The Wicked
Chapter Six: Desolation
Touching down upon a rooftop come nightfall, her legs gracefully absorbing the shock of the impact, a young woman dressed in orange, white, and black stood tall as the wind blew her dull-crimson and orange-and-white-streaked hair and the fox-tail coattail that descended to her upper-ankles and stemmed from a cloak-like attachment forming at a point at the center of her breast and dividing in half to form a pelt-like cover atop her shoulders. Standing atop black, skin-tight stiletto boots coming to a point above her knees, Alya opened her glistening greenish-hazel eyes through a slim, black domino mask, clenched her hands into fists within her black elbow-length gloves that came to a point leading into her orange sleeve, the ring and middle fingers orange on their insides. Every muscle felt tighter, stronger, every joint more flexible, all senses heightened, and her resolved strengthened. Glancing down at herself, the young woman saw the orange utility belt around her waist hold a matching flute forged from an unbreakable wood-like material over the white patch running from her lower tummy to her upper chest and ended in a black swan-necked collar about her mid-neck. Her figure was accentuated and toned under the mantle of the fox Miraculous, allowing her to see past her self-imposed shame. Alya then lifted her left arm to gaze upon the energized armband that now housed her Kwami.
Having accepted the fox Miraculous from the elderly man, Alya immediately felt the weight of fear and self-doubt fall upon her weary shoulders. Tikki didn't give her a choice, and Marinette was suffering so horribly. Things were different then. Surely, she believed, had he known her flaws and weaknesses, he would never have chosen her to become a Miraculous. Looking around, the young woman saw she was alone. Her heart began to pound as she forced herself to don the armband, forging an immediate connection between Alya and the Kwami dwelling within the fox Miraculous.
With an almost feline yawn, a small, orange and black fox-like creature bearing nine little tails materialized from its sacred resting place. Uncurling its body, the fox Kwami opened her large, blue eyes and gazed deeply into the eyes of her new partner. "Hello, Alya," she spoke in a familiar yet childlike voice. "I've been waiting for you for so long. I'm Trixx, the spirit of the fox Miraculous. If you'll accept me, I'll stay by your side until the very end, and teach you how to truly become Volpina."
"Volpina," Alya repeated with sorrow in her voice. "That's the name Lila used when she was akumatized."
"I don't know who that is," Trixx replied. "You're the one I've been waiting for, Alya. I know you're scared, and you're probably doubting whether or not you're worthy…But I'm here to tell you that you're more than worthy! I need you, Alya. Your friends need you too. They might not know it yet, but your powers can reveal the truth."
"But Lila's powers only created illusions…" Alya continued to doubt. "Lies."
"Stop comparing yourself to this Lila girl!" Trixx angrily cried out. "You're not her! And she's not you! You're not a liar, Alya. Yeah, you've had to lie to the ones you love, but it's all to protect them. You're not doing it for your own gain. Besides, your heart is true. You truly love those around you. You look down on yourself because of how you cope with your problems, that you don't have powers of your own, and that you had to watch while the others did the fighting…but you've always been a hero, Alya. Even if you didn't have superpowers, you spread the word, called for help, risked your life, and stood up for what was right. Those are the things that make you a hero."
Her eyes glossed over with tears, Alya finally found it within herself to smile and agree with her Kwami. "…Okay," she decided. "Let's go save our friends."
"Just call, 'Trixx, Let's Pounce!'" the Kwami happily instructed her new friend.
"Trixx, Let's Pounce!" Alya repeated as she raised her left fist and proudly displayed her Miraculous. Smiling with deep satisfaction and the joy of a precious new bond, the Kwami merged with her Miraculous and felt Alya's heartbeat as her own.
Immediately enveloped in a warm, glistening stream of endless orange energy, the young woman felt her eyes awaken to new light as her clothing faded to shreds to allow the Miraculous Light to wrap around her body. The wonderful sense of being surrounded by a light and a power that was all her own washed over Alya's body and soul as she felt herself transcend all that she used to be. "This is it," she thought, overcome with joy, as if touched by the angels themselves. "This is destiny!"
Digging her long, nearly blade-like claws into the slate rooftop she had perched on, a female more animalistic than human let out a snarling sigh before flaring her canine nostrils and sniffing for the scent she had been given. Her slim yet muscular feminine body covered entirely in long, dark, muddy-brownish-orange and black fur resembling the pelt of a wolf and draped in a black and reddish-brown mockery of the Akumatized Volpina's costume, the beast scanned the area with focused, green, feline eyes as her long, thick, grizzly brunette hair blew like the mane of a lion behind her tensed, muscular back. The mark of the Akuma was embedded upon her face in red fur, her long, thin tail swishing back and forth as she searched for the one she loved.
"Find him, Volpina," Hawk Moth ordered, though his agony threatened to silence him forever more. "Bring Adrien to me. Bring him home."
Standing behind her suffering friend, Nathalie kept her eyes on her tablet as she searched the city for any trace of her beloved charge. The welt on her cheek still felt hot, even in the icy embrace of Hawk Moth's dark lair.
Adrien, Lila's natural, gentle voice begged inside her bestial form. My love. Tell me where you are. Letting out a loud whimper, the Akumatized continued to drag its face through the dirt, desperately hoping to pick up Adrien's scent. Much to her pain, Lila was fully aware of how hideous she had become. Adrien could never love a animal, much less a monster, like her.
Standing alone in her bedroom, Lila closed her eyes and opened her arms to receive the Akuma. She still bore the false charm meant to be the fox Miraculous about her neck, just as the Akuma remembered. Though she was afraid, the young woman remembered the sweet embrace of darkness as it filled her with power, revealed her truth to her mind, and eliminated every one of her flaws. Hawk Moth's voice had evolved from a lingering phantom in bad dreams to a soothing, fatherly whisper of reassurance. Preparing her mind, body, and soul for the transformation, Lila kept Adrien close to her heart, all the while allowing her growing hatred for Marinette, Ladybug, and Chat Noir to fester within her thoughts. At last, the Akuma merged with her fox-tail necklace, and Lila's eyes opened as the mark of the Akuma formed around them and her body took in a deep gasp of air.
However, the pleasure quickly died as a deep, agonizing fire began to burn within the young woman. Falling to her knees, Lila felt her body begin to quake as a terrible coldness washed over her shoulders, even as she clenched them with her trembling hands. The pain was like nothing she had ever experienced, and she could not contain her screams of terror and turmoil as a greater darkness seemed to ravage her mind and body from the inside.
"No!" Hawk Moth cried out as his creation became distorted and obscene before his helpless eyes. "I…can't control…"
"Oh, God, no," Lila begged within desperate gasps. Her bones felt as if they were being charred, until the shifting and growth began. "Please, no…" Feeling her legs bend abnormally, the young woman let out a cry of pain as her toes devolved into thick, clawed paws like those of a lioness. Every muscle throbbed with a hideous tension as they began to take on unnatural shape and form. Spreading her fingers as they slowly grew into claws, Lila desperately reached out with her right arm, as if trying to take Hawk Moth's hand. "Help meee!" she screamed through her raw throat. "Nooo!"
"Sir, what's happening to her?" Nathalie cried out.
Smashing through her bedroom window like rice paper, the savage, fox-like being that still bore resemblance to Lila Rossi leapt into the night snarling and snorting with primal desire and a terrible, lingering pain. "Adrien!" she roared in a voice so deeply distorted and deepened it scarcely resembled Lila's. "Adrien, I will find you! For you, I'll endure anything!"
Falling to his knees, Hawk Moth closed his eyes, no longer able to understand what he was doing, or what was becoming of the hellish yet reliable reality he once clung to. "Nathalie…say no more," he ordered in Gabriel's voice. "Please, just…just hold me." His corrupted Miraculous form fading, Gabriel Agreste leaned his weary, throbbing head against his assistant's stomach and felt her soft hands gently cradle his head and stroke his hair, just as Emilie once did. "Forgive me…"
"Are you sure about this, M'Lady?" Chat Noir asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.
"I am," Ladybug answered without an ounce of doubt in her voice. "Don't look at it as destroying anything…See where we are, and where we need to be. Undo the chains that are keeping us from the world. Listen to my voice, Chat. Trust yourself. You're not a weapon…You're the answer to our prayers. Set us free, Chat."
Closing his eyes, Chat Noir saw the enchanted chains binding Adrien and Marinette together. Gazing down at his hand, he saw the dark energy of Destruction flow around each finger. Letting out a healing breath, the young hero clenched his hand into a fist and watched as the dark orb flowing with power was stripped away to reveal an orb of white light. Slowly touching his energy-laced hand to the chains, Chat watched as each link separated and reshaped itself until the entire structure became a door. Stepping forward, Adrien gently opened the door to let a rush of pure, white light flow all around him.
Opening his eyes, Chat Noir looked down to see the chains lying on the ground around him, and Ladybug standing above him with both hands open. "You did it," she lovingly declared. "You're not a weapon, Adrien. You were sent from God."
Unable to speak, the blond-haired young man slowly stood on his own two feet, inched forward, and collapsed against his partner, his arms wrapping lovingly around her back as an overwhelming sense of relief washed over him. All the years of fear, pain, and doubt flowed away like mud being cleansed by a waterfall. "Thank you for believing in me," he gasped out.
"…Hey, you've done the same for me," Ladybug answered, her natural charm and humor returning. "We'd better get out of here, and quietly." The dark-haired young woman placed her arm around Chat's shoulder and anchored herself to him as she hobbled forward. "I just need a little more time to heal."
"It's not a problem," the feline Miraculous warmly declared as he slowly walked his friend forward. "Still, this whole thing tears me up, thinking that they'd do those things to us on their own."
"I'm not sure if that's the case," Ladybug replied as she quietly opened the door leading out into the city. "They might think they're in control, but if the Akuma is still inside of them…"
"But you purified them," Chat interrupted without meaning to. "How could they still have it inside of them?"
"Maybe it's because I didn't open my eyes to my powers," the young woman suggested. "But, if Hawk Moth doesn't take notice of them, maybe there's more to the Akuma than even he knows. Do you remember what you said when I was akumatized? About him losing control?" Chat Noir nodded his head. "Maybe he was never really in control to begin with."
"That doesn't make me feel any better," the blond answered with a slight chuckle, if only to help himself cope. Stepping outside, the moon above them a sharp crescent, the two Miraculous breathed in fresh air for the first time in so long. "And how are we gonna stop him, once and for all?"
"I'm not sure of that yet," Ladybug confessed. "For now, we save our old friends. My leg's just about healed."
Suddenly, a growl as loud as thunder tore through the night's sky, causing both of the heroes to look up. "Ladybug," a deep female voice snarled. "And her pet cat…I've been waiting for this for so long."
"Who's there?" Ladybug demanded as she searched for the source of the inhuman voice.
"And I'm nobody's pet!" Chat added as his feline eyes pierced the darkness but found nothing. The sound of a forceful lunge and an incoming object caused the feline Miraculous to jolt, taking his partner with him just as a dark figure smashed the cement ground they had been standing on.
Ladybug and Chat Noir quickly returned to their feet, though Ladybug's left leg was still weak, and watched their newest foe reveal herself under the dim light of a streetlamp: Her fur long and coarse, her muscles tense, claws and fangs extruding, and her eyes growing red as her heavy, furious breaths lifted and depressed her chest, the Akumatized focused in on those she hated with a dark passion.
"Wow, looks like the animal look is really In this season," Chat Noir joked as he flared his claws.
"Who are you?" Ladybug demanded as she extended the wire of her yo-yo. "You work for Hawk Moth, don't you?"
"Aw, have you two forgotten me?" the beast answered with humor in her voice. "I was the strongest and most beautiful hero you two frauds ever dealt with." Ladybug and Chat looked at one another as their question was slowly answered. "I am Volpina. Tell me where Adrien Agreste is, and I'll give you a head-start after I've taken your Miraculous."
"My god," Ladybug gasped.
"Lila?" Chat Noir called out. "What's happened to you?"
"Lila, something's wrong," the dark-haired young woman cried out. "Hawk Moth isn't who you think he is. The Akuma's in control now. You've got to fight it!"
"On second thought, I'll find Adrien on my own," the Akumatized decided. "I'll send the two of you to Hell!"
Lila charged forward, prepared for a killing strike. However, before she could reach her targets, the sound of a flute blew through the air, and a blaze of light erupted from the sky and blinded her long enough for Ladybug to grab her by the shoulder and smash her into the side of a nearby building. Looking up at the source of the light, the two Miraculous watched as an orange-clad woman gracefully descended to the battered ground beside them.
"Another Volpina?" Chat asked as he carefully studied the mysterious figure before him.
"No, the one true Volpina," the newest Miraculous answered. "Keep your tongue off the floor, Chat Noir."
"…Alya?" Ladybug saw through her friend's fading façade, just as Alya wished. "No! …But, how did…"
"He told me he'd tell you two when this is over," Volpina answered with new strength in her voice. "I know you didn't want me to be a part of this life, but sometimes we don't have a choice. I'll be okay, my Ladybird." Though her heart silently shattered, Ladybug clenched her fist and agreed with her friend. "But I still owe the two of you a slap for leaving me out, not to mention the time it took me to find you."
"Alya…Volpina…" the ladybug Miraculous corrected herself. "How did…"
"Let's just say you two really suck at covering your trail," the red-haired young woman interrupted. "…She's getting back up!"
The three Miraculous turned and faced their opponent as she returned to her feet. Her eyes focusing in on Volpina, Lila felt her heart begin to pound as her rage grew. "You bastard!" she roared. "You took the fox Miraculous from me!"
"It was never yours to begin with, Lila," Volpina called back, struggling to maintain her composure against such a monstrous creature. "Hawk Moth lied to you."
"But it's not too late to stop this," Ladybug added. "Tell us where he is, Lila. We can take this from you. You can finally be a real hero."
"No!" the beast screamed, spewing saliva from her mouth. "The two of you only know how to hurt and lie. I'll be the one to save Adrien. The two of you gave up on him long ago, didn't you?"
"Adrien is safe, I swear," Chat called out. "Lila, this isn't you. He wouldn't have wanted this for you, anyway."
Lila spat and lowered herself onto all fours before charging forward. Gulping, Alya tried to channel the powerful woman she became while wearing the ladybug Miraculous. Suddenly, the feeling of Trixx's embrace filled her with strength. Before the Akumatized could reach them, the Miraculous jumped into the air, enabling Chat Noir to strike her down with his staff. Collapsing onto her belly, Lila quickly began to rise to her feet, only for Ladybug's yo-yo to wrap around her arms and chest. Volpina, Chat Noir, and Ladybug hit the ground, Chat sticking the landing while Ladybug leaned on her ally, who stumbled upon impact.
"I'm guessing the Akuma's in her necklace again," Chat declared as his senses locked onto the girl's neck.
Scrambling back onto her feet, Volpina looked at the incensed, delusional young woman she had briefly considered her friend not so long ago. "Wait," she declared as she held out her arm and stopped her allies from approaching their foe. "You two…you have to go. She won't listen if you two are here…I have to show her she's not the real Volpina."
"We won't let you fight her alone," Ladybug exclaimed with deep concern in her voice.
"You're not strong enough yet," Chat Noir added, his concern matching his partner's.
"It's not about being strong," Volpina declared, her voice strong even as her heart pounded with fear. "…It's about the truth. Go!"
As the young woman walked forward, Ladybug looked to Chat Noir, nodded her head, and called her yo-yo back. "If you get hurt, I'll never forgive you," she called out before she and Chat Noir jumped into the darkness of the night.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Chat asked of his partner as they settled atop a nearby building out of the Akumatized's sight.
"No, I'm not," Ladybug answered. "But I have to trust her. If anyone can do this, it's Alya."
"How'd she get a Miraculous, though?" the blond young man replied. "I thought all but ours and Hawk Moth's were lost."
"I guess we were wrong," the young woman answered. "This just got a lot more complicated."
"Lila, I don't wanna fight you," Volpina called out as her opponent rose to her feet. "Please, we can talk this out."
"I don't know who you are, but I should be the only Volpina!" the beast snarled. "It's my right! I deserve to be the hero Paris prayed for!"
"Enough of this!" Hawk Moth roared in his pawn's ear. "Find Adrien Agreste! I'll forsake the Miraculous for him!"
Growling from the depths of her throat, Lila felt the mark of the Akuma shine around her eyes. "Nobody loves Adrien more than I do…but she has to die," Lila sharply declared. From his rooftop, Chat Noir tried in vain to pretend he hadn't heard his failed lover's words.
"Lila, you're in pain," Volpina called out. "Hawk Moth doesn't care about you. You know that. Whatever he wants with Adrien, it'll only hurt him, and you. Please, he's safe with us. Please don't be this."
"Shut up!" Lila howled before charging forward and smashing her forearm into Volpina's shoulder, knocking her into a metal wall that buckled upon impact.
Volpina let out a loud groan as her arm began to throb. Still, she recovered and stood her ground. "I don't want to hurt you," she called out. "You've been hurt a lot, I know. But this isn't the way. If you kill us, you'll never escape the pain. Hawk Moth won't set you free. Please, open your eyes!" Lila snarled as her mouth rose into a sinister smile. Realizing her words had no meaning, the young woman quickly pulled her flute from its holster and blew into its reed.
"Lila, stop!" Adrien cried out, causing the Akumatized to turn away from her nemesis and face him. The young man's eyes were filled with sorrow and compassion as he slowly stepped forward. "Lila, look what Hawk Moth has done to you…Please, don't let him turn you into this."
"Adrien…" Lila gasped with joy as tears formed in her eyes. "My love. I've been through so much pain…I forgive you for everything."
"Then give up the Akuma, Lila," Adrien pleaded. "We can work everything out."
"…You know that I can't," the Akumatized began to sob. "This is all I have left. There's nothing…" Her nostrils flaring, Lila caught nothing resembling Adrien's scent in the air. "No! How did…" Snapping the fox-tail necklace's chain, Volpina quickly pulled it back and jumped back onto the ground. "Please, no! I'm begging you! Don't…"
"I'm sorry, Lila," Volpina sorrowfully declared as she crushed the charm in her palm and released the Akuma into the air.
As her powers quickly began to fade, Lila looked forward to see the hideous thing she had become staring back at her. Gasping in terror, the young woman touched her coarse, fur-covered cheek to confirm her reflection was true. "Let it go, Lila," Volpina gently spoke up. "Let Volpina go…Just be yourself."
Lila fell to her knees and began to openly sob. The pain still burned within her bones, but she couldn't let go of her beautiful lie. "…But I'm nothing without Volpina," she choked out.
"That's not true," the fox Miraculous sharply declared as she stepped closer to her friend and crouched down to eye-level with her. "Lila, you're a sweet, caring girl. You've never been able to see the good in yourself because you're so afraid of the bad. You don't have to hide behind lies anymore…Let them go." Volpina gently stroked her fingers through Lila's hair as it began to return to its natural state.
High above the two, Ladybug purified the Akuma, fully releasing Lila from Hawk Moth's sway, while Chat Noir descended to the ground behind a neighboring building and returned to his human form.
"No one will forgive me," Lila sobbed as Volpina cradled her head in her arms. "They'll never stop hating me."
"Those are lies your fear and guilt told you, Lila," the fox Miraculous answered. "Don't listen to them."
"I'm so sorry I tried to become you," the Italian young woman whispered as her heavy, reddened eyes slowly began to close. "I'm so sorry for what I tried to do…"
"We all forgive you, Lila," Volpina warmly whispered as she stroked the girl's hair. "Forgive yourself."
As Lila fully returned to her natural and beautiful form, her hair fell against her naked back as she curled into a fetal position on the cold ground, her head resting in the Miraculous' arms. Suddenly, she felt something warm, like a blanket, cover her back. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Lila," Adrien's sweet voice whispered.
"I'm sorry too," Ladybug added as she stepped beside her friends. "Lila, I thought I was protecting you by casting you away, but I see now that I abandoned you. Please, forgive me."
"…I forgive all of you," Lila answered as her eyes began to shut. "The truth is, I made the mistake. I'm sorry it took me so long to see that."
As the long-suffering young woman finally fell asleep, Ladybug opened her yo-yo, closed her eyes, and held it out in front of Lila's face. The world suddenly grew brighter as a beautiful white light washed over the brunette and cleansed her wounds and wiped away her tears. "I forgive everything you've done," the ladybug Miraculous declared as the light drew tears from her eyes. Once her work was done, the dark-haired Miraculous picked up the young woman she no longer considered an enemy, and prepared to return her to her home.
A drop of blood fell from the sky and splattered atop the roof above the Miraculous and Hawk Moth's victim. His teeth stained by the same blood, Kim allowed a devilish smile to form upon his withered face. "Found you," he whispered. "Now, come to us…"
Closing the window to the city, Hawk Moth hung his head in shame and failure. "First my Emilie…" he lamented in deep sorrow. "Now my only child…Who could ever forgive me? When I find you, Ladybug, I will kill you myself. And my wife and son will be the ones guiding my blade."