ML C8, P12- "What Truly Matters"

"What Truly Matters" is the twelveth and penultimate Part of "Miracula Luxia" 's eighth Chapter- "For Whom The Bell Tolls". It was released on 10.04.2020.
== Plot ==
John, Seiko, the mayor, as well as the rest of the citizens of Paris mourn Jared's sudden loss and wonder if he is still alive.
Meanwhile, a mysterious figure gets out of the water, not noticed by anyone due to the recent events and enters the city of Paris.
An unexpected guest, that is for sure, but...
Could it be... ?
== Story ==
Meanwhile, John keeps looking around for his friend.
He doesn't stop looking. Day and night, he looks under every stone, around every corner.
One day, he finds an item of that used to belong to his best friend- the pearl necklace that he used to wear.
He looks around, but doesn't see a body. Further investigation reveals that there is no blood either.
"He's still alive!"- He says to himself- "He's out there and he's probably looking for us!"
With newfound hope, John continues to search for his friend...
Until he sees the shadowy figure come out of the water.
"Who... or, more specifically, what... is that?"- He says to himself.
The figure starts to walk his way. This prompts him to hide behind a corner.
"I don't like where this is going... "
John watches silently as the figure walks forward, trying to determine who they are.
Unfortunately, the figure is cautious not to be seen by anyone else. Once it figures out that something (or someone) might be watching it, it pulls out a cloak from its backpack and wraps itself in it.
One detail that John notices immediately is the presence of a backpack on its back- something that tells him that the figure in front of him is most likely a human being.
However, he is not able to figure out more than that, other than the fact that water is dripping from their clothes.
The person pulls out their blade, looks around and sighs.
"They've got to be around here... somewhere."- They say.
John figures out that the human figure in front of him is definitely a he. 
The voice explains it all. This... is a young person who is looking for someone. Or something.
John pokes his head out and looks at the man a bit closer, trying to get a closer look at him.
The man quickly looks around, but John is quick enough to hide behind the corner once again.
The man sighs and moves on.
John emits a sigh of relief.
"That was a close one."- He says to himself- "Who knows who this is or what he might have done to me?"
"I've got to find out more about him, though. There's no way a stranger can walk around Paris, unnoticed by anyone and potentially dangerous. Not on my watch."
John stares at the person from behind the corner and realizes that he is walking towards the city hall.
"I've got to warn the mayor!"- John says to himself and decides to take the risk and leave his hiding spot and enter the city hall before the mysterious man does.
Walking as quietly as possible and quicker than the man, John manages to enter the city hall unseen.
"John, what's happening?"- The mayor asks him.
John wipes some sweat off his eyebrow and looks at the mayor.
"Mayor."- He says quickly- "There's a mysterious person outside! And he's coming this way!"
The mayor raises his eyebrow.
"Mysterious person, eh? Well, okay. Hide behind the corner and I'll see how I can deal with them."
John nods and hides behind the couch, silently watching the door as he does.
A few minutes pass. No one comes through the door. John realizes that the man might have gone somewhere else.
However, when he tries to get out of his hiding spot, the mayor stops him.
"We don't know when they will come."- He whispers to him- "Just sit down there and wait."
John nods and continues watching the door.
As the mayor gets back to his spot, the door finally opens.
The shadowy man comes into the city hall and approaches the mayor.
"Mayor... "- He says quietly.
The mayor stares at him, trying to determine who he really is.
"Who are you and what do you want from us?"- He says as he steps back a little bit.
An expression that resembles a smile forms on the man's face.
"Come on, mayor. You know who I am. Don't pretend like you don't."
John notices that the man is holding a sword in his left hand. He realizes that he's probably going to attack the mayor.
The man slowly approaches the scared mayor, not aware that John is behind the couch.
As he gets very close to the mayor, John finally jumps out of his hiding spot and tackles the man.
"I won't let you kill the mayor!"- He screams as he draws his blade and tries to kill him.
John's sudden move gives the mayor a chance to look at the person. 
"John, stop!"- He says- "Don't kill him!"
The person tries to lift his hood, but John stops him from doing so.
"I know what you're intending to do!"- He yells at him- "You have a secret weapon there, don't you? Well, I won't let you use it!"
"Wait, John!"- The person says- "It's me!"
John recognizes the voice of Jared, but is not fooled by that.
"You won't fool me, you fiend! I know that you're not Jared!"
He pulls out his sword and stabs the man in the shoulder.
The man doesn't yell out in pain, though. Instead, he simply raises his hands in the air, dropping his weapon as a sign of peace.
"Wait! Before you kill me, lift my hood and see who I really am. Then decide what you will do with me. Alright?"
John signs, sheathes his blade and lifts the hood from his face.
He is both shocked and pleased to see who the man in front of him is.
"Jared! Oh, thank the Gods!"- The mayor exclaims and pats Jared on the shoulder.
Jared stands in front of the two of them, alive and well. However, now he is also very wet due to falling into the river.
"I'm sorry for scaring you, mayor. I was just really wet and I had to dry up before taking the cloak off."
"Jared... Jared... "
John falls to his knees.
"I... I'm so..."
Jared smiles, looks at his fresh wound and pats John on the shoulder.
"I should have called out for you, John. I knew that you were behind me, but I was afraid that I would scare you if I did so."
"So, I apologize for what happened and I hope that you're not angry at me."
John smiles and hugs his friend.
"I would never be angry at you, buddy. I was just... really confused and afraid that you might have killed the mayor. Just a sense of protecting the ones around me, that's all."
Jared smiles.
"I understand. You've probably been looking for me for a long time."
John nods.
"So long that I can't even keep track of time anymore. Every day, every night I explored the city, trying to find out if you were still alive. At first, I thought that my explorations were to no avail. But then, I found this... "
He presents Jared's necklace to him. Jared is amazed to see it.
"Where... where did you find it?"- He asks him.
"Well... "- John says, recalling the events that happened before Jared came back- "It was not too long ago. I found it lying on the ground. Had a bit of dust, but that's it. It seems like it fell off your neck and got thrown away."
"I have to correct you here, my friend."- Jared interrupts him politely- "I actually threw it away so you could know that I'm still alive, that I'm still here, looking for you."
"And that's what I figured out immediately after I saw it."- John says.
"But... how did you survive that explosion? Where did you go?"
"Well."- Jared says- "It all started when the portal was about to explode. When the three of you got blinded, I resisted the blindness and decided to use the moment to jump into the sea."
"I knew that it would be risky. I told myself that I would not survive either way. But I knew that I had at least a small chance to survive the blast that way. I also knew that all of you would be unable to move on after my grisly death in the explosion. So, moments before the actual explosion, I decided to jump into the river without hesitation. And that is how I ended up in there. And that's where this happened... "
Jared lifts his shirt and reveals a wound on his stomach.
"Fortunately, that didn't drag me down. No, it was quite the opposite. It gave me the strength to continue, to keep fighting the endless waves of water. To try to reach the surface and show you that I'm still alive, that I'm still breathing. I didn't want to let you fight all alone, so I came up to the surface, almost drowning in the process."
"But I didn't drown. Because I knew that I still have people to protect. To keep safe from our enemies."
John smiles.
"And that's why you're the best hero I've even known."
The mayor looks at the door to his office and sighs.
"Jared."- He says- "I hate to be the messenger that says the bad news, but I have to say it. Because I know that no one else has the courage to do so, not in this situation that we're in."
"What is it, mayor?"- Jared wonders.
The mayor sighs and says:
"Unfortunately, your mother's health got even worse than it was before when she heard about what happened to you. The medic is trying to save her, but it comes to light that she might not survive this ordeal."
Jared gasps.
"Dear god. Can I... see her at the very least?"
The mayor nods.
"Maybe you can give her hope that she'll survive? I know that we won't be able to, but maybe you can succeed. You're her son, after all."
Jared nods.
"I will try, at the very least. I hope that I succeed."
Jared enters the office and notices that his mother is being treated by the medic.
The medic is amazed that Jared is still alive.
"Thank god you're here."- He says- "Your mother's condition suddenly got from bad to worse. She... "
"Yes, yes. I know."- Jared interrupts him- "She... might not survive this."
The medic nods.
"There's only one way we can try to save her. And that is by operating her. But we must first wait for her to see you first. What do you say?"
Jared nods.
"I want to say goodbye to her, at least."
Jared and the medic wait for Seiko to wake up.
She finally does after a few minutes. She looks around and sees Jared standing by her side, holding her hand.
"Mom. It's me."- He says.
"Jared, honey? Is that really you?"- She says quietly.
Jared nods tearfully.
"Yes, mom. It's me. You're not hallucinating."
Seiko smiles.
"So you made it out alive. I'm so happy that you will live."
She looks at her wounds.
"When I will not."
Jared smiles sadly, knowing that his mother is probably not going to make it.
"I wanted to reunite you with dad. I wanted to see us as a happy family once again. But... I can see it now. I can see that my task was a complete failure."
Seiko smiles and touches her son's cheek.
"Don't say that."- She says- "What if I don't make it? You will still have your father. You won't be alone. My death won't make you an orphan. And that's all that matters to me right now."
"I... I cannot bear the fact that I'm going to lose you soon. And I probably won't be able to move on from that. You know it, right?"
Seiko nods tearfully.
"Then don't leave me! Please, survive! If not for dad or sister, then do it for me! I still need you, mom! I will never be the same without you!"
Seiko smiles and gently takes her son's hand in hers.
"Sweetheart, my departure from the human world doesn't mean that I'm going to leave you. I'll still be here, always rooting for you. Always supporting you in whatever you're doing. Always being the light that guides you through the darkness."
"No matter where you go, you will still have me. I'm always here for you, son."
Jared smiles sadly and nods.
"What we're talking about right now... made me remember about a moment when you were only four years old. When you were very scared to be left alone with someone else, other than me and your father. When you cried, I used to pick you up and hug you. This always helped you calm down, at least a little bit. Well, you know what? I think that I will try it now... "
Seiko slowly and painfully gets up and hugs her son.
"Remember this, my sweetest creature. No matter if I'm here or not, the world will continue functioning as normal. People will be walking on the streets. Birds will be chirping. Children will be laughing. Nobody else will miss me."
The medic shakes his head.
"No, Ms. Kaos. Everybody will miss you. Everyone's grown so attached to you, like you were their mother as well. I'm sure that they will feel the same as Jared."
Seiko nods.
"I know."
Jared shakes his head and wipes a tear from his eye.
"Mom... "- He says- "Please don't say that! You will make it, no matter how much you think that you won't. No matter how much you think that nobody will remember you. You need to stay positive!"
"Still, if I don't make it... "- Seiko responds sadly- "Please, tell your father that I will always love him. Remind him to never forget that. Please."
John enters the room and sits on a chair close to Seiko.
"Ms. Kaos... "- He mutters.
Seiko looks at him and smiles.
"Oh, John. You've always been such a brave young man. Always helping Jared and keeping him safe from the dangers in this world. And that's why I need to ask you to do this... "
John nods.
"What do you want me to do, miss?"
"When I'm gone, I want you to protect Jared as best as you can, like you always have. Take the role of his big brother, who never leaves his side and always thinks about his well-being."
"I know that it might be hard for you to accept this, but please, make sure of it. I know how close the two of you are to each other and I don't want to die knowing that you might go on separate ways someday. So please, listen to what I say."
John nods.
"Ms. Kaos, you can count on me. No matter where I go, Jared will always be close to me. I will protect him with my own life. I promise."
Seiko smiles and turns back to a crying Jared.
"Sweetie, I am so proud of you."- She says- "Everything that you have accomplished so far, all the lives that you have saved. You make my eyes tear up. And I can see it now. Before me, I see a true hero who fights for the safety of every good person around the world, ready to risk his life to protect them and preferring to go on a mission alone rather than take other people with him and put their lives at risk. A true guardian angel."
She holds her son's hand in hers.
"No matter what happens next, no matter where you go, what you do or who you meet, know this well. You are going to survive. You are going to make it and show this world that you are a true survivor, that you are the person whom they need the most in this time of death and turmoil. That you are the light that always shines in the darkness."
"I know it, sweetheart. No matter what the world throws at you, you are going to survive it, just like the hero that you are. You can do it. I believe in you and I always have, ever since you did your first good deed two years ago."
"And, if you're feeling lonely, if you're not feeling loved, think of me and know that I will always be with you and that I will always love you with all my heart."
"You do love me. I know that."- Jared says- "You even risked your own life to protect me. But... would you die for me, if you had the chance to do so?"
Seiko smiles and nods.
"Don't doubt my dedication, son. When I say that I will risk my life, I am also ready to die on the spot for you, if it means that you will survive and move on. My life doesn't matter. Yours does."
Something in those words makes Jared cry once again. He looks down and tears up.
"I cannot do this, mom."- He says tearfully- "I can't. I just cannot move on without you. Not like this!"
Seiko smiles and gently pulls her son's head up.
"Look at me."- She says quietly.
Jared's eyes do not want to focus on his mother. 
"Jared, look at me."- She repeats, this time more seriously.
Jared shakes his head and looks down again.
This prompts Seiko to slap him on the cheek, albeit not very hard.
His mother's sudden action forces him to look at her.
"Listen here, child."- She says- "The world will always be harsh to you. It will always slap you in the face like that, maybe even harder sometimes. It will always be a hard place for someone like you to reside in it. After me, many people close to you will die. Friends, acquaintances, maybe even family. But don't let that stop you from believing. Let those lessons sink in and become stronger and more determined than you were before. The world needs you, Jared. Me? I'm just a small part of it, insignificant to anyone but my friends and family. But you? You are as precious as a diamond to everyone. You are the sovereign of hope, the one who makes the dreams come true, the one who brings joy to the troubled souls. You are Jared Kaos, the hero this world needs. And you better believe it."
The medic interrupts Seiko and points at her bleeding wounds.
"Seiko."- He says- "We don't have much time left. We need to hurry up, or you will die!"
Seiko nods.
"I thought that I would have more time to say goodbye, but I guess that's not true."
"Okay. I'm ready."
She turns to Jared, who is very devastated at this point.
"I would ask you to never forget me, but I think that it will be too much, considering how desperate you've already become, my child. So, I just want to tell you to never forget who you really are. Why you are in this world and whom you have to protect."
"Now it is time for me to leave you. Goodbye, my sweet prince! Stay strong and don't let fear overtake you! Don't stop believing!"
Having said her last words, Seiko closes her eyes.
"I found him."- She says to herself, knowing that her purpose in this world is done.
The medic asks for Jared and John to stay outside while he operates Seiko.
"I know that you want to be with your mother until the very last moment, Jared."- He says- "But I can't operate her when there are people in the room. So, excuse me."
Jared nods.
"I understand that."
He turns to his friend.
"Come on, John. Let's wait and see what happens next."
Jared and John sit on the couch, quietly awaiting the results of the operation.
After about three hours of hard work (Maybe even more than that. Who knows?), the medic finally gets out of the office.
Suddenly, Jared's eyes light up.
"Is she... ?"- He tries to ask the medic.
The man shakes his head and begins to cry.
Jared realizes what has happened to his mother and goes inside to see her. Surprisingly, the medic does not stop him from doing so.
John decides to enter the room along with his friend and honor his mother's wish to always be by his side.
When he enters the room, he sees a recently deceased Seiko on the couch, with Jared crying by her side. Her skin is slowly turning gray.
"Jared... "- John says.
Jared turns to him.
"What is it, John? What... do you want?"
John hands him a knife and points out the fact that Seiko is going to reanimate soon.
"I don't need to say anything else, my friend."- John says- "You know what to do, if you want her to stay the way she was before she died."
Jared nods and decides that he doesn't want to see his mother reanimated into an undead creature. Tearfully and with great hesitation, he stabs her in the side of the head with John's knife, effectively preventing her reanimation and putting her to an eternal rest.
After he does that, he falls to his knees, drops to his knees and begins to cry like a child.
"Jared, I... I don't know what to say... "- John says to his friend- "You just lost a parent, someone you cared for a lot. And I know that I won't be able to make you feel better, no matter how hard I try."
Jared shakes his head.
"John, I... I'll never be the same. Not without my mother."
"I will probably turn into a monster. Or maybe even worse."
John shakes his head and helps Jared stand up.
"Don't say that!"- He says- "You heard what your mother said. This world needs you, Jared. And you need to keep fighting to protect it. You can't just give up, can you?!"
Jared shakes his head.
"Not when I have people to protect."
John smiles.
"Then keep doing what you're doing. With or without your mother, I know that, deep inside you're still the kind, loving and caring Jared Kaos who saved my life back in Duskwood two years ago. Who always reminded me how important it is to love, to protect and to stay loyal to someone else. Who always showed me the right path, no matter how impossible it seemed to be. Who always did the right things, even though he risked his own life so many times. Who always believed in himself and vowed to shine even in the biggest darkness."
He looks at Seiko and sighs.
"But now is not the time for me to give you a lecture about who you are. Let's give your mother a proper burial, shall we?"
Jared nods, seemingly agreeing in John's words.
Later, Jared, John and the rest of Paris's remaining citizens are present at Seiko's burial.
The priest says a few words to bless Seiko's soul and give her eternal happiness. Then he turns to Jared, who doesn't say anything in response.
"Jared."- The priest says- "You are Seiko's son. Do you wish to say a few words before we bury her?"
Jared nods and steps forward.
"Yes. I do miss my mother a lot. Like all of you, I want her to come back. And I know that I won't be the same after this. But I won't cry. I won't wail like a little baby. I will just say that I am glad for knowing her when she existed and that I won't forget her."
He grabs the shovel.
"Thank you for coming. Now I kindly ask you to leave so I can bury my mother."
"Alone."
The priest nods and tells the people to listen to what Jared just said to them.
Slowly, everyone begins to leave and go back to their usual business.
Only John remains, quietly staring at Jared as he looks at his mother.
Jared notices that John is watching him and turns to him.
"John, I told everyone to leave me alone. So, please do that yourself."
John shakes his head.
"Before your mother died, she told me to always stay by your side. And I will. Try as much as you want, but I won't leave you alone. I'll be right here."
Jared realizes that he won't convince John to leave anytime soon. He nods slowly.
"If you want to stay, so it be. Just don't try to help me. I want to do this myself."
"As you say, my friend."- John says quietly.
Jared looks stoically at his dead mother, remembering all of the wonderful moments he used to spend with her when she was still alive.
Then, not wanting to waste more time than he already has, he grabs the shovel from the ground and begins to dig a grave for his mother, ready to give her the proper burial that she deserves.
== Trivia ==
* Last appearance of Seiko Kaos (Alive)
* With Seiko's death, Jared and his father are the only members of the Kaos family who are confirmed to be still alive.