Chapter 54
"Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch! Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch!" That was the only thing Marinette could say in her present state. She was in complete shock and disbelief at what she had just witnessed. She saw it with her own two eyes but her mind refused to comprehend it: Her boyfriend that she loved with all of her heart was really her demonic best friend. She couldn't believe it, not at all but yet, that was the reality that was in front of her. "Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch! Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch!"
"And the truth finally comes out." Volpina said proudly, with a prideful smile on her face. She clicked her fingers which caused the roots to fade away, which also made Marinette drop to the ground. Chat immediately raced underneath Marinette and caught her in time. He placed her down on the ground safely and smiled. "I guess you can say you fell for me, huh?"
"Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch!" Marinette repeated again, still being unable to speak properly.
"Is uhh… is she alright?" Volpina asked. "I was expecting some screams or yells or at least a question or two asked or something."
"You broke her." Chat said, glaring Volpina. He turned his attention back to the Broken Marinette. He placed his hands on his shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Listen, I promise you I'll explain everything later but right now you have to run. I'll fend her off. Go home, get to a Church, I don't care! Just… Get. To. Safety! Nod if you understand."
Marinette nodded slowly, which was enough for Chat. He turned Marinette around and pushed her. "Good. Now go! Run! RUN!"
Marinette began running as per Chat's command. She didn't know where she was going, her mind was a blank. All she knew at this current moment was to run, like he said.
Chat smiled as Marinette left the park then turned around to face Volpina. "Alright, it's just you and me now."
Volpina smirked. "That's exactly what I wanted."
Marinette crawled into her kitchen and turned on the taps. She splashed water on her face, needing the chilling sensation to snap her back to reality. She still couldn't believe it. Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir. Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste. It still sounded farfetched to her. All this time… all of the experiences she shared with Adrien… everything she did with Chat Noir… it was all the same person… the same demon…
She didn't know how to feel or what to think. How did all of this happen? What was she to do about it? There were so many questions burning in her mind but her mind just continued to fixate on Adrien and Chat Noir being one in the same.
"So, now you know the truth." an ominous voice spoke from behind Marinette, causing her to shriek. She quickly spun around and saw Hawkmoth standing on the other side of the room.
"What- What are you doing here?"
"I've become tired of you. I'm finally here to take your soul. I no longer care if you are lost to the angels, I just want you to be disposed of and for Chat Noir to return to Hell where he belongs!"
Hawkmoth began stepping forward towards Marinette, taking one slow step at a time. Marinette quickly began to panic, realizing the situation she was now in. She grabbed ahold of her sink's nozzle and tried to spray Hawkmoth with water. However, the water evaporated before it even reached him.
Marinette hopped over the counter and backed away, trying to get distance between the two of them. She looked to a window and debated jumping out but a swarm of shadows suddenly appeared and covered it. She looked to her door and found the same result. She was trapped, with nowhere to go.
Hawkmoth continued getting closer and closer to Marinette. Eventually, she was backed into a corner with nowhere else to go. Hawkmoth stamped his cane on the ground when he got closer to Marinette, which caused a blade to poke out of the end. He held it up as he got closer and angled it so that it was close to her throat. "I will enjoy watching the life drain from your body."
Marinette looked down at the blade in front of her and began panicking again. She looked around for an escape but there were none. She was trapped and at Hawkmoth's mercy.
"Any last words?" Hawkmoth asked, as the tip of the blade pressed against her throat.
"Just seven actually." Marinette said, as she looked at Hawkmoth straight in his beating red eyes. "I would like to make a deal."
"You would, hm?" Hawkmoth lowered his blade slightly, giving Marinette some comfort so she could speak to him honestly. "Do you have another book or artifact or anything that you'll use to barter again?"
Marinette shook her head. "Not this time. This is for my soul."
"I see. What are the conditions then?"
Marinette noticed an evil grin on Hawkmoth's face. She knew that he was going to do something sneaky and underhanded to try and claim her soul. Luckily though, she was prepared for this. She came up with an idea that has no loopholes to exploit.
"One hour." Marinette spoke. "I wish to have a full conversation with you for one hour."
"That's it?" Hawkmoth couldn't help but burst out into laughter after hearing the condition. "One measly hour? Chatting with me? For your soul?"
"Kind of. For one hour, I want to speak with you and to try and change your mind about Chat Noir and I. If within that hour I'm unable to change your mind, then you will have my soul, no strings attached. I will even convince Chat Noir not to pursue revenge. However, if I'm able to change your mind, even in the slightest or you cannot withstand the full hour then you grant Chat Noir his freedom and you stop pursuing my soul. Bear in mind as well that I said full conversation so you have to chat with me or else you forfeit. Do we have a deal?"
Marinette extended her hand out to the demon, feeling confident and determined that she expressed her idea clearly without any loopholes to exploit. Hawkmoth looked down at Marinette's hand and narrowed his eyes at it. "That sounds more like a gamble than a deal."
"I heard demons like gambling. Am I wrong?"
Hawkmoth chuckled. "You are not."
Hawkmoth retracted his cane completely and used his free hand to connect it with Marinette's. "Fine. You have a deal."
An eerie red light suddenly appeared on their hands. When Marinette looked down to check it, it faded away. Hawkmoth couldn't help but laugh now that the deal was made. "Your soul will look great in my trophy case. I can assure you, there will be no way you can change my mind about the two of you."
"We'll see about that." Marinette walked over to her cabinets and pulled out an egg timer. She set it to go off in an hour and placed it on the table as she sat down. "One hour. Have a seat and then we'll begin."
