The Forgotten Ring

Chapter 6: Partners

"Let's take down Monarch."

I feel my eyes widen at Félix's statement. I was sitting on his living room couch in his minimalist apartment. He had texted me earlier where and when to meet him for his "proposition."

I blink and recover from the shock. "What?" is all I can muster.

"Us two, together," he explains, getting up from his seat to prove a point. "This whole thing is getting too crazy. I have a feeling we could all be in immeasurable danger if we don't end it soon."

I only squint in response. Félix worked for no one except himself. I knew he could keep his word, but there had to be some kind of ulterior motive.

"What's the catch?" I ask, folding my arms.

He raises an eyebrow. "There's no catch."

I scoff. "Bullshit."

"No, seriously," he mutters, looking away. "Things are a lot more dire than they used to be."

"And since when has that affected you?" I retort.

He sighs. "You know there's only a few things I care about in this world, and one of them is freedom." His jaw clenches. "I hate seeing people controlling others. I never thought Hawk Moth would do much with just one miraculous, and not even when he had two. But this?" He shakes his head. "It's too much power. I don't know what his wish with the miraculouses is, but I can feel it in my soul that it's corrupted."

I scrunch my eyebrows in thought. "You're going off that on a whim?"

He slightly shakes his head in response. "My miraculous. It helps me detect emotions, a lot like the butterfly. I've had it for almost a year now, and I visited here a lot more often. I could feel his desire turning into frustration. Whatever wish he had planned at first is gone. He's changed his mind. He wants something else now. What was once a painful longing became a festering wound. He's angry. And he might take that out on everyone."

I shudder at the dire news. "So how the hell do we stop that? To be fair, neither party has made an advantage on the other. There's been no progress. Ladybug and Chat Noir have only gotten the rabbit miraculous back, and Monarch still hasn't managed to get theirs. Who's to say if Monarch will ever even get the opportunity to make his wish?"

"That's the problem." Félix begins pacing, a hand on his chin. "He's getting desperate. He's been holding back for years because his intention was never to hurt anyone, just to get the miraculous. But he's losing hope and patience. With so many miraculouses, he's deadly. I don't think he's afraid to use fatal force anymore. That and..." he pauses, looking back at me, "his emotions are more complicated than usual. I think he's planning something. Something big."

My eyes flicker to the floor. "This is way more serious than I thought." I look back up and make eye contact with Félix. "So...got any ideas?"

"I don't know. I was thinking maybe we can work together—just the two of us. We'll stay under the radar as Monarch focuses all his attention on the other two. We could be like spies: never seen but finding out as much as we can."

I ponder that for a moment. "That's a start. But it might be better to work with the heroes anyway. We could use their strength and knowledge of the situation, especially if we got caught."

He glowers down at me. "Speak for yourself, but I can handle my own shit."

I sigh deeply. "I know." I peek at his brooch, the cool metal shining like silver. "You never did tell me how you got that from Monarch."

Félix visibly stiffens. He takes a seat on the couch. "That was the other thing I needed to mention. And if I'm telling the truth...I don't remember some things."