Welcome to the final part of my season five trilogy. I have to say I was shocked by the ending for a few reasons. Which is why this story will end differently.
Since Lila is no longer present in my stories, I am making her persona, Circe, a separate character. I have something special planned for her.
Lastly, because the Peacock's powers are different in my story, neither Adrien nor Felix will be senti-beings. They are just two normal teenage boys.
In Paris, Nadja was reporting the latest news about the fight against Monarch and Mayura. "Bemused, it's just the news. Earlier today, the Monarch Task Force attempted to apprehend Mayura as she broke into a pharmacy."
Video footage showed Mayura carrying a small bag over her shoulder. It was bulging with had to be stolen medications. One of the task force members rushed her with his taser crackling.
The supervillainess blocked the taser with her fan. The two struggled against one another before Mayura managed to catch him off guard by opening her fan. The taser was knocked out of her foe's hand and skidded away.
In the split second he was distracted, Mayura used an arm chop on the man's neck. He stumbled a step or two before collapsing. Seeing the police cars getting closer, Mayura used her defense power to vanish from sight.
The video ended and the camera turned back to Nadja. "We received word from the hospital that the agent is fine. His neck will be bruised and sore for a few days. According to the MTF, the agent should return to duty in three days."
"The question on the citizens of Paris's minds is this: Was Mayura pilfering the supplies to help her boss? If not, then was it for herself?"
Nadja reminded viewers that the Resistance and the heroes had learned Monarch was dying thanks to Chat's Cataclysm. "According to Ladybug, Monarch days are numbered. She and Chat estimate that Monarch has about one to two months left before the Cataclysm ends his life."
A new video started playing. It was clips of people cheering upon hearing the news. Some people said they were planning parties to celebrate the man's death.
The video clips then changed to Ladybug and Chat Noir admonishing people for their callus behavior. Monarch was a terrorist but the heroes insisted that no one should take pleasure from his impending death.
"A recent interview on the LadyNoir blog has revealed new details on the situation." The screens behind Nadja lit up showing Chat Noir's concerned face.
"In the interview, Chat Noir stated that Monarch was even more dangerous since his deuteration means his magic is highly unstable. This unstable magic can cause serious harm to individuals."
"He also revealed that the unstable magic could interfere with his and Ladybug's own. Chat Noir urges everyone to be cautious and to make sure they get to safety during an attack in case his or Ladybug's powers fail to work."
Nadja did her best to keep her expression neutral as she finished her report. "With this new information, President Macron has ordered other jurisdictions to send any available officers to Paris. He was quoted saying, "I won't allow a time bomb to go off in our nation's capital."
"Thank you for watching this special news addition. I'm Nadja Chamakh, signing off." The light on the camera shifted from green to red. She was relieved.
"That better be the last report for the day. I need to pick up Manon from her babysitter. I don't want her to throw a tantrum because I'm late," she told Alic.
He nodded as he could tell how tired Nadja already was. "I'll fill in for you if anything comes up tonight. You need to get some sleep as well."
Nadja arrived a short time later at her friend's home. She warmly greeted Sabine. "How are you doing Sabine?"
"I'm doing well. Manon is upset Marinette can't babysit her for the next two months or so."
Nadja knew this. She had tried to explain to her daughter the importance of the brevet for Marinette's future. It went over the little girl's head.
Manon and Marinette came down the stairs. Manon's eyes lit up as she jumped into her mother's arm. "Mommy! I'm so glad to see you!"
"I'm glad to see you too dear. Did you behave yourself?" Nadja inquired.
Marinette confirmed that Manon did behave. Najda thanked her again and then she and her daughter left. Marinette then went to help Sabine prepare dinner.
While the Dupain-Chengs prepared dinner, at Master Fu's home, father and daughter were working on expanding her magical abilities. Particularly, the control over her retrocognition ability.
Ning was currently lying on the guest bed as Fu carefully placed an acupuncture needle on her head. One needle was placed at the glabella. Another was on the crown of her head. The last few were at different points of her neck.
Despite being called quack medicine and science saying it didn't do anything, acupuncture was still seen as an effective alternate medicine. Modern doctors said there was no such thing as qui and meridians.
Science failed to capture the magic in traditional sets. Everything in the world had some type of quintessence, life energy. Modern doctors just couldn't see it with their machines or instruments.
Ancient acupuncturists could see the life energy thanks to years of meditation. When you achieved the higher state to see beyond the physical world, it was easy to manipulate the magic all around you.
The ambient magic could be stored in needles for later use on patients. While science had advanced humanity, there were still instances when old-world magic was still superior.
Marianne was sitting in a chair, holding her daughter's right hand. She glanced up at her husband. "Are you sure this won't hurt her?" she wondered.
"I assure you I am a certified acupuncturist. The needles are barely penetrating her skin. She's not in danger," he assured his wife. He asked if his daughter was ready for the last needle.
"I'm ready. How long will the needles stay in for again? Ning asked.
"One hour. As your energy travels to your mind, you need to focus it on opening your seventh chakra. If I'm correct, this will allow you to gain full control over your visons of the past."
Once she had mastership over her power, the plan was for her to open a wider connection to either Duusu's or Nooroo's minds. The more access she had, the better her chances were of calling on the memories of Mayura and Monarch.
Fu placed the last needle in and began chanting. The chant wasn't magical, but the steady lullaby it provided, did help put the patient into a light trance. Ning closed her eyes and her breathing steadied out as the session took effect.
The two parents watched patiently as their daughter's eyebrows furled slightly. The needles subtly shifted from silver to pink, the color associated with quintessence.
Fu was pleased to see this. It meant his daughter's life force was flowing through her body safely. The needle on her crown was turning brighter as the energy collected there.
"Why is that one glowing brighter? Is it a sign something going amiss?" Marianne asked urgently.
"No, it simply shows where she is focusing the energy there. It will most likely change color again once she has clarity of her mind. Then she'll be able to expand her control over her visions."
The session reached the halfway point when the needle's color changed. The color was now glowing purple, indicating she had fully opened her seventh chakra. Ning's facial expression became serene.
Marianne asked if they should stop the session now, but her husband shook her head. "The session must end naturally. Pulling the needles out too early could cause the chakra to become blocked again."
Fifteen minutes passed when the serene expression on their daughter's face changed to one of agitation. Her body began to shudder as her fists clenched tightly.
A whimper came out of her mouth and she kicked her legs. "Hold her down!" Fu shouted as raced out of the room. Marianne did her best, but there was only so much an old lady could do.
Fu rushed back in carrying soft restraints. Not questioning why, he had those in the first place, Marianne continued to keep Ning restrained. Once the woman's legs were restrained, she stopped kicking.
Not wanting to take any more chances, Fu quickly secured her hands and head with Marianne's help. There was an unspoken message in Marianne's eyes. With his own eyes, Fu conveyed he would explain later.
Once Ning stopped moving, they stared at the needle on top of her head. To their shock, it was no longer purple. It was now half black and half white. Fu didn't know what that meant.
When the clock struck the hour, Fu gently removed the needles and placed them in a small basket. Marianne then took the basket to the kitchen to start the sterilization process.
Fu gently tapped Ning's shoulders, trying to rouse her. Slowly, her eyes opened and she looked at him in bafflement. There was no recognition in her eyes.
She stared at him for a minute. She started to speak then dropped her head into her hands. Ning massaged her temples before pulling her head up. This time her eyes held recognition.
"Father," she whispered with certainty. Fu embraced her and soon was joined by Marianne.
They were happy that she looked physically okay. They would look into her mental state later. Right now, they all needed a break.
The next day after school, Ms. Bustier's class went over to Max's home for their study party. It was easier to help several people struggling with one topic if the tutor had everyone in one place.
Even Prince Ali was there. Even foreign exchange students had to take the brevet. Since he started school a few months ago, credits from Achu were transferred for eligibility to take the test.
Rose was helping him and Ivan with their geography. "Remember, France's northeastern border consists of Belgium and Luxemburg. Germany, Switzerland, and Italy are directly east."
Ivan moaned slightly. "Why do we need to know which two are in the northeast when they are all east of France?"
"Most likely for governmental reasons. The borders of a country need to be precisely marked to prevent illegal entry," Ali quipped. He looked at the textbook and frowned slightly. "Though I question why the U.K. shares a maritime border with France."
Rose gave them both encouraging smiles. Ali's bodyguard came over with some healthy snacks. "I believe the three of you should take a short snack break to refuel."
As the trio ate their snacks, Nathaniel was helping Kim practice his speech for the cultural history section of the tests. It consisted of writing a 2000-word essay about any art form and analyzing 6 to 8 paintings. Then they had to do a presentation for two teachers for 10–15 minutes before answering any questions they might have.
"The laxative cave system contains some of the earlier known pastel wall paintings," Kim was saying when Nathenial held up his hand. He was starting to develop a tic from his frustration with the athlete.
"For the fifth time Kim, it's the Lascaux cave system, not laxative. Also, it's called parietal wall paintings, not pastel."
Kim responded it was hard to remember that when he was panicking. "I'm getting nervous just pondering about the presentation. My mind is built for sports stats, not art details."
"If you can remember sports stats then try to convert the art information into stats. You'll be able to retain the information better."
Max and Markov were aiding Mylene and Nino with math. Mylene was toiling with percentages. Her brain seemed unable to convert fractions into percentages.
"Alright, let's see if you got the steps right. What do you do first?" Max asked Mylene.
"First, I divide the numerator by the denominator," Mylene said as she worked on the problem in front of her.
Max nodded and then asked her what was the second step. She replied it was to multiply the denominator by one hundred. Mylene wrote down her answer and gave it to Max.
"Hmm, you got seven out of ten right. Keep this up and you'll pass the math portion."
Mylene smiled happily. She turned to ask Nino how he was doing only to discover he was asleep.
Markov let out an electronic sigh. "This is the third time he's fallen asleep during my lecture. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong."
Max assured his buddy he would help him with Nino in a few minutes. Markov spun around, pleased to hear that. He was low on energy after waking Nino up since the session started.
At the kitchen table sat Alix, Juleka, and Chloe. They were discussing the literature they had read earlier in the year for that portion of the brevet. Chloe was struggling with analyzing the book.
"I don't understand. Why do we need to analyze the characters?" Chloe asked as she glanced at her copy of, "Percy Jackson: The Lightening Thief."
"We need to be able to break down the protagonist and explain what techniques the writer's using to make him the main focus," Alix said sarcastically. She was getting tired of repeating that to Chloe.
Juleka whispered to Alix to calm down. Everything would be fine. The skater girl rolled her eyes but didn't comment any further.
Sabrina and Alya had claimed the loveseat in the living room for themselves. They were quizzing each other on civics. Both of them found it difficult to make an accurate comparison between the French government and other governments.
Adrien and Marinette had found a quiet corner to study in. The boy was doing his best to keep his girlfriend from having a panic attack.
"Marinette, you need to calm down. Take a few deep breaths."
"I'm trying Adrien, but it's hard to stay calm. The different laws are getting mixed up in my brain! I need at least forty out of fifty points to pass the brevet science section!"
Adrien gently gripped his girlfriend's flaying arms and brought them back to her side. "You're one of the smartest people I know, Marinette. Your creativity is unparalleled. You can do this."
The bluenette looked at her textbook again. The page held information about Newton's Laws. She grabbed a notecard from the stack next to the couple. She wrote the laws down and highlighted them.
"I'm glad you have a color-coded system to help you study. I wish I could join you tomorrow night and not go to the Diamond's Dance."
Marinette frowned upon hearing that. "I assumed you talked to him about excusing you from this event. Doesn't he care that you need to study?"
Adrien laughed and rolled his eyes. "According to him, one night without any studying is good for me. It gives my brain a chance to relax. I'm mostly going to support Kagami."
"Of course, Kagami needs an escort. Is her mom still trying to pair her up with you?" she asked bitterly.
"No. Ms. Tsurugi has eyes on setting up Kagami with Ali," he replied as their eyes looked over at the prince.
Adrien knew that Ali had been sent an invitation because they both talked about it with one another. It irked him slightly that the prince's parents allowed him to decline the invite. They put their son's education ahead of society's expectations.
Marinette placed a soothing hand on his. She squeezed it gently, letting him know she would be there in spirit.
The next evening, Nathalie was helping Gabriel with his tie. He was losing feeling in his hand. The damage had now spread across his chest and was starting to move down the other arm.
"The spiritual treatments aren't working anymore, Gabriel. The rate of destruction is getting faster."
Gabriel grunted in acknowledgment. He had pushed up the party date because of it. He had spent a lot of money on this event and wouldn't cancel it.
Nathalie told him he was acting foolish, but he wouldn't be dissuaded. He had an image to keep up. She ensured that the drug delivery pump was hidden discreetly.
Her recent thefts of medication and supplies were to buy both of them more time. She also hoped that one of the pain pills might make Gabriel loopy enough to agree to the ritual to save his life.
She glanced up at the stairs to see Adrien coming down. His model smile was in place. Nathalie sighed, knowing that Adrien would rather be studying than attending the event.
She quickly checked the pump one more time to ensure it was hidden. "You're ready to go, Gabriel. Please, don't exert yourself too much," she whispered to her boss.
"I don't intend to. Come along, Adrien. Now is not the time to dawdle." A reluctant Adrien followed his father out of the mansion.
Once Nathalie was certain she was alone, she told Duusu to come out. The peacock kwami hovered in front of her original wielder. "Ms. Nathalie, you should get some rest. You don't look well."
Nathalie coughed a few times then looked at Duusu thoughtfully. "I know, but I can't rest yet. I need to go on another run."
Duusu replied sharply that all these transformations were not helping her body heal. In fact, it was doing the opposite.
"Duusu, you and I both know I'm dying. I'm not going to recover from this relapse."
Duusu knew she was right. She could feel the sickness spreading throughout her wielder's body. As with Gabriel, Nathalie's life could only be saved by the Celestial Guardian.
Duusu knew that Nathalie would be willing to make the deal to undo the damage the Miraculous had done to her body. "Mistress Nathalie, why are you delaying your own treatment? You should get healed as soon as possible."
The woman told her kwami that she wasn't prioritizing Gabriel over her health. Rather, she was prioritizing Adrien's happiness over her health. She was doing this to pay the debt she owed Emilie for everything she did for her over the years.
Knowing she couldn't argue with her, Duusu told her mistress not to stay transformed too long. The woman promised her. Once transformed, she headed out ready to crash a party.
Kagami welcomed guests at the Diamond Dance, while her mother watched closely. They had been living apart for a week.
The teenager hadn't realized how much easier it was to breathe without her mother's constant control. Her father was stern, but he was okay if she made a mistake. He would even help her fix them.
She was only here tonight out of obligation. Similar to Adrien, Kagami also considered skipping the event to study with her classmates. However, if she wanted to spend the year with her father, She was still required to attend the event.
Tomoe directed her blank eyes at her daughter. "Kagami, do you know if Prince Ali will be attending the event? I didn't get a yes or no response to the invite."
Kagami replied she didn't know, but Adrien might. Secretly, she hoped the prince wouldn't be attending because she didn't want to be matched with him as the diamond couple.
Thankfully, Adrien and his father appeared just then. Tomoe exchanged greetings and spoke with Adrien. Years of watching her mother allowed Kagami to witness the tiny tightening of Tomoe's lips. She was not happy.
Adrien glided over to her. "You look nice tonight," he told his friend politely. Kagami's white dress made her appear to be a moon maiden.
"Thank you, your suit is nice too." Kagami held out her hand and he took it. "Shall we get this night over with?"
Adrien nodded and then whispered something into her ear. A small smile formed on her lips. Maybe tonight wouldn't be so bad if what she learned was true.
Once inside the dance area, the two teens started to mingle with the other elitist children. Adrien was unimpressed with several of them. Their shallowness was disgusting.
"You should have seen the look on that nobody's face when I told her the only way, she would attend the Diamond Dance would be as a trash collector," one boy laughed cruelly.
Everyone except Adrien laughed with him. A few of the girls even commented how girls like that needed to be put in their place. Their only purpose in life was to serve them.
Adrien sighed with disgust as he turned to leave when someone caught his wrist. He glared up at the person and stopped seeing who it was. The hand let go of his wrist and the two walked over to another corner of the room.
"I didn't think you would pull it off," Adrien remarked casually to his companion. The other boy detached his mask, revealing it to be Felix. "I hope you didn't pull a prank on Ali."
Felix rolled his eyes at his cousin. "I would never pull a prank on a real prince. If you must know, I gave him a first edition director signed copy of his mother's favorite Graham de Vanily film."
Adrien whistled softly. No wonder Ali had agreed to this plan so easily. "Is Bridgette here as well?"
Felix pointed to the opposite corner of the room. Two blue-haired girls were talking quietly. "Your friend, Zoe, was more than happy to give her mask to my girl. After all, Bridgette's always dreamed of dancing at a grand ball with me."
The boy then confessed the hardest part had been convincing Bridgette's parents to let her come with him for the event with a day's notice. "We'll be able to trade places in a few minutes. The lights should be going dark in five minutes."
The cousins and the girls made their way closer to the exit discreetly. The plan was simple. Once the lights were off, Felix and Bridgitte would take Adrien's and Kagami's masks.
They could then sneak away to attend their study parties. In the meantime, Felix and Bridgitte would take their places so no one would wonder when the teen celebrities were.
The plan was to swap back right before everyone left, provided they kept an eye on the time.
Just then the lights went off, but before they could make the swap, the light turned back on. Only it wasn't a normal light. It was a small blood-red moon hovering over everyone.
There was a loud screech as someone turned on the microphone. "Testing, one, two, Raging Call!" All the guests clutched their ears as the amplified magical attack echoed around the space.
Adrien's gaze started darting around the room, trying to find where Mayura was. He was abruptly pulled into a cubicle by Kagami, who hissed at him to close his eyes.
Mayura walked out of a secret door and used Regal Shimmer to cast beams of red moonlight across the room. The moonbeam acted as a conduit for the quintessence to travel into the protector.
Bridgette peeked out from the cubicle. She watched the villainess closely. The red moon swelled to an enormous size. In a split second, it was orbiting Mayura.
A beam of white moonlight bathed Mayura. Immediately, she looked refreshed and healthy. Bridgette pulled back her head and told the others what she had seen.
"She's stealing health from others to heal herself," Kagami mused. "It makes sense she used the moon. In many cultures, the moon symbolizes healing and female power."
The teenager took another peek and saw the moon had collected energy from everyone. Well, almost everyone. It seemed her mother and Mr. Agreste had been knocked out cold by Mayura's fan.
Felix stuck his head out a fraction. Mayura was leaving through the secret door, the red moon following behind her. The four waited a few minutes to see if she would come back.
Thankfully, she didn't and they made their way out of the party space. As soon as they were outside, they saw Mayura had launched the moon into the sky. Larger red moonbeams spread out zapping scores of people now.
Adrien was at a bit of a loss about how Mayura was still attacking. "This doesn't make sense. According to the LadyNoir blog, Mayura can only summon a protector for a short amount of time."
Kagami understood what Adrien was getting at. "In her weakened state, Mayura should be able to keep this protector active for no more than three minutes. It's been nearly eight."
Bridgette reminded them that Mayura had healed herself slightly. "She probably needed to do that first to keep the protector around." The girl looked deep in thought. "The question is why she needs to keep this protector around."
Felix remembered a movie review about a film where time was currency and exclaimed, "In Time!"
The others looked at him as if he lost his mind, but he rushed on. "In the movie, human beings use their life span as currency. The richest get to stay young and immortal because they hoard people's time."
"That's what Mayura is trying to do here! She's trying to gather enough life force, enough time, to keep herself, and probably Monarch, as well, from dying before they find a way to prevent it."
Adrien tried to hide the guilt he felt. If he hadn't used his powers on Monarch, then Mayura wouldn't be doing this.
He felt someone slap his cheeks lightly. He was shocked to see it was Kagami. "I know that look in your eye. Adrien, you're a genuine kind-hearted person. You want to help everyone around you."
"But some people don't deserve your pity. Both villains made their choices to use their magic to hurt others. Although I don't support capital punishment, Monarch and Mayura are suffering the consequences of their poor decisions.
That's what Marinette would say as well, he thought to himself. He was about to make an excuse to transform when the red moon vanished. He turned around and saw the bouncers picking themselves off the ground.
The four teenagers could only assume that Ladybug had managed to handle Mayura on her own. It was the only explanation. Suddenly, it hit them.
They were free from the Diamond Dance. They could do whatever they wanted. Adrien and Kagami ran down the street to catch the bus. Meanwhile, Felix took Bridgette to a dance club to have some fun.
Meanwhile, Ladybug was making her way discreetly towards Master Fu's home. She needed to talk to him about a few things. First, why had her Lucky Charm failed? The second question had to deal with how the attack ended.
The attack only ended after she and Mayura made an oath. Ladybug had agreed to arrange a meeting between the Celestial Guardian and Mayura.
Landing a few blocks away, she let the transformation fall. Marinette looked at her kwami. "Tikki, was I foolish to enter into this oath?"
Tikki rubbed her paw/hands against one another nervously. "I don't know, Marinette. Mayura and Peace Keeper entered into an oath and it turned out alright."
"But the circumstances were entirely different. Lila had to be defeated before she stole all of Nooroo's power and her partner ended up brain dead," Marinette pointed out.
"It's not that different. We know she doesn't want to hurt Master Fu. According to the oath, she only wants to talk to him."
Sighing, the two of them entered the apartment building. They knocked on Fu's door and Marianne let them inside. "They're in the kitchen," she motioned.
The two walked into the kitchen. Fu and Ning looked up from the Miraculous Book. Both could see the serious expression on her face.
"What has happened?" Master Fu asked gently.
Marinette explained to him what had occurred during the last attack. The teen fought to avoid spiraling out of control, silently pleading with Ning for reassurance.
"Marinette, you did take a big risk by making that oath. I can disguise my father without too much trouble. Still, Mayura could see through it," Ning began.
Marinette stared at the floor feeling downcast. She almost missed Ning's next words.
"However, I do know from experience that Mayura always keeps her side of an oath. Not just when we fought Lila, but during battles against her, she doesn't try to kill people, as Monarch has demonstrated."
Master Fu spoke up. "It wasn't a malfunction, but some situations require personal intervention. In those cases, your empathy for others is the most important tool you can wield."
The three humans started discussing how to arrange a secret meeting with Mayura. Tikki slipped away, wanting to visit her "siblings" and "cousins" while she had the opportunity.
Once in her world, she was welcomed by her "brother" Wayzz. "I've been expecting you, Tikki."
"You have?" she replied uncertainly. "Why have you been expecting me? I just stopped to say hi briefly before heading home with Marinette."
Wayzz placed his paw/hands on his "sister's" tiny shoulders. "Even in our world, I can perceive the spiritual imbalance going on in Paris. Did anything happen today that would encourage you to come here?"
Tikki was silent for a minute. Then she told him about Marinette entering into an oath with Mayura. "I want to believe Master Fu's words are true, but I can't. There must have been safer ways to stop Mayura than making a dangerous oath.
Wayzz agreed with her. "We know that both Nooroo's and Mayura's wielders are dying. This is causing their magic to become unstable. Mayura's unstable magic may have prevented yours from working correctly."
"This can't go on much longer, Wayzz. I fear what will happen to our "siblings" if they are still bonded to Mayura and Monarch when they pass. Having a bond severed by death always hurts our kind in some manner."
Wayzz knew it was strongly possible, that Nooroo and Duusu, might experience a physical death should their wielders die. Generally, this wasn't something that occurred, but Nooroo and Duusu had been abused for a long time.
If their mental state was as fragile as he suspected it was, then he might very well lose his "sister" and "brother."
"Can you and Plagg, come here around midnight in three days? We need to discuss the situation with all the Circles."
The ladybug kwami nodded. If she had to drag Plagg here by his tail, she would do it. The lives of their lost "siblings" were on the line and she wouldn't fail them.