MLIII C1, P8- "Brave New World"

"Brave New World" is the eighth and last part of "Miracula Luxia III" 's first Chapter.

It was released on 30.10.2021.

## Plot

The chaos is over. Sucia Island and its residents are finally safe from evil.

After killing the true villain and mastermind of his attempted abduction, Adam makes the decision to destroy the Geneforge until there is nothing left and to ensure that nobody will be foolish enough to use it again, hoping to correct the mistake that he had made.

Soon, it will be time for all of them to leave this place behind. *But what will happen next?*

## Story

Adam looks at the open door to the left of him and realizes that there is one more thing left for him to do- tell the others about his victory.

"*After numerous struggles with our enemies, we finally reached the finish line.*"- He says to himself- "*Now, we shall claim our prize and think about what will happen next.*"

Having decided to do this as soon as possible, Adam leaves the inner labs without a second thought.

Meanwhile, Yu-La is strill struggling with her undead brother, unable to put him down.

"I can't... I can't do it... "- She mutters- "Why, Trajkov? Why?"

Once again, she tries to kill him, using whatever strength she has left to overcome her guilt. However, it is not enough and she drops her weapon on the ground, falling to her knees as the undead Ivan knocks her down and prepares to attack her.

"So it be."- She says, finally accepting her fate- "If the world wants to get rid of me for the mistake that I made back then, I will accept it."

She looks at the undead Ivan.

"Go ahead, brother!"- She yells- "End this now!"

Everyone watches in horror as Yu-La's undead brother prepares to kill her.

Jared steps forward, intending to save her. However, he is soon stopped by Meggy.

"It's too late, dear."- She says to him and shakes her head- "She's already given up."

Jared stares at Yu-La in horror.

"She has... given up?"- He says- "But we cannot leave her behind like this! I refuse to let this poor girl die!"

Meggy shakes her head.

"I also think that we shouldn't let her die, but it seems like she's already made her choice."- She says- "The best that we can do right now is to let her die peacefully."

Yu-La notices that the rest of Adam's allies are talking about her and shakes her head.

"Leave me alone. It's for the best."- She says- "Take Adam with you and escape Sucia. Your work here is done. You don't need me anymore."

Everyone watches sadly as the undead Ivan prepares to make his move. He is seconds away from killing her and they cannot do anything about it.

Yu-La closes her eyes. As death comes closer and closer, she feels the warmth of the heaven above

"Little brother."- She says- "I'm almost there. Wait for me."

Suddenly, the light ahead of her starts to fade away. The paradise that she sees up there starts to get foggy... and so does her future.

"Hold on! No! Don't leave me alone!"- She yells and tries to reach the paradise before it can completely disappear- "Ivan!"

It doesn't take long for the dream to disappear. Once it's gone, all that was left behind is a dark void of chaos and nothingness.

"No. Why?"- Yu-La whispers- "I was so close. What went wrong?"

Realizing that there is nothing left for her to do here, she opens her eyes.

"Wait."- She says- "I'm still... alive?"

The first thing that she sees when she looks up is her undead brother looking at her. However, his eyes can no longer focus on anything. His mouth is slightly open and there is blood on his forehead.

Moments later, he falls on the ground next to her.

Yu-La realizes that someone has managed to kill him. Looking up, she realizes that it is the person whom she saved not too long ago- Donovan.

During the struggle, he managed to sneak behind the undead Ivan and stab him in the head with his spear. Proof for that are te tiny drops of dark, viscous blood that are still dripping from the spearhead.

"Donnie?"- She says- "You saved me, but... why?"

Donovan shakes his head.

"Let's just say that I hate seeing people giving their lives away, just because they think that the world above is better than ours."- He responds- "You saved my life before and I promised to do the same, should your life be endangered. I just did... and I'm ready to do it as many times as I can. I want to show you that there's nothing to be afraid of, that you're never alone and that a single mistake shouldn't ruin your entire life."

He looks at her.

"Don't you see it, Yu-La?"- He asks her- "Trajkov did this because he wanted to break you down. He wanted to make you weak, to prevent you from rebelling against him. He knew how important your brother is to you, so he killed him. And he did it without hesitation, despite being a so-called "merciful" leader."

He looks back at everyone else.

"And I refuse to forgive him, despite the fact that he proved himself to be a hero."- He says angrily- "In my opinion, he is a monster. A murderer, liar and deceiver. He may be gone, but I will always despise him for what he did out here."

Yu-La shakes her head.

"Thank you for doing this for me, Donnie. However, I'm afraid that some things cannot be forgotten. At all."- She says- "My brother, he was the only family that I had left. After our parents died, he cheered me up. He saw the potential in me and motivated me to help other people. He was the light that illuminated my whole life. But now, he is gone. Without him, I feel... empty. Secluded. Alone. Chaos swirls in my mind and I can't do anything without thinking about him."

She looks up at him.

"If you truly care about me, then let me face my destiny."- She says to him- "It's been way too long and I... I just want to rest in peace."

Donovan raises his spear and tries to put her out of her misery.

As Yu-La closes her eyes, he remembers how he was unable to do the same to his own father when he was gravely wounded and how he had to ask his close friend- Mardek- to do it for him.

Having decided that he is not the man for the job, he sighs and drops his spear on the ground.

"You want to leave this world, right?"- He says to Yu-La- "Then do it yourself. I refuse to kill a friend, even though we have barely known each other."

Yu-La opens her eyes and looks down.

She sees the spear that Donovan left for her.

"What do you mean?"- She asks him.

Donovan shakes his head.

"I have already tried this before when my father was about to die. I saw him suffer from his wounds. I wanted to do it, just to relieve him of all this pain and suffering."- He says- "But I never had a chance. Do you know why? Because Donovan Gonoru Fa-Alregis has never dared to take someone's life away. The only reason why I have killed before... is because I was forced to. But this was way too much for me. Back then, I believed that I could save my father. I begged my friends to save him. I held his hand as it got colder and I cried out loud, begging him not to leave me alone. But, in the end, he did. And it was not by my hand. A good friend did it for me... and I'm glad that he stepped up when others were unable to do so."

He looks at her.

"My point is that this is your life. I can't take it away from you."- He continues- "Do what you must. I won't stop you. I promise."

Yu-La looks at the others. They shake their heads.

She looks back at Donovan. He looks down.

Sighing, she takes the spear in her hands and prepares to impale herself.

However, she soon has a vision of the future ahead of her. She sees her parents and Ivan.

"Sister!"- Ivan says- "What do you think you're doing?"

Yu-La raises her eyebrow.

"Is this you, Ivan?"- She says- "But I thought that you... "

Ivan shakes his head.

"Are you telling me that you've allowed yourself to become what you were not meant to be?"

Yu-La looks down.

"I... "- She mutters- "I did."

Ivan sighs and takes another step towards her.

He places his hand on her shoulder and she feels the warmth emanating from it. It is almost as if he is truly there. As if he is entirely real.

"Just because I am gone doesn't mean that you have to throw away everything that we fought for."- He says to her- "Don't you see it? Trajkov is dead. Sucia Island is safe. You have a bright future ahead of you and you are missing out. You are going to let all of those people down, just because you want to see me again."

He shakes his head.

"I sacrificed my own life so you and the others could live."- He says- "Is this really how you want it to end? Huh?"

Yu-La looks down and sighs.

"It's just that I... I miss you so much."- She responds- "I want to see you again. It's so lonely without you."

Ivan smiles.

"I know. Life is hard without the people that you love. I realized it after we lost mom and dad."- He says- "However, you should know that I believe in you! I know that you can make this world better with your good deeds! Keep fighting for our common future, even when I am not around anymore. One day, I will look upon our world and smile when I learn that you are also responsible for its glory. For its splendour."

He smiles again.

"So, go on. People still need you... and it would be a shame to let them down after they put so much faith in you."- He says- "Farewell, sister. One day, we shall meet again."

Having said that, he tells her to open her eyes. When she does, he immediately disappears.

"Little brother... "

She stands up, looks at Donovan and shakes her head.

"You're right, Donnie. There's still more work for me to do."- She says- "I'm not done yet."

She hands him the spear and walks towards the rest of Adam's allies.

"I'm so sorry for the inconvenience."- She says to them- "I am finally ready to leave this place and start anew."

Jared nods.

"Now that Trajkov is gone, all of the remaining Sholai can start anew!"- He says- "I have always believed that there is a bright future ahead of us. And I think that I can finally see it. It is so... beautiful."

Yu-La nods and looks back at Donovan.

"Well done, Yu-La. You made the right choice."- He says and pats her on the shoulder- "Your brother may be gone, but there are still people here who care about you. I'm glad that you did not let them down."

Yu-La smiles and hugs him.

"Thank you, Donnie."- She says- "I wouldn't have done this without you."

Donovan nods and hugs her back.

"We're in this together."- He says- "You are my friend and I'll always be here for you."

Yu-La looks into his eyes. There, she sees Ivan, staring at her and smiling.

"*Little brother. When you died, I thought that you left this world forever.*"- She says to herself- "*However, I can see that this is not true. I can still see you. Feel your warmth. Listen to your kind words. You never left me alone. You were always there, but I was too blind to see it.*"

She smiles.

"*I love you, Ivan.*"- She continues- "*I love you. And I always will.*"

Just as both of them back away, everyone else notices that the doors to the inner labs are opening.

"Who might it be this time?"- Emela says.

Jared sighs.

"There is only one way to find it out... "

He draws his weapon.

"And if it is that madman again."- He adds- "I will make sure that he does not leave this place alive, no matter how strong he has become."

Soon, the door is completely open. A person steps out of the labs and slowly approaches our heroes.

Upon closer inspection, they realize who he is.

"Adam!"- Meggy says- "You did it!"

Adam smiles.

"The hero always wins in the end."- He says- "It is what dad taught me."

Jared approaches his son and pats him on the shoulder.

"Well done, child. Thanks to you, a powerful evil has been stopped and a huge disaster has been averted."- He congratulates him- "Soon, the people on this island will see you as a hero and praise you for your good deeds. How does it feel?"

Adam sighs.

"Sure. I may have done something very good today."- He says- "However, I am not ready to be treated as a hero. I just want to live my life as a regular adventurer and help more people along the way."

Jared shakes his head.

"I know how it is. The burden of a hero is... massive. Bulky. Sometimes even traumatizing."- He says- "But I can see that you have managed to meet my greatest expectations. You have proven yourself to be a true hero and I am very proud of you."

Adam looks at his father.

"Back then, you said that you have always admired me for the courage and valor that I showed as a new hero."- He says- "So. Um... do you still feel the same way?"

Jared nods and smiles.

"Of course."- He responds- "I have always admired you and I always will."

He sighs.

"It is true that you may not be the perfect son. You have made mistakes in the past and it cannot be denied."- He continues- "However, that does not matter. You are very dear to me and I will always love you. Remember that when you go outside again."

Adam smiles.

"Thank you, dad."- He says- "You are amazing."

Emela takes a step forward.

"Um. I hate to interrupt your heartfelt conversation, but there's still one thing that I want to know."- She says- "Adam, you managed to use the Geneforge yourself. You defeated that vile shaper and you saved the island. But the mystery still remains, even though it has been discovered."

Adam nods.

"What do you want to know?"

Emela sighs.

"It's the Geneforge. Even though it's far away from us, I can still feel its power from over here. I'm compelled to use it, just like everyone else."- She says- "But... what are we supposed to do with it? Destroying it would be beneficial for everyone, but it would put decades of hard work to waste. I... I'm just not sure what we can do here."

Adam looks back at the inner labs and sighs.

"Sometimes, it is best to leave something as it has always been."- He responds- "Let us get out of this place. Once we are free from this evil influence, we can finally decide what to do next."

Emela nods.

"Understood."- She says and eagerly looks at the exit ahead of her- "What are we waiting for, then? Let's go."

Jared nods.

"I agree with Emela."- He says- "This place is dangerous, but we have done what we could. It is time for us to leave."

And so, most of Adam's allies leave the labs, not noticing that he is staying behind.

Meanwhile, he goes back to the Geneforge and inspects it.

He stares into the viscous liquid that is called essence and remembers how he had to use it not too long ago, risking his own life to defeat Goettsch.

"I did it. I saved the world and became incredibly powerful. I made the impossible happen and I defeated a dangerous villain."- He says to himself- "But at what cost? Was it really worth it?"

He draws his weapon and looks at the basin.

"*Still, the Geneforge is too dangerous to be left behind like this.*"- He continues- "*I cannot let anyone else make the same mistake that I did. It must be prevented.*"

Donovan approaches Adam and looks at him.

"You changed your mind, didn't you?"- He asks him- "Or did you come back just to contemplate?"

Adam sighs and shakes his head.

"I made a mistake."- He mutters- "And I want to correct it."

He raises his weapon in the air.

"Stand back, my friend."- He says- "Things are about to get very dangerous."

Having said that, he swings it at the edge of the basin, cracking the stone and letting some of the ooze-like substance to leak out and spill on the floor below.

It doesn't take long for the rest to do the same. Soon, the entire pool's worth of essence is spilled on the floor around the basin.

Now that it is outside of its intended place, the essence starts to slowly decay and evaporate. Most of it disappears mere seconds after touching the stone while the rest takes more time.

Adam and Donovan watch from a safe distance as the power spirals that have kept the Geneforge alive until now start to beep. One after the other, they explode and leave useless pieces of irrepairable machinery behind in their wake.

Soon, the ceiling of the inner labs starts to crumble.

"This is the end of the Geneforge."- Adam says to Donovan- "Nobody will ever use this evil basin for anything. It is gone. *Forever.*"

Donovan nods.

"None of those people dared to get close to it, but you did what they could not."- He says- "For that, you have my respect."

He turns around and takes a step forward.

"It's time for us to leave, though."- He continues- "Our work here is done."

Adam nods and joins him just as the entire facility starts to fall apart.

Just as the entrance to the labs is sealed by a massive pile of rubble, they manage to get out.

Soon, they are greeted by the rest of their allies.

"The labs are falling apart!"- Yu-La says- "Does this mean that you did it?"

Adam nods.

"Indeed, I did."- He responds- "It is over."

Jared does not react to the news. Instead, he looks around, frantically trying to find something. Or someone.

"Dad."- Adam says- "Is something wrong?"

Jared turns around.

"Your sister. She... she is gone!"- He says- "I do not know where she is!"

Adam sighs.

"It is okay, dad. We will find her."- He responds- "She must have escaped earlier than we did. That is all."

Meggy shakes her head.

"No, sweetie. It's far more complicated that we thought."- She says to him- "We found a sign that the Darkside Loyalists have returned. And they managed to capture a young girl."

Jared falls to his knees.

"I heard her scream for help."- He says and wipes a tear from his eye- "I ran after them, but I was too late. She was not there."

Just as he says the last words, he and the others hear a scream.

"Akira!"- Jared yells and leaps to his feet- "I am coming, my dear! I will save you!"

Having said that, he runs toward the direction where the sound came from.

Along with everyone else, he leaves the forest and approaches the beach.

Soon, he finds the source of the sound. It is Sharla... and she being attacked.

"Adam! Thank Goodness!"- She says- "I need some help over here!"

The person who is attacking her is a mean-looking soldier, equipped with solid iron armor and a large sword made of steel.

"It's a Darkside Loyalist!"- Yu-La says- "We must kill him!"

The man notices that someone is going to attack him. He looks around and gasps.

"Adam Kaos!"- He exclaims and turns his attention on him- "I've been waiting for you! You will pay for killing our leader's son!"

Adam raises his eyebrow.

"Leader's son?"- He asks- "I do not know what you are talking about!"

The soldier gets closer to him.

"Don't you remember? His name was Gabriel Griffin!"- He says- "We saw you with our own eyes! You can't lie to us!"

Adam nods and draws his weapon.

"Yes,. Yes, I killed him! I did it because he was a threat to the world!"- He says- "And I will do the same to all of you! I will make you pay for abducting my sister!"

The soldier smiles as he prepares to strike.

"Your sister is gone."- He says- "And you'll join her. Very soon!"

Somewhere within Adam's mind, a painful vision appears. An image of his sister, lying in his hands. Slowly bleeding to death. And he cannot do anything to save her.

Moments later, his face turns red. For the first time, rage manages to cloud his judgement and he does not wait for his allies to decide what to do with this enemy.

He does a backflip and jumps on the man's back. He lifts his sword and prepares to stab him.

"You dared to harm my sister?!"- He yells- "I will kill you! I will kill you all!"

The man tries to free himself, but he is too late. Soon, he is repeatedly stabbed in the back by the infuriated boy and is thrown on the ground to bleed to death.

"No! My life cannot end like this!"- He says- "I am Arnov- right hand of Trajkov himself! I cannot die! There's still so much to do!"

Adam looks down and glares at him.

He grabs him by the neck with so much power that it feels like he is choking him, even though he is not.

Or at least not yet.

"Where is my sister, you fool?!"- He yells- "Answer me! Now!"

Arnov stares into the young hero's eyes. He notices something that terrifies him, enough to make him sing the whole truth like a song.

"My comrades. They were told to... to capture one of your kind after you left, to cower you into submission."- He says- "However, something went wrong. As they waited for you, I sensed how they were... brainwashed... by something sinister. Something very powerful. I was the only one who escaped its control. Soon, I realized that they captured your sister. I tried to join them, but I realized that I wouldn't blend in. So, I decided to come back here and hunt for someone else. I learned that you were going to come out here, so I did my best to get your attention."

Adam continues to glare at him.

"Where did they bring her?!"- He yells- "Who are they?!"

Arnov shakes his head. He is clearly terrified.

"I... I'm not sure! I swear!"- He says- "However, I heard that they're taking her to a place to the east of here. A city of the dead where she would rule as the Queen of Darkness."

Adam sighs and lets him go.

As soon as he is free, Arnov tries to attack Adam again, only to be swiftly stabbed in the head by him.

"What a fool."- Adam says- "I gave him the chance to run away, but he refused to let go of his pointless beliefs."

He looks at his father.

"I guess they will never learn from their own mistakes."- He says- "Right?"

Jared nods.

"They never did before."- He responds- "And it seems like they never will."

Having defeated Arnov, our heroes approach the docks.

They see a small group of Sholai, preventing them from going any further. However, they are easily slain and left behind as Adam's group gets even closer to the docks.

Once they are close enough, they realize that there are still two boats left there. They are also in perfect condition.

Perhaps Trajkov and his allies planned to leave this island after their work was done?

Either way, it does not matter. As some of our heroes step into the boats, Jared, Meggy and Emela whisper something to each other.

It takes a few minutes, but they finally come to an agreement about something.

"Adam."- Jared says to his son- "I know that it is unwise for us to leave you alone again, but we have to go."

Adam gasps.

"But... why?"- He asks his parents- "Where are you going?"

Meggy shakes her head.

"Your sister is still out there. She needs our help and we can't risk your life while trying to find her."- She says- "I'm sorry, sweetie, but it's for the best. Please don't hate us for this."

Adam shakes his head.

"I refuse to go anywhere!"- He says- "I will come with you!"

Jared shakes his head.

"We have already lost your sister to the darkness."- He says- "We do not want the same to happen to you."

As Adam wonders what his father means, Emela joins him on the boat.

"Miss Emela?"- He says- "What is going on?"

Emela sighs and shakes her head.

"Your parents told me to take you far away, in a place where none of your enemies will be able to reach you."- She says- "Right now, you're being tracked by the Darkside Loyalists. Apparently, you killed their new leader's son... and they want revenge. From what I know about them, I am aware that they never stop pursuing their targets, either until they kill them... or they're killed themselves."

Jared nods.

"You and Emela will travel to Canonia- a small village where you will live for as long as possible until you can master your newfound powers and explore the world without anyone's help."- He says- "In the meantime, me and your mother will slow those vagabonds down and try to find your sister before it is too late. Time is of essence and we cannot afford making any mistakes."

Meggy approaches her son and kisses him on the forehead.

"I've missed you so much, my dear. I wanted to see you, to hug you and tell you how much I love you. But now, I see that the world will separate us again."- She says to him- "Now go. Listen to miss Emela and stay safe, okay?"

Adam nods.

"Will you be back soon?"- He asks her- "Please! Promise me that you will come back!"

Jared and Meggy stare at each other for a few moments. Then, they nod.

"We will, son."- Jared responds- "As soon as this madness is over, we will come to Canonia and take you with us. I do not know how long it will take, but remember that we will find you. No matter what it takes."

He smiles.

"Adam. I know that you will be alone during this arduous journey, but please remember this."- He says to him- "When you are afraid, think about us. Reminisce the good times that we had together. And when the right time comes, we will make even more of those happen."

Adam nods.

"Is this a promise?"

Jared nods.

"Of course it is."- He says- "Now go. Safe journey, my special boy."

Donovan and Sharla look at Adam from the other boat.

"We want to come with you, Adam. But it seems like it's time for you to be on your own."- Sharla says to him- "It truly breaks my heart to say it, but it's time for you to stand on both of your feet without... without our help. You must take care of those enemies alone. This is your d-destiny, after all."

Overcome with grief, she stands up from the boat, approaches Adam and hugs him.

"I'm sorry, dear. I'm very sorry."- She says- "The world is very unfair, but don't give up. Don't let the darkness consume you. Don't be afraid of it. Believe in the light. Keep doing good things and remember- we will be rooting for you! And we will not stop!"

Donovan sighs and watches Sharla as he gets back on the boat.

"We have to take Yu-La to the mainland. She wants to see what it looks like, so it's our priority to make it a reality."- He says- "We want to take you with us, but circumstances don't allow this to happen. Even if we could, those vagabonds would still be after you and they would know that we're taking you back home. They're going to attack Thais and burn it down to a crisp. It's too dangerous and we can't take the risk."

He smiles.

"But we will join you as soon as we get permission from your uncle and aunt."- He adds- "As soon as we do, we'll be on our way to Canonia. We're not going to leave you alone. Not in times like these!"

Adam nods and smiles.

"Thank you, my friends."- He says- "It is true that we have only been together for a single mission, but I think that you are the best allies. I will always remember you for how courageous and selfless you are and remember the times when we fought side by side. I am sure that destiny will reunite us again, so stay strong!"

Sharla starts to cry.

"This isn't how it was supposed to be!"- She says as she wipes the tears from her eyes- "I'll miss you, kiddo. I'll miss you!"

Donovan sighs and nods.

"And so will I."- He says- "Good luck, Adam. May the flame of passion burn bright in your heart. May it remain there... forevermore."

Having said farewell to everyone, Adam leaves Sucia Island with Emela as everyone else waves goodbye to him.

As Emela rows the boat, Adam notices a tear on his eyes and wipes it away.

"You already miss them, don't you?"- Emela asks him.

Adam nods.

"I do."

Emela smiles.

"It's okay. Every hero has to be taken away from his loved ones, sooner or later."- She says- "The question is whether you will be able to cope with this."

She looks back at him.

"Well?"- She asks him- "Will you?"

Adam sighs.

"I... will do my best."

Emela nods.

"Excellent."- She says- "Perhaps you are indeed the hero everyone's looking for."

As the boat goes further and further away from the troubled island, Adam stares at the sea ahead.

"So."- He says to Emela- "How do the people in Canonia look like? Are they... friendly? Kind?"

Emela smiles.

"They're a little afraid of newcomers, but accept them with open arms once they find out that they mean no harm."- She responds- "I'm sure that you'll find many friends there."

Adam's eyes light up.

"Really?"

Emela nods and smiles.

"Yes."- She says- "Really."

And so, Adam travels toward a new land, filled with new adventures and a lot of danger. He will meet new friends, but also many new enemies who will try to stop him from becoming stronger and fulfilling his destiny.

Will he survive and become what he is destined to be? Or will he find another road towards the brighter future?

There is only one way to find it out.

***Onward!***