Miracula Luxia C7, P10- "If Today Was Your Last Day"

"If Today Was Your Last Day" is the tenth and final Part of "Miracula Luxia" 's Chapter 7- "A New Beginning". It was released on 25.02.2020.
== Plot ==
After Jared's departure, Aleks remembers about the times he spent with his son and wishes he could have done more for him in the past few years of his life. He, John and Annie talk about those sweet memories while Jared is being teleported into the mysterious lands above them.
== Story ==
Aleks looked at the portal and sighed.
"There he goes again. A hero who lives to help the ones around him. That's my son now."
"For all these years, I have taught him to help everyone around him and make them feel safe and sound. But I never spent actual time with him. All this time, we just trained, so he could become more powerful. But we didn't have any time to strengthen our father-son bond."
He shaked his head.
John noticed that something was wrong and approached him as the slith went outside to guard the rest of the fort from hostiles.
"Is everything okay, Mr. Kaos?"- He asked him, concerned for his well-being.
He turned around and nodded.
"Don't worry about me, John. I'm just feeling a little sad."
"A little sad? Why so?"
Aleks sighed and looked at the portal again.
"It's about my son. I've always been with him. Protecting him. Advising him. Correcting his mistakes. But now, he goes on his own adventure, in the dangerous world that lies outside."
John smiled.
"What? Really? You're worried about him?"
He chuckled.
"Jared is a very skilled young person. From the moment when he saved me a year ago, I saw potential within him. Potential which will eventually help him to become a real hero."
"So, my advice for you is to just let him do what he wants. I know that you wish to protect him, but you should also let him do solo acts. That makes him feel like a true hero."
Aleks stared blankly into a wall. Then he turned to John.
"John, my boy, do you want to hear a little story?"
John was surprised by this sudden change in Aleks's demeanor, but he nodded. Out of curiosity to hear about this "story".
"Sure. Go on."- He said.
Aleks smiled and began to tell the small story of him and his son.
"Ever since he was born, Jared has always been my top responsibility to take care. Much more important than all of the others. I've always made sure that he feels happy and loved by his family. Me, his mother, his sister- we've all taken very good care of him."
"One day, I told him that he's destined to be a hero. My wife disagreed- our daughter was already a heroine and it was bad for two heroes to be in the family, but I did not listen to her. I trained Jared to be one of the biggest heroes in Paris, but he just wasn't interested. He just wanted to be a normal student and do his homework, like all other kids at his age."
"However, I did not give up. I motivated him to go to the right path- I told him that his actions might save many innocent lives from the jaws of hostiles. I gave him rewards for all the good deeds he did for the city, just like any respectful person would do if they were in my shoes. All this failed... until he found a mysterious key-shaped weapon known as the "Keyblade"."
John nodded, remembering what Jared told him about the mysterious weapon a year ago.
"Ah, yes."- He said- "The Keyblade."
Aleks smiled, realizing that John is actually interested in his story.
"The Keyblade was the reason why he and his childhood friend Akari went on an adventure. Worried that he would probably get hurt or worse, me and my wife tried to search for him. We didn't stop doing so... until we found him. A few months later."
"I promised that I would never abandon him ever again... but now he has to become a real hero."
He looked down.
"He's no longer the cute, innocent Jared he was when he was younger. Now he is a role model for an adventurer. A caring son and a true friend. And I am still very proud of him for that."
John remembered how his own father said the same words to him when he was just a child. He smiled and leaned back against a wall.
"You know, my father said the same things when I was a kid. He told me that he will always keep me safe and make sure that I will feel like a prince."
"In the end, I became a hero. Just like him."
Those words have managed to get Aleks's attention.
"A hero, hm? What is your family name, if you don't mind me asking?"
John smiled, realizing that Aleks was interested in his family.
"Well, in reality my full name is John Vincent Braveheart II. I am named after my grandfather, John Vincent Braveheart I."
Annie looked at him curiously. She gasped.
"You never told me!"- She exclaimed- "So you're of an aristocratic descent?"
John looked down.
"Well, yes, but actually not really. I am technically still a descendant of the royal Braveheart family, but me and my family have actually decided to abandon our statuses of royal descendants and live a normal life, free of trouble."
"Or what is left of my family."
Aleks and Annie looked down, remembering how they lost members of their respective families as well.
"What happened to your family?"- Aleks wondered.
John sighed.
"The four of us tried to live a normal life. It didn't work out. One day, the successful assassination attempt of a member of the evil gang known as the "Darkness of Duskwood" took the life of my mother. Me, my father and my younger brother tried to run away from them, but we didn't get very far when a band of their scouts began to chase us. Another attacked us on a hill, causing my brother to get lost in the nearby woods."
"We looked for him day and night. Every day. But we didn't find him. I still look for him at this very day while my father stays in Duskwood."
Aleks shed a tear.
"I am so sorry to hear about that, John. But don't worry. As long as you're with us, the four of us will eventually find your little brother and bring him back. Mark my words."
John smiled.
"Of course, my friends. That's why I'm here with you."
Having said that, John sat in a corner, lying in wait. Aleks and Annie did the same.
After a few hours of taking a nap, Aleks stood up to look at the outside part of the old fort, along with John and Annie.
"Check it out."- Aleks said, looking at the stone walls- "This may not be recent construction, but it definitely impresses with its design.
John and Annie nodded.
"Is it old?"- Annie wondered.
Aleks nodded.
"From what I've been told by His Majesty, this is Fort Avernum- the oldest of all settlements and the place where the main portal to the Surface was located. Many years ago, long before we were born, the cruel emperor known as "Emperor Hawthorne"- cruel leader of the lands above known as "The Empire" sent people down here as some sort of a prison. Not just miscreants and malcontents. He also sent misfits and people he simply didn't like."
John shaked his head in dismay.
"What a cruel person. To send so many people here, in the lands below where they might never see the light again... now that is pure evil that has to be eradicated at all costs."
Aleks smiled.
"If you're looking for a true ending in this story, I assure you that there is one. Well, kind of. Four brave adventurers whose names were forgotten in time performed the brave deed to slay the cruel emperor and rid the world of his evil influence."
"Unfortunately, his servants were very angered by this. The rest of the Empire militia, led by the cunning and manipulative mage Garzahd who sent them into Avernum to invade it and avenge the death of their recently fallen emperor."
"Everything seemed to be lost. The city of Cotra fell to the jaws of the Empire. Many other cities were endangered by their forces traveling all around Avernum. The whole Abyss was lost to them. But Avernum's brave troops did not lose. They didn't want to go down without a fair fight, so they tried to attack the Empire. Those counterattacks did not work, of course and many brave warriors fell to the jaws of the Empire."
"Until the Vahnatai came."
John looked up.
"The Vahnatai?!"- He exclaimed, amazed that the Vahnatai had a part in the story of Avernum as well.
"But... aren't the Vahnatai supposed to be our enemies?"- Annie wondered.
Aleks shaked his head.
"Maybe some of them are indeed hostile to us- the Humans."- He continued- "But not all of them."
"Some of those brave alien creatures (who were helped by four brave adventurers by returning three Crystal Souls to them) came out of their lands and attacked the Empire. This sudden attack took those foolish soldiers by surprise, killing many of them in the process and sending many of them trying to flee back to their lands."
"Unfortunately for them, at the time when those soldiers reached the keep where the portal to the Empire was located, the four brave adventurers who helped the Vahnatai had managed to destroy it, cutting off their only route and trapping them in the lands of Avernum. There, they were slain quickly by the forces of the Vahnatai who managed to track them down with their superior pathfinding skills, mastered by wandering in the caves below for almost all of their lives."
"And so, the Avernites and the Vahnatai became loyal allies, ready to protect each other when needed. Of course, some of the Vahnatai clans disagreed with that new alliance and tried to fight against it, but were quickly subdued by the united forces."
"The evil Vahnatai were never heard of again. Until the "Order of the Black Fist" was formed, with the help of hostile humans. And that, my friends, was just a new notch for the rifle. A new story to tell, with an actual good ending that we should be proud of."
John nodded and looked around.
"This place is a literal landmark! It's so precious to the world!"- He exclaimed.
Aleks nodded.
"Exactly! And that's why we need to restore it. Well, maybe not to its former glory, but at least we can try. It never hurts to try, remember that."
"Anyway, that was the story of Avernum so far. Did you kids like it?"- He looked up, his eyes filled with hope.
John and Annie nodded.
"Of course!"- Annie said- "Learning about the history of Avernum is actually something really exciting."
"More than anything."- John added- "In my life, I've never heard the history of a city of town, except for mine. That's why I am enlightened by this. Thank you, Mr. Kaos. You truly taught us an important lesson today."
"And that is?"
"To try to learn more every day, of course!"- John responded- "The world is nothing without its knowledge. And we are nothing without the world. Therefore, we must learn more stuff to make the world a better and safer place to live for us and the ones around us."
Aleks nodded, satisfied with the answer.
"Excellent! The two of you are really attentive students. Maybe one day I can teach you about how to be a powerful hero, perhaps? Or is it too boring?"
Annie was definitely not bored at all. And so was John.
"We're looking forward to learning from you in the future, sir."- John said.
Aleks tried to turn away and walk back downstairs, but was stopped by John.
"One more thing. What is the moral of the story you told me about a few minutes ago?"
Aleks thought about it and nodded.
"Well, you see, the moral of the story is that you must always like it's your last day- quickly and efficiently. If it is indeed your last day, make it worthwhile. Be with your family. Protect them from harm. Assure them that everything will be okay. And, when that moment comes, know that you have left your mark on the world and made its people feel safer and happier. That is the moral of the story."
John nodded.
"Sir, if you aren't much more than that, you should know that you are one of the wisest people I've ever met. Your words have inspired many people and have yet more to inspire. Even my father couldn't do what you did now!"
Aleks smiled.
"Ah, old Mr. Braveheart. My good old friend. I am looking forward to meeting him again."
Having said that, he flashed the boy a peace sign and left him standing outside while he went downstairs.
"... "Good old friend"? My father? He... he knows him?"- John questioned what Aleks just said as he watched the man go further and further down the stairs.
== Trivia ==
* A few bandits were supposed to die, trying to fight some of the sliths in this Part, but the idea was scrapped before the Part was released.
* This Part reveals John's true name- John Vincent Braveheart II and his status as a person of royal descent, as well as that of his family.