Shots, that was all the night owl heard. During the battle with the alternate version of the ladybug and the black cat, his wand created a portal that sucked them into their dimension, but before passing through the portal the anti-ladybug managed to hit the wand with his yo-yo and the wand began to swallow the night owl. He was now on the roof of a ruined house.
He was unconscious on the ground, there was a battlefield all around him, and people were shouting, bullets whistling, and the noise of tanks, but he was out of this the experience. A soldier entered the room, looking everywhere for enemies or people who were hiding, he did not immediately notice the night owl because his perceptions were focused on looking for a salary and be ready to shoot. A few seconds after entering and looking around, he noticed a night owl lying on the ground.
The soldier looked at him from a distance and he decided that this was a child who had worn a suit before the city was bombed and he had failed to go down to the basement. The soldier approached the night owl to see him better, then he heard a sound and the suit disappeared and the soldier was startled and fell to the ground. Then kwami appeared, Halub. The soldier quickly put his rifle on his shoulder and was ready to fire if necessary. Kwami turned and saw the soldier aiming at him.
"What's going on here? Who are you?" The soldier said with panic in his voice.
Kwami scanned the room, then the soldier, who was visibly surprised, but not in the good sense of the word. Halub looked at Zack, then remembered the document he had seen on Zack's phone when he was at the Louvre and perhaps knew what had happened?
"I'll explain everything to you, but first help my owner." Said Halub. He could not say the name of the one who held the miracle worker when there were other people around him.
The soldier was still shocked by this flying bug, but when he saw that he had a child who needed help, he remembered that he also had children and a family and should help him. The soldier examined him and saw no external injuries, then grabbed him by the back and legs so he could lift him. Kwami, for his part, tried to stay hidden, and to followed Zack.
The soldier, who thought that after so much pain, misery, sorrow, grief and suffering, had seen enough, and nothing could surprise him anymore, but he was clearly wrong. Before picking him up, he'd searched him to see what he had, and all he could find was Zack's phone, but he didn't know what he was holding. Zack's phone had a case that covered the entire phone and had a metal clasp. The soldier put it in his pocket and then decided to understand what it was.
Zack began to regain consciousness. His eyes began to move and slowly began to open. He saw the ceiling, which was made of cloth, and realized that it was in a large tent. Zack had a feeling things weren't going to be very good.
"He finally came to his senses." The soldier said in a raised voice.
Zack was startled to hear the soldier. He quickly noticed the soldier standing by his bed.
"There is no need to be afraid. The doctor said you have no injuries and you can leave today." The soldier said in a friendly tone.
To think things over more quickly and take a closer look at the soldier, he noticed that he was young in his early 20s and wore a World War II uniform to the US Army. He knew a great deal about this period, but he knew that many dangerous things had happened in this historic event, and it would not be good to stay. There was a tension in the air that Zack was looking at soldier, and he was looking at him with the same amazement as if it were something he would never see for the rest of his life. Then kwami appeared and stood in front of them.
"Zack, are you okay?" Halub asked anxiously.
"Holub, what are you doing. Why are you here." Zack asked, panicked that his Kwami had revealed himself.
"Don't worry. This little creature told me to help you and then you will explain to me what all this is and why you are here." The soldier said visibly calm.
Zack noticed that the soldier was relatively calm and poised. "I didn't expect such a reaction from you and what happened?"
The soldier showed a wide smile unique to Americans, who showed it to every foreigner to show that I didn't think badly of them. "We are at war and I have experienced most of it. I am the first to set foot in Normandy when we landed and we are now in Germany and I hope the war is over soon. Finding a fainted child in a ruined building is not something to impress me. As for what happened when I was found you, it really impressed me, I searched one of the ruined buildings to see if there were any people or soldiers hiding when I found you, you were unconscious wearing a suit, but then for a few seconds a sound was heard and the costume disappeared and this strange creature appeared and I want to know how you did it and what you doing there?"
Zack listened intently, and it became clear from his words that in front of him stood a soldier who had been through hell and was here again. "I don't know if what I'm going to tell you is going to be true or you're going to think I'm crazy who escaped the insane asylum."
"Try it and I'll judge." The soldier said with calmly, and encouraged Zack to tell his story without worry.
"I'll tell you well, but first I want to ask you something very important." Zack said with a serious voice.
"Ask about what excites you."
"How many people know about Halub because he has to keep it a secret and no one knows he exists."
"No one but me knows about it. What I told the others was that I found a child in a ruined house and didn't mention anything about the creature."
"Why." Zack asked in surprise.
"Would anyone believe me. We have still problems we have." Said the soldier.
"That makes sense." Zack said, agreeing with the soldier that hardly anyone would believe him, especially when there is a war.
"I have one last question before I talk about how I got here." Zack said, clearing his throat so he could say it more clearly. "Which year we are and which month."
"1945, March 19." The soldier said in surprise.
"Okay, now I'm going to tell you what happened and how I got here." Zack said and prepared to tell the amazing story he was going to tell. "I come from the future." The soldier's eyes widened at this, but he continued to listen to the story. "I am half Bulgarian and half French. I currently live in Paris, but before that I lived with England and spent the summers in Bulgaria. I also have a double life, when I'm not at home or at school I become the night owl, a superhero who defends Paris from the Shadowmoth. However, I am not the only one who has such strength. I have a partner named Madam Butterfly, she is amazing and brave, but sometimes she flirts with me and does not focus on the work we have to do. Before I moved to Paris and helped the people there, there were two heroes who did. These are the ladybug and the black cat, both of whom are amazing partners who have great trust and are ready to do anything to help the people of Paris. The two are hope in the city, although the ladybug and the black are complete opposites. She is serious, responsible and judged the situation very carefully and always acts sensibly, while the black cat is frivolous, irresponsible and does not judge the situation very well and sometimes acts unreasonably. They came here by accident. We were in a battle with the alternate versions of the ladybug and the black cat, the anti-ladybug and the white cat, which appeared after a battle with one of the shadowmoth akumas. Akuma are black butterflies that give strength to people who experience anger, sadness and all negative feelings, but Shadowmoth takes control of people and with the strength he gives tries to defeat the ladybug and the black cat. The reason I'm here is that while I was fighting the anti-ladybug and the white cat, there was an unexpected problem. I used my strength and managed to open a portal to bring them back to their dimension, but before they could be sucked through the portal, the anti-ladybug managed to hit the wand with which I opened the portal and it started to glow and I lost control and opened a portal that apparently transported me to 1945. That's the whole story."
Zack finished his story and hurried to take a deep breath. Although he felt strangely told about his heroic self, he decided that because he was in a situation where he would not endanger his friends or family.
"It's really an amazing story. If they had told me just like that, I wouldn't have believed it, but you're an exception." The soldier said, "Sorry for so much excitement, I forgot to ask you about your name and the name of this strange creature that looks like a mixture of bug and owl."
"My name is Zack and this is my kwami Halub, he is something like an assistant. What is your name?"
"My name is Samuel, a U.S. Army soldier, but you obviously already know that." Samuel said.
There was a long silence between the two, and no one exchanged a word or looked into each other's eyes.
"And now what are you going to do?" Samuel said.
"Really, I have no idea what to do." Zack said, bowing his head and saddened at the thought of being trapped.
"There's no need to be sad." Samuel said. "We will always come up with something. I understand you to some extent.
Zack pushed his head off the ground and looked at Samuel and asked in disbelief. "How do you know how I felt? You are not trapped in one of the worst times, when people are already so crazy and desperate that they are already doing all sorts of things.
"I know I'm not in your position because I'm not stuck in time, but I feel the same way." The soldier took off his helmet and pulled out a black-and-white photo, which showed five people 3 adults and 2 children. He gave it to Zack, and he looked at it. The clothes they wore looked like they were working on a farm. The picture was flat in the field, with a barn and animals in the background, and as far as he was concerned, he guessed that Samuel had grown up on a farm far from the big cities. "This is a picture of my family. My mother, father, grandfather, my sister and me. I haven't seen them in 3 years, the last time they heard anything from me was a few months ago and they don't know, I will return home alive and well. Not only do I miss my family, I miss everyone in the farming community.
"I'm sorry I thought you didn't understand how I felt now." Zack said, lowering his head to the ground again.
"You don't have to apologize for that. I understand that you must have missed your parents and friends. You must miss going to school, too. " Samuel said.
The mention of school made Zack think of his classmates, especially Scarlett. What was she doing? He quickly shook his head to free himself from those thoughts that would only hurt him. Now he had to figure out what to do, he wanted to see something on his telephone, but he couldn't find it anywhere.
"Samuel, when you brought me here, you took something from me?" Zack said as calmly as possible, not wanting to accuse him of stealing anything from him.
"Yes. Before I brought you here, I searched you and found this leather box, but I couldn't look at it because I was in a hurry to bring you here to see the doctor if there was anything that could endanger your life. " Samuel said, pulling Zack's phone out of his pocket.
Zack picked it up and opened the clasp on the case, then pressed the side button but the phone to see if it would work. The phone lit up, but Zack felt it was an eternity before the phone turned on. Samuel, who was looking at Zack, was curious when he opened the phone case, but when the screen lit up, he was startled and took a step back.
"What have you done?" Samuel asked in surprise.
Zack turned to Samuel, who was visibly surprised that he just turned on his phone. "I forgot to tell you. When I was transported here, my phone came with me. Although it's not exactly a phone. It's more of a mix of TV, radio, camera and music turntable. "
Zack looked at his phone screen and saw that the battery was 85 percent, which reassured him somewhat, but he still had to use his phone's battery carefully because he could hardly charge it.
"It's very interesting and it's some kind of future technology. What other technological things are there in the future and what can this thing that told you that a mixture of TV, radio, camera and turntable can do? " Samiel was very curious and interested to know more about the phone.
Zack saw the excitement in Samuel's eyes and decided to show him the pictures he had taken while in Paris. "Here are the photos I have on my phone. These photos are similar to your black and white photo, but unlike your photo, these photos are very useful, fast and stored on your phone. "
Zack showed him a picture of the first day in front of the new school when he moved to France, then showed him pictures of his classmates he had created, when he was with them. He explained what people are like and what skills and talents they have. Marinette and Adrian were the most interesting and commented on them more than the others. "Marinette lives in a bakery where her parents work, she often smells of fresh croissants and cakes and it's really intoxicating. She is also an amazing designer of clothes she can sew, knit, paint and is always ready to help people. Adrian lives in a mansion, but his life is not happy at all. His mother has disappeared and his father, who is a fashion designer, keeps him in the mansion and determines how his whole day will go. Perhaps Adrienne's only salvation is that he goes to school and has friends who support him when he needs it, regardless of his status in society.
Zack continued to show Samuel photos until he reached the photo of the document he had taken at the Louvre. Suddenly, something appeared on Zack's face that could hardly be seen in a man stuck in time, and it was a smile, but not one that represented despair, but one that represented hope and optimism that things might be better and can return home.
"Are you here, Halub?" Zack asked, looking around to find Halub, who was nowhere to be seen.
"I'm here." Halub said as he left the hiding place.
"Halub, I think I've found a way back to my time." Said Zack.
"How" Samuel and Halub asked.
"Remember the document I showed you at the Louvre." Halub nodded in agreement. "It simply came to our notice then."
"How, I don't know what you mean." Samuel asked confused.
"Look, the document was sent by the night owl to me because he knew we were going to get stuck in this situation." Zack explained, although Halub and Samuel were more confused, and that raised more questions than answered.
Zack noticed that Halub and Samuel's faces were more confusing than clear. "I'll explain everything to you when we get to Paris." Zack got out of the hospital bed and was ready to transform, whom Samuel interrupted.
"I will gladly take you to Paris." Samuel said with a cheerful expression.
Zack and Halub stared at him in surprise.
"You're really going to take us to Paris, just like that." Zack asked.
"Of course. The war will soon be over and I will soon return home to America and you are French and we will be able to take a jeep. We will travel alone instead of being pushed by others. " Samuel said.
"That would be great." Said Zack.
Zack got out of bed to get out of the tent, but not before Halub hid in his pocket. The bright daylight struck him, his eyes adjusted quickly, but what he saw made him feel only sad. There were destroyed buildings everywhere and people who seemed desperate and lost everything, their homes, their belongings, their family and sometimes their lives. Zack followed Samuel, who persuaded his superiors to give him an Aramaic jeep to take him to Paris. They both boarded the jeep and set off for the long journey to Paris.
Zack, Halub, and Samuel were already traveling to Paris. The journey was very monotonous, nothing was happening. Zack watched from the sidelines and watched the changing landscape of France. It was still hard for him to believe that this had happened, although as a superhero he had to expect everything, but he expected it while he was with his partner. He wanted to get to Paris and go back to his time. Samuel noticed that Zack had an emotional look of sadness and unhappiness.
"Don't worry, Zack, we'll be in Paris in a few hours and figure out a way to get you back to your time." Samuel said, trying to reassure him.
"I'm not worried about that." Said Zack. "I'm worried about my partner, Madame Butterfly. I wonder what her civilian version is doing. Does he feel unhappy and anxious now that he knows his partner is here at a time when people are self-destructing and the whole world is crazy, but she probably blames herself most for one incident."
"What was this incident that made her blame herself?" Samuel asked, but was met with a sharp look from Zack. "If it's not a secret, of course." He added to soften what had been said.
"You don't need to feel uncomfortable just because you asked me. I think it's high time I shared it, and because I'm stuck in time, I can't put anyone in danger. " Zack told and took a deep breath to prepare to tell the story. "Madame butterfly deliberately tried to reveal my identity."
Samuel's eyes widened in shock at what he heard.
"One night, while patrolling, I was in a very good mood than usual. Madame Butterfly constantly wanted us to reveal our identities, she said, in order to be stronger. I always refused because it could endanger our families and friends. However, that day she used her strength to take control of me and make me reveal my identity. I managed to get out of her control and looked at her angrily. She, in turn, cried and said she was very sorry about it and left quickly, leaving me angry and betrayed. Although I study psychology and have read many books on the subject, to this day I cannot understand why he did it. Why risk our partnership. I managed to find the strength to forgive her and the other thing I noticed in her was that after this incident she no longer uses her strength. " Said Zack.
"Zack, I think I have an explanation for why Madame Butterfly did this." Samuel said.
"Really." Zack asked with a surprised look.
"Yes."
"Will you explain it to me?" Zack asked.
"Of course. Zack, you told me that your family is loving and supportive. They know about your super heroic life, and you must be going into dangerous situations every day to save the world, and yet they don't stop you from doing that, but now tell me what you know about her civilian life. As far as I hear from you, you know nothing about her life beyond your super heroic duties. You don't know if she has friends or not, whether her family understands her or not, and most importantly, whether she feels good when she's out of her suit. She is looking for your attention and love, because there is no one to give her, that's why she wanted you to reveal your identities so much. To have someone to love her. " Samuel explained.
"So far I have not thought about the fact that her civilian life can be sad and unhappy." Zack said, lowering his head to the ground.
"Listen to me, Zack. When you return to your time, you can go out with Madame Butterfly, but of course only as friends and partners. She would probably be happy if you did. You may not reveal your identity, but it won't be bad to do it to make her happy, and who knows, maybe one day, when you grow up, you will decide to propose marriage to her. " Samuel said, substituting for the latter.
Zack laughed, too, but then his face took on a sad face again.
"It's good to change the subject." Samuel said, trying to distract Zack from those thoughts. "Tell us about this document and how it will help you get back to your time."
"Yes, Zack, explain to me how you will do it. Unlike the other kwami, I was not in the guardian's miraculous box, which now apparently belongs to the ladybug. " Holub asked, who came out of the pocket of his clothe.
"I can see that you are both curious, so I will tell you. I am a little familiar with time travel and in my case all this has already happened. Everything I will do has been done. The other one sent me the document, which means that I am part of the past and thus avoid paradoxes and change of history. " Explain Zack.
"I think I understand." Halub and Samuel said, although they both did not yet fully understand the situation.
The trip to Paris went without much trouble. They reached the triumphal arch, and Zack took out the document from his pocket and read it and deciphered the clues. He knew he would not say directly what to do.
"Okay, what are we going to do and where are we going?" Samuel asked in an excited voice.
"The first paragraph of the document says. You have to go to a hateful icon that people want to get away from and look down on the iron giraffe. " Said Zack.
"Giraffes. Should we go all the way to Africa? " Samuel asked.
"Hardly. There is a riddle here that we need to understand. " Said Zack.
"Are you good at solving riddles?" Samuel asked.
"I must have written it, after all, and I need to know what I meant." Explain Zack. "Wait. A hated icon and an iron giraffe are references to the most emblematic landmark of Paris, namely the Eiffel Tower. In the beginning, it was hated and compared to an iron giraffe ."
"Then let's go to the Eiffel Tower." Samuel said.
They reached the Eiffel Tower, and Zack enjoyed the opportunity to see the tower during World War II. Although he had to focus on getting home.
"Okay, where are we going now?" Samuel asked.
"The document says. In an Egyptian tomb in a secret room you will find a treasure trove, but be careful because they are guarded by two guards with heads like skulls and two lightning bolts in each hand. " Said Zack.
"Egyptian tomb. What can this mean? Just don't tell me we have to go to Egypt. " Samuel said.
"An Egyptian tomb is a pyramid. So we're looking for a pyramid in Paris, the Louvre. We have to go there. " Said Zack.
The two arrived at the Louvre, but were stopped because the guard did not let them in. Samuel acted quickly and said he was an American soldier sent to investigate the mysterious disappearance of works of art. This was true when Paris was liberated, most of the Louvre exhibits disappeared, although no one noticed the exhibits leaving the Louvre. They entered and began searching for the secret room mentioned in the document. They started with an Egyptian exhibition and started knocking on the walls to see if they would find a difference in the sound. Several hours passed, but with patience and perseverance they managed to notice a difference in the sound.
Samuel prepared his weapon to prepare for battle before breaking down the wall. The paragraph mentioned two guards, and he didn't want to leave things to chance, but before he did, Zack stopped him. He opened the pocket of his clothe from where Halub came out.
"Halub, wisdom of an owl." Zack said and began to transform.
"It was amazing." Samuel said.
The night owl hit the wall and it shattered, and there was a secret passage, he guessed. They entered carefully and there was a tunnel that led them to a large room where all sorts of treasures, paintings, statues and other works of art were hidden. He looked out for all sorts of dangers because he knew that such wealth would not be left unattended. Then from a corner he saw the barrel of a rifle. He quickly grabbed the barrel of his rifle and knocked the soldier to the ground with the help of the superpower he had gained when he transformed. He looked at him and noticed that he was wearing a SS uniform.
"Samuel, I captured a soldier." The Night Owl said.
"I found it, too." Samuel said, and there was a soldier tied up in front of him.
The night owl noticed a small box similar to the one in which he found Halub. He opened it and there was a ring inside, then he remembered the last paragraph of the document. You will find a ring with unimaginable power that will help you get home. He took the ring on a satin stand and placed it on his finger. Then out of nowhere came a snow-white kwami that looked like a dove.
"Hello, my lord, my name is Labag ..." Kwami said.
"Hello Labag, tell me what strength you have." The Night Owl asked.
"My forces are very powerful. I can give you a cloak that allows you to fly and soar in the air. My other strength that you will receive is much more powerful. I can give you a belt with a deck of playing cards, with these cards you can throw them against your enemies, but their other purpose is my real strength. When you say focus mocus you will be able to create portals that can teleport you anywhere not only in space but also in time, other dimensions and parallel realities where your known laws of reality may not apply. " Labag said calmly, as if what he said didn't matter.
"Labag, merge with Halub." He said the Night Owl and Labag was sucked into the ring and started to transform it.
When the transformation was over, he looked in a nearby mirror and noticed the changes in himself. Not only did he get the cloak and the deck of cards, but the style of his costume changed. He wore a little white over himself, which he contrasted with the black and green of his usual suit. He looked a lot like a magician stereotype. He took a card from his deck and said the words focus mocus. The card startet it glowed. He threw it away and the card became a portal he knew would take him to his time and home. But before going through the portal.
"Wait." Samuel said. "Before you leave, can I ask you something?"
"Say, but be fast. I don't have much time." The Night Owl said.
"How the war ended." Samuel asked.
"The war is over after your government dropped two bombs on Japan large enough to destroy entire cities." The Night Owl said.
"Thank you, goodbye Zack." Samuel said.
"Goodbye Samuel." The Night Owl said and walked through the portal.