Here it is, the seventy-first full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released on the set day that I promised each week. This is the last of the original Guardian work study arc chapters as it is the close to the events of the last chapter as they deal with the aftermath of it and set the stage for what is to come next in this story that I know y'all are eager for. Anyway, that is all the administrative stuff I have for now though and as there are no review questions to answer or guest reviews to respond to I will end this note here. Do keep the reviews coming as I enjoy hearing from y'all. Now, though, it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 71st full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.

Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction.

Chapter 71: Assessing the Evidence

"Paperwork and police, they go hand in hand in this line of work once the action is over." Mage said as he led his trio of work study students into his office, Momo still carrying the bag with the strange Quirk neutralizing device in it and gestured for them to take a seat on one of the sofas in the middle as he took a seat in the middle of the one opposite them. "Learn to deal with it as it's the bulk of field work when shit goes down. For every minute of action expect at least 10 of mundane paperwork and debriefing. Now Creati, put that thing on the table and let's look at it."

Momo just nodded as she put the bag on the table between them and opened it. The bag fell down around and the odd, circular, silver device with a button in the center of the top was revealed. It had a stab wound in it from the button that went all the way through it where Mage had stabbed it with his knife to deactivate it but otherwise it was intact. Now that the trio could see it properly, and knew what to look for, the mark of the Vengeful Spirits, along with some other archaic markings, were etched into the side of the device.

It was over an hour after they'd been attacked by a member of the group that was in a perpetual war with the Guardians while on patrol and finally they were back at the agency. The paperwork, statements, and other mundane things that were needed in the wake of an arrest had taken that long to sort out as the villain, still unconscious, was patched up, restrained, and hauled off to the prison wing of the nearest hospital to be healed and booked on several charges.

They'd been told that he'd live, though he'd lose the middle finger on his right hand thanks to Mage, and due to his injuries Mage had had to fill out an additional justified use of force report but given the gun that was as mere formality. Mage of course did so without question as the officers brough in more news on what was going to happen to the villain.

The man was being charged with four counts of attempted murder, assault, illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of a support item, illegal support item, and membership in an international terrorist group. According to the police they expected he'd be in prison for at least half a century so would likely die in there though Mage knew better given the marking and explained on the way back that the man would be released on day as he had the same pseudo immortality as a Sub-Guardian.

As a result, the Guardians would pick him up and take him to their special prison when the time came where he'd be assessed additional charges as part of their war. Of course, that was if they managed it, but Mage had opted not to go into the potential problems as it was too far in the future for the trio to deal with.

All in all, it had been a wild night to cap off their first full day as work study students and it still wasn't over yet. They had to assess the device that had been used on them and Mage had a few more things to explain, as well as what to expect going forward, before they hit the baths and went to bed. Tomorrow was a morning working with the investigation teams just like this morning had been before returning to U.A. and resuming school which seemed almost strange to them after what they'd been through. Now though it was time for the final job of the day.

"Usually, I'd offer alcohol as we discuss this but that's illegal given your ages." Mage said though a bottle of good Irish whiskey floated off the bar in his office along with a tumbler and poured a healthy measure for himself. "And don't give me the French excuse you two, that won't fly here. You will have to deal with tea, coffee, water, or juice."

"Tea please." Momo said, she understood the alcohol laws well and didn't want any to begin with. "Gold Tips Imperial if you can manage it sir, it's the best and, well, you seem to be able to conjure it easily so why not."

"Just Mage please." Mage said as a cup of Momo's favorite tea appeared before her, this was one of the great perks she'd come to enjoy working with, and knowing the truth of, a man like Mage. "And you two?"

"Decaf coffee." Adrien said. "Gotta sleep after all."

"Tea, preferably a European blend and no caffeine as well for the same reason." Marinette said as the cups appeared before them. "Thank you."

"Of course." Mage said as he took a sip of his whiskey and smiled at it. "This is something that happens from time to time in all hero agencies, when a day like this has happened we decompress in the boss's office and discuss what happened or in this case I'll explain some more things that I left out as they weren't relevant then."

"That's understandable." Marinette said. "You've already told us so much that we know what we need to know but of course as new things come up, or as we experience them in the field, it is good to understand them."

"That is true, there are many things that I left out as they weren't relevant but clearly some have become so." Mage said taking another sip of whiskey. "So, before we deal with this annoying piece of tech and whatever else Vindicta puts in these things are there any questions that you have about the confrontation we just had? Marinette, I know that you've seen Mirko work and I am aware that the girls have been read in on what happened in Hosu, so Adrien knows first hand what it's like to take down a villain but is there anything in particular that you'd like to know about?"

"Not the take down perse, though it was a little bloody to witness." Momo admitted. "Not that I don't understand that blood is part of the profession, I was injured at the Summer Training Camp myself so I know it personally, it's just, well, the whole lack of hesitation was a bit of a shock."

"Years of practice, in time you will know not to hesitate in such a situation and already I know you've started to learn after the USJ and the Summer Camp." Mage said. "As you saw with Marinette helping you out seeing as she acted right away to get you to safety. That, however, was me being more restrained and going for the capture."

"That was restrained?" Adrien asked a bit surprised. "You ended up injuring him so bad that he's losing a finger and I saw Ida's shoulder wound, I know how bad those can be."

"Sometimes that is the nature of what it takes to bring a villain down." Mage said with a sigh as a heaviness fell over him and the trio really saw his years for the first time. "I won't lie, I've been alive for eons, and I've killed more people in battle than I can count or remember, both before and after becoming a Guardian, but as a hero I can't except in extreme situations when dealing with an S-Class villain and those are rare to say the least, so capture it was. I had to neutralize the threat of the gun, if I'd been hit in a fatal spot I'd have had to fake my own death and been out of circulation for a good 50 years because of it so I too was at risk, and then pin him in a way that would restrain him."

"I see." Momo said understanding the actions that Mage had taken. "I am well aware of the hero ethics, that we can't kill, we only hurt to protect ourselves and other, and certain things like using an anesthetic are against the laws. Quirks like Midnight's are fine, but an actual drug is illegal. It's why the entrance exam for non-recommended students puts such an emphasis on points for capture. I, er, looked into it to try and understand it more despite not taking it myself."

"All true hence why strong, non-lethal, capture Quirks like Midnight's, Sero's and Mineta's are valuable to have in a hero." Mage said. "And it is why you are trained to neutralize without killing. Given your versatility with Creation that shouldn't be a problem. I know that Marinette and Adrien can do it and I suspect that your whole class will be able to as well by the end of the year."

"We are being trained for it." Marinette said. "So, we will be able to do it. Even those with more dangerous Quirks should be able to manage it."

"U.A. is the best for that." Mage agreed. "Now anything else?"

"Yes actually." Momo said as she had an additional question that had confused her, and it was the one that Mage knew was coming as it was something he'd not explained yet due to not needing to until now. "Your knife, what actually is it? I got the feeling when you drew it that it was more than some backup weapon and that time pause thing you did, which I also don't understand, was tied to it as it ended when you sheathed it, but I don't understand what the knife actually is."

"I actually don't need the knife out for that, I can pause time for a short period of, well, time, thanks to a gift from Dominus a while back." Mage said. "Though having it out does help make it easier as Time is not my element so using it is a strain. Before you ask, no, there is no Guardian of Time and given the rather strict laws of the universe that govern it Dominus has yet to grant its power to anyone though he can utilize some small things like entering the time line or granting things like limited foresight or stopping powers though it does take a lot of his energy to manage."

"So why do you have an aspect of it?" Momo asked.

"Because it was necessary for me to be able to briefly pause time the moment something happened to avoid serious issues." Mage said. "That moment was the moment when time caught up with Ladybug and Cat Noir and they were returned to the present as it was now that for them. It was done so that I could speak with them as soon as they returned and help them adjust as the kwamis knew me, so they'd help out. That and it was my error that allowed this to happen, so I had to sort it out. For whatever reason Dominus never recalled the power. I've used it twice since though, once today and once to deal with one of the few heroes who know the truth of us but had been out of the game for a while."

"I guess that makes sense." Momo said deciding it was best to move on rather than dwell given what had happened to her friends in the past and how this might be painful for them as they continued to move on with their new lives. "But your knife is more important than you let on, right?"

"Right, in fact it is the most important thing I carry and even if it is hidden by a concealment charm it is always on me." Mage said with a nod. "I haven't discussed it yet as I don't need to until now but as I drew it today and all Guardians carry one I guess it's time to explain exactly what our knives mean."

"Yeah I noticed that Gem had one as well." Marinette said recalling seeing Gem's one time when she reached up to grab something and her shirt rode up to reveal that she kept it on the back of her belt. "Though hers had a diamond handle not a wooden one like yours."

"We all customize our handles, one of the ways we express our individuality, but the blades are all the same." Mage said. "They are unique as they are made of metal known as Chaos Ore and can only be made by Dominus through the weapon he himself carries and yes he is the only one of us who does not carry a knife. Not even the Guardian of Metal, who makes all our metal weapons from her own unique metal called Guardian Titanium, can replicate it as this nature of Chaos Ore is the very nature of the Master Guardian himself in a sense."

"That sounds complex." Adrien admitted trying to understand it as best he could. "Why does he do that?"

"To tie us all together." Mage said simply. "To remind us that we are all part of the same order above all else. When a Guardian ascends he or she receives 4 things. First their element which can be guessed in many cases but at times will be unknown if there is no clear choice. Second their color manifests, which is a subconscious thing and often tied to their element but for those without a color like me we end up with what we like and for me that was lilac. Third their tattoo appears. It is always in the language of our main base and changes as we change names and languages, but the styles are always the same with many being representative of their elements in one way or another."

"That I remember." Adrien said. "Bolt's had a clear lightning pattern to it, not including his other tattoos, and Sanguina's was like it had been cut into her skin and looked like it was bleeding."

"She's always had a bit of a morbid flair to her despite not being one of the Guardians associated with an underworld element, her blood styles have been varied by always present." Mage said. "But yes we like to do that at times. I'm normal but many others aren't in this regard. As for Bolt's other tattoos, that's just his personality. Several Guardians are inked up out of personal preference and we can change them as we see fit though again that's never been something I like. I have one tattoo because I have to have it and that is it."

"That I don't understand but tattooing is still uncommon here outside organized crime." Momo said taking a sip of her tea as Marinette glared at her. "Or the alternative crowd hence why I gave you those temporary tattoos. Anyway, I take it that the fourth thing is your knife."

"Correct and the only one we get after the process of ascension is over." Mage said. "Once we have finished the process, Dominus, with his short sword still drawn, will use it to create the blade that seems to come from his sword itself and give it to us. In addition, no matter who we are or our gender, we all receive the same length and style of blade. After that it is up to us how to make the handle for it as that is for our own personal preference. I went with simple wood from a poplar tree that grew in Persephone's garden in the underworld. The esoteric nature of my element means I can be quite simple while the others tend to be flashier such as Gem's diamond handle."

"So, what does this knife actually do?" Marinette asked curiously.

"It gives us access to the elements of our brethren." Mage said surprising them and chuckling. "Yeah in my case it's a bit different given how magic is and there is some overlap here and there but in general yes, the knives allow us to tap into another Guardian's element, only a fraction of their power mind you, so that we can use it when the need arises, but it all comes through the knife as that is the vessel to channel them through. That is why they need to be made by Dominus and from his sword which itself was forged by Chaos or else they wouldn't work."

"Ok that actually makes some sense." Adrien said given all that he knew about the Guardians and their leader. "But how are they explained these days if you need to use them in public?"

"Oh, that isn't too hard, we explain them away as high-tech items made by Technus if anyone asks." Mage said, which really they should have seen coming. "Usually, I use it to access the element of Light as that is how we get to the prison or send arrestees there but that is beyond your need to know right now. However, we can also use them to support special gifts from Dominus as they are a stabilizing force that allows us to maintain them for a bit longer like the time pause power I have hence why I drew it."

"Ah ok I guess it is best to just go with it as with everything else." Momo said as she did her best to understand it but in the end opted for just simple acceptance and hopefully not having to address it again. "And if I don't see it again it's not a big deal."

"That is probably for the best." Mage said with a smile. "Now anything else before we address the device?"

"Do we know anything more about the man arrested?" Adrien asked. "I know we got the info on his charges, but I am sure that you know, or will know, more."

"Right now we only know what we saw today and that that he is Quirkless and a member of the Vengeful Spirits." Mage said. "Given his rage I'd say he was born within the last 50 years but when will be hard to say and any records that may be found, if there are even any to begin with, will be falsified naturally so we likely don't even know his real name. Vindicta operates like that, but I'll send a message about the discovery to Tertia, that's the name of the third Major by the way and have her task someone to look into it as this would fall under her branch's jurisdiction. If we find anything I'll let you know but he's not the concern, it's the fact that he brought this contraption with him that is."

"Sorry I do have one more question." Momo said suddenly thinking of something at the mention of the man being Quirkless.

"Go ahead." Mage said. "Ask away and if I can answer I'll do so."

"You said this man is Quirkless right?" Momo asked and Mage nodded. "Then surely this Vindicta person could have given him one, wouldn't that be within her power? You gave Marinette and Adrien Quirks so surely it can be done by people like you which she seems to be. Either that or at least she could have given him a facsimile of one."

"Perhaps she can we don't know if she has the ability though she's never shown power gifting abilities in the past beyond pseudo immortality so the working theory is no she can't." Mage said. "Or if she can she chooses not to for reasons that are her own. As for these two, they are an exception and only I could manage it with them due to the right factors lining up. Not even Dominus can give a Quirk though he can give a facsimile of one that might fool systems and has done so when necessary since the advent. What I did with Adrien and Marinette was actually recode their DNA to make it into the structure of current human DNA complete with the Quirk gene, but I need a few things to manage that kind of change."

"Yes I remember you mentioning that." Momo said remembering the chat she'd had the night she'd accidentally discovered the truth of Marinette and Adrien's origins though given all that that night had contained she hadn't asked for more details on it though now that she had the chance she decided to do so. "But I don't really get the minutia of it I guess. You made their Miraculouses powers, something I have seen proof of as Marinette showed me with the Mouse Miraculous, into their Quirks but I still don't get how you could do it with them and not other people. Surely if your magic can alter human DNA to encode the Quirk gene then it can be done on others?"

"Perhaps it can but trying it could be dangerous and is probably unethical on some level." Mage said. "It wasn't with them because of one simple fact, they were permanent Miraculous holders."

"That's the factor?" Momo asked confused.

"Honestly, we barely understand it as well." Marinette admitted and Adrien nodded in agreement at that. "But it worked, and they are now our Quirks, so we don't really mind too much."

"For temporary holders of the Miraculouses, or other magical items I've created in the past like the Prodigious, I can't change their DNA but for those who wear and use them on a regular basis like these two I can." Mage said. "That is because they are in constant contact with my element of magic, it is always on their bodies, and they use it regularly in a way that empowers them with the element. Magic is nebulous, it is everywhere, uncontainable in a lot of ways and to some extent one could even say that it is alive as an element even if I do have total command of it. As such, prolonged exposure to a strong source of it caused the magic to bleed into the body bit by bit."

"That actually sounds bad." Adrien said a little startled. "Like how you get sick from prolonged exposure to nuclear materials."

"True it does sound bad but in your case it's not because the Bleeding Effect as I call it is actually a beneficial side effect of prolonged Miraculous use." Mage said looking at Adrien. "Tell me Adrien, by the time you were blasted out of the time line, had you noticed any changes in your normal self? Perhaps a slightly stronger sense of smell despite the cheese that Plagg seems to love dulling that sense with its stench, or an advanced hearing or improved night vision? Not as strong as when your Miraculous was active but still noticeable after two years of use."

"Um…" Adrien said his eyes a little wide at that as it was the case but only barely. "Not so much the smell, which was accurate about Plagg's love for cheese, but the others I was starting to notice but it wasn't enough to arouse concern in me given my age. I was also a hair faster in fencing, a little stronger as well though that might have been from working out."

"Same." Marinette admitted. "But we were 13 when we got them and 15 when the incident occurred so puberty was in its thrall then, still is really, so that was what explained it to me."

"Yeah the changes of puberty would mask the Bleeding Effect for a while." Mage agreed. "But you were beginning to feel the effects which is the point I need to be able to sense the magic of the Miraculouses within you even when they are dormant. Then, even in stasis for 230 years, they were still active, so your bodies were saturated with magic by the time you returned."

"But we were, you know, frozen in time effectively." Adrien pointed out. "You're saying it was still working then?"

"I have no proof but when I offered you the gift of making them your Quirks you two were practically overflowing with it which could have only meant that your bodies kept absorbing them." Mage said with a shrug. "Made the process a lot easier than normal."

"It did?" Adrien asked.

"Yes, though practice also helped." Mage admitted. "It's something I have done in the past before Quirks though now that I know how to make the correct genetic makeup when in the past it was more just adding it to the genome to permanently give that person the power of the Miraculous or other item they used. For you two I was able to simply connect with the magic in your bodies and use that to alter your DNA. Without it I couldn't have done so. In addition, each Miraculous is different with a different magical signature hence why I could only give you the powers of the one that you held. There was a limit with Marinette, however."

"The cure." Marinette said simply. "I can't do that anymore."

"Correct." Mage said. "The cure aspect of your power was to correct the abuses, or accidents, due to the magic of all the Miraculouses, as well as to purify the powers that could be tied to emotions like the Moth and Peacock ones. In fairness it may still work like that if I had to guess, who knows as none are currently active, but if so I'd recommend not trying unless it's dire to avoid suspicion."

"Right understood." Marinette said also not seeing a time when she'd have to do so regardless.

"Anyway, without magic to cure I couldn't add that to your genes as part of your power." Mage said. "Thus, I was only able to do the core power of the Ladybug Miraculous, Lucky Charm, and make it into Marinette's Quirk."

"Would there be a chance of it coming back on it's own?" Adrien asked. "It was certainly useful back in the day and, um, I have made a few boneheaded decisions this year due to forgetting about it not working anymore."

"Maybe, who knows." Mage said with a shrug. "It's a Quirk for Marinette now and we still know little about Quirks so it may, or it may not. Maybe it will manifest in your kids as Quirks get stronger with each generation or their kids as the Quirk grows with the generations."

"I see, I can live without it anyway." Marinette said. "If I figure it out then it would be useful but right now it isn't so long as Adrien is sensible."

"I will be." Adrien promised, he'd learn his lesson on that front and didn't want to see Marinette cry again because of him. "I promise."

"Anything else?" Mage asked and when they shook their heads this time he nodded. "Right onto this device and what it is. It's basically as it sounds, a device that neutralizes both a Guardian's element and any non-mutant class Quirks within a certain radius of the device. Thankfully, nothing as of yet destroys Quirks entirely that we know of, this merely works by scrambling the part of the brain that activates Quirks hence why it doesn't work on mutant class Quirks as those are full body Quirks for the most part. It may work on side effects of mutant class Quirks though like the stickiness of Mineta's balls or the working of Ida's engine but that hasn't been observed not that we want to anyway."

"Ah that explains why my head felt a little fuzzy when it was active." Momo said as Marinette and Adrien nodded in agreement with that feeling. "It was like I couldn't focus so when I went to activate my Quirk it didn't. It was a really strange feeling but I've felt what Mr. Aizawa's Erasure feels like so I do know what it's like to not be able to use my Quirk."

"Yeah it completely cut out Cataclysm." Adrien admitted. "That was strange, but I am used to not having a Quirk until, well, you know, so it wasn't too bad."

"Well, that's good as it was worse for me." Mage said. "That thing fully suppresses my element which as it courses through me because I am the living representation of it is a really uncomfortable process to deal with. Thankfully, I've had some experience dealing with this stuff as Vindicta likes to do this sort of thing a lot."

"She does?" Marinette asked. "Like to neutralize your powers that is?"

"Yup, it's how she levels the playing field against us whenever we have major clashes between our forces and is the main reason why Dominus instituted the mastery of a weapon requirement for all Guardians." Mage said. "How she does it we still don't know, the theory there is tied to the whole mystery of her existence and goals to begin with as it seems that she is in some way a counterbalance to Dominus, but we can't prove that. What we do know is that she has been able to do this throughout history though her methods have changed as times have changed. Vindicta is nothing if not adaptive."

"How so?" Momo asked curiously. "Like I get that she'd adapted to the times to be able to neutralize Quirks because they are a significant shift in society and means that the vast majority of the world has one now so you need to remove them to even out a fight if non-Guardians are present but how did she manage before the advent?"

"At first she used what we call voids." Mage said. "How she set them up we don't know, most likely she just found them, but they were areas of the subterranean world, the area between the realms of life and death, where our powers wouldn't work. She'd often find one and hole up there for a while, so we'd have to fight her on her terms when we found her current lair. Her powers wouldn't work either but she and her lieutenants, the two still free at least, always had a way out and she never had her full strength in one place so it was like playing whack-a-mole with them but once we found one and cleared it out we could destroy it. Over time we've managed to destroy most of them but likely not all."

"If she uses these voids then maybe she's in one that you haven't found yet." Adrien pointed out. "You said it's been centuries since she's been seen, right?"

"At least a millennia as far as I know." Mage said. "And that is a working theory of ours regarding her current location. One of the primary goals of the third branch is to find these voids but we haven't found one since about a century before the advent. That said there are so many underworld options that just searching all of them will take millennia. The Guardians with elements associated with the underworld, so Darkness, Bone, Ghosts, Pain, and Minerals mainly as all share the same underworld mother actually, and don't get me started on their respective mommy issues, help when they can but with so many in parts of the world where we have little recruitment from complicates things but that has gotten easier."

"Wait Gem, that Guardian I met when the girls visited Marinette is from the underworld?" Momo asked surprised. "She seemed so lively and upbeat when we met her."

"Minerals, especially precious gemstones, have always come from the earth and as such ancient civilizations have often associated them with underworld deities." Mage explained. "For Gem, her father is Pluto, the Roman version of Hades, and he was given domain over the wealth of the earth which his Greek version didn't have, so she's always had an affinity for them as that was the aspect from him that she inherited. It made her element choice easy when she ascended. Her mother is the primordial goddess of the night, Nyx, but a story for another day. Just because one of us has underworld ties doesn't mean that he or she is gloomy though Gem is more cheery than the others."

"Ah I see sorry for interrupting." Momo said. "Please continue."

"No worries." Mage said taking another sip of whiskey before going on. "Anyway, at some point she began to adapt technology to either compensate for the lack of voids or to mix things up. While we have the Guardian of Technology and he's been such since shortly after my own ascension due to tech being eternal just the materials different, Vindicta has been able to recruit people with crafting godly heritage, just normal tech experts, and since the advent those with tech-based Quirks to aid her."

"And that helps?" Adrien asked.

"Somehow it did because she found a way to neutralize our powers through technology and that predates the advent." Mage said. "Her lieutenants keep such items on them at all times to counter us should we run into them thus forcing us into a standard duel with them and if a Guardian receives enough damage we need to rest to recover during which we merge with our element until we recover and that can take years. It's especially annoying because those two are better than half the Guardians with normal weapons."

"That does make sense." Marinette said thinking on it. "Forces you out of commission for a while and since the advent of Quirks they've adapted to it as well given the new possibilities that the advent caused."

"That they have but only with these things." Mage said gesturing to the device. "The old tech is still used when we encounter higher ranking members of their group and as far as we know doesn't effect Quirks though we haven't tested that theory yet."

"Then what's it based on?" Momo asked. "The device that is."

"Quirks but these things are incredibly complex and seem to require at least 3 people with the right Quirks working in tandem to make." Mage said. "At least that's the theory based on the only one we captured intact and working. This is the 4th of its kind seen since the advent, that's how hard they are to make it seems, and the first one self-destructed before we could get it. The second was obliterated by the Guardian it was used on. It was the third we managed to recover intact."

"We could have taken this one whole." Adrien pointed out. "It was on the ground out of his hand when you stabbed it."

"No, we couldn't have." Mage said shaking his head. "I couldn't pause time the way I did if it were active, so I had to end it. That and I may have acted out of frustration at it. I've fought in a void many a time and hated it so when I could end the item I did. Thankfully, Vina, the Guardian of Alcohol, was the one it was last used on, and she had more patience than I did. She did cut off the attackers hand with one of her harvest sickles that she wields but she preserved the item. It's also how we know we can't touch them as she grabbed it and was badly injured by it, enough that it took her 20 years to fully reform, but that act stopped it from self-destructing so that we could study it."

"Must have been a while ago." Marinette said. "Didn't you call her for that wine after our internships."

"Yup, I think it was about 35 or 45 years ago, time is a bit relative to me, and we hadn't seen one since." Mage said trying to think back on it. "Now they may just be stockpiling them, but I don't think so as each time they've used one it has been before something major happened that they were either funding, providing support for, or in the case of what occurred in Chicago about 83 years ago actively participating in the attack."

"Really?" Adrien asked. "They weren't in the shadows then?"

"Scimitar personally led the attack on our branch there when the time came, it wasn't a pretty battle and the worst since the advent." Mage said darkly. "But that's not a story for you to hear now. Back to the device. Technus's analysis of the one we secured intact showed that they are incredible complex with each piece having to be made specifically for it, assembled in the correct order, and the two Quirks added to at the right moments. All that requires a tech Quirk to pull off. The fact that we can't touch them keeps Technus at bay and the tech Quirk means we can't reverse engineer them as those things are unique to the person with the Quirk."

"Wait that thing has Quirks in it?" Momo asked. "Seriously?"

"Had." Mage said. "Remember that in the world these days, short of time travel, there is basically a Quirk for everything out there somewhere. The working theory is that a storage or binding Quirk, something that allows another emitter class Quirk to be bound to it for storage and use, is applied to the device and then a nullification Quirk is added to give it the ability to neutralize Quirks. While Eraser is the most well-known nullification Quirk to you lot and the only one of its kind known to exist in Japan it is not the only in the world."

"It's not?" Momo asked surprised by the news. "Surely a power like that would be well known? Erasure is a very useful Quirk after all."

"It's the opposite actually, they're kept secret by the authorities due to how useful they are." Mage said shaking his head. "Having a Quirk nullification Quirk is basically a guarantee that you'll get into the top hero school and be advanced even in the cut throat style that the top American schools use. Then, when you become a hero you usually serve as an underground one, one that is whispered in the shadows because of the fear they instill. Eraser Head is one of the few known to be open about it, but they exist. I know of the strongest in America, a hero who can project a full nullification field around himself with his Zero Quirk, which renders all with a certain radius of his body powerless though it isn't large."

"Woah that sounds really good." Marinette said her eyes wide.

"It is and he's in such high demand that he can never really leave America." Mage said. "Same with the others of their kind, they basically are in use so often that they stay where they are. With All Might Japan hasn't had much need for it as he can handle most and kept the crime rate down due to his success as the Symbol of Peace but with him gone and villains getting bolder expect Aizawa to be called in more and more for missions, especially with strong and dangerous Quirks at play like Shigaraki's Decay Quirk."

"Ah ok that is understandable then." Adrien said. "And this Vindicta has one on hand as well it seems."

"One that can nullify for sure and with these devices she can keep the identity of the user a secret." Mage said. "A shame but our solace is how long it takes to make these things. However, if she's funding research into Quirk destruction that's not good as it is definitely something that she'd do."

"It doesn't sound it." Momo said worried. "Just feeling it briefly was unnerving and strange."

"Quirks are part of you, not having something that has been there since you were a toddler is going to be strange when you experience it." Mage said. "But what's worse here is that Vindicta is a cautious, patient, methodical woman, she wouldn't be funding something unless she knew it would work or at least that there is a chance it would. Likely the latter, which means that there is enough to make a working sample for proof of concept and if it does work completely then she'll fund more. To destroy Quirks is a power she could use to grow her own strength. All this is a theory though."

"A good one." Adrien admitted. "So, what's next for us now that this has come to light?"

"For you three, nothing." Mage said bluntly as he finished his drink. "Your day is over now so it's baths and sleep. Then you work tomorrow morning before going back to school after lunch. I'll reach out to Tertia and let her know that we've had an encounter so that she can send some people to investigate it from our end and I'll get Technus here to look at this, but I doubt he'll help much. I'll also tap the 5th branch agent I have here to begin his own investigation as discreetly as possible, the others will aid him when they come in a few months, so we got that covered. Otherwise, I guess I'm going to have to put out the word to the hero network."

"Hero network?" Marinette asked. "What's that?"

"A special network just for heroes to communicate through, mainly used for team up requests and to let people know to be on the lookout for things that might come up." Mage said. "Right now, all I can do is let them know is that they need to be on the lookout for anything that can temporarily nullify or inhibit a Quirk. I'll also contact the BMI Hero: Fat Gum as I think he'll be of use right now."

"Fat Gum?" Momo asked knowing the name. "Why him?"

"Fat is an expert in Quirk related drugs, real useful partner for us." Mage said. "The guy spent years in America as a young hero aiding with this kind of thing, if anyone can be on the look our for drug related Quirk altering things its him and these days that is the main source of amplification of Quirks. Tech is much rarer but drugs, that's easy to make once perfected and tested and there's no better hero for dealing with it in Japan than Fat Gum. We have a strong relationship as he uses us to help with smugglers and we use him to take them down once they are here. If we know more then I'll let you know and bring you in for any team ups as you as have proven yourselves worthy of such a chance."

"That is useful and thank you." Marinette said as she finished her tea. "But if that is all I do think I could go for a bath and then bed as I for one am exhausted after all this work today."

"Same." Momo said loving the sound of that her tea long ago finished.

"This is all I have so you are dismissed, I've got some calls to make." Mage said and the trio got up to leave, their last sight of Mage for the day getting up and going to his desk to do his job.

It had certainly been an interesting, exciting, and informative first day of their work study and one that really got them interested in more. They now knew what it was like to be real heroes in some sense and only more would come as their work study progressed.

They all wondered what the future would hold for them. Little did they know that that future would be upon them much sooner than they'd expect as three other agencies began to run into what would soon become a multi-agency, national, mission that would have serious ramifications throughout Japan.

I think I'll end it there on a shade of foreshadowing for what is to come. I know this wasn't the most interesting chapter as it dealt with a mix of lore, backstory, and evidence from the last chapter but sometimes these chapters will occur as they are needed to help progress the story. This chapter is also the end of this original Guardian work study arc which means that y'all know what is coming next as the true start to the Overhaul arc is almost upon us. The last thing that I have to say is that the whole Bleeding Effect is a concept I created back in my other Miraculous story for some of the one shots there and which I used again as part of how Adrien and Marinette were able have their DNA changed to make their powers their Quirks. Anyway, that is all I have for y'all so I will leave this chapter off here. As always, if you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Do keep the reviews coming as I like hearing from y'all as you enjoy my work, it motivates me to keep producing the best work I can for y'all to enjoy. Until next time.

Stringdog