The first thing Marinette Dupain-Cheng knew was pain.
Not the sharp, immediate pain of an Akuma throwing her through a wall.
Not the familiar ache in her shoulders after spending half a night swinging across Paris.
This was heavier.
Older.
It seemed to have settled into her bones while she slept.
Marinette opened her eyes.
Darkness.
For several seconds, she remained completely still.
Dust scratched the back of her throat. Something hard pressed against her left hip. Her right hand was numb beneath her body, and a cold trickle of water touched her forehead before sliding along her temple and disappearing into her hair.
Drip.
Silence.
Drip.
A distant metallic groan.
Marinette's eyes widened.
She tried to sit up.
Pain exploded through her ribs.
“Fuck—”
She dropped back down, clamping one hand against her side.
Her breathing came fast.
Too fast.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Her voice sounded wrong in the darkness.
Small.
Alone.
“Okay, Marinette. Don't panic.”
Another groan rolled through the structure surrounding her.
Something above shifted.
Dust sifted down onto her face.
Marinette froze.
“Actually, panic a little.”
Her heartbeat hammered against her ribs.
She forced herself to breathe through her nose.
In.
Out.
Assess.
That word surfaced from years ago—or what felt like years ago.
Guardian training.
A mountainside.
Cold rain.
No phone.
No transformation.
No food except what she could find.
Her instructor's voice:
You wake somewhere unknown, you do not move until you understand why you're still alive.
Marinette swallowed.
“Right.”
She listened.
Water.
Wind somewhere far above.
Occasional creaks of stressed metal.
No voices.
No footsteps.
No traffic.
No sirens.
No kwamis.
Her stomach dropped.
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Celestial Zero Dawn
FanfictionMarinette Dupain-Cheng awakens alone in the machine-haunted far future with no Miracle Box, no allies, and no explanation for the fall of civilization. The kwamis once transferred fragments of their powers into her, leaving her with Creation, Destru...
