Strike At Midnight || Luka Couffaine

Chapter 14 ❧ Meeting Master Shou

I forgot to mention,

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Master Shou; Guardian of a miraculous box that consisted of the bat and sunbird miraculous. His whereabouts were initially unknown. I recognise him from my vision a moment ago but he appeared slightly younger then. He's still tall and has a copper-skinned complexion, but his hair and beard is much greyer and his eyes are as white as snow.

"I have been searching for the bat miraculous for eight years but, until recently I have sensed its presence. I felt a strange disturbance in the air and managed to locate it here. Now, I have finally found you."

"I-It must be fate that we have crossed paths," Grimm says.

"Wait. Master Shou? But Grimm told me that you disappeared," I say, standing up.

Master Shou turns to face me with a confused look- white eyes without focus. He may have just realised that someone else is in the room. "Who might you be?"

"I'm Selene?"

His pale eyes widen, but it then narrows. "The LeClaire daughter. I have been meaning to get in touch with you, but it was difficult. Are you sure you're Selene LeClaire?"

"I am Selene LeClaire. I was taken in by my mother's friend, and moved to France."

He nods, coming to a realisation. He begins mumbling that it's barely audible. "Yes, of course. Eight years ago, the LeClaire daughter's custody was passed onto an Agreste. It also makes sense that the bat miraculous would be with you since you inherited it from your father." He strokes his beard. "But you sound drastically different from before."

"We've met before?" I ask, surprised.

"Yes, you were just a child then- maybe six years old?"

To my amazement, his words align with my vision. I still can't conclude whether or not my vision was actually a forgotten memory. I mean, how could I forgot falling thousands of feet to the ground? If I could pin point the age I felt like then, I had been six years old and that would have been exactly eight years ago.

"Master, what are you doing here?" Grimm asks.

Master Shou halts his mutterings and clears his throat. "Yes, I am retrieving you now." He gestures to my vague direction. "Selene, I am relinquishing you from your duty of watching over the bat miraculous. I have come to take him back."

"What?!" Grimm and I exclaim in unison.

My reply comes automatically. "No! This is all happening too fast. I'm not giving Grimm to you." I claw onto my hair, feeling like a bucket of ice cold water was splashed onto me. "No offense, but I thought you were dead!"

"I am merely 213 years old. But that is besides the point, refusing me is out of the question. It is irresponsible and dangerous to have a miraculous so far away from the Guardian." He extends an open palm, face contorting from frustration, but still retaining some patience. " Furthermore, it does not belong here in Paris. Its origins are in Singapore, hence, it must return to Singapore."

"But I've had it with me for eight whole years now! Where were you that whole time?" I start to tremble in fear. Did he somehow find out that I've been using Grimm for bad intentions by working for Hawkmoth? "Isn't there away to let me keep my miraculous?"

"I am deeply sorry but I cannot allow that. I have been searching for years- since your parents are no longer here, it has to be returned."

"Don't." Suddenly, I feel heat scorch all over my body as anger builds up silently. "Don't say it. It's true that my dad is gone, but my mom is still missing."