This chapter seemed out to get me. I could barely think of anything, I got easily distracted, I didn't quite like the fact that it was really bound to what I had set up in Descent 10... and it got too long and I cut a scene to the next chapter (which means I have starting content for it, hooray). I still like how this is wrapping it up, though, and I hope y'all like it, too. Enjoy!
Chapter Three
Lichkaiser, Part Three
Ladybug swung over the rooftops, silently thanking the luck of the universe that Kagami had been easy to find and hadn't gotten possessed. Small clouds of Lichkaiser's green smoke were starting to drift further away from the villain, not quite enough to take over anyone, but certainly enough to scare people. Ladybug had sent Ryuko to catch up with the other heroes as she went to find the last hero she would need.
"Marc!" she called out, swinging down into the empty Place de Vosges. The young author in question glanced up, shutting his notebook.
"Ladybug? Is something wrong?" he asked.
Ladybug blinked in surprise. "Um… yeah? We're dealing with a very powerful supervillain, and I need you to defeat him. He's already taken down three of our team and I'm willing to guess that one of the Darks succumbed to him, too."
Marc glanced aside sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Are you sure? I mean, there's gotta be other people who would be better for the job than me. I'm not exactly superhero material…"
"Are you sure? What about your good-guy Reverser in your comic with Nathaniel? Isn't he just you with superpowers?"
"It's more than that…" Marc said apprehensively.
"You've proven that you know how to be a superhero," Ladybug said reassuringly as she reached into her yoyo and pulled out the golden thumb ring. "Now it's time to put that knowledge into action. Here is the Miraculous of the Rooster, which grants the power of Pretension. You will use it for the greater good…"
"Do I give it back once I'm done with it?" he asked.
Ladybug smirked. "You'll get to keep it as a member of the team. Do you accept it?"
"What exactly does its power do?"
"Basically you'll be able to choose a super ability that you might need."
Marc's eyes went wide as he considered the possibilities. "Okay," he said slowly as he placed the ring on his left thumb. Orikko flashed into existence in orange light before zipping in front of Marc.
"Hi! I'm Orikko. To transform, just say, 'Orikko, Sunrise!'" the kwami said quickly. Marc repeated the phrase, cloaked in reddish-orange light as his costume materialized around him. A fire-red gold-accented tailcoat covered his midnight blue bodysuit. Feathers swept behind him like a tail and across his chest under a red ascot. Golden rooster-like boots replaced his sneakers. A red mask covered his face. His hair changed to a red mohawk. His quill was strapped to his arm.
"Nice look," Ladybug commented. Marc smiled back. "Thanks. And call me Rooster Bold."
"Cool. We need to meet up with the others…" her yoyo pinged before she could finish her thought. "It's from Cat Noir," she explained absently before answering the ping. "Yes, kitty?"
"Hey, m'lady…" Cat Noir said slowly. "Listen, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is we found Lichkaiser and our teammates under his control."
"And the bad news?"
"The bad news is that Lichkaiser's army has grown even bigger, no mind controlled Darks are anywhere to be found, and Lichkaiser's living up to his name. He's raised a skeleton army."
Ladybug forced down some of her dread. "He's by the Catacombs, isn't he?" she asked. The grim affirmation of her partner didn't ease her in the slightest. "Okay. Give us ten minutes and we'll be there. In the meantime, hold your positions and see if he does anything, but don't engage. Got it?"
"Got it," he replied. "See you in a bit."
"See you," she said before hanging up. Rooster Bold glanced over at her, a grim look across his face. "The Catacombs, huh?" he asked. "First mission and I'm already dealing with a big boss."
"Don't worry," Ladybug said reassuringly. "I've got it all planned out, and I'll debrief everyone when we get there. C'mon, let's go. We can't keep the others waiting." With that, she took Rooster Bold's hand and swung across the Parisian skyline in the direction of the Catacombs.
"Oh…" Ladybug gasped once she and Rooster Bold caught up with the rest of the team on a nearby rooftop, finally seeing the scope of Lichkaiser's army. The enthralled civilians, his three corrupted heroes, and an uncountable number of reanimated skeletons wandered the darkened, ethereal green smoke-choked streets, not straying too far from their master.
"Yep," Cat Noir said as he stepped over towards her. "He's lived up to the first part of his name. And we're still not sure if we can get in the mist without getting mind-controlled, which seriously limits our options of attack."
"Lichkaiser mentioned something about 'grief, pain, and suffering' when he took over Purple Tigress, so maybe that's how he gets you?" Ladybug suggested, slightly shuddering as she recalled the fight. "But I think I've got a counter for it. Everyone, this is Rooster Bold." She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Rooster Bold waved nervously.
"He's our secret weapon," Ladybug continued. "Once he's done what he needs to do, Ryuko will gather up all the smoke Lichkaiser's created and let Carapace trap it all in a shield. Cat Noir will have the Snake powers on hand and he'll be ready to undo anything that goes wrong. All we'll need to do then is find Lichkaiser's akuma and free everyone he's taken over. Got it?"
"Sounds like a plan," Rena Rouge confirmed. "But what if the Darks show up?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Ladybug answered. Then she glanced over at Cat Noir's grim expression. "What's the matter, kitty?"
"Oh! Nothing," he replied, flashing one of his signature smiles. Ladybug immediately sensed something was indeed the matter. "Just letting my imagination get the better of me, that's all."
"Okay…" Ladybug said, not quite convinced. Then she turned to the rest of the team. "Let's go, guys. Rooster Bold, since you can choose your power, give yourself the power to purify the evil from Lichkaiser's smoke."
"Sublimation!" Rooster Bold commanded, surrounding himself in a pale haze. "I'll go first, just to be sure." With that, he leapt into the emerald cloud, disappearing into darkness. A few seconds passed without much change in the cloud.
"Is he…" Vesperia began before the mist nearest to the heroes turned pure white and started spreading, almost overwhelming all of Lichkaiser's smoke, save for a black spot that was the villain himself.
"What is this?!" the villain shouted as the rest of his army staggered in the pale mist. "Where are you?!"
"Now, Ryuko!" Ladybug yelled.
The dragon heroine nodded once. "Wind Dragon!" she cried, transforming into a powerful wind that swept around the battlefield like a tornado, pulling all the purified mist and some of the remaining corrupted smoke up into the sky and into a single concentrated orb.
"Carapace!"
"On it! Shell-ter!" Carapace yelled as he shot a shielding beam just outside of the orb, forming the shield just seconds after Ryuko left the mist sphere.
Ladybug turned to Cat Noir. "Okay, kitty. Unify and make sure we don't mess this up."
"Perfect plan, Bugaboo," he replied as he slipped on the Snake bracelet. "Sass, Plagg, Unify!" The livery of Snake Noir overtook his existing costume, then the remaining heroes leapt off the rooftop and landed next to Rooster Bold and a reconstituted Ryuko.
"Second Chance," Snake Noir commanded quietly, setting the rewind.
Lichkaiser snarled angrily. "So, the heroes have decided to impede my efforts once again?" Then his gaze turned to Snake Noir, his snarl turning into a self-satisfied chuckle. "I must say, Adrien, everytime I think you can't get dumber, you fall to a new low. First opposing me and keeping me from bringing my father back, now dressed in that horrible costume? Shameful, especially considering who your father is."
"Adrien?!" the rest of the heroes yelled in shock, half out of surprise, half out of betrayal. Before anything could come of it, Snake Noir clicked the snake head back into place. "Second Chance!" he commanded, resetting the moment in a flash of cyan light, right as Lichkaiser's angry snarl met his ears.
Then Lichkaiser chuckled, and that was the cue Snake Noir needed. "Don't let him say anything! He's about to command his army to attack us!" he yelled as he threw his staff, ricocheting off seven skeletons and reducing them to their bones. The other heroes followed suit, attacking the skeletons that had begun to swarm and shattering them. Right as Lichkaiser was about to throw another orb of smoke, the cleansing air Rooster Bold created leapt out and consumed the smoke as the hero himself, Ryuko, and Snake Noir charged Lichkaiser.
"You're not getting any more of that stuff out there!" Rooster Bold said, dodging one of Lichkaiser's sword strikes and kicking him in the back of the knee. Lichkaiser swung wide, trying to hit him, only for his blade to spark off of Ryuko's sword. Lichkaiser pushed the strike back, only for Snake Noir to catch the sword with his staff and smack the villain himself with his lyre.
"Where's your akuma, Felix?" Snake Noir demanded quietly, quickly glancing at the exposed ring on Lichkaiser's hand. Lichkaiser smirked once. "Try and guess, Adrien," he taunted back, just loud enough for Ryuko and Rooster Bold to hear him. Snake Noir quickly rewound time again before either of them could process the revelation.
Lichkasier's chuckle reached Snake Noir's ears. "His akuma's in his ring! Carapace, hit him with your shield! Vesperia, paralyze him!" he commanded, leaping over the skeletal and corrupted hordes and attacking Lichkaiser directly.
"You heard him!" Ladybug said as the images of the possessed Pigella, Purple Tigress, and Minotaurox appeared in the corner of her eye. "Polymouse, remember what I said before! Turn that worry into fuel to save him!"
"Got it! Multitude!" the mouse heroine commanded, splitting into seven smaller clones and swarming the corrupted heroes. Rena Rouge ran up to Ladybug's side. "Should I make an illusion? Shake them up a little?" she asked.
"Not yet," Ladybug answered. "The Darks haven't shown up yet, which could be very good or extremely bad. But keep it ready."
"Speak of the devil!" Vesperia called out, pointing at a green object swooping down to the battlefield, the great bulk of… something underneath it. Ladybug groaned once. "Oh, great. He took control of Maladea."
"And Maladea has done exactly what was requested of her," Lichkaiser said, a note of soft approval lacing his voice once she landed and her flight powerup dissipated. His thumb caressed her cheek. "You did wonderfully, my dear. You will be rewarded once we have their Miraculouses."
"Thank you, my dark lord," Maladea replied, a ghost of a smile flashing across her lips.
"Oh, Dragonus is going to be so mad if he ever finds out," Carapace muttered. "I'm talking turning into a giant and stomping on you mad."
"I don't fear him," the necromancer supervillain said darkly. "He should fear me, or he will once you are all added to my army."
"We're destroying your army easily!" Rena Rouge shot back. "Why would he be scared?"
"If my mist was on the battlefield, those skeletons would be rebuilding themselves. But I don't need them. I have what I want," Lichkaiser said as he cleaved open what the heroes recognized as a coffin. A mad grin erupted across Lichkaiser's face as he channeled his smoke into the coffin. "Destroy them and take their Miraculouses!" he commanded. Maladea drew her knives and turned towards the heroes.
"You heard the master! Destroy them!" she snarled, leaping towards Ladybug, Rena Rouge, and Snake Noir as the army of enthralled humans followed. Her blades came screaming down on Snake Noir's staff, sparks erupting from the intersection as the blades locked. Maladea's braids whipped out, forcing Ladybug and Rena Rouge to leap away from the attack.
Ladybug somersaulted away from the fight with Maladea and lashed her yoyo at the hand Lichkaiser was using to infuse his emerald smoke into his father's corpse. The capsule end managed to snag his wrist, and before Lichkaiser could free himself, Ladybug pulled as hard as she could, dragging Lichkaiser towards her.
"So, you are eager to join my ranks, Ladybug?!" Lichkaiser demanded. Then a shadow was cast over the battlefield as a titanic figure circled the expanse of the Catacombs before diving down and landing, the impact sending a cloud of dust swirling around the heroes and Lichkaiser's army. The giant rose. Dozens of pairs of eyes widened in shock.
Dharkonicus stood, his massive spear in his left hand and all the hate and rage in the world staring down at Lichkaiser.
"He looks a little different, doesn't he?" Vesperia asked quietly, the sound somehow echoing around the battlefield. Ladybug glanced at Dharkonicus's right side, noting the black and yellow splotches and the salamander gills on his Alphaux leg. Then she noticed the green hornet-shaped right arm, its wings folded along the outside and a hand under the stinger.
"He's changed up his powers!" Ladybug warned. "Be ready, we don't know what he'll do!"
"Here's a hint," Dharkonicus rumbled as he raised his Crocdown leg and brought it down on the smoke-filled coffin, crushing it under his foot and smearing it on the pavement. Then he pointed his spear at Lichkaiser. "You will pay for corrupting my- his girlfriend."
An enraged, inhuman scream erupted from Lichkaiser as he commanded his army to destroy the giant. Dharkonicus only scoffed. "You call that an army? This is an army. Wolves, detonate!"
Dharkonicus flexed his wings, throwing dozens of salamander-wolf hybrids into the air, raining them on the skeletons. The enthralled civilians and Miraculous holders, despite Lichkaiser's control over them, scattered, as did the heroes and Lichkaiser himself. The clones landed on their salamander tail-bombs, detonating on impact and splashing some kind of liquid over the skeletons, freezing them instantly and shattering the bones.
"A little liquid nitrogen for the walking history section!" Dharkonicus declared as he charged towards Lichkaiser, bones crunching under his mismatched feet. He was almost on top of Lichkaiser when the enthralled Maladea flew in front of his face and attempted to strike him, only for his Iapallidus arm to grab her. Maladea struggled in his grip as Dharkonicus sighed.
"Forgive me, my dark princess," he said, his voice full of regret as he leveled his stinger at her. "But this is for your own good. Toxin." He jabbed the tip of the stinger into her torso and gently placed her in the middle of a flat rooftop, not looking as she stumbled and fell.
"Illusion. Now," Ladybug said quickly. Rena Rouge nodded, conjuring the image of Lichkaiser running from the fight. "Hopefully Dharkonicus goes after him," Rena Rouge muttered.
Dharkonicus seemed to hear her words, as he did the exact opposite, lunging for Snake Noir and grabbing him with his hornet arm. "And to make sure you don't undo my actions, kitten…" he said darkly as his Iapallidus arm gripped the wrist with the Snake Miraculous and clicked the bracelet twice. "Time Lock." Then he threw Snake Noir to the ground.
Ladybug raced over to Snake Noir as he divided his powers and took off the bracelet. "You okay, kitty?" she asked as she took the bracelet and helped him up. Cat Noir coughed once before giving her a weak grin. "Yeah, bugaboo. I've still got a few lives left. Just have to hope-"
"Dharkonicus broke the illusion!" Rena Rouge yelled, interrupting their conversation. "He's headed after Lichkaiser!"
Lichkaiser chuckled as he rolled away from Dharkonicus's spear and caught Ladybug and Cat Noir's looks. "I must admit, this is a tad more difficult than I thought. How are you and your girlfriend supposed to defeat him, me, and save everyone, Adrien?"
"Adrien?!" the heroes yelped in shock. Ladybug threw a betrayed glare at her partner. "He knows?! And you didn't tell me?!"
"I thought you understood! I told you he got Sentibug out of the room!"
"How was I supposed to-? Never mind," she said, steepling her fingers. "We'll talk about this later."
"Ooh, drama," Dharkonicus taunted, a lilt in his voice. Then he cleared his throat. "Buzzlord, we need to have a serious talk about you taking over our voice. For now, just don't."
"Trouble in paradise?" Lichkaiser taunted as he rolled away from another stab. "I would have imagined a giant bent on my destruction would be a little more unified!"
"We're united enough," Dharkonicus growled as he raised his spear and brought it plunging down. Lichkaiser rolled away again, only to get kicked and nearly bitten by the crocodile mouth that was the giant's left foot. Dharkonicus smirked darkly. "Gotcha."
Before he could drive his spear through Lichkaiser, Ladybug's yoyo and Vesperia's top lashed out, snagging the villain and Dharkonicus's arm and pulled them back, dragging Lichkaiser away from Dharkonicus and unbalancing the titanic Dark himself.
"Why would you do that?!" Dharkonicus demanded as he steadied himself. "We were just about to finish him off! He possessed Maladea!"
"We're going to break his ring, not kill him!" Ladybug protested. "He's still akumatized and an innocent victim of Hawk Moth! Why do you keep forgetting that?"
Her question seemed to give the titan pause as he lowered his spear and stared off into the distance. The exact opening Ladybug needed to call on her Lucky Charm. A spotted sword missing most of its blade fell into her hand.
"A broken sword? How are you supposed to defeat me with that?!" Lichkaiser demanded as he readied another orb of green smoke in his hands. Ladybug's thoughts raced as she glanced around the battle. The sword… Ryuko… Rooster Bold… Cat Noir… Vesperia… got it.
"Rooster Bold, neutralize his smoke! Ryuko, Cat Noir, help me disarm him! Vesperia, paralyze him! Everyone else, keep the Darks and Lichkaiser's army busy!" Ladybug ordered as she sliced the smoke orb Lichkaiser threw at her in two with her broken sword. Rooster Bold leapt after her, purifying Lichkaiser's smoke as he created it. Then Rooster Bold rolled to the left, letting Ladybug lock her sword with Lichkaiser's blade.
"You won't stop me!" Lichkaiser declared as he stared into Ladybug's eyes. "I have taken people of this city under my thrall. I have caused your team to be riven with the reveal of your secrets and lies. I have survived attacks from the Darks as a single entity. What can you possibly do?!"
"This!" Ladybug shot back, pushing his sword wide as she backflipped away, giving Ryuko and Cat Noir the opening they needed to attack. Ryuko slammed her sword down on Lichkaiser's sword while Cat Noir hammered on the villain's wrist, their combined efforts disarming him and leaving him vulnerable for Vesperia to call on her Venom and sting him in the chest, paralyzing him.
"Where did you say his akuma was?" Ladybug asked quietly as she scanned Lichkaiser's frozen body.
"His ring," Cat Noir replied. "M'lady, I didn't mean-"
"Save it for later," she said sharply. "This isn't the time. Not in front of everyone."
Cat Noir sighed, his fake ears drooping slightly. "Fine."
Ladybug quickly glanced around the battlefield as she marched toward Lichkaiser, noting how his thralls were paralyzed like their master. "Keep Dharkonicus busy while I deakumatize him," she ordered.
"He's not a problem anymore," Rena Rouge said. "The Darks disassembled and went up to the roof they put Maladea on."
"Good enough," Ladybug replied as she pulled Lichkaiser's ring off and crushed it under her foot. The akuma fluttered haphazardly out of the metal shards before Ladybug quickly caught and purified it without her usual catchphrases beyond the command for the Miraculous cure, returning the skeletons and coffin to their graves and returning all the civilians and supers Lichkaiser took over to their normal selves, the ladybugs depositing the civilians back to where they had originally been corrupted.
Felix's groan of confusion barely reached any ears as Ladybug turned back to the Miraculous team. "Go hide and recharge. Then we'll each have a one-on-one conversation about today's… events." Then she turned to Cat Noir. "Same goes for you, kitty. Meet me at Trocadero."
"Ladybug, I-"
"We will talk there. Take your cousin home while you're at it."
Cat Noir's face fell. "Okay."
The other heroes leapt away quietly once Ladybug left, leaving Cat Noir alone with Felix. The other boy chuckled darkly. "How badly do you think you screwed up this time?"
"This is your fault, Felix," Cat Noir replied as he pulled out his staff and heaved Felix onto his back. "You walked into the bathroom when I transformed back."
"You didn't tell her it happened."
Cat Noir had no way to retort as he and Felix vaulted over the rooftops of Paris, knowing deep down that everything that happened next would be his fault.
Maladea groaned, rubbing her forehead as she sat up. The first thing she noticed was that she was free from Lichkaiser's control. The second was that Dragonus was kneeling beside her, helmetless like she was, a look of pure relief washing over his face as he held her hand. The others stood in a protective circle around the two of them.
"G- guys? What- what in the- where am I?" she asked hesitantly as she got a better look at her teammates. "Why does Alex have Ryan's powers and why does Ryan look like a nineties comic relief character?"
Dragonus smiled softly as he scooted a little closer. "We're near the Catacombs, on a rooftop away from Ladybug and her team. Alex had to fuse with Ryan's powers to thin out Lichkaiser's army, and we needed the Hornet and Ryan was the only one who was available."
A small smile cracked across Maladea's face. "Fun."
"You're not okay, are you?"
"How did you-?"
"I can tell," Dragonus said quietly. "It's okay. You can tell us what happened."
"We know what it's like," Crocdown offered. "Well, except Andrew, since, y'know, mind control immunity. The total loss of control, being shoved to the back of your own mind and kept prisoner while someone outside holds the reins…"
"It's vile," Iapallidus said simply. "No one deserves to be taken advantage of, in any way."
Maladea nodded slowly as the memories from Lichkaiser's thrall started to seep in. The way he looked at her. The light caress on her cheek.
"I think he had a crush on me," Maladea said slowly. Dragonus immediately tensed. "What?"
"I'm starting to remember what happened, and the most vivid thing is this… look he gave me. And he kind of…"
"He kind of what?" Dragonus asked slowly.
"He kind of touched my cheek with his thumb… like in a weird semi-romantic way when I was under his control," she finished, immediately realizing how bad that sounded. "Oh, no. Imagine if he…"
"Don't!" Buzzlord yelped. Skinkphaux laid a calming hand on Dragonus's shoulder. "It's alright, Andrew, things probably weren't going to get any further than that," he said reassuringly before turning his gaze to Maladea. "It must've been horrible to watch."
"It… it was," Maladea admitted, a shiver running down her spine. "I thought I got creepy vibes from him when he tried to ruin Adrien's reputation."
"What matters now is that you're okay," Dragonus said once he got his composure back together. "Before we get going, I want to say sorry about the whole 'Dharkonicus stinging you' thing. Just had to make sure Lichkaiser couldn't make you use Backstab against us."
"You did what you had to do," Maladea replied, squeezing her boyfriend's hand softly. "Though I'd rather not go through that experience again. I feel like I have to wash my mouth out with all the 'yes, my liege' talk he was putting in my mouth."
"He did that, did he?" Dragonus muttered darkly. Iapallidus threw an exasperated glance at his friend. "Dude, it's gonna be harder to cover up Felix's 'disappearance' compared to Magnus."
"Yeah, we should take all necessary precautions to make sure that doesn't need to happen," Skinkphaux added as he threw Iapallidus a conspiratorial glance. "Or so that anyone else doesn't need to 'disappear.'"
"That's morbid," Maladea muttered as Dragonus helped her up.
"So let's stop talking about it, then," Buzzlord interjected, flexing his wings. "I want my regular powers back. Not that I mind these powers, but Zizz just started whining about losing in the middle of the fight and he's kinda starting to bum me out. Race you back to base!" With that, he leapt off the building and sped off.
Skinkphaux, Crocdown and Iapallidus all shouted in protest as they chased after him, leaving Dragonus and Maladea alone on the rooftop. She stepped closer, pressing her cheek against his chest. "Just hold me for a little while," she requested softly. "Please?"
"You didn't have to ask," Dragonus replied, wrapping his arms and his wings around her and pulling her in as comfortably as possible. "This is my fault. I- I shouldn't have been distracted… I shouldn't have distracted you. I nearly tore Lichkaiser's throat out after he… you know."
"Hey," Maladea began, running a gloved hand comfortingly against his cheek. "Don't beat yourself up over this. You made me feel better, even if I got shanked and gothed up afterwards. And Lichkaiser would've deserved it, too."
"I'm not arguing with that," Dragonus said as he nuzzled into her palm. "It's just… I messed up. I really, really messed up and it's all my fault because I can't control myself and-!"
One kiss from Maladea silenced his rising distress, a soft smile lighting up her face. "I told you not to beat yourself up over it. Can you do that for me?"
"Yes, ma'am," he answered, a small smirk on his face. The two broke their embrace a moment later. Then Dragonus sighed. "I still need to come clean about something. Not here, though. Not now. Are you free tonight? Like… eleven-ish?"
"Pretty much," Maladea replied cautiously. "I think Mom might go to bed early, but if she wants to watch a movie, I can have Doppia fill in for me. Where should I be?"
"Notre-Dame. Between the two towers… I think that's what they are. You know what I'm talking about?"
"Yeah."
"Good," he replied. "I'm gonna have to head back to base. Just to make sure the others put the Dark Hornet back in the right spot. See you tonight, my dark princess."
"You, too, mio drago, you, too," Maladea said quietly as Dragonus put his helmet back on and launched himself into the air. A small, melancholic sigh escaped her as she put her own helmet back on and started the flight back to her apartment.
Cat Noir paced the rooftop of the Trocadero, nervously going over every possible outcome in his mind. The events of the past few minutes flashed in his mind.
He dropped Felix off at home, right into the waiting arms of Amelie and the cold gaze of his father. Then with a casual wave and farewell, he vaulted away and leapt around the mansion towards his room, transforming back into his civilian clothes. Plagg immediately dove for his cheese.
"Why did he do that?!" Adrien nearly yelled. Plagg swallowed a massive piece of Camembert in a single bite. "He was akumatized. Why wouldn't he?"
"Now everyone knows," Adrien said, a note of worry in his voice. "What if someone says something? What if Hawk Moth manages to learn everyone else's identities through me?"
"Adrien, I know you're worried about your friends, but if Hawk Moth has half a brain, he's more likely to come after you before anyone else," Plagg interjected. "But Pigtails probably has a plan, right? It's not like she'll let you be at risk for Hawk Moth."
"I guess you're right… but what if-"
"Don't even think that, you know she would never do that."
"...yeah. You're right," Adrien replied hesitantly, then glanced at the nearest clock. "We should be going. Plagg, Claws Out!"
"He's right… she wouldn't."
"Hey, kitty," Ladybug's voice rang out as she swung onto the roof and landed next to her partner. Cat Noir gulped. "Hi."
Her expression didn't fill him with confidence. Her lips were set into a grim, hard line as she steepled her fingers. "I spoke to all the others," she began slowly. "And they all agreed to keep everything quiet. You already know a few of their identities and plenty of them know each other's, so I guess this was bound to happen eventually… but not like this. I'm more worried about Hawk Moth than anything."
"As long as I have my powers, I'll make sure he won't be able to get to me," Cat Noir promised. Ladybug nodded once. "Good. And, kitty?" she said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"You know I would never take your powers from you. Not for anything in the world."
Cat Noir smiled softly. "I know. But I guess that's not what we're talking about." His smile fell.
"No, it's not," Ladybug confirmed. "Just so you know, I'm not mad at you. I was just caught up in the heat of the moment and I was scared and the fact that you didn't actually tell me…" she caught her breath.
"I don't know how Felix found out. Frankly, I don't want to know. But the fact that he knows is a huge security and trust breach - for both of us, really - that it can't just be glossed over. We need to act now… make sure he won't use your identity against us. And we need to look into your father. If he is Hawk Moth… well, bad things will happen," she said shortly.
"But he can't be Hawk Moth!" Cat Noir nearly yelled. "He was under Lichkaiser's control! He got akumatized before! He was targeted by two villains! How could he be Hawk Moth?!"
"I know you don't want to believe it, kitty, and you know that I don't want it to be true, either," Ladybug replied, keeping her voice calm amidst the harrowing discussion. "But Style Queen didn't find him the first time and he seemed awfully calm when Simon Says attacked. As for the Collector… we know he has the Peacock Miraculous. Maybe we were dealing with more sentimonsters than we realized. And Lichkaiser seemed really out of control, like Hawk Moth didn't try to rein him in. Maybe he couldn't."
Cat Noir's fists clenched as he processed her words. Then he sighed, his arms hugging his sides. "Fine. Let's go. Who's coming with us?"
"Alya, Nino, Amber, and the new one. I guess he knows who you are-"
"It's Marc, isn't it?"
Ladybug blinked. "Yeah. How'd you know?"
"Lucky guess."
She raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just make me confirm your suspicion. Either way, Marc'll use his power to figure out if your father is lying about being Hawk Moth. Then we'll act on what happens when it happens. And depending on what happens, we'll deal with Felix. Alright?"
A heavy silence filled the air between the two of them as the implications set in.
"Alright," Cat Noir finally answered, already drawing his staff, careful not to look in her direction. "Let's go."
"How many problems can one boy cause?!" Gabriel growled, pounding on his office's touchscreen. Nathalie sat at the reception desk, glancing over at her boss, concerned.
"One less now," Nathalie reported. "I've deleted that security record - and all the records related to the secret garden and observatory - and cut off the power supply to those rooms. As far as the world is concerned, those rooms don't exist and never have."
"Good," Gabriel replied, a note of relief in his voice. Then the sound of the doorbell pierced through the air. He saw the color drain from Nathalie's face. "It's Ladybug and Cat Noir… with four of their teammates. What should I do?"
Gabriel took a deep breath, steadying his own nerves. "Is everything that could potentially reveal us unable to?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then let them in. We have nothing to fear."
"Yes, sir."
Gabriel found himself moving faster than normal to get to the top of the stairs and face the foyer. He mentally noted twenty seconds - a new record - by the time the superheroes were allowed access to his castle. I have nothing to fear. They will find nothing.
"Good evening, Ladybug," he said, attempting to project the same air of confidence and control he employed in public. "I would like to offer my thanks for rescuing me from Lichkaiser's thrall and Hawk Moth's despicable actions."
"It was our pleasure, Mr. Agreste, but that's not why we're here," Ladybug replied, and Gabriel noted the slightly heavy tone in her voice. "After going over some… questionable details of our duties, namely when you and Hawk Moth were involved… we decided it would be for the best to try and see if our suspicions are correct."
"You are accusing me of being Hawk Moth?" he questioned, careful to not sound too affronted while putting on an appropriate level of offense. Ladybug held her hands up placatingly. "No one is accusing anyone just yet, sir, we're just making sure. For now, we believe you're innocent."
But that could change very quickly, she seemed to say. Gabriel set his jaw. "Very well. I assume you will wish to search the house?"
"No need," Ladybug answered. "We don't want to invade your privacy any more than we have." She gestured to the new bird hero on her left. "This is Rooster Bold. Right now, he has the power to know if you are telling the truth or not. He has all of our questions listed and will refer to them. And we would like your full cooperation."
"Of course," Gabriel said slowly as he walked down to the foyer, stealing a glance at Cat Noir, who was barely watching him as he descended.
Your own son, unable to look at you because he fears who you might be, a suspiciously familiar voice whispered in his head. Gabriel mentally brushed it aside. Dragonus has no place in my conscience.
"This way," Gabriel began, leading the six heroes into the atelier, Nathalie closing the door behind them. "So, shall we begin?"
Ladybug nodded, tapping Rooster Bold's shoulder. He fished out a piece of paper from his suit pocket and stepped forward.
"Are you Hawk Moth?" he asked.
Gabriel smirked internally. So direct. "No."
"Were you truly the victim during your akumatization into the Collector?"
"Yes."
"Are there any secret lairs within a thousand feet in any direction of where we are now?"
"No." Well, technically not anymore.
"Were you truly unaware of the danger of Simon Says targeting you?"
Oh, this child is slippery. "I was not unaware of the danger, but I believed in my security system and the heroes being able to protect me."
"Did you deliberately engineer or attempt to engineer possible situations where someone could be akumatized?"
"No."
"Why does your house have a large power system?"
"I prefer an independent source of clean energy for my home," Gabriel answered.
"Just a couple more questions, sir. Why do you have the Miraculous book?"
"It was the last gift my wife gave me after our last trip together overseas. I use it for my designs. Your last question?"
"Do you have the brooches of the Butterfly and the Peacock?" Rooster Bold asked, slightly raising his eyebrow.
"I have two brooches similar to those, yes, but they are part of my jewelry line inspired from the book," Gabriel answered as he moved over to the painting and opened it, revealing the safe. Then he reached into the safe and pulled out the fake Butterfly and Peacock Miraculouses he had made.
"Verify them if you would like," he offered. "Or take them. I don't particularly like these brooches that much."
"No need," Ladybug replied as Rooster Bold whispered into her ear. Gabriel watched her face as the confident mask fell slightly. Then she sighed. "Well, Mr. Agreste, it looks as if you're in the clear. Rooster Bold didn't sense any lies and everything seems to be in order. Thank you for your cooperation. We'll see ourselves out."
"How did you know I even had the Miraculous book?" Gabriel asked, his hands behind his back. "Because only one person outside this house that I am aware of is aware of the book."
Ladybug paused for a moment, her confident visage slipping again, and Gabriel could almost hear her scream of unending panic. "Oh-! I, uh… the girl who gave it back to you… saw the superheroes in the book and… uh, I- she found me on a patrol and gave it to me! Yeah! And after I was done with it and we saved you, I gave it back to her and she gave it to you! Yes, that's what happened."
Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "Indeed. Despite the fact that your explanation sounded rather… cobbled together. Don't give me any shocked looks. I run a fashion empire. I know hurried excuses the moment a breath is taken. I know when someone is being deceitful. So… what are you hiding?"
"Uncle!" the enraged voice of Felix yelled as he tore the office doors open and stormed inside, his mother right behind him, trying to keep her son's wrath in check.
"Yes, Felix?" Gabriel sighed as he noticed relief cross Ladybug's face. "Can't you see I'm rather busy?"
"It's better that they're here!" Felix shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at his uncle. "You've been keeping secrets from us! The underground mausoleum, the hospital, everything! I always had a feeling, and now I know it's true! You're Hawk Moth!"
"Felix, get a hold of yourself!" Amelie snapped, flashing an apologetic smile to the superheroes. "I'm so sorry, he's just a little upset about certain family predicaments."
"No! I can prove it!" Felix snapped back, wrenching himself away from his mother and pushing past his uncle. "He's got an entrance to his secret lair! I found it earlier!" His fingers went up to the painting, searching for the six buttons. Gabriel kept his face cold. When Felix couldn't find the buttons and started jumping on the spot where the floor used to retract, he let a small smirk crack across his face.
"You turned it off!" Felix roared. "You know what you did!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Gabriel said coolly. "But I do know what you did. You deliberately attempted to besmirch my son's good name with his friends, you stole my wedding ring directly off of my hand in a fake apology, you returned with a fake ring to deceive me again, you attacked your own mother and me when you were akumatized… what else haven't you done?"
"B- but!" Felix yelped before his mother pulled him back and looked at him dead in the eyes. "Felix, you're embarrassing yourself and me. I know you're still upset about your father, and I am, too. But this is not the way to deal with it!" She rubbed her temples. "We're leaving tomorrow, and once we get home, you're grounded until I can find you a therapist."
"But-!"
"No buts! Now, let's leave them alone," she said, flashing another apologetic smile to the heroes. "Sorry you had to see that." Then the office doors slammed shut.
An awkward silence filled the room before Ladybug cleared her throat. "Well… we'll go now."
Gabriel nodded once, carefully watching each of the heroes as they left the office. Once he saw them leap over the outer wall did he allow himself to catch his breath.
Nathalie sighed in relief. "We're lucky they didn't take Felix's claims too seriously."
"That Rooster hero didn't turn his truth-sensing power off, I don't believe," Gabriel said, turning back towards the painting. "But Felix did me a favor, in a way. He made himself look like a fool when he tried to find the secret code. And they're bound to write off any truth he might have spilled as a boy caught up in his own delusions. Besides, why would they trust him? I've already incriminated him, and Rooster Bold didn't say I was lying. Topping it all off, his mother yelled at him. A perfect cover."
"And if they didn't?"
"If they decide to search the house, they won't find anything. Oh, and Nathalie?"
"Yes, sir?"
Gabriel stepped over to the desk and laid the two fake Miraculouses on the surface. "Destroy these. And make sure the pieces cannot be found."
"Yes, sir."
Dragonus attempted to ignore the chill running down his spine. He would've blamed it on the cold, but the night was surprisingly warm. He grunted in discomfort. The last time he felt like this, he found a dead body that had been - quite literally - slapped to death.
"She's not going to slap you to death," Vorath muttered in his head. Dragonus snorted. "I wouldn't blame her."
"Oh, here she comes, flying in along the river," his kwami said quickly. "I'd point, but you know… can't quite do it right now."
True to Vorath's words, Maladea touched down lightly right next to her boyfriend. "Hey. So, what was it you wanted to do here? Just talk? A midnight picnic?" A flirty note entered her voice. "Snuggles?"
Dragonus sighed and took off his helmet. "I wanted to come clean about something," he said solemnly as he sat down on the edge of the rooftop, not meeting Maladea's eyes. "You might want to sit down. What I'm about to tell you… might change everything about us."
"It can't be that bad," she replied as she took off her helmet and moved next to him, sitting down and laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I made a deal with Hawk Moth and I got his Miraculouses from him. Meaning that I was the one who akumatized Felix into Lichkaiser. Meaning that I caused everything that happened."
"Oh…" Maladea said, surprise clear on her face. "Well, then… that's not as bad as I was afraid of."
"What?"
"I mean, I was afraid that your powers were somehow going to give me cancer or something if we ever kissed again. Or that you developed an insatiable lust for blood and you were going to use me as a way to keep it in check, vampire-style… that's not gonna happen, is it?"
Dragonus let a smile crack across his face. "No, it's not. Vorath likes me too much for that to ever happen. Although if you wanted…" his voice trailed off playfully.
"I won't say yes, but I won't say no," Maladea teased back. Then she sighed. "We will have to lay down some boundaries before you keep using it. Like finding a way to be in two places at once. And no more mind-control villains."
"Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking with that one," Dragonus replied as he stared off into the distance, forcing himself not to dredge up that memory. "I'm a complete hypocrite, honestly. Two-thirds of my United-Heroes-level threats had mind control or assimilation powers, and here I am using similar stuff. Add to the fact that it's a bug, too…" A sigh escaped him. "I respected Hawk Moth as an opponent. I respect Ladybug as an opponent. But the fact that they're both bugs… There's a lingering hate for both of them that's just simmering."
"Well, now that Hawk Moth is out of the way, all we have to do is focus on Ladybug. I do have a question, though."
"Shoot."
"Why me? Why not any of the others first?"
Dragonus sighed again. "The others wouldn't get it. They didn't like getting their hands too dirty. They're willing to fight the heroes, but I imagine that's more from a place of loyalty to me and my overall idea - and maybe Vorath and their kwamis' plights - compared to genuine malice. The moment I go too far in their eyes, I expect they'll turn on me."
"You still didn't answer my question."
He paused for a moment, trying to find the words. "You… you don't have their concerns. You're ruthless. You're efficient. You're driven, to the point of single-mindedness. And that's as nicely as I can put it."
Maladea chuckled once. "I'm flattered, honestly. And I promise I'll keep your secret. Though do you plan on telling the others?"
"Assuming they don't figure it out themselves? I'll tell them when I feel the time is right."
"Alright, then. Maybe by that point, they'll understand that maybe you need to get your hands that dirty."
"Maybe."
Dragonus wrapped a wing around Maladea's shoulder, and she leaned on his. The two sat like that for a few minutes before Dragonus spoke again. "So, how was the rest of the day for you?"
"Oh, it was fine. Doppia managed to keep Mom fooled all day, so I had some alone time. Parked myself at a park bench and watched the world go by… then I saw Felix walk over to my bench. He sighed weirdly, and then he apologized for possessing me and acting creepy about it. Then he walked away."
Dragonus's eyes widened as a sense of panic took over. "What?"
"I don't think he knows I'm Maladea," she said quickly. "Maybe he just thought I got randomly corrupted, or his mom made him apologize to everyone. Either way, I got out of there quickly."
"Good," Dragonus breathed, relief creeping into his voice. "Let's hope he doesn't decide to do anything with it if he does know. He could become a bigger problem than Ladybug."
"And she's already a massive problem," Maladea replied. Then she yawned. "Alright. I think I'm gonna head home. Being possessed is tiring." She kissed his cheek as she stood up and put her helmet back on. "See you tomorrow, big guy."
"See you tomorrow, my dark princess," Dragonus said as Maladea stepped off the edge of Notre-Dame and flew over the Seine. He sat a few minutes longer, contemplating the conversation.
"See?" Vorath said. "She didn't slap you to death. She actually took it much better than I thought she would, honestly."
"Remarkable, isn't she?"
"I don't think the others would object too much. After all, it's all for the greater good."
"Alex would probably point out all the flaws in that reasoning, Jack would call it a cliché, and the twins definitely wouldn't agree with it. We need to make sure this all doesn't get too out of hand."
"Sentimonster as Hawk Moth?"
"Yes."
"Good," Vorath replied, then he yawned. "Can we go home now? I'm tired."
Dragonus smiled as he put his helmet on and spread his wings. "Yes, we can, bud. Yes, we can."
And so we finally conclude the influence of Felix on the plotline and I can go back to regular character interactions... well, as normal as we can get. Going forward, this story will have eight chapters in total, and after the next one Gabriel's influence on the story is kinda null until I get to the conclusion story, which is the next one. Anyway, finishing this arc, we've got Adrienette shaken just a little, Dragadea strengthened, Darks suspicious, and Felix finally going home. Going forward is going to be crazy. As always, stay safe, healthy, and maybe reread that Dragonus line about bugs and LB/HM, there's a bit of lore there...