Here's the design for Lies of the Anatisverse. Obviously the first difference is that it isn't Kagami. I couldn't see it working with the plot and that so I chose to make it Anarka.
Now on with the design. I was going to make her look more glass like originally to keep in with the OG Lies design. However, I ended up taking inspiration from the banshee and La Llorona which ended up with this design. I kept to a similar color theme for her though and referred to the OG Lies in her hair piece and choker.
So her powers. Like the OG Lies, she can create a light sphere that paralyzes anyone caught in it as long as they have lied at some point in their life. She can't tell the difference between a white or necessary lie from a harmful one. However, she has a secondary power that extends to her children. When she captures her children, she can trap them in an illusionary world of her making with the goal of making Luka tell her the truth.
Anyway, I'm pretty happy with her design and hopefully Lies will be out soon
Well, I finished this a bit quicker then I thought. Work has calmed down now that the Christmas holidays are over so hopefully I'll have more time. Lies is next and will probably be very loosely based on the episode and then it will be Truth. Anyway, enjoy and I hope everyone had a great Christmas and new year :D
"Young Master, are you ok?" Vernn asked as Luka read over some of the grimoire notes for the sixth time. The sandwich on the side had barely been touched and he had barely left his room. Only really leaving to deal with either an akuma or to use the bathroom. He had told his mother that he was really sick and hadn't even gone to school. The kwamis had noticed that he hadn't even answered his phone or anything. It had been almost a week since he lost Master Mila and Master Fu and while he claimed he was ok, it was becoming clear that he really wasn't. Lady Noir had noticed as well and she let him know that he could open up to her but he didn't. The Kwamis suspected that maybe he felt like he shouldn't but they weren't sure. It didn't help that he hadn't been assigned a new therapist yet. Because of the previous events, Dr Mila had been reported missing and her clients were being assigned new therapists but it was taking its time. Luka couldn't help but feel guilty. He wanted to tell someone she was dead but he also knew it would open a whole can of worms as he would have to explain why there wasn't a body, why she had been killed in the first place and why she wasn't who she said she was. If he had the peacock miraculous, he would easily be able to make a fake and create a story that wouldn't complicate things and that would allow her to have a burial but because Hawkmoth had it, he couldn't do that.
"Young Master?" Nepp asked, flying next to Vernn. Luka blinked and looked over at them. "Are you ok? You haven't touched your sandwich,"
"Hm? Oh," He mumbled quietly before glancing at his sandwich. "I'm not that hungry,"
"You haven't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon, young master," Bennu declared, flying over. "So at least try to eat half,"
Luka sighed before picking up the sandwich and slowly eating it. He knew the Kwamis were right and he wasn't surprised that those three had taken to trying to look after him. It was almost like Toutai, Alpheus and Sir Rene were speaking. Their kwamis had similar personalities. He wondered if Khnurn's kwami was similar to him. Stingg flew over and landed in front of him, making him glance at him.
"Y-your phone has being going off as well," He whispered, making Luka nod and pick it up. Of course, his friends had messaged him and naturally Marinette had messaged him the most. He sighed as guilt began to creep up on him. He hadn't been a very good boyfriend recently. He was barely talking and just claiming that he was ill but she wasn't stupid. She knew something was up. Juleka and his ma knew as well yet he felt like he couldn't tell any of them. How could he explain that he had lost two people without revealing who he is? And it's not like he could risk that. If he told Marinette then Lady Blanche would return and he wasn't going to let that happen. He opened Marinette's text and read it.
Melody:
11.30am: Hey, I hope you're doing ok and taking care of yourself. It always sucks being sick so maybe I can bring some of your favorite snacks from the Bakery after school if you want. Love you xxx
1.01pm: Lunch time! I'll pop by the Liberty with some yummy snacks. See you soon xx
1.30pm: I'm here! xx
1.45pm: The captain said you're asleep so I'm just gonna chill with Juleka and Rose. Rest up and get better soon. Miss you xxx
2.42pm: Have to go back to school so I've left the snacks on the side for you. Sleep well and I'll text you later. Love you xxx
6.04pm: Well, school day is officially over and Felix invited everyone to have dinner at his. He's doing a lot better now that he's out of the hospital and he said if you feel up to it, we can drop by and pick you up. Don't worry if you don't though ok? Let me know xxx
Luka sighed as he read through the messages. Marinette had clearly tried to spend time with him, despite him being 'sick' and he had just ignored her all day. He felt guilty and he knew he didn't deserve her. He opened the text keyboard and began to type.
7.23pm, L: Hey sorry I haven't messaged all day. I've being asleep for most of the day so I'm sorry for missing you at lunch. Sadly, I don't feel any better at all. I'll try and be a bit more responsive though so you don't have to worry. Hope you guys had a good time at Felix's and hopefully I can join in when I feel better too. I miss you. xxx
7.26pm, M: Hey we had fun and it's ok. I'd rather you rest and get better then feel you need to message me all the time. Your health is important and if you need to rest then you need to rest ^.^ of course, once you're better, I'm gonna give you lots of hugs and kisses xxx
7.28pm: hugs and kisses sound so good. I wish I could have them now but I don't want you to catch whatever I have. Can't have my favourite melody out of commission now, can I? Are you still working on that dress? xxx
7.31pm: Oh I finished it a couple of days ago and it's being sent off. I can't believe people still want my designs still ^-^ did you get the snacks I left? xxx
7.33pm: Not yet. I'll go get them now xxx
Luka put his phone down and wandered out of his room before finding the snacks she left on the table in a bag. He opened it and smiled as he saw she had put his favorite baked goods in there before he headed back to his room. Juleka was probably upstairs with Rose and he wasn't sure where his Ma was but he went back to his room and texted Marinette again.
7.39pm: Got them. They look yummy. Thank you xxx
7.42pm: No problemo XD I've got homework to do so I'll let you go for a bit and maybe you can eat those snacks if you feel up for it and then relax or rest if you need it. Love you, Lu. xxx
7.44pm: That sounds good to me. Hopefully, your homework won't be too annoying. Love you too, Mari. xxx
He put his phone down before looking at the snacks she had brought. They were all his favorites so he slowly picked one up and began to eat it before the akuma alarm went off. He sighed and put down the pastry before turning to Tikki.
"Time to work," He sighed as she nodded and he looked at the other kwamis. "You lot stay here ok?"
"Yes, Luka!" They chimed as he nodded and swiped his earrings.
"Tikki, spots on!"
~Four Days Later~
"So Luka has being acting odd recently," Adrien declared as Marc, Felix, Ivan, Rose and Juleka sat around him. Mylene had joined them, sitting on Ivan's lap and Marinette was also sat there, frowning as she listened. Juleka had invited her to the 'help Luka' intervention group meeting and while she wasn't going to go originally, after barely talking to him again yesterday, she decided to go. She had being surprised to see Adrien there in the lead but as it turned out, he had a rare day off. For some reason, his father was willing to let him enjoy his day. Adrien had explained he was 'in high spirits' compared to normal. "He's not turning up to school or band practice. He's claiming he is sick yet Juleka, Rose, Ivan and the Captain haven't caught any illness,"
"He's talking to himself a lot," Juleka mumbled. "I hear him at night and he seems to be having more nightmares. He's barely eating and he quit his job as a delivery boy. His boss contacted Ma to see if he was ok as it was unexpected. Ma and I didn't even know he had quit and when she tried to ask him why, he didn't let her into his room. Didn't even open his door and just said he was 'too busy' for it,"
Everyone frowned as all of what Juleka had said seemed extremely out of character for Luka. Marinette seemed to be the most affected as she frowned deeply.
"He quit his job?" She asked, making Juleka nod. "He didn't tell me. I know he hasn't been talking to me a lot but I would have thought he would have told me that but he didn't. I'm worried about him,"
"If he isn't sick then what is happening?" Felix asks, frowning. Despite being his friend, Luka had even stopped visiting him in hospital and hadn't come round in ages.
"He sounds depressed," Marc stated, making everyone look at him. He cringed at their looks but continued. "A sickness that isn't visible. Ignoring family, friends and his girlfriend. Quitting his job. Refusing to go to school or even come out of his room. Barely eating. That sounds like depression to me,"
"Marc may be on to something," Felix confirmed. "Mother went through a very similar thing when Father died. She barely saw anyone and locked herself away but the question is what caused Luka to sink into this depression?"
"Maybe he has lost someone?" Ivan stated, making everyone look at him. "Felix just said it himself. His mum got depressed when his dad died so maybe someone Luka cares about has died,"
"But surely, Juleka and the captain would have grief too," Adrien gasped as everyone frowned but that's when Marinette shook her head.
"Maybe it's someone they don't know,"
"No one close to our family has died," Juleka confirmed. "... but Luka is supposed to be getting a new therapist. Dr Mila has gone missing. Maybe it was that?"
"Yes, I'm on the same page," Felix confirmed. "Maybe he thinks she's dead? He is a sensitive soul after all,"
"Regardless of what it is, we should let him know that he's not alone right now and that we're here for him," Adrien declared, making them nod. "Which brings us to the purpose of the meeting. We need ideas to help cheer up Luka and let him know that we're there for him. Any ideas?"
"Ooh, we could make him some cards and put lovely messages in them and then cover them in glitter!" Rose gasped, making Adrien nod.
"Why don't we write him some short stories?" Marc suggested.
"Or we could write him a song?" Ivan added in, making Marc nod.
"I could bring him some more snacks from the bakery," Marinette smiled. "That way he can eat something,"
"I could ask Uncle Jagged to come say hi," Juleka mumbled. Since he wasn't her dad, she had taken to calling him Uncle instead. He had told her it was ok to see him as her dad as well but she wasn't quite ready for that yet. "Maybe Penny could come by as well and bring Fang with them. Luka loves petting Fang,"
"I could give some math problems to work out," Felix suggested, making everyone look at him. "Uncle says Math problems keep the brain healthy,"
"Maybe no to the maths," Adrien replied as Mylene took out a bracelet.
"We could give him this," She states. "It's a secret bracelet. You hold a bead and give it a secret in your mind then put it together. Once given to the chosen person, they are able to give it their secret and feel lighter but also feel connected to those who gave their other secrets. It may help him with this depression and help him feel like he isn't alone,"
"Oooh that's cute!" Rose declared as everyone else nodded. Marinette couldn't help but nod as well. "We should do all of those things!"
"Though starting with the bracelet may be the easiest since baking goods and writing songs would take a while," Marinette pointed out. "That way he won't feel alone while we make some other stuff for him,"
"Yes, let's do that," Adrien grinned, making the others agree. "He's at home now right?"
"Yeah," Juleka confirmed. "I can text him if you want,"
"Yeah," Adrien nodded as the others nodded. Juleka took out her phone and texted but Luka didn't reply straight away and when he finally did, he said he didn't want to see anyone. She frowned but Adrien wasn't willing to give up. He declared that they would go there anyway. Marinette frowned and shook her head, making him look at her with confusion.
"If he doesn't want company then we shouldn't force it on him," She explained, making Felix nod in agreement. "Like I want him to feel better but his boundaries are important too,"
"I agree with Marinette," Felix replied as Juleka's phone pinged. "Is it him?"
"He said that he'll only see Marinette," She mumbled, making Marinette nod.
"I'll go over and see him," She declared, getting up and leaving the classroom. Adrien frowned deeply, along with Rose, Mylene, Ivan and Marc.
"Well, we can go to the Liberty anyway," Juleka mumbled, causing everyone to nod and leave the room as well. Marinette, however, was already ahead of them and speed-walking to the boathouse. She got there faster than normal and quickly greeted the Captain before going to Luka's room. The door was completely closed, making her frown as usually it was a little open. Enough for privacy but not to be closed off. She walked over and gently knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" He asked, making her frown. His voice was quieter than usual and he didn't listen to her heart song like normal. Usually, he would know she was there before she even knocked.
"It's me," She answered before hearing a shuffle and the door opened. He peeked out, making her frown as she saw his eyes were full of sorrow and red as if he had been crying. "Luka..."
He opened the door and let her in, causing her to step into his room. Almost instantly, he hugged her. She hugged him back as he gently pressed his nose into her neck.
"I'm sorry," He mumbled, making her frown. "I haven't been a very good boyfriend recently. If you don't want to stay here or with me, I understand,"
"Hey, don't talk like that," She gasped, making him look at her. "I'm here because I want to be and I'm not going to leave you just because you're having a bad time. My love is not that shallow or fragile but why didn't you want to see the others?"
"I.. I just can't deal with people right now," He explained, frowning. "I can't help but wonder if being human is worth it,"
"What do you mean?" She frowned. The way he spoke didn't sound like the Luka she knew. He sounded broken. "Luka... what happened?"
"I... I can't tell you," He whispered, stepping away and sitting on his bed. He looked down at his hands. "I wish I could but I can't and it's something I have to deal with alone,"
"You're not alone," Juleka mumbled, making him look up as Marinette looked at her. Rose and Adrien came over as well. "Sorry to interrupt but I was just gonna grab something from my room but I heard that. You can tell us, Luka,"
"No, I can't," He replied, looking up at them. "I'm sorry..."
"Luka," Marinette started but Adrien stepped in his room.
"Luka, Meleyne has this bracelet that you can tell what's wrong. That way you don't have to hold it all in and you'll be able to get it off your chest," He declared, making Luka frown. "You can tell it your secret and that secret will be with ours,"
"Adrien, don't make him feel like he has to," Marinette scorned.
"But he can't keep holding it back," Adrien gasped as Luka shook his head.
"Adrien, I appreciate the thought but I can't," Luka explained. However, it seems like Adrien wasn't listening. He started going on about how Luka will feel better once he gets whatever has upset him off his chest. Marinette and Juleka noticed Luka beginning to get uncomfortable and tried to get him to drop it but he wouldn't. After listening for a few minutes, Luka had enough. "Adrien! I can't tell you or some stupid bracelet why I'm upset ok?!"
Everyone looked at him in surprise as he snapped before he pinched his nose and tried to calm down.
"Luka, we're just trying to help," Adrien stated but it was enough to tip him over the edge.
"Well, you're not!" He snapped as the lights flickered. "If you want to help then drop it and get out of my room! I don't want to tell you and I can't, so just stop asking and leave!"
"L-leave?" Adrien asked.
"Yes! I only wanted to see Marinette and you still came here! So leave!" He gasped but Adrien didn't move. He blinked, causing Luka to get a bit more annoyed. "I said leave!"
He didn't move again and went to open his mouth.
"Get out!" Luka gasped, clearly annoyed. Adrien frowned and got up before walking to the door. He went to turn to say sorry but Luka was still annoyed. "Just leave me alone, Adrien. I need to calm down and be alone for a bit,"
"Luka-"
"Adrien!" He gasped, making Marinette nod and pull Adrien away, dragging him upstairs as Juleka grabbed the door handle.
"Do you want me to stay?" She asked, making him shake his head. She nodded. "Ok. If you need us, we'll be upstairs. We'll keep an eye for akumas,"
He nodded and placed his head in his hands as she closed the door. As soon as she was gone, the kwamis flew out and rushed to Luka as he held his head in his hand. He was holding back tears as he felt guilty and bad for snapping at Adrien. He knew he was just trying to help and that he was simply trying to show that he cared.
"I wish I could tell them," He whispered, making the Kwamis look at each other with concern. "I wish I could explain to them that I'm Anatis and that I just lost two of my friends but I can't. I can't tell any of them any of what happened,"
"I'm sorry, Luka," Tikki whispered as he hid his face in his arms. The kwamis flew over and hugged him. "We're here though,"
"I know," He whispered, nodding. The room went silent as the kwamis just kept hugging him.
~Hawk Moth's Lair~
The window of Hawk Moth's lair opened as he looked over at it. The white butterflies fluttered around him as he sensed the negative emotions of the kids on the Liberty.
"Several fragile hearts that break all at the same time," He declared, holding out his hand. "What a lovely symphony for my akumas,"
A butterfly landed on his hand before he covered it and charged it up with the dark energy. He let it go and watched it fly towards the window before he spun his cane and placed it next to him.
"Fly away, my akuma and evilize them!" He declared as the akuma flew through the window and across Paris to where the Liberty was docked. Adrien was sat on one of the boxes looking down. Juleka stood against the mast. Rose sat next to Adrien, gently rubbing his arm as she reassured him. Ivan and Mylene were sitting nearby frowning as Marinette paced up and down. She wanted to go down and check on Luka but he needed some space. However, she was even more worried. His eyes were red, like he had being crying. He seemed to have very little energy and then there was the fact that he snapped at Adrien. Luka would normally not snap at anyone. Even when he ran away during Christmas or had to deal with Issac and Bob Roth, he didn't snap so she knew for certain that something bad had happened and he probably couldn't talk about it or felt like he couldn't. She wondered if it had anything to do with Anatis, given that he was Anatis' best friend but the clear grief he was going through suggested it was something that had personally happened to him. She decided it was best to open that can of worms though. Who knows what it could lead to?
"Should I go and apologize?" Adrien's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Juleka shook her head before he looked down at the bracelet in his hand. He took the lime green bead in his hand and brought it to his mouth before speaking to it. "I didn't mean to push him. I'm just worried about him,"
"It's ok, Adrien," Rose reassured as the akuma flew closer to them. Adrien smiled weakly at her before passing it to Rose. She picked out the pink bead as she frowned. "This is so sad,"
She passed it to Juleka who held the Purple Bead.
"I'm worried about my brother," She spoke before handing it to Ivan and Mylene who both held onto the orange bead.
"I thought the bracelet would help him feel less alone," Mylene stated as Ivan agreed before handing the bracelet to Marc. He held the red bead as the akuma flew closer.
"It feels like the story has ended," He mumbled as Felix and Marinette frowned. He looked down at the bead and frowned even more. "It can't end like this. We can't give up on-"
Just as he spoke the akuma entered the bracelet and the butterfly mask appeared around the eyes of Adrien, Rose, Juleka, Ivan, Mylene and Marc.
"Gang of Secrets, I am Hawkmoth. Your friend won't open up to you and reveal his secrets," He stated in their heads as they listened. "Well, I will give you all the power to force him to give them up! All I want in return is Anatis and Lady Noir's miraculous. Do we have a deal?"
"Luka will be our friend," Ivan declared. "No matter what,"
"And he'll keep no secrets from us," Mylene declared
"He'll tell us what's wrong," Juleka muttered.
"And we'll comfort him," Rose added.
"And once we know what's wrong, we'll rewrite what's happened," Marc declared
"And give him the happy ending he deserves!" Adrien concluded before the purple smog took over them. As it did, Marinette and Felix watched in horror. They had felt the akuma try to take over them but something blocked it, stopping them from joining the others. Felix suddenly grabbed Marinette's hand and pulled her off the boat, making her gasp in shock as they ran up some stairs and hid behind the brick wall. Both of them looked at each other before Felix took out his anti-akuma charm.
"Guess it definitely works," He stated before putting it away and taking out his phone. He dialed a number as she took out her phone and went to phone Luka to warn him. He shook his head and held his phone out. He had already dialed Luka's number and put it on speaker.
"Hello?" Luka answered, making Marinette let out a sigh of relief.
"Luka, you need to get off the Liberty now," Felix declared. "Hawkmoth has taken advantage of the situation and almost everyone else has being akumatized,"
"W-what? Is Marinette safe?!" He gasped, making Marinette's heart flutter.
"Yes, I'm here. Felix pulled me off the ship," She answered before they heard a crash and the phone went dead. "Luka?!"
She went to run off but Felix grabbed her arm.
"It is too dangerous," He stated but she pulled her arm.
"Then stay here but I'm helping him!" She gasped, running down the stairs. As she did, she saw Luka jump from the Liberty to the pathway and run off. However, Reverser flew after him with Princess Fragrance and Little Sister holding on to him. Heureux Fin flew after them as Stoneheart stomped after them with Horrificator on his shoulder. She rushed onto the Liberty and went into the area that contained the boat's wheel before transforming and jumping off, running after the gang.
~Luka's Room just before the Akuma~
"Thank you for the hugs," He muttered, looking up at the kwamis. "I'm sorry that I'm not great company right now,"
"It's ok, young one," Longg declared as the others nodded. "You've being through a lot and none of us blame you for your 'not great' company,"
"Thank you, Longg," He nodded, getting up and wiping his face. "I should apologize to Adrien and make sure everyone is ok,"
He went to reach for his door before his phone rang. He frowned and saw it was Felix before answering it.
"Hello?" He stated, a little confused as to why Felix was calling.
"Luka, you need to get off the Liberty now," Felix declared, making Luka frown. He sounded worried and a little scared. He signaled to the Kwamis to hide and turned to his door as they hid. "Hawkmoth has taken advantage of the situation and almost everyone else has being akumatized,"
"W-what? Is Marinette safe?!" He gasped, his mind jumping to the worst case scenario as he came to a stop. He couldn't lose her as well.
"Yes, I'm here. Felix pulled me off the ship," She answered, making relief flood his body. He went to say something but his phone came up with a strange symbol before Little Sister appeared in front of him, causing him to jump back and drop his phone.
"Treasure, we're here to help you," She declared, making him back away as she went to reach for him. However, Trixx summoned his power and created an illusion of Luka ducking from her and running out of his room. "Treasure! You can't!"
She ran after him, leaving the real Luka left in the room as she chased the illusion. He heard several others leaving as well, making him frown before he leaned down and picked up his phone. Its screen was shattered and its display was dead. He sighed.
"At least, she can't use it to get to me," He mumbled before swiping his earrings. "Tikki, spots on,"
He transformed into Anatis and placed the phone on the side before climbing out of the porthole and swinging around the Seine. He frowned when he saw no one around. He was sure Felix had being nearby with Marinette yet both were gone. His yoyo vibrated, making him open it and saw a news reporter of Horrificator and Stoneheart repeatedly slipping over. He frowned before noticing in the background the Eiffel tower bouncing side to side but it seems most people thought it was the akuma. He also noticed a red energy on the floor, making him frown. He closed his yoyo and headed to the scene. By the time he got there, both akumas were huge as Stoneheart had grown from the repeated impact and Horrificator had grown from the fear of the people who had seen him grow in size. Anatis frowned before glancing round and seeing Felix leaning against a wall in an alley. He jumped down and approached him, frowning even more as he noticed Felix was breathing heavily.
"Felix?" He asked, making the boy look up. His nose was bloodied and he looked pale. He rushed over. "What happened?"
"I t-tried to stop them," he coughed, sinking down onto the floor. Anatis frowned deeply as Felix looked at him. "S-sorry. I didn't mean for them to get so big,"
"It's... ok," He replied as Felix coughed. His nosebleed increased, causing Anatis to frown. However, he shook his head and gently placed his hand on Felix's head. His eyes turned silver as he focused on channeling Toutai's ability to heal. Previously to use it, he had to ask Toutai to allow him but he had a feeling that he didn't need to anymore even though he hadn't used it since he passed his test and his spiritual energy wasn't as weak as it was. It was still weak though so he'd only be able to heal him a little. However, Felix pulled his hand away. "Felix?"
"Fo-focus on the akumas," He mutters, making Anatis frown. "I'll be fine soon,"
"Are you sure?" He asked, getting a nod of Felix before he nodded as his yoyo vibrated. He answered it. "Kitten?"
"So someone is having a villain super party and didn't invite us," Lady Noire answered on the other side.
"They're looking for Luka," Anatis sighed, stepping away from Felix. "He managed to isolate all his friends in one go,"
"I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose but as usual, Hawkmoth had to take advantage," She replied in a reassuring tone. "But there's six villains. It's going to be hard to get the akumatized object,"
"I know," He replied, frowning before going silent. Lady Noir asked him if he was still there, making him blink. "Yeah... sorry I was just thinking,"
"Want to share those thoughts?"
"I'm thinking it may be a good idea to isolate one of the villains and get them to tell us where the akuma is," He mumbled. "But while I do that, I need you to keep Princess Fragrance, Fin and Reverser distracted. Stoneheart and Horrificator are currently amusing themselves. I know it's a lot to ask but they could be an issue,"
"You're going to try and get Little Sister?" She asks.
"Yes. She is Luka's sister and I know I can get through to her,"
"Not a problem. Leave the others to me," He could almost hear the grin in her voice. "Good luck, Annie,"
"Good luck yourself, Kitten," He replied before saying bye and hanging up. He typed on his yoyo and found Little Sister through the new reporters. She was unable to use her teleportation as Luka's phone got broken so she couldn't track him or trade places with others now. He put his yoyo away and turned to Felix. "Take it easy ok?"
"I.." He coughed but gave him a thumbs up. Anatis nodded and threw his yoyo, swinging into the city until he found another alleyway. He laid in waiting until Little Sister jumped over it. Taking the chance, he threw his yoyo and wrapped it around her, trapping her. Her phone fell down and he broke it with his foot, making sure she couldn't escape.
"Ha! Bummer for you, bug boy," Little Sister sneered. "I don't have the akuma,"
"I know," He replied. "That was to make sure you couldn't teleport. Since there's no horn this time, you must have another anchor right. Logically speaking, it would be your phone. Anyway, I just want to talk to you,"
"You want to talk to me?" She asked, making him nod. "Too bad! I have nothing to say to you!"
"Then you can listen," He answered, calmly. "Juleka, from what I understand... you've being having some issues with your brother. He's being secretive and distant and I'm sure you're worried about him. I don't know why he's acting that way but I do know he does care about you and I'm sure he's keeping it to himself because he doesn't want to be a burden,"
"He's not a burden!" She growls. "He's the treasure! I must protect him!"
"By becoming an akuma and forcing him to tell you what's wrong?" Anatis asked, making her look at him with shock. "Let me tell you something. I recently lost a couple of friends of mine and it's being hard trying to recover from it but my friends have been supporting me. Not by rushing me and making me tell them everything but by giving me space and offering their support. That's what Lady Noir is doing and I know my other friends like Culpeo and Abeille would do the same. That's why I trust them and am able to work side by side with them,"
He pauses as she looks down.
"Juleka, you don't need the power Hawkmoth gave you to protect Luka. You can reject it," He states, making her eyes widen before she closed them and started to try and reject the akuma. He had gotten through to her but the butterfly mask appeared around her eyes as Hawkmoth talked to her, trying to convince her to keep her powers. "Listen to me. Luka doesn't need an akuma. He needs you, Juleka. He needs his real little sister!"
He pulled back his yoyo, freeing her as she pushed back and writhed as she tried to reject Hawkmoth's power before she finally pushed back, breaking the mask and sending a shockwave. The purple smog covered her again, turning her back to Juleka as she fell to her knees.
"I..."
"It's ok, Juleka," Anatis replied, kneeling down and gently placing his hand on her shoulder, making her look at him. "You are amazing,"
He helped her to her feet as his yoyo rang. He answered it as she dusted herself down.
"Annie, the gang of secrets is looking for you and Little Sister!" Lady Noir declared as he heard her fighting before she used screech. "I don't know how long I can hold them off!"
"Don't worry. We'll be there soon," He reassured.
"We?"
"I have a friend with me," He replied. "Keep them busy. I promise we won't be long,"
"You got it, bug boy," She replied, hanging up. He checked her location then picked up Juleka and jumped up before running across the rooftops.
"Where's the akuma?" He asked as they ran.
"In a bracelet. I think Mark was the last one to have it," Juleka explained, holding onto him. He landed on a rooftop nearby Lady Noir, who was doing her best to hold them off. He placed Juleka down and tapped open his yoyo before reaching in and taking out the fox miraculous. "Wait... how did you do that?"
"I connected the yoyo with the miracle box. Only I can access it," He replied, handing it to her. "Perks of being the guardian but I'll bring you up to speed another time. Let's help Lady Noir,"
"Yeah," She nodded, putting it on and greeting Trixx before transforming into Culpeo. Anatis threw up his yoyo as Lady Noir got pinned to the ground by Heureux Fin.
"Lucky charm!" He declared, summoning the magic swarm and transforming his outfit. The swarm turned into a swim ring, making him think as he caught it. He looked around, causing Reverser to light up then Lady Noir and Culpeo before the swimming pool building lit up. Just as Princess Fragrance pointed her gun at Lady Noir, he nodded. "Culpeo, give them what they want but make sure to lure them to the pool!"
"On it!" She declared, jumping up into a high part of the building and playing her flute, charging it up. She threw the orange ball. "Mirage!"
"Lady Noir! No!" Luka shouted, getting the villain's attention before he turned and ran away, causing them to chase him. The two heroes jumped down and helped Lady Noir up.
"Are you ok, kitty?" Anatis asked, making her grin and nod. "I'm glad,"
"Don't worry about me but we better save Luka,"
"It's an illusion," He replied, making her nod before he held up the floatie. "But I do have a plan,"
"I'm all ears," Lady Noir grinned as he quickly explained it before he handed her to the floatie. The three of them nodded and jumped away. Culpeo and Lady Noir headed inside the pool building while Anatis landed in front of the doors. He fought against the villains, only letting Reverser get past him. Reverser chased "Luka" into the pool area and went to capture him but Culpeo jumped at him and pushed him off his glider, causing him to fall into the pool and for the illusion to end. Lady Noir forced the floatie over him, trapping him and allowing him to float up before she cataclysmed the bracelet, freeing the akuma. Reverser turned back into Mark and looked around, confused. Meanwhile outside, Princess Fragrance was about to take Anatis' earrings but everyone turned back into their true selves, causing Rose and Adrien to fall. Anatis caught Rose as Culpeo and Lady Noir ran back out. Culpeo jumped up and caught Adrien before setting him down as Rose thanked Anatis. The akuma fluttered by and he threw his yoyo to catch it.
"Time to de-evilize!" He declared, slamming the yoyo shut before he opened it. "Bye, bye. Little Butterfly,"
Lady Noir smiled and handed him the swim ring, causing him to throw it up in the air.
"Miraculous Ladybugs!" He declared, causing it to burst into the cure and spread all over, fixing everything. He looked up at the cure with a sad expression, wishing it could fix everything that had happened with Fu and Mulan but he knew it wouldn't. Lady Noir gently touched his hand, making him look at her as she held her fist. Culpeo did the same thing.
"Pound it?" She asked, making him smile and place his fist to theirs.
"Pound it,"
~Later at the Liberty~
"I... I found earlier today that Dr Mila had gone missing and a friend of mine... he's gone too," Luka stated, sitting next to Juleka and Marinette as he explained to everyone. "I wasn't sure how to deal with it and was trying to come to terms with it... but I didn't mean to snap. I'm sorry,"
"It's ok," Adrien stated. "I shouldn't have pushed you and I'm sorry. I will do better,"
"Thank you for all understanding," Luka muttered. "I can't promise I'll be ok or that I'll open up but I'll try. I'll try and be a better friend and a better boyfriend,"
He gently took Marinette's hand in his.
"I treasure all of you," He replied, making them smile and continue with the rest of their day. Before long, it was time to go and after goodbyes, the only two left on the boat were Juleka and Luka. He turned to go back to his room.
"Luka," Juleka muttered, making him turn back to her. "You didn't tell us everything, did you?"
He looks to the side, causing Juleka to frown.
"I won't try to figure it out or force you to tell me... but Luka..." She whispered. "I'm your sister and I'm always going to be. That's why it kills me that I can't help you with whatever is making you feel so alone,"
Luka went quiet for a minute and he looked down at the floor.
"You're right. I am alone. More than I've ever being," He replied. "I have to lie and keep the truth from everyone and it is catching up with me,"
"You don't have to lie to me," She whispered, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. "Whatever it is, we can handle it together,"
"N-not this time, Juleka," He replied, gently taking her hand in his. "This is my burden and mine alone. Maybe one day I'll be able to tell you but today is not that day. I'm sorry, Juleka but I can't tell you. I can't risk it,"
"Luka..." She whispered before nodding. "I understand but when you are about to tell me, I will listen,"
"Thank you," He replied, hugging her. She hugged back. Neither of them had noticed their mother watching. She couldn't help but feel guilt for not noticing her son's suffering and sympathy for him feeling that he had shoulder it alone. He was lying to himself, convincing himself that he couldn't tell anyone and it broke her heart in two. She had failed as his mother. He should know he could talk to anyone be it her or Juleka and that no one would judge him yet he thought he didn't have to. She failed to notice the akuma fluttering towards her.
"Lies, I am Hawkmoth. Your son feels like he can't be honest with anyone. Well, I'm giving you the power to bring honesty back into your family and all I want in return is Anatis and Lady Noir's miraculous. Do we have a deal?"
So here's are the redesign of 'Dragon Bug'. I decided to go for a redesign for him because I wanted to include some of my dragon luka design plus I find my original design unsatisfying. His offical name is Zhuyin, named after a red solar dragon in chinese mythology
I also included an offical design for Lady Cobra. I'm really happy with how she turned out. She is a perfect mix between Lady Noire and Queen Cobra
So this is Dark Luka's civilian design in the dark world.
I wanted it to reflect and mimic the Anatisverse Luka while still been different. As you can tell, I've got with a more emo/punk look for him, changing his hoodie for a leather jacket and adding more rips in his jeans. I chose a toxic green for his hair and gave him more pale skin. He has combat boots and a nose piercing. Unlike the good Luka, he doesn't wear a jagged stone shirt as he has a lot of angry towards his parents for abandoning him. Instead, I put a snake skeleton design on it. There's four reasons for this. The first reason is that its a reference to the snake miraculous. The second reason is because he is the host of Simme, who takes the form of a leviathan aka a sea serpent, the third reason is because the Supreme's symbol is a snake instead of a phoenix and finally because he is as deceptive as a snake in this universe. This is also why i drew out three expressions. This version of Luka is a manipulator and will use any technique to get what he wants regardless of if it's intimidation or a nice smile. He will play people and convince them to join him as both Luka or Brumus. Very few people see his true personality. I also made his guitar look more sharp and harsh
So this is the second chapter inspired by miracle queen but more focuses on the guardian aspect of that episode. It gave me quite a bit of trouble when trying to write it but I'm happy with how it came out. It's quite heavy and deals with themes around death and grief, which we will be seeing a lot more of in the next few chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it :)
"Excellent," He smirked, holding up his cane as it opened and an akuma flew out, landing in her miraculous. "Assassin Bee, I am giving you the power not to just control three minds but all minds. You will rule over Paris and use Parisians as your personal army. All I ask in return is for you to use them to capture Anatis, Lady Noir and the mage then bring them to me,"
"As you wish, Hawk Moth," She declared, causing the purple smog to cover her form. The purple smog cleared, revealing her akuma form. She was one of the more prettier akumas that Hawkmoth had made but also one of the more scarier. She was clearly wasp themed and seemed to be similar to Queen Wasp, Chloe's Akumatized Hero form. Her hair was similar to her ponytail, only bigger and more curled. It was black with yellow swirl in the ponytail and she had a black ribbon that resembled an antenna tied around it. She had two strands of hair that framed her face as well. Her skin was yellow and her lips were black. She wore a black suit with yellow markings, resembling a wasp's pattern. The outfit had shoulder pauldrons that resembled a double shoulder design. She had a golden belt with a red gem in the middle and it had an outer skirt that resembled wings as well. She wore thigh boots with a yellow heel and a yellow strap on the top. She had yellow fingerless gloves that were worn over the black suit. She wore a mask with a wasp pattern on her face and finally her eyes were insect-like with a hexagram pattern that was dark grey in color. Hawkmoth smirked as he held the Eastern Miracle Box in his hands. While they had the Western box, it turned out they couldn't open it. Dr Mila seemed to have put a spell on it so that only she could open and since they hadn't captured her, they couldn't open it right now. However, Su Han was using the magic he knew to try and undo her spell. It was quite the eye opener for Hawkmoth as he saw how weak Su Han truly was. Maybe he didn't understand magic that much but he was certain that if Su Han was the real celestial guardian, he would have been able to open without any trouble. Hawkmoth already knew he was a fake but this truly confirmed it. He turned to Assassin Bee and held out the box to her.
"Use it well, Dearest Assassin," He smirked, holding it out to her. She took it and smirked before turning into a swamp of wasps and jumping down to the entrance of the Trocadéro gardens. She reformed and straightened up, causing the civilians there to begin to panic and run off. Her smirk widened, enjoying their fear as an idea popped into her head. Right now, she didn't care for heroes or villains. She didn't care for her master or for his goals. All she could think about was how she finally had real power. Hawkmoth had given her the ability to take control of anyone she wanted. She was no longer just a worker wasp or a drone. She was now a queen. She stretched out her hands, summoning her swamp of wasps as people ran from her.
"Sting them! Sting them all!" She commanded, ordering them to sting anyone in their paths. The only people she ordered them not to sting was Hawkmoth, Mayura and Su Han Since Hawkmoth had given her real power, he was safe and Mayura was his partner plus she was sick. Assassin Bee couldn't see her being useful. Her master wasn't so lucky. She wouldn't spare him from her wasps and as for Su Han, she needed him to undo the spell on the other box. As soon as he is done with that, she'll take over his mind too. "Make them mine!"
The swarm of wasps descended down onto her master straight, the smirk that was once on his face as he realized she wasn't going to spare him from her mind control. He went to disappear into the shadows as soon as he realized she wasn't going to spare him but it was already too late. The wasps moved fast and stung him before he could even activate his power. His eyes turned completely yellow and empty, causing him to stand still with his arms by his side before the swarm of wasps flew up and dispersed all over Paris, stinging all who they came across. Assassin Bee walked over to her former master.
"My, my. How the tables have turned," She smirked, satisfied with his mind control. She couldn't help but feel happy as he had always been hard on her and made sure she knew she belonged to him. Not just that but her mother did the same thing. She was only good because she was under their control but now all of Paris would be under her control. She smirked even more. "Drone!"
"Yes, Ma'am," He answered in a cold voice.
"I'm not your only apprentice," She states, coldly. Another reason why he treated her awful was because she was the youngest of his apprentices but also because she was of the Bourgeois family. The Bourgeois family was one of the founding families, along with his family. However, he considered her a bastard child as he put it. In other words, she wasn't a pure 'Bourgeois' and therefore not a pure member of the founding families and he made sure she knew that. She had to work harder than the others and nothing was ever good enough for him. Because she was weaker than him and knew she was liable for any punishment, she had to repress her emotions plus there were the 'special' classes. Deep in the back of her mind, she knew what they were. Brain-washing but she couldn't break free from it. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Order them to come here,"
He nodded and sent out a message to the other apprentices. A few moments later, he opened up a shadow portal for them to come through but the moment they crossed over into Paris, a number of her wasps descended on them, stinging them and turning their eyes the same yellow as her master. Su Han looked at her in shock as Hawkmoth jumped down and stood next to her. Assassin Bee grinned in glee as her master and the other assassins were now at her mercy.
"Excellent work, my dear," He smirked before looking at her. "Or should I say my queen?"
She smirked before turning back to the people of Paris. Almost all of them had been stung by now.
"People of Paris, listen to Assassin Bee's first order!" She called out. "If you see the bug or the cat, capture them and bring them to me!"
She laughed evilly as the order echoed through the mind of the Parisians before she turned to the mind controlled assassins.
"As for you lot," She declared, looking over at them. "My first order is for you to bow to me!"
She smirked as they all bowed to her without question, making her smirk.
"I could definitely get used to this," She smirked, clearly enjoying the power but Hawkmoth cleared his throat. "What is it?"
"As glad I am to see you enjoy yourself, my dear," He stated, not actually caring for her newfound freedom. "Anatis will come and ruin it. He always does and while your new subjects will try their best, you should plan for it in case he gets past them. May I offer some advice?"
"Yes," She nods, after Hawkmoth is experienced when fighting Anatis.
"Call for his allies. After all, you have the miraculous right now and we can use it to find out their identities,"
"Oh yes. Break down his team," She grinned, turning from the assassins bowing to her. She held out her hand out again. "People of Paris! Listen to my next order!"
She paused, waiting for everyone to be listening.
"From now on, no one will have to keep their identities a secret!" She declared. "All miraculous holders! Come to me!"
~At Fu's Apartment~
"L-Luka, look... look after the kwamis... for me...." She gasped, making him nod.
"I p-promise," He whispered as the light left her eyes and her body went still. He sniffed as tears rolled down his face, keeping hold of her hand as he leaned over and gently pushed her eyes down so they were closed. "I'm so sorry I failed you..."
He wiped away his tears as he whispered the transformation words, turning back into Anatis.
"But I will get the kwamis back and save Master Fu," He answered as her body began to disappear. He wasn't really surprised by that. She had lived for centuries after all. It made sense she was using magic to stay alive. He stood up as she completely faded away, wiping away his tears as anger began to settle. He turned and ran towards the hole in the building before jumping out and swinging into the city. He landed on a building as he saw citizens running from swamps of wasps before going still when they stung them. He narrowed his eyes and swung towards the Seine as the wasps began to chase him. He ate the green macaron as he did before diving into the water. As he suspected, the wasps had the same weakness as Queen Wasp' ones did. They couldn't go in the water. The swarm flew off as he took out his yoyo and texted a warning to Lady Noir before he swam off. He would deal with the wasps later. Right now, he needed to hunt down Hawkmoth and save Master Fu and the kwamis from him. "Hold on, Master Fu. I'm coming,"
He swam through the water at a fast speed, thinking as he did. Hawkmoth must of had a bigger plan all along and that was to go after the guardians. He must have planned to use himself as a distraction akuma to force Anatis to get his allies but instead of Luka himself getting infected by the akuma, Felix did. Regardless, he still had to get his allies thanks to Felix being an extremely difficult akuma, leading Hawkmoth to find the guardians. The whole ordeal had left him with more questions than answers. It seemed Felix was a mage but he didn't want to deal with that right now. Then there were the questions on how Hawkmoth followed him? And why kill Mulan? Shouldn't have he abducted her like he did with Master Fu? He may have been a bit distracted but he didn't notice Hawkmoth or Mayura following him nor did his empathy alert him. Even with his magic weakened, his empathy still should have worked since he had it even before his magic was awakened and he would have heard Hawkmoth's or Mayura's song plus he should have picked up on her illness. He didn't experience any of them, meaning neither of them had followed so how did they know? As he swam, he racked his memory of going to the apartment. Unable to recall anything, he came to a stop and took a deep breath before closing his eyes as he got a feeling of what to do. He needed to view the memory but not just remember it. He needed to relive it. He needed Feng's power but he couldn't just activate it as his own due to his magic being weakened. As the true celestial guardian and the 'mage', he could tap into his past lives and use their powers as his own but it requires a lot of magic to do so. However, Feng had taught him of a system he had come up with in case of any of their magic being too weak to use them as their own ability. Regardless of how weak his magic is right now, he still has a connection with his past lives. That was something that would never go away and since they all have that connection, they could share their own magic across the different lives including his. To use it, he just needs permission and once granted, whoever he called on would grant him access to their own magic, effectively sharing it with him.
"Feng... lend me your sight," He whispered, holding his hand to his heart. For a second, nothing happened but then he felt a rush of magic flowing through his veins and his eyes turned silver. Feng had granted his request. He closed his eyes and recalled the memory but this time he used Feng's vision ability to view it as if he was reliving it. As he ran through the buildings toward Fu's new apartment, he came to a stop and stepped into a third person view instead. He observed his past self going to the apartment but didn't follow. He looked to the rooftop and to the streets for Mayura or Hawkmoth but neither showed up. He frowned but his answer soon came. From the shadows, a miraculous holder manifested as he entered Master Fu's window. No wonder why he didn't see nor sense him. This man was themed around a cobra and Anatis felt a memory from Alpheus. The Cobra miraculous. Hera had successfully stolen it as revenge, along with the peacock when Alpheus rejected her but during one of their battles, she lost it and Alpheus was never able to recover it. Toutai took on the task to reclaim it and did but of course then he was murdered. Su Han must have passed onto one of his cultists and now it's resurfaced once again. Anatis made a mental note to investigate its resurgence, along with the Swan Miraculous and the Crocodile Miraculous. He didn't want to pressure Snapp but he would need answers. He frowned deeply as he watched the man pressed his finger to his ear.
"Hawkmoth, Mayura," He stated, making Anatis frown. "I have the guardian's address,"
So that's how they knew. They used someone who's miraculous was stealth based, had him followed at a distance and waited til he was inside before revealing themselves. He frowned and watched as Hawkmoth and Mayura arrived. As usual, Mayura was sick, coughing before the Cobra teleported them into the shadows. He closed his eyes and felt the scene shift before opening them. Now he was back in Fu's apartment, watching himself explain the whole situation with Simme before Red Moon bathed the room in red light. He frowned as he noticed Mulan's expression change to shock and realisation then acceptance. He frowned as he watched himself leave with the dragon and the octopus miraculous as Mulan stood by the window, looking at Red Moon. Her expression could only be described as acceptance and relief. Anatis frowned even more as he realised she had expected it. She knew she was going to die. He jumped as Hawkmoth and Mayura appeared thanks to the Cobra before they all began to engage with the guardians. Mulan gave it her best but she ended up being stabbed by the Cobra as Hawkmoth went after Fu with Mayura. Anatis frowned as the Cobra looked at her.
"You should have expected this, traitor," He stated, kneeling in front of her. "I have something very important to tell you. That girl you've been 'helping'... she is my apprentice and she will kill your apprentices. Slowly and painful. I'll make sure she drags it out and when they beg her for release, she will deny them,"
"Y-You're a monster," She gasped, making him smirk before he stood up and took both of the boxes. Mulan tried to stop him despite her injury. She drove at him and he kicked her before stabbing her again, causing her to slump against the wall. "A-Anatis... w-will stop you and s-save those ch-children... a-all of them,"
"Such misguided faith," He chuckled, grabbing her hair. "Anatis is weak and hasn't got what it takes to fight me and Cicada. In fact, he will be her first kill. We will get rid of him and Paris will fall,"
He shoved her head back and got up, disappearing into the shadows with the miracle boxes and leaving Mulan to bleed out. Anatis felt an anger in him that he had never felt before as the memory faded. He took a deep breath and swam off, determined to find him and this Cicada. He frowned as he thought about it. Cicada. Why did that seem familiar? He sensed someone coming close to him, causing him to take out his yoyo as a black figure swam towards him. Upon seeing her braid and the green on her outfit, he felt relief flood through him.
"Lady Noir," He gasped, swimming towards her. Her eyes lit up as she saw him and she swam over. He hugged her, causing her to hug back.
"Annie," She gasped, gently rubbing his back. "Whatever happened, it's ok alright? We'll go to Master Fu and Master Mila and get some mir-"
"We can't," He gasped, looking at her. She frowned and looked at him. He looked down to the side. "I'm... sorry. I'm so sorry, Kitten. This is all my fault. I failed,"
"Annie, it's ok," She gasped, taking her hands in his. He looked panicked and broken. The sorrow in his eyes was insane and he was in clear pain. She knew straight away something had happened. "What is it?"
"Master Fu and Master Mila..." He muttered. His eyes fill with tears. "I... I was too late. Hawkmoth has Master Fu and Master Mila... She's gone, Lady Noir and it's all my fault,"
"Gone?" She asked as he nodded. For a second, she didn't get it but then she realised. She covered her mouth in shock. "Oh no,"
"S-She was stabbed and I found her but I was too late and I couldn't heal her. I couldn't even summon a lucky charm," He gasped, moving his arms around his waist. "And Hawkmoth took Master Fu and their miracle boxes. I failed. I've failed,"
"Annie, listen to me," She gasped, stopping him from grabbing at his hair. "You haven't failed,"
"B-But,"
"No buts, Mister," She declared, looking at him with determination. "Failure only occurs when we give up and we can still win this! We'll rescue Master Fu and the kwamis and defeat Hawkmoth and Mayura and Su Han for good measure! We can do it!"
She held up her arm like one of those posters from the 1940s but seeing her unwavering faith in him made Anatis believe her.
"You're right," He nodded. "We can do it!"
"That's the spirit!" She grinned before going serious. "And once this battle is over, we'll honour Master Mila too. She will not be forgotten,"
"Thank you, Kitten," He answered, nodding. She swam closer to him and pressed her forehead to his as she held his hand. He closed his eyes and the two floated there for a moment before the sound of banging interrupted them. He frowned, causing Lady Noir to take out her baton and extend out of the water, using it to look around. She saw lots of wasps and a number of civilians were looking around as if looking for something. She zoomed in and noticed their eyes were yellow and emotionless. She frowned as the banging noise continued. She moved her baton in the direction of the Trocadéro gardens which was where it was coming from before seeing a girl who resembled a wasp. With her yellow skin and look, she knew she had to be the akuma. Before her were a number of what appeared to be civilians and a miraculous holder bowing to her. She frowned deeply as it seemed odd that the akuma would only make those ones bow to her but one of the more concerning things was this akuma was holding the miracle box in her arms. Still needing to see the full picture, she looked up as the noise wasn't coming from them. She gasped as she saw the moth sentimonster trying to break Master Fu's shell-ter. Hawkmoth was on the roof with him. holding Mayura in his arms and it seemed Su Han was there too. He was kneeling before something and had his hands out in front of him. They were glowing with a dark light, making her frown deeply too. She quickly turned to Anatis.
"They have Master Fu and the akuma has the Eastern Miracle box," She gasped, causing him to look through her baton. "And that Su Han seems to doing something as well,"
"He's trying to unlock the other miracle box!" He gasped, pulling away. "Mulan must have placed a spell on it to lock it,"
"That's clever but there's also a sentimonster and Mayura's there as well as Hawkmoth," She gasped, making him frown deeply. "And that akuma seems to be controlling the civilians,"
"She must be Cicada," He muttered, making her raise an eyebrow.
"Cicada?"
"I'm guessing she must be a miraculous holder but she is the apprentice of Mulan's killer," He answered, closing his eyes. Lady Noir frowned deeply. "I don't know if I can hold back if I fight her. I know she didn't kill her but..."
"I understand," She answered, nodding. She knew she should discourage him but she also felt rage and she wasn't sure if she would be able to hold back herself. The girl was training under a killer. She herself could already be a killer and then there's the want for vengeance. Her master took theirs. It would only be fair if they took his apprentice from him. The two remained silent, knowing that they were both thinking the same thing. An eye for an eye.
"... Let's focus on saving Master Fu..." Anatis stated, making her nod. "First we need to get pass those wasps-"
He cut off as his yoyo vibrated, causing him to take it out. He read over the message before closing the yoyo.
"Atratus just messaged me. He asked us to come to the sewer but told us to stay in the water," He explained, making her blink. Ah yeah. She hadn't really met him yet. "He was the one who helped us with Party Crasher and explained about Felix being an akuma,"
"Oh, that guy!" She answered, nodding. "Can we trust him?"
"I think so," He answered, nodding. Trusting him, she nodded and the two of them swam off to where Atratus had told them to meet him. They were deep into the sewers before poking their head up. Atratus was leaning against the wall and behind him there were the miraculous holders they had chosen including Chloe, Rose and Ondine. The only one who wasn't there was Felix but that was given, considering he was unconscious in hospital. Even Adrien and Kagami were standing there. All of them have the same yellow eyes. There were also a number of wasps trapped in midair. However, a wasp flew down from above but before it could sting anyone, Atratus sprayed it with bug spray, causing it to fall down dead, joining a small pile of wasps. He also noticed a number of lit candles. "What's with the candles?"
"Citronella," He answered. "Wasps hate it and the rare one that comes over gets sprayed. I don't usually kill wasps but these aren't natural,"
"And our friends?"
"I've trapped them in a time bubble using my Temporal Hiatus ability and my natural magic," He explains before one of them blinks. He took out his staff and tapped it on the floor. "Temporal Hiatus!"
A red light spread over them again, trapping them and the wasps back in paused time.
"But as you can see, I have to keep using it," He stated, making them frown deeply. "Which is why I sent you a message. We need a plan,"
~Back at the Trocadéro gardens~
"I don't get it!" Assassin Bee demanded, slamming her foot down. Despite giving the order, none of the miraculous holders had turned up. She was sure that they had been stung. They had to be so why weren't they here? She huffed before turning to her minions that were bowing to her. "Fine! Since I can't use your allies against you, I'll use mine! Drones!"
"Yes, your majesty!" The assassins said in union as she walked over to them.
"I'm upgrading you to soldiers for my army against Anatis!" She declared, holding out the miracle box. "Take a miraculous each!"
They grabbed a miraculous and put them on, causing the kwamis to look around in panic. Her allies had picked out the fox, the snake, the monkey and the horse miraculous. She smirked and narrowed her eyes.
"Kwamis, I order you to tell them your transformation words!"
The kwamis looked at each other and tried to resist but unfortunately, the curse they were under couldn't be stopped.
"T-Trixx, l-let's strike," Trixx gasped as Kaalki tried to resist.
"Xuppu, strife time," Xuppu gasped.
"Kaalki, full dart,"
"S-Sass, Serpent Slither," Sass confirmed his transformation words. The assassins in turn used them to transform, though there wasn't much difference in their outfits. They had become slightly more themed with each miraculous but other than that, they were still the basic assassin garb they had already been in. Assassin Bee smirked.
"You were once above me but now you're my royal guard!" She declared before looking to the sky. "Anatis and Lady Noir, your allies may be safe but I will still use your own weapons to defeat you,"
~Back to the Heroes~
Anatis frowned deeply as he looked at the temporary heroes. All of them looked terrifying with the yellow eyes but especially Juleka. She didn't look like herself at all. There was no shyness in her face but also no other emotion there either. Then there was her song. Like the other heroes, the music within them had been overtaken by Assassin Bee's heart song. It was so loud and it made Anatis want to cover his ears but it also helped him understand her a bit better. Her song was calling out to be acknowledged but also to not be tormented. She wanted to just be herself yet she couldn't. He frowned though. She was part of the bad guys so why did her heart song sing of freedom? Did she pick that life or was she forced into it?
"What happened?" He asked, choosing to ignore the song right now. He couldn't do anything about it yet.
"Your allies were on the way to join the new akuma as she has managed to take over the minds. Luckily, I was able to trap them with the help of the Rabbit Holder,"
"Bunnyx or Sir Rene?"
"Both," He answered. "Do you have a plan?"
"... I don't know," Anatis admitted, looking down. "... It's my fault. All of this is. I should have-"
"Anatis," Atratus stated in a firm voice. "This isn't your fault and even if it was, you can't change the past but we can save the future and we're going to need a focused Anatis to do that so head in the game ok?"
"Atratus is right, Annie," Lady Noir gasped, gently taking his hand in hers. "None of this is your fault,"
"Thank you, Kitten," He sighed before nodding and taking a deep breath. "Ok, we have to assume that the reason why our friends were on their way to the akuma was because she planned to use them to fight us,"
"Hawkmoth would have also found their identities," Lady Noire points out, making Anatis nod. "Luckily, we have our own connections,"
"You can thank me later," Atratus stated, making Anatis nod. He would have to find a way to thank him properly. One of the controlled blinked again, causing Atratus to use his ability again. "This is getting tiresome. Tell me, Anatis, what is that you have in your yoyo?"
Anatis blinks before he remembered. He didn't get a chance to return the Dragon or Octopus miraculous. He took out his yoyo and pulled out the two miraculous, making Atratus raise an eyebrow.
"Well, that helps, doesn't it?" He answers as Anatis thought about his opinions. He could use the Octopus miraculous to free everyone but that wouldn't solve the root problem. No, they would have to take down Assassin Bee, the senti-monster and Hawkmoth to save Master Fu and the miracle boxes so the Dragon miraculous would be the best move.
"I have a plan," He answered, putting it on and causing Longg to manifest. He took out a cookie and gave it to him before looking at the other two. "I will merge with the dragon miraculous and use water dragon to keep the wasps at bay. With those at bay, we take down the new holders and reclaim the miraculous. The snake miraculous is the one we'll want to take out first. Once you've got it, merge with it. We could do with a second chance. Once we've done that, we'll fight Cicada, save the hostages and then fight Hawkmoth and Mayura, rescue Master Fu and save the kwamis,"
"Sounds like a plan!" She declared, making him nod as Longg declared he was ready. "But what are we going to do with the wasps out there?"
"I have a plan for that as well," He answered before closing his eyes and holding out his hand. They felt the air change as he opened his eyes, causing them to turn silver. "Alpheus, please lend me your magic,"
For a second, nothing happened but then they heard the sound of something hitting the water nearby and the roads.
"It's raining!" Lady Noir gasped, making Anatis smile. "We can leave the water and put the plan into action,"
"Impressive," Atratus states, nodding before turning to Anatis and Lady Noir. "But you better hurry. The rain won't last forever,"
"Right, let's go," He replied, nodding before the two of them dived back under and swam out of the sewers. They broke the surface and dived out, calling off their aqua forms as the rain kept the wasps in that area away from them. They landed on the bridge before Anatis held out one hand, summoning a red orb then the other, summoning a yellow orb. He brought his hands together and closed his eyes. "Tikki, Long. Unify,"
A bright gold light surrounded him before spreading down his body, changing his outfit. His hair grew a little bit longer and wilder, his ears turned pointed and he gained four red and black horns with gold details. Two were curled and large and two were small. His mask still had its ladybug pattern but gained a golden outline and two black triangles. His eyes remained blue but turned into lizard-like with slits for pupils. The whites of his eyes had turned blue too. His outfit had gained golden details on the neck and zipper but had also split into two. The left side was black with red spots and the right side was red with black spots. His right glove and boot was black with a gold trim and his left glove and boot were red with a gold trim. The boots travelled up his legs and torso, resembling two dragon tails. One was red and the other was black. Both with a gold trim. On his side was his yoyo and on his back was the dragon's sword. The dragon miraculous had turned into the zipper of his suit as his earrings remained in his ears. He turned to Lady Noir.
"Looking good, Annie," Lady Noir grinned.
"Call me Zhuyin.... Atratus was right. This rain can't last forever so let's go," He declared as he looked up, causing her to nod and for the two of them to jump off and heading to where Cicada was. As they got closer, the rain began to slow down. Zhuyin took out his yoyo and spun it. "Water dragon!"
He used his yoyo to surround them with a water bubble before they landed on the ground and he extended it, slamming it into Cicada and throwing her against the wall as it trapped the hypnotised citizens with the miraculous in the bubble with them. She got up and narrowed her eyes at them.
"You must be Anatis," She declared, getting Hawkmoth's attention.
"And you must be Assassin Bee," Zhuyin answered, spinning his yoyo. "Though you can call me Zhuyin right now,"
"Well, Zhuyin, your name won't matter when I rip those miraculous from your ears!" She hisses as Hawkmoth looks down at them.
"Merging Miraculous again?" He smirked as the sentimonster slammed against Master Fu's shelter. "That won't save you this time, you know. Or your master. In a few minutes, when the guardian is too weak and his shield is broken, I'll force him to tell me your secret identities and not to mention, we've nearly unlocked the western miracle box. Soon, Mulan's death will be for nothing and even better... it will all be your fault, Anatis,"
Zhuyin glanced down, making Hawkmoth smirk.
"After all, you led them all to their own doom,"
"You're wrong!" Lady Noir shouted, stepping in front of Zhuyin. "He did not lead them to their doom! You did! The only one to blame here is you! You're the one who wants to harm people! You're the reason why Master Mulan is dead!"
"Such belief in your partner," Hawkmoth chuckled as Mayura smirked. "I guess you make up for his lack of self-belief,"
"You're damn right!" She hisses. "I don't care if Annie doesn't believe in himself because I believe in him! And I'll believe in him even more to make up for it!"
"Lady Noir," Zhuyin whispered as Master Fu managed to turn his head.
"Listen to her, Anatis!" He gasped. "He's trying to use your insecurities to divide and weaken you! Don't listen to him!"
"If you think you can divide us, you're wrong!" Lady Noir answered, turning to Anatis and holding up her hand. "I'm always on your side, Annie. Me and you against the world!"
"Thank you, Lady Noir," He smiled, clapping his hand against hers. "You always know what to say,"
He turned to Hawkmoth.
"A clever plan but I couldn't care less what you think of me," He answered, taking out his sword and pointing it to him. As he did, Su Han stopped working on the box and gasped in shock. "Me and Lady Noir are a team and together we will take you down!"
"Welcome to your doomsday, Hawkmoth!" Lady Noir grinned, making Hawkmoth growl.
"Assassin Bee! Show these fools who is the true ruler!" He shouted, noticing Su Han staring as Assassin Bee ordered her soldiers to attack. "Shouldn't you be working on that box?"
"She put a spell on the box that I can't undo," He explained. "She made it so only herself, the Celestial Guardian or his reincarnations can open it,"
"Is that not you?"
"I am only it in name. Not in anything else," Su Han answers, his eyes glued on Zhuyin as he fought against three of the other holders. Lady Noir was fighting the snake holder but the way Zhuyin was fighting. The stance, the way he held the sword. Su Han narrowed his eyes. He watched as he flipped his sword to his spare hand and spun with it, knocking back three of the holders. "That boy. He's Anatis yes?"
"Yes... why?" Hawkmoth asked as he dived forward and darted. Even Hawkmoth had to admit it was impressive. He had no idea that Anatis had such training in swordplay. He had always assumed that Lady Noir was the one who could use a sword. Speaking of her, she manages to take down the snake miraculous, allowing Zhuyin to grab the snake miraculous. He chucked it to Lady Noir before going back to fighting the other holders. Su Han narrowed his eyes as he watched. "Assassin Bee, be careful!"
"I got this," She answered as she watched. She already knew the plan was in action and she would win. Lady Noir put on the bracelet, causing Sass to manifest. He tried to apologise but she shook her head and gave him a smile before offering him food. As she did that, Assassin Bee frowned and her mind briefly drifted to Stingg. She shook her head before holding out her hand. "That won't help you defeat me, Lady Noir!"
"Call me Lady Cobra," She answered, holding her hands. "Plagg, Sass, unify!"
A green light caused Assassin Bee to cover her eyes. When she uncovered them, Lady Noir's form had changed. Her ears were the same but she had gained some teal details on her suit, making it resemble her Queen Cobra look. Her boots had yellow and green diamonds on boots and the green detail was now more yellow. She had two large diamonds on her hips that were both yellow as well and her mask had become a blended version of her usual mask and her Queen cobra one. She had a yellow and green diamond in the middle of her chest and her eyes were more snakelike now as well. Her hair was still in a long braid but it resembled her Queen Cobra hair more and it faded from black into teal green. She didn't even spare Assassin Bee a glance as she flicked back the bracelet and activated her second power.
"Second Chance!" She declared, causing Zhuyin to smirk and Assassin Bee to narrow her eyes.
"Drones! Stop her!" She declared, causing the monkey holder to charge at her as Anatis fought against the fox holder. She dodged and side stepped the horse user before seeing a second fox trying to sneak up on Zhuyin.
"Zhuyin! It's an illusion!" She called out, causing him to nod and swipe the illusion away as she did the same thing. However, the monkey holder suddenly caught his yoyo and pulled Zhuyin to him. He punched him as Lady Cobra charged towards them. However, she was grabbed by the fox and held back as the monkey pressed his summoned item against Zhuyin's yoyo. The water shield disappeared and the wasps descended onto Zhuyin, stinging him. His eyes turned yellow and he dropped his sword, slowly standing up. She struggled against the fox as Assassin Bee laughed.
"Finally! The bug is mine to control!" She laughed, tilting her head back. "I'm finally fully free! Zhuyin! Bow down to your queen! Drones, bow down to your new master!"
"Master?" Lady Cobra questioned before really glancing at them. She noticed that they are all in the same style of clothing. She realised that their movements were practised and trained. These weren't ordinary civilians. They were trained fighters. The Yǐnshēnyǐnbì. She struggled against the fox as Zhuyin, the Cobra holder who she realised was Mulan's killer and the others began to bow towards Assassin Bee. Su Han jumped down and glared towards them.
"Ask him who the mage is," He demanded, making Hawkmoth look over and Assassin Bee to nod.
"Zhuyin, who is the mage?"
"I-" He started but before he could answer, Lady Cobra was able to free herself enough to flick back her bracelet, bringing her back to the save point,
"Zhuyin, they're illusions and Yǐnshēnyǐnbì!" She declared, ignoring the monkey and running straight towards him. "She didn't pick- ah!"
A portal opened beneath her feet, causing her to fall into the dark depths of space. If she didn't think they were trained assassins before, she did now. No one normally would drop someone into space, even if they were mind-controlled. She took a deep breath and flipped back her bracelet, going back to the save point. She ignored the monkey, jumped over the portal and held up her fingers as she activated her screech power. She tapped her throat and let out a screech that broke the illusion and knocked the monkey holder back. She took the chance to grab his arm before pointing.
"Zhuyin! Opening! There!" She gasped, making him nod and open a hole in the water. She kicked the Monkey's pole up and towards Assassin Bee, who caught it and glared at her.
"You're going to need to do better than that!" She glared. "Cobra! Kill them!"
Before the Cobra holder could make a move, Lady Cobra twisted the monkey's arm, using it to throw its item straight at Assassin Bee. It landed right in her face, turning her miraculous into a small bell and causing the wasps to burst into confetti. Zhuyin threw his yoyo and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her towards them as Lady Cobra rushed towards her, tapping the bell with her cataclysm. Assassin Bee fell to her knees as she turned briefly back into Cicada then finally into Zoe as her miraculous crumbled to the ground. Zhuyin and Lady Cobra turned back into their normal forms before Anatis caught the akuma and purified it. With Assassin Bee no longer active, the controlled regained their selves, blinking and looking around confused. Zoe slowly scoped up the broken pieces of her miraculous and looked down at it sadly but before she could do anything else, the Cobra holder stalked towards her and grabbed her by her hair.
"You little brat!" He growled, throwing her to the ground and taking out his weapon, ready to attack her. Maybe even kill her but before he could, his weapon was knocked out of his hand by Anatis' yoyo before it wrapped around Zoe's waist and pulled her into the air. He caught her and placed her carefully on the ground before narrowing his eyes as the Cobra turned and went to stalk over. Anatis stepped in front of Zoe in a protective stance. "Get out of my way before I kill you like I did with Mulan,"
"No," Anatis replied before his eyes turned silver. He quickly glanced around and saw some loose ropes near a building site. "Mih dinb sepor,"
The ropes glowed before coming to life and aiming at the Cobra. It binded around him and made him fall on the ground, causing Su Han and Hawkmoth to look at him with surprise. Anatis walked over as the man glared at him.
"Go ahead," He smirked, gesturing to his fallen weapon. "Avenge your master,"
"She wasn't my master," He stated, picking it up. As soon as he did, the other The Yǐnshēnyǐnbì assassins blocked his path, ready to defend the Cobra. Anatis frowned at the corruption Su Han had caused to the once good and loyal group. He looked at the weapon in his hand as he weighed up his options. "She was my friend... but I'm not going to kill you,"
He casted it aside, shocking almost everyone there. Apart from Lady Noir.
"And it wouldn't be justice if I took your life. It would be vengeance and would make me no better than you," He declared, making Su Han's eyes widen once more. Those words are almost identical to what Toutai had said the night he murdered him. Anatis moved his gaze from the Cobra to Hawkmoth. "It's over, Hawkmoth. Your villain has being defeated,"
"Yet I still have the miracle boxes," He smirked, holding up the eastern box as the assassins freed the cobra holder. "I made sure to grab it off Assassin Bee in case you defeated her and don't forget I have the guardian too. It's only a matter of minutes until that shield breaks down and then he'll be mine to question. Not to mention I have a celestial guardian and his guard helping me out as well. You may have your tricks and whatever you did to the Cobra but I have the upper hand. Yǐnshēnyǐnbì, take them down!"
The other holders surrounded Anatis and Lady Noir as Zoe hid behind them. Lady Noir's ring beeped, making her frown as Anatis glanced at her. Hawkmoth laughed as he heard it.
"Even better! Your stupid cat's time is almost up!" He laughed as Mayura and Su Han smirked. "You're on your own! Checkmate, Anatis!"
"I still have a move left!" Anatis declared, hiding the fact that Hawkmoth's comment got to him. He knew he was on his own. Lady Noir had used her power and the miraculous had being stole. Atrutus was busy keeping their friends safe and Mulan was gone while Fu was captured. He threw up his yoyo, changing his outfit. "Lucky charm!"
The magical swarm summoned a small key with a keyring attached to it. Anatis caught it and glanced around in his luck vision. Only nothing lit up. He began to panic as he continued to look. The banging of the sentimonster echoed as Hawkmoth laughed, making him feel worse as he couldn't see anything.
"Annie?" Lady Noir questioned as his panic became visible.
"I... I can't see how to use it," He gasped, looking at her with fear. "I can always see it but I can't! There's no solution!"
"That's because there's nothing you can do!" Hawkmoth declared, laughing. "My plan is perfect! You can't beat me!"
"Ignore him!" Lady Noir declared, glaring at him as Anatis looked around. Finally, his luck vision kicked in and lit up Master Fu's cage... and only that. Anatis frowned with confusion for a moment before it suddenly clicked what it meant.
"No..." He gasped as he looked towards Master Fu. "Master, you can't!"
"It is the only way forward, Anatis," Fu answered, holding back the cracking of his shield. "I return to you what is your birthright. You will be a glorious guardian and I believe you will become the best celestial guardian we've ever had. It was an honour to serve as your master, Kāimíng yī,"
He let go of the shield and bowed before holding up his arms as Sass and Longg called out to him. Su Han stared in shock at his words, especially his use of calling Anatis Kāimíng yī. It was what the Order's members called The mage. It meant enlightened one and was a sign of respect.
"I, Wang Fu, hereby relinquish the miracle box and on behalf of Hua Mulan..." He declared, beginning to glow. "I name Anatis the new guardian!"
The moth sentimonster literally broke the shield as he spoke but it was too late. The light faded away from Master Fu and he fell to the ground, causing Hawkmoth to call out as the miracle box lifted out of his hand and began to glow with a white light so bright that it encompassed it. Su Han, Hawkmoth and Mayura watched in awe as the box began to change. The simple octogonal design disintegrated and morphed into a different form. As this happened, the assassins who had been given a miraculous by Assassin Bee began to glow, causing them to panic and try to back away, confused by the sudden light. Beams of light suddenly shoot away from them and into the morphing box, returning the miraculous to it and turning them into their normal forms. The only ones not to return were the Cobra's, Hawkmoth's and Mayura's... though Anatis wasn't sure why. However, it might be because they inherited the miraculous technically speaking or are viewed as true holders by the spiritual powers. While evil, Hawkmoth and Mayura did know what they were doing with their powers after all. Meanwhile, Su Han watched in shock as it happened. He had begun to suspect the boy to be the mage but this confirmed it. He narrowed his eyes and pointed at him.
"Kill him!" He ordered, causing the assassins to look over as he pointed frantically at him. The only assassin that remained with a miraculous was the Cobra holder but the others surrounded them as well. However before they could make a move, the box finished morphing and dropped down, back into Hawkmoth's hand as he stared at it. Gone was the old look and in its place was a beautiful carved music box. It had taken on a rectangular design, with a flattened top and the Order’s symbol carved into it. Metal workmanship decorated the lid’s corners, matching the intricate clasp. Carved meticulously into the wood were the images of the Chinese zodiac animals, all racing each other around the box’s edges. As the box fell back into Hawkmoth's hands, the light above them didn’t disperse. It pulsed once, knocking him, Mayura and Su Hand back before it blasted into the air before separating into several directions, each with one destination as the assassins and the heroes looked on in awe. One beam hit Mulan’s former box, and in the same flash of light, it also changed form. When it faded, the Western box now held a more rounded shape, with a brass sun placed on the lid and the symbol of the Order engraved on its core. The sides held countless stars, and the shapes of the Western constellations encircled it. Just like the Eastern Box, it had transformed into a music box. Both boxes also had one other thing in common. Sat inside the keyholes of the boxes sat a single, simple key. Hawkmoth sat up, along with Mayura as The cobra helped up Su Han, who slapped away his hand. "Kill him now!"
The Cobra nodded and turned to Anatis as Hawkmoth picked up the miracle box and tried to turn the key but it refused to budge.
"What did he do?!" He growled, glaring over at Anatis.
"It's simple," He answers, holding out his yoyo. "He passed the title onto guardian onto me,"
"I was able to open it even when he was a guardian!" Hawkmoth growled. "I should be able to do the same here!"
"No... because I'm not a normal guardian," He answered, looking at them. "I am the true Celestial Guardian! The current reincarnation of the grand mage Hua Feng and those boxes belong to me!"
He threw his yoyo, hitting the box out of Hawkmoth's hand as Lady Noir jumped up and swiped the Western Miracle Box. She jumped back down as Anatis wrapped his yoyo around the Eastern box and pulled it to him.
"One chance, Hawkmoth," He stated, looking at him. "Return yours and Mayura's miraculous to me and hand yourself in,"
"You think I'm actually going to do that," Hawkmoth stated coldly. "How disappointing,"
He picked up Mayura and jumped onto the Sentimonster, ready to retreat. Su Han glared at Anatis, wanting to order his assassins to kill him but he also knew what Toutai had been like, even before he had been revealed to be the Celestial Guardian. He was a prodigy in everything that had been taught. Fighting, potion making, medical training. He knew this boy was already gifted, being able to use the ladybug and keep Hawkmoth on his toes but now he knew that he was the next celestial guardian. The boy would undo his wish and reclaim his title but Su Han knew he wouldn't be able to kill him here. He shouldn't have even ordered his assassins to try but he panicked. However, he wasn't going to let that show right now. He took a deep breath and called back his assassins before narrowing his eyes as he looked towards Anatis, who met his gaze with no fear.
"This isn't over, boy," He declared, also jumping down to the Sentimonster. The three of them flew away and Lady Noir gave Anatis the Western box before chasing after them as the assassins also left, apart from the Cobra holder. He stepped forward and narrowed his eyes.
"Traitor, I order you to come and accept your punishment," He demanded, making Zoe slowly get and go to walk over to him. However, Anatis stopped her by putting his arm out as he held both of the boxes in his other arm. "You do not have the authority to sto-"
"I don't care," He answered, making the Cobra holder snort.
"You know she is going to kill you once I have... fixed her," He answers, making Anatis feel sick.
"Fix her?!" He snarled, making Zoe flinch. "and then make her kill me?! You really think I'm going to let you do that?!"
"You are powerless to-" The Cobra started but before he could finish, Anatis held out his free hand as his eyes glowed silver as Longg flew next to him, hissing softly.
"Alpheus! Lend me your power!" He called, making the Cobra blink before a sudden gale began to push against him, increasing in strength until he was taking off his feet and slammed into a building. He slowly got up and looked over at Anatis, who was still standing protectively in front of Zoe while glaring at him. With his glowing eyes and harsh glare, the Cobra found himself feeling fear for the first time in his life. This wasn't just some miraculous holder. This boy actually could seriously harm him or even kill him. "I will give you one chance to leave. Next time, I won't be as compassionate as I'm being right now,"
The Cobra didn't need to be told twice. He jumped away and into the city, making Anatis let out a sigh as Lady Noir returned. The gale turned into a breeze that helped her land before she turned to Anatis.
"You good?" She asked, making him nod before she frowned. "They got away,"
"I'm not surprised," He answered before he threw his yoyo and jumped away, landing on the building where Fu was lying unconscious. He had detransformed and Wayzz was watching over him with worry on his face. Lady Noir landed next to him with Zoe in her arms before she put her down. Both girls looked over at Anatis as he put down the boxes and gently lifted Fu into his arms. "Master Fu... Please wake up,"
His voice wasn't harsh like it had been when talking to the villains but it was soft, gentle and broken. Like he knew he wouldn't wake up or if he did, he wouldn't be the same but he had to try. He had to hope that he was the same. Slowly, Master Fu opened his eyes, making Lady Noir let out a sigh of relief as Anatis helped him sit up. Wayzz zoomed behind Anatis as Master Fu blinked and looked around in confusion.
"Master Fu," He stated, looking at him. His silver eyes shone with worry.
"Such pretty eyes," Master Fu stated, making him frown before he looked over at Lady Noir. "And such lovely costumes. Are you going to a party?"
"No, not a party," Anatis answered, making Fu look at him confused. He had a feeling he knew why but he didn't want to voice it. Unfortunately, Master Fu did.
"I don't mean to be rude but who are you?" He asked, making Lady Noir gasp and Anatis look down. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just can't seem to remem-"
"It's ok," Anatis smiled softly, though it was clear he was upset. "We're friends, sir,"
"Oh," Master Fu nodded as Lady Noir clicked her fingers.
"Annie, you haven't used the charm," She gasped, making him remember the lucky charm in his hand. He took it out and looked at it. He had a feeling that it won't fix this but he needed to fix what Assassin Bee. The assassins may have awakened after she lost her powers but he didn't know if the rest of Paris had. He threw it up into the air.
"Miraculous Ladybugs!" He declared, causing it to burst into the magical swarm and go around Paris, fixing stuff. It came back and wrapped around Zoe's hands before disappearing but it didn't touch Master Fu. Lady Noir looked at Anatis as he frowned. They both knew it didn't work but he decided to ask just in case. "Mister Fu... do you remember us now?"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you but this is the first time I've ever seen you two in my life," He answered before smiling. "But that magic trick was amazing. Shame, you had to throw away that keyring though. It would have gone lovely on my own key set,"
He took out a matching set to show them but didn't just pull out the keys but a piece of paper. He opened it up and read it.
"Oh," He gasped before looking at Anatis. "I think these keys belong to you. Strange, I thought they were mine,"
"What makes you say that?" Lady Noir asked.
"Because of this note," He answered, handing it to them. It read please return these and the turtle bracelet to the boy dressed as a ladybug. He looked at Anatis before handing him the keys and Wayzz's miraculous to him. "That must be you,"
"Thank you," He nodded, taking them. "Do you need us to take you anyway, Mister Fu?"
"Well, I do need to meet a lovely lady at the train station but I'm not running late," He chuckled, making Anatis feel relieved. It seems Master Fu had planned out a retirement plan so he would be ok. He couldn't help but wonder if his past lives had helped to make sure he wasn't homeless or lost. It seemed like something Feng would do but he wasn't sure. Still it gave him a sense of relief that he would be ok. "Well, I better be off. It was nice to meet you both,"
With that, Master Fu wandered off as their miraculous beeped. Anatis nodded to Lady Noir before she grabbed Zoe who gasped and he grabbed the boxes. The two dived off the buildings and headed to where Atrust had been keeping the holders, only to find the area completely empty apart from a single candle with a piece of paper under it. Anatis placed the boxes down and picked it up, reading it. It simply had two words on it. Best outcome. He sighed and nodded before putting the note back down and disappearing behind a wall as Lady Noir placed Zoe down and ordered her not to peek before she disappeared behind a wall. Zoe stayed on her knees and looked at the miraculous in her hand. It was repaired and she could take advantage of the two heroes hiding but she owed Anatis a debt of life. He had stopped her master from trying to kill her as she was certain he would have ended her life even if he claimed he was going to have her retrained.
"Anatis... what do you intend to do with me?" She asked. Her 'sweet' voice was no longer there. No point in pretending.
"What do you mean?" His voice replied as a pink light flashed, followed by a green light.
"Are you going to kill me or punish me?" She asked.
"No," Luka replied from behind the way as he gently scratched Longg's chin as Tikki ate a cookie. "Your master mentioned fixing you. Care to explain?"
"... those trained by the Order are put through a certain amount of programming and training to make them the perfect soldiers for the cause," She explained, making him frown. "Our goal is simple. Protect the Celestial Guardian and take out any threat he wants... but Su Han isn't the true celestial guardian is he?"
"No, he isn't," He answers. "Why were you trained by them?"
"All the families give up one child to be trained," She answers, making him frown. "It was meant to be Chloe instead of me but her father interfered and she failed the first test anyway,"
"I'm sorry," Luka replied, frowning. "Can I ask what families?"
"The five founding families," She answers. "The Agreste family, the Graham de Vanily family, the Tsurugi Family, The Bourgeois Family and finally the Kubdel family,"
"And each family has to give up a child to the order?" He asked, frowning. He knew Alpheus didn't have that rule and the family thing seemed odd too. He would definitely have to investigate it.
"Yes but the Tsurugi family had already given one and the Agreste family refused with the order's approval and the Graham de Vanily family has no children to give," She explains, making Anatis frown.
"But isn't Felix a child of the Graham de Vanily family?" He asked, making her snort.
"That child was born out of wedlock," She explained, making him frown. "He is not worthy of such a role,"
"And the Kubdel family?"
"They do not work for the order anymore," She hissed, making him frown as Longg and Tikki looked at him with concern. "If I see them, I shall stain the street with their blood,"
"Ok then," He answered, closing his eyes and listening carefully to her music. There was a song there but it was being overpowered by the Order's music, making him frown before he gently reached into his pocket and took out the octopus miraculous. He now knew why he grabbed it. He slid the bracelet on, causing Kraak to manifest. "Hello,"
"Hello, young holder," She smiled, bowing. "I'm Kraak. To use my miraculous, all you have to say is Kraak, unleash,"
"Thank you, Kraak," He answered before holding up his arm. "Kraak, Unleash!"
Kraak got sucked into the miraculous, charging it up. He swiped his hand across his face, causing the mask to manifest in a light blue light and his eyes to resemble an octopus'. He tilted his head back, causing his hair to change into yellow and black while gaining a small ponytail in the back of his hair. The light blue light faded down his body, creating a light yellow shirt and black pants before his boots manifested, resembling classic pirate boots. His belt appeared in a light blue glow before a tail coat that resembled a pirate jacket appeared on him. It was dark grey with a bright blue ring pattern on it. Finally he gained fingerless gloves and the flexible claw appeared, attached to his belt. He turned to Tikki, causing her to zoom over and hide in his new hair style. He stepped out, making Zoe look over at him.
"Are you going to kill me now?" She asked, coldly. "The only reason why I'm not trying to kill you is because I owe you a debt of life but-"
"I'm not going to kill you," He answered as Lady Noir stepped out. Plagg had recharged. He walked over to Zoe and knelt down so they were eye level. "I don't think you're actually a bad person, Zoe,"
He gently placed his hand on his heart.
"I can feel what you truly want. I feel it now and I felt it when you were Assassin Bee," He continued. "You long for one thing,"
"And what is that?" She sneered.
"Freedom," He answered, making her eyes widen and look at him. "The ideology of Su Han is stuck in your head like a song on repeat but it's time for the record to stop playing. I'm willing to give the freedom you crave and a new beginning but you only get one chance. Don't waste it,"
She blinked as he held up his forefinger.
"Mind break," He whispered, causing his finger to glow a very light blue before he gently pressed his finger to Zoe's forehead. Her eyes glossed over in the same shade before shattering, causing her to blink. "Zoe?"
"Anatis... I mean... you are Anatis right?!" She gasped. Her voice sounded the same but the coldness was gone. He nodded before she quickly got to her knees and bowed to him, making Lady Noir look at him. He shrugged. "I'm so sorry! I've been trying to stop myself for years but I couldn't. I was too weak-"
"Zoe... it's ok," He stated, making her look up at him as tears rolled down her face. He stood up and held his hand out to her. She looked at it before slowly taking it, causing him to pull her to his feet. She wiped her tears away. "I am going have to take your miraculous,"
She looked at the miraculous in her hand before she slowly handed it over to him.
"Thank you," He answered, making her nod. "Zoe, your life is back to being yours,"
"What if I get brain-washed again?" She asked as he felt something around him. It felt warm and familiar like a warm fire that kept the cold from taking over the bones. Finni. He must have been listening in.
I am going to borrow your body for a second. Is that ok? He asked, making Luka nod. He felt Finni briefly taking over before his eyes glowed silver and opened on their own. His hand lifted and he gently placed his hand on her forehead as well. A soft golden light appeared from his hand, making him blink as he watched. "Zoe Lee, I share this gift with you so you may never lose your mind again,"
The glow disappeared and Luka felt Finni leave, causing him to stumble forward a bit.
"What... what was that?" Zoe asked. "It felt warm... like a hug,"
"It's a protection spell," He explained. "You're completely free... now let's get you home,"
~Later that Evening~
"So what was that earlier?" Lady Noir asked, sitting next to Anatis as he placed the octopus miraculous back in the box. "And I don't mean your octopus form,"
"Finni," He answered, making her look at him. "He asked to use my body so he could give Zoe that spell. First time I've ever literally done that,"
"Oh wow... so Finni can possess you?"
"With my permission," He explained, nodding. "It makes sense. Finni is part of me as I am part of him. I hope he'll be able to teach me that spell but right now, I don't have enough magic to use it. I think that's why he took the front seat. I can't use my magic,"
"You were able to use it in battle?"
"Feng lent me his earlier," He explained. "It's slowly recharging but... spiritually I'm weak at the moment,"
"Maybe there's something in Feng's diary that can help?" She suggested, making him frown.
"I can only read it with my spirit eyes and honestly most of it doesn't make sense," He answered, thinking back to how he was reading it. He could read most of it now and there were only a couple of pages left empty but most of what was written were riddles, the odd akuma, some rambles about the end of time itself, something about reality and the ghost festival but then for the last ten pages, there's only one repeated phase. The truth is coming. Even Feng had foreseen Truth. "I thought it would be something helpful but he always writes in riddles,"
"Sounds about right," She giggled before gently placing her hands on his. He looked at her and smiled weakly. "You'll be ok,"
"Thank you, Kitten," He nodded before standing up. "I better get the kwamis settled. See you soon?"
"Yeah. Are you sure you don't want me to look after a box?"
"For now, I think it's best if I keep them all together," He answered, nodding. Though he appreciated the suggestion. She nodded back and offered him a hug. He hugged back before he stepped back. He threw up his yoyo and summoned a backpack before placing them in there. "I'll see if there's a way to connect the boxes to our weapons so both of us can access them,"
"Sounds good to me," She nodded before he swung off and she headed home too. He swung across Paris before landing through his porthole. He took off the bag and took out the boxes before detransforming. He carefully placed them on his shelf, next to Tikki's and Snapp's beds, where Snapp was snoozing before he took out the Wasp Miraculous. He put it on, causing Stingg to manifest.
"She is alive," He answered, making the little kwami gasp in surprise. "And free. With assistance, I freed her and made sure Su Han could never control her again,"
"M-my mistress is free," He sniffed. "T-thank you,"
"Your name is Stingg, yes?"
"Y-yes,"
"And what's your concept?"
"D-Domination,"
"Then I, Luka Couffaine, give Stingg, the kwami of Domination, permission to remain outside of their miraculous, even without a holder or a miracle box," He declared, causing the miraculous and Stingg to glow before it disappeared. He took off the miraculous, causing Stingg to gasp as they didn't disappear. "Welcome to your new home, Stingg. Tikki will give you an update on the rules and I'll sort out a bed for you as well in the morning,"
"A-are you ok, Master?"
"Just call me Luka," He sighed before sitting on the bed. "And not really. Master Mila is dead and Master Fu has no memory of any of this. I can't even cry about it or there's a risk I'd get akumatized,"
He looked down as the kwamis began to manifest.
"Anyway... I'm tired..." He whispered, kicking off his shoes and curling up on his bed. He really wanted to cry and let himself feel his grief but he couldn't. He felt so alone. He curled up and closed his eyes as he felt the kwamis flying next to him, gently hugging him and chasing away his loneliness. "... Thank you..."
"Sleep well, young guardian," Vernn stated. "We will be right here,"
~Luka's Mind Hut~
"Luka," Toutai's voice echoed as he gently leaned over the younger mage, who was curled up on the floor. Toutai gently placed his hand on his shoulder, causing him to jolt awake and look around wildly. He didn't think he would have seen him here today, given his lack of spiritual energy but here he was. It can't have been easy for him, considering Feng's energy had long since run out but he pushed through. Toutai frowned as he took a good look at him. He looked tired and drained. Like he was close to giving up. Seeing Toutai, the alert look slowly disappeared. "Luka... are you ok?"
"I..." He started but before Toutai could say anything, tears began to roll down Luka's face. Though he quickly wiped them away. He was clearly trying to hold back his tears but Toutai shook his head.
"Let it out, Luka. There's no akumas here," He reassured, causing Luka to look at him before he began to cry, covering his face with his hand. Toutai moved his arms around him and gently rubbed his back.
"It's ok,"
"I f-feel so alone, T-Toutai," He sobbed, looking up at him. "I... I couldn't save them. I tried but it was too late. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have being able to save them,"
"It's ok, Luka," He reassured. "You didn't fail,"
"B-But Master Fu and Master Mulan... I let your wife die," He sobbed, covering his face again. Toutai let him cry it out, waiting patiently until he had calmed down enough. "Y-you must hate me,"
"I don't hate you, Luka," Toutai reassured
"But I killed Mulan..."
"No, you didn't," He explained. "Firstly, it was that cowardly snake and secondly, she already knew it was her time. My last parting gift to her was a warning of what was to come and when she would finally meet her end. It was fate. You couldn't have stopped it,"
"B-but,"
"Think of it this way, Luka. Instead of death, it was release," He stated, making Luka frown. "She had lived an unnatural life for at least a hundred years. Maybe more. For us, that is normal but she wasn't a spirit. Neverending life for a mortal is a curse but she finally was able to make peace with her pain and is finally able to move to the afterlife,"
"S-so you're not mad?" Luka asked, wiping his eyes.
"Of course not," Toutai smiled, gently patting his hair. "I'm very proud of you, Luka,"
"Y-you are?" He asked, confused. "Why?"
"Because you passed my test," He stated, making Luka blink. "My trait is compassion. It allows me to use healing magic via touch. The trial you faced today was my trial and you passed,"
"I did? But..." He asked, confused. "How?"
"You could have killed that cobra, let him harm Zoe or even leave her to her fate as a slave to Su Han," He explained, making Luka look at him. "You did not. You chose to protect her from his wrath, you chose to spare his life and when it came to breaking Su Han's influence on her, you chose to do it in a gentle and reassuring way, making sure she wasn't afraid even though she was your enemy. That is compassion in its purest form. Compassion for our friends and family is easy but compassion for our enemies... that's something that most people can't do. Not just that but you stayed with Mulan when she was dying. You could have just left to fight but you saved with her in her last moments and I know you plan to make sure Master Fu is cared for,"
He nodded. He planned to contact Marianne. He hadn't really thought about contacting her since he had met her but he had also come to terms with the fact that he was a witch now. Not just any witch either but the mage. However, he would worry about his own problems once he was sure Fu was ok.
"My point is your compassion is strong and you passed my test," He smiled, making Luka nod. "Only one more test to go now,"
"Khnurn's right?" Luka asked, causing Toutai to nod. "... Can I ask what to expect?"
Toutai's face fell a bit, making Luka frown.
"Is that not allowed?"
"It's not that," He answered, taking a deep breath. "Luka, Khnurn's trait is honesty and I'm afraid that means that his test is going to be hard. You'll have to face the Truth,"
"The Truth... as in..." He whispered. "C-can't I prevent that?"
"I'm sorry, Luka but I can't answer that," He answered before gently placing his hand on his shoulder. "Just remember no matter how alone or vulnerable you feel right now, you're not alone. You have friends, family and allies who care deeply about you,"
"T-thank you, Toutai,"
~A Couple of Days Later~
"Thank you for helping me, young man," Fu stated as Luka carried his suitcase to the train station. He had already gone to Fu's locker and used the key to grab what was in there. Fu had left him a letter and the translated version of the grimoire as well as ingredients and other things to help, like a list of the kwami's favourite foods but he would sort them out later. Right now, he wanted to make sure Fu reunited with Marianne. He wasn't sure if he remembered her but she had agreed to look after him. The train doors opened and she stepped out, causing Fu to gasp in surprise and awe. Though his memories were gone, the emotion of love clearly wasn't. She walked over and smiled softly at him.
"How incredible," He gasped, looking at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. "I've only just first laid eyes on you and yet my heart is beating like I've known you for a long time,"
"You should always listen to your heart," She smiled, gently taking his hands in hers. For a moment, they stared into each other's eyes before she smiled softly. "Why don't you go and settle down? I have something to say to this young man,"
"Of course," He nodded, turning to Luka. "Thank you for your help, young man,"
"You're welcome," Luka nodded before Fu disappeared on the train. "Thank you for coming so soon. I'm sorry I haven't contacted you until now, Ma'am,"
"It's ok," She smiled, gently taking his hands in her eyes. "I know it's hard to come to terms with having magic naturally but you don't need to face it alone. You can contact me but also I wanted to give you something,"
She took out an envelope.
"Since I can't always be in Paris, this is the address of the acting grand mage," She answered. "He can help you,"
"Thank you," He answered, taking it. "Please take care of him, Marianne. Fu... he taught me so much,"
"I will," She promised. "And don't be a stranger ok,"
"I won't," He answered before the final whistle blew and she went on the train. He looked as they took a seat by the window and waved at him as the train departed. He waved back before walking out of the train station and back to The Liberty. Juleka and Rose were practising some music and waved at him when he came back on board. He gave them a small wave but didn't bother going to see what they were doing as he headed back into his room. He frowned as he saw a note on the deck, causing him to pick it up and read it.
Dearest Luka,
I had to borrow the Rabbit Miraculous for a short amount of time
Due to a dangerous situation. Please do not worry.
I have plenty of carrots for Fluff and she will be returned to you
soon.
Stay strong
Sir Rene
Luka sighed and put the letter down before sitting on his bed as he thought about everything that had occurred. In less than 24 hours, he had lost two of the most important people in his life and had become the guardian of two miracle boxes, setting his path on becoming the Celestial Guardian in stone. He knew life was never going to be the same again. The Truth was coming and he wasn't sure if he could stop it. He put his hand on his head and took a deep breath.
"The future isn't set in stone," He whispered to himself.
~Hawkmoth's Lair~
"I told you not to let her wear it again!" Su Han shouted as Gabriel paced. Nathalie's health was far worse than it had been. She was now bedbound for the foreseeable future and was constantly sick. He had the best doctors look at her but they didn't know what it was. "When I told you that, it wasn't just because I dislike the woman. She can never wear a miraculous ever again!"
"It was fixed!"
"Yes but her soul was still being damaged by it when it was broken!" Su Han shouted, pinching his nose. "She can never wear one again or she will die. Do you understand?!"
"I see," Hawkmoth frowned before he decided to change the subject. "Have you found out anything about Zoe?"
"She is defective," He answered. "I don't know how but that bastard of a mage not only freed her from her training but made it so it can never be done to her again,"
"Mage? So Anatis is the mage,"
"Yes," Su Han frowned. "Your plan to akumatize him is pointless and now he has two boxes. We'll have to have him killed. It isn't the first time I've killed him after all,"
"Killed?!" Hawkmoth growled. "No! I need him alive!"
"What?! You only need his and that mangy cat's miraculous!"
"I want him alive so I can make him watch as I make a wish!" He growled, making Su Han roll his eyes. "He has humiliated me enough. I deserve to make him suffer as I tear apart the world he loves so much!"
"You are a man-child but fine. Have it your way," Su Han declared, leaving. Of course, he wasn't going to keep his promise. The Mage would be dead before the next Ghost festival. Otherwise, all the hard work he put into stealing his wish would be undone. The Yǐnshēnyǐnbì were stood outside, waiting for him. "The boy you saw in battle. The child of the beetle. I want him dead,"
"Yes, Lord Guardian," They all declared before jumping off. Su Han smirked.
"You may be using the Ladybug in this life, Mage but that won't save you,"
So as we all know the London Special dropped earlier in the week and as tradition, I will be doing an Anatisverse verison. Now onto why there is two London specials
Firstly, the special never actually took place in London/England. So I'm gonna fix that in one of them. This one will be called the Avalon Special and will focus around Anatis teaming up with Sir Rene, King Arthur and the other Knights of the round table to fight Mordred, a dark mage who has resurrected in modern day London. This will be similar to the Halloween Special I did as the story won't be based on any episodes and will be made up by myself
For the second London Special, this will be based on the series one. However, it won't be taking place in the main anatis universe. Due to the nature of the akumas and how they come to be, I see no realistic way of having it take place in the main Anatisverse universe so instead it will be taking place in the MLB universe but with Anatis helping out along the way to save his world. This does mean I will more then likely be changing the outcome of the ending so heads up on that.
So which one do you want to read first? Fix-it special or actual london special?
Edit: after watching the London Special, I'm not so sure on writing one based of it. Avalon will definitely be happening but not so sure on the other one.
So here's my design for the butterfly ladybug unification for Luka in my upcoming special for the Anatisverse.
Based on the Cinnabar moth and unified with the ladybug miraculous, Luka becomes the hero Cinnabug. I know the name is not as creative as I normally go but I really like it so its staying. I wanted him to look almost ethereal looking and almost like royalty so I decided to give him certain features that he normally doesn't have such as the pointed ears. His outfit is loosely based on his butterfly form I drew up but mixed with his anatis suit. I also added aspects of the Cinnabar moth hence the red pants and the design of his tail coat. I also still wanted to include purple as the moth miraculous is purple themed.
Anyway I think I achieved a good look for him so I'm happy with it. Also keep an eye out. The special based on Miraculous: Paris will be out soon. I did intend to release it for Halloween but sadly things happened and I wasn't able to.
Whoa, this took me almost a year to write. God, it's been hard. Not going to lie. This one really tested my creativity. I had no idea how to akumatize Felix or write in some of the important parts but after a lot of brainstorming with the wonderful @naruwitch and head banging, I finally worked it out and hopefully it's good.
Ok so this also links into Miracle Queen. I believe I explained in that chapter that I intended to divide it into several chapters. Well, we are here with one of them. The next chapter directly follows into this one and is also loosely based on Miracle Queen. There is one major difference and that is I have no intention of revealing the heroes' identities for these chapters. I hated that part of miracle queen. Anyway, hopefully it won't take me almost a year to write another chapter. I am possibly moving house soon and I have some cons and cosplays lined up too but I'll definitely be trying to make more time for writing this. After all, the truth is coming XP
The sounds of students training echoed through the halls as Mulan walked through, nodding as she watched her students form. She stopped and looked over at her home sadly. Toutai should be stood here next to her and she should be back at the temple of the miraculous, training new holders but Su Han had ruined that for both of them. She narrowed her eyes and dug her nails into her palm. She would kill him. She would rip out his heart as he ripped out hers.
"Sensi?" One of her students asked, making her look at them. "Are you ok, Sensi? You're crying,"
"I am fine," She answered, a little harshly. "Continue your training,"
"Yes, Sensi," The student replied as someone knocked on the door of the Dōjō before opening the door and walking over to her. She frowned as the young man bowed to her.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you Sensi Mila?" He asked, making her nod. He reached in his bag and took out an aged envelope. She didn't say anything and simply took it before looking at it. It had no address and the only words on it were 'Sensi Mila' but she recognized the writing straight away. It was Toutai's.
"When and who gave this to you?" She asked, looking at the delivery boy.
"I don't know his name, Sensi," He answered. "But he approached me two and a half years ago and gave me this letter. His instructions were to deliver this letter to you at this exact time and date. He tipped well and was very exact with his instruction,"
"I see," She answered, looking at the letter. "Thank you for delivering this,"
He nodded and bowed before he left. She left one of her top students in charge before going to her private room and sitting on the bed, looking at the letter. Part of her was terrified to open it but part of her longed to read Toutai's words so she opened the letter and began to read. The letter was heart filled and she couldn't help but smile. Typical of Toutai to arrange a letter for her when she was feeling low. She continued reading but slowly the feeling of the letter changed. It was still very much Toutai but towards the end of it, he explained that when he foresaw his death, he also foresaw hers and he debated on telling her. On one hand, he didn't want to scare her about it but on the other hand, he didn't want her to be afraid when the moment came. It was inevitable after all. Finally, he decided to put a message in the letter to warn her of the time so she wouldn't be afraid and so she could sort out her affairs before it happened. As she read his warning, she heard his voice echoing.
When the artisan city is bathed in red moonlight
Your end will come from shadowy blight
She frowned as she had no idea what he meant by that. Sure, it was about her death but why did he have to write in a riddle? Typical Toutai though. He often spoke in riddles when it came to important things. Apparently it was something that he inherited from one of his previous lives. She didn't believe him at first but after a while she got use to the riddles and came to believe that it had come from that. She shook her head and followed up the letter before lying down as her thoughts drifted to him.
"I miss you, Toutai,"
~Modern Day, Hawk Moth's Lair~
"Hawk Moth," Su Han declared as he walked through the butterfly garden. He glanced over at the coffin that housed Emile Agreste before tutting and walking towards the entrance to Hawkmoth's tower where he makes his akumas. Multiple shadows follow him as he walks to the lift and steps on it. He enters the room and clears his throat, causing Hawk Moth to face him. "Have you found the mage?"
"Patience," Hawkmoth replied. "The mage has yet to show himself,"
"My Patience is wearing thin," Su Han growled, crossing his arms. The last few days he was getting more and more demanding, making Hawkmoth annoyed too. "You promised me that you would deliver the Celestial guardian to me but you have yet to do so. Instead you created pathetic villains who are constantly defeated by Anatis and his pet,"
"Anatis and Lady Noir are- what did you just say?" Hawkmoth frowned, making Su Han repeat him but Hawkmoth shook his head. "No, about the Celestial Guardian. Is that not you?"
"I am but it is complicated," Su Han frowned. "And with the return of Feng's recent life, it's only a matter of time before he either reclaims the title or finds a way to reverse the wish,"
"Can the wish be reversed?" Hawkmoth asked, frowning.
"Never mind that," He growled. "Use Anatis to lead you to the mage or something. He must be in contact with him,"
"I tried to follow that beetle before and he worked out that we were following him. He sent me and Mayura on a wild goose chase around the city," He pointed, frowning deeply. Miracle Queen had been his most successful akuma but he did still want to find the current guardian of the miracle box but not just him anymore. There was also that other guardian who he had the pleasure of fighting. She was trained and from what he had learnt she was the one who looked after the Western Miracle Box. "While I would like to follow him and have him lead me to the mage and the miraculous guardians, I don't think I can. He catches on too quickly,"
"Hurry up and bring me the mage," He orders, leaving as Hawkmoth pinches his nose in annoyance. He returns back to the garden and walks over to the secret exit that allows him to come and go as he pleases. A shadow jumps down as a tall man dressed in a snake-like costume straightens up as Su Han barely acknowledges him. "Work with Hawkmoth and find the mage. I want him captured before the Ghost Festival.... and if that wench gets in the way... kill her,"
"As you wish," The man answers, bowing before disappearing in the shadows once more. Su Han continued to walk out of the lair. Meanwhile, Hawkmoth called off his transformation and sighed, pinching his nose again. Su Han was becoming impatient and driving him mad. Anatis and Lady Noir were able to defeat his akumas without trouble, even the ones Simme had influenced and Emile had yet to wake up. He sighed as he rubbed his eyes before he headed up to Nathalie's room and slipped inside as she typed away on her computer. Due to the exposure she had during her days as Mayura, she had gotten very ill. Her body was dramatically weakened and she often got sick easier than before. However she had good days and bad days now. Unfortunately, today was a bad day so she was doing her work in bed. Su Han had insisted that she stay out of their business yet Gabriel turned to her and not just that but he had given her back the peacock miraculous. She was much more emotional then he was so he ignored Su Han and returned the miraculous to her when he realised he was not affecting the miraculous at all. She happily wore it and now it was almost back to fully functioning. Even Duusu had re-manifested. She looked up as he came in, her lunch on a tray in her lap. Duusu was sitting on the top of her head but Nathalie didn't seem to mind.
"Sir?" She asks as he sits down and takes off his glasses. He looked very stressed and for once it was genuine. He was stressed out. As well as being Hawkmoth, he had the duties of being Gabriel Agreste on his plate. In fact, it felt like the only thing he didn't have to worry about was being a father to Adrien since he rarely talked or socialised with the boy. Still, he didn't see anything wrong with that. After all, his son had his friends, Nathalie and his bodyguard. "Talk to me,"
"Su Han is on my back about the mage," He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I'm already having a difficult time without your help, then there's the added stress of finding the mage and claiming the miraculous. What should I do? Su Han thinks we should use Anatis to lead us to the mage and while I am inclined to use him to only lead us to the mage but also to the two guardians and their miracle boxes, Anatis is stubborn. No matter what I throw at him, he just finds a way,"
"Maybe that's exactly what we need to do," She suggested, making him look at her. "Anatis and Lady Noir are untouchable but the guardian would know. If we find him, not only will we find the miracle box but we could make him tell us the identity of the mage. We just need to find a way to avoid Anatis working out we're following him this time,"
"And how do you think we should do that?" He answers, frowning. She had been a tough one when he created Miracle Queen and he was certain she would present a challenge. A deep cough made them both look to the curtain as the shadows moved and turned into the man in the snake-like costume. He knelt down in front of them, making them both stare. They hadn't even seen him sneak through. Natalie frowned as she noticed Duusu hiding behind a pillow, shivering a little. She was afraid of the man.
"I believe I can be of assistance," He replied, not looking up. "Leave the capturing of the guardians to me. I will find their location and bring them to you,"
"And how will you do that?" Gabriel asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I will observe the heroes," He stated as if it was that simple. Gabriel frowned deeply as he knew it wasn't and walked over to the window, glancing out. He didn't trust the man but he would need him to track the heroes. However, Anatis only ever went to the Guardian when he needed help. If their new friend was going to find where the guardians were, they would have to force Anatis to call on his allies. That would make him go to the guardians to get the miraculous. Not only would they be able to capture the guardians but they would be able to claim the two miracle boxes too. However, they would need a powerful and dangerous akuma. One that would force Anatis' hand. As he thought about it, the sound of his son saying goodbye to someone drew his attention, making him pay attention to the scene outside of his window. Felix was waving to his son, along with none other than Luka Couffaine. He began to smirk as a plan began to form before he turned round to face Natalie and the newcomer. "Master Agreste?"
"Sir?" Nathalie asked as he smirked. "Are you ok?"
"If we are to capture the guardians then we will need their location and to get their location, we will need to force Anatis into a corner," He states, turning to the Cobra holder. "Just observing them won't work. They only contact the guardians when they need to so I will make an akuma that will force Anatis to take action. From that point, you'll be able to follow him. Just make sure not to give yourself away,"
"And how do you intend to force Anatis' hand?" The man asked.
"All heroes have a weakness and it just happens that I know one of Anatis'," He replied, walking over to Nathalie. "Nathalie, I will need two extra invite for the Diamond Dance this year,"
"Who should they be addressed to?" She asked.
"One to Miss Rossi. Her talents will be useful for my plan," He answers, making her nod and type.
"And the other?"
"Mr Couffaine," He ordered, making her frown but nod as she began to write up his invite. "Oh and make sure he has no plus one on the invite,"
"Yes sir," Nathalie nodded as he watched Luka wave to Adrien.
"If anyone can force Anatis into a corner, it's his most trusted civilian," He muttered to himself.
~Couple of Days Later~
Luka paced across his room as he ran his fingers through his hair and looked around. Hawkmoth and Simme were really quiet and it was concerning him. It was never a good thing when he went quiet as it meant he was planning something big. However, Luka had no idea what it could be. Hawkmoth didn't exactly have a pattern. The only day that was 'special' was heroes' day but the other times he went silent weren't special. Lady Noir had tried to reassure him last night by saying that Hawkmoth may be on Holiday but that didn't reassure him. The last two times he could arguably say that Hawkmoth went on holiday, it resulted in him and Lady Noir saving Shanghai and New York. He didn't want to think of what chaos Hawkmoth may be causing in another country. However, there was nothing on the news or anything. It should have reassured him but it didn't. He turned to Tikki and Snapp as they watched him with a lot of concern. He wasn't sleeping well again and his school work was suffering. Luckily, Felix and Adrien were helping him as well as his other friends. Marinette was also bringing him baked goods and drinks to help too as well as cuddling him when he was around. He went to open his mouth to say something but before he could, his mother's voice echoed.
"Luka? Someone's here to see you!!" She yelled, making him frown before he patted his shoulder. Snapp and Tikki flew over and hid in his hoodie. He walked up to the deck and frowned as he saw Nathalie Sancoeur, Gabriel Agreste's assistant, standing there. The first thing he noticed was she looked terrible. He had heard from Adrien that she had been bed ridden with a mysterious sickness that resembled the one his mother had before her disappearance. However, she seemed to be slowly recovering. Adrien had mentioned she had good days where she was able to walk around and do errands and bad days where she was bedridden and needed to rest. He had said his mother had similar days but she had more bad days then good where Nathalie had more good days then bad. Luka guessed today must be a good day.
"Hello, Ms Sancoeur," He smiled as she looked at him. In her hands was a white box with a white bow on it. He glanced at it as he walked over.
"Mr Couffaine," She stated, handing the box over to him. It was fairly light, surprising him a little. "Congratulations, you have been invited to the elusive Diamond Dance, hosted by Mr Agreste. If you are unfamiliar with the dance, I can explain it to you if you wish,"
"Um please?" He asked, looking at the envelope.
"Of course," She replied. "The Diamond Dance is an annual dance where the powerful and influential families introduce their most precious treasures. Their heirs and heiresses. Children such as Adrien Agreste, the Bourgeois sisters and Tsurugi Kagami are among them,"
"Then why did I get an invite?" He asked, confused.
"Mr Agreste is allowed to invite what is known as a 'diamond in the rough' to the dance," She explained, making him a little confused. "In other words, a child who is as bright as the other diamonds but doesn't come from a powerful or influential family. He decided that this year, you should be receive the invite,"
"Oh wow," He gasped, shocked as his mother grinned proudly. "Please thank Mr Agreste. I am very honoured he chose me,"
"Of course," She nodded as stern as ever. "If that is all, I will take my leave. Everything you will need is the box. That includes the location, date and time of the dance as well as your invite,"
"Thank you," He states, making her nod before she left. Anarka rushed over, grinning as he stared at the box in his hands. She pulled him into a hug and ruffled his hair. She looked so proud of him but he couldn't bring himself to be happy. He was too tired and worried but he pushed it aside and smiled as best as he could after she let him go. "I'm gonna look through this,"
"Of course," She nodded. "I can't believe this. Wait until Jagged hears about it,"
"Ma! He'll go crazy," He smiled, making her laugh before he headed back into his room. He closed his door and sat on his bed as Tikki and Snapp flew out of his hoodie. He was staring at the box but he didn't look pleased.
"Luka?" Tikki asked, quietly.
"It's like her," He muttered, shaking his head and pinching his nose. "Sorry..."
"It reminds you of Lady Blanche, doesn't it?" Tikki stated as Snapp looked confused. Luka sighed and nodded. "Luka..."
"I know it's silly," He replied, frowning before he pulled off the bow and took off the lid. Inside of it was a white mask with a diamond design on it and an envelope. He took the mask out first and examined it. It seemed very well made. He opened the envelope and took out the paper inside, reading it. It explained what the Diamond dance is and this year's theme as apparently there's a theme each year. It also contained its location, time and date. To his surprise, it was in three days' time. He frowned, worried about the dress code as he knew that his mother couldn't afford a brand new suit for him and he didn't want to bother Jagged or Marinette to either get him one or make it. It wasn't fair to ask either. Three days wasn't enough time to make an outfit and he didn't like the idea of asking Jagged for money. He sighed and continued reading. As he did, it revealed that the outfits had already been planned and included with the invite by Mr Agreste. He was surprised but relieved. He would have to find his own way to the location but luckily it was fairly nearby as they had chosen the same location where Clara Nightingale had originally filmed her location. It shouldn't be too hard to get to. He continued to read and frowned a little as he wasn't allowed to invite a plus one as it was a very exclusive event. Only though on the guestlist were allowed. He couldn't help but feel disappointed. He wanted to invite Marinette but he couldn't. He jumped as skype began to ring, causing him to go to his computer and answer the call.
"Hey," He smiled as Marinette smiled back at him. Chloe was also on the call, along with Adrien, Kagami, Felix, Nino and Alya. "How is everyone?"
"I'm good," Marinette smiled as she sewed something.
"Doing good, dude," Nino grinned as Alya gave a thumbs up.
"I'm good," Adrien replied, leaning on his hand. "Just tired from a long day and now I have to deal with the Diamond dance. Lila's going as well,"
"Yes, I heard she will be there," Kagami replied. "It is most unfortunate but luckily, me, Chloe and Felix will be there and we will keep her from you,"
"Thanks,"
"Uh, I am not going," Chloe declared before glancing at Adrien. "Sorry, Adrinkins but I feel it would be better for me not to attend. For the sake of my mental health. However, I can get Daddy to get her on the blacklist for the event if you want,"
"No, it's ok," He replied. "I'll still have Felix and Kagami. Luka, are you going to be attending? Father mentioned he had sent you an invite,"
"I got an invite," He replied, making Marinette, Nino and Alya stare. "But I can't invite Marinette as my plus one so I'm not sure I'll be going. Besides, I don't want to deal with Lila,"
"That's fair, dude,"
"Won't she be breaking her restraining order if she goes?"
"Technically, no," Luka sighed. "The restraining order has an order of 'staying away' so meaning she can't come into my home but that's why she can still attend the same school as me. Her father's legal team has been fighting us on it and are still trying to get it removed. It also says she has to stay 2 metres away from me in public places such as school and that,"
"So that's why she was able to come over and talk to Zoe," Marinette sighed, remembering she had introduced herself and had on purposely stayed at the other side of the table. She had wondered why she hadn't gotten in trouble and now that made more sense. "I wish I could join you for the party. That way I could make sure she won't try anything,"
"It's fine, Melody," He smiles, just happy she wanted to look out for him. "If I do go, I'll stick with Adrien, Felix and Kagami but I probably won't,"
"Well, why doesn't Marinette just use my invite?" Chloe states, making Marinette look at her with surprise. "I have no intention of going so that frees up an invite and there's going to be loads of rich kids so you can just pretend to be one. That way, Luka and you can both attend,"
"Chloe, that's brilliant," Adrien grinned. Luka had to admit it was good. "Of course, we still need to deal with Lila but I can try to talk to Father and have her removed from the list?"
"You don't have to do that, Adrien," Luka stated, deciding to go. Now that he thought about it, Lila will probably cause trouble and upset and that will lead to an akuma. If he attends the party, he'll be able to keep an eye on her and deal with the akuma quickly... Plus he didn't want to live his life in fear and it would force Lila to stay on the other side of the room. He can't help but feel a bit annoyed at Gabriel Agreste for inviting her but she was one of his top models. How? He didn't know but she was. It would be best to keep her in his sight for this event. "It would be nice to go with Marinette,"
"Then it's settled," Chloe declared. "Marinette will use my invite and attend the dance with Luka,"
"What about an outfit?!" Marinette gasped, realising she doesn't have one ready. "I'll have to pull an all-nighter!"
"Actually, the invite includes an outfit designed by father," Adrien explained, making Marinette look relieved. "Which means you won't have to worry about your outfit,"
"Well, that works," She chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. Luka couldn't help but smile at her, making her smile back. "Won't your father be annoyed though?"
"Father won't be physically present as usual," Adrien sighed, making the rest frown before Felix smirked.
"I, for one, am glad Uncle isn't joining us," He declared, leaning back in his chair a little. "It means we can actually have fun,"
"I concur," Kagami nodded. "We'll be able to enjoy ourselves without his watchful gaze but I should warn you all now. My own uncle is attending the dance,"
"You have an uncle?" Marinette asked, surprised as Kagami had never mentioned one before.
"Yes, he is... a strange man," She explained, frowning. "Mother doesn't talk much about him and only told me today that he is staying with us for the foreseeable future. From what I know, he works in the government back in Japan but is on vacation,"
"Then him and Uncle will get on famously if he's strange," Felix chuckled before the sound of Mr Culpa's voice echoed, calling him for dinner. "Ah, I have to go. It's dinner time and I'm not missing out on Auntie Bridgette's garlic bread. Talk later,"
"Bye," Everyone echoed as he waved before he logged off. One by one, everyone else left until it was just Luka and Marinette left.
"Thank you for letting me come with you," She smiled, making him smile back.
"Thank you for wanting to go with me," He replied, blushing a little. Even though they were official and had been for a while, he was still easily flustered by her. Especially by the way she looked at him. He noticed she often would just look at him like he was the best thing in the world and she was the luckiest girl. However, the way he saw it, he was the lucky one. She was so talented, kind and loving that he couldn't help but admire her. However, he also questioned if he was good enough for her. Not that he told her that. She didn't need to worry about his insecurities. "If I'm honest, I wasn't looking forward to it but now I can't wait because I get to go with you,"
"You're adorable," She grinned before an idea popped into her head. "If you want, you could drop by for dinner. I can whip up something extra for you,"
"I'd like that if your parents don't mind,"
"I'll go ask them," She replied, getting up and disappearing. He began to hum and tap his fingers as he waited. His mind drifted to the battle he attended with Bunnyx. He frowned deeply as his mind wandered. Since then, he had been dramatically weakened as he had shared some of his spiritual energy with his future self but he was concerned at how it got to that point. He hoped he had prevented it but he also had an awful feeling that he hadn't changed anything. He had been pushing to the back of his mind, trying to reassure himself that he had sorted it out but he didn't even know how he got to that point. The akuma didn't reveal his identity to Hawkmoth at all. In fact, he wasn't even listening to Hawkmoth at all. It reminded him of how Mei Shi refused to listen to Hawkmoth and lost complete control as well. It made sense. He was part spirit after all. However, he needed to make sure he had prevented it. "Luka?"
He jumped a little as Marinette had returned, making her frown.
"Sorry, I zoned out," He mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck. "Am I good to pop round for dinner?"
"Ma and Papa are fine with it," She smiled, making him smile back.
"I'll be round soon then,"
~Night of the Diamond Dance~
"Ok so the plan is you guys enter separately so the security doesn't question anything," Chloe replied, making Marinette nod. They were stood outside the location, waiting for the boys to come by. Zoe had already gone inside. Chloe had mentioned her sister knew of the plan but was covering for her as she was 'sick' so her mother didn't question why she wasn't attending. Her father was also playing along but he didn't know Chloe was going to give Marinette her invite. "Marinette, you go first then Luka. Also, go to this gentleman. He's stood by the left and I've already informed him of our plans. He'll let you in,"
She showed Marinette a picture of one of the guards, making her nod.
"Once you're in, you'll be fine. No one will recognize you, thanks to the dress and mask and if anyone asks, use the name Marnetta Cheng," She declared, making Marinette nod. "It's close enough to your name to feel nature but separate enough for no one to make the connection,"
"You really thought of everything," Marinette chuckled as Kagami, Felix and Adrien arrived. She waved at them, causing them to wave back. "What if there's a spotlight on me and Luka though?"
"Oh, there won't be. Daddy told me that Kagami and Adrien will be the king and queen of the ball so you two lovebirds can just enjoy the dance," She grinned, making Marinette nod. "But you should be careful of the coal among the diamonds or in this dance, the black swan among the white swans. I suspect it will be Lila,"
"The coal?" She questioned, frowning. "What's that?"
"Oh it's someone who is given an invite purely to be laughed at by the rich," She replied, making Marinette stare in shock. "It hasn't happened for ages but according to Daddy, Mr Agreste announced earlier today that it will be coming back for this one. Daddy tried to talk him out of it as it could make the person vulnerable to Hawkmoth but Gabriel insisted as "you can't have a Swan-lake themed dance without the black swan". He's trying to argue it's just to keep to the theme but regardless, Lila will be laughed and ridiculed by the rich,"
"Agree with what?" Luka asked, walking over. Despite knowing his outfit was sorted, he was still wearing some really nice clothes including one of the shirts Marinette had made for him. They quickly brought him up to date, causing him to frown and agree as it was cruel. He was glad he was attending as he should be able to stop the inevitable akuma that would happen. With everyone there, Chloe bid them farewell for the night and headed back to the hotel for the night. Marinette went up to the security guard, who was in on the plan and he scanned her mask before directing her to a giant white box in the middle of the room. She nodded and waved at Luka before scanning her mask against a diamond shaped screen on it before a door opened, revealing a bright white light. She walked into it and the door closed behind her. Luka scanned his mask with the guard as well before going over to the box as well. He took a deep breath and scanned the mask against the diamond, causing the door to open. He hesitated for a moment at the bright light as it reminded him of Lady Blanche' power but he reminded himself that she was gone. He took another breath and stepped into the light, causing the door to close behind him. He glanced around before placing the mask over his face. As soon as he did, the bright light surrounded him, causing himself to cover his eyes to protect them. When it disappeared, his outfit had changed into a white tux. He raised an eyebrow before the door opened and he stepped out, seeing the room filled with children ranging from 15 to 17 years old. He glanced around and noticed Lila chatting to some of the guys and girls. He made a mental note to stay away from her but keep an eye on her. He looked up and saw Kagami and Adrien sitting together on a high rise platform. Adrien was wearing a silver tux while Kagami was wearing a red dress with a rose. Everyone else was either wearing a white tux or a white dress with a rose on the shoulder. He glanced around, looking for Marinette. He noticed her talking to Felix, causing him to smile and walk over.
"Hey," She grinned, handing him a drink.
"Thanks," He smiled, taking it. He took a sip and noticed a tall man walking with Kagami's mother. He seemed younger than her with darker hair but their face shape was similar, suggesting this was Kagami' uncle. He frowned as he noticed he wasn't dressed like anyone else. In fact, his outfit resembled that of a bat, making Luka conclude that he must have chosen to go with the character of Rothbart since the party was themed around Swan Lake. He thought it was a bit of an odd choice since Rothbart is a villain but he shrugged it off for a moment and continued to watch them. Zoe walked over and began to talk with them as they moved over to a seating area. However, he noticed a shade following him and he got this feeling of dread as he heard his song. It wasn't a pleasant tune at all. It could only be described as a song fit for a villain or a boss fight. It filled his mind and he couldn't help but feel that there was something really dangerous about him.
"Luka?" Felix asked as he stared, making him blink and look over. Marinette was also looking at him with concern as well.
"Who is that?" He asked, frowning as Kagami walked over.
"That's my uncle," She answered. "He came to visit,"
"Oh," He replied, frowning even more. "His song is... dark,"
"Unfortunately, I can believe it," She answered. "Back in Japan, he makes all the business deals for Mother so he has to fierce and cut throat,"
"Is that so?" Luka asked, frowning as someone slowly approached them. Before he could do anything, he suddenly felt a rough hand on his. He went to speak but the person pulled him into the centre of the room, making him look at him. The person dancing with him was a taller male, appearing not much older than himself. His hair was dark copper red and his skin slightly grey. His lips were a darker grey and his eyes were almost completely black with red irises. He was dressed in white like everyone else, making him look disturbing. He held Luka in a deathlike grip, forcefully dancing around with him as he smiled at him with fangs on show. Luka tried to pull away but he pulled him closer, causing Luka to grit his teeth. "Simme,"
"Hello, Little Mage," He stated, making Luka look at him in surprise. His surprise turned to fear as he realised not only did Simme know who he was but he was also able to touch him. In the previous timeline, Simme couldn't touch him and those under his influence are burnt from Luka's touch due to the extreme scale between the two. Since Luka was the host of Finni, he could be considered pure good and since Simme was pure evil, the two forces reacted to each other but right now it wasn't. Luka didn't have Finni's protection. "Aww, did you think I wouldn't recognize you, my dearest nemesis?"
He forcefully twirled him around.
"You may change your face, Little Mage but I can sense your soul and Finni... even when he's asleep... that's why I can touch you by the way," He answers, licking his lip as he dips Luka down, leaning over him. Luka couldn't help but look at him with fear and concern. "But you smell so much more delightful than our last meeting, especially right now. Your fear is delicious,"
"Let me go," Luka demands, looking around. He frowned as he noticed everyone was completely still as if they were frozen in place. He frowned deeply as he felt his fear increasing. "What did you do to them?"
Simme chuckled as he pulled him back up from the dip. Luka tried to pull away but Simme smirked and pulled him in closer. His grip got tighter to the extent that it was almost painful.
"Are you concerned I killed everyone?" He smirked as they moved across the dance floor in a strange waltz. Seeing Luka's expression, he laughed with cruel glee. "Relax, Little Mage. They're not dead,"
He spun him around and leaned close to his ear.
"Time is still in the spirit realm," He answers, pulling him back up. "I wanted to talk to you without any interruptions so I pulled you into it. Basic spirit magic, Luka. I thought Feng would have taught you that,"
"He did... " He replied, frowning as Simme continued their forced dance. There was no way he was going to tell Simme that right now his magic is much weaker than normal and he was struggling to go into the spirit realm due to his choice to share his energy. "Why do you want to talk to me? What do you want?"
"Because I want to talk before I consume your soul," He chuckles, causing Luka to look pale. "Oh, relax. I'm not going to consume you yet. No, no. That would be too easy, Little Mage,"
He grins in a dark and disturbing way, showing off many fangs in his mouth.
"Besides, you'll willingly give me your soul,"
"No, I won't,"
"Oh but you will," He laughs, spinning them around as if Luka was a ragged. "I'll make sure you will,"
"And how do you intend to do that?" Luka asked, trying to keep a brave facade. Simme smirked even more before he answered. His voice was raspy and harsh, sending shivers down Luka's spin.
"Despair," He growled before cackling. "I'm going to make you wish for death and when you're at your lowest, I will consume your pure soul and the best part is you'll be drowning in so much despair, you will let me. You'll beg me to end your miserable existence,"
"You're a cruel bastard," Luka growled, making Simme chuckle. "I won't give in to you. Ever,"
"Oh but you will. You will and I will savour your soul. Do you want to know why I'm waiting?" He asked before continuing without Luka's reply. "Because it will be much more fun and tastier this way. I could consume you here and now but I won't. Your soul will be the most delicious. It will be so much more sweeter if you're broken and it will be much more satisfying for you to just hand it over,"
He paused before continuing. His voice became so harsh it literally sent shivers of terror down Luka's spine.
"I'm going to break you, Luka," He stated. "I'm going to break you down and torment you until you beg me to end it and only then will I consume your soul. All your loved ones will be at my mercy and they're going to suffer as much as you. Your mother, your father, Juleka, Marinette, Lady Noir and all your friends as well as your mentors. I'm going to hurt all of them and it will all be your fault but don't worry. I won't tell Hawkmoth or Su Han that you're the mage. After all, they have their own plans for you and I won't let them ruin mine,"
Simme began to laugh like a manic as he let Luka drop to the floor, throwing his head back. The flash of a light suddenly occurred, causing Luka to blink and hold up his hand to his eyes as his laugh echoed into his head. He slowly lowered his hand as he heard Kagami calling his name. He blinked and found himself back in the normal world. People were whispering and pointing at him. Lila was smirking like the cat that got the cream while a number of the rich kids were looking at him like he was scum. His once white suit had changed black under the light, revealing him as the so-called 'Black Swan' but he didn't care. He was looking at the crowd wildly, searching for Simme. He saw him standing in the back. The wicked spirit lifted his finger to his lip as he smirked before turning and leaving the room, his voice echoing.
See you soon, Little Mage
Ignoring everyone around him, he rushed through the crowd, pushing through the crowd as he hurried to the exit. He had to catch up with Simme and stop whatever he was going to do. He was going to hurt everyone he loved and Luka would not let that happen. He looked around the outer room wildly, searching for where Simme went. His eyes widened as he saw him leaving the building via a fire exit. He rushed off as Marinette ran after him.
"Luka!" Marinette called, running after him as well. She pushed open the door as he looked around wildly and with a fear in her eyes that she had never seen before. This wasn't caused by the 'black swan' reveal. This was something else. He seemed so consumed by his fear that he didn't notice the akuma fluttering towards him. "Plagg, claws out!"
She quickly turned into Lady Noir before diving towards the akuma with her cataclysm ready. She caught it and destroyed it before it reached the mask Luka was wearing, causing him to look at her with shock.
"L-Lady Noire?" He gasped before his eyes widened as he saw the dust. "Oh no. I... I almost got akumatized. Oh god,"
"Luka, it's ok," She reassured as she could see the panic in his eyes.
"No, no. It isn't... it isn't ok," He gasped, stepping back. "He... he did it on purpose. He was trying to get me akumatized!"
He gripped his hair, making her try to stop him. It actually scared her. She had never seen Luka like this before.
"I fell for it," He gasped as Kagami, Felix and Adrien rushed outside. "No! You need to stay away from me!"
"Luka?" Adrien gasped as Lady Noir turned to calm him but he pushed her away. "Luka? What's wrong?"
"I can't. I won't let him hurt you!" He gasped, his eyes full of fear. Lady Noir frowned deeply as Luka covered his ears as if he was hearing something they couldn't. None of them had no idea that he could hear Simme laughing and whispering in his ears, telling him that he was going to make everyone he loves suffer. "Shut up! I won't let you hurt them!"
As soon as he shouted, a street lamp above them exploded but luckily they stepped back before anyone could get hurt. However, Luka was still covering his ears as Simme continued to whisper, causing him to mutter 'shut up' repeatedly. Kagami and Adrien weren't sure what to do as Felix just stared in shock. None of them had ever seen Luka like this. Lady Noir, however, could feel an energy building up inside her as she watched him suffering before suddenly she was no longer in the street. Suddenly, she found herself in front of a youthful looking man with black hair. He was dressed in a black toga with green details on it. His skin was tanned but had visible green veins across it. He also had large cat ears and a long tail as well as claws where his fingernails should be. The green veins lead to a gaping green hole in the middle of his chest and one of his arms was detached and surrounded by the same green veins that lead to the hole in his chest. His eyes were bright green and cat like and he had huge black bat wings with green veins. She blinked as she realised she was Marinette. Hadn't she transformed into Lady Noir a moment ago?
"You were," Plagg's voice echoed, making Marinette realise that the strange was in fact her kwami. This must be his true form. "It is, Dollface,"
"Plagg? What's going on?"
"You've reached a point where you can attune with me,"
"Wait... Like how Anatis attuned with Tikki?"
"Kind of but he meditated on that. You... seem to have reached it naturally,"
"I see," Marinette answered, finding it made sense. Anatis was much more practised then she was. Attunement by meditation made sense for him but her reaching it naturally. It seemed chaotic and unpredictable.
"As expected of a black cat," Plagg chuckled, reading her voice. "Want to continue and unlock level 2 of the black cat miraculous, Dollface?"
She bit her lip, considering it. She would be able to be more used to Anatis and be able to protect Paris better but also she would be able to protect Luka better too. With her mind made up, she nodded.
"Yes," She declared, causing Plagg to clear his voice as she waited.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I am Plagg, god of destruction and guardian of the black cat miraculous," He declared, making her nod as she listened. "As the god, I hereby give you permission to use the black cat miraculous to a better level. What is mine is yours and what is yours is mine so I'll share my power with you through time,"
He closed his eyes and chanted in a strange language which made no sense to Marinette before he leaned down and press a claw to her forehead, causing green veins to spread out from it as her eyes turned green and catlike as she was engulfed in a toxic green light before he appeared in his kwami form in front of her. "O-ok, it's done. Unlike Tikki's power, mine can't be shaped. The powers you will get are called Blight and Screech,"
Marinette nodded. Despite only hearing it for the first time, she knew what they were.
"All you need to do is channel it so you can use it," Plagg continued. "Also your timer will last for six minutes instead of five and your cataclysms will be more powerful. These changes will be effective straight away. Now go back to the physical world,"
"Right, thanks Plagg," She smiled before closing her eyes. When she reopened her eyes, she was back as Lady Noir in the street. Time still seemed slow as Luka was covering his ears and the other three were trying to calm him down. She felt the energy inside her build up even more as she remembered Plagg's words. It was like electricity all over her body and she just needed to channel it. She closed her eyes and focused on it, causing a green paw print to open up under her feet as the green details on her suit began to glow. Feeling the power within, she threw out her arms and spun around in a similar fashion to when she summoned her cataclysm, letting it destroy her old look and create a new one. Her boots turned into thigh high length and her gloves' length changed too, going with her elbows to her upper arm. The gloves gained an extra green on her wrist and a green line when up on either side of her upper arms. Her main suit gained a green zipper, complete with a golden bell. It also gained some extra green details around her stomach area, creating some extra armour. Her lower part of her suit turned dark green and had two lines on her thighs, resembling the ones on her dark bee suit. Her belt remained the same but her hair had changed a little. Instead of one braid that represented her tail, she had two braids with green beads on the end of them. She also had gained two ribbons on both of them at the top that were two shades of green. Her mask and her ears had gained a single green line around the edges and even her eyes had changed a little, appearing brighter then they had before. The light faded away, causing Kagami, Felix and Adrien to see her new form as she looked at Luka. To her surprise, she could see a silhouette around him, leaning over and whispering to him. She narrowed her eyes before she held up her hand, pointing her forefinger and middle finger up.
"Screech!" She called out, causing a small green orb to appear above her fingers before she moved it to her throat, pushing it against it before she inhaled and pushed out the power through her mouth, causing a loud, wailing noise that resembled sound waves to escape. The silhouette looming over Luka suddenly jumped back as the sound waves hit it, causing it to disappear before Lady Noir ran over. "Luka?!"
He looked up at her with fear in his eyes.
"I'm sorry!" He gasped, lowering his hands. "I was trying to resist what he was saying but-"
"It's ok," She smiled, softly taking his hands in his. "His name is Simme. He's an evil spirit trying to make you feel hopeless so you can be akumatized easier,"
Luka looked at her with even more fear but she gave him a reassuring smile as Adrien gently rubbed his back. Kagami also stepped forward, trying her best to reassure Luka too, telling him that despite the fact that Gabriel had made him the 'black swan', it wasn't true and he was amazing. Luka, however, looked around before his eyes widened in slight panic.
"Where's Marinette? Is she ok?!" He gasped, making Adrien and Kagami look around for her.
~Hawk Moth's Lair~
"Damn that stupid cat!" Hawkmoth growled as Lady Noir not only destroyed his akuma but also chased off Simme, who had come back and told him that she had a new ability. He was pacing around his lair as Natalie stood nearby. However, before he could transform back, he suddenly sensed a new negative emotion. Panic and it was still coming from Luka, making him smirk. "Ah, a second chance. Luka Couffaine is still reeling and therefore still suitable for my akuma!"
He held out his hand, causing a butterfly to land in it before he smirked.
"Natatlie, his emotions are so strong," He stated as she stepped forward. "Let's bring it to a new dimension,"
"Duusu, spread my feathers," She declared, turning into Mayura. As she transformed, Hawkmoth took the chance to charge up his akuma, letting it fly out his hand.
"Fly away, little akuma and take over this lost soul," He declared, watching it fly out of the window. As it did, Mayura plucked out a feather from her fan and charged it up before blowing it and letting it flutter away.
"Fly away, beautiful amok," She declared, watching. "Enhance and hone that panic,"
~Back to Luka~
"Take a deep breath, Luka," Felix stated, helping Luka to calm down. Adrien and Kagami had gone to find Marinette as Lady Noir had to go and transform. Luka was still fairly panicked so Felix volunteered to stay with him. Right now, Luka was leaning against the wall, taking slow breaths as he tried to calm down. Felix had got him to do breathing exercises as it helped him remain focused. "Marinette probably went to go get help and she'll come back with Adrien and Kagami soon,"
He nodded as the akuma and amok floated towards them. However, before they could land on any of Luka's items, Felix saw them in the corner of his eye and quickly pushed Luka out of the way. Luka gasped in pain as he landed on the ground before getting up.
"Felix? That... Felix?" He asked, noticing Felix grabbing his head.
"No, I won't listen to you!" He gasped, making Luka realise he had been akumatized. "I don't need your powers to protect my friends!"
He seemed to be resisting as Luka rushed over.
"Felix! Resist them!" He gasped, reaching for his arm so he could grab the ring. However, there was a sudden burst of energy, causing Luka to fly back and land on the ground again as Felix stopped grabbing his head. Luka pushed himself up as Felix stood there. Shivers ran down his spine as Felix's mouth curved into a mischievous and dangerous smile. "Felix?"
"I told you. I don't need your powers," He stated, opening his eyes and revealing that they had turned a golden colour. "Not when I have my own,"
He threw his head back and laughed as the butterfly mask around him shattered. For a moment, Luka thought he had managed to break free of the akumatization but then he was consumed by the purple smog, changing his form. Luka looked on in shock as the now akumatized Felix checked out his new look. His skin was now grey, his hair was blonde with red highlights and his ears were pointed. His outfit was a suit similar to his Phenix Rouge outfit but he had a tail coat that resembled feathers. The suit was black while his shirt was red. He had a ruffle tie with a glowing red brooch while his tail coat had three red buttons. His boots were black with red soles and a red rim and his ring had turned black. His eyes had turned red like his Phenix Rouge form but the whites of his eyes had turned black, making them resemble the eyes of a black swan and his mask bore markings similar to the bird as well and it was black and red as well.
"Felix?" Luka asked, causing him to look at him.
"I'm not Felix anymore," He answered, making Luka step back. "I'm Black Swan,"
"You've been akumatized and Hawkmoth-"
"Has no control over me," He chuckled, suddenly grabbing Luka's arm. "But don't worry. I'm gonna sort out everyone and finally deal with Uncle,"
He suddenly pulled Luka nearby before dragging him over to a dumpster before clicking his fingers. A red wisp caused the lock to open, making Luka stare before Black Swan suddenly opened it and threw him inside with insane strength.
"Sorry about the dumpster but I don't want you to disappear," He answered, confusing Luka. "Now stay in here and be safe while I deal with everyone who's ever hurt us,"
He suddenly closed the dumpster, using what Luka can only assume is magic to lock it. Tikki flew out as Luka stared in shock. Was Felix a mage? And why wasn't Hawkmoth about to control him? He shook his head and took a deep breath. He can work out the details later. Right now, he needed to stop Felix.
"Tikki! Spots on!"
~Just outside the Diamond Dance Cube~
Black Swan whistled as he walked back into the building, heading towards the entrance. As he did, the security guards ran at him but he clicked his fingers, summoning the strange red wisp and using his hands, used it to throw them against the wall, knocking them out or causing the wall to warp around them. He pulled back the wisp and used it to unlock the entrance, stepping inside. Like before he was engulfed in a bright light before the entrance opened.
"I'm not surprised that Couffaine boy was the coal," One of the rich children laughed. "That freak even lives on a boat. Who in their right mind would think he was special?"
He whistled as he walked out, causing the guests to look at him as he stepped into the centre before holding out his hand. The blue smog of the amok appeared and took the form of a sphere as he finally gave his emotion of anger towards the guests and how they had treated Luka shape. They all looked at him with confusion and fear as the smog disappeared and revealed a small red orb, floating in his hand.
"Let the moon rise!" He declared, throwing it up into the air, causing the room to be bathed in its light before he turned to them as he laughed. "You are all at my mercy! The red moon gives me the power to wipe out anyone who's been bathed in its light with a snap of my fingers. Who wants to go first?"
"What is that idiot talking about?" One of the adults declared, causing Black Swan to smirk and snap his fingers. The man disappeared in a puff of red smoke, causing panic to ensue. The guests all ran at the exit, attempting to escape as Black Swan stalked towards them, snapping his fingers and making people disappear. He was making a beeline to a certain liar who was grabbing people and trying to get out of the door. She was about to escape when he clicked his fingers, causing the red wisp to wrap around her wrist and drag her back. He leaned over her and smirked.
"I'm going to make you slowly disappear bit by bit, Lila," He declared, going to snap his fingers but before he could, the sound of shattering caught his attention as Anatis crashed through the roof and landed on the dance floor. Black Swan turned from Lila as he looked over at the hero. "Anatis. You shouldn't be here,"
"I have to stop you, Black Swan," He stated, holding his yoyo out. "You've been akumatized and Hawkmoth-"
"Hawkmoth. Yes, I should make him disappear too," He mumbled, making a thinking face. "Getting rid of him would be beneficial for all of us,"
"I can't let you do that, Felix,"
"Black Swan and you won't have a choice, Anatis," He answers, clicking his fingers. The red wisp appeared from his fingers and landed in some of the chairs, causing them to come to life and rush over to Anatis. He used his yoyo to destroyed them but they reformed and continued to come at him. Realising his yoyo won't destroy the enchanted chairs, Anatis held up his own hand as his eyes turned silver. Though they flicked a bit.
"Ezeerf!" He declared, causing the chairs to freeze in place as Black Swan frowned before he clicked his fingers again. The red wisp reappeared and freed the chairs, causing them to come back to life. They surrounded Anatis as his eyes flickered and he felt an ache in his head. He still felt weak from Simme's mental attack plus his spiritual energy and magic wasn't at its peak due to his choice to give his energy to his future self.
"Sit down, Anatis. You look tired," Black Swan replied as Anatis gripped his head as his eyes flickered between silver and blue. "You don't need to fight me. I'm going to save Paris not condemn it,"
"Nrub," Anatis declared, causing the chairs to suddenly catch fire and turn to ash before he spun his yoyo. "I appreciate the offer but I can not rest until you're deakumatized,"
"Fine," Black Swan replied, narrowing his eyes before Red Moon's light suddenly covered Anatis as it rose. "If you won't let me do this then I'll make you disappear too,"
He held up his fingers, ready to snap his fingers but before he could, a scream suddenly echoed. The soundwaves hit him, causing him to go flying as Lady Noir jumped down. Anatis looked at her with shock as she winked at him before he nodded and threw up his yoyo, causing his outfit to change.
"Lucky charm!" He called out, summoning the magical swarm. A small dragon statue appeared and fell, causing Anatis to catch it as Black Swan got up. Lady Noir ran at him and began to fight him as Anatis glanced around trying to solve it. The item looked familiar but before he could, Black Swan clicked his fingers. Lady Noir disappeared in a puff of red smoke, causing Anatis to stare in horror as he dropped the lucky charm. "No!"
He narrowed his eyes before slamming his yoyo into Black Swan and pulling him back to him.
"Bring her back now!" He growled, causing Black Swan to smirk.
"Give me your miraculous and I will," He answered but before Anatis could say or do anything, a strange energy wave suddenly flowed over. Time froze as Atrarus walked through. He stopped in front of Anatis and tapped him with his cane, causing him to be able to move again. He looked around wildly before his eyes landed on Atrarus.
"You?" Anatis asked, looking at Atrarus with slight surprise. Before he could do anything, the air around them began to warp.
"We need to leave now," He answered, making Anatis frown as Black Swan began to blink, breaking through Atrarus' ability. He nodded and left with Atrarus before Black Swan broke free. The two of them rushed to the sewers to hide. Anatis leaned against the wall as he took a deep breath. "Take a deep breath, Anatis. I need your head in the game to defeat him and get everyone he snapped back,"
"W-what?" He asked, confused. "Hold on. I never got to ask who you were last time,"
"Introductions can wait-"
"No, you can tell me who you are now," Anatis declared, crossing his arms. Atrarus sighed softly before nodding as he knew this would happen. "Well?"
"My name is Atrarus," He replied. "I am the holder of the swan miraculous and the acting grand mage of Paris. I only interfere when necessary and if I hadn't interfered when I did, Black Swan would have snapped you out of existence too and then everyone else. That is not the ideal outcome so I changed it,"
"Wait.. you're a mage?"
"Yes, magic exi-"
"Yes, I know," Anatis replied, nodding. "I've just haven't met another mage before,"
"Yes, well we are... wait what?" He asked, realising Anatis referred to himself as a mage. That was an outcome that even he didn't expect. "You're a mage?"
"You didn't know?" Anatis asked as they heard Black Swan shouting for him to show himself. Anatis looked up and a look of uncertainty came on his face. Atrarus frowned before placing his hand on the young boy' shoulder.
"We'll come back to that later," He stated. "Now you summoned a lucky charm, yes?"
Anatis nodded.
"What was it?" He asked. "Did you work out how to use it?"
"No, I couldn't," He mumbled, frowning. "But it was a dragon statue. I couldn't think how to use it but it was... Oh! Of course!"
He turned to Atrarus.
"It was a hint," He declared. "Master Fu had a dragon statue in his apartment. That must be-"
Atrarus suddenly pushed Anatis out of the way as the manhole they were under suddenly opened before he disappeared into a puff of red smoke. Black Swan jumped down but Anatis had already turned into his aqua form and dived into the water, swimming out of there. He got into the Seine and jumped out of it, swinging towards Master Fu's new place, entering through the window. As he did, a shadow stepped out and formed the Cobra holder before he pressed his finger to his ear.
"Hawk Moth, Mayura. I have the guardians address,"
~Inside Master Fu's House~
"Master Fu!" Anatis gasped as he landed in the living room. Master Fu looked up from the cup of tea he was giving Mila before frowning and getting up as Anatis turned back into Luka, looking close to bursting into tears. Tikki frowned and gently placed a paw on his arm as he began to explain. "I need help. The akuma... felix... he can use magic and he's making everyone disappear. I don't know how to defeat him. He made Lady Noir. It's just like that again. I can't. I don't know!"
He began to hyperventilate, causing Mila to get up. She nodded at Fu, who got a blanket and put it round his shoulders as she walked over.
"Luka, breathe with me," Mila declared, taking his hands in hers. She got him to breathe in and out with her until he had started to calm down. Finally, she got him to sit down and Fu passed him a warm cup of tea. He also gave Tikki a cookie to help her recharge. "Better?"
He nodded before looking down.
"I'm sorry," He mumbled, making both guardians frown. "I just... I nearly got akumatized twice and it's my fault Felix is an akuma. He pushed me out of the way and I... I failed to protect him. I shouldn't have let Simme get-"
"Simme?" Master Fu asked, causing Luka to nod and explain what had occurred during the dance and how Felix got akumatized. As he spoke, the room filled with red light, causing the three of them to rush to the window and look out. As they did, Mila's eyes widened as the warning she had received from Toutai centuries ago suddenly made sense. The Artisan City was Paris and right now it was bathed in red moonlight from the Sentimonster that Felix was controlling. However, she decided to keep it to herself. She had prepared for this day for centuries and she wasn't going to add to Luka' stress even more. Master Fu frowned deeply as well. "Luka, what do we know about the akuma and sentimonster?"
"He's calling himself Black Swan," Luka mumbled, trying to focus. "A-and the Sentimonster is Red Moon. He can use it to make people disappear as long as he's bathed them in moonlight,"
"Sounds like to me you need to get rid of the moonlight then," Master Fu replied, making him nod before he got up and opened the Sonograph. He took out the miracle box and placed it in front of Luka as Mila took out her own and did the same. The two of them opened their boxes, revealing the miraculous to Luka. "Luka Couffaine, you must pick an ally to fight alongside you with this mission but choose carefully. Such powers are meant to serve the greater good and once the mission is over, you will return the miraculous to us,"
"You're right. Getting Rid of the Moonlight would take away his advantage but he's snapped a lot of people," He mumbled, frowning as he looked at the different miraculous before an idea popped into his head, causing him to grab the dragon miraculous. "But a clear sky is not on the forecast tonight,"
"It looks like you have a plan," Master Fu nodded, causing Luka to nod and pocket the miraculous. He went to get up but he stopped as a sudden feeling overwhelmed him. He couldn't explain it but he had the feeling he needed to take the Octopus miraculous and if he didn't take it now, he wouldn't get a chance to. He reached out and took it, causing the two masters to look at him. "Luka?"
"I have a feeling I'm going to need this and that if I don't take it now, I won't get a chance to grab it later," He answered, frowning to himself. He placed it in his pocket as the two nodded before standing up and turning back into Anatis now that he had calmed down and Tikki had recharged. "I'm sorry for almost breaking do-"
"Luka, you don't need to apologise," Mila answered as Fu nodded, agreeing with her. Anatis gave them a small smile before he left through the window and headed into the city. Mila let out a sigh, making Fu look at her. "The red moon..."
"Mila?" He asked but before they could do anything, the room suddenly filled with shadows. Both of them spun around as Hawkmoth stepped out of the shadows and smirked. Mayura stepped out as well, holding her fan up as she looked at them.
"My dear guardians," He smirked as the two stared in shock. "It's a pleasure to meet you,"
"It will be the first and the last time we meet," Mila declared as she took out a hidden dagger and charged at him. However before she could attack him, the Cobra holder appeared and grabbed her. She got out of his grip and sliced at him as Hawkmoth went to grab the boxes. Fu tried to stop him but Hawkmoth hit him with his cane and grabbed the eastern box as Mayura grabbed the western box.
"You're powerless against me, old man and Anatis isn't here to protect you," Hawkmoth declared as Mila and the Cobra holder battled it out. Fu looked over as the two struggled and fought. "Tell me the secret identities of Anatis and Lady Noir,"
"Never!" He declared as Mila tried to stab the Cobra holder. However, he twisted her hand and pushed the dagger into her gut, causing her to stumble back and collapse to the ground. "Mila!"
Hawkmoth looked over with annoyance before turning back to Fu.
"Help me get their miraculous and I won't harm you," He answered coolly. He didn't want either of the masters killed or hurt but he would do what he had to do. "Well?"
"You're not getting anything from me!" Fu declared, narrowing his eyes. "Wayzz!"
"Master, it's too dangerous!" Wayzz declared, rushing out of his pocket. "You're too old!"
"Shell on!" He declared, turning into his turtle hero form Jade Turtle. His style resembled an ancient Chinese warrior with some body armour. His shield doubled up as a cone hat and he had a mask over his eyes. Hawkmoth's eyes lit up as he saw the transformation. He may be a super villain but he did appreciate the outfits of the heroes. He would even aim that he liked Anatis' style but he would never say it out loud.
"Very impressive," He answered, charging at him as he went to hit him with his cane. The two fought for a while but it was clear Hawkmoth had the upper hand, especially when Mayura joined it. Realising he was outnumbered, Jade Turtle spun round and took down his hat.
"Shell-ter!" He declared, making a force field before Hawkmoth could land another hit on him. Instead, Hawkmoth sent the force field ball flying, causing it to break through the window and land on the ground. He jumped down, followed by Mayura and stalked over to him.
"You're on borrowed time, you crazy old man," He declared as she watched on, holding her fan. "I'll just wait for you to transform back,"
"My powers are no more time sensitive than yours," Jade Turtle declared, narrowing his eyes as he looked for an escape. He needed to attend to Mila but right now he couldn't see a way to get to her. "Obviously, you haven't learnt anything about the miraculous, Hawk Moth,"
"I've learnt enough to defeat you," He answered, surprisingly calm for a man who just got insulted so to speak. It made Jade Turtle a little afraid. "For example, your age is a great weakness for you. Yes, your power isn't time-sensitive... but your energy is! All I have to do is wait until you have no choice but to transform back. I think the end of superheroes has finally come,"
"You talk a lot but you haven't achieved much so far," Jade Turtle declared, narrowing his eyes again. He needed to make Hawkmoth angry. When people get angry, they get sloppy and impulsive. "Unless you count get beaten by a couple of teenagers everyday,"
"Your defeat will be my greatest achievement!" Hawkmoth declared, looking fairly intimidating against the red moonlight. He charged at Jade Turtle and slammed his cane into the force field repeatedly as Mayura joined in, slamming her foot against it. They repeatedly attacked it, causing it to go flying. It landed and bounced before cracks began to appear in it. Jade Turtle's eyes widened and he stood up, holding his hands out. It glowed and was repaired but he started to breathe heavily. He knew Hawkmoth was right. His powers might not be time sensitive but he was on borrowed time nevertheless. Hawkmoth laughed evilly as he and Mayura smirked towards him. "Let's see how long you can last, Guardian,"
~Back to Anatis~
Anatis swung across the city, frowning as he saw no one on the streets. Black Swan must have snapped them all away. He needed to find Kagami quickly and defeat him fast. He dropped down into the dance room, recalling Kagami had been there. He didn't see her as Anatis but she may have been hiding. He landed inside and glanced around before he heard movement. He turned round, causing Adrien and Kagami to peek out.
"Anatis!" Adrien gasped, jumping up as Kagami did the same thing. "Felix... he's been akumatized! He's snapping people out of existence!"
"He came and snapped my mother away," Kagami gasped, looking torn. On one hand, she felt free but on the other hand, it was her mother. "He said he was going to free us all from those who would control us. That the Red Moon would cleanse the world of wicked,"
"That explains why no one else is on the streets. He must be getting rid of them," Anatis mumbled before taking out the dragon miraculous. "I need Ryuko and Adrien, I think you need to come with us as well,"
"Not as Aspik?" Adrien asked, a little confused but Anatis shook his head.
"Felix is your cousin so we need Adrien," He mumbled, going with his gut. Usually, he wouldn't bring a civilian but something was telling him that Adrien would be essential to defeating Felix. After all, Felix cared deeply for Adrien. He just wasn't very good at showing it. "I'll make you're safe but I don't think Felix will hurt you,"
"Alright," Adrien nodded. "I trust you, Anatis,"
"Thank you," He nodded before handing the dragon to Kagami. She took it and greeted Longg before transforming into Ryuko. She picked up Adrien and nodded at Anatis before the three of them jumped out and headed to the Eiffel Tower. Ryuko put down Adrien as Anatis threw up his yoyo. "Lucky charm!"
His outfit changed into his upgraded form as he summoned the lucky swarm that changed into a rope lasso. He caught it and glanced around yet nothing lit up yet. He tied it to his belt and turned to Ryuko.
"We need to take away his advantage so do you think you can use wind dragon to summon a wind storm to block out Red Moon's light?" He asked, making her think. "As soon as you do, he should come straight here to confront us,"
"Well, I've never tried to use it for that before but I think I can," She nodded before holding out her arms. "Wind dragon!"
She transformed into wind, disappearing into the sky. Not long after, dark clouds covered the red moon, blocking out the moonlight as a heavy wind blew.
"Anatis!" Black Swan shouted, jumping over before firing at him with the red wisp. Anatis jumped out of the way as the metal spikes burst through the floor and landed on the other side. Black Moon charged at him, causing Anatis to dodge and block him. As he did, he saw Adrien hiding at the side. His luck vision kicked in, causing Adrien to light up before Black Swan lit up and finally his rope. He kicked Black Swan back before nodding to Adrien. Black Swan got back up and went to fire his red wisp at Anatis but Adrien ran out in front of him, causing Black Swan to stop. "Adrien?"
"Felix," He gasped, looking at him. "You need to reverse this,"
"But... everything I've done... I've done it for you and our friends," He answered, lowering his guard a little. As he did, Anatis grabbed the rope lasso and threw it around Black Swan, pulling him towards him but before he could break item containing the akuma, Black Swan suddenly turned back into Felix and Red Moon disappeared from existence as the akuma and amok fluttered away, losing their colour as they did. Felix looked around extremely confused before looking at Anatis. "Anatis? What happened?!"
He gasped as his eyes widened with shock.
"Luka?! Is he ok?!" He gasped, making Anatis knee down and gently placed his hands on his shoulder to reassure him. However, he frowned as he noticed Felix' eyes hadn't turned back to his usual green. They were still a shiny gold. "The akuma! It was c-coming.... for... I feel really...."
His eyes suddenly rolled up in his head and he fell back as his body shook violently. Anatis quickly grabbed his head, holding it still.
"Felix!" Adrien gasped, shocked.
"Adrien, your jacket!" Anatis declared, making Adrien nod and take it off. "Fold it up and place it under his head,"
"R-right!" He gasped, doing as told as Ryuko reappeared. Her expression turned to one of horror as Felix' seizure continued. However, Anatis ordered her to take his place. She nodded and quickly held Felix's head as Anatis threw up the rope, releasing the cure. As soon as the swarm disappeared, he used his yoyo to call for an ambulance as Ryuko kept hold of his head, making sure he didn't injure it. Slowly, the seizure came to a stop just as the paramedics came. They checked out Felix and placed him on a stretcher. Anatis tapped his yoyo and used his prosperity ability, creating a charm for Felix. He took Adrien's hand and placed it in his palm.
"Go with your cousin and make sure he's ok," He ordered. "When he wakes up, give him that charm. It will protect him from Hawkmoth,"
"I will," He nodded before hugging Anatis, surprising him. "Thank you,"
With that, he rushed off with the paramedics as they took Felix downstairs. Ryuko turned to Anatis, who was frowning as he looked at his yoyo.
"Something wrong?" She asked as Lady Noir jumped over.
"What did I miss?" She asked, noticing Anatis was frowning. "Annie?"
"Hawkmoth recalled the akuma and Mayura recalled the amok," He mumbled. "Also Felix... he had a seizure from the akuma,"
"Like Luka's?" Lady Noir asked, concerned. He nodded. "That is very concerning,"
"I agree," Ryuko nodded. "Why did Felix have a seizure? And why did Hawkmoth recall his akuma?"
"Magic," A new voice added, causing the three heroes to look over. Atrarus was leaning against the door to the office of the Eiffel Tower. His eyes were closed and he was frowning. He pushed himself off it as he opened his eyes. "Those with Magic are sensitive to akumas due to the contradiction of mana. So when a mage gets akumatized, their magic goes into overdrive and they are less likely to be controlled by the butterfly user. Similar to spirits in that way but arguably more logical where-"
"Spirits completely lose control," Anatis mumbled, nodding. "Yes. We saw how Mei Shi was affected,"
"But if those seizures are caused by a contradiction of mana, does that mean Luka is a mage?" Lady Noir asked, thinking. "Cause I could totally believe that. He might not be as powerful as you though, Annie,"
"I have suspected that for a while," He replied, nodding but he noticed Ryuko looked confused and Atrarus had raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"
"I recall you mentioning being a mage before I was snapped,” He mumbled, recalling early events. “What's your magic?"
"I actually haven't developed it completely yet," He admitted, making Atrarus frown. "I seem to have some sort of empathy though,"
"Empathy?" Atrarus stated as Anatis' earrings beeped. "Ah, time is up. We will talk again, Anatis. Good job on the akuma today,"
Before anyone could stay anything, he turned on his heel and disappeared in a sudden puff of smoke.
"Well, he's dramatic," Lady Noir stated before turning back to the other two. "See you soon, ok?"
Anatis nodded before she jumped away.
"I'm just going to hide in there to detransform," He stated, gesturing to the office. Ryuko nodded as he opened the door and closed it. A pink glow was seen underneath as she waited.
"Anatis... why do you think Hawkmoth reversed the akuma?"
"I'm not sure but it worries me," His voice was slightly muffled, due to the door. "Last time he did something like this, it led to Miracle Queen so I'll need to be on guard. I may have to call on you again but for now, I'm going to go ask the guardians. They may know,"
"Should I keep hold of the dragon miraculous?"
"No, just stay in a place I can easily reach you," He answered as the pink glow appeared again and he opened the door. Let's head down to the alley way so you don't have to go down the stairs,"
She nodded and the two heroes jumped down before she held out her arms.
"Longg, clear the skies," She declared, turning back into Kagami. She took off the miraculous and handed it to Anatis. He placed it back into its box and thanked her. "No problem, Anatis. I will go to the hospital to check on Adrien and Felix. Good luck with your investigation,"
"Thank you, Kagami," He nodded, giving her a weak smile as she ran off. "Time to go and check in with Mila and Fu,"
He threw his yoyo and swung off into the city.
~At the Arc de Triomphe~
"Your plan failed and still you fail to deliver Feng's recent life to us?!" Su Han declared as Mayura created a moth sentimonster from Hawkmoth's joy of victory, using it to continuously attack the force field Jade Turtle had created. Hawkmoth smirked, regardless of Su Han's insults as the monk paced around. The Cobra holder was stood there, along with Zoe Lee. Both had cold looks in their eyes as they waited for orders. "Why are you smirking?!"
"We have the guardian and both miracle boxes," Hawkmoth declared. "Victory is closer than it ever has,"
"And it's only a matter of time before Anatis realises and comes to find us!" Su Han declares. "You better have a plan!"
"Of course I do," He smirked. "We just need to buy time to break down the guardian's shield and once we've done that, we can not only get the mage's identity from him but also Anatis' and Lady Noir's. The closest I ever came to defeating Anatis was with Miracle Queen. If I can make one similar, he will be defeated and broken at my feet!"
"And who exactly do you intend to use for such an akuma?" Su Han asked. "That liar is far-"
"I will borrow one of your people," He answered, his eyes landing on Zoe. "You have the wasp Miraculous, yes?"
"I do, Sir," She answered. "Hive Mind is its ability. It allows me to take control of three people for five minutes, allowing me to see through their eyes and speak through them,"
"Perfect," He smirked. "Care to have an upgrade?"
She looked over at Su Han, who nodded.
"Stingg, Drone Rise Up!" She declared, causing her to transform into her wasp form. Her blonde hair turned black and she gained a braid that was coloured similar to a wasp's pattern with the hair at the bottom forming a stinger. She wore black pants with yellow stripes and drops. Her boots were black with yellow heels. Her top was yellow with black strips that folded slightly on her body and she had black strips that wrapped around her neck. Her collar was black with yellow stripes and there was a zipper on it where the wasp miraculous hung. She had a yellow belt around her waist and her gloves were black with yellow fingers. Her blow dart gun rested on one side of her hips while her darts rested on the other. Her mask was yellow with black strips and her skin looked a little more pale then she normally was. However, her eyes remained blue. She turned to Hawkmoth and bowed. "Cicada. At your service, Hawk Moth,"
"Excellent," He smirked, holding up his cane as it opened and an akuma flew out, landing in her miraculous. "Assassin Bee, I am giving you the power not to just control three minds but all minds. You will rule over Paris and use Parisians as your personal army. All I ask in return is for you to use them to capture Anatis, Lady Noir and the mage then bring them to me,"
"As you wish, Hawk Moth," She declared, causing the purple smog to cover her form.
~Back to Anatis~
Anatis swung towards Master Fu's new apartment but as soon as he got there, he saw the damage that Hawkmoth had done. His eyes widened and he quickly landed inside, causing him to gasp as he saw the place was trashed.
"Master Fu?!" He yelled, looking around. "Master Mila?!"
"A-Anatis..." Mila's voice sounded but she sounded weak. He wildly looked around before seeing her slumped against the wall. Her hand was resting on her stomach and it was stained with red as was the carpet and wall around her. His eyes widened in horror and he rushed over, kneeling in front of her as he tried to think what to do. "H-Hawkmoth... he took.... the boxes... and Master Fu..."
"W-what?" He gasped, looking shocked before his eyes widened even more. "Oh god. He must have followed me. This is my fault!"
"Luka..." She gasped, making him look at her. "Y-you have to save them... the kwamis need.... you..."
"No, no. You'll be ok... I'll try to use Toutai's power and heal you," He gasped, going to place his hands over the injury but she stopped him. "M-Mulan?"
"It's ok," She smiled weakly. "It's my time. T-Toutai already warned me..."
"But I have to save you," He gasped, tears in his eyes as he tried to tap into Toutai's power but he couldn't. Instead a wave of dizziness washed over him. He was too weak too. Unable to do that, he summoned a lucky charm but got nothing. "No! I don't understand! Tikki! Spots off!"
He turned back into Luka and turned to Tikki.
"Why couldn't I use a lucky charm?" He asked, tears began to roll down his face as Mila's breathing got worse. Tikki looked at her with shock and sorrow. "Why can't I use it to heal her?"
"T-t-there's no villain to defeat so there's no charm," She explained, making him frown. "It only works if there's a villain to fight. I'm sorry, Luka,"
He nodded and turned back to Mila, who looked extremely pale and weak. He gently took her hand as she smiled weakly at him.
"I'm sorry," He whispered, looking down.
"It-it's ok," She answered. "I g-get to see Toutai again..."
He nodded, keeping hold of her hand.
"L-Luka, look... look after the kwamis... for me...." She gasped, making him nod.
"I p-promise," He whispered as the light left her eyes and her body went still. He sniffed as tears rolled down his face, keeping hold of her hand as he leaned over and gently pushed her eyes down so they were closed. "I'm so sorry I failed you..."
He wiped away his tears as he whispered the transformation words, turning back into Anatis.
"But I will get the kwamis back and save Master Fu," He answered as her body began to disappear. He wasn't really surprised by that. She had lived for centuries after all. It made sense she was using magic to stay alive. He stood up as she completely faded away, wiping away his tears as anger began to settle. He turned and ran towards the hole in the building before jumping out and swinging into the city. He landed on a building as he saw citizens running from swamps of wasps before going still when they stung them. He narrowed his eyes and swung towards the Seine as the wasps began to chase him. He ate the green macaron as he did before diving into the water. As he suspected, the wasps had the same weakness as Queen Wasp' ones did. They couldn't go in the water. The swarm flew off as he took out his yoyo and texted a warning to Lady Noir before he swam off. He would deal with the wasps later. Right now, he needed to hunt down Hawkmoth and save Master Fu and the kwamis from him. "Hold on, Master Fu. I'm coming,"