The iron door were built into the tall stone pointed archway that looked so ancient, cracked and crumbling that it seemed has been there as long as the Butterflies Fortress itself.
Quinn trailed his hand down the cold metal; it was silver and light purple and seemed to glow subtly with a light of its own. His finger found a little indentation on silver metal, pressing something on it. With a loud click door open.
The door slammed behind them as soon as they went inside, and both men find themselves in complete darkness. It was so dark, that they could not see their own hands.
" All right, watch your step and follow me. " Past miraculous holder voice sounded in the dark somewhere.
" It's too dark, I don't see anything. " The fashion designer said in return.
" True but only for a moment. "
A white crystal staircase slowly materialized, winding down, down and down, into the depths of the earth. Gabriel stood at the beginning of the staircase, watching Quinn start down.
A fashion designer scuffed his boots until he found a loose rock, and then kicked it down, ears perked. One second, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten…and still nothing.
He hesitantly put one foot on the smooth crystal. There was nothing to hold on to in case he fell to his doom. But he's not too worried about it.
Once finally on the solid ground Quinn raised his arms into the air widely, " Behold! The Heart of Butterflies Fortress. "
It was the feeling of warmth that hit Gabriel first. It was akin to the happiest moments of his life in one huge ball of warmth blooms in his heart.
All of his cares and worries disappear for a little while...he just feel happy inside...nothing matters...
And then...
" FOCUS! " Gabriel scolds himself as shaking his head. The warm feeling just disappear, as if it had never been.
Then fashion designer actually looked at this place, a crystal-lined cavern that stretched from ground level to ceiling. The any kind of gems glittered high up in the craggy walls, shining as bright as stars.
But this was nothing compared to the bright glow of the huge geode, that nestled in the center of the sprawling cave, pulsing like a heart. It was in brilliant shades of purple, blue, silver and white that washed the whole place in a cascade of warm and tender light.
As the eyes of the both men got used to the odd light, Gabriel became aware that inside geode is magnificent butterfly entity of pure energy.
Quinn watched Gabriel's look of awe mix with supried and grinned, " This is the first butterfly that was used by Butterfly Miraculous Holder. It truly is a glorious sight, is it not? "
And then he just walk away... without waiting for an answer.
The past miraculous holder stood in front of one wall and he just seemed very deep in thought. The fashion designer stand next to him. Only then did Gabriel notice the three rustic spanish double doors.
A second later, Quinn walks right over to the middle door and open it, without hesitation. They saw a very long and wide corridor, the giant tapestries at equal intervals were hanging on the right side of wide corridor.
" This is the Gallery of Butterfly Miraculous Holders. " Quinn said as the pedestals of all tapestries rose up out of the floor.
Then a pedestal glowed next to Gabriel. He stepped closer to the pedestal, and read what was on it.
~ Venomoth ~
" Preventing hurt,cry and pain, protecting the future.
This was the power of the butterfly of unique nature. "
On the tapestries was a tall man who looks to be physically around his thirties. His eyes are of a deep topaz-green color. He has sand-blonde hair is tied with a silver ribbon and has light azure highlights at the ends. His ponytail lies on his right shoulder. His attire consists of a long maroon-colored jacket with a lavender inner layer and silver pins over the folded cuffs. Under it, he wears a violet vest over a white ruffled shirt, violet dress pants and grayish-indigo knee-high boots. He also wears dark indigo gloves. A dark violet Crystal Pendulum hanging from his belt. And he has a purple-colored mask around his eyes.
"In this place the previous Holders of Butterfly Miraculous are depicted in tapestries." Quinn continue before showing the tapestry of another Miraculous Holder.
The second Holder of Butterfly Miraculous is women. She has a petite physique, standing meybe at 5' 1". She has long crow hair that goes as far as her ankles. Her eye color is light orchid purple and her skin is a very light peachy color. Her lips are a muted mauve color. She have a two large butterfly wings, partly kept hidden under her long hair. She wore a magenta coat with purple at the ends and a dark black ribbon around her waist, underneath she wore purple long boots with black straps around them. And her face is hidden behind a silver with blue accents venetian butterfly mask.
Like what he did to Venomoth's pedestal, Gabriel looked down at pedestal to read it
~ Lady Anima ~
"The darkness having plotted,
To destroy her life,
Was no match for her power
As she spread her wings to fly."
" This is Circe, she was almost chosen as representative of us. You have luck that I was chosen to talk with you. She'd dropped by to say hello and have broken your nose." Quinn playfully tip-toed towards the tapestry of the next Miraculous Holder.
~ Dame Sibylla ~
"This was Sibylla,
hard and strong as her blade,
who spared no effort to protect
any human from any evil being".
She wear a purple suit of woman knight's armor, complete with a breastplate (the chest area), pauldrons (the shoulder areas), vambraces (the forearm areas), cuisses (the thigh areas), poleyns (the knee areas), greaves (the leg areas), and sabatons (the feet areas) with dark silver trimmings. On her hands are purple claw finger ring tips, similar to Chat Noir fingertips. There is also a purple helmet that covers her hair and eyes.
" Actually, you owe Armand. He have a deciding vote." Quinn pointed to a another tapestry.
~ Papillon de la Fere ~
"A tyrant's king vicious wrath,
Desecrating beautiful land,
Would soon come to a close
By Butterfly who'd never give up in fight."
He wears a dark purple collar vest with a white button up underneath his vest. A musketeer black jacket is thrown over it. He has sangria color gloves. A purple sash wraps around his waist and two dark belts are clipped over it, complete with silver buckles. His pant was various shades of blue. He also wears a cavalier's hat with a light purple
feather in it, and a pair of elegant leather boots. His face was hidden behind the mask in the style of Zorro.
" And that's 葦丸 Ashimaru. " Quinn voice was full of respect, " It was his idea to get you here. "
A fashion designer eyes darted from pedestal to tapestries and back again.
~ Haku Chouji ~
Kind yet strong, fair yet vicious, he was a warrior,
And every day he would pick up his wepon and go to bring hope and strength.
With eyes as sharp as his cane.
Man has pale blonde hair(almost white), moustache and beard which tapered off to a point. He is shown wearing a large headpiece consisting of a three pointed crown-like ridge. He wore a long-sleeved dark amethyst kimono shirt and dark pants, with mesh-armour shirt and fitted black suit underneath, along with calf-length sandals. Around his waist he wore a grey sash that held a silver armour-like breast plate with a pouch in the front, a black back plate on the back that is connected to the front with mesh armour, and armoured lapels falling to the sides. His face was half covered by a kabuki mask, which is mostly colored in white, with purple markings. The eyes of the kabuki mask are colored a piercing silver. His cane is dark indigo and smooth, also is a light purple lotus flower with eight petals on top it.
Gabriel and Quinn continue walked down the rows of the coridor, passing an uncountable number of tapestries and pedestals, quickly losing sight of the door they had arrived on.
Former miraculous holder pointing at each tapestries they passes, and said something about person on it.
After wandering in the long coridor like room for what must have been almost 45 minutes, with the light from massive golden glowing stones that nestled in carved niches all along the walls, they arrived at where Quinn was leading them.
A huge and beautyfull door. The door's looked like a kaleidoscope, but only with all shades of purple.
Quinn pushed one of them open and they walked out into a large hall.
It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over a every Butterfly Miraculous Holder in the history.
The dozens of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. The emotions on their faces ranged from reproachful, neutral, annoyance, concern and anger.
The tension in the air was thick enough that they could cut it.
Quinn didn't see the sudden yet slight tensing of Gabriel's posture, the subtle widening of his eyes, and the clenching of his jaw as he gritted his teeth.
Gaaaabriel…Haaawk Moth his name vibrated off the walls from different vocal reaches. Sensing unrest in room, Quinn claps to bring their attention back to him.
He looked around at everyone. The past holders' eyes were so hard and judging, but also full of respect. No one said a single word but looking into their eyes in turn, and meeting back a Quinn's gaze were more effective than any discussion.
Everyone took a large step aside, and then they gathered around something in other part of room. A muttering went up among the room.
Quinn let out a sigh, and started walking towards the crowd. Gabriel followed him slowly.
Once through the swarm of past holder's it was easy to see the thing everyone watching. In the centre of the biger wall in chamber hanging a incomplete tapestry, near it stood a spinning wheel .
Suddenly spinning wheel spinning thread by itself and sews a little piece into incomplete tapestry.
" Whose tapestries it is?
The former holders glared harder at Gabriel, but he kept his gaze firmly on Quinn.
" It's your tapestries. " Quinn said and part of candles floating around other place. A warm light filled the space around Hawk Moth's incomplete tapestry.
Gabriel stiffened a little.
In the tapestry, Hawk Moth is shown standing in his lair, and holding very strange look akuma. This akuma is a black spectral butterfly with an pattern that looks like a skulls on the wings. The butterfly and his hands are covered in blood. A dark cloudy sky outside the large window with a butterfly design gives faint light.
" It's incomplete. "
" Because it's your tapestry. " The man said dismissively, his eyes not even glancing at him. His words echoed strangely in Gabriel's head.
" You didn't brought me here just to show me incomplete tapestry, right? " Fashion designer asked, perhaps too sharply.
" A bit, I suppose, but not really. "
" Then why we're here? " Gabriel demanded an answer.
" Because I need to ask you a question. " Quinn answered, smiling deviously. " And it is important to everyone heard the answers. "
" So ask me and be done with it. " Fashion designer told him in clipped, commanding tones.
The past miraculous holder stared into his eyes. " You said your main goal of retrieving create and destruction miraculous is to make a wish to your wife back to life. "
" It's true. "
"Why?' Quinn asked. So much was contained in that one question.
" Because I love her and Adrien need his mother. " Gabriel replies, his facial expression holding steady as always.
" Losing someone we love is painful." Former miraculous holder murmurs sympathetically," And some people find it harder than others to get over the loss. "
" I can't get over loss Emilie! Not until I still have chance to bringer her back."
" I used to think like that, too. "
" What? "
Quinn became a little more serious. " I lost my sister Cathy. She died in the fire. And I just didn't wanted to live in a world without Cathy in it. I was begging my Ladybug and Chat Noir for let me use the Ultimate Miraculous Power to bring my sister back. "
Quinn's eyes were glistening, his mind clearly caught in the past.
" They didn't give it to you, did they? "
" Of course, they refused to let me use this power. I was angry at first, then I realized they have their reasons. But I couldn't come to terms with my loss...until my Ladybug said something very wise to me. - You are entitled all to miss her. But your heart can't always drag around the past. At times, you have to let go of the peoples you love. So, they finaly rest in peace so that you can move forward. She would want you to move on. - "
Quinn said to him, looking up into Gabriel's eyes.
" I've never forgotten my sister and always have her in my heart. But after talk with Ladybug, I've learned to live without Cathy. That's the difference... between you and me. You can't to move on."
Gabriel frowned before replied. " Our stories are very different. "
" There is no mistake in what it's saying now. But our stories are still similar." Quinn spoke softly as he turned, almost tore his gaze away. " Therefore I fully understand why you want Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses. I know what it feels like to want that last magic hope for recover the person who's gone forever...but I also know that, sometimes the things you want. Are not the things you need. "
" I need Emilie back to life! "
" Well, that's because you're an idiot. "
Gabriel stiffened at the blatant insult," What do you mean by that?"
" All you really need, you already have. And it is right there in front of you. Just too close for you to see it. " Quinn said innocently. " You're blind you know that Gabriel. "
" No. I'm just haven't given up on somone I love, unlike you. " Fashion designer's voice had reached a terrifyingly low decibel at this point.
" You're just as persistent as no other men I know. "
" Because my goal is get my wife back. "
" But have you ever wondered how this ends? What happens if you get the Miraculous of Creation and Miraculous of Destruction? What will be the consequences ? "
" My only concern is my wish. "
The past miraculous holder face changed into a pout with a skeptical, if not upset raise of his eyebrow. " What if your wish will backfire on you?"
" This will not happen."
" The people who blindly are doing everything they can to get what they want and don't care about consequences. In the end, they lose everything and suddenly find themselves alone. "
Gabriel's mouth opened and then closed again as he gathered his thoughts. " If you think that you can convince me to give up on my goal, you are mistaken. "
" I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." Quinn said, jumping across the room and grabbing onto the lapel of Gabriel's suit jacket.
Suddenly, a swarm of white butterflies filled the room. Butterflies swarmed around Gabriel and Quinn until they were lifted off the ground.
The next thing Gabriel knew, butterflies carried them into the gloomy tapestry.
And then his world went black as both men falling into the dark depths.
...to be continued
Thank you for sparing time readin.
Encouragement or constructive criticism is greatly appreciated :)