Chloe sighed as she let her head fall back against the door to her room. She had returned home later than she had planned, it had been surprisingly fun with Marinette and her friends. She was pretty sure they still didn't trust her, which she couldn't complain about. A few days of being nice with a touch of unhinged bravery does not undo years of being, well, Chloe, but it was nice. Especially the compliments about her art and when she looked at the canvas her smile widened.
She had drawn some more while hanging with them and as she did her rustiness faded. She drew Marinette geeking out about Adrian, Nino and Ayla laughing, Alix smirking that damn smirk of hers. One piece in particular had emerged while concentrating deeply again, though it baffled most of the people around her. She had started imagining how the dog-headed messenger might have looked fighting the sand wraith. She had even added color to it.
She finally pushed off the door and walked to her bed, setting the canvas on the table as she did. Naje and Haje exited her ring, slithering up her arm as she reclined on her bed.
"Well that was an eventful day," Haje said with a hint of annoyance about having to be near a kwami.
"That it was. I was worried you and Tiki were going to start a fight," Chloe responded, teasing them only for them to hiss at her.
"Unlike a kwami, we are divine and ancient. Childish behavior is beneath us," Naje said, which made Chloe snort, recalling how they had barely been able to keep from lunging at Tiki. "But now that you've enjoyed your day of relaxing and dealing with that miraculous wearer, I think we should get you back to training so that the next task isn't such a mess."
"How do you expect me to train this late at night? If I go on patrol I could run into Cat Noir and Ladybug," Chloe said as she placed Naje and Haje on her bed so she could change.
"You needn't go on patrol to train. You can just train with the previous users."
At that, Chloe paused and looked at them
"How do I do that? Can you contact them or do they have a phone number or something?" she asked.
"Every wearer of the ring has the culmination of their knowledge during their time as the wearer stored within. We can access that knowledge while you sleep and create a dreamscape for you to interact with. Thus you may train with them and benefit from their experience," Haje explained.
"It won't leave you as refreshed as normal sleep and any injuries suffered in the dreamscape, while not real, will leave you with the memory of the pain," Naje cautioned.
"After two days of sleeping, I'm sure I won't mind being a little tired," Chloe said as she went back to changing. In short order, she was ready for bed and settled in with Haje and Naje curled up beside her.
Sleep didn't come as easily as Chloe would have liked. Perhaps the thought of this strange training gave her a bad case of the nerves, but she found herself fidgeting and tossing and turning for some time before she finally closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, she was standing in the desert. The sudden change left her in a state of shock before she was overwhelmed with awe at how vast the desert was. As she tried to truly take in her surroundings, the desert changed from rolling mounds of sand to a lush forest with what looked like a ruined castle in the distance. Before she could grow accustomed to the forest, it switched to a snowy mountain top with a temple before her. She spun and found that she could look between the different environments, each seamlessly bleeding into the other in a way that didn't seem jarring.
"Glad to see you here, Chloe." At the sound of Naje's voice, Chloe turned to look at him only to jump back startled. No longer the size of a normal snake, Naje and Haje were instead a massive beast with scales darker than the blackest night with streaks of golden scales so brilliant it hurt to look at. Their eyes gleamed like brilliant rubies that left Chloe fighting an instinctive urge to run. "I can't tell you how good it feels to be relatively back to normal," he said, slightering past her and coiling while Haje looked on quietly in amusement. "So Chloe, are you ready?"
"Ready to never question people's fear of snakes? Yes, yes I am," Chloe joked. From behind her, there was a laugh and she quickly turned to find a woman dressed in what looked like rags. Her skin was tanned from long years of sun exposure and Chloe would have bet good money she was from Egypt. The woman sat on a mound of sand as she cast a weighing look at Chloe.
"Who-?" Before Chloe could continue, the woman spoke.
"What a shame. From the lowest in the slums who understood the dark truth of life, now the snake resides with a golden spoon that knows little of truth and even less of sacrifice," the woman said sternly, causing Chloe to swallow nervously. "So tell me pale skin, what is your name?"
"It's Chloe Bourgeois and yo-"
"I'll tell you my name when you've earned it, pale skin. Until then, you're here because you're worthless in a fight and need to learn what it truly means to be a Numinous wielder," the woman continued as she stood up and dusted off the sand from her raggedy clothes.
Chloe's face flushed with heat that had nothing to do with the desert sun.
"Hey, I know how to fight! I used to use a Miraculous and fight villains all the time before I had Naje and Haje!"
At that, the woman snorted, "That's a shame for Naje and Haje, but I guess if they chose you then there's something worth seeing. Very well pale skin, I'm the first user and I'll only say this once, attack me."
Chloe was at a loss for words, the woman was just saying to attack her? Letting herself become distracted by her thoughts proved to be a grave mistake. The woman leapt at her, causing Chloe's eyes to bulge before a hard roundhouse kick connected with her face. She was sent sliding across the sand and as she picked herself up she saw what looked like blood in the sand as well some teeth, but when Chloe reached up and checked her face it was completely fine.
When she got up and looked at the woman, she was waiting with her arms crossed and frowning.
"I can't kill you here, only make you wish you were dead," the woman said as she took up another fighting stance. "Try again."
Chloe didn't hesitate this time as she rushed at the woman. She threw a punch only to hit air before the world spun as she was flipped. Chloe blinked as a shadow fell over her before her eyes went wide and she rolled away from a foot slamming down where her head had been.
"What the hell?!" Chloe demanded as she struggled to her feet only to have the woman's knee slam into her gut. Chloe retched as the air was driven from her and she collapsed to her hands and knees.
"Truly pathetic, but what should I expect from someone who was handed all their skill by a Miraculous?" she said as she paced around Chloe.
"Wh-what?" Chloe struggled to get out as she slowly made it to her feet.
"The Miraculous are a crutch, child. A Numinous grants you strength and powers, but without honing your body, those will only take you so far," the woman said as she lashed out with a quick punch that Chloe just barely managed to avoid. "Your powers rely on your body's stamina and as you are, I'm surprised you can last more than ten minutes wearing the holy armor."
"I did just fine against a Sand Wraith, thank you very much!" Chloe snapped before she felt a wave of nausea sweep over her and her knees wobbled.
"Lie." The woman spat the word as she watched Chloe falter. "Do not try to deceive me while you wear the ring, girl, especially not here."
Chloe straightened up and raised her hands hesitantly. In truth, she really didn't know how to fight but she didn't want to give the woman the satisfaction of admitting it.
"If you try to use your powers too much, push yourself too far, you'll burn yourself out," the woman continued to lecture as she threw a series of punches and kicks at Chloe. Chloe managed to avoid some but most landed with brutal power and the woman continued to talk without a sign of being winded, "It won't kill you, but you'll slip into a sleep so deep that you won't awaken for months, and that's if no one slits your throat in the meantime."
"So what? You kick my ass until I can fight?" Chloe shouted back as she blocked a punch that sent her to the ground. She hugged her wrists to her chest, they felt like they had been broken from the impact. She saw more blood in the sand and realized that this woman had indeed been beating the lesson into her.
"We will spare until I deem your skills sufficient, and only then will we move on to weapons and powers," the woman said as she took a more relaxed stance.
Chloe managed to work up the nerve to look at her wrists, but they were fine, though the memory of pain persisted.
"But what if I get another mission and have to use my powers?" Chloe asked, trying to take her mind off the odd sensation.
"Experience is the greatest teacher, pale skin," the woman said. "Besides you will have Haje and Naje to continue to instruct you while you are awake. For now though we shall take advantage of another benefit of this place. Here you do not experience time as you do when awake. So," the woman cracked her knuckles loudly, "I can take my time breaking you in."
Chloe groaned as the woman closed the distance between them once again.
When Chloe awoke, it was accompanied by the slightest moment of relief until she tried to sit up. Every part of her hurt and she felt like she hadn't slept in days.
"Haje, Naje," Chloe called out with a groan.
"Yes?" the snake called out in unison.
"What the fuck?!" Chloe asked weakly as she closed her eyes and tried to push the memory of the 'training' from her mind. "That lady was trying to murder me!"
"The First was merely setting her expectations of you," Haje said.
"She is harsh but fair," Naje followed up.
"Fucking monster is what she is," Chloe groaned as she managed to roll onto her stomach and burried her face in her pillow.
Unfortunately, Chloe didn't have the luxury of staying in bed and licking her figurative wounds. It was time to get ready for school.
Chloe did manage to pull herself together but it was a near thing, and there was something about being achy all over that felt weirdly familiar but she couldn't place it. She pushed the thought from her mind as she trudged up the steps to school, barely mustering the strength to acknowledge the calls from other students.
"Gee, Chloe, are you sure you're feeling better?" Sabrina asked as she appeared beside Chloe.
"I'm fine, Sabrina. Just maybe pushed myself too hard yesterday after being in bed for two days," Chloe half-mumbled.
"Sorry I was busy," Sabrina said with a quick duck of her head. "I could have made sure you got your rest."
"It's fine," Chloe said, hoping to head off Sabrina's self-flagellation. "I ran into Marinette and some of the others."
"That's…surprising," Sabrina said after a moment.
"You and Adrien weren't the only ones I owed an apology to," Chloe said as she put an arm around Sabrina in a partial hug. Chloe had to bite back a groan as the motion reminded her of all the aches across her body, but the look on Sabrina's face made it all worth it. They made their way to class and as Chloe was about to take her seat, an arm wrapped around her waist, making her twinge in surprise.
"How heavy were those art supplies? You look like you ran a mile with weights on," Alix teased as she went from one side of Chloe to the other.
"More like I got my teeth kicked in by someone who takes way too much joy in physical fitness," Chloe groaned, which garnered an odd look from Sabrina.
"Sounds fun. Why don't you invite me to your next work out session?" Alix said with a smile.
Chloe felt her cheeks grow warm, especially as Alix's hand lingered on her waist. A cough from Sabrina broke her from her mental freeze.
"Miss Bustier is coming," Sabrina said, and Alix's hand slipped from Chloe's waist as she hurried to her seat.
Chloe took her seat stiffly, her posture nothing to do with how sore she was all over.
Edited and Co-written by GrayNeko