ML C8, P11- "Winning And Losing"

"Winning And Losing" is the eleventh Part of "Miracula Luxia" 's eighth Chapter- "For Whom The Bell Tolls". It was released on 08.04.2020.
== Plot ==
After defeating the one who is commanding the humanoids in the last Part of "Miracula Luxia", Jared sets his sights on the big, purple portal in the middle of the city of Paris- his hometown.
The leader of the humanoids is dead. Most of their army is also dead. All of them are dispirited. 
What remains for our heroes to do now is finish off what they started earlier- to destroy the portal and save the city from the humanoid invasion once and for all.
It is up to our heroes whether they will succeed or not, so let's cheer for them and see if they will succeed.
== Plot ==
"The portal!"- Jared says- "But... how are we going to reach it? There are still many of our enemies left."
The mayor smiles and shakes his head.
"You shouldn't worry about this. My soldiers will clear the way for you. Meanwhile, you have to destroy the portal."
"Remember. Don't leave any pieces of it behind, because the humanoids might find a way to repair it. Smash them. Burn them. Whatever, just don't leave anything left. Got it?"
Jared nods.
"Affirmative, sir. I am ready to put an end to this madness for good."
The mayor smiles.
"Then you are ready to go. I wish you and John good luck. I hope you children manage to make the dream we have been longing for so much time come true."
Jared nods.
"I will not make any promises right now, Mayor, but I will do my best to end this invasion once and for all. Those humanoids have been plaguing our city for a long time and it is time for them to see that they are not undefeatable."
Having said that, Jared takes John with him and goes towards the portal, ready to carry out his task and make the citizens of Paris happy once again.
En route, they see that most of the monsters on the streets are now dead. The guards are killing more and more of them with every passing hour, making Jared and John's task to destroy the portal much easier.
All they have to do now is reach it.
"Jared?"- John says.
Jared turns around to see his friend with a worried expression.
"What is it, my friend?"- He asks him- "What is on your mind right now?"
John looks down and sighs as the two of them walk down the road to the portal.
"You know, maybe I was wrong when I first saw those humanoids. They may seem evil, but they're just influenced by an even bigger evil. They just do what they are told to do. They're basically puppets with strings."
"What I'm implying here is that they could be valuable allies. It's a shame that we had to kill so many of them."
Jared nods.
"I agree."- He says- "I fought them only because I had to. We were both forced to fight against them by our leaders. But how do I see it in reality? I see them as simply misunderstood creatures who just want to be respected like their distant human cousins and by their distant human cousins. Nothing more."
He turns to John.
"John, if you had the chance, would you spare a creature from the cruel jaws of death? Would you give it another chance to live, even if it doesn't deserve it?"
John nods.
"If you ask me, I would spare all of them, as long as they don't bother us anymore. I am sick and tired of all the bloodshed we've seen so far and I want to cause as little as possible myself, only if I'm forced to do so."
"Well, then let's give them the chance to become better creatures. "- Jared says- "Let's show them that they are wrong, even though they haven't seen it so far."
John nods and notices that the portal is not what they thought it would be.
"Uh, Jared... ?"- John gets Jared's attention- "Is the portal supposed to be so... crazy?"
Jared stares at the portal and sees that something is terribly wrong with it.
"Oh. Oh, Dear God."- Jared says, shocked by what he is seeing.
The portal is in a very unstable condition.
It is no longer the calm, purple portal that Jared saw when he was with his mother and Commander Jones.
Quite the opposite, now the portal is a swirling mass of wild (and raw) purple energy, pushing back anything that tries to get close to it.
It will be nearly impossible for our two heroes to destroy it without the help of an experienced mage. Or more of them, if the situation gets worse than it already is.
Speaking of mages, Jared remembers the mages from before and how they worked on making the portal stronger. He assumes that it was because of the mages' raw magic that the portal has turned unstable and unable to teleport more humanoids.
On the good side, no more of the humanoids will be able to teleport to Paris. On the bad side, the city is doomed to be destroyed by the wild energy coming from the portal.
Jared angrily hits a nearby wall with his fist.
"Stupid mages!"- He yells as John looks at him, confused by what is happening.
"Jared!"- He says- "What do we do now? This portal is too unstable for us to simply approach it!"
Jared nods, seemingly agreeing to John's words.
"The only way we will be able to stop it is for someone with powerful magical abilities to approach it."
John raises his eyebrow.
"Do you know anyone? Because I definitely do not."
Jared smiles and points at himself.
Then, he casts a protecting spell on himself, shielding himself from most of the magical energy.
"Jared, no!"- John yells, trying to stop him from approaching- "Don't do it! You're going to die!"
Jared shakes his head.
"No, John. This is the only way. All of the mages are occupied, fighting the horde of monsters around the city. Nobody can help us, but we ourselves."
"I refuse to believe that!"- John says sadly- "Please, Jared. Stay here and wait for a little bit! I promise that I will bring back some aid very soon."
"Please!"
Jared puts his hand on John's shoulder.
"John, you know that I can't risk anyone's life like my own. You and every single person in this city are very precious to me and I do not want to lose any of you. I want to protect you and that is what I will do now."
"So, I want you to go back and tell the mayor that I am working on destroying the portal. Don't worry about me, I can handle this myself."
"Meanwhile, you keep the area around me free of monsters, alright?"
John nods, finally convinced in his friend's abilities.
"My friend."- John says and smiles- "I would do anything, if it means helping you out. I would never hesitate and you know it well."
"So, let's work together and end this madness once and for all!"
Jared nods and watches as John slowly departs.
"Wait, John. One more thing!"
John turns around.
"What is it, my friend?"
Jared looks down. Tears start falling down from his eyes as he speaks.
"If I don't make it. If I don't survive this final battle... could you please tell my mother something?"
John shakes his head.
"Jared, I respect you so much, but I won't let such a thing happen! Least of all to my best friend!"
Jared stares coldly at John. He is serious about this request. His eyes alone say it all.
"John, please. You are one of the few people that I truly trust and I want you to be the one to tell her."
John looks down and sighs, defeated.
"Very well. I'm listening. What do you want me to say?"
Jared looks up once again.
Maybe it's a trick of the light, but John sees that his eyes flashed for a moment. Odd.
"John."- He begins- "If I do not make it, could you please tell my mother that I love her? That her son did everything he could to keep her alive? I want her to remember that well, because, well... "
John smiles.
"She's been on your mind all the time, hasn't she?"
Jared nods. He notices tears still falling from his eyes and wipes them, not wanting to look weak in front of his best friend.
"Ever since I left with my friend Akari two years ago, she and dad have always been on my mind. I've always been thinking how they would treat me after my sudden departure... until I reunited with my dad."
"But now... what I care about is how my parents would feel about what I have done for them so far. I want them to remember me, but at the same time I want them not to. My responsibility as a son and brother is very tough and that's why those things are always on my mind. That is all."
John smiles once again and pats his best friend on the shoulder.
"Now is not the time to think about, Jared."- He says- "Now we need to fight for the safety of Paris. Don't forget that."
"I know, I know."- Jared responds- "Just, please. Promise me that you will tell her. It will make me feel a little bit better."
John nods.
"Of course. If you don't make it, I will take the responsibility to let your mother know how much you cared for her until your bitter end. Rest assured of that."
Jared nods and smiles.
"Thank you, John. You are a very good friend. I wish there were more people like you."
"Anyway, this might be my last goodbye, but if I don't make it, please tell everyone that I wish them a good life after this madness."
This makes John tear up. With tears in his eyes, he nods and accepts his final request.
"Yes. Yes, I will tell them. They will never forget you, my friend. I promise."
Jared smiles and sends John away.
"Goodbye, my friend."- Jared says- "See you on the other side."
John nods, wipes the tears from his eyes and runs back towards the city hall with a goal in mind.
Meanwhile, Jared approaches the portal, sword in hand.
He smiles as he watches the portal swirl in front of him, beckoning him to come closer.
"It is just you and me, you unstable mass of magical energy."- He says- "Now it is time for me to show you who is the boss here!"
"I will never let you destroy my hometown! Never!"- He screams and charges towards the portal, charging a spell in his right hand while bravely swinging his sword with the other.
John finally reaches the city hall and goes inside.
The mayor is surprised to see John alone."
"John!"- He says- "What happened? Where is Jared?"
"Did you succeed, or is he... ?"
John shakes his head, tears still falling from his eyes.
"No. He's okay. For now. He's fighting to save the city outside."
"It's not the monsters that are the problem now, mayor."- He says- "The portal is now unstable, because of the mages' attempts to make it stronger."
The mayor gasps.
"Cursed goblin mages!"- He yells- "Ruining everything they touch! Pests!"
"We have to go outside and help him."
He tries to go outside, but is stopped by John who is shaking his head as he does so.
"No, mayor."- He says sadly- "Jared told us to stay out of the way. And we will."
"Jared said that he doesn't want to let us risk our lives for him. He wants to keep us safe, mayor. He wants to give us a chance to live our lives normally."
The mayor looks down and closes his eyes for a moment.
"Poor Jared."- He says- "He suffered so much, and yet he is still ready to risk his own life to save us all from a certain doom. What a good person."
John nods.
"I think that we can all agree to that, sir."- He says and the two of them look at each other.
"Though."- John continues- "Jared said that we can help him keep the area around him free of monsters and other troublemakers. I'm going to go outside and carry out this good deed. Are you with me?"
The mayor nods and pulls out his dagger from under his desk.
"Jared helped me out when I was in need, when I need his help the most. And now I will help him out when he needs my help. Our help."
"Let's do this!"
The mayor commands some of his soldiers to come with him and John while the rest of them protect the city hall.
They go on the streets around the portal and fight the rest of the hostiles valiantly, keeping them away from a preoccupied Jared.
Meanwhile, Jared is close to breaking the portal apart. Its frames start showing deep cracks everywhere- a clear sign that this madness is almost over.
However, Jared is unable to stop it from functioning completely. As hard as he tries using his spells, the portal's energy resists it.
"There is only one way I can succeed."- He says to himself and pulls out his sword.
The only way he will be able to completely destroy the portal is by using a lot of physical force to smash its frame, ruining its link to both the unstable portal and the portal on the other side as well. However, this move would also cost him his own life.
Jared knows that he has to do something. He wants to save this city and ensure its safety. And this is the only way he will succeed in doing so.
The young hero steels himself for the worst, his fear of dying in this fight gone forever. He swings his blade at the air a few times, nods in approvement and turns to the portal.
"Portal."- He says- "You have done so much to stop us from living our lives normally. Your creators thought that they would succeed in breaking our spirits, in making us weak and dependent. No! Instead, you made us stronger than ever, more united than we have ever been! We fought for our freedom, for a better world. We didn't stop believing. And now- look where we are. Nothing is endless, remember that well! All of us have a beginning... and an end, whether we are living beings or not. However, we cherish the memories we have made and fight to make new ones, all until our bitter ends. We fight for what is right- for our friends, family and the entire world."
"And this is what I fight for! With this blow, I declare this nightmare over forever!"
With a single, hard blow from his sword, Jared breaks the thin portal frame, thus completely disrupting the portal.
He stares at the portal as it charges up for a final explosion and smiles.
"My work here is done."- He says and closes his eyes.
John, the mayor and Commander Jones go near the portal, seeing how Jared is accepting his fate.
"Jared, no! Stop!"- John yells at him- "Don't do it! The world needs you!"
Jared smiles.
"No, John. The world does not need me anymore. I kept them safe for so long, fighting enemies and saving countless lives. In the end, I couldn't save my own, but that doesn't matter anymore, does it now?"
"It is too late, John. The portal demands its sacrifice. And I shall be it."
"Goodbye, my friend. Goodbye to you as well, Commander, mayor. And to you as well, mom and dad."
"Uncle, don't worry."- He says quietly- "Here I come. Wait for me."
"JARED! NO!"- John screams wildly and runs toward the portal to save his friend, but is stopped by Commander Jones who pulls him back before he gets hurt.
The three of them watch as the explosion happens and blinds them for a few moments.
The magic from the portal slowly fades away from existence, not having a frame to hold it anymore.
Meanwhile, all of the pieces from the former portal frame fall into the nearby river with a loud *splash*, ending the surviving humanoids's hopes to conquer Paris once and for all.
John, Commander Jones and the mayor look for Jared's body, but it is nowhere to be found.
They look down at the river, but see nothing.
"He must have fallen into the sea."- Commander Jones says sadly.
The mayor shakes his head, greatly saddened by the apparent loss of his friend.
"Do you think he's still alive, commander?"- John asks Commander Jones.
The commander shakes his head.
"I don't want to give you much hope John, as much as I would love to. Jared is probably dead. There is little to no chance for a person to survive an explosion like this one."
"But."- John interrupts him- "What if he jumped into the sea a little bit before the explosion happened?"
The commander smiles sadly, understanding John's point.
"Then his chances for survival are a lot higher. But it still remains to be seen whether he survived or not."
The three of them go back to the city hall to inform Seiko of her son's death.
Seiko is devastated by this.
"No... "- She says- "My child. He... he risked his own life to save the city and, and... "
She looks down and tears up.
This sudden emotion forces her wounds to bleed once again, even though they are well-bandaged now.
"Jared."- She says quietly- "Jared, child. Jared. Jared, son... "
She quickly falls unconscious.
The medic stares at her and gasps when he sees how she's bleeding at an alarming rate once again.
"Goodness!"- He says- "She just got worse than ever before!"
John shakes his head.
"Medic, please save her. We don't want her to die as well!"- The mayor says- "It's the least that we owe to Jared- keeping his mother alive."
The medic nods.
"I'm sure that Jared wants his mother to live. Yes, I will do my best to save her once again."
He pulls out a large amount of bandages and alcohol to stop her bleeding and kindly asks John and the mayor to leave him to his work. 
John and the mayor agree and go outside.
"While we wait, maybe you can try looking for Jared?"- The mayor suggests to John- "Maybe bring him back... or at least find his body?"
John nods, clearly agreeing with the mayor's idea.
"Yes, mayor. I will. I think that I'm going to start right now."
"Do you need any help?"- Commander Jones asks him- "I can help you out, if you want me to."
John shakes his head.
"No. I will handle this alone. You just sit here and rest, commander. You've done a lot more for this woman than I have. She needs you to be here. Don't let her down."
Commander Jones nods and watches John quietly as he goes outside to start his search for Jared.
"I'm sure that you're still alive somewhere, best buddy."- He says- "No, no, no. I am absolutely sure that you're still out there, struggling against the wind and trying to find your way home. And I will find you, wherever you are. I will never stop searching for you. Day and night, I will be there- waiting for you to come back alive and well."
"Wait for me, Jared, because I am coming to get you. No matter how far away from me you are right now."
John draws out his blade and begins the search for his friend, looking at every piece of land in the city, around every corner.
This search continues for three days. John doesn't stop searching for his friend.
However, he eventually gets exausted. By the suggestion of the mayor, he decides to go back to the city hall and rest for a bit before continuing his search.
Meanwhile, deep within the sea, a faint light is seen shining, coming from something unusual.
A shadow comes up and goes to the surface. A human being steps on the land near the city.
It shakes most of the water off and grabs its sword.
"Still. Haven't. Given. Up."- The figure says and slowly approaches the city, a wet sword hanging from its lap.
== Trivia ==
* The shadowy figure is assumed to be Jared, but this has yet to be seen.
* The shadowy figure's words- "Still. Haven't. Given. Up." are a reference to Telltale Games's Clementine's words- "Still not bitten."
* Jared's situation around the end of this Part is inspired by Rick Grimes's situation in "The Walking Dead TV Series" 's episode "What Comes After". Coincidentally, both Jared and Rick are assumed dead by most of their friends and family, save for a few very close ones. For Rick- one of those close people is his girlfriend- Michonne, as for Jared it is his best friend and ever faithful companion John Braveheart.