The Dark Mountain - Yesterday
Marinette pulled her cloak tighter around in a futile attempt to protect herself from the bitter cold. Night was rapidly closing in. As she came closer to the dark mountain the more frozen the landscape around her became. It had been several days since she had left the safety of Master Fu's home to seek out the Guardian of Destruction and her destination was finally in sight.
"It is your only hope." Master Fu, the oldest and wisest man in her village, had warned her. "You must go to the Tower of Secrets within the Dark Mountains and find a Guardian of Destruction who guards the Essence of Creation. There is no other way to save you."
Standing at the precipice, Marinette watched as lightning flashed and the sound of thunder rolled over the Dark Mountain, the place that was home to the Supreme. Marinette rolled up her sleeve and traced her fingers over the dark lines that marked her pale skin, their never retreating march over her body reminding her that her time was limited if she couldn't find the Essence of Creation and cure akuma curse before it reached her heart.
Marinette shivered as the wind cut through her, but also at her task ahead. Ever since she was a child she had heard it said that the Guardian of Destruction was a cat-like demon that could freeze anything or anyone with a single touch of his destructive hand and cause storms that were unsurvivable. Only the Supreme could control him and the thought of entering that tower made her afraid. No one had seen him in generations, at least no one who had lived long enough to tell the tale, and it was said he was hundreds of years old. A Demi-God that was dangerously immortal.
Marinette rolled her sleeve back down and readjusted her bag on her shoulder that held a few meager provisions. The sharp rocks on the rugged terrain had torn through the fabric of her dress, leaving her a tattered mess. Gathering up her courage, Marinette forged on through the sleet and snow until she arrived at the base of the Tower of Secrets. Pushing open the heavy ornate door, she stepped into the vast foyer.
Silence… the kind of silence one would expect when trespassing inside a tomb.
"Hello?" Marinette called, but there was no reaponse. Closing the door behind her the only sound was the echo of her own footsteps as she walked down the dimly lit corridor. The walls were covered in a thin veil of ice, icicles hanging like spider webs from the eves. Soon she came to a vast room with high cathedral ceilings and ornate pillars standing guard by what seemed like a throne at the top of a staircase. The room was very cold, much more so than where Marinette had just come from in the foyer.
Her heart pounding with fear, she took tentative steps across the shadows. Looking up she saw the glass windows that lined the walls were clouded in frost. The ice almost seemed to have been following her as it clung to the windowsills and lined the walls and floor and yet there appeared to be no source or cause. It was as though a snow storm had taken place indoors. Still she stepped closer to the throne and the figure in black, covered in ice with his eyes closed. Marinette bowed respectfully.
"Oh great Guardian. I have been sent by my King to receive the prophecy of the Supreme." She was lying of course, but she hoped that the Guardian would accept her as an envoy of the King rather than as herself.
His eyes remained closed behind a black mask and his cat ears above his head were turned away as though he had not heard her. Beside him stood a scepter, a clawed hand in a frozen grip around it. Lifting her damaged dress, Marinette climbed the few stairs to the top platform. Was he even alive? She couldn't tell if he was breathing or frozen in some kind of eternal sleep.
Marinette's eyes were then drawn back to the glow in his scepter. Suspended within the crystalline orb was a small red flame that flickered with life. Looking one more time over at the Guardian who had not stirred, Marinette reached up to grasp the orb, only to recoil back in pain as she was zapped by some indescribable force, scorching her hand.
"Who are you?"
Marinette's eyes widened at the sound of his voice, still rubbing at her burnt hand. He opened his eyes, and turned his charatuse gaze over her.
"Who…?" He went to repeat his question only for his voice to trail off when their eyes met. "Why have you come to this Tower?" There was a complexity in his eyes that Marinette didn't understand.
"I…" Marinette stuttered, but her words became lost on her tongue. His skin under the mask looked pale and frigid, like a statue. "You're alive?" She suddenly blurted out. "I thought… you looked like you were frozen to death."
He looked away from her and down over his frozen hand. "The winter of this tower punishes those who can noy control it." He said before looking back at her. "I am but an instrument of the Supreme. But you… you should not have come here." He added, almost as a warning.
"I was sent by my King to receive the prophecy of the Supreme."
"I wouldn't recommend lying to me" The Guardian cautioned. "The Kings on these lands have not sent envoys here for many years now."
Marinette regarded the icy encasement that seemed to have held him prisoner in his chair. She reached out and placed her fingertips on his shoulder. Under her touch, the ice melted there. She retreated her hand back quickly, but the action had not gone unnoticed.
The ground shook beneath her and the ice that had entrapped the Guardian slowly began to crack, freeing him from his icy prison, although it still clung to his garments.
The Guardian of Destruction stiffly rose out of the throne and stood at his full height. Having to look up, Marinette found he was a good head taller than she was and when he looked down at her it was as though she herself had become frozen in place. There was an insurmountable depth of pain in his eyes that pierced right into her heart. In the distance the sky rumbled over the dark mountains.
"The Supreme knows you are here." He stated, his eyes fixed ahead of him. "I suggest you leave this tower as quickly as possible and return to your village."
He went to leave when Marinette suddenly grabbed his arm. He turned to her with wide panicked eyes, grabbing her wrist and trying to pry her off him.
"Please I…" Marinette tried to speak again but was startled by a cold sensation taking over her arm where he held it. "What are you doing? I… please stop it." She cried out, trying to release herself from his grip.
The Guardian retracted his hand back but the ice had already started to take hold of her. "I can't." He said, stepping back from her. Marinette could feel the cold begin to grip her whole body in its icy embrace, dragging her to the ground. Chat crouched down in front of her, his voice still calm. "Don't struggle against it." He whispered. "It won't last long. I promise I will come back for you."
All Marinette could do was watch his retreating form before the ice claimed her.
~~~~~
When Marinette woke up again she found herself in a warm room she did not recognise. Sitting up in a soft, cozy bed she saw it was now morning and that there was a fire burning with fresh logs. Over the fire was a small pot of porridge and beside the fireplace a chair with a clean dress and warm hooded cloak.
For a moment Marinette wondered if she had dreamed of meeting the Guardian yesterday? Checking herself over she didn't seem to have any injuries and even her burnt hand showed no signs of blistering. Marinette pulled up her sleeve in vain hope, but alas the black marks remained. Rolling her sleeve back down, Marinette decided she might as well eat the porridge that had been left for her and get dressed in her new clothes.
Feeling warmer, but no less confused, Marinette made her way down a narrow spiral staircase to the floor below.
Entering the Great Hall, the morning light was streaming in through the windows that almost touched the ceiling. The frost from yesterday was all but gone, and in its place she could see the delicate etching of roses on the glass, although icicles still clung to the window sills and walls. Marinette also found she was not alone.
The Guardian was sitting back in his chair with the scepter on a stand beside him. His clothes were also no longer covered in ice and his blond hair hung softly around his face. She observed him silently. His eyes were closed and his hand was on a page inside an ornately decorated book. A pale golden glow surrounded his hand and he frowned as though in deep concentration.
As she did the night before, Marinette quietly climbed the few stairs to where he was sitting.
"Guardian?" She asked tentatively, taking her hood off from her head and hoping not to anger him by diverting his attention. The glow surrounding his hand dissipated and he opened his eyes to look at her. She could see he was much younger than she thought he would be. In fact he looked no older than she was, only around 20 or so.
"You can call me Chat Noir." He said softly, closing the book. His voice was kind, but there was still a distance there. "I don't believe you told me your name yesterday."
"Marinette." She replied nervously. "I came to…um…"
Chat could see she was looking for the right words. "I would recommend you tell me the truth this time." He cautioned. Marinette nodded her head.
"Alright… I'm not an envoy from the King. In fact only Master Fu, the oldest and wisest man from our village knows that I am here."
"And why is that?"
Marinette let out a small sigh. "I came so that I may learn my future from the Supreme. I suffer from an affliction that weakens my heart. Master Fu has told me that I have less than a year to live. I don't want to believe him."
It wasn't the whole truth, but it was close to it. Marinette rolled up her sleeve and showed Chat her scars to prove she was telling the truth.
Chat stood up from his throne and laid the book down on the seat. Marinette saw the cover was made of gold and embossed with a strange symbol she had never seen before. "You must believe it to have taken such a risk as to enter this tower looking for answers." He said, taking her arm gently in his hands to examine it. He noticed Marinette stiffened when he touched her, but there was no ice this time.
"The mark of the Akuma." Chat observed. "Some believe it is the curse of the Supreme, but why would he curse you?" Marinette felt her heart beating hard in her chest with fear and trepidation as he traced a clawed finger across her skin.
Chat felt her hesitation. "You're afraid of me." He stated, a sadness tinging his voice. "Have you heard stories about me then?"
Marinette didn't answer him. The stories she heard and the being in front of her now seemed like two different people. Chat then suddenly brought his face closer to hers, bending down slightly to look her in the eyes. The seriousness of his gaze caught her off guard and she felt as though her breath caught in her throat. Did he not believe her? Was this going to be her end? Why was he looking at her like that?
"What do you know about growing flowers?" He suddenly asked with no context. "Roses more specifically."
Marinette blinked at him trying to catch her brain up to this odd question. "A little." She replied. "At my home I have a small garden that I tend to. The roses have always bloomed every year."
Chat Noir regarded her for a moment before grabbing her wrist. "Come with me."
Marinette followed him, not that she had much of a choice with the grip he had on her. Chat led her through the tower to another spiral staircase, this one much longer than the one that led to the room she had woken up in. By the time they reached the top, she was out of breath, but the view of the snow capped mountains from the rooftop balcony was breathtaking.
Marinette glanced over at Chat and saw that he was not looking at the mountains, but at the small balcony surrounding where they stood on the tower. Entwined around the wrought iron railings was the remnants of a vine. A very dead looking vine Marinette thought, yet there was the slightest sign of life in the shape of a small fragile bud.
Chat watched Marinette silently as she approached the bud, examining it and the vine it clung to. "It's fighting so hard to survive. How can it ever hope to bloom in a barren wasteland like this?"
Chat reached out and gently touched the vine next to the bud, like it was something so precious to him. "Can you care for it?" He asked.
Marinette looked back at the bud. It seemed an almost insurmountable task that anything could ever bloom through this perpetual winter. Chat could see her frown so he added. "If you can make the rosebud bloom, I will set you free and take you safely from this place."
Marinette had heard the stories of others who had climbed the dark mountains in search of answers to their future. Few ever returned. "Is this some kind of a test?" She asked skeptically. "Did the others fail and so you killed them?"
Chat looked away from her and towards the mountains. "I never killed anyone." He replied quietly. "I am the Guardian of Destruction and the caretaker of the Essence of Creation. Once someone leaves this Tower, their fate is at the mercy of the Supreme, and I…" His voice trailed off as though he had decided against saying what he was thinking. He then stepped closer to her and reached out to gently grasp her chin between his fingers. His eyes pierced into hers as though he could see through her, right to her very soul. "Will you stay here and care for it?" He asked again, almost pleadingly.
Marinette wasn't sure if she was imagining things but it felt as though he was somehow trying to convince her to stay. That look in his eyes… it was something she couldn't explain. Maybe she should have been afraid, and yet... Whatever his reasons, it gave her a reason to stay in the tower and perhaps learn something more about how she can free the Essence of Creation from its crystalline prison.
"I will care for it." Marinette agreed. "I can't promise it will bloom, but I will do everything I can."
In the distance she could hear the thunder over the dark mountain, the place where the Supreme resides. Was he warning her? Chat let go of her chin, clearly pleased with her decision. He turned to leave when she called after him.
"You came back for me yesterday, didn't you?" She asked. "You freed me from the ice?"
Chat looked back at her over his shoulder. "Sometimes I lose control over my power." He said, holding his left hand in his right. "When that happens, you need to keep away from me, understand."
"Is that why the Great Hall was covered in ice when I arrived?"
Chat didn't answer and left without another word.
Marinette stayed on the Tower for a while and studied the vine. Chat was a mystery to her. One moment he was as cold as ice, literally and figuratively, and now he wants her to save this rosebud. Why? It was a mystery she would need to get to the bottom of.
~~~~~
The next morning Marinette sat in her new bedroom and looked down at the spider-like veins on her arms. How she got this affliction, she did not know. Master Fu had found her wandering on the side of the road as a small child and took her in when no one else would. As time passed more and more of the villagers became suspicious as to how Marinette had lived as long as she had with such a curse on her. Some suspected magic or sorcery which caused many to become wary of her. When she would ask Fu about it his only answer was that she was special and that her affliction was a sign of a blessing, not a curse. Special how she didn't know, nor did he ever elaborate, but even being special wasn't enough to live forever. Not if the curse continued to weaken her frail heart.
Marinette stood at the window and looked out over the frozen landscape. Make the rose bloom… it seemed like such an impossible task, and yet it offered her a unique opportunity. If Marinette could befriend Chat Noir enough for him to let his guard down, maybe then she could find out a way to get the crystalline orb.
Determined to take her new job as rose gardener seriously, Marinette ascended the spiral staircase, watercan in hand to tend to the vine. She was surprised to find Chat Noir already up there.
"Have you come to spy on me?" She asked incredulously, approaching to stand next to him and pour water over the vine.
"I could ask you the same thing." He retorted, watching her every movement.
"I'm here to care for the rose as you asked me too." Marinette replied casually, ignoring his intense gaze. "What's your excuse for being here?"
Chat looked away from her and out towards the Dark Mountains, wrapping his cloak around himself. Marinette followed his gaze and could see a small group of travelers forging a path through the mountains, much in the same way she herself had done, only they weren't heading for the tower.
"Where are they going?" She asked him.
Chat didn't respond but instead calmly raised his left hand to the sky. For the first time Marinette noticed the back ring on his finger engraved with a green cat paw print that began to glow. Over the mountains the sky darkened above the travelers and a snow storm began to brew.
"What are you doing?" Marinette exclaimed in alarm. "Are you trying to kill them?"
Chat lowered his arm, his eyes still fixed on the travelers. "The snow storm will be impassable." Chat said calmly. "Once they realise the path is blocked they will be forced to abandon their quest and return to their homes. It is safer for them that they do."
Marinette was in equal parts afraid and yet in awe of the powerful destructive power Chat had. He could feel her eyes on him and he chuckled humourlessly, holding his hand up in front of his face. "It's not really magic when the only power you have is to destroy everything you touch… everything you love." He added, gripping his hand into a fist before lowering his arm. Marinette caught sight of what she could only describe as a great pain in Chat's eyes, but he quickly schooled his features to conceal what could betray him. Chat then placed his hand on the iron railing, his fingers almost brushing against hers. "Don't worry m'lady. I won't hurt you. I couldn't…" Chat almost stretched out his fingers towards hers, but wrapped it around the railing instead with a heavy sigh.
"Who were they seeking out? You?" Marinette asked, trying to draw him away from whatever thoughts seemed to be troubling him.
Chat looked Marinette in the eyes before looking away from her. "They were looking for the Supreme. They want to change their fate, but it is pointless. They would be endangering their lives for nothing because your fate cannot be changed." He looked back at her and Marinette thought it best not to argue with him even if she didn't agree. Busying herself with the vine, she said nothing when he silently left her and returned into the tower
