MLII C2, P14- "Friend Until The End"

"Friend Until The End" is the fourteenth and penultimate Part of "Miracula Luxia" 's second Chapter. It was released on 19.11.2020.
== Plot ==
Despite sparing Tholmen's life, Jared does not feel like he should stay and keep helping the people of Paris. He sees that they are finally safe and that the people elsewhere still need his help.
However, he won't be going on this new adventure alone. It seems like his good friend and most valuable ally- John Braveheart, will be joining him in order to ensure that he is safe and sound while wandering unknown territory.
Just before they prepare to go, Jared discovers a very unexpected surprise. It seems like Dorikas' demise reverted the death of someone he truly cared about.
== Story ==
Once Jared and John reach the Kaos residence, they stop.
Jared points at the residence and looks at John.
"Do you see this, John? Do you see the ruins of the home that my father worked so hard to save for us?"- He asks him- "And do you understand what will happen now that it is in this state?"
John looks up. However, he is unable to answer his friend's question.
"We are not united anymore! We are not fighting for the right for the right cause!"- Jared continues- "And this is all because of my actions! Because I was not fast enough to destroy Dorikas and the Darkside Loyalists. Because I thought that they were not a huge threat! Because I was foolish!"
John shakes his head.
"You're still blaming yourself about this?"- He asks him- "Jared, this is not your fault! Don't fall victim of your emotions!"
Jared shakes his head.
"No. You are not right!"- He says- "Everyone suffered from my mistake. And now... now... "
He breaks down in tears.
"This world will never be the same, John! Never!"
John thinks about this for a few seconds. Then, he says:
"You're right about one thing. This world won't be the same... but not in a bad way."- He says quietly- "Don't you see it, Jared? The world is changing right in front of our eyes! And you were the catalyst that sprung the machinery of hope to life! You killed Dorikas and his allies and showed the people that nothing is impossible if you fight for it hard enough! And this is why you shouldn't blame yourself about such a minor mistake... because you redeemed yourself by slaying the one who harmed so many people, ruined so many cities and crushed so many dreams! That matters much more than the fact that you let a friend down. You may have lost a person in this battle, but you have saved many more."
He stares into his eyes.
"And you're telling me that you're weak?"
Jared sighs and turns away.
"Yes."- He says and starts to walk in the other direction.
John runs after him.
"Where do you think you're going?"- He asks him- "Your work here is not done yet!"
Jared turns around and shakes his head.
"No. Everyone is safe now. Nobody needs my help here."- He responds- "I am going to somewhere... farther away."
John raises his eyebrow.
"Go somewhere else? And leave your family behind?!"- He says- "Jared, they still need you! Your father is unconscious! Your sister is still bedridden! Your grandfather can't take care of both of them!"
Jared smiles and shakes his head again.
"I am sure that they will be fine without me. I am just dragging them down into despair with every move that I make."- He says and looks around.
"Don't you see it, John? All I do is make our family weaker and destroy every bond that I ever had with both my mother and my uncle. There is nothing left for me here, only sadness and despair. So, I must embark on a new adventure to ensure the safety of the people elsewhere!"
John nods.
"I agree with you. Part of me wants to let you go and give hope to people outside of this city."- He responds- "But another part of me is worried about your safety. Who knows what you might encounter out there... "
Jared smiles.
"Do not worry about me!"- He says gleefully- "If I ever find myself in trouble, I will fight valiantly to get out of it... or die trying!"
John sighs and smiles as well.
"Well, it seems like there's no chance that I can convince you otherwise."- He says- "But who am I to judge your decisions? If you want to go outside, I won't stop you."
He looks at him.
"But that doesn't mean that you're going to escape from me. Not so easily!"
Jared raises his eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"- He asks him- "Are you going to let me go by myself?"
John laughs bitterly.
"And let you endanger your own life?"- He says- "No way am I going to let a friend do something like this!"
"No, I am coming with you on this adventure. Whether you want it or not."
Jared takes a step back.
"But I want to prove myself by defeating enemies... alone!"
John sighs.
"It is. It is indeed."- He says stoically- "But trusting your allies to help you out when you need help is much more valuable, just like I trust you when you have to make a difficult and life-changing decision. It's friend do for you."
Jared sighs.
"I guess that I have never known how true friendship feels like... not until I met you. Back then, you... you saved my life. You were like the big brother that I never had, a person whom I always trusted and cared about... and received the same trust and care in return."
John smiles.
"See? This is why we can trust each other."- He responds- "The level of trust that we have built for a whole year has made us inseparable! Nobody can ever break us apart! Neither Dorikas, nor his minions. And they never did!"
He looks at him.
"So. Do you still trust me enough to let me come with you? Do you still value our friendship, just like when we fought side by side against the evil ones?"
Jared smiles and nods.
"I cannot deny it, John. You are quite a smooth talker when it comes to friendship."- He says- "But the reason why I tried to send you away is because I wanted to protect you. I know how much you care about me and I know that you are ready to die in order to ensure my safety. I... I do not want to see that. I do not want to experience that.
He sighs.
"However, hearing what you said to me made me realize that you are way too valuable to leave behind in such a peaceful place when I explore the outside world and try to make sense of my surroundings. And I finally realized what you meant when you said that- two swords are always better than one!"
He pats him on the shoulder and smiles again.
"You may come with me, if you wish."- He continues- "But be warned that once you step into the fire... there is no going back."
John grins.
"Oh, I have never stepped out of the fire. Going with you will just fuel the fire within my heart and make me a much more valuable ally to you."- He says- "And you want someone to help you out when you have to fight evil, don't you?"
Jared nods.
"Yes. I can see that in your eyes."- John continues- "Your mother will be very proud of you."
Jared raises his eyebrow.
"She... she will?"
John nods and smiles.
"In fact, she has never been so proud."- He says- "Ever since she helped you defeat Dorikas by crafting Ragnarok, she has always been talking about how heroic you are for someone so young!"
"She also told me that I should tell you how much she loves you. Although you probably know that very well."
Jared looks down. Tears start to fall down from both of his eyes.
A few seconds later, he realizes what is happening and wipes the tears from his eyes. He looks up and nods solemnly.
"I... see."- He says- "I am sorry for acting so weak. I really miss her and I cannot imagine the world without her, or uncle."
John smiles.
"I know how it feels. Both of us have lost people who were very important to us when they were still alive."- He says- "And they still live inside our memories. We always cherish them and remember all the good times that we had with them. All the lessons that they taught us. All the dreams that we shared with them. We never forget that, even when they aren't around anymore."
He sighs.
"But now is not the time to grieve about someone who is in a different world, far away from us. Your mother sacrificed her own life for a reason... and we must not let it be in vain. At all costs!"
Jared nods. He seems to finally agree with what his best friend is saying. Hearing about his later has quite an influence on his decisions.
"My plan is to go to the western gate of the city at dawn, unnoticed by any of our friends and family. I will be waiting for you there."
He begins to leave, but turns around and stares at John in a very serious way.
"Oh, and please do not tell anyone about this."- He adds- "I do not want everyone to worry about us, especially my grandpa and my sister."
John nods.
"Your secret is safe with me."- He says proudly- "Farewell, my friend."
Having said that, John leaves in the opposite direction.
Jared sighs and starts to walk back towards the ruins of the Kaos residence.
Midway, he is approached by a young girl who looks at him in a surprised way. Jared himself is even more surprised.
"L-Lily! No way!"- He exclaims, runs forward and hugs her.
She does the same and smiles.
"I've never dreamed that I could ever see you again!"- She says- "It's like a dream come true!"
She takes a few steps back and sighs.
"How did this happen?"- Jared asks her- "Who brought you back to life?"
Lily smiles.
"Well, it turns out that I wasn't truly dead."- She responds- "After I died, Dorikas took my soul into a magical chamber deep into his fortress after his surviving servants brought it to him when they returned from their last assault on Paris. And I just sat there, lonely. It was unbearable, but I was waiting patiently for someone to crush this monster once and for all. And suddenly, I felt like his life energy was gone. Someone had defeated him. And from that moment onward, I knew that it was you."
"The other souls drifted away immediately after his demise, but they did not find their way back to their original bodies, because they were far away for way too long. I, on the other hand, remembered that I still have a purpose and I remember who I had to protect from the enemies- you. So, I managed to find my way back home."
"And when I returned and opened my eyes, I felt like this was all a dream. It was as if this didn't happen at all. It was so weird."
Jared and Lily stare at each other for a few minutes, unsure what to say. Finally, Lily says:
"When I was dying, I shared how I felt about you. How you always motivated me and showed care with your actions, even if they weren't because of me."- She mutters- "I... probably shouldn't have done that. Forgive me, Jared."
Jared smiles and hugs her again.
"Love is something that you should never trifle with, Lily."- He says- "I played with your heart and suffered because of it. I felt like a part of me was left... incomplete. Taken away for good."- He says- "But now that you are back, I think that I can finally ease my mind from this never-ending burden."
He shakes his head.
"I cannot say that I can love you. That I can always be by your side and be the person who you deserve to have."- He says- "But I can at least do this... "
He approaches her, takes her hands in his, closes his eyes and kisses her on the lips.
A few seconds later, Lily finally realizes what just happened to her. She almost faints because of it, but Jared manages to catch her in the right moment.
"I... I can't believe it."- She says- "You just... just... "
Jared smiles.
"Remember this moment for your whole life, because we may never see each other again."- He says- "It is what we have left, after all. The memories that we made and that we always cherish... they will always remain in our minds."
Lily sighs and smiles.
"Oh, well."- She responds- "It was good while it lasted."
Jared nods.
"I will be gone soon. Travel to a land far away where I will be far away from you. Where I won't cause pain to you with my mistakes."- He continues- "And I will appreciate it if you don't try to come after me. It will be futile to put yourself in harm's way... just because of me."
Lily smiles and hugs him.
"I will miss you very much, my friend."- She says- "Stay safe out there. Don't fear overcome your sense of judgement."
Jared smiles and hugs her back.
"You know me well, Lily. And you know that I can defend myself."- He responds- "Take care of yourself and know that we will never be truly separated."
Jared takes a step back, smiles and leaves LIly alone, hoping to reach the residence before sundown.
Fortunately, he manages to get there in less than five minutes. He enters the residence and climbs the stairs to the second floor.
There, he opens the door to what is left of his room, lies on his bed and sighs.
"This week was quite... eventful. For all of us."- He says to himself.
He looks at a picture on the wall to the right. It depicts him, his father, his grandfather and his sister, sitting near the Eiffel Tower. All of them are smiling and there are no signs that the Darkside Loyalists ever broke their morale. It is likely that this picture was taken before Fort Darkside was discovered and around the time when Jared's father finally decided to be a better person.
Technically, this means that it happened around a month ago.
"Whenever I see them happy, I feel the same way. Knowing that your family is safe and sound... it is a truly great achievement that I should always be proud of."- He continues- "But now... now, the world is falling apart and our family will never be the same. In fact, the whole world will never be the same after the nightmare that we barely escaped with our lives."
He looks at a window to the left of him.
"I love them. I would do anything for them. But my presence does not put their minds at ease. Worse, it is making them more and more worried every day. I... I cannot take this. Not anymore."
He sighs.
"Tomorrow, a new page of my story shall be opened. Me and John shall write our own history and save people on our own, without the guidance of anyone else."- He says to himself- "I know, it is not the wisest move that I have ever made, but at least everyone will have time to recover from this ordeal. Everything will be normal for them and they will move on with their lives, for good or bad."
He shakes his head.
"My departure from my hometown is something that I never anticipated, that I hoped that it would not happen."- He continues- "And yet, here we are. Young and unsure, about to explore the darkness of the unknown with no fear in our hearts. Bravely destroying the ones who threaten the peace and safety of the people around us. Feeling like real heroes, at least for a short time."
He sighs and smiles.
"Tomorrow, I can finally prove my worth to the whole world and show then that Jared Kaos is not hiding behind his family and is not known only because of them. From now on, I will live my own life... and be a new person, not the weak, adorable and dependent child that they all remember well and hope that he still lives within my soul."
He shakes his head.
"No. The old Jared is long gone."- He says to himself- "Now, it is the time for the new, mature Jared to rise... and shine!"
He looks at the sun and realizes how late it is.
Without thinking twice, he closes his eyes and hopes that he can get enough sleep for the long journey tomorrow.
Yes. It is clear that our hero and his loyal companion will soon find new lands and more citizens who need their help. All that remains to achieve that is simple- leave the safety of the big city behind and begin their adventure towards oblivion.
Time is short and you cannot spend it regretting things that you have never done before.
So, it is finally time for Jared to do something new and show everyone how determined he is. Soon, he will be on his way towards an adventure that will change his life forever.
A lot of things have happened, but the worst is yet to come. And you should never cower in fear and patiently wait for the inevitable.
No. Now is not the time to be weak and dependent. Now is the time to be strong and determined. Now... is the time to act.