Kagami still gets akumatized, but not in the traditional way in this chapter.


Gerald Gorille aka the Gorilla was not as dump as some people believed him to be. He was very observant and remarkably intelligent. That's why he knew something was going on with his boss.

He knew Nathalie had taken the boss somewhere a short time ago. She had been back there at least three times, judging by the embedded concrete and dirt caught in the treads.

He heard Gabriel and Natalie talking in hushed tones. He didn't catch everything but he knew he heard his boss's name and the word dying in the same sentence.

When he was sorting the trash and recycles, he'd come across a bottle filled with painkillers. The label had said the pills had been ordered a week ago.

To find the bottle already thrown out meant Gabriel was taking more than he should.

Gorilla's nose also hinted at a scent of decay when he was near the man. That scent was growing stronger by the day. He didn't know what was happening for sure, but he needed to talk to Nathalie.

He knocked on her door early in the morning. It was clear she wasn't expecting to see him up before her. "Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Gorille?"

He took a big sip from his bottle of water and then replied. "We…need…to…talk."

Nathalie's eyebrows rose in confusion. "You want to talk verbally?"

It was shocking because her colleague had only talked verbally when things were very dire. The rest of the time he was comfortable with writing or sign language.

"It is…very important," the Gorilla stated.

She opened the door and let him come into her room. He made himself comfortable in a chair as she eased herself back onto her bed. Despite her taking it easy, her recovery was taking much longer this time.

"Are you well?" the man inquired. He wasn't sure what was going on with Nathalie's health. He just knew it was similar to what occurred with Emilie before her disappearance.

"I'm getting there. I just…need to rest more often," she assured him. His eyes stared into hers. He knew there was more going on than she was saying.

"Why…do you…hide your health situation? You are severely sick like Mr. Agreste. Except… I don't…know if you're dying…as well."

Nathalie started coughing badly upon hearing this. He offered her a sip of his water to soothe her throat. After taking a small sip she asked why he said that.

The Gorilla reminded her that he wasn't dumb. His job was to ensure Adrien's safety.

Which included watching Mr. Agreste and her to make certain nothing they did would harm the boy.

He waited to hear what she had to say. Nathalie deflated a little then spoke softly. "Before Gabriel built his fashion empire, he traveled the world with Emilie. During their travels to Tibet, they came in contact with a magical artifact. They thought it was just a broken statue."

"They touched it and they were later told they were cursed. They didn't believe that until they had trouble getting pregnant. After Adrien was born, things were fine for a while until Emilie got sick."

He recollected those days. How all the other adults had left the boy alone because they forgot he was hurting too. "After Emilie disappeared, Gabriel began feeling the effects of the curse."

"I became cursed when touched a tiny sliver of the statue they had kept. After the curse started taking effect on both of us, we sent the piece out to doctors and scientists, hoping they could find something to help us."

The Gorilla rolled his hand prompting her to finish. "I was recovering until I pushed myself over the edge trying to get Gabriel to take his health seriously. Hence, why I relapsed."

"Have you learned anything…helpful? Does it connect with the secret trips you…take my car…on?"

Nathalie admitted they had found a doctor who was helping them. "Gabriel's test results came back a couple of days ago. They're not looking good."

"How much…time does he have?"

"Maybe a few months. He could buy himself time if agreed to an amputation of the arm where the curse first started. He won't do it because it will ruin his career."

"There won't be a career for him if he doesn't do this. Have you…tried to tell…him that Adrien would…love him even if…he was missing a limb?"

Nathalie reminded the man how Gabriel was the most bull-headed person they've ever met. Nothing would get him to change his mind. The best she could do was get things in order for Adrien.

"Please, don't tell Adrien. At least not yet. I'm looking into a few other options."

The Gorilla didn't like keeping secrets, especially from Adrien. The boy had a right to know what was going on. He agreed to keep it a secret for now but warned Nathalie that she and Gabriel had to come clean soon.

Nathalie swore she would. Noticing how tired the young woman was, the Gorilla tucked her back into bed. "Rest, I'll handle some of your activities today."

"Thank you, Gerald. You're a very good friend."


At the Tsurugi home, Tomoe was wondering where her daughter was. "Kagami, where are you? Kagami, you better answer me right now!"

A door opened behind the woman. "I'm here mother. Why were you yelling?"

"What were you doing in the guest bedroom? Is your room not suitable for you to dress in anymore?"

"It is Mother, but my jacket was damaged yesterday. I knew you kept a spare one in the guest room."

"How was your jacket damaged? I know I taught you to take better care of your clothes."

"It got snagged on my locker hinge yesterday after fencing. The sleeve was ripped off. I gave it to Marinette to fix and she said I would have back in a few days."

"Your "friend" is supposed to be an expert designer, yet it takes her days to fix a jacket? Not very talented at all."

Kagami pressed her lips firmly together. "There is a test in physics class coming up. Marinette needs the extra time to study. Adrien is helping her."

"The Agreste heir? It's a shame he didn't set his sights higher. Someone of noble or royal blood would have been better. Come to think of it, Kagami is it true the heir to the Achu throne is enrolled at your school?"

Now Kagami's eyes narrowed. "Yes, Mother. I informed you it was his security team that shot me when I got akumatized."

Her mother waved a dismissive hand at her. "Getting akumatized over dancing is childish Kagami. You shouldn't let your emotions get to you."

"Like you let your fears of the space jet AI failing during testing," Kagami snapped. She covered her mouth in shock at what she just did.

Tomoe was swift with punishment. She knocked her daughter off her feet and held her bokken. "How dare you show me such disrespect, Kagami. I won't tolerate such behavior."

"I humbly apologize for my words, Mother. I don't know what came over me."

Tomoe didn't let her daughter up, refusing to move her bokken. "What has happened is that you allowed your "friends" to influence you too much. It is obvious you need to find someone with better breeding to be your friend."

Kagami wanted to ask what her mother meant by that, but couldn't without fear of being jabbed.

"It is time that you take your duties as heiress to the Tsurugi clan more seriously. You will begin by abandoning your current friends. Instead, you will cultivate a friendship with Prince Ali."

"Mother, we are already friends."

Tomoe smiled at this. She asked if the prince was involved with anyone. Kagami was stunned by this line of questioning.

"Mother, Prince Ali is here to learn how to rule his country by connecting with people less fortunate than him. He is not looking for a romantic partner."

"Besides, according to the customs of his country, he is too young to court. He can officially begin courting when he's seventeen and be married by his twenty-first birthday."

"Then that gives you an advantage. A long-term friendship means you will be at the top of the list to court. No doubt, he'll choose you as his queen."

Kagami flushed in embarrassment. Was her mother serious? "Mother, as I just stated, Prince Ali is not courting right now. Foreign marriages are rare in Achu. He will most likely court and marry a noble girl in his country."

Kagami felt rather than saw, the bokken tip jab her in the throat. She couldn't breathe and struggled to get air into her lungs.

Tomoe herself seemed surprised by her actions. "Kagami! Are you okay?!" The woman lowered herself to the ground.

She reached for her daughter and Kagami scooted away from her as she finally managed to get air into her lungs. She was terrified of her mother.

"Why did you do that?" Kagami whispered in a frightened tone.

"I didn't mean to, Kagami. I was just frustrated."

"Frustrated? Mother, I gave you a clear explanation as to why your plan would not be feasible. Then you attack me for something I have no control over," she replied in a hurt tone.

"I just want you to fulfill your duties as heiress. I wasn't expecting you to rebel. I apologize for my actions"

Kagami was offended by her mother's words. She had only apologized after she scolded her for refusing to go with her mother's plans. Plans that she just told her wouldn't have worked in the first place.

Tomoe held out her hand to help her daughter up. "I still believe that Prince Ali would be a good match for you in the long run. I want you to cultivate your friendship with him."

"I'm looking into other possible matches. It will take time to collect their dossiers. Until then, I meant what I said about your other "friends". You will disunite ties with them."

Kagami responded boldly, "Do I not get a say in my life Mother? I have always done as you have asked of me. I have no objection against an arranged marriage at some point."

"What I object to is you not including me in these discussions. I haven't even graduated from college yet. I am not ready to settle down until I have at least completed lychee."

Tomoe warned her daughter she was on shaky ground. "I'm looking out for your best interests, daughter. Don't question my methods for ensuring you the future you deserve."

"It's not my future, it's yours! I'm not a business investment, Mother! I am a human being, in case you forgot!"

Kagami was so upset she pushed past her mother and ran off. She ignored her mother yelling at her. At the moment, she didn't care what she had to say.


Monarch could feel Kagami's emotions. This was the most emotion he had ever felt from the girl. Still, he was cautious considering the last time he akumatized her.

He used his Alliance to call his partner. "Tomoe, your daughter's emotions are extremely high right now. The highest they've ever been."

Tomoe hesitated for a moment before speaking. "We had a disagreement a few minutes ago. She was not cooperating with my plans for her. I blame her friends for her aberration from normal behavior."

"With her high emotions, she has the potential to finally take down Ladybug and Chat Noir. However, her anger is fixated on you. What do you want to do?"

Without hesitation, she told him to akumatize her daughter but funnel her anger at the company headquarters. The family legacy she was desperate to get away from.

"I shall remain safe and the Miraculouses will be ours."

Pleased, Monarch sent out his supercharged akuma and had it lock onto Kagami's emotions.

Kagami was sitting on a bench in the park near the school. She was doing her best not to cry. She was angry and confused.

Mother has never punished me as did before. She used to trust and tell me everything. How can she be so sightless that she's not realizing the future she wants for me is frankly for her?

My mother has become a total stranger! Why is she blaming my friends for my behavior instead of noticing I've changed on my own."

Kagami looked at her family ring. Did her mom consider her family anymore? There was the sound of something flapping.

She spotted the akuma coming for her. She needed to calm down! "Adrien, Marinette, and Aurora. Mireille, Jean, and Marc."

She kept reciting the names of her friends. She believed this new mantra would help keep her safe. It was working as she felt her emotions starting to ebb.

Monarch was not going to pass up this opportunity. "Give her a little jolt, my mega akuma."

The mega akuma responded to its master's commands. A bolt of concentrated energy struck near Kagami's feet. She managed to stay upright.

The mega akuma sent out another bolt. She dodged it thanks to her fancy footwork from fencing. She was ready for another attack when the mega akuma started flying away.

Confused, she saw it heading for the school. It was going for Prince Ali, who had just stepped outside his limo. He didn't see it coming.

Kagami sprinted shouting at Ali to move. He saw the akuma coming for him. Before it could connect, Kagami leaped forward and grabbed it.

Instantly, Monarch was in her mind. "We meet again Riposte Prime. Your anger is very potent today."

Kagami didn't reply verbally. She only growled as she pressed her hands against the sidewalk. By now a crowd was gathering as her friends hurried over to her.

"Kagami! Can you hear me? Kagami!" Adrien called out to her. He wanted to touch her but didn't.

He didn't want her to get hurt if his touch activated his curse.

The fencer squeezed her eyes shut trying to drown out Monarch's voice. He was rehashing what had happened with her mother earlier. Trying to get her to direct that anger towards her family legacy.

"Your mother is forcing you to uphold the family legacy. She would be able to force you if the company was no more. Don't you want my power to help you?"

Marinette was kneeling next to her friend. There was blood dripping from Kagami's lips. She had been biting them hard enough to injure herself.

"Kagami, you can reject the akuma. I know you can!"

"Your friend is wrong. Your will is already wavering. Let me help you already."

"NO! All I want right now is to be protected from you and my mother!" she hissed.

The others were cheering Kagami on. Telling her she was very close to rejecting akuma completely.

Monarch laughed as he sensed a new opportunity. "If protection is what you want, then that is what you'll get from me. The turtle's power will keep you safe from your mother and anyone else you want."

"Not even Ladybug or Chat Noir could harm you. Best of all, you will never have to risk your mother's wraith again. So do we have a deal?"

"You'll leave me alone as well?" the students heard Kagami speaking. They realized they were losing her.

Comprehending it would protect him from Tomoe Tsurugi's wraith, he went forward with making an oath. "I, Monarch, swear by my Miraculous that I will never akumatize you, Kagami Tsurugi, after today."

"Then I say yes." Everyone jumped back as the purple-black smoke covered Kagami.

It spread out across the street forcing everyone into the school. When it cleared, There was a giant metallic gray turtle shell sitting in the street.

The shell appeared to be double-armored. From what they could tell there didn't appear to be any openings. There was no way to tell what was transpiring inside.

Alya took a picture and posted it to her blog. Max was asking Markov if he could see Kagami's body heat. He had recently installed a thermal sensor in Markov to protect his delicate circuitry.

"The structure is too heavily armored for me to penetrate with my scans. I can only assume our friend is still alive because Monarch can't akumatize the dead."

"Ugh, thanks for that morbid thought," Kim stated as he pinched his face in disgust. Alix punched his arm and told him to be serious.

Rose pointed out they had to do something. Kagami was their friend and she needed them right now.

Mr. Damocles cleared his throat. "Attention everyone! We will be following standard Akuma procedure. Return to your homes immediately. The school will be closed until the heroes resolve this."

"How can we leave if that shell is blocking most of the street? Is it even safe to walk past it?" Aurora called out.

Mr. Damocles asked Sabrina if she could call her father. Everyone would feel much safer if the police escorted them home.

Within minutes, the police had set up a blockade and were escorting the kids off the premises to waiting buses.

Marinette and Adrien were permitted to walk around the shell to get to her home. With the street blocked, the Gorilla wouldn't be able to make it through to pick Adrien up.

"We need to figure out a way into that shell if we're going to save Kagami," Marinette whispered.

"Agreed. We'll video chat with Master Fu once we're securely in your room," Adrien replied in a hushed tone.


A few minutes later, a three-way chat was going on between the heroes, Master Fu, and Peace Keeper. The young woman was on site investigating with the use of her invisibility generator.

Peace Keeper tapped her mask to get a look inside. Like Markov, her thermal scan couldn't see through the shell. Nor did X-ray or ultraviolet.

Her magic filter did give her some clues. She could see two separate magic types being used. She also detected a weak spot in the shell that could be used as an entrance.

Retreating from the sight, she ducked into the school. Making sure not to speak to any of the remaining staff, she made her way into a supply closet. She slowly closed the door and turned off her generator.

"My generator is nearly out of power. I can't use it again until it's recharged. Still, I did find a few useful clues," Peace Keeper said softly into her wrist computer.

She spoke about the two different magic sets being used. "My scans confirm that Wayzz's magic is being channeled through the Alliance Ring. Nooroo's power appears to be concentrated in the center of the structure."

Marinette understood the significance of this. "If we can cut Kagami's Alliance Ring's connection to the network, the shell will vanish."

"Do you have something to jam the signal?" Adrien inquired urgently.

Peace Keeper replied she did have a tool for the job, but warned them it would take time. After Tomoe's akumanzation, the frequency of the Alliance Rings used was changed.

Monarch and his partners must have changed it to keep the heroes from jamming it. That meant Monarch's new partner realized the heroes had figured out the connection between the Kwamiis's magic and the Alliance Ring.

"If I jam the wrong frequency, I could cut off the police's connection to their station. That would cause a lot of panic."

Master Fu told his daughter to be absolutely certain before she jammed the signal. He asked if there were any weak spots in the shell structure.

"There's one but be warned it's small. On the right side of where you would find the head, the hinge between the plastron and carapace. I think Marinette could fit. Adrien, your shoulders are too broad for it."

Adrien replied they might be overthinking this plan. What if he used Cataclysm to destroy the shell?

Master Fu immediately vetoed it. "We don't know how interconnected your friend is with the structure. We can't risk harming her."

"Also, we have to be careful with using magic. With Monarch dying, the Miraculous magic is unstable. We can't afford to have your power backfire," Peace Keeper added.

Adrien hung his head in defeat. He wanted to help Kagami but felt helpless not being able to do that. Marinette touched his hand. He looked at her as she gave him a reassuring smile.

"Perhaps there is another way you can help, Adrien. You said your friend asked for protection against her mother. You should talk to her and find out what caused this."

Adrien perked up hearing this. "I know she and her mom have been drifting apart. Hopefully, this will help get them back together."

They now had a plan. Ladybug would get inside and find Kagami. Once she knew how Kagami was connected, she could signal Peace Keeper to jam the signal.

Chat Noir would get the information they need from Kagami's mother. He would then come back and help subdue their friend. Then they could purify her akuma and declare this attack over.

A tiny hoot caught everyone's attention. Elffa was hovering behind them. "I believe I might be able to help. My offensive power allows me to experience the point of view of both parties to make a fair judgment."

That would be a handy skill to have so Elffa was partnered up with Adrien. They made their way to the back window in Marinette's parents' room. No one would see them coming directly from the bakery.


Chat Noir went in one direction and Ladybug swung herself over to the school. Landing on the roof, she looked to see if she knew any of the police cordoning the site off.

Spotting Officer Roger, she jumped down. "Officer Roger," she called out. He turned and walked over to her.

"Nice to see you, Ladybug. It's good to be back on the streets now that the task force is finished being assigned."

"I didn't know that," she mumbled.

Officer Roger gave her a patient smile. "Neither did I until today. The rest of the task force is on its way to help with the situation. What can you tell me about this Akuma?"

Ladybug brought him up to speed on everything she knew. She also emphasized the need to avoid firearm use until they determined how connected the victim was with the shell.

"I'll do my best to ensure cool heads but I'm not the leader of the task force. If that person says we need to shoot we're going to shoot."

Ladybug was unable to hide her dismay about what he was telling her. He lowered his voice, "The task force is still five minutes out. If you know a way to get in there, I suggest you use it now."

Understanding what Officer Roger was implying, Ladybug raced over to the giant shell. Using the computer feature on her yo-yo she was able to find the hidden hinge.

She started pulling it up slowly. Peace Keeper had been right when she said the space was small. It was taking all her effort to keep the hinge from coming down.

Straining herself, she managed to jam her weapon into the hinge. Knowing the hinge could snap at any time, Ladybug wiggled inside. She grabbed her weapon and the hinge swung close.

It was mostly dark inside the shell. The only light came from a faint purple glow on the ceiling. She started following it, knowing it would lead her to Kagami.

In the meantime, Chat Noir had arrived at Kagami's home. He peered in through a window trying to locate Tomoe. She had to be here since her self-driving car was still parked by the garage.

He scurried around the property but still didn't see any sign of Ms. Tsurugi. He settled for knocking to get the woman's attention. He walked up to the front door and knocked.

No one came to the door. He tilted his head to get a better look at Elffa on his shoulder. "Do you have owl hearing? My cat ears aren't picking up anything."

Elffa nodded and twisted her head slightly. In owls, one ear was up high and the other was down low. It helped pinpoint the lowest sounds.

Elffa listened closely. "She's inside, alright. She heard us and is ignoring us."

"She just hung up the phone with someone. I don't know who, just that she was talking to a male. She's oh, I didn't expect to hear that."

Chat Noir asked what she heard only for the kwami to ask him to stay outside for a few minutes.

Elffa phased into the home and flapped her wings. She flew upstairs and hovered outside a paper door. Phasing through it, she was only moderately surprised to discover the room was full of the family weapons.

Tomoe was taking a katana off the weapon's rack. Noticing the hilt carried the same symbol of the clan, Elffa knew that the weapon had significant value. Swords like that were only to be used in dire circumstances.

Is she planning to use it against her daughter? Elffa wondered. She needed to use her power now to figure out what was going on.

Very softly Elffa called out, "Weighing In." The kwami's eyes glowed as she witnessed the quarrel between mother and daughter in her mind.

She realized this was much worse than they originally thought. She hurried out of the house and back to Chat Noir.

She cut him off before he could ask what was going on. "We need to get back to Ladybug now! There's something she needs to know."


Inside the shell, Ladybug tried to call Master Fu or Peace Keeper. The only thing she got was static. "If signals can't get in then they can't get out either," she mumbled to herself.

She continued to follow the light until she emerged into a large chamber. Peering up, she could just make out the peak of the turtle shell. She was in the exact center of the shell.

Lowering her eyes, she saw the purple light traveling down a thick cable that was attached to the base of a cryopod. Lying peacefully inside was Kagami with her eyes shut.

Electrodes were attached to her temples. The electrode wiring came out of the top and went into a small plate attached to the front of the glass. Small cables came out of the plate and connected to the shell walls.

The setup is just like the relays in the brain! Monarch's magic flows into Kagami's brain similar to pulses to the brain. She then redirects those pulses to different parts of the shell to strengthen it.

Once it has, the signal travels back to the chamber. Then the entire process starts over again. I need to get her out of the pod so we can safely deactivate the shell.

Ladybug took a few steps closer to the pod. The purple light turned to red. Several holes opened in the floor. Out of these holes emerged copies of Riposte. Two Oni-Chan clones dropped from the ceiling, blocking the path behind and ahead of her.

"You never make it easy, do you?" she whispered to the universe. She whipped her yo-yo around and the fight began.

Outside the shell, Chat Noir landed in the school courtyard. He hustled over to the storage closet and knocked. Peace Keeper quickly ushered him in.

"What did you learn from Ms. Tsurugi?"

Chat explained that the woman refused to answer the door. Elffa chimed in and told them what she had seen after using her power. The two humans were stunned.

"She actually was physically violent with her child?!" Peace Keeper exclaimed. "That is not the cultural norm. Raising their voices or using physical disciplining techniques are considered improper behavior for adults in Japan."

"That explains why Kagami wants to be protected from her mother. We need to reassure her she is safe."

Peace Keeper closed her eyes as she recalled everything she knew about the bond between mother and child in Japanese culture. She also took into account the year and a half Kagami had been exposed to French culture.

The bond between mother and child was very strong in Japan. The mother spent almost all her time with her child until they were about five. Even when the child started school and began to socialize, they looked at their mother as their primary role model.

The only part of French culture that was critical to Kagami was the cultural need to have lots of friends. Something that Tomoe was against. She seemed intent on having her daughter totally dependent on her.

"Ms. Tsurugi's need to keep Kagami dependent on her is somewhat unusual. Proper behavior in Japan is important to create harmony so it's important to expose children to different role models, including friends."

Chat Noir informed the Apprentice about the changes in Ms. Tsurugi's behavior in the last few weeks.

Peace Keeper concluded that Kagami wouldn't drop the shell unless she felt she was safe with both her mother and friends.

"You need to relay this to the task force. If they can find a way to achieve that, Kagami might let her guard down enough for me to jam the Alliance Ring signal."

"I'll see what I can do."


Inside the shell, Ladybug had managed to defeat the Riposte clones. The Oni-Chan had vanished upon being defeated.

She hurried over to the pod only to be stopped by a white barrier. "The lying barrier! All her past akumanzation are protecting her."

If I find a way past the barrier then I'll have to deal with Noh and her Blaze attack. I need Kagami to bring it down herself.

Suddenly the shell started vibrating. Ladybug stood still and listened. The vibrations started sounding like a tune.

Then the tune got clearer and she realized it wasn't music she was hearing. It was a voice speaking. She didn't recognize the male voice though it seemed Kagami did as the barrier wavered a little.

The voice spoke again and she now could make out what it was saying. It was speaking Kagami's name and calling her little dragon. The barrier wavered again.

"Come on, Kagami. Let me help you," Ladybug pleaded. The barrier came down. She dashed ahead and heard the barrier go back up.

She checked to see if her communication function was working. She had a weak signal. Closing the yo-yo, she swung it around. With a flick of her wrist the yo-yo wrapped around the thick cable.

Parts of the wall opened and a dozen Noh clones jumped out. The clones danced forward and released their Blaze attacks at her.

Ladybug jumped up and pulled hard. The cable barely budged. She landed knowing she couldn't block the next barrage of attacks.

She pulled the string with all she had. The cable partially came out. Pulling it back she managed to shield herself from the Blaze attacks.

Back in the storage room, Peace Keeper had isolated the signal of Kagami's Alliance Ring. She held out her jammer and clutched Tikki's Kwami Charm tightly.

A minute later she felt of rush of Tikki's magic. That was the signal and she turned on the jammer. Outside, Chat Noir was asking the task force to give Ladybug one more minute before they attacked the shell.

The shell started glowing brightly. Everyone covered their eyes as the light increased in brightness. There was a loud snap and the light was gone, along with the shell.

Chat Noir wasted no time as he catapulted over to Ladybug's position. He elongated his baton so he could sweep the clones away. His partner punched and kicked others until the clones vanished.

Two members of the task force, who appeared to be French military were rapidly approaching the cryopod. Chat Noir noticed the road under the pod was starting to turn metallic again.

"Stop!" he shouted. "Every step you're taking is starting to reactivate the shell!" The soldiers backed off, for the moment anyhow.

Chat looked at his partner and she understood what he was silently telling her. They realized the Alliance Ring must be searching for another frequency to reactivate the power of Protection.

Monarch's trap was simple and effective. If anyone, whether it be the task force or hero approached the pod, the shell would come back up and they would have to battle their way back to her.

Peace Keeper had determined that only a member of Kagami's family or friends would be able to approach safely. If the heroes tried to protect them with their powers, the Miraculouses would time out.

"We can't get close enough to grab her family ring. Without magically enhanced strength, no one can lift the lid on the pod," Chat whispered.

"Then it's time for my Lucky Charm!" A dragon kite fell into her arms. She looked around and got an idea.

Using Chat's belt, her yo-yo, and a fishing hook from a nearby car, she attached her makeshift fishing pole to the frame of the kite. On her signal, Chat launched it into the air.

She managed to fly the kite over the cryopod. Dropping the hook, she managed to latch on the door hinge. With a tug, the door opened. Kagami woke up instantly.

Looking down at her infected ring, she pulled it off and threw it at Chat. The hero leaped up and crushed it. Releasing the kite, Ladybug caught the akuma and restored things to normal.

Ladybug left with only two minutes remaining. Chat strolled over to check on Kagami. "Are you alright?" he asked as he held out his hand.

Kagami took it and stood up. "Thank you. I believe this is the fifth time you've come to my rescue."

"From what I heard; Monarch can't target you anymore. So, next time I hope you rescue me."


Half an hour later, school had resumed. Ms. Mendeleiev's class was concerned about Kagami. She hadn't returned to class when school resumed.

The last time she was seen was when Officer Roger had placed Kagami and a man they assumed was related to Kagami, in the backseat of his car. They assumed the newly established task force wanted to speak with her.

Aurora slid a piece of paper across the table to her seatmate, Mirielle. Waiting until the teacher had turned to write on the whiteboard, the weather girl quickly read the note.

"Do you think Kagami will come back?"

Mirelle wrote on the note then handed it along with some note cards to Aurora. Ms. Mendeleiev didn't think twice about students sharing notecards.

The blond weather girl waited until the teacher had turned their back. to flip the note open. She took down notes while also reading the message.

"Hopefully she will. I can't imagine her not being in our class."

Aurora and Mirielle weren't the only seatmates sending notes to each other. Jean and Marc were doing the same thing. It was good practice for Jean's sleight-of-hand magic tricks.

"What do you think is going on with Kagami? She's never been this stressed out." Jean wrote as he slipped the note to Marc.

Marc managed to hide the note between the pages of his notebook. He carefully pressed down and transferred his response through the page.

A quick flick from his pencil and the note returned to Jean. He managed to read the response before returning his attention to the lecture.

Marc's reply had been, "From what I've heard, things have been tense between her and her mom since the launch of the Alliance Ring. I hope they can work it out."

Ms. Mendeleiev was not dumb. She knew her students were passing notes back and forth. Not having Kagami here had to remind them about what happened last year when the students had been taken to the police station.

She would allow it just for today. Tomorrow, she go back to enforcing her rule about note passing.


At the Gabriel brand headquarters, Nathalie was getting ready to test the crystal she had made. This was her fifth attempt to communicate with a kwami that remained a spirit.

Her black crystal had a bit of Duusu's magic inside it. Placing it on the table, she lit a candle she brought, to help recreate the moment the Mage met the first kwami.

Sitting down, she bowed her head and started praying. Please, let a kwami answer my prayers. Let a kwami who can help me appear."

The crystal started to change color. The black was becoming a light gray with white patches. A shadow appeared in front of the candle.

She couldn't clearly make out the shadow. It looked like a chinchilla, but Nathalie couldn't be certain. She called out, asking for the shadow to reveal itself.

The shadow moved closer to the crystal but didn't enter it. A wispy voice came out of the crystal.

"I am Kismet, the Kwami of Destiny. Knowing what you seek won't help. Destiny is a mystery best left unsolved."

"You already know the answer to your problem. The question is what you will choose to do in the end." The voice went silent and the crystal exploded

Nathalie barely managed to keep her face protected. Behind her, she heard an electronic beep. Spinning around, she realized the data she had used to create the crystal was gone.

The message was pretty clear. Don't contact the spirit Kwamiis again. It was up to her to decide how her destiny ended.