"Marinette!"
The blue-haired girl turned around to look at her friend. "Yeah, Alya?"
The wavy haired teen ran to her best friend, phone pulled out to a news page.
"Did you hear about the latest discovery in Mexico? It's all over the news!"
"Discovery?"
Nodding, Alya clicked onto the video, letting it play in full screen for the bluenette.
"Don't be bemused, it's just the news," Nadja Chamack, the fuchsia haired reporter began. "Just this week, Claude-François Garnier and Alejandra Torres have made a massive discovery in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico while exploring ancient Mayan ruins, where, inside a previously unexplored cave, they came across this!"
The screen cut to a picture of what appeared to be a young teen, sleeping with her hands folded on her chest, a crown of roses and their thorns resting in her white hair. Her clothes resembled what one would picture those of high status in ancient times would wear; a cotton-like clothe dyed a deep red and stark white, laced with gold patterns, a gold arm band, large earrings shaped as squares -also gold in color-, and several tattoos depicting what seemed to be small, flying creatures. Despite where she was found, her skin was stark white, deathly so.
"This perfectly preserved body was found surrounded by many statues, chests filled with gold coins and jewels of all kinds, drawings and carvings all over the walls, and dried roses kept in jars left on alters. It's unknown how old the body is, since there are no signs of decay despite everything inside dating back to over 4,000 years ago!"
"Four-thousand?!" Marinette cried. "That can't be possible!"
"Keep watching," her friend scolded.
"Whilst locals in the surrounding cities refuse to allow the body to be taken, and demand it be left in the cave, the Mexican government have agreed to send it off to be analysed right here in Paris's very own Louvre Museum!"
Alya ended the video, practically buzzing with excitement.
"So, what do you think?! Isn't it crazy? Did you see how alive the body looked?!"
"Are they sure it isn't some kind of prank?" Marinette asked. "There's no way a body can stay that well preserved for over four centuries."
"I don't know. I guess we'll find out once they examine it."
"...previously unexplored cave, they came across this!"
Gabriel Agreste paused the video, staring at the female body that had baffled everyone since it was found.
"Nooroo, can a miraculous keep a human alive indefinitely?"
The purple kwamii fiddled with his hands nervously. "I-I don't know, Master. It's possible? But, for that to happen, the Miraculous would need to not be removed, and the wielder would need to not turn back, either."
"But it is possible. There would be no other way for a human to be so immaculately preserved other than the magic of a Miraculous."
"Y-yes, Master."
"Nathalie."
"Yes?"
Gabriel's assistant stepped up, tablet tucked in her arms as she awaited his next orders.
"I want you to look further into this matter. Find out more about what was inside the cave, what the paintings and carvings depict." He zoomed in on the young body. "She isn't wearing much jewelry. I want to know if there's any significant written about the golden band on her arm or her earrings."
"Of course, sir."
Marinette looked at her computer screen, chin resting in her hand.
"I don't understand, Tikki. Is it possible for a Miraculous holder to survive for so long trapped in a cave?"
"It's possible, Marinette. Remember what happened with Bunnix?"
"Oh, yeah! She was trapped in the past due to Chat Noir's Cataclysm. We freed her from the Egyptian exhibit because of it."
"Exactly!"
"So, you think this girl's been kept alive all this time by a Miraculous?"
"It very well could be. Maybe we should ask Master Fu?"
"You're right." The bluenette stood up, turning off her computer and grabbing her purse. "Let's go, Tikki!"
/ \\\\
"Master Fu?"
The young teen peaked her head inside the room, her red kwamii floating next to her.
"What can I help you with, Marinette?" the old man questioned, sitting lotus style on the floor, Wayzz floating beside him.
"Master, recently, they made a discovery in Mexico! You have to see it!"
She got out her phone and showed him the same video that Alya had let her watch. She dared not utter a single word for fear of taking his attention away from what was being said. After it ended, she sat in front of him, legs folded like a with her hands resting on her thighs.
"That is big news," he agreed.
"Do you think it could be a Miraculous?"
"It is very likely, Tikki. No mortal could survive that long. Being over one hundred years old, myself, I have a better understanding than anyone."
"What should we do?"
The Chinese male stroked his beard as he thought.
"If Hawk Moth is made aware of this situation, he will likely try to seize the Miraculous for himself, and use it to try and steal the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous. It must not fall into the wrong hands."
"Are you saying we need to wake the miraculous wielder?"
"Not yet. There are many factors we do not know yet, like which miraculous she has, what powers it contains, if she stole it or was gifted it."
"I thought you said there were only two miraculous missing from the Miracle Box?"
"There are a great many things you do not yet know about the miraculous, Marinette. Now is not the time to discuss it. The longer we take to plan, the closer Hawk Moth and Mayura draw to it."
"Right! I won't let you down!"
/\\\\ - means time skip
Author's Note: So I'm not entirely happy with how this chappy turned out, but oh well. I wanna hurry up and get to the good stuff. X3