Chapter 3, and Our first OC. This one is next because it explains a bit more about the miraculous, specifically (at this point), the holder of the Virtue Miraculous, and her story.

1442- Valencia, Spain

"Hush, little one. You must listen, and listen well." The elder smiled as she spoke to the girl sitting on the rug in front of her chair.

"This is the story of creation. Our creation, to be exact, or rather, to be more precise- theirs. You will be a guardian, one who holds their power in your hand. It is a job that only few are capable- no, worthy of doing." The little girl nodded solemnly, sitting a little straighter as her abuela talked.

"At first, there was nothing- or so the stories go. Then, a flicker. Out of the darkness came the primal powers- those of Virtue and Evil. After that, Destruction, and Creation. They came into being and created what we know as balance."

She took a deep breath, before continuing. "Not long after the four primal beings came forth, more came. All to balance one another- darkness and light, time and void, tranquility and calamity, Life, and death. By the time Creation was done, their numbers reached thirty- six." Big, chocolate eyes widened at her grandmother.

Thirty- four beings?

The old woman laughed. "Yes, my nieta. And they decided to create more. Soon, the world was created, and they watched as their work pulled into endless cycles. And then… humans came along." She sighed. "And they- the creators- were worshiped as gods. They watched the humans as they laughed and roamed…. And felt. And they wanted that.

Creation made corporeal bodies for them to move around in, so that they could live among the humans they had created, and for eons… all was well."

The woman's face darkened. As much as she did not want to tell her only grandchild this, she could do no other. "there came a time when Evil- who was known as Elahh- became suspicious of his mate, who was named Joona, for Virtue was all that he was not- kind, beautiful, and good with others. Elahh preferred solitude, and because of that, Joona sought out others to befriend.

Slowly, the darkness that was an elemental part of Elahh began to fester within him, and it started to affect the others. Plagg, the god of destruction was the first to notice, and warned his mate, Tikki, goddess of creation, while he went to talk to the other dark god. It… did not go well.

For the darkness within Elahh had gotten far too out of hand. He turned against the others. Ulykke, the god of Calamity, felt what was being wrought, and called for Tikki, and his own mate, Kall, Goddess of Tranquility, to help.

This too, was for not, for Elahh, too was an elder Primal. He was the first, and only Joona could match him. She could not, however, bring herself to harm him. She would not fight him. Instead, she told the others to flee. Elahh's dark power was spreading to the humans, she said, and they needed to be saved.

To do this, they needed more time. The god of the Void, Caaro, created a dimension in which this was possible, and Tikki set to work making a way to help humanity from Elahh's wrath. The miraculous were born. It took the essence of the gods and goddesses and made it possible to become bonded with a human."

"It was then that the problem occurred. Almost immediately, Elahh's miraculous fell into the wrong hands."

"But abuela, wasn't it evil to begin with? Isn't it dark magic?" the girl asked, confused. The woman shook her head.

"You are still young, little one. One of the first lessons I must teach you is that though the power may be dark, it doesn't mean that it is wholly evil. Elahh's power may control Evil, may be dark, but… it could be used for good… in fact, a person training in the magics must be skilled with both dark and light magic, that is to say, be able to wield that which comes from Joona as well as what comes from Elahh. They are balance. Much like the story of yin and yang."

The child nodded. "Okay." Then she frowned again. "if Elahh and Joona and the rest were turned into Miraculous, then why are people able to use what comes from them?"

The woman smiled. "Ah… a good question, dear. During those eons living among the humans, the gods' powers leaked out. So, humans were able to do amazing feats, such as magic. Which is both fortunate and unfortunate, as it is what lead to Elahh's fall."

She sighed. "The search for Elahh began, and the first Guardians were chosen. As it was her mate that was in danger, Joona decided to be the first, and so, the first Vertigo was born. The hunt for the Raven miraculous- the hunt for Elahh had started. After Joona found her chosen, Tikki and Plagg chose theirs, and so on and so forth, until the Miraculous were all in use."

"Abuela, what does this have to do with me?" the child wanted to know. The elder woman sighed, as she looked at her eight-year -old granddaughter.

"You have been chosen to wield Joona, the hound Miraculous." She whispered. The girl cocked her head to the side. "Why do you look so sad, Abuela?" she asked. "Surely, this is a good thing?"

The woman shook her head. "It would be if not for what is happening right now, mi querida niña," she whispered. "But there is the inquisition, and the Guardians of the miraculous are hunted just like any other witch. Look at what happened to Joan of Arc?" she moaned. The girl gasped.

"She was truly a guardian?" the child whispered.

"Guardian of the Creation Miraculous." The woman said softly. "I cannot watch the same happen to you, my child."

The girl shook her head. "I will be careful, Abuela," she said. "And with Joona by my side, if what you said is true, she will help me hide."

The old woman smiled slightly, as she handed over a dress belt, wrought of gold, inlaid with quartz and diamonds. "This is the miraculous." She said. "if you accept, you must wear it. Joona will explain everything else."

"Were you a holder, as well?" the child asked. She was met with a chuckle. "No. I became the keeper by chance. When the former holder stumbled in gravely wounded." She told the child. "Now, mi querida, my Chiquita, Take the belt and go. I fear we have not long."

"Te amo, Abuela," Chiquita whispered.

"As do I, now, hurry."

The girl put the belt on over her dress, just as they heard knocking at the door. The house was large, it would take a few minutes. Even at eight, she knew that she had to run. "I'll be back." She whispered. Her grandmother shook her head. "You mustn't. it is too dangerous."

"I will be back," Chiquita repeated. "not today, not tomorrow, but I will return."

"We must leave, chosen." Another, softer voice said urgently. Chiquita looked around to see a small, canid creature, must like their pet dog, all white, with pointed ears.

"You must speak the words to transform!" the little dog said. "Say transfórmame."

"Transfómame," the girl hissed.

A flash of light was all her grandmother saw as she transformed into Vertigo, the keeper of the white magic miraculous. The last glimpse she had of the girl was her winking through a white mask, delicate ears sticking up, as she went out the window of the second floor of their mansion.

"Adios, Abuela." The girl whispered, as she slipped away into the night.

So, there's Chiquita's- and by extension, Vertigo's Origin story. It took me ages to figure out what animal Virtue would be. I ended up choosing a hound because... well, because I love dogs, the Cat's already taken, and the other animals I had lined up weren't... I couldn't see any of them as light magic, which, in a nutshell is what Joona is. Just like Elahh is dark magic. So, now we have the Why. When you read about Elahh's er... 'guardian', and look at the date, it'll all make sense. anyway, AOP out, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, review it, please.

In the next Chapter, we'll be going way back... to Ancient Egypt.