Hunan Province, China

Chat's cat instinct was proven correct so far, as the mystic was able to give them directions to a lost temple down one of the riverways, deep in the mountain area. She also told them that the girl who had previously inquired about the same jewel had also come back and asked for directions.

They managed to find a boat for rent, Chat paddling while Rena continued to translate whatever notes she didn't on the plane.

"The mystic was right, it says here in the notes about a resurrection spell."

"Can you read it?"

Rena deadpanned as she looked in Chat's direction, "Of course, I'm just not going to read it out loud. But it does require a sacrifice like the mystic said Apparently the warlord sacrificed his entire army to keep himself from staying in the jewel.

Chat grimaced, not liking the thoughts crossing his mind. Whoever kidnapped Marinette could either use her as an interpreter of the book they stole or as the intended sacrifice.

"Try going through the newer notes, maybe she found some new information."

Rena sighed, but complied as she reorganized the notes on the seat before her.

She translated some lines of one page, before lifting up to look at another. A puzzled looked crossed her face as she lifted up a another page, and another.

"Odd," she murmured.

"What?"

"This marking here." Rena held up one of Marinette's older copied pages. It was a swirl, with the end line pointing upwards, two lines on either side of the end line also pointing up

"Marinette made copies of this image all over her notes. Whether or not she was doodling absentmindedly or if this is from the book I'm not sure."

Chat frowned, wondering what it could have meant. Ladybug had never been known to doodle on her important notes, another thing Marinette portrayed as any time he handed her a paper to read over, she over annotated his paper to the point where he could barely read his own writing. She was thorough, not careless to leave random doodles.

Chat looked along the river, searching for the inlet the mystic had instructed them would lead them to the temple.

He saw a small inlet, with a low hanging tree branch, just as the mystic had warned. He directed their boat towards the inlet, noticing beside the tree a small statue, and on the statue's stomach, the swirl.

"It was a clue," he announced as he pulled them up beside the inlet.

Rena looked up as she gathered the notes, puzzled by Chat's outburst. Chat pointed to the statue. Rena looked over, her eyes widened as she recognized the design.

"So at this it could be a sign leading us to the temple or a warning for danger," concluded Rena as Chat stepped out of the boat, tying it up to the tree to prevent it from floating away.

Alya finished packing the notes before stepping out of the boat.

"I believe the woman said we keep going west from here." Rena looked over at Chat, who nodded as he pulled a small compass from his pocket. He walked over to the statue while checking their heading. He then stepped around the tree and began their walk west, Rena following behind.

After walking a short ways, Rena ran over to a mold covered rock.

"And another one!"

Chat stepped over to the rock to see the swirl pattern on the stomach. Chat nodded, continuing their trek west, Rena running up to every statue along the path.

They followed this direction until one of the statues was found in a clearing near the base of the mountain. Carved into the mountainside were stone steps, leading to two dragons carved into the mountain, the dragons' necks bending over to leave a vacant space in between them. But there was no opening to pass into the mountain.

"Maybe it's an honorary stage of sorts," guessed Rena. Chat stepped onto the steps, grass and moss growing over the steps. If Marinette and her kidnappers had come this way, maybe there was a sign.

"Do the notes say anything about the entrance," he asked while placing his hand on the blank space. Rena pulled over her backpack, reaching in to grab the notes.

"Not really, she mentions the entrance, but it just says carry the flame."

"Carry the flame."

Chat looked up at the two dragons, both their mouths open, as if reach to breathe fire into the blank space. He turned back around to see Rena still pouring over the notes for a clue, sitting beside the statue.

He walked back to face the statue, sitting down in front of it. He leaned back until he was resting on his elbows, able to see the swirl on the statue looked almost like some sort of fire between the dragons.

"Rena, check this out."

The woman turned to see the position Chat was in, quickly adjusting her position so she saw the dragons spouting the flame on the statue.

"But how would we carry this over to there? This thing hasn't been touched in ages."

"Maybe we don't have to touch it," Chat reached into his bag, recalling he no longer had the fan with him. If having one of those ornaments was the key to get in, they would be stuck out here, unable to help Marinette.

Chat sat up, looking at the flame to realize unlike the rest of the moss covering the statue, it was slightly indented where the flame was. And not in the it grew with the previous indent, but actually pressed in, as if a person had traced it.

He leaned forward, pressing his index finger in the center of the spiral, tracing along the lines until he reached the end, then traced the two lines from right to left.

All of a sudden, something sparked in his hand, a fire appearing to burn away at his glove.

"Stick. Stick! STICK!" He yelled at Rena, Rena grabbing a nearby branch. Chat quickly wrapped his hand around the branch, then tore it off to wipe on the ground once the branch was lit. He looked at his glove, the fabric burned, leaving a slight blister on his palm.

"Mental note, be careful of magical fire," he warned himself and Rena as they stood up.

They walked towards the open space, Chat trying to puzzle together another clue. The open area was clean, moss and weeds growing only on the rim of the dragons.

"Of course," murmured Rena, taking the torch from Chat. She placed it in the center and began redrawing the flame from the statue, copying the way Chat had marked the smaller peaks from right to left.

She quickly stepped back as the fire seemed to move with a mind of its own, swirling about the center until it reached the mouths of the dragon, the dragon eyes glowing with fire momentary before the stone split in the center, extinguishing the fire as it rolled open.

Inside the mountain was dark and quiet, the occasional sound of water dripping from the ceilings.

"Keep that close," cautioned Chat as they stepped inside. Rena nodded as Chat pulled from his pack some wrapping to cover the burnt part of his glove. Once it was secure, they stepped inside the forgotten temple.