MLII C2, P2- "Family Matters"

"Family Matters" is the second Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's second Chapter. It was released on 27.10.2020.
== Plot ==
While preparing to go out and fight the Darkside Loyalists once again, Jared meets an old friend who has traveled in time to help him out. It is a great relief for our hero to have someone else that he can rely on during those dangerous times.
Meanwhile, Jared's new friend- Devin Pendragon the Second receives a letter from his family in Thais. It seems like his father and sister are coming to bring him back home... and they are close to Paris.
== Story ==
Jared walks on a nearby street, lost in thought.
"The Darkside Loyalists have been very quiet lately. There haven't been any attacks from them for a week now."- He says to himself- "I wonder what they are planning."
He quickly becomes unaware of his surroundings. So much that he bumps into someone without even looking up.
As he stands back, he looks down in shame.
"I... I am so sorry! I did not mean to bump into you! Please forgive me!"- He says, looking down as he says that.
Moments later, he hears a familiar voice call out to him:
"Jared? Is that you?"
Jared looks up and sees a young girl staring at him. She has an average build, long, black hair and is dressed very well, too.
Once she sees his face, she hugs him.
"Jared!"- She says- "I finally found you! My god, I've been looking everywhere in this godforsaken city for you. And here you are!"
Jared raises his eyebrow, surprised.
"Umm. Do I know you... miss?"- He says.
Her face seems to be familiar. He tries to search for someone in his memories. Someone that looks like this girl, that he has met before in his life.
However, he is unable to recognize her. 
The girl stares into his eyes.
"You... you don't remember me?"- She asks him- "You don't remember the person who you helped defeat thirteen ghosts... in Gun Manor?"
Jared gasps.
"F-Florence?!"- He says, surprised- "Is that really you?"
Florence grins.
"Ya know it! Best science gal in town!"- She says.
Jared has finally remembered Florence- his good friend whom he helped in Gun Manor and he hoped to meet someday. Looks like his wish finally came true.
However, he is still confused by how she looks like. And how she even got here- in the Present.
"How... how did you get here? I thought that it is impossible to go further in time... especially in the 1800s!"- He says- "And where did you get those clothes from? You look... dashing!"
Florence blushes and grins.
"I always find a way to aid my friends, even if they're in a different time. I never give up."- She responds- "As for my clothes, well... let's just say that the pay I got from Mrs. Gun was enough to buy myself something nice from your time and look like a modern woman of science!"
Jared smiles and hugs Florence.
"Thank you for coming here, Florence. Thank you for never giving up."- He says- "Your presence in this situation... is truly calming for me."
Florence smiles back. However, before she can have a chance to respond, someone quickly moves behind Jared.
She draws her gun and points it at him.
"Stay away from him, you villain!"- She yells as she moves in front of her friend to protect him.
Jared notices who the person really is and steps forward to stop Florence from killing him.
"No, Florence! Don't! He is my friend!"- He yells.
Florence lowers her gun.
"You... know this guy?"
Jared nods.
"He is a close friend of mine."
He steps back and smiles as he watches both of them.
"Devin, meet my new friend- Florence."- He says to the mysterious person.
Devin raises his eyebrow.
"You've got quite a wild friend, Jared."- He says.
Florence shrugs.
"Life has made me this way."- She says- "I'm always careful not to make a single mistake."
Devin sighs.
"Anyway, Jared, I have something to tell you. And it is very urgent!"
Jared nods.
"I can see it in your eyes, my friend. Something is really worrying you."- He says- "So, how can I be of service to a dear friend of mine?"
Devin picks up something from his pocket and hands it to Jared. It is an envelope.
"My family in Thais sent to me. They're saying that they found out about what happened. And that my father and my sister are coming to get me out of here."
Jared opens the envelope and reads the letter. Sure enough, there is a seal at the bottom, indicating that it was sent by Thais' royal family- the one that Devin is from.
Jared shakes his head.
"I am very sorry, Devin."- He says- "I want to help you. I really do. But this matter is between you and your family. It would be very unwise for me to get involved in this."
Devin shakes his head. Tears start to appear in his eyes.
"Please, Jared! For the love of the Holy One above, please, convince them that I should stay here!"- He says- "I don't want to go back there! I don't want them to retire and make me the King of Thais! I don't want to become one! I... I want to be free. To fight enemies and help people, just like you! I don't want to be holed up in a palace for the rest of my life! Please! Please reconsider!"
Jared thinks about this for a while. The forces of Resposibility and Friendship fight within his mind. He is clearly split between sending his friend to do his sacred duty and help him live a better life as an adventurer.
Fortunately, the force of Friendship prevails. He nods.
"Normally, I would say that you should not ignore the responsibility that has fallen on your shoulders- the responsibility of becoming a King one day in your life."- He says- "However, you are my friend and we still need your help in fighting the Darkside Loyalists and taking down their leader. You are way too valuable to lose, Devin. So, I will try to convince your family to reconsider their choice to take you back to Thais immediately... at least until we have fulfilled our task and defeated the enemy."
Devin smiles.
"I knew that I could count on you, Jared. You're always such a loyal and caring friend."- He says- "My family will be waiting around the Kaos residence. Let's meet them there as soon as possible. They need to know more about the trouble that we've gotten ourselves into."
Jared, Devin and Florence head towards the Kaos residence. Once they are there, they look around for someone who has come to meet them.
Sure enough, two people come out of their hiding place. On closer inspection, it seems like one of them is a middle-aged man and the other is a young girl, possibly in her 20s.
The girl approaches Devin and slaps him.
"Foolish little brother! Do you even know what you trouble you've gotten yourself into?!"- She yells at him- "Stealing the Demonslayer for a villain like Dorikas? Were you out of your mind?! No matter how much he promised to pay you, that sword is priceless! And what did you do? You gave it to a dangerous person who is going to break it down and hide the parts somewhere where we can never find them, that's what!"
"I am so ashamed of this, Devin. It seems like Nox was right- you really cannot go anywhere alone without causing trouble to the locals."
Although Jared initially promised to stay away from Devin's affairs, he cannot stand still while watching his friend get yelled at about something that he did unintentionally and unknowingly.
Wishing to defend his friend from his sister's accusations, he steps between them.
"Listen here, lady."- He begins calmly- "Devin is not the evil person that you think that you are seeing within him. And I will be glad to prove that to you."
The girl glares at him.
"Oh yeah?"- She says- "Then how about you start speaking, wise guy? Tell me why in the world my dear brother is not guilty in such a situation. I'm all ears."
The man steps forward and nods.
"Let the boy speak, Uma."- He says- "He might know more about this situation than we do."
Uma sighs and continues staring at Jared. Coldly.
Jared sees that everyone is listening to him. He begins to speak:
"Devin told me anything when I found him with my friend back in Avernum. Back then, he did not know that the Demonslayer was located in Avernum. He thought that he was just stealing an ordinary blade with no magical properties. Thus, he was blinded by the riches that Dorikas promised him and fulfilled the task that he gave him. It was only until he gave the sword to Dorikas that he realized the mistake that he has just made. He did not know it until he and the rest of his loyalist scum tried to kill him. It was only thanks to my friend- Akari, that he survived that encounter and came here."
"From the moment he settled in Paris, I taught him about how to treat the people around him with respect... as well as himself. I helped him realize the mistake that he has made and advised him on how to correct him- by fighting those who forced him to make it, the Darkside Loyalists."
Uma nods.
"Sounds believable."- She says- "But Demonslayer is nowhere to be found. Do you know where that fiend hid it after obtaining it from by brother?"
Jared smiles, unsheathes Demonslayer and shows it to the two of them.
Uma gasps.
"Th-this is it! It's Demonslayer!"- She exclaims- "But... how did you find it? And how is it still in perfect condition?"
Jared smiles again.
"Well, let us just say that there was a man who was kind enough to kill the loyalists who are carrying the Demonslayer away and then then informed me that he has them. And that with his help, I managed to bring the mighty blade back to its former glory."
Uma nods. She is clearly impressed.
"You look like a skilled fighter."- She says- "What's your name, kid?"
Jared looks at her, smiling as he does.
"My name is Jared Kaos."- He says- "And your brother is a very good friend of mine."
The man steps further forward and shakes Jared's hand.
"It's an honor for us to meet you, Jared Kaos!"- He says- "I'm Edward Pendragon- King of the kingdom of Thais."
He points at the girl behind him.
"And this is my daughter- Uma Pendragon. We are forever grateful to you and your friend for the kindness that you have shown towards my son. Despite the mistake that he made."
Jared smiles and bows down.
"It is my job, Your Majesty."- He responds- "No matter how desperate a situation may seem, I never give up until I have succeeded. Especially if someone's life is at stake."
Uma nods.
"Though you have indeed convinced me that my brother didn't steal Demonslayer intentionally and even showed me the blade in your hands, my opinion that Devin should come back with us remains unchanged."
Jared looks at her. Even though he told Devin that he will try to convince his family that he should stay in Paris, he is unable to say anything. Instead, he simply stands there, unsure what to say.
Uma grabs Devin's hand.
"Come on, Devin. We have to go."- She says- "It's for your own good, little brother. You cannot escape your responsibility, you know?"
Devin tries to pull himself away.
"Please, Jared!"- He says- "Please! I don't want to go there! Say something, I beg you!"
Just as it seems like it will be impossible for anyone to convince Uma to leave her brother alone, someone steps in her way.
Jared recognizes the person.
"Dad!"- He says, realizing that his father has come to help.
Aleks smiles.
"Now, now. This is not the right way to treat your little brother, young lady."- He says- "If he wants to help people, let him do it. He is an adventurous soul and Thais' royal court is not fit for him."
Uma raises her eyebrow.
"Excuse me for being rude, but who are you?"- She says.
Aleks smiles again.
"I am Jared's father- Aleks Kaos."- He responds- "And I think that your brother is a wonderful person. Such a kind, caring soul who is ready to fight the enemy if it means that he will save a life... or lives."
"As much as you want your brother to be King, you cannot force this sudden sense of responsibility onto him. Especially if he already has a life that makes him happy."- He continues- "You want your brother to be happy, don't you? You want him to be safe and sound? You want him to be able to respect and, in turn, to be respected back? And you want him to be a responsible person who cares about the well-being of those who are around him? Well, then I think that you should listen to what he has to say, despite being his older sister. Because everyone deserves to be heard in such a situation, especially those who want to change this world for good and free themselves from the chains that prevent them from doing so."
"Trust me, your brother will be much happier if he stayed here, helping the people that he met during his adventure and protect them from those who wish to harm them."
Uma looks down. She is unable to respond to Aleks.
Edward smiles.
"Why, instead of trying to convince Devin to come with us, how about we come here to help him?"- He says- "He still needs our guidance and it will be best for us to provide it, especially in such a dangerous situation."
Aleks nods.
"What a wonderful idea!"- He says- "If he cannot go with his family, why not let his family stay with him here?"
Uma looks at her father, shocked.
"I understand that you want to be with Devin, dad."- She says- "But, what about Thais? What about mom? Nox? They're going to be really worried if we don't come back with Devin!"
Edward smiles.
"Uma, your mother and your sister are wise women. They understand when we have to go absent, when we have to help someone in need. And, in this situation, that someone is your brother. So, would you rather bring him back ashamed that he didn't manage to help those people? Or would you rather help him defeat the Darkside Loyalists, see him feel accomplished and feel truly proud of him?"- He says- "Because I will be glad to do that myself."
Uma sighs and smiles as well.
"Alright, alright. You have convinced me."
She turns to Jared.
"I understand that my brother means as much to you as he means to us, maybe even more. Taking him away from you would be a crime, to say at the very least."- She says to him- "So, we will stay here and make sure that he helps you defeat those enemies. We will fight them together. We won't separate!"
Jared nods.
"I am glad that you finally showed wisdom in this situation, Ms. Pendragon."- He says- "Your overprotective attitude reminds me of my own sister's. She is older than me and she always wants to ensure my well-being, even when she is hurt. She is always ready to risk her life to protect me. And I hope that it is the same with you and Devin."
Uma smiles.
"Why, me and your sister have so much in common!"- She responds- "I would be glad to meet her!"
Suddenly, someone approaches all of them. They turn around to look at the person.
It is Marinette- Jared's sister. Although she is not in a good condition, she still seems to be standing without any problems.
"Brother, dad, who are all those people?"- She says weakly- "Why didn't you tell me that you were going to attend to a party? And why didn't you invite me?"
Everyone watches as she suddenly collapses to the ground and how Jared helps her stand up.
"Sister! Why? Why did you come out of the hospital so early?"- He says to her- "You are still in bad shape!"
Marinette grins.
"Remember what we promised to each other when we were little, Jared? How we will always protect each other, no matter what happens next?"- She says- "Well, I'm planning to keep up to that promise. And I won't stop at nothing to help you succeed in defeating Dorikas and the Darkside Loyalists once and for all!"
Jared smiles.
"You are always so brave, sister. I am so glad that you are my sister, out of all people."- He says- "Life has truly blessed me with your presence."