Mayura

The Indelible Battle

Gazing down at the city of Paris, the city she had lived in most of her life, the city she worked, dreamed, loved, confided, and thrived in, Mayura, no longer resembling Nathalie Sancoeur in any way, save for her passion and desire to save the ones she loved, smiled a sinister smile as her Avatars stormed their hunting grounds. Even as the icy rain drenched her shoulders, the dark Miraculous felt a powerful warmth envelop her chilled body and soul: Emilie held her then, wrapping her warm, loving arms around the being that would save her and her husband. Through Emilie and Gabriel's love, there was nothing Mayura could not do. No longer afraid, she stepped back and basked in the glorious storm raging around her.

Amidst a violent flash of lightning, a purple-haired child appeared in front of the pale-blue woman, her eyes reddened and flowing with tears, and her face locked into a disappointed scowl. Displaying no sign of shock or surprise, Mayura gazed down at the unhappy little girl as the rain drenched them both. For a moment, neither spoke, though their gaze was unbroken. Suddenly, the child took a step closer to the ominous figure, the latter never flinching or changing her cold expression. As the two stared at one another, all tension faded along with any sense of time, leaving only sadness. "…What happened to me?" the little girl asked with sorrow and growing fear in her cracking voice. "How did I turn into you?"

"You know the answer to that," Mayura answered coldly with the voice her childhood self would recognize as an evil queen. "This change, painful though it was, was out of necessity." Reaching out her left arm and placing the backs of her cold fingers upon the child's cheek, the dark Miraculous slowly walked around her visitor. "If we hold on to who we were in the past, we will remain weak and helpless forever more. Who you are, what you are, was no longer needed, so I put you away." Passing behind the child, Mayura's cloak grazed her little leg as the dark woman made her way to another vantage point. "You know there was no choice. This is all to save the ones I love."

"…But do you really think they'd still love you if they saw what you let me become?" the little girl asked as she clenched her small, chubby hands into fists. "Do you even know what love is now?"

Mayura smiled and snickered to herself. "You are nothing more than an unhappy and helpless child," she declared in an icy, satisfied tone. "Your presence is meaningless, and your values little more than fairy tales. The world, in time, breaks us all. There are those who deny it and try to carry on, there are those who cower and hide, clinging desperately to the past or begging others for help: Children crying out for Momma and Papa, and then there are those who learn, grow stronger, and swallow the poison of this world in order to become something greater."

"Greater?" the child repeated in disgust. "You let me turn into everything that's wrong with the world. You're no better, you're worse. Face it, Nathalie, you're just like Mom."

"Never compare me to her!" Mayura screamed as she snapped herself around to glare at the wretched girl she had wished away. Within a moment's time, the woman regained her composure, though her tone was darkened. "And don't call me Nathalie anymore…That's your name. I am Mayura now." The dark Miraculous and the innocent child stared at one another as lightning flashed and thunder crackled all around them. "Tell me, what did you ever accomplish in life? When you were afraid, who comforted you? When you were alone, who did you turn to? When you fell, how did you pick yourself up?

'You needn't answer. I already know: You never accomplished anything. No one was there when you were scared, so you just cried alone and remained afraid. When there was no one to turn to, you tried to run instead of looking inside yourself. Then, when you fell time and time again, you never picked yourself up. You stayed on the ground in the mud and rubble, crying and begging for Papa to come save you. And then that horrible day came when you realized he was never coming back…What did you do then, Nathalie?"

Lowering her head, the little girl let her tears fall alongside the raindrops. "…You're wrong," she declared with a strength Nathalie never remembered having. "Every day was an accomplishment for me. Things were hard, but I kept trying. I made it through every day, even when I wanted to give up. When I cried and got scared, Papa was there for me. Even when I was alone, I never gave up. I kept my family in my heart, even after they were all gone. I never learned to chase away my fears, though. They're still here, but I don't run from them anymore." As the child spoke, her voice grew stronger and more mature. Opening her eyes to the world before her, Mayura found herself facing Nathalie as a teenager. "Yeah, I wasn't perfect. I screwed up, took the easy way out a couple of times, hid from my problems, and just blamed it all on my mother. But I moved on. I worked hard. I took my life back. Even when others did better than me, I still kept going. I wasn't competing or proving anything. I was never alone. That's something you taught yourself after you gave up on who you are."

Mayura's face tightened, but she no longer had the words to fight back.

"When I fell down," Nathalie, now a strong, confident, and capable woman, declared without fear or regret. "I picked myself up by staying true to who I am, not what others made me."

"And what came of it?" Mayura challenged her opponent. "Were you able to stop Emilie from dying? …Were you able to save Gabriel? Were you even able to be there for Adrien when he needed you?"

"…There was nothing that could be done for Emilie," Nathalie finally accepted the truth. "When she first put on the peacock Miraculous, she was lost. I was there for Gabriel and Adrien, but it was up to Gabriel to save himself. And as for Adrien, I did everything I could. You and I know that. But all that stopped mattering to you, didn't it? You chose to only see the pain, the failures, and what you couldn't do. You let yourself bear the weight of Gabriel's pain, making his sins and abuse your responsibility. The world didn't break you, Nathalie…You let yourself be broken." Mayura snarled and turned away from the unwanted reminder of her past. "What was it you told Gabriel that night? It wasn't long ago…You couldn't have forgotten…'It's not too late for you.'" Silence filled the night, leaving only the distant echoes of thunder. "All those times you told him not to give up…you were never talking about his mad plan to bring back his wife…You were telling him to keep living. You knew his goal would only bring pain."

"Shut up!" Mayura screamed as she slashed her claw through the woman she used to be. "This world is one of pain…Gabriel needs me to deliver him from his suffering…just like Emilie needs me to bring her back…Why should any of us have to be alone?" Finding herself alone yet again, the dark Miraculous stared into the void for one last moment before returning to the city. Time resumed as it always did, without mercy or compassion. However, she would repay it in kind. Mayura's anger quickly faded as a malicious smile formed on her pale-blue face. "…This is the only way. If the world won't show us mercy, then we'll force it to."

The turtle Avatar roared at the stars as it rammed its body against a row of parked cars, its anger reigning. As the vehicles' windshields and windows shattered, the beast snarled and continued on its rampage. Suddenly, the Avatar felt a small object collide with its armored cheek and turned towards its point of origin. Wearing a fake smile, Chat playfully bounced a tin can in the palm of his hand. "What would Splinter think if he saw this?" the Miraculous asked before catching the can and chucking it at his foe. As the beast prepared to charge, Chat Noir turned and ran into the night and away from the heart of the city. Unable to see reason through its rage, the turtle Avatar gave chase.

Screeching at the world, the avian Avatar struggled to maintain flight as a strong wire wrapped around its neck. Her feet planted on a nearby rooftop, Ladybug summoned all of her strength to pull the monster toward her. Soon, the creature turned its head, staring into the young woman's eyes as its own flowed with tears. The sight nearly brought the Miraculous to her knees, but she forced herself to remain strong. Flapping its wings, the sorrowful Avatar changed its course to strike its opponent. "Come on, birdbrain!" Ladybug cried out as she ran away from the massive bird. "Oh, man…Good thing Chat didn't hear that."

As the Avatar caught up with its foe, the raven-haired young woman jumped from her perch and landed atop the beast's back. The Miraculous then pulled back on her yo-yo and steered the bird toward the Seine River.

Snarling as it continued on its unhappy journey, the cloaked Avatar heard the patter of boots upon the street behind it. Turning around, the human-like creature suddenly found itself blinded by an orb of white light. As the Avatar struggled, a powerful force thrust against its body and drove it onto its back. "Sorry to use such a dirty trick," Volpina declared as she quickly scanned her opponent. Yeah, no way that's an Akumatized, she deduced through the Miraculous' intuition. "Huh…you're so much smaller up close." The hopeless Avatar attempted to rise up again, only to find itself pinned down by Volpina's staff. "I hate having to do this…If there's any part of you that can hear this, I hope you guys live on after you disappear, just like the Akuma."

Realizing its failure, the Avatar let out a loud sigh of defeat, and faded into smoke. Once the bearer of hopelessness was nothing more than a memory, Volpina composed herself and sought out her next opponent. Ladybug and Chat Noir shared her concern and doubts, but the Miraculous had an obligation to the people of Paris.

Maintaining a safe distance, Chat managed to lure the turtle out of the city, just as Ladybug flew overhead atop the wicked bird. Being forced to bathe within its unending miasma of sorrow and unhappiness, the ladybug Miraculous continued to force the bird towards the river, even as her hot, red, tear-soaked eyes continued to release salty streams down her reddened cheeks. Though she fought to remain in control, Marinette found herself unable to turn away from the day her grandfather died, the time Alya was Akumatized, and all the times she had disappointed her family and friends. The sorrow ran so deep Ladybug soon found she was longing to harm herself. "Don't give in," she sobbed to herself. "This sorrow isn't yours…Remember hope…Life goes on…Tomorrow will be filled with light."

At last, as if by a miracle, Ladybug and Chat Noir were able to see the Seine River. Its waters would be a baptism in this darkest of nights. The feline Miraculous glanced back one last time to see the Avatar of rage charging at him, completely unaware of its surroundings. At the same time, Ladybug began to loosen her yo-yo as her breath grew heavier. Upon reaching the water, Chat Noir jumped forward without hesitation, as if he intended to leap over the river in a single bound. Focused only on killing its opponent, the turtle tore through the ground, snorting and grunting in a fit of wrath, and lunged forward to swallow its prey. However, its weight dragged it down, as did the weight of its anger and hatred, and the unhappy creature fell into the waves, which immediately washed away its very presence. "Maybe those waters will make you clean," Chat declared without his usual flare or humor.

Knowing the plan, Ladybug forced the bird into a nose-dive directly over the Seine. Though her heart pounded, the young woman found herself growing tired. The sadness, like quicksand, was pulling her under. In that descent, one millions voices of doubt, failure, and loss flooded her mind. "Think of all the people you've lost," they said. "Why do you have to keep fighting? Aren't you tired? Just give up. You can just keep holding on. Let the holy bird carry you away from your suffering. In death, you'll find peace. Don't fight it." Sniffling, Ladybug felt a thick stream of mucus drip and cling to her nose as her hot, burning tears nearly blinded her. She truly was tired. From a distance, Chat clung to a wall overlooking the river, and prepared himself to do what he had to. As the Avatar of sorrow let out one final cry, Ladybug closed her eyes, releasing even more tears, clenched her wire tightly, and looked up to the sky. Seeing that his friend wasn't trying to save herself, the feline Miraculous threw himself forward over and over again, each lunge a desperate attempt to reach her. Once she could smell the water, Ladybug let in one last, sorrowful gasp, pulled the yo-yo off the creature's neck, and released her hold on it. The Avatar collided with the sea with such speed it created an artificial rainfall. Chat Noir jumped forward, caught his beloved partner, and performed a summersault in mid-air, successfully landing on the grass nearby.

Sniffling, Ladybug dried the last of her tears, opened her eyes, and looked at the young man holding her like a damsel in distress. As the water of the Seine sprinkled over their heads, the two gazed into one another's eyes for a moment, and smiled lovingly at their partner.

"You alright, M'Lady?" Chat asked, finally sounding like his old self again.

"Yeah," Ladybug answered with a smile. "Even though you ruined my landing."

After a second of disbelief-filled silence, the two burst out laughing. Amidst that laughter, Ladybug pressed the palms of her hands on her friend's cheeks, leaned forward, and kissed his wet forehead. "Thanks for saving me, kitty," she warmly declared before stepping down onto her own two feet. Chat blushed heavily, feeling like an overwhelmed schoolboy once again. "Come on. Volpina needs us."

"Right," the blond young man managed to choke out as he followed his partner back to the city.

Seeing through the eyes of her Avatars, Mayura shed tears as cold as ice at their loss. The world had grown so dark, and hope seemed shattered once more. Though the desire to submit to the crushing, awful reality was strong, the dark Miraculous forced herself to remain staunch for the sake of those she loved. "The Miraculous Ones must be stopped," she snarled into the ears of her wretched and unhappy army. "…Target the Fox. Her powers are great, but not her will. Without her allies, she will be made to fall."

As the remaining three Avatars uttered their silent compliance, an icy wind passed through the city as the very rain seemed to slow itself. Mayura's view of the city became blurred as she lost her footing, forcing her to grab onto a nearby railing. The pain she had survived once now returned. Gasping sharply, the dark Miraculous froze as her tears turned to blood. "…Not now," Nathalie's weakened, powerless voice begged. As her hold on the cold bar tightened, Mayura lunged forward as a large stream of blood belched from her mouth and splattered before her. Though the sight was horrific, she maintained her composure. "I can endure…just until I know you're safe, Gabriel," Mayura whispered her prayer to the one she loved. "Please…don't forget me, my friend…Don't forget me, Adrien…Find it in your heart to forgive me one day." Closing her eyes in shame, the dark Miraculous returned to the hellish reality her life had become. Before her agonizing humanity faded once more, the woman shed one last loving tear. "…And let this be our last dance with devils," she prayed.