The Storyteller: A Miraculous Ladybug Fan Fiction

Path of Illusions

Marinette: Nathanaël, you said most paths were guarded by a guardian, right. Well I think this way has one too. Her name is Volpina and she has the ability to cause illusions and... Nathanaël, Nathanaël!

He was staring off into the woods, I couldn't tell what he was looking at, but I assumed it was another illusion. I tugged on his arm and he snapped out of it. He was a lot better than I was at staying on the path.

Nathanaël: Huh? Oh right you were talking about the guardian, yeah I think you're right. There were tales of an enchantress that caused illusions to lure men to there doom. One very clever sorcerer saw a path lending into the forest. It was an illusion of course and he realized it when his footprints sank down on dry gravel. He was the first one to outsmart her. He used his magic to make the illusion real creating the path we are using now. Since then she has been even more furious than normal to travelers that use the path.

Up ahead the path split with a road sign in the middle one arrow pointed left saying "enchanted meadow" two pointed right saying "ladybug castle" and "witches hunt".

Marinette: Let's keep going we're almost there!

Nathanaël: I think we should go left.

Marinette: What? But the sign says the witches hunt is to the right

Nathanaël: I think the sign and path may be an illusion. You take a step to the right and I'll take a step to the left and one of us will go off the path. Be care, the illusions intensify off the path and they are harder to turn away from. It's up to the one on the path to pull the other to safety.

We both took a step to each side then another and another until we could barely hold hands. Nothing happened at first, but then I saw her.

Marinette: Nathanaël it's an illusion, come on you need to get back on the path

But it wasn't me who said that it was another Marinette on Nathanaël's other side on a third path, holding his other hand. She looked exactly like me right down to not having earnings in her pierced ears. She tugged on Nathanaël's arm trying to make him go off path. At this point I didn't know who was on and the real path, me or Nathanaël.

Marinette: Don't listen to her! She's trying to make you go off path! I'm the real one remember I went towards the witches hunt to the right you went to the meadow to the left...

I looked back at the sign, only to realize it had switched direction. Rats! Now it looked like the fake me was headed towards the witches hunt. Man she was good, how could I make Nathanaël see I was real and she was the illusion. Then I thought of Nathanaël's story. I took a step back as saw no footprints. I was on the real path!

Marinette: Nathanaël, look down, remember the story you told me about...

Fake Marinette: ...about the man that made the path real, check beneath your feet.

Nathanaël stepped back seeing the way his footprints sunk into dry gravel. He was walking on the forest floor, only seeing an illusion of the path. We both looked at the fake me, but she was all ready for the test, she stepped back leaving no footprints. How could I trick her and get Nathanaël back on the path. Then I thought of something. Nathanaël said the illusions got worse off path. So I stepped off my path to the other side, Nathanaël must have realized that the fake would not be tempted by illusions because he came back to the actual path, but it was too late for me. I saw Adrien, he was fighting Volpina. I knew she was an illusion, but when it looked like Adrien was about to win she vanished and the real Volpina appeared behind him and struck him with her dagger.

Marinette: No! Come on we need to help Adrien, if you don't come... I don't care I need to save him! (Tears filled my eyes)

I tried to run to him to help, when Nathanaël started to pull me back and dragged me further down the path.