."- He says- "I shall go in there. I will carry your wishes and use them to defeat that vile fiend once and for all."
As Geralt prepares to step through the portal, Zachary approaches him.
"Umm, can I help you?"- He asks.
Zachary raises his eyebrow.
"You are... Geralt Kaos, right?"
Geralt nods.
"That is correct."- He responds- "I am Geralt Kaos."
Zachary smiles and shakes his hand.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, young Kaos."- He says- "My name is Zachary Bourne. I can't believe that we met, at long last."
He looks at the portal.
"But don't let me stop you!"- He exclaims- "There's a whole world of adventure waiting for you. Go ahead and make them see the power of a true Kaos!"
Geralt smiles.
"I don't know who you are, but it was great to meet you, Mr. Bourne... even though it was during those dark times."- He says- "I am looking forward to talking to you again."
Zachary nods.
"Me too!"
As Geralt crosses the portal, he looks back at his allies and gives them a thumbs-up. Then, he disappears.
"Good luck, my boy."- Jared says- "I know that you'll make it out alive."
Geralt emerges in thie other side, finding himself in a completely black nexus. He tries to walk around, but cannot feel his legs.
"How does it feel to be helpless and deceived?"- Shura asks him- "Pretty annoying, hmm?"
Geralt looks around.
"Show yourself, Shura!"- He exclaims- "I know that you're in here!"
Shura laughs.
"I could probably face you. There's nothing wrong with that."- He says- "But that would just spoil the fun, wouldn't it?"
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"Fun?"- He says- "There is no fun in fighting your opponent, especially when everything you ever fought for is in danger!"
Shura sighs.
"What's the rush? Are you afraid that you're going to miss your favorite cartoon or something?"- He asks him- "Relax, Geralt. I just want to tell you a story. The story of how I got to be like this."
Suddenly, Geralt is wrenched through an invisible portal. It is as if an invisible hand just dragged him through it, completely against his own will.
Soon, he finds himself in a pleasant-looking garden, in a ranch that is far away from any known civilization.
"You know, I wasn't always a spirit to begin with. I began my life as a completely normal human being."- Shura says- "It all started twelve years ago, when I was still a young and incompetent individual, looking for glory and wealth beyond telling."
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"So. Umm."- He says- "Did you... find it?"
Shura smiles.
"Just wait and see."
A lone boy emerges from the house. He is holding a wooden sword, swinging it around at the nearby bushes as he approaches them.
"Could you imagine that someone like myself could become so powerful, so revered?"- Shura says- "I was but a simple boy during that wished to find his way in the world. Nothing more."
He sighs.
"Until he arrived."
Geralt sees a younger version of Akihiro approaching the house. Shura's parents come out to greet him.
Although the young hero cannot hear the conversation, he can tell one thing- the old master is trying to recruit him. He says that the boy might be the Chosen One and that he might be able to unlock his abilities by taking him under his wing.
"Of course, my foolish parents were reluctant. They didn't want their only son to become the subject of some sort of experiment, so they refused."- Shura says- "But Master Akihiro was persistent. He didn't want to miss an opportunity when it presented himself. So, he talked to them for days and continued to persuade them until they finally accepted. And thus, I begun a new chapter in my life."
The scenery changes, revealing Shura standing alongside his fellow students, trained by Akihiro.
"This was the beginning of it all. I was given incredible powers. I grew stronger in nothing more than a few years."- He says- "But I became too powerful. People grew to fear me, because I was far superior to them. And yet, they never knew what I was truly capable of. They were not aware of the fact that I was turning against the light, searching for a power far greater than their measly purity."
Once again, the vision changes, revealing Shura to be standing on his desk, reading a black, evil-looking book.
"Bored from all the countless hours of exhausting training, I found solace in the forbidden works of art. An individual from the black market once stumbled upon our temple. Before my master shunned him away, I was able to buy one of his books."- He says- "Soon, I understood what true power is. The materialistic world was nothing more than a mirage that humankind was infatuated with. All that I wanted was the world to fall on their knees and revere me."
Geralt sighs.
"Just like every generic villain we have ever met."
Shura clears his throat.
"Anyway, back to business."
The vision changes one more time, revealing the remains of the temple, after the raid caused by Shura and his allies.
"Many years later, I was fed up with Akihiro's lies. I refused to believe his words and wanted to make a name for myself."- He says- "So, I went ahead and allied myself with a lot of powerful individuals. We brought ruin upon the unsuspecting world, We razed entire villages, burned countrysides and made people cry. And that's when they understood what true pain feels like."
He looks down.
"But we were never truly successful."- He says- "Even though we went very far, we were always stopped by heroes like you."
He raises his hand.
"So, you shall face the same fate as them."
Suddenly, Geralt's vision darkens. He starts to hear the screams of the people that Shura killed. It takes a lot of effort to not join them, but he succeeds. For now.
"Ah. A strong one you are, young Kaos."- Shura says- "But can you survive the worst of it?"
The mist grows thicker as Geralt's breathing becomes raspier. He starts to choke, his life being slowly poured out of him.
"Yes! Yes!"- Shura yells- "Now, you understand what I am! Now, you see me as the true monster!"
Geralt pulls out a small vial from his pocket.
"Good thing that I... brought this with me!"
Then, he throws the vial and shatters it into Shura's face.
Immediately, the substance within it starts to burn the vile monk. He screams as the pure energy slowly purifies him and dispels the dark magic that he just casted. It is a painful process, but it works.
"Agh!"- He yells- "What is that?!"
Geralt smiles as the mist finally clears.
"A little bit of holy water."- He responds- "I thought that an evil being like you might need some of it. It seems like I was right."
Shura shakes his head.
"No. I can't fall. Not here, not now."- He says- "If you truly... want to defeat me, then you must face me on the battlefield. One... last time."
Having said that, he disappears. Not long after, a portal opens, allowing Geralt to cross it and face the final challenge.
"Once again, the coward flees from his so-called destiny, condemning himself to a life of mockery and disobedience."- Geralt says to himself- "It's getting tiring to give chase, especially after everything that I went through. But I feel like it will be worth it in the end."
He draws his sword and takes a few steps forward.
"Alright then, Shura of the Dark Flame."- He says- "I am coming for you."
As he steps through the portal, he sighs.
"And you better be a man of your word this time."