Once upon a time, the universe came to be.

No one agrees on how, exactly, everything happened. Was it done by the hand of a god, or was it a little fireball that exploded, creating the world as we know it today? We don't know, won't ever know, but one thing's for sure; In the middle of it all, the most beautiful spectacle happened.

A star exploded, triggering a phenomenon unlike any witnessed before and since. And from its death, two beings came to life.

The supernova happened in a brilliant burst of light. It outshined the galaxy and burned like a million suns. Amidst the wonderful chaos, something was born, forged from matter, energy, stardust, and perhaps an inkling of magic. This powerful entity, bathed in the remnants of the supernova's brilliance, became known as the Kwami of Creation.

But the laws of the universe have always been clear; everything works in total balance. It all exists with its equals and opposites.

Deep within the heart of a galaxy, a colossal supermassive black hole held sway over the surrounding space. Its immense gravitational pull devoured everything—stars, gas clouds, even light itself. It consumed everything in its path, including the immense energies used to create the first kwami. Moments later, the black hole gave birth to a being of incomprehensible power and from the darkness emerged the Kwami of Destruction.

For a moment, the two small gods simply stared at each other as they took their new reality in. And then, without words, they took each other's hand, silently promising to never let go. They flew together to Earth and there, welcomed one by one new kwamis into their ever-growing family. Together, they created and destroyed, fought and laughed, enjoyed life and discovered the endless possibilities of their powers.

Everything started to unravel with the very first humans.

In the beginning, the kwamis were praised for their powers. They were esteemed as deities, watching over the world in peace. They granted mankind everything they could ever want, transforming dreams into realities. But it apparently wasn't enough. The human heart, ever unsatisfied, craved the absolute power the kwamis held, convincing themselves they were entitled to it.

Blinded by trust, the kwamis never foresaw the betrayal. They never would've thought that the species they had nurtured and empowered would one day turn against them. But one by one, each kwami started disappearing, until only Destruction and Creation remained.

"I know where your friends are," the village's sorcerer told them one night. "You shall come with me to save them."

Placing faith in his words, they entered a beautiful cave, one of Creation's own making. But just before they could ask the sorcerer where the others were, they were sucked into the abyss, the world around them swallowed by darkness. Amidst the void, the voices of their lost friends echoed, time stretching into eternity as they cried out for their freedom.

It took five years until they were allowed back into the light. The sorcerer had imprisoned their essence within magical stones that he adorned around his neck. For years, they were condemned to servitude, forced to grant the desires of men driven by greed, power, and chaos.

Two decades and seven years later, two sisters walked into the house of the sorcerer. The man was old, sick and weak, and didn't put up a fight when they stole the stones. For good measure, the oldest slashed his throat as the youngest fled with the kwamis.

Despite their efforts over the years, the two sisters couldn't figure out how to break the bonds between the stones and the kwamis without rendering the kwamis' powers useless. But the sisters promised to their new friends that from now on, the stones would only be used for good. They transformed them into beautiful pieces of jewelry and studied the extent of the powers. They rapidly discovered that Creation and Destruction were not only the most powerful, but they were also linked in a way no others were. Their power not only complimented each other, but they could also sense each other, no matter where the other was.

"God of Creation," the younger sister inquired one day, "may I bear your earrings and craft with you the most exquisite wonders?"

"It would bring me joy to have you as my holder," Creation responded. "I am Tikki."

Destruction turned his attention to the elder sister. "What about you, kiddo? Wanna work with Plagg?"

"But who is Plagg?"

"Me, duh. So, you're in?"

"Without a doubt!"

Just like that, the first Guardians also became the first Ladybug and Chat Noir. They watched over the miraculous box, vowing that the world would never betray the kwamis as it once did.

Unfortunately, history has a bad habit of repeating itself.

Guardians came and went, kwamis were stolen and enslaved, manipulated for evil, and Ladybug and Chat Noir emerged as saviours again and again, restoring peace. It was a never-ending story, an epic tale of pain, suffering and hope.

One day, a Chat Noir, named Sombra Felis, was injured mid-battle. It was only a matter of time until his death, and his Ladybug, Coccinella, pleaded for the life of her partner, asking the Guardian to save him.

"Mayhaps there's a way," the Guardian responded. "But it does require the intervention of Tikki or Plagg."

Tikki immediately shook her head. "We mustn't invoke the Wish for such intent. To save a life would mean sacrificing another."

"It isn't about the Wish," the Guardian replied. "A lifetime I have devoted to the study of ancient scrolls, learning from the best scholars. Your powers go beyond limits, more powerful than you two can even comprehend."

"I think I have a good idea of my powers, old monkey," Plagg said.

A wry smile curled the Guardian's lips. "So you're acquainted with the concept of soul fusion?"

"The what now?"

Approaching the table where Sombra Felis lay, fevered and weakened, the Guardian explained, "A speculation, yet untested, envisions a convergence of souls. Only you two, being the most powerful kwamis, have this potential. We think that by fusing your essence with your Holder's, you could heal most of their injuries. Infuse vitality back."

"But at what cost?" Tikki wondered.

"A question unanswered as of now. Maybe until you're certain of the safety of your bearers. Or…"

"Or?" prodded Plagg.

"The price could be your own life. We won't ever know for sure until you try it."

"We can't risk it," Tikki said. "Destruction without Creation, Creation without Destruction… It's impossible, it defies nature. The world might collapse upon itself. And …," she lowered her voice, "I cannot bear to lose you, Plagg. Don't do it. You promised, remember, Ragged Aroma?"

Plagg stayed silent for a moment, before sighing. "Okay, Honeyed Jewel. I am truly sorry, Coccinella."

Coccinella cried her heart out as Sombra Felis died in her arms. Eventually, she relinquished her earrings before vanishing, consumed by the anguish of her partner's loss. Despite their sadness, the two kwamis didn't regret their choice. After all, an eternity ago, they'd swear to each other to never let go. And they respected that promise for a long, long time…

Until Tikki broke it.

"I'm sorry, Plagg," she whispered as she watched her Chosen slowly dying. "You're gonna be fine, Marinette, I promise."

—

"Let me get this straight," Adrien's voice broke the heavy silence that had set in the room as everyone seemed to hold their breath. "You think Tikki is inside Marinette right now?"

Plagg, who was usually nonchalant, wore a rare seriousness in his expression as he nodded. "Yeah."

The gravity of Plagg's assertion hung in the air, its implications sinking in. Adrien's gaze flitted among his friends, seeing the same shock he felt reflected on their faces.

"So, what, they do have the earrings, but they're useless because Tikki is out of reach?"

"That's my best guess. We never knew for sure what would happen if we did the fusion."

"Well, that's good news, right?" Alya asked, a mix of anxiety and optimism in her voice. "I mean, Tikki could be the voice Dylan was referring to. She might be Marinette's hallucinations, which means she's alive."

Plagg sighed. "But we don't know for sure how to get her out. And, for all we know, she might be the only thing keeping Marinette alive. Separating them could be … bad."

The room seemed to freeze as Adrien turned his gaze toward his kwami, his eyes wide. "Wait, what?"

"I told you, we don't know much about it. It was nothing more than a theory!" Plagg explained, his voice trembling. "Tikki … she must have been desperate. There's no way to know for sure that we can bring her back."

Plagg then flew to the table and, without saying anything else, curled into a ball. His green eyes glistened with unshed tears, but just as he seemed about to completely shut down, Wayzz flew to him.

"Plagg, the Guardian who told you about this was my Holder. I remember, we studied this theory for years on end. Yes, your … death was one possible outcome, but there were a few others."

"Like what?" Nino asked when Plagg failed to react.

"Well, by merging the two souls, there was a risk that the Holder would somehow become one with the kwami. We feared that the human would end up with Tikki or Plagg's powers. And these powers, unlimited, unrestrained, in human hands… It's never been good."

"But it's clearly not what happened," Adrien responded. "Marinette doesn't have powers."

"Correct. Well, there was another theory. We figured Tikki or Plagg would only do the fusion out of desperation because their Holder was deadly injured, but the bond between these two had to already be particularly strong. I mean, Plagg refused to save Sombra Felis, or any other Chat Noir for that matter. The same thing for Tikki. But she did it for Marinette, because she wanted her to be safe, no matter the price. I think that's still the case."

Nino's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure I'm following."

"I think she's maintaining the fusion until Marinette is out of harm's way."

Realization dawned in Alya's eyes, her features lighting up as the pieces seemed to finally fall into place in her mind. "Oh, so they're trying to convince her that she's safe! The boyfriend, the best friend, the therapist… That's all to get Tikki out. And Hawkmoth might not be attacking as often in Paris, but when he does, people die left and right. He's more violent, more desperate because he knows he's halfway there!"

"And while the others are on Marinette, trying to get Tikki, he's focused on you, dude!" Nino exclaimed, before immediately sobering as he remembered just who, exactly, Hawkmoth was. "Well, uh, Chat Noir you. Anyway," he cleared his throat, "now we definitely know that the earrings are at your old man's place. We need to—"

A sudden interruption cast doubt upon their emerging plan. "That's incorrect," Trizz's voice interjected, cutting through the heated brainstorming.

"Why?"

"Well, if they somehow manage to get Tikki out, they would need to act fast. Someone would need to put on the earrings to claim her immediately because otherwise, she would still only answer to Ladybug. And if they're in Paris, she won't hear the transformation phrase. So the earrings cannot be at Chat Noir's old mansion."

"So they're at the apartment," Alya realized. "Lila probably has them, right? Hidden somewhere."

Adrien's determination flared, his resolve igniting a spark of action. He rose from his seat, his hands trembling with a mixture of anxiety and determination. "Okay, we definitely need to get Marinette out of there, like today. Screw it if she thinks we're kidnapping her or whatever. Once Tikki figures out Marinette is with us, she'll come out, and—"

Plagg interrupted him. "And Hawkmoth will have a working miraculous."

"Not if we take her far enough first."

"And then what? Victoria panics, calls the police, and tells everyone that she was abducted and that no, her boyfriend and best friend are not monsters? She's brainwashed, kid. She won't trust you. Sorry to tell you this, but she doesn't even like you a little right now."

"Okay, well, we find the earrings, then we kidnap Marinette," Adrien said with stubborn determination.

"And that's why Ladybug used to make the plans."

"Okay, rude. But I've got an idea, just bear with me. Let's transform, now."

Alya and Nino exchanged a quick, worried glance before complying with Adrien's directive. Seconds later, the trio of superheroes were strategically positioning themselves with their backs against the wall to avoid any inadvertent reveals. At the same time, Chat Noir called Viperion, who answered after the second ring.

"Hey, what's up? I'm sorry guys, I don't have anything new for you, the fucker passed out thirty minutes ago. I think I might have punched him a little too hard. My bad."

"Don't worry about it. Tell Pegasus to watch over him, we have a new mission for you," Chat Noir said. There was something in his voice, something more mature, serious, leaderlike. It was always weird to hear him like that, especially when you knew him personally. But he'd really grown into his role as a leader in the past few years. Nowadays, when Chat Noir spoke, everybody listened and complied with his demands. But it wasn't just about his authority—he commanded respect from everyone, not only his team.

"I'm all ears."

"I'm about to give you the identities of all the other miraculous holders," he stated, brushing off Rena Rouge and Carapace's audible gasps. "You will find them and tell them to be ready for a fight. We …," he paused, inhaling deeply, "we figured out Hawkmoth's identity."

Viperion's eyes widen behind his mask. "Really? Who is it?"

"Gabriel Agreste."

"No way… Seriously? Alright, I'll, uh, I'll track them down. However, Ryuuko and Vesperia might be a tough sell. Especially Ryuuko. She's been different since … well, you know."

"I'm aware. Just do your best, okay?"

"Absolutely. So, what's the next move? Do we launch an attack?"

Chat Noir shook his head. "Not exactly. I need all of you to gear up because Hawkmoth is going to be seriously angry soon."

"Why's that?"

"Because we have a good idea of where Ladybug's miraculous is. And we will take it from them."

Viperion's voice quivered with curiosity tinged with concern. "I've got a question. Is Marinette … is she …," he trailed off momentarily before resuming, "Is she who I think she is? Is that what's happening?"

There was a moment of silence. For a second, Rena Rouge was convinced Chat Noir wasn't going to answer. And maybe he shouldn't have. But then, he nodded and whispered, "Yes."

Viperion's laughter held a touch of irony. "I always had some doubts," Viperion said with a small laugh that held a touch of irony. "About you three as well. I suppose this confirms everything, doesn't it? Everything makes so much more sense…. Don't worry, though. Your secret's safe with me. You can count on that."

"We appreciate it," Alya's words dripped with gratitude. "Thank you, Luka."

Chat Noir's fingers danced across his baton's surface as he wrote down everyone's identity. "I'm sending you the names now. Congrats on the promotion, by the way. You're officially a Guardian now."

Viperion's tone held a mixture of shock and amusement. "Thanks, I—wait, seriously? Wow, I didn't expect that one. I should've paid more attention to everyone's music a long time ago, I guess. It's kind of embarrassing."

"You couldn't have noticed it, it's the magic," Nino explained. "But now that it's broken, you're going to see everything."

"That's incredible. Well, no time to waste. I'm getting on it right away. I'll message you once everyone's ready to roll. Catch you later."

They ended the call and released their transformations, allowing their civilian identities to resurface. Nino immediately asked, "Alright, seriously, what's our strategy here? I'm feeling a bit lost."

"I'll explain in the car," Adrien answered as he grabbed his keys.

"Where are we going?"

"Back to Marinette's place. I'm really done with this whole thing. It's time to finish it once and for all."

—

When they arrived at the apartment, they were relieved to see that it was completely empty. It would've been pretty hard to explain to Marinette—or worse, Lila—-what they wanted. They sent Trixx inside to unlock the door and then, without hesitation, they sprang into action. Starting with the bedrooms, they looked everywhere. They searched every nook and cranny, opened every door, and moved everything to try and find the perfect hiding place for a pair of small earrings. Needless to say, the task was as daunting as seeking a needle in a haystack.

"Guys, over here!" Alya called from Marinette's room.

The boys hurried to her side and discovered a room which was in complete chaos. And while Alya definitely had something to do with it, Adrien wouldn't have been surprised to know that some of it was Marinette's own doing. After all, he remembered perfectly well the state of her teenage bedroom.

"What's that?" he asked, gesturing toward the book in her hands.

"She's been drawing," Alya whispered, flipping the pages. "Look at this. It's not just random doodles. It's memories."

Taking the sketchbook, Adrien took a look at the various and beautiful drawings. Familiar faces graced the pages—Lila, Dylan, Reid, Nathalie —alongside landscapes that likely captured fleeting moments from Marinette's life. There were a bunch of other portraits, perhaps some friends she'd made over the years. But those weren't the drawings that captured Adrien's attention.

A black cat stretching, its vivid green eyes almost alive on the paper. The hint of a smirk. A pair of green eyes—one human, one feline. Blond hair. A girl with dark curly hair, her face cancelled by a mischievous fox. A strong man cooking. A small woman reading a book. The Eiffel Tower. The gorgeous view from a balcony. A rooftop covered in petals. What looked like a red ball with two little blue spots. A boy with black and blue hair. A girl wearing scarlet pants, lying on a rooftop, with a man attired in dark trousers. A white butterfly. A woman's hand tenderly caressing a black cat. A man dressed in all black, holding a red rose which hid his face. A ladybug in a corner. A blond man laughing, his face hidden by his own hand adorned with a ring. Hands—his hands, Adrien's hands, Chat Noir's hands—everywhere.

It was funny how most visages from her old life were either veiled or left incomplete as if Marinette hadn't been able to draw them. Perhaps it had frustrated her, being unable to perfectly capture their essence.

"No matter how hard they try," Nino whispered from beside him, "they can't erase it all. She's fighting, even if she doesn't realize it. She's trying to come back."

Emotions surged within Adrien, each wave crashing against the walls he'd built to maintain a sense of force. He tried so hard to stay strong, to keep a brave face, but it was so hard. The emotions threatened to breach his defences. He blinked a couple of times, trying to stop the tears from falling.

It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. I don't need a drink right now. I'm fine. It's okay.

He carefully placed the sketchbook on the desk and took a deep breath, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides, knuckles turning white. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words were caught in his throat. He coughed once, ready to try again, when the front door opened.

"What do you mean, he didn't come to the studio?" Lila's voice filled the tense atmosphere as she entered her apartment. "You tried calling him? … Uh… No, no, I just came back from lunch with Vee… Yeah… Okay, talk to you later, love you."

For a second, the trio was frozen in place. They could hear her walking in the kitchen, completely carefree.

"What do we do?" Alya mouthed.

Nino pointed at the window, the question evident on his face. And it could've been a good idea. Really, they could just transform and run out of there. But Adrien had made it clear; he was so fucking done with all of it. He simply didn't care anymore. He didn't care if his identity was compromised, if his dad was Hawkmoth, if Lila or Dylan died—well, no, that wasn't exactly true. He really wanted them dead. He didn't care anymore about Nathalie's involvement or if Marinette was mad at him for everything. Hell, she could hate him if she wanted, as long as she was safe and happy.

Fuck it.

He slipped from the shadows of the room, his footsteps like a cat's, light and fluid, as he moved toward his unsuspecting prey. Alya and Nino exchanged a glance, one filled with panic, worry and perhaps a little excitation, before following him.

Lila had her back on them, scrolling through her phone, blissfully unaware of the hunter right behind her. She thought she was safe. Thought that no one could reach her, comfortable in the web of lies and deceptions she had created. But she was wrong. Oh, so wrong.

The room itself seemed to hold its breath as Adrien moved closer. And then, Lila froze, sensing someone behind her. But it was too late as Adrien whispered in her ears;

"Checkmate, Lila."