It trickled in his hand, causing him to tremble. The residue of corruption was always unsettling as it never ceased to be a memory of evil. Yet, it found it's way onto the butterfly of mind that quite frankly, was worse off for it. His brain was running in circles as he wiped the rest of it off in a hurry. Tikki chose her next words carefully.

"Your feelings while you slept were the gateway they needed into your mind." He wanted to deny that fact, but it was too late to double take by the time she sighed. The ladybug was very aware, and he couldn't stop her. She warned of the potential dangers of letting them in in the past. Sure, the akumas couldn't corrupt them in the possession sense, but they could still torture them mentally if there emotions weren't kept in check.

Nooroo was lost for words, he thought he had been stable in the mind for the longest time, and from the events of last night, he was proved wrong. "I'm sorry." He responded with a shameful expression. To his surprise, Tikki put a hand to one of his shoulders and gave him a smile. She knew he didn't mean to, so the action was warranted. The sunshine from the window illuminated them looking brighter but sincere.

Another day, another chance to be better. That went for all things good or evil in the world, though it was thoroughly debatable to them. They turned to the others who were still sleeping soundly in their makeshift beds of pages. It was best to leave them alone till awakening. "We don't have to continue talking about the book right now you know." She said out of the blue with a wink. The kwami knew him too well.

Without disturbance, he let her sit next to him as they watched the sun rise over the horizon, lighting up the resting city. An overture didn't sound too bad at the moment. Suddenly the butterfly got a migraine that made him hear white noise for a second before he snapped out of it. "What's wrong?" Questioned Tikki. Nooroo shook his head barely making eye contact.

A normal moth flew off from the ground as he looked in its direction soon after. Something was wrong, and he didn't even have to tell her for what info was already acquired. Weird how much she cared, because through their many years, he always had a nagging suspicion that she preserved as much of her affection for the cat. He hadn't let her see through him after the thought as he just eyed whatever else was in his field of vision.

On the ladybug's end, she for once was thinking of what had been on his brain. She thought she should always be the voice that could help anyone regardless and keep things real. Granted, Wayzz did it pretty well too, but she couldn't agree with him every single time. Though Tikki herself still had to be composed at any and all times. It was scary to think what would happen if one of them had not been there, especially Plagg….

But, reassured she would make sure that wouldn't happen to any of them if her life depended on it. To her, loneliness and being alone were two completely different things that had actions and consequences, yet it was for more personal reasons. In a traumatic situation, it was typically easy for her to move on, but she didn't think her heart could take losing one of her kwamis.

The kwami turned to the butterfly contemplating on asking if he knew what she was thinking, as Nooroo had actually noticed her when he turned back to find her staring with suspicion. He wasn't going to read her, mostly because what she was thinking had to be something private. When she got closer to read his expressions, she felt he was truthful.

Back to watching the sun rise it seemed. Soon, the others started waking with a choir of yawns.

"Ah, much better." Said Wayzz twisting his head around. He found Trixx next to him semi awake and blinking a whole bunch. Envy overtook him. "Huh, how do you look so alive?" To be honest, there was no solid answer, he just let the unmonitored parts of him do whatever while he slept. Just regular dreaming. Wayzz simply shrugged instead which made the fox get the memo.

"Don't be such a wise guy." He said crossing his arms metaphorically and literally. The turtle rolled his eyes peeking his head out to see everyone else, though he hadn't averted his gaze when seeing Tikki and Nooroo. What were they up to? Something had to be up, but he didn't jump to conclusions just yet. "Wow, you really like to stare." Trixx said behind him.

Plagg overheard them, seeing the ladybug and butterfly talking about, whatever. He thought it was about the book or the butterfly himself. Because, the cat knew how Tikki was always one to engage conversation, and if she was chatting with him, then something of virtue was going on. The cat flew past Pollen and Duusu who turned to him briefly with greetings that he kinda returned.

"So sugarcube, what's going on here?" He said leaning next to her while still floating with an eyebrow raised. For some reason, they looked surprised, which from his perspective, they shouldn't have been if there was nothing to hide. He sounded passive aggressive almost; unnecessarily so. "Good morning to you too." She said with awkwardness. A huff came from him and a familiar glance at Nooroo trying to feel if he was ticked.

The butterfly was not and he flew off with Plagg tailing him, since he was not one to be ignored. Nooroo hadn't been ignoring the cat per say, but rather didn't feel like talking, for his speal was a one and done until further notice. And yet, Plagg kept hounding him with his never ending questions. Eventually he was pulled back and held in place by Wayzz who got tired of him being a bother. Obviously he wanted his answers too, but that could wait.

The gesture was appreciated by the butterfly who routed next to a nearby window to view the bright city that calmed him. That day and the next as mysteriously promised by the stranger, would hopefully be free of evil. Yeah, he'd see how long that would last. His fellow kwami eventually gathered around the book for the inevitable conclusion to it, and he'd have to as well or maybe not….

Gone he was when Trixx called him with genuine concern, but the butterfly exclaimed that he'd sit the reading out begrudgingly. Finishing the book wasn't going to help his increasing anxiety as far as his origins were concerned. At least with the approach of overhearing the text, he'd get what he needed without having to compromise his sanity. He hoped that things would get easier to understand as they read, but the terms and quotes just further exacterbated stuff from the day prior.

"One must ponder where his loyalties lie and come to a forced conclusion via the luck of the draw." Lower on the page followed another by Duusu. "Destruction will come to pass amongst the harbinger of doomsday's growing ills and tainted beliefs." Sounds of about two page flips came to lead to the next page of ambition by Pollen. "Redemption manifests in many forms, but the one he will seek is very dire." They then flipped to describe what was apparently a glyph of various animals bellowed in scattered fires of silk.

A migraine came to him again, this time stronger and making him reel to the ground slightly. The quotes triggered flashes of scars and the sensation of someone or something, touching his wings. It was back to normality soon after that though.

The next and final page was read by Wayzz. "Ladybug, cat, turtle, fox, bee, and peacock…. All of them cannot continue to live, that is, unless their previously sound companion that completed the balance fades back to them. It's not in their power to control him once his time comes, as by then, he'll have become the antithesis of all he sought to help." A tear came from the butterfly again. Nooroo had to have some much needed time outside, but only after he stopped the waterworks and maybe fetched something to eat.

Only after wiping the waterfalls from his eyes did he find his kwami viewing him with not so subtle looks of confusion and concern. "The jigs up, bashful." Said Plagg without thought. "We shouldn't pressure him Plagg. We seriously should let him be better in the head first. That book did something traumatic to him." Wayzz brought up. "Fine, I can give him that." Pollen pulled up the butterfly, drying his fresh tears with her classic cheeriness.

"You can't be dragging yourself down just because of some misallaneus text." Duusu told him. Looking at Tikki, he told her via his psychic powers that he wanted to be outside. She channeled this to the others who listened with all ears. They watched him fly away from them out into the gentle breeze that stirred up, yet they'd still watch him from afar, just not get in his way.

Left to his own devices, the butterfly would first let out all his grief by finding a comfortably silent clearing and screaming his head off for all that the stranger had started from not too long ago. His statistics and agendas actively got on his nerves. He still questioned internally why everything had to relate back to him with ominous timing too. Maybe venting wasn't the best course of action, but he was so desperately sure that it was true. If everyone else cared about his well being, then why couldn't he himself?

Nooroo in accordance with the peacock, could not let the cursed literature be his undoing. His stomach growled as he finished the thought surge while spastically flying around. The butterfly got a whiff of familiar scent, a cookie. He followed the trail not forgetting his previous mental scars until finding one placed oddly on an isolated bench not noticeable by any passerby. It wasn't like he had nothing to lose, but still, he proceeded cautiously than he had any right to.

A sugar cookie? Now that was right up his alley. Picking it up, he could tell it had not yet been touched by anyone or anything else, except for his tiny limbs. So, he took a bite instantly chilling in the moment and continuing to chew, though slowly. Thinking of how he was without more white noise or systematic flashes was a nice change of pace, for they had decided to leave him. Nooroo wondered if he was starting to become a real issue for his kwamis, which was most likely the case.

He crafted himself around the pastry thinking of it's tastiness on the outside and unknown insides. Multiple times they could stomach the butterfly they always had, but internally, what ate at him in present times potentially could spoil the lot of him. His stomach was satisfied, but not his heart and mind that ached. Someone outstretched one of his antennas, but when he floated up, no one was there but a trail of wind and the streets of a city. Maybe he'd stick around just a little longer on the bench… alone and distraught.

It was a mistake to lay in silence when a voice came to him violently. "You appear to look lost Nooroo." Aggressively he responded. "I'm not lost, now leave me alone." They groaned with a bit of hysteria. "I refuse you know. Whether you like it or not, you'll lead to your kwami's demise one of these days. You've only now started with scars and pain that will become more commonplace."

"No!" He shouted in defiance.

"You have no idea what you're talking about. I won't fall to the wayside and I'm certainly not dragging them down with me." The voice sighed. "There are no other viable options Nooroo. Their blood will be on your hands, you'll be the end of them sooner than you think." Then, like always, they were gone, screwing him over from anything important and leaving him frustrated yet again. If they'd stop being so vague and purposefully inept, maybe they could see that no matter what happened, he'd remain the same. But, as he looked at himself from the reflection of a puddle beneath him, he saw himself with no face.

The image did dissolve back into him, but it didn't distract him from itself. What could it mean? It did look to be a taste of how he could potentially turn out. No identity, and by in that sense, no more of who he was. He clung to his spiritual being, making sure to hold on if what the image showed him, did come to pass. The evil dust found itself on his stomach this time.

Nooroo didn't want to know why it was there or what had caused it. Collecting himself, he scattered the particles into the water, watching it turn a purple hue, if minimally. Even the security of the outside couldn't tie down the strain of his head. Whimpering quietly, he flew off back to the library of grief.

During the flight, he said nothing to himself, instead choosing to believe in what he had before the stranger messed everything up for him and his kwami. Yet, he still heard faint white noise and felt his heart scream. "I don't want to be what I never intended to." He said to no one in particular.

Finding himself inside from the window he was tackled from the air by Pollen who squeezed him tight. He would've questioned why she was doing so like he was gone for a couple of hours, but knowing her, he filtered it out. Her antennas were wrapped around him as well. It was kinda awkward when she lied there on him still hugging. After a long pause, she got off putting a hand behind her back with a nervous smile. "Just checking on if you're ok." She said. "Yes I'm okay." He responded blankly.

To shift the tone a bit, Pollen added, "Oh, by the way, Wayzz wants to see you." Thinking that he'd already figured that, he flew beyond the bee and scaward the library in search of the turtle, who he eventually found next to a desk with an accompanying computer. It didn't look like it at first, but Wayzz looked a bit, angry. Nooroo was not going to read him for that reason. "So… I've been talking with Tikki while you were gone. What's your problem?" He was about to fly away until his wings were held in place by Wayzz who was now ticked.

"Stay and listen. What is your problem?" He repeated more angrily than before. "I can't tell you." Nooroo replied. "Yes you can, you can't keep things under control anymore than you are now." Finally he relented shoving back the turtle a bit. "My head and heart hurt." "Huh?" The turtle said, puzzled. "They hurt and it all stems from that… stranger. I can't exactly explain what's happened to me, but I can tell you that my very self is starting to get misplaced and restless."

"And you're positive, that you are aware of this?" Wayzz warned. "I'm positive of that. It's fine if you think I'm lying, but whatever." Nooroo finished turning his head away. "Well I'm sure we can come to a new conclusion coming from you at least. I'm not going to say you're right, but I don't know what goes on inside you anyway." He had put nicely. "Good enough terms I sup…"

He then dropped to the ground below, before wildly thrashing about in midst of a dark hold over

him. Nooroo could almost make out the pleading voices of Plagg and Duusu while he lost consciousness immediately. The void was empty, but he could feel himself being held down and met with dust falling down like droplets across his whole body.