MLII C2, P3- "For The Greater Good"

"For The Greater Good" is the third Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's second Chapter. It was released on 30.10.2020.
== Plot ==
Marinette encounters her brother and tries to convince him that she will be able to help him out in defeating Dorikas and his Darkside Loyalists, despite being in really bad shape. However, Jared seems to be on a different page, clearly not wishing to place his own sister in the face of danger while he watches her get hurt helplessly.
Somehow, the talk between Jared and his sister seems to be affecting Devin who realizes that there is another way for him to talk to his sister in a more civilized, more diplomatic way. This will surely help her understand his strange personality in the future as well.
== Story ==
Jared stares at his sister, his eyes radiating care and concern about her well-being.
"Now, let us jump to the matter that concerns me the most at this very moment."- He says- "Why did you come here, sister? Why did you come all the way here, weak as you still are?"
Marinette shakes her head.
"I already told you, Jared. I will always protect you from anything that tries to harm you, even when I am... like this."- She says and points her stomach where there is a wound that is still bleeding... a little bit- "Nevermind me right now. All that matters is that you succeed with your quest in finding and killing Dorikas and ending the tyrrany of the Darkside Loyalists once and for all. And I'm intending to stay by your side in every moment of your adventure."
Jared shakes his head.
"Listen, Mari. I appreciate your desire to stay with me. I really do."- He says- "But this is not a simple quest, a cluster of disorganized thugs that can be taken care of easily. This is a well-organized army of powerful hostiles than can easily overwhelm us if we ever get distracted in some way. And their leader... he is one of the most dangerous villains that you will ever get the chance to hear news about. Or meet, if you are unlucky. And, trust me, I do not want you of all people to be here when I fight him. Imagine if I perish during this fight. Imagine if I fail to defeat him. If that ever happened in the future, you will be the next in the line of murder cases. Dorikas will know that you are my sister and he will take you down in order to make my family feel even more emotional pain. And, if you know better than risking your life like that, you will stay out of it at all costs. I hope that you understand the true severity of this situation, sister. I really, really do."
Uma, Devin and Edward watch the argument between Jared and his sister with great interest. Aleks looks down, unable to stop his children from arguing and hoping that they will settle their different opinions in a more peaceful way.
"Gee. This kid's got quite a fiery personality! Such a caring hero!"- Uma whispers to her father- "What do you say, dad?"
Edward nods in agreement, but does not say anything else. Instead, he simply watches the two siblings closely.
Marinette nods and looks down.
"I... I understand, little brother. I want to make sure that you're safe and sound. At all costs. "- She says- "But... if you think that you can survive out there without my guidance, I have no right to stop you from doing that. All I can do is hope that you can survive this ordeal and pray for you every day."
"Good luck to... to you. Little brother."
Having said that, she stumbles back into the hospital, grasping her wound as she does.
Jared sighs and turns back to Devin and his family.
"I am so sorry about my sister."- He says- "She is always so overprotective, so caring. It pains be to send her away like that. But... I am forced to do that. For her own safety. Please do not think that I am a bad person just because of that. I promise that we respect and care for each other when we are in more... peaceful times."
Uma nods.
"I can confirm that. We, the older sisters are overprotective when it comes to protecting our younger siblings from harm."- She says while hugging her little brother- "When this danger is finally over, I want to meet with her and have a nice, long conversation with her. From what I saw when she talked to you, I think that we can become good friends."
Jared nods and smiles.
"I will be glad if you become a friend of my dear sister, Ms. Pendragon."- He says and looks at something in the distance.
Aleks talks to the phone to someone. He seems to be worried. When he finishes his call, he turns to his son.
"Son. I'm afraid that I cannot help you with defeating Dorikas and his lackeys."- He says with a sinking feeling- "The mayor called me to take care of an important affair. Apparently, there is a band of rioting citizens at the eastern gate who are threatening the guards that they will leave the city for good if the Darkside Loyalists are not taken care of. There's also a security breach at the western gate. Apparently, some of the invaders snuck in and deactivated the mechanical defenses that we placed there a while ago."
"So, if you will excuse me... I have to get on with taking care of this mess. Forgive me for being unable to help you out when you need me the most."
He looks at Devin and Florence.
"Friends, will you take care of Jared in my absence?"- He asks them- "I'm going to feel really bad if my son went to hunt for Dorikas all alone."
Both of them nod.
"You can count on us, Mr. Kaos!"- Devin says- "We'll make sure that Jared survives the mission and returns here safe and sound!"
"Yeah! He'll be totally fine!"- Florence adds- "Move on with your own affairs. Your son will be with the right people."
Aleks smiles and hugs his son.
"I believe in you, son. And so does everyone else."- He says- "Make that evilhearted fool pay for his crimes against the good people here!"
Jared smiles and waves goodbye to his father as he quickly heads east. Then, he looks to the north once again.
Something is clearly getting his attention. Could it be an enemy? A scream? Or simply a desire to rest somewhere before the real problems begin for him?
Either way, he heads north without saying goodbye to everyone else. For some reason, the desire to go that way is clearly more important than that.
His friends, seeing that he is going north alone look at each other. Devin turns to his family and sighs.
"I'm so sorry, dad, sister. I've got to go."- He says- "I can't leave Jared alone even for a single moment."
Edward nods and smiles.
"It's okay, child. We understand that very well."- He responds- "Jared is your friend. He helped you when you were in a grave situation. Now, it's time for you to repay what he has doen for you by helping him defeat those villains."
Uma smiles as well and hugs her brother.
"Me and your father know that you'll be a gret team. Go get 'em, little bro!"- She says.
Devin smiles.
"Thank you so much! You're the best!"- He responds and leaves with Florence, intending to catch up to Jared before he goes too far away.
Edward and Uma watch as Devin goes farther and farther away from them with smiles on their faces. Seeing him act like a hero is like honey for their souls- sweet and very welcome, especially in a time like this.
"Uma."- Edward says to his daughter- "Do you remember the time then you and Nox turned 18? Do you remember what I told you about what would happen when you grow up?"
Uma nods.
"I... guess."- She mutters and struggles to remember- " "When you grow up, the world around you will change. You will see it with different pairs of eyes. You will see the dangers that constantly inhabit it and vow to eliminate them at all costs. You will start to care about everyone that is around you. And you will easily tell who means well and who does not. From now on, you will turn into responsible, young women. People will depend on you and will seek your guidance. You will be rays of light that will give them hope in those dark, dark times." I guess that this happened to Devin. And before our very eyes, no less. It's... amazing, to say at the very least."
Edward nods.
"Now that he has grown up into a responsible young man, all of you have new lives to deal with. I just hope that you don't forget about the most important think that you must maintain at all costs."
Uma raises her eyebrow.
"And what could that be?"- She asks him.
Edward looks at her. At first, it seems like he will scowl her for making such a predictable mistake. However, he realizes that she is still young and thus unable to understand the most important things in her life.
Instead, he smiles and says:
"Family, my dear. Family is what matters the most, no matter what you do. When you, your sister and Devin are out of Thais for good, you will constantly remember about me and your mother and visit us from time to time."
Uma raises her eyebrow again.
"But... you promised that Nox will be the Queen of Thais. Isn't she going to stay with you all the time?"
Edward smiles.
"I would love to do that, if I could. However, we are going to retire after your sister becomes the Queen... and finds a suitable husband to live with. We can't stay with you forever."
He looks up at the sky.
"Remember, Uma."- He continues- "Nothing is eternal. Neither the trees or the birds, nor the sun or the moon. Not even the planet where we live. Every living and non-living matter has its beginning... and its end. In the end, all of us are destined to be sent towards the stars. Sooner or later, our journey will come to a sudden end. But that does not matter. What does, however, are the good deeds that we do for the people around us during our lifetime. Nothing is better than the feeling of satisfaction and happiness when you help someone else, someone who desperately needs your help. There is no better reward than seeing them happy and safe, just like me when I take care of you and your siblings. And I know that, one day, you will be a well respected figure among the citizens of our world. All you have to do is show them kindness and care about their well-being, helping them with their troubles. Do that and you will be remembered as a hero."
Uma nods and smiles.
"I will make you proud, dad."- She says- "One day, I will make you feel very proud of me. Rest assured of it.
Edward nods.
"And I am looking forward to that moment."- He says and continues staring at the sky as Uma sits beside him.
Meanwhile, Jared rushes forward. Devin and Uma are getting closer to him.
Finally, both of them manage to catch up with him.
"Jared, what's going on?"- Devin asks him- "Why are you in such a hurry?"
Seeing that his friends have come with him, Jared stops and sighs.
"I am so sorry."- He says- "It is just... I want to see someone important to me before I go."
Florence smiles.
"That's all? You wanna see an old friend? Or a family member?"- She says- "Well, count me in!"
Devin nods.
"I will come, too. Even if you are in your hometown, it's still very dangerous to wander around alone."
Jared smiles.
"If you want to accompany me up there, be my guests. I would love to have some company while doing this."- He says- "However, you might be a little disturbed by what you see."
Having said this, Jared walks forward, expecting his friends to join him.
Devin and Florence stare at each other for a few seconds. However, instead of asking what Jared meant by saying those words, they decide to simply accompany him and ignore the warning that he gave them.
In a few moment, the three of them are walking to the north in perfect unison. Soon, they will reach their destination.