MLII C7, P5- "Girl That You Love"

"Girl That You Love" is the fifth Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's seventh Chapter. It was released on 10.07.2021.
== Plot ==
Once he is out of the dangerous cave, Jared makes the hard decision to camp somewhere for a long time and study the properties of the legendary Heavenly Diamond, hopefully figuring out how he can use it in the process.
For a few days, everything seems to go smoothly and nobody dares to disturb our hero and interrupt this time-consuming process...
Until an unexpected guest arrives and tells him something that they have been thinking about for a while.
== Story ==
Jared looks around, suspicious that more enemies might be waiting for him down here.
Fortunately, there is no such thing. Whatever vagabonds might have been camping out here, they are either dead or on the run. Therefore, they pose absolutely no threat to our hero.
"Be careful, dear."- Tanya says to her grandson- "I have the bad feeling that the worst has yet to come."
Jared sighs.
"We have no choice, grandma."- He responds- "If we want to succeed in finding a way to stop this madness, I must fight whoever stands in my way."
"Yes, yes. I understand."- Tanya says- "I just want you to be careful. That's all. I don't want you to end up like... like me."
Jared stands motionless for a few seconds.
"I cannot make any promises. Not right now."- He says stoically, turns around and heads north.
On his way around the mountain, he finds a small group of humanoids, outcasts who managed to survive the war between them and the Avernites. However, unlike their strong allies, they are no match for the combined might of a brave grandson and his grandmother.
Once they have managed to deal with all of them, they make sure that there are no survivors this time. Lucky for them, nobody made it out.
Satisfied with the results of his short battle against his sworn enemies, Jared starts to head north again.
On the way to another village, his grandmother gets his attention.
"What is it, grandma?"- Jared asks her- "What is on your mind?"
Tanya sighs.
"Oh. Nothing really important, I guess."- She mutters- "I was just wondering about the predicament that we managed to get ourselves into. How we were attacked by those bandits and you were nearly crushed by the falling rubble. It was a struggle for both of us and I'm sorry that I brought you into this. I really am."
Jared smiles.
"You did your best to warn me, grandma. And I really appreciate it."- He says- "However, it is too late to be sorry. And there is no reason to be! We managed to survive. I am still alive and so are you, inside my mind. Now, we move on and we think about what we should do next."
Tanya makes a humming noise.
"Come to think of it."- She says- "There is something else that I'm curious about."
Jared raises his eyebrow.
"Another question?"- He says- "Well, I do not envy you. There is much to be learned. But, there is so little time."
He smiles.
"If there is something on your mind, do not be afraid to tell me about it."- He continues- "We are a family. And we always look out for each other."
Tanya makes another humming noise.
"Thank you for understanding."- She says- "So, here is my question. What should our next move be?"
Jared thinks about this for a few seconds.
"It is really hard to decide."- He says- "But I think that it would be a good idea to settle down somewhere safe and analyze the properties of this powerful gem that we have just obtained."
He searches for the heavenly diamond in his pocket and pulls it out. Then, he takes a good look at it, mesmerized by the sheer beauty of it.
"Maybe it could turn the tides and allow us to win this never-ending battle."- He continues- "But, for now, we must sit and rest somewhere. There is a long road ahead of us and we need to be ready for whatever we have to face."
Tanya makes an affirmative noise.
"Good thinking!"- She compliments him- "This will give us the chance to hone your skills and study the item at the same time!"
Jared smiles.
"Then it is settled."- He says- "Let us find a new place to live!"
It takes them a few days to find a shelter in the wilds around the second village but, in the end, they find one. A small, abandoned warehouse that was likely abandoned around the time when Rentar-Ihrno's Vahnatai attacked the world and its inhabitants. A safe place to stay, for sure, but for how long?
For Jared, this does not matter. What does, however, is the fact that he is away from anything (and anyone) who would dare to disturb him.
He spends a single day to settle in and rest from the long adventure that he had to endure. Then, on the next day, he starts to study the properties of the mysterious diamond while also leaving himself some time to train and prepare for another battle.
Meanwhile, his grandmother does not say anything else. She leaves her grandson in peace and hopes that he succeeds.
A few days later, someone appears at the warehouse and knocks at the door. When Jared opens it, he sees someone very close to him.
"Meggy!"- He says and embraces his friend.
Meggy is invited to enter the house, but she politely refuses. Instead, she wishes to speak with Jared outside.
As they sit on a nearby bench, Jared wonders why she is here. However, he cannot imagine why she would have come this far just to talk to him.
Unless there is something important that she needs to tell him.
Meggy turns around and looks at him. She is blushing.
"Jared."- She mutters- "Um... I'm not sure how I can say this without sounding weird, but I really wanted to talk to you about our relationship."
Jared raises his eyebrow.
"Our... relationship?"- He says- "What do you mean, Meggy?"
In a few moments, Meggy's face turns beet red. She is clearly nervous about something, but she is afraid to say it.
"I... I spoke with Annie. And Akari. They told me about your struggles with love and how you rebuke most ladies who declare their love to you."- She says nervously- "I... I... "
Jared looks at her, surprised. He was not expecting to be talking about this topic again.
"She is so nervous. Her hands seem to be sweating. Her hair is dirty and her clothes are torn. In other words, she is a mess."- He says to himself- "What is it, Meggy? What are you so worried about? Come on, there is nothing to fear when I am here."
Meggy looks down and then back up at Jared. Her legs shift around nervously.
She seems to be distracted by her own thoughts, but her eyes are still focused on Jared. And they don't intend to stop looking at him. At least for now.
"When I first met you, I saw someone who'd always be there for me. Who'd always protect me from evil. Someone who's brave, smart,determined and heroic."- She says- "At first, I was thankful that you brought me into your hometown, that you helped me settle in a place that I never visited before. I had a lot of respect for your heroism, the bravery that you showed in battle. But, after you defeated the bandit leader and left us behind, my respect turned into l... love."
She touches Jared's cheek.
"Jared."- She mutters- "I. I... "
She slowly pulls Jared close to her and whispers:
"I... love... you."
Then, before he can have the chance to react to this sudden confession, Meggy pulls him even closer and kisses him.
Although Jared vowed to stay away from such dark temptations, the feeling of having someone to love and care about is too overwhelming for him. He decides that there is no point to resist it and kisses her back.
Their romance continues for half an hour. As they continue kissing and snuggling, Jared's mother remembers the moment when she kissed his grandfather for the first time. The time when they did not have to worry about creating and taking care of the entire Kaos family.
"Lethal. I miss you so much. I miss you and I always will."- She says- "But this is not the time to be sad about the times when we used to be happy. Right now, he is the one who is truly important to us. We must not lose our focus. And, if he wants to find the true love of his life, I will not interfere. I hope that it is the same for you."
Once Jared and Meggy are done kissing, they lay back on the bench, confused. This whole process was not intended to happen, but they did it anyway.
"I'm sorry."- She excuses herself- "I guess that... that I went too far. Didn't I?"
Jared shakes his head.
"It is not your fault."- He says- "Times like those force us to do things that we did not dare to do before. Love is a power that, once unleashed into someone's heart, it cannot be avoided easily. I gave in, because I knew how much you want to be with me. To care about me."
He takes her hands in his.
"But. Is this really what you want?"- He asks her- "Am I really the right boy for you? Because I am sure that there are many more out there, many boys who would love you much more than I ever will. Who will always care about you more than anything else. Who will always fight to protect you, to keep you safe. Tell me, are you content with the choice that you have made today?"
Meggy sighs.
"I know. I thought a lot about this, but I made my decision to find someone whom I will love."- She says- "Sure. I figured out that you'd be too busy to truly care about me. I also know that I'm not the perfect woman for you. But, I wanted to give us a chance. To see how it goes. And, if it works, maybe make our own family someday. Who knows?"
She sighs again.
"But I'm only daydreamin' now."- She continues- "I can tell that you're busy and I... I won't bother you anymore."
She rises to her feet.
"Hold on."- Jared says and stands up- "Where are you going?"
She looks at the woods behind her.
"Back to the city of Paris."- She responds- "Your dad let me stay with you for a short time, but he will be furious if I don't get back in time. Which will be in a day or so. You see, I must continue my training. And he's very serious about it."
She turns around and kisses him on the cheek.
"No matter which girl you choose to be your beloved, remember that I'll always be there. That I'll always love you."- She says- "And I shall patiently await for your return."
She smiles.
"Good luck."
Having said that, she turns around and enters the forest.
Jared sits back on the bench.
"What a week."- He says to himself- "A confession from one of my dearest friends, another saved settlement and a discovery that will surely allow me to turn the tables of the battle between Light and Darkness."
He sighs.
"From now on, I must fight alone. I must fight for my friends... and my family."- He continues- "And, if I want to succeed, I must focus my attention on my one true goal- finding the truth."
As he says the word "truth", he takes a look at the heavenly diamond again.
Tanya sighs whistfully.
"It seems like our work is not done yet, dear."- She says to Jared- "Are you ready to continue?"
Jared nods.
"I am ready."- He says- "Let us continue."
Having said that, he continues to analyze the diamond as the sun rises in the sky above him.
"Success is nearly into our grasp. We are so close to finding out the truth."- He says to himself- "All that is left for us to do... is to learn."