MIRACULOUS
CH. 47
Now & Forever
"WHAT!" Everyone yelled.
"Absolutely, not!" Marinette screamed.
"What choice do we have now?" Cat asked.
Everyone gathered at one of the most hidden rooms of the Parisian sewers. It was this or the Parisian catacombs…yeah.
"But if this fails, the whole world will start from scratch," Marinette said.
"Marinette, remember that day when Mayura took something from us," Cat said. "When we thought we just got a new friend?"
With a gasp, she knew what Cat was referring and flashes of Mayura taking away their new friend dominated her mind.
"Cat… could she really?"
"It's the only chance we got and if we do that not only we can bring her back but to free the souls of Paris and we will grab her by the neck! We'll kill three birds with one stone!"
"Or we'll bring the end to us all!" Marinette said. "What if you're wrong?" she said. "What if she doesn't meet those requirements?"
"Uh, guys," Viperion interjected. "May I ask what are you two talking about?"
"Not the time to discuss it," Cat said. "Right now we need to keep the city safe as best as we can cause we will have to reach the people on the refuge to help."
"Wait what?" Marinette asked.
"I'm gonna get a hold of these for now," Cat clenched his fist, not giving her back her earrings. But to out a jewelry box, it had the shape of the miracle box.
"What is…" Marinette stopped herself when Cat opened the little box. It was the butterfly brooch.
"The brooch? But…"
"Get to the refuge," Cat said. "It would only be a matter of time before Ehteria gets to them. At least give them a chance to defend themselves."
"You mean…"
"I need you to be Afterglow again."
"Hey yeah," Rena said. "Remember that night? She was awesome!"
"What is this about?" Viperion asked. "What do you need both the miraculous for?"
"Can you really do this?" Marinette said suddenly. She clenched her hands together as if she was trying to suppress something within her.
"My Lady…" Cat then showed her the Eiffel Tower keychain, causing Marinette to give a light gasp.
"Can you really bring her back?"
"Who?" Viperion asked.
Chloe placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder and they both gazed at each other's eyes. The two never stopped to think about they both share a very similar shade of blue eyes.
"Marinette," she said. "I may have lived on that life for who knows how many thousands of years, but on my studies and discoveries, I've seen my share of crazy things that were considered…" she took a glance at Cat. "…miraculous."
Cat grinned. Marinette looked at Chloe for a moment then turned back at Cat. Cat looked back down at her and saw a newfound vulnerability in her. Despite only being their friend for a few minutes… Despite being free for such a period of time, or maybe because of it, only to be disintegrated in such a harsh instant. He still had dreams of Mayura disintegrating her, as she collapsed on her knees and clenched on her chest painfully before dissolving into nothing but the Eiffel Tower keychain. While it didn't happen in real life in his dream she would turn to him with tears in her eyes in a begging expression before disappearing, that look would've marked his soul forever. Now that same expression was the one she could see in Marinette. It was then that he realized he had to try one way or another to give her the second chance she deserved…
"We have to free these souls and we can give someone a second chance, we kill two birds with one stone," Cat said. "I know, not the best analogy right now but…"
"I apologize to intervene," Max said. "But I calculate that the undead army created by the white plague will find our location in a matter of minutes. I suggest we make haste."
"All right," Cat said. "I don't want to do this but we have to split up and keep the horde from causing too much turmoil in town. As for the people, that's where Afterglow comes in.
"I gotcha," Rocket said. "All right, we will keep Etheria busy as we buy you some time!"
"All right," Cat said as he clenched his fists. "Appreciate it Rocket. Now I'm gonna need Blue Jay for this."
Everyone was flabbergasted when they realize that Blue Jay isn't there. Everyone looked around.
"I do not believe he was with us on our escape," Ryuko said.
"Ummm…." Rocket muttered.
"Uh, where is he?"
"He got knocked off by this icy lady." Rocket said.
"And you didn't go after him because…?" Rena asked.
"Oh, I don't know kinda because you guys just pulled me IN!?"
"Oh boy," Carapace facepalmed. "Just when we needed him the most!"
"Let me come with you!"
"No, I need you guys to spread out and help the city defend itself!"
"Got it? Good!" Ladybug added in.
"I don't get it…" Carapace said jokingly. Every facepalmed and sighed.
"Ready…?"
"BREAK!" They all clapped and Cat split from the rest.
On the surface…
Cat went to the direction where Rigby told him, where Blue Jay may have fallen. He couldn't afford detection so he avoided engaging with any of the husks that may be around. He soon found himself at a distant rooftop. Small enough to look around and his communicator went off, causing him to have a sudden shot of adrenaline in his heart.
"AAAHHH!" He snapped his hand on his mouth to avoid attracting any more attention. He hyperventilated while clenching his heart. He took out his communicator and saw that he was being contacted via video call, by a civilian. "Who gave them my number?"
He answered.
"Adrien!" A bug bulky man called, it was his former bodyguard who he nicknamed Gorilla. "It's been a long time."
"Oh, um," Cat stammered. "Sir, I'm afraid to ask that you please disregard this num…"
"Your blue birdy guy landed on my limo," he said. "If you can believe I managed to keep that thing after you disappeared, Adrien."
"Sir, I'm afraid I'm not…"
"Enough stalling!" Gorilla shouted.
"G-Gah!" Cat stammered and fell back. He was just as intimidating as ever.
"You gotta help him get back in the game, the city is in chaos! Come on kid, I don't know what happened between you and your dad but you gotta do what you set out to do and save the town!"
"All right, I'm on my way!" Cat was about to hang up and set off but hesitated and looked back at the screen. "Um, how did you…?"
"You disappear whenever hell breaks loose and the cat shows up, when it's all over and the Cat is gone you show up. It's not rocket science, kid," Gorilla explained.
"Right," Cat muttered.
Meanwhile…
Everyone had spread out through the city with only Rena keeping Marinette company. They looked out the horizon of the twilight sky. Black clouds covered the sky and before they knew it, the sun had become an eerie green glow, trying to shine the night sky. They made it the butterfly sanctuary where the butterflies are turning in for the night.
"Are we even on earth?" Rena asked. Marinette scoffed.
"Can't tell," she said. She took a deep breath and put the brooch on. The little, damaged butterfly kwami emerged.
"Hello Marinette," he greeted softly.
"Awwww," Rena cooed, clasping her hands on her cheek. "Such a little cutie!"
"Hi Nooroo," Marinette said. "I suppose you already know what I'm capable of and what's at stake."
"All I can say is that I'm happy to be wielded for the use of good once again."
"Then let's do this."
"Go, girl!" Rena cheered.
"NOOROO, DARK WINGS RISE!"
Once Marinette became Afterglow again, she spread her power to the butterflies nearby, and they all together on a legion amongst the alleyways.
"Fly away butterflies and give Paris the power to fight back! Let them defend this city the people love so and give them what they need to preserve what they have left!"
Meanwhile, at the shelter, the citizens of Paris were once again curled up with each other. Some were on the floor waiting for everything to pass while others are running around to ensure the outside turbulence doesn't reach them.
"Ella," her father's voice comforted her and placed his arm around her. Nora is doing her part in gathering the people and keeping the shelter from falling apart.
"Hi daddy," she whimpered. "Don't worry, Ladybug and the others are out there. Everything will be all right."
Ella tried to smile but quickly got depressed again and looked down."
"I want to think that, daddy…" Ella whimpered. "But, she couldn't save mom or Etta…"
Her father sighed.
"I guess you should know now that our heroes are human beings like you and me," he said. "Sometimes they don't always win, sometimes they make mistakes."
"But then… what else is…"
"Everyone, look!" Chris shouted.
A swarm of glowing violet butterflies entered the refuge via an air duct. The citizens all got up and witness the swarm flying around the roof in a circle of wonder.
"This has happened before," Otis said.
Once the butterflies entered through random objects, a voice was heard. Before anyone knew it, everyone in the room had neon masks floating over their faces.
"People of Paris, for those who don't remember, I am Afterglow. I once called for your aid to defend Paris. Now I have once more been given the ability to give you the power to ask for your aid and defend our city!"
"Yes, I remember!" Nora jumped in.
"It's Ladybug!" Someone else said. "No doubt about it!"
"She's sending us out there?"
"She's done it before…"
"Should she be actually doing that?"
Parisian citizens murmured amongst each other. They constantly brought up that other night on their fight against Volpina but some had objected whether it was the right thing to do.
"I say we fight!" Nora said.
"I second that!" Rose got up to her feet. While other Parisians got up one after the other agreed, Juleka hastily grabbed her by the hand.
"Rose, please," she said but Rose gave her a determined look and slapped her hand away.
"I'm sorry, Juleka," Rose said in a soothing voice. "But I have to do something about what had happened. Those who took my mommy and daddy…"
"Please," Juleka cut her off. "I don't want you to get lost in a path of revenge!"
"This isn't revenge, Juleka!" Rose shot back. "I owe it to my mommy and daddy to do something! To play my part!"
"No, you don't! They would want you safe!"
"I'm given this chance, Juleka. I will never live with myself if I didn't take it!"
"Fine, then I'm going too!"
"Juleka you don't have to."
"Yes, I do!" Juleka stomped her foot. "I'm not losing you! Besides, my brother is out there too!"
Rose was silent for a moment before smiling then nodded. She took her hand with both of hers and kissed it.
"All right," she said. "We'll go together…"
The two were distracted by their conversation that by the point when they were done, they were all transforming into super-powered champions once again.
Meanwhile…
"Hey," Cat Noir tapped Blue Jay on the cheek. "Mordecai, wake up."
"Huh?"
"You've been knocked out," he said. "Come on, I need you for this."
"Wha…" Blue Jay muttered. "What happened?"
"The city's gone to crap and it will spread worldwide if we don't do this now."
"Do what?"
"Come with me, I'll explain in the way!"
Elsewhere…
Ryuko and Viperion hid below the sewer as they observed outside the surface, crawling by empty husks. Viperion observed with the lid on his head while Ryuko paced back and forth with her arms around her.
"Just relax," Viperion suggested.
"I cannot stand idly by when lives remain in danger."
"She said to wait for a signal and we need to hold them off for Cat Noir!"
"If what Cat Noir said is true, we must hold him off for as long as possible. What is he up to, anyway?"
"I don't know," Viperion admitted. "But he and Marinette seem to know what they're talking about. We have to trust them."
"How can we trust them when we are told to hide while people are hurting!?"
"What choice do we have, going up there now would be suicide!"
Ryuko was once again taken aback as she realized her irrational behavior and wondered how she became like this.
"Has Adrien's rejection affected me that much?"
"Ryuko?"
"I apologize," she said.
There was a vibration on the ground which caught them off balance. They both looked up.
"What was that?" Ryuko quickly climbed her way upward the latter and opened the hole lid and took a look at the surface where she saw…
"Reflekta?" Ryuko said.
"Juleka?" Viperion asked. "What's she doing here?"
"I do not know but she is being aided by Lady Fragrance!"
"ROSE! What the…" Viperion. "My sister and future sister are out there?"
"This must be the backup Cat Noir mentioned."
The two got up on the surface and looked around seeing that akumatized citizens are now fending off against the horde as they protect the city and the scattered civilians still in hidings.
"Whooo!" they heard Rena Rouge shouting. "Anyone called for a cavalry?"
"This is your chance everyone!" another voice shouted. They all looked up and saw Afterglow standing up on a nearby rooftop. She looked down at everyone with a loving yet stern look on her face. She summoned her neon mask and spoke. "Everyone listen up, Cat Noir is on his part of the mission to put an end to this invasion! All you need to do now is to keep the horde busy and buy him some time!"
"BARRAGE!" a group of Rocket clones emerged throughout several Pegasus portals and began pushing back on the horde, helping the akumatized citizens. "YAY-UH!"
"With pleasure, Ladybug!" Carapace jumped out. "AQUAWAVE!"
Carapace punched the ground and a massive wave swept away a huge chunk of the horde.
"That'll delay them for now," Afterglow jumped down.
"Now, that was sweet, girl," Rena said.
"Listen up, we have to scatter further, you all know what to do!"
"RIGHT!" Rocket, Ryuko, Viperion, Rena, Carapace, and Pegasus, shouted at the same time.
"Hey, where's Queen Bee?" Rocket asked.
Meanwhile… Tour Montparnasse
Etheria was at the top of the tallest building in Paris as she apathetically observed the chaos all over the city. She didn't even bother turning around but felt a flying presence landing on the rooftop.
"Just who are you exactly," she asked. "I must admit even I didn't see you coming. I have wondered why is there an elder version of you in this era…Chloe?"
"I'm here to stop you from making a mistake!" Queen Bee said.
Meanwhile…
Cat Noir and Blue Jay jumped amongst the rooftops of Paris, getting as far away from the commotion as possible. Cat just finished explaining his story and what he intended to do and why he needed Blue Jay to pull that off. Blue jay then told his side of the story…
"Wait so you saw that?"
"That Ladybug copy is just given a life only to be taken away like that… yeah…"
"So that's why you didn't want to create any sentimonsters…"
"I don't know dude," Blue Jay doubted. "I can't help but think they are real living creatures and only to be wiped from existence just like that… Don't you think that's messed up?"
Cat stayed silent for a moment before he answered.
"I didn't really think about it until I befriended her," Cat said. "I thought sentimonsters were just soulless husks, existing to do the wielder's bidding. I think Duusuu talked a little about this. Sentiminsters with outlandish appearances and made on the fly tend to be mere dolls for the wielder, in fact, I think that's where they got the inspiration for Chinese alchemists to began the series of experiments that eventually created Marinette. Yet, if on given the time and effort to give a voice and a humanoid form, they have become self-aware…"
"I knew it," Blue Jay said. "I saw that when I was observing in the distance. The way Mayura just made her disappear like it was nothing… It made me wanna puke…"
"Blue Jay…"
"Wait a minute…" Blue Jay realized and searched his breast pocket.
"That feather," Cat began.
"I had a feeling there was something off about this feather in particular…"
"This may be it…" Cat held Blue Jay's hand with both of his.
"Huh?"
"Keep this feather safe. Now come on!" Cat jumped off. "We gotta find the right place!"
Tour Montparnasse…
Etheria and Queen Bee were standing face to face at a distance. After a moment of small talk, they started to walk in a circle.
"You're a fascinating case," Etheria said. "I never imagined you would play such an imperative part in our society. So why are you here?"
"I will admit I never thought I'd be back here but now I've got the chance to tell you that it's not too late!"
"Spare me!" Etheria growled. "I've heard enough of my family's empty words so the last thing I need is more of those from anyone else. Once I bring my children back, I'll talk Adrien some reason and our Chloe will come around and she and Adrien will be…"
"ADRIEN IS CAT NOIR!"
Etheria teleported right in from of Queen Bee and grabbed her by the neck.
"How can you even compare my son to that dullard?"
"You don't understand…" Queen Bee chocked. "Your son is alive…"
"Do you intend to humiliate me more than I already have? What more do you want to take from me!?" Etheria growled.
Queen Bee kneed her in the elbow, causing her to let go. Queen Bee flipped backward to safety and kneeled on one leg.
"If that doesn't dissuade you then you're a lost cause!"
The two finally dashed to each other and clashed.
Main Street…
Anansi captured a large group of husks while a group of Rena clones dispatched them.
"FIRE DRAGON!" Ryuko ignited a legion of arrows fired by Dark cupid.
"We've got to hold them until Cat Noir and Blue Jay execute their plan!" Viperion shouted as he fought off husks.
"Where's Queen Bee? Hope she's not dumb enough to keep Lux busy on her own!" Carapace added.
"If there's still of the usual Chloe with her, I'd say so!" Rena said.
"Uhhh!" Afterglow groaned. "That's the Chloe I remember. Nevermind being on an island discovering wisdom for 10,000 years."
"We can really use Cat Noir's sense at this moment," Pegasus added.
"I've spread my clones to look for her, she can't get too far!"
"Wish I've thought of that…" Rena grumbled quietly.
"No choice we gotta spread further," Viperion said. "We can't let Lux find Cat Noir!"
"You guys go on ahead. I'll lead the akumatized citizens to hold of Etheria's army for as long as I can!" Afterglow prompted.
"Right, keep your guard up!" Ryuko agreed.
Agreste Manor…
Gabriel and Nathalie, sat down face to face in an underground shelter. Gabriel pressed his fingers against each other, breathing heavily. Nathalie placed her hand over his.
"Gabriel," she said. "You're clearly unsettled."
"It's just not right Nathalie," he said. "For the longest of time, I had little concern over others while I kept here on the mansion. Then I have recently reconnected to my roots…"
"You now have the feeling of necessity to help," Nathalie concluded. Gabriel scoffed.
"Am I that easy to read?"
"Gabriel," she began. "I know you now want to help but you're not Hawk Moth anymore. There's little you can do now…"
"But it's my wife and my child, Nathalie…" Gabriel countered. He got up from his seat and began to pace around. "They are fighting amongst each other while the city is in chaos. I played a part as a pawn to let it happen. And I'm now powerless to stop it!" He punched the wall and barely made a dent though his hand was miraculously unharmed. He sat back down and sighed, looking down.
"I know this is frustrating but there is little you can do right now," Nathalie insisted. "All you can do is leave it out to Adrien…"
Gabriel simply stared back at her.
Somewhere in the sewer…
Cat Noir and Blue Jay stood face to face for a whole minute as their accelerated heartbeats refuse to slow down. As the moment of truth approached, they had been unable to calm down. Cat held up the Eiffel tower keychain while Blue Jay held the feather he had in his pocket.
"I don't know, dude…" Blue Jay hesitated. "I mean, if this could cause the end of the world, or even if this works, you could fall into a coma…"
"Look around you, Blue Jay," Cat said. "These souls are hurting under Etheria's control, we have to let them rest in peace. On top of that, this will spread all over the world if we don't stop it!"
"Kid…"
"It's a price worth paying!" Cat now started to hesitate as he looked at the Ladybug earrings in his other hand. "If only I had the same confidence as earlier… I wanted to get to the bottom of the Blue Mustang and see this through with my lady… But it may not be meant to be…"
"Let me do it!"
"Out of the question!" Cat countered. "It's my idea, I should be the one to do it!"
"You didn't tell Marinette that she may have a better chance of enduring it, considering what she is…"
"I need her out there, covering for the citizens of Paris," Cat explained. "Besides, I don't want to risk losing her…"
"Kid…" Blue Jay began. "If she finds out who you really are only after you may be gone for good… Imagine what it'll do to her…" he said. Cat gulped.
"Right now, I can only pray that she can handle it…" Cat said. "I beg you Blue Jay. There's too much at stake for you to choose my safety over theirs."
Blue Jay took another look at Cat's green gaze. The look of determination yet begging vulnerability was clear in his eyes. He wanted to protest again, but he was right, too much is going on and they knew this was a risk they had to take. Cat once again took his hand and placed the Eiffel tower keychain on his palm. Blue Jay looked down at it and saw the feather in his other hand. He closed his eyes for a few seconds as he felt his heart thumping as the adrenaline showed no signs of slowing down.
"All right," Blue Jay conceded. "Let's do this."
Blue Jay turned around and placed the feather into the keychain and began to struggle as a bubbling purple mass began to take a humanoid form.
Agreste Manor…
"Gabriel," Nathalie said. "Whatever you're thinking you are not going out there!"
"I have to try to talk sense into her!"
"I want to save Emilie just as much as you do! But there's little we can do to…"
Nathalie was cut off by a neon peacock mask that suddenly popped up over her face.
*Gasp*
"Nathalie?"
"It can't be…"
Back in the sewer…
The humanoid figure Blue Jay was forming became clearer and clearer as it took shape into an exact copy of Marinette as Ladybug, she even had the pigtails that Marinette once had. Cat kind of missed the pigtails… Blue Jay clearly had a tough time with this manifestation but he took Duusuu's instructions to heart in case something like this popped up, despite his refusal to use this power.
Then it was done. The Ladybug copy spread her arms and leaned back for a bit as she moaned fearfully. She slowly stood right up and lowered her arms before she opened her eyes.
"Bugette?" Cat prompted.
She gasped and looked around and quickly took note of her keychain amok on Blue Jay's hand.
"NO!" she shrieked as she tackled him and tried to grab the keychain.
"What the?"
The two had a brief struggle before Cat grabbed her from behind. The Ladybug copy elbowed him off her and lounged at Blue Jay. Only this time he grabbed her by both her wrists.
"Hey, what's your problem?"
"No, please," her frightened expression turned to pure anguish. "Don't disintegrate me! You win, I'll obey!"
Cat's heart broke as he saw the newly restored Sentibug so horrified of repeating her previous fate.
"HEY!"
"Please!" she shouted as she began to cry, still struggling. "I don't want to die again!"
"Easy, easy, easy, easy, EASY THERE! I'm not Mayura!"
Cat placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to softly gasp and quickly turn to face him with her tears scared stained eyes. Blue Jay let her go.
"It's okay," Cat soothed. "You're safe."
Sentibug hugged Cat tightly and began to sob hysterically. Cat was taken aback for a moment but hugged back and leaned his head on top of hers.
Blue Jay sighed as that sudden hostility had caught him off guard and how it all waned down just as quickly. It was amazing how he managed to create, or more accurately, recreate an actual living being. There she was, breathing, hugging, crying, being scared, feeling... It hasn't really sunk in that she didn't even exist just a minute ago.
Cat couldn't believe it either. That image when she was on her knees, clinging on her chest, painfully in her final moments, before disintegrating will be in his memory for as long as he'll live. Yet, here she is now in his arms, newly restored. Something he didn't think would happen at the time. Here she is now, given a second chance. It tore him to shreds upon remembering that he'll need to ask for her help once more, potentially putting her at risk.
He gently broke their hug, lightly massaging her shoulders. She looked back up at him with unshed tears.
"Hey, Bugette…" he soothed.
"Hey…"
"So, you remember us?" Cat asked. Though the answer should've been obvious, he felt he had to start a conversation. Sentibug sniffed and gave a timid smile.
"Of course," she said softly. "You two are the only friends I had. How could I not remember you?"
"What else do you remember?" Cat asked, holding his breath, dreading the answer. Sentibug's expression fell and lowered her eyes…
"It was dark…" she said. "I was stuck… There was this feeling that if I had let go of the memories of my short existence I would be set free."
Cat couldn't believe what he was hearing. He gulped and stayed quiet as she spoke.
"It was enticing…" she continued. "It was those memories that kept me in that dark place, but it was all I had, I didn't want to let them go but the more I held on, the more lost I felt, I don't know how much longer I could've held on…"
"That's enough…" Cat said, about to tear up himself. He quickly wiped away his own unshed tears and smiled. "Doesn't matter anymore…you here now…"
He took a deep breath, with so much going on, he remembered what he was about to do. Sentibug looked at him, confused.
"Why am I here?" she looked around. "This is the exact place where Mayura first created me. My first memory…"
"It is?" Cat asked.
"What a coin-ki-dink," Blue Jay scoffed.
"We're keeping our promise this time," Cat said. "You want to give you a second chance. Freedom and your own life…"
"Is that really it?" Sentibug is much wearier now. Cat couldn't blame her.
Cat showed her the Eiffel tower keychain.
"We may have brought you back, but you're still tied to this keychain," Cat showed her the chain. "We have to open the passportal…"
"So you're really doing this, huh?"
"Plagg, claws in," Cat said and detransformed to Adrien.
"Whew," Plagg soothed. "Another day another camembert, huh Adrien?"
"I'm afraid not, Plagg," Adrien said, showing him the Ladybug earrings. Plagg simply looked back at him.
"So, you're really doing this, huh?"
"It's our only chance, Plagg," Adrien said. "If what my father said is true then there's no stopping her. If we fail, then she'll try to bring my sister back and it'll be the end of us all. At least we have a chance…"
"I don't understand," Sentibug stepped in. "What is this?"
"Bugette," Cat said. "The only way you will ever be free is that we sever your connection to the amok. That way we free the souls… Sorry Plagg, but we have no other choice, with everyone up there will eventually be overwhelmed and the plague will spread worldwide until my mother gets what she wants."
"It's not me you should explain it to," Plagg said.
"I know," Adrien said. He put the Ladybug earrings on and Tikki emerged.
"Huh, Adrien?" Tikki wondered.
"Hey, Tikki," Adrien greeted casually.
"Try not to freak out sugar cube," Plagg pleaded.
"Plagg?"
Both Plagg and Adrien looked at her silently as she frantically looked around. She finally realized that Adrien was wearing both the ring and the earrings…
"No…" she breathed. "NO YOU CAN'T! There has to be some other way!"
"Listen," Adrien said. "You and I both know that bringing back a stillborn child will not work but if we can make Bugette human, then this may be the shot we are looking for Etheria to lose her army and free the people's souls!"
"Wait, what?" Sentibug muttered.
"But what if it was all wrong?" Tikki said then turned to Plagg. "What if we're repeating the same mistake as the final empire and the world would wipe away again? Plagg, your theory hasn't been proven therefore we don't know if it'll work! You said it yourself!"
"There's still those poor souls being used as pawns against their will!" Plagg countered. "Tikki, we have to take this chance…"
"No we don't!" Tikki insisted. "We can't risk wiping the world clean again based on one theory!"
"And leave these people stuck in limbo?" Adrien asked.
"Even if we somehow conventionally stop Etheria, then what? What can we do for the poor people stuck in this limbo by the white plague?" Plagg added. "The white plague was some horrible invention that should have never existed, now it's our chance to reverse the damage and restore all balance so we can bury this chapter of humanity once and for all!"
"B…but…"
"Now & Forever" by Tiesto plays.
"Trust me Tikki," Adrien said. "I know it doesn't seem like it but we have nothing to lose right now!"
"We have so much to lose," Tikki said.
"We'll lose it all anyway if we don't stop this," Plagg said.
Tikki looked back at Blue Jay and Sentibug who simply observed what was going on. Tikki didn't like this at all but she had little to back up her claims. She didn't have anything to discuss and now was the time to take action, considering what was happening on the surface.
"Um…" Sentibug stepped in. "I still don't understand…"
Cat held her by the shoulders and smiled.
"It's all right Bugette," he said. "You don't have to be scared. It's just something we have to do so you can really become yourself and give yourself your own life. We have to do this, so bear with me, ok?"
"OK," she hesitated.
"All right," Adrien said and looked left and right between the two kwami's. "TIKKI, PLAGG, TRANFORM ME!"
Both kwami's emerged into their respective miraculous and Adrien's body began to elevate as a blinding white light began to cover him as the same began to happen to the sentimonster. Both levitated with their arms spread out.
Blue jay could only watch helplessly as the light engulfed them became brighter and brighter. Suddenly, their chests and upper arms burst out like crystal as the light came out of them.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Both screamed in a painful echo as the bright light burst into a massive tornado. That began to engulf a huge chunk of Paris, disrupting the fighting that was going on.
All over Paris, the undead army began to fade away as if being absorbed by the glowing white tornado.
This massive tornado engulfed Paris and it was indeed a sight to behold. The black clouds looming over Paris opened up as a massive bright hole in the sky as it absorbed the soul tornado.
Afterglow, Ryuko, Rocket, and the others looked around as the essence of the empty husks elevated to the tornado as they disintegrated. They didn't seem to be in pain, the look on their faces. They actually looked like they welcomed it.
Afterglow looked around again and her smile faded…
"These aren't all of them…"
Song ends.
Location unknown…
Gene looked at his laptop and saw what was happening in Paris on his laptop.
"Grrr, I'll have to find another way," he said. "Mrs. Agreste, you're on your own."
He closed the laptop.
Author's Note:
I'm gonna stop here.
Yeah, I knew someone would point it out sooner or later. Yes, some of you may have noticed some minor inconsistencies scattered throughout the story. I have gone back and looked into every single chapter before posting them and do my best to fix minor continuity errors, inconsistencies, grammar, and typos. I do write down bullet points of key scenes and revelations throughout the story so I won't forget so I can stay true to my vision, And I'm always excited to get to those moments when the time comes Yet, these mistakes keep popping up and there are many that I didn't notice until after I posted the chapter. I wish there was an easy way to could go back and fix these issues. But since I post chapters through Word documents, it's more trouble than it's worth.
I still think I nailed most of these breakthroughs as I actually feel that there was already too much filler between chapters 35-41. While I try my best to do the characters justice, it's still intended for those who at least saw the first two seasons of the show. But don't worry, things will slow down again after the battle against Emilie/Etheria.
Changing the subject, You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do this. If you had been paying attention, Sentibug's restoration was built up since chapter 17 so it's been a long time coming. I had planned that this was when it happened so I kinda expected to take this long.
Most of Etheria's army was freed and found peace but this doesn't end here as it is now time to confront her. Stay tuned.
Constructive criticism is appreciated.