Chapter 2
What would your first reaction be if a creepy voice that belonged to no one told you to put a weird ring on? Probably the EXACT OPPOSITE of what I did. Okay, so I put the ring on, big deal. It was a nice ring. A thin gold band, with a quote engraved on the inside. "Sometimes a lie is easier to take." I'll admit, it made me smile. But the interesting thing is what happened after I put the ring on. Tell you now? Possibly.
I slid the ring onto my finger. I probably shouldn't have, but I knew I needed to. A brilliant white ball of light exploded in front of me and swelled the entire room. My hand drops from my brow, where I had put it to shield my eyes from the blinding light. I'm no longer in my apartment. Rolling fields of grass and wildflowers surround me, and I can see mountains rising in the distance. I hear laughter. Following the sound, I hike up on of the hills and get run over by two teenagers. Or more accurate, they ran right through me. Even though the warm breeze and the soft smell of grass were so very real, I wasn't here. I turn to look at the young women, and I back up in astonishment. I see a younger version of myself.
"Terra, you know mother likes the lilies best!" The young girl sounds like me too. Her black hair is braided over one shoulder, and her green eyes twinkle in the light.
"I know, it is just that the daisies look so nice right now! So does the lavender." The other girl, Terra, tosses her light brown hair over her shoulder, her caramel colored eyes creased at the corners from her joyous smile. "Liana, can't we make a white and purple bouquet for her?" Liana shrugs.
"Why not?" Her voice is soft and musical. Something buries itself in the ground next to me. Terra's happy expression turns to one of fear.
"Liana, they found you!" Her voice shakes, and her eyes grow wide with fear for her sister. Liana fiddles with a golden ring on her finger. With a start, I realize that it is the same ring I am wearing now. I turn to look at what is stuck in the ground and find a staff. A black gloved hand grabs the stick before I can thoroughly examine it. I look around me and see several figures, in various costumes.
"Liana!" An exultant shout comes from next to me. "Shapeshifter, illusionist, a perpetrator of justice! We, as the order of the Miraculous order you to come quietly and answer for your crimes!" I look over to the source of the voice, but I can only tell that the person is female, and has a brooch that has small wings sticking out of it.
"Oh, Fallan. I must be getting predictable, you found me before the age of sixteen. Liana's voice has a quiet menace to it. A sleek, gliding tone that makes you just want to trust her.
"Enough!" I look over and see the figure of a young man with an odd bracelet. "Pay for your crimes, or die!"
"I'll take my chances." Liana jumps into the air, and land nose to nose with me. Her outfit has changed from a light green dress to an amazing outfit. I think I'll have to describe it in parts. Her pants were sleek black, with dark green crisscrossing pieces of fabric around her knees. Above that, she had a neat, asymmetrical tunic. It was made from black crossing strips of fabric. To top it off, she had a sort of cape-like coat. It had long pointed sleeves, the top parts made from crossing straps of fabric, and two thin rows of golden metal. It had a turtleneck and a thick gold choker around the neck. The coat part flared outward at her waist, separating into five coat flaps, lined with green, and sporting a golden band near the edge of the coat. Her hair flowed freely, combed back against her head. She waves her hand across her face, and a stylish black mask appears over her eyes.
"Let's get this party started." Her voice has a distinctly menacing tone, as twin knives appear in her hands.
The vision skips forward. The battle rages around me. I see a petite young woman dressed in black and yellow, pass out on the ground. The young man with the strange bracelet carries her away. I turn and see Liana fighting. Her cloak and mask are gone, and she fights against a young lady in red. Liana falls when the red girl's yo-yo is wrapped around her feet. She untangles herself quickly. And crouches on the ground, breathing hard. Everything freezes then fades to white.
"Interesting, huh?" I hear a quiet voice behind me. "This was your past life." Liana stands behind me. "I was your last incarnation."
"What do you mean?"
She laughs. "Goddesses don't die, just reincarnate, over and over again."
My breath catches. "So you're saying…" I trail off, not knowing what to say next. She smiles.
"That ring," she holds my hand, and fingers the ring, "Is the way my powers are passed to you. Before you die, you channel your powers into the ring, ready to be passed to the next incarnation. I was only sixteen when I died, I hope you do better." She dissolves into white mist, and the vision fades.
I slowly open my eyes. Well, that certainly was interesting. Though I wish, I doubt I was hallucinating. It isn't hard to tell. The second I opened my eyes, I saw that my outfit had changed. It was familiar. The outfit Liana wore in her last battle. So what to do, what to do. A black butterfly slips in through the window, and flaps around my head for a second, before landing on the windowsill. It seems to flutter its iridescent wings with impatience.
I didn't actually know what I was doing when I turned into a raven and started following the strange butterfly. I was just curious. I wanted to know where it came from. I'd figured out that my powers were mainly shapeshifting and illusions. Both were very useful powers. Eventually, the butterfly begins to descend and enters a building through a small open pane of glass in the center of a geometric butterfly motif. I hit the ground of the room in human form. White butterflies flutter around the large empty dome. The only light comes from the window.
"I've been expecting you. I hoped we could," The voice pauses, "Make amends." A man steps out of the shadows. He wears a purple suit of a sort and a very familiar butterfly brooch.
"A miraculous." My voice is barely more than a whisper. From what I could tell, we were supposed to be enemies. So why had he called me here? The black butterfly had gone straight to him when it entered the room, so it was obvious he wanted me here.
"I understand you've had some unpleasant experiences with miraculous wielders in the past, but I can assure you, I am not that kind of wielder." His voice echoes slightly in the large dome. "I merely wish to have a very powerful ally."
"Sounds great, what's in it for me?" My voice has a malicious, taunting tone to it.
"I'm so glad you asked." He says with a smile.
