Author's note: This story has borrowed bits from various places not of the miraculous lore. One the movie Bram Stoker's Dracula and the other my all time favorite manga Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne by Arina Tanemura... then I was thinking about the movie Bram Stoker's Dracula and Dracula's fall from grace. I thought 'hey, that would be a great origin story for Chat Blanc.' Then my brain went about how Jeanne of Arc was once a Ladybug and hey Maron from kkj was the reincarnation of Jeanne and she had a little angel sidekick who loves cookies that gave her magical abilities to purify demons who possess objects that influence people. So down this rabbit hole I went. Because the two series are pretty similar to each other. So why not?
Anywho, while I am using some historical people in this story. I am being far from accurate with history. I had to mess with the timeline to better fit my storyline so Charles the VI birth and death was slightly different because a naive boy king who had the oppressive caretaker of a cold uncle falling in love with Joanne of Arc sounded interesting in my brain and Charles the VI fit better than his successor Charles the VII whom was a bad fit even though he was the king at the time of the life of Jeanne of Arc. From what I have read on Charles the VII I do not like him and in this story he simply does not exist. Not to mention Charles the VI was originally called 'The Beloved' and then at the end of his reign 'The Mad' which totally fits with my plot bunny.
With that being said I own nothing. Anyways on with the words.
Prologue:
The year 1431, and Paris, France, teetered on the brink of chaos. Its king, Charles VI, known to enemies as the Black Cat, stood vigilant against the threat of battle looming against the akumatized invaders from England. As he prepared, his heart ached under the crushing weight of responsibility to protect the people of France, his thoughts often wandering to his beloved, the Lady of Fortune. History remembers her as Jeanne of Arc, but to him, she was Jeanne, his most dear heart. She was a beacon of light in his dark, unfeeling world, a treasure beyond value, as courageous as any man and as devoted to their people as he was. In hours of rest he would often mentally and out loud to his Kwami's annoyance wax poetically about his lady love. Not that she would react to his romantic overtures in the midst of battle. She cared far too much about the welfare of their people to allow her heart to be selfish. Even though he did catch her from time to time looking at him longingly when she thought he was not looking.
His Miraculous Jeanne had pleaded with him to face the battle together, to unite against their common enemy. An unshakable dread filled her, a sense of impending doom. "Please, my King, let us face this side by side like we always do," she begged him in private, her voice uncharacteristically in a fragile whisper against the clamor of preparations for the upcoming battle. "I feel that something is not right on the horizon. I cannot place what."
The Black Cat, torn between duty and love, shook his head. "The plan is a good one, Jeanne. You must trust me. I will draw them into a trap, then my troops can find the akumatized items, and you can purify the akumas all at once. It is the only way to ensure the end of this fighting and be able to capture the butterfly wielder. So we can finally settle down together, my sweet lady." causing her cheeks to bloom in a rosy flush.
With a heavy heart, Jeanne nodded, but the foreboding sense of dread did not leave her. She watched as her beloved king call the transformation of his miraculous, the emblem of the Black Cat gleaming a bright green in the torchlight. "Be safe," she whispered as he disappeared into the night, a shadow among shadows. "My heart." she whispered under her breath. Too faint for anyone but her and her Kwami to hear.
However, treachery lurked closer to home. The Duke of Burgundy, Charles VI's uncle, whom he was like a father to the king, driven by an insatiable lust for power, struck a clandestine deal with the English to secure their backing for his claim to the throne as his own. In exchange, he betrayed the miraculous wielders by orchestrating the capture of Jeanne and in secret delivering her to the English. But as luck would have it Jeanne removed the miraculous of the Ladybug and sent her Kwami Tikki into hiding with the earrings before they could fall into the wrong hands. Imprisoned, she faced her demise in a horrific pyre. Her anguished cries as she burned echoed through the hearts of all who loved her, none more acutely than her beloved king.
When the Black Cat learned of her fate, it was too late—Jeanne had long since perished. His uncle had concealed the news of her capture and execution. Fury consumed him, his wrath knowing no bounds as he vowed vengeance upon all who had wronged them. In his despair, his defenses were lowered, and he allowed his very soul to be akumatized. With newfound dark powers, he became a force of destruction, decimating both enemy and ally in his path. It did not matter to him; Jeanne was gone, and the world was to blame. Growing stronger with each act of destruction, he became a relentless storm of vengeance to both England and France.
It was only through the quick thinking of Plagg, his loyal Kwami, that the Miraculous Ring of Destruction left the king's possession moments before the akumatization was complete. The ring, carrying the last vestiges of his love and goodness, sealed in the Miracle Box awaiting the right time to be reborn and combat evil once again. Eventually, in a rare moment of clarity, he abdicated his crown to the son of his most trusted general. He then retreated into the shadows, erasing himself from history—a tormented soul driven by grief and insanity.
As centuries passed, the former Black Cat, now known as Chat Blanc, bore his curse in solitude. He bided his time, waiting for the Miraculous of the Ladybug and Black Cat to awaken once more.
Chat Blanc knew that great evil could only remain dormant for so long. He harbored a singular, obsessive desire: to wield both the miraculous of good and bad luck, to resurrect his lost love with the legendary wish, no matter the cost. His love would live again, and they would finally get the peaceful life they so rightfully deserved.
Time passed and nearly six hundred years later, Paris faced a new threat. A villain by the name of Hawkmoth had finally emerged, his demand for the miraculous jewels echoing across the city. In response, two new heroes arose: Ladybug and Chat Noir, defenders of justice and hope. From the shadows, the former Black Cat watched and plotted with glee. 'Soon, my lady.'
He observed their every move when he could, studying the new wielders of the Miraculous as they battled with the akumas. He waited for the opportune moment of weakness to reclaim what he believed was his. The power of the Miraculous shielded the new holders from being tracked, forcing him to discover their identities on his own. Blending into the backdrop of the city's bustling life, he gathered knowledge on their skills, prepared, and plotted. He had already waited centuries; he would not rush in carelessly like in his youth. The perfect time would come when he would make his move, and nothing would stand between him and a reunion with his beloved Lady of Fortune, especially not two children with no experience in true battle. Nor the egomaniac known as Hawkmoth. Once he collected the Miraculous of Creation and Destruction then he would deal with Hawkmoth. There was no need for someone to attempt to gain the possession of his Lady's and his Miraculous once they had been returned to their proper owners.
Chat Blanc started to focus a majority of his attention on what Paris news sources had dubbed the "Akuma Class," a name derived from the frequency of akumas erupting from it. This insight came from the 'Ladyblog,' a blog maintained by a member of the same class who was obsessed with everything to do with the new Ladybug holder. It was easy to see that the constant torment by the spoiled daughter of the useless mayor made them prime targets for Hawkmoth's manipulation. Amidst this classroom, one student stood out to him like a beacon of light: the class president, a petite girl with inky blue hair always pulled back into twin pigtails at the base of her neck. Her unwavering sense of justice reminded him so much of his lovely Jeanne.
Marinette Dupan-Cheng, as he learned her name, was the class president of the 'akuma class', seemed almost immune to akumatizations, which piqued Chat Blanc's curiosity even further. He observed an akuma attempting to corrupt her three times, only to be driven away by her resilience and positive spirit. Each time, the class liar would claim the akuma for herself instead. Marinette's flustered reactions around her crush, her steel backbone when fighting for what was right, her kindness to her friends, and her breathtaking forget-me-not blue eyes that lit up with fiery determination—the same shade as his Jeanne's—captivated him. With the exception of her eye shape and coloring, she was almost an exact physical replica of his darling Jeanne at that age, before the war turned her hard.
Could it be that his Jeanne had been reborn? Was it possible? He did not know, but he would not let the chance slip through his grasp. This Marinette, such a lovely name for an extraordinary young woman, had ensnared his attention entirely.
Chat Blanc became obsessed with Marinette, watching her every move whenever he could, only leaving her side when he sensed an akuma on the loose in hopes to find the two heroes transforming. He noted how she occasionally met with the new Black Cat, Chat Noir, on her rooftop oasis. It was no surprise that the new Black Cat would be fascinated with her, whether consciously or not. Marinette's heart glowed with the purest of moonbeams, even with her silly crush on the blonde model in her class. He wanted to protect her pure soul.
That boy really didn't deserve her, especially when he was courting the Tsurugi girl and inadvertently stomping on poor Marinette's heart over and over again. Chat Blanc despised the boy for his oblivious cruelty towards her and how he reminded him of himself when he was young and naive. He would cataclysm the boy out of existence if he still had his ring, especially after the ridiculous advice to allow the liar free rein, which went against everything Marinette stood for. "The high road," he scoffed; what a load of horse dung. The only reason he hadn't done anything about Adrien Agreste was that it would make Marinette sad if something happened to the boy. And with Hawkmoth around, it would not be safe. If something happened to Adrien, Marinette would most likely finally fall to the akuma's influence and that was the last thing he wanted.
When Chat Blanc observed Marinette finally attempting to let her crush go, he felt his heart break for the selfless girl. Then, he saw a flash of light reflecting from the boy's hand and noticed a particular ring adorning the male model's finger—a silver ring he knew all too well. The ring of the Black Cat in its dormant state was hiding in plain sight. "Well now," he mused to himself with a chilling smirk, "it looks like Plagg's choice in holders hasn't changed much. Rich, isolated, and naive. He always loved the cushy lifestyle with easy access to expensive cheeses."
Chat Blanc retreated to his hidden sanctuary deep in the catacombs, his mind racing with a plan to reclaim his ring. Infiltrating the Agreste household became his primary target. The seemingly impenetrable fortress Gabriel Agreste had created to keep his son isolated harbored his prize. While it wouldn't be too hard to breach their defenses overtly, he did not want to tip his hand too soon. He needed to catch the boy in a false sense of security so he would not be guarded. Chat Blanc needed to remain in the shadows until he had both Miraculous. There was a better way; after all, they shared blood on his mother's side, albeit separated by many generations. He knew Adrien Agreste would be naive when it came to family, craving the love his father was too cold to provide—just like Chat Blanc's own long-dead, bastard of a father.
'Poor Adrien Agreste, the perfect little white prince locked away in his tower keep. Just as he deserves for the crimes he committed against precious Marinette,' Chat Blanc mused. 'I bet he jumped at the chance for the freedom it could give when Plagg offered the ring, like I did.' He did not like the comparisons to himself that he has observed. He shook his head to get his anger under control. Harming the boy he reminded himself for the hundredth time, no matter how much he deserved it, would hurt poor Marinette, whose every interaction he viewed further convinced him more that she was truly his dear love reborn.
Chat Blanc started to form a plan to get his ring back first by infiltrating the Agreste household. It wouldn't be too hard; after all, they were blood, many generations separated. What better way than to masquerade as 'Cousin Felix' and with an illusion of his own mother, who was the near mirror image of the current Black Cat's dear missing mother. It wouldn't be hard to weave that illusion over the household. Determined, he began to piece together the intricate details of his scheme, ready to reclaim what was rightfully his. It was just a matter of time. Then he would turn his focus to finally finding out who was the new Ladybug.