The doorbell chimed and Sabine looked up to see a Japanese girl leading a blind woman into the bakery. "Hello! How can I help you?" she called out.
The woman smiled. "Your bakery smells delicious. I'm Mrs. Tsurugi. We ordered a batch of peach tarts for pickup today."
"Oh, yes! And thank you so much for the compliment! I hope that the tarts taste as good as you want." She rushed to the back and brought out a white box. "Here you go!"
"They look amazing," Kagami said, lifting the lid and peeking in the box. "Thank you for making these for us."
"It was our pleasure! Please come back the next time you need something!"
"We will be sure to," Mrs. Tsurugi responded. "Come, Kagami - we mustn't be late. Gabriel is expecting us."
Nathalie walked into the office with a stack of papers. "Are you certain about this, sir?"
Gabriel was rubbing his temples. "I have to, Nathalie. I don't know if I have been permanently affected by what Serket did to me. My head still feels at times like it will split in two." As if to illustrate the point, he lurched forward and grunted.
"Very well. I've made arrangements, and the Tsurugi family will be here at the time you requested." She placed the stack of papers on his desk. "I'll leave these here for you to -" she doubled over in a coughing fit.
"I fear your brief time with the Peacock Miraculous has taken its toll," Gabriel said sadly. "These are the same symptoms that Emilie had before…" he trailed off. "I'm sorry your sacrifice went for nothing."
"It would have been worth it, sir. If I stay away from the Peacock, I shouldn't get any worse."
"I hope you're right. Too many lives have been destroyed for this."
As dusk fell, Marinette transformed and traveled by yo-yo to Master Fu's apartment. Landing in an alley, she de-transformed and went up the stairs. She knocked on the door and waited. She was about to knock again when she heard a light thumping on the other side of the door. When it opened, she gasped at the sight that greeted her. "Master Fu, are you OK?"
The Guardian was dressed in his usual Hawaiian shirt and slacks, but instead of his cane, he had a crutch. His left ankle was haphazardly bandaged. He was clearly limping and not willing to put any weight on his left side. "I… tripped today while working around the apartment. It is nothing major."
Marinette swooped underneath his left side and helped him maneuver to the floor mat, where she supported him as he sat down. "It doesn't look not major, Master. Can I get you anything?"
"I am fine, Marinette. Please, sit down. We have a lot to cover in a short amount of time." He picked up the tablet next to him and began swiping through the pages of the grimoire. "We will start with the code that the grimoire is written in. It resembles Chinese, but the language is actually much older than that. Now, repeat after me…"
"Gabriel, it is wonderful to be meeting with you again tonight for dinner. What is the occasion?"
Kagami handed the box of pastries to Nathalie, who went to place it in the kitchen. "Will Adrien be attending?"
"Thank you for coming on short notice, Mrs. Tsurugi and Kagami. I promise to make it worth your while. As for Adrien, he is… indisposed at the moment. Please, sit down."
The Tsurugis sat down at the table. Kagami pulled out her phone and started tapping.
[Kagami] Your father says you're sick. Is everything okay?
Adrien was in his room, staring at the ceiling. He listlessly looked at the incoming message and jumped. "Plagg! Kagami talked to my father? What's going on?"
[Adrien] I'm a bit under the weather, but nothing too serious. When did you talk to him?
[Kagami] Just now. Mother is here for another "fun" dinner meeting.
Adrien paused, thinking hard. What on earth would the Tsurugis be doing here? This is the second time in a week. I know she's on the board and everything, but I can't think of anything urgent that would require a meeting. Maybe it's some cultural thing I don't know about.
[Kagami] Can I come up after dinner?
[Adrien] Probably not. Don't want to get you sick too.
I *really* don't want to deal with Kagami. She's nice and everything, but she's so direct, she could be a fashion photographer! I'd rather not be pushed right now.
[Kagami] You can't get rid of me that easily :) I'll keep you company over text message at least and let you know what's going on down here. Hang on, dinner is being served…
"Well, at least I'll have an idea of what this dinner is about." Adrien checked his door to make sure his improvised barricade was still secure, then turned on the television to play some Ultimate Mecha Strike III.
"The code doesn't change from page to page?"
"No, Marinette. It's an ancient language, not a cipher. The secrets that it contains are important, but the language is old enough that anybody untrained who tried to decipher it wouldn't get very far."
"OK, I guess that makes sense. So there's the kwami healing spell… what purpose does that serve? And how do kwamis get sick or injured, anyway?"
"Kwamis can't get sick in the same way that you or I can get sick. They require a certain amount of energy to maintain their bond to the Miraculous, so any time they have to tap into that energy, they risk being weakened or cut off from the Miraculous entirely. For example, when you brought Tikki here the first time, she was shivering and weak. This was because she had used extra energy helping you fight a water battle in the river and in the rain. This is also why you use that potion to power her up for water, ice, or fire battles."
"So rather than healing her like a doctor would heal her, we were… refocusing energy?"
"Very good, Marinette. We were tapping into the latent creative energy in the universe and using it to strengthen Tikki's energy reserves."
"So with Nooroo… we were working with the energy of… Generosity?"
"That is also correct, Marinette."
Marinette hummed. "Are there any side effects to using this energy? If balance must be maintained in all things, then surely there must be something noticeable happening."
"It's questions like these that help me know for a fact I correctly chose the next Guardian," chuckled Fu. "Yes, there are side effects. Usually, there is an increase in the immediate area of the concept. For example, when we healed Tikki, somebody else in the apartment building probably felt a burst of inspiration. Incidentally, that is why Tikki pairs exceptionally well with artists."
"Are there any other spells or incantations?"
"There are, but the healing spell is the most powerful one. It is at the foundation of all work with kwamis, since it strengthens their energy. The other incantation, the one that you know of, is the wish when you combine the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous. That is outlined in the grimoire, and must only be used with the most extreme care."
"Dinner was fantastic, Gabriel. Now, please tell me the purpose of this urgent meeting."
Gabriel dabbed at his mouth with his napkin and smiled. "There have been some… interesting developments over the weekend that will require my taking a leave of absence from the company. Normally, something like this would require approval from the board of directors at large, however, since it is just myself, you, and Audrey Bourgeois, we will outvote her if she objects." He paused. "You will be at the helm of the company until I return."
"Gabriel, do not tell me that you are leaving your fashion empire completely?"
"This is only a brief leave of absence, I assure you."
"Why me? I'm honored and flattered, of course, but why not Mrs. Bourgeois?"
"Audrey is not in Paris one hundred percent of the time. You have that advantage. You are also spearheading our latest venture into Japan. It makes sense that you take full control while that is planned and executed."
"I… accept. I hope that I can fulfill your expectations and the expectations of the Gabriel customers."
Gabriel turned and whispered something to Nathalie, who got up and left the table. While dessert was being served, Kagami got out her phone and started sending a text. Nobody noticed the indecipherable smile that had found its way onto Mrs. Tsurugi's face. She bit into the peach tart and the tight smile became wider and wider until it nearly split her face in two.
[Kagami] Apparently your father is stepping down for a bit. Mother is in charge for the time being.
Adrien read the text message, then read it again and again until it made sense. The backlash from Serket must have gotten to him. Either that, or there's something else going on. I'm not really sure I care too much either way… now that Hawk Moth is out of the picture, he's not a threat anymore. And I refuse to let him control me.
[Adrien] Interesting. Hopefully your mother still wants to use me as a model :)
[Kagami] Is that all you think about? What about what we talked about… doing things for yourself? Besides, mother likes you just fine. She thinks you are very well-mannered. She'll take my word for it that you're pretty.
Umm… "pretty"? OK…
[Adrien] Thank you? And I'm working on the stuff for myself. Baby steps, one thing at a time
[Kagami] You need a bigger push. Tuesday night. Be ready.
[Kagami] More later. Back to dinner.
"I think we have covered everything we need to cover. You will need to practice, of course. Here is a copy of the grimoire for you to study when you get home." Master Fu handed Marinette a flash drive. "I do not need to tell you how important this is."
"Of course, Master. Thank you." She put the flash drive in her purse and got up to leave.
"Marinette… wait." Fu Wang closed his eyes and pictured Marianne's peridot gaze urging him to share his truth. If I don't tell her now, I won't ever tell her. "I think it's time for me to tell you more about the destruction of the Temple of the Guardians. This is not a story many people know. I hope you can learn something from it."
Marinette waited patiently for Fu to continue.
"I was a Scholar at the Temple. I had spent my time studying and learning the secrets of the kwami and the code of the grimoire. I was, all modesty aside, the best the Order had seen in a long time. There were whispers about me being the next Guardian at a very early age. You understand, that is a lot of pressure."
Marinette nodded.
"The Warriors of the Temple were jealous of young, frail Wang. I was so terrible at fight training that I was almost kicked out of the Order. It was my talent as a Scholar that saved me. But as a result of that, I was constantly tormented and belittled. Nothing that the Masters and Guardian could stop - just a series of minor inconveniences that made my time there miserable and lonely. My only friends were this grimoire… and Sass."
"The Snake kwami?"
"The same. While you have met the kwamis briefly, my training as Guardian involved spending extended time with each of them individually to best get to know them. Sass became my confidant and my advisor.
"When I was made Guardian on my thirtieth birthday, I was determined to change the ways of the Order. No more would there be division amongst the Warriors and the Scholars. No other child would go through the same things I went through. I immediately abolished the Warriors and Scholars, chose new Masters from the top students of each, and went to work.
"It was too big a change, too quickly. There was rebellion. The Warriors who felt slighted immediately rose up and attempted to reclaim the Miracle Box as their own. They felt that I was overstepping my bounds as the Guardian, even though they had spent almost their entire lives training to protect me and swear their allegiance to me. Since I was alone, the Scholars were reluctant to assist me, but they fulfilled their obligation to keep the Guardian safe.
"They were no match for the Warriors and were quickly cut down. There was one Warrior who was determined to reach me. I was sequestered with the Miracle Box and a copy of the grimoire in a secret passage between the Guardian's chambers and the outside world. I panicked. I removed the Snake Miraculous and put the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous on. I recited the incantation for the wish as best as I could remember. I wanted everything to go away and return to normal.
"Either I was too broad in my wish or I did not get the incantation right. The Temple of the Order of the Guardians was destroyed and buried, killing everyone inside. I was very lucky to escape with the Miracle Box and my life. The grimoire was lost during my travels. I mourned it, but did not search too much for it as I considered it karmic repayment for my error."
"Is that what happened to the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous as well, Master?"
"Sadly, no. Other students were working to get to know Nooroo and Duusu as I was getting to know Sass. I was unable to retrieve their Miraculous before the destruction of the temple. I was able to track them to Paris, but was forced to go into hiding almost a century ago. I was attempting to give out the Ladybug Miraculous to prevent the War that was coming, but was found out by spies who wanted the power of the Miraculous for themselves. I've been living here under an assumed name ever since. You're the first Ladybug in a long time."
Marinette smiled. "How did you track the Miraculous to Paris?"
"Miraculous have a natural affinity for one another. I'm shocked that they weren't destroyed along with the temple, to be honest. I wandered the world, attempting to help out where I could, and the magic behind the Miraculous led me here."
"So the Miraculous have been in Paris for at least that time, then."
"At least, yes. I do not know how they got here, and one day I might find out. Nooroo is too weak to answer questions still, and if he was dormant for most of that time, then it is likely he does not remember. That is not my priority, though. Right now all my remaining energy needs to go into training you."
"You are doing a great job, Master."
"I'm glad you think so, Marinette. And here is the final lesson for the evening: When you choose a Miraculous holder, please be very considerate of the kwami's personality. Because I spent so long with Sass, I became influenced by him. He is responsible, but persuasive. The fact that he is also the kwami of Temptation can be a dangerous combination in the wrong hands."