And we're back! Things are going to start getting intense so let's jump right in.

Chapter warning: Lying, hyperfixation, old injury, and self deception

Chapter 9

The Shard

Shortly after the Agreste family interview it was back to business as usual. Another Akuma, another plan and another failure. Tanuki sighed as Ladybug used her Lucky Charm to once again clean up their mess. If he was being realistic his heart wasn't in it anymore but he also knew Gabriel would never stop until he was reunited with Emilie or died trying.

His heart went out to the man, it really did. He wanted them to be reunited and for Adrien to have his mother back but after spending so much time with the other boy he was starting to realize Adrien was moving on. And now that he was pretty much a part of this new family he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they were able to make their wishes come true.

How would they explain a woman back from the dead or where she was if she was just missing? Would he have to go back to Corona with his Dad or could they both stay here? Would they still have to trade themselves or was there a way around it? Questions like these have been swinging around in his head ever since the red rocks showed him those living nightmares. Now he was starting to wonder if it was worth risking everything they had to reclaim something they lost.

He was still in his Tanuki form just wandering around some abandoned buildings where the black rocks hit pretty hard. He kicked a rock not paying much attention, mainly just avoiding going back and reporting to Gabriel.

He didn't want to do this anymore. He hated admitting the fact that his Dad was gone but-

He paused as he stepped on something unfamiliar. He moved his boot and underneath was something that nearly made his heart stop. He reached down breathing heavily as he confirmed what it was he was looking at.

A broken piece of black rock.

He looked around finding a few small pieces scattered around the ground. Once his pulse had slowed down enough he took a good look at his surroundings, noting the exact location.

This…this changes everything. Something had broken the black rocks and he needed to know what it was. He raced home as quickly as he could, almost forgetting to transform back.

He had something back that he hadn't had for a long time. Hope. Maybe it wasn't too late, maybe he could fix this maybe…he paused remembering just a few minutes ago he had been ready to give up altogether. Now in his hands could be the key to freeing his Dad, but he needed proof. He needed to know what did this and how he could obtain it for himself.

And so his downward spiral began again.

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Rapunzel and her friends had been stuck in the House of Yesterday's Tomorrow for almost two weeks now and they were getting desperate. But today she made an important discovery. She found a book in the library, one that didn't try to eat her, that described the contents of the Demanitus scroll.

She'd already discovered the translated version of the healing incantation as well as the hurt incantation. She shuttered remembering how much she'd hurt Casandra while using it. But according to this book the other two were the spells to unlock the power of the Sun and the Moon. Unfortunately it didn't have a translation and she only saw one other incantation on the scroll.

Giving how much Demanitus hid/helped her regain this scroll it could only mean this was very important. Unfortunately Demanitus was no longer with them and searching this library could be a little…dangerous. She only knew of one person who knew how to translate the scroll but would he help?

Varian had escaped from prison but no one knew where he was. If she could just talk to him she knew she could convince him to help. Her Dad said he was improving. If only she knew where to find him.

From the corner of the library Mathews smirked seeing the Princess put together the clues he had laid out for her. Just a little more and he could real her in.

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Varian surprised Nathalie by barging into her office begging her to help him. It took her a minute to calm him down enough to get a straight answer out of him.

"Alright Varian, once again slower this time." Varian took a deep breath and then pulled out the rock fragment from his pocket. "Is that?" she asked, looking wide eyed at a piece of supposedly indestructible rock.

"It is. I found some fragments near an abandoned building. Please, I need to find out what caused this. Will you help me?" Nathalie had her reservations. Varian seemed to be turning away from Gabriel's quest for the Miraculous and this could steer him right back. But she also knew if she said no he'd just find out on his own without anyone there to help him. She sighed but pulled up her program that was hooked into just about every camera in the city. The same one she used to find the boy in the first place.

"Alright. How far back do you want to go?" Varian thought for a moment.

"When the black rock first started popping up. I want to see if it was one thing or a combination that made them shatter." So she punched in the location Varian gave her and pulled up the footage just before the rocks invaded. They watched as the rocks grew and they lost one of the angles when a camera was taken out. Still they were able to see well enough when people started running and screaming. Varian was glad there was no sound, this was already hard to watch. But he would do it for his Dad.

Suddenly Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared at the scene. Varian and Nathalie watched in shock as Chat Noir used his Cataclysm on the rocks only for it to splinter like shrapnel. Varian's heart was beating so hard he feared it might burst from his chest. He saw the hero injured from the virtual bomb that went off as he covered Ladybug. Ruddiger crawled out of Varian's pocket as he watched the scene.

"It would seem that Chat Noir's power can shatter the rocks but it also seems like he has little control." He turned to his holder who was still silently staring at the screen. "Varian?" His boy just played the scene back over and over again. It was starting to worry both Nathalie and Ruddiger.

"He broke it." he said quietly, still staring. Nathalie looked at the boy concerned where his mind might be going with this.

"That may be so but Varian, you can see what happened when he did. It's too dangerous." But he was not swayed. Oh no, he was only more encouraged.

"But it can still break them. If I can figure out how to control it I-I can free my Dad!" he said with an almost hysterical laugh.

"But the power of the Black Cat is difficult to control and very few have the temperament to master it." Ruddiger argued, trying to steer his boy away from this dangerous path. "The holders for both the Cat and Ladybug are chosen carefully. Not everyone can wield them. It was why I chose you because your brilliant mind was perfect for the fusion power of the Raccoon."

"That just means I'll have to work hard to master it." He wasn't listening. "But first I'll need to get my hands on it." Ruddiger looked down sadly at his boy. He had made so much progress and now one spark of hope was reigniting that insatiable drive that pushed him over the edge before. He wasn't sure he could watch that again.

Varian left the room mumbling to himself saying something about planning and the Lucky Charm. Ruddiger and Nathalie could only look on.

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Eugene and Lance panted as they finally escaped the traitorous hair products in one of the guest rooms. Eugene practically cried seeing what they did to his hair. They had gotten separated from Rapunzel and Cassandra in the hallway maze and were frantically trying to find them while keeping their limbs intact.

"I don't like this Lance." Eugene started looking around trying to decide where to go next. "This place has been playing with up for a while now but all of the sudden it's switched to attack mode."

"I know what you mean. It's like they wanted us separated or something." Eugene picked a random direction and prayed it would lead them to their missing party members or somewhere safe.

"I'm pretty sure that's the idea."

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Outside the House of Yesterday's Tomorrow the last of the Brotherhood continued their assault. The structure was unlike anything they had ever seen. Every time they thought they'd found a way in, the darn thing would change or move and they'd have to hunt for it again. Thankfully it never seemed to go very far.

"Blast it!" Hector shouted as the house moved again. "If we ever get inside I'll end those idiots for being so stupid." Adira rolled her eyes at her brother.

"We still need them alive-"

"Do we?!" he yelled back, still not happy about working with his sister again.

"Yes, we do." Edmund replied, getting between the two of them. "All we know is that they came here seeking the Moonstone. Somehow the Moonstone's power has been stolen and we need to know if they are responsible." Hector scoffed while Adira looked back where they last saw the house.

"Or whoever is inside that house." Hector ignored her and summoned his beast to track the house again. "They could be the ones responsible." Edmund followed Hector while he searched.

"Perhaps, what we do know is that there is another player involved. We need to learn the truth before we can act." He held the powerless moonstone up again. It was faint but he thought he sensed a trace of power coming from the house.

Maybe he was imagining it but it seemed to be leading them there. Right now it was the only lead they had. They had to find a way in, no matter what.

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Rapunzel sighed to Pascal as they found themselves in another hallway full of doors.

"Well, any suggestions on which way we should go?" The tiny chameleon closed his eyes and spun around pointing in a random direction. "East it is then." But before she opened the door she saw something out of the corner of her eye, or rather someone. Someone who shouldn't be there.

"Varian?" It couldn't be but what if it was. Eugene was convinced he would try and follow them but could he have caught up? They have had a number of detores and they have been stuck in this house for a while.

She hurried to try and catch up and saw his trademark black hair with a teal streak turning the corner up ahead.

"Varian wait!" In the back of her mind she thought this could be a trap but on the off chance it wasn't she needed to talk to him.

Mathews smiled as he watched the Princess follow his illusion. The funny part was, she was going in the right direction to find the boy. Although he doubted he would be very happy to see her.

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Casandra cursed as she ran out of the dining room. It was horrible in there, everything was alive and singing, wanting her to be their guest, it was just a nightmare. So eager to get out she didn't see Lance and Eugene until she ran right into them.

"Ow!" Eugene cried holding his nose. "Easy on the schnoz Ice Queen, you trying to make it match my old wanted posters?" Cassandra picked herself up, annoyed but also somewhat relieved to find part of her traveling party.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking." He said annoyed as well as she said dusting herself off. "Where's Rapunzel?" The two men looked at each other and then her.

"You mean she wasn't with you?" Lance asked, now getting worried. Cassandra cursed again and ran off trying to find the missing girl.

"Hey, wait up!" Eugene called out, still holding his nose. "This place separated us for a reason, let's not help it." He said running after the handmaiden.

"Then hurry up! We have to find Rapunzel before it's too late!"

"Too late for what?" She wasn't sure, all she knew was whatever it was, it wasn't good.

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Back in Paris Ladybug panted as she looked up at the rock encrusted Museum. It was no good. Nothing she tried was working. She had just finished talking to Alix who was still worried about her missing brother, more convinced than ever that he was still in the museum.

Ladybug had hesitated asking Chat Noir to try and use his Cataclysm on the rocks again but she was running out of options. Still this had to be done carefully, one wrong move and there would be another disaster on their hands. This was a much bigger rock than the first one they tried it on.

She needed a plan, and a backup plan for that plan. She needed to find a way to test this safely. Then she would contact her partner and hopefully find a way to restore her home.

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Rapunzel watched as the boy turned the corner and heard a door close. There was no mistaking where he went. Sure enough there was a large wooden door with strange carving all around it.

"Oh, is this another riddle door?" They had found a lot of those in this house. A little tricky to get through but it usually meant they were going in the right direction. She tried knocking and pulling the handle but nothing happened.

"Hello!" she tried in case it was voice activated. "I'm looking for my friend Varian. I thought I saw-" As soon as she said the boy's name the door lit up with a green light emanating from the cracks and crevices. Pascal squeaked in fear trying to tell his owner not to go through the door.

Without warning the door shot open and Rapunzel's eyes widened at the sight. It looked like a large city with a tall metal tower in the distance. It was also covered in black rocks.

'Was this the way out?' she wondered. Was this where her destiny was leading her? She stepped through not knowing she was both right and wrong at the same time.

The door slammed shut. There was no turning back now.

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As the Brotherhood watched the house for any sign of weakness it finally happened. The house stabilized and the magical defenses they had been sensing started to flicker. It was now or never. The knights raced to the house prepared to break down the door only for it to open up as if someone had forgotten to lock it.

"Well…" the king said, unsure where to direct all of his excess adrenaline. "That was easy." Hector grumbled as the door 'woke up' and shut them in.

"I don't think that was intentional."

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Sure enough Mathews cursed to himself seeing the Knights of the Brotherhood enter his home. Unfortunately he was in the middle of opening the portal to the other world which weakened the house's natural defenses. By the time he was finished they had made their way inside but no matter. The deed was done, the Princess was now looking for the boy in the other world and everything was-

He paused as he spied on the Princess's friends. "ZHAN TIRI DAMN IT!" he shouted, causing the house to shake. After all the planning and making sure the Princess had the intact Demanitus scroll the fool had left it with her idiot boyfriend!

He kicked the stone altar so hard he nearly broke his foot. He was cursing again due to the pain. Once he had calmed down he took a deep breath. This…this was a setback but all was not lost. Her friends would be looking for her no doubt so instead of disposing of them like he planned he would simply lead them to her.

The strain on his magic would be great but he would gain his master's favor even if it killed him.

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Adrien tossed and turned for what felt like the 12th time that night. Giving up, he threw off his covers and rubbed his arm again. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. It had healed by now leaving only a small scar as a reminder. It wasn't red or swelling. It didn't have any discoloration or odor or anything else to indicate it was infected.

It would just start aching randomly, usually at night. Sometimes after he used his miraculous but he knew using a miraculous while sick or injured so it could just be a side effect. Still should it still be hurting this long afterwards? He had waited too long to see a doctor, it was already healed. What was he going to tell them, he had a phantom pain that wasn't going away?

He layed back down as he stared out the window looking at the moon. He supposed it wasn't that bad. He'd never really been injured before he became Chat Noir and all those injuries were healed with magic. He figured he'd just wait it out.

It was sure to go away on its own. Right?

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Gabriel had received a message that Varian wanted to talk to him about something important. He was on his way to the lair already guessing what this was about. It was clear since they had restarted their efforts to obtain the Miraculous that Varian's heart was in it any more.

It wasn't a surprise seeing how Ladybug's magic failed to get rid of the black rocks. It left both of them with doubts that the wish could help the poor boy's father. And if Varian no longer wished to participate in their hunt than he understood.

He needed to make sure Varian knew that he still had a home here regardless of what he decided. After all, if his wish couldn't be granted then he would not likely be able to return home again.

He hadn't given up on Emilie, he never would but maybe it was wrong of him to encourage Varian, who was still a child, to fight with him in this war. Even if his intentions were good and he truly did wish to reunite the boy with his father he shouldn't have-

He froze the moment he walked into the room. The entire place was graffitied with calculations from floor to ceiling, some somehow were even written on the ceiling. He was angry at first until he started actually looking at them. He was an educated man and he recognized some of them as probability formulas but the math became so complex he may as well be looking at a bowl of alphabet soup.

"What in blazes is all of…this?" Gabriel gestured to the room still looking for Varian who had to be the one responsible.

"Oh, you're here!" He heard from a far corner of the room where the writing had become smaller due to space running out.

"Varian what is going on? What have you been doing?" The boy finally looked up and he had that look in his eyes. A look that inspired him to join his crusade for the Miraculous in the first place.

"I figured out what we've been doing wrong." He then pointed to the desk in the center of the room before returning to his calculations. Gabriel turned to see what had the boy in such a frantic tizzy. The answer was indeed on the desk. It was a black rock, more precisely a broken black rock.

"Where did you get this?" He looked back at his partner. "How-"

"Chat Noir." He answered without looking up. "I found out that the Cataclysm can break the rocks but they shatter like a bomb. But they can still be broken, that's the key!" Gabriel looked at the rock in his hands as the gears were turning in his head as he processed this information.

"And…you think you can use this to-"

"Free me Dad? Absolutely!" He paused in his mad writing looking at one of his equations on the ceiling in deep thought. "I'm an idiot for not seeing it sooner." he said with a laugh.

"Seeing what sooner?" He was half worried, half intrigued.

"I'm an alchemist for pete's sake, my Miraculous' power is fusion. Of course the powers of creation and destruction would be stronger together than separate!" Gabriel knew that but what was Varian getting at. "You need both to bring back Emilie but I only need the ring." He ran up to the man excited as a child who had been told Christmas was coming early.

"Don't you see?" He took back the rock. "This changes everything! I can use this to free my Dad and you can use the wish. We don't have to worry about who gets it anymore."

"That's all well and good but we've yet to get either of the Miraculous. And what does all of this," he gestured to the math again. "have to do with anything?" Varian became serious for a moment as he addressed his partner.

"I can't tell you that." Gabriel raised an eyebrow starting to get annoyed.

"And why on Earth not?"

"Remember when I did that cookie experiment?"

"When you found a weakness in the Lucky Charm?"

"Yeah, I couldn't tell you my plans then either but I do have one. You have to trust me on this. Do you trust me?" Gabriel looked at the boy who still had a crazy look in his eye. Crazy, not stupid. His gut told him this was wrong, this was a mistake. He should be reigning in and protecting the boy he took into his care.

But like Varian when he saw the rock fragment, Gabriel saw that look. A look that told him he had a brilliant idea and it was going to work. They both had hope now. And hope can sometimes be the most dangerous thing one can possess.

"I trust you."

And so their fate was sealed.

To be continued…

Next time: Varian has a plan to obtain the ring of the Black Cat. The question is, should he go through with it? He's at war with himself and knows taking it could ruin everything he's built here for himself. As Rapunzel searches for the missing Alchemist he must make a choice. One that will have consequences regardless of what he chooses.