Grimm and I chase after the shadow if Volpina as she darts across the rooftop of the school. We only halt in dismay when she slips through a window and into the school itself. "I don't feel good about this already."
I could pick up the sound of Volpina's flute as we rush in through the school entrance. My draw drops in shock at the figure in the middle of the sports hall. The Blood Bat in the flesh right smack at the centre of it all. But that's not me- a carbon copy of the of my alter ego but undeniably fake.
"Ladybug," the impostor drawls, I instantly detect Lila Rossi's voice hiding behind my own mask. "Come out, come out wherever you are. Or do I have to take a hostage?"
That's not me! That's most certainly not me talking!
"I don't want to hurt you, Blood Bat. I won't resort to violence," Ladybug's ominous voice reverberates throughout the hall. She then appears from the shadows like an angel in disguise.
"That makes things easier for me," The impostor says and presses her lips against her flute. She plays a brief tune. Are people actually falling for this? The Bat miraculous doesn't even grant me the power to wield illusions!
The faker summons a dozen clones of herself appearing as the Blood Bat. She seems even more powerful than I last saw her. Did Hawkmoth somehow enhance her abilities?
Without delay, they all charge towards Ladybug in unison, making me severely uncomfortable. It's like seeing multiple reflections of myself- shiver run down my spine.
"Selene, help me spot the real culprit." Grimm hurriedly scans the whole area, looking for the real Volpina. The clones try to bind Ladybug, but she avoids all of their attack with fluid movements of her slim body.
"There's too many of them and they act similar!" I mean it's hard to identify the perpetrator when they all act like brainless animals charging at Ladybug like a herd of bulls. "Oh my God!"
One illusion slams Ladybug against the wall so hard that the poor superhero crashes right through, creating a massive hole at the centre. We have to find the real one before they actually kill Marinette! Suddenly, my ears zone in on a distant giggle and from the corner of my eye, I spot a fake Blood Bat throw me a devilish smirk before running to the opposite direction. Bingo.
I'm about to bolt after her but I hesitate when I glance back at Ladybug struggling against a whole crowd of clones. If I don't chase the real Volpina now, I might lose her for good, and she can't get away with this! Ladybug yelps in surprise and a nauseating crash comes right after. I hold back a frustrated groan as I turn away and dash into the theatre of war. "Witching hour!"
Grimm phases into my ribbon as I feel my clothes transform and my mask attach onto my face. Clenching my fist, I command," Oblivion!"
A black aura wraps around the first Blood Bat clone I come in contact with and, to my surprise, disappears into a puff of orange smoke. The my sight begins to darken as a result. I chant the command like a broken record until I eliminate a vast number of them. It's like a massacre of myself.
"Woah, there!" I almost don't see Ladybug's fist coming down at me amidst the chaos. I lunge out of the way. "I'm not who you should be fighting. Frankly, I despise it when people forge my identity."
Without waiting for her response, I thrust a pointed finger to Volpina's direction. "Volpina went that way. Hurry! You can still catch her!"
She nod with eyes alight with resolve and dashes to the direction I guided her to. Turning back to the now a handful of Blood Bat illusions, I crack my knuckles. Briefly glancing down to check the yellow bead on my ribbon, I figure that I have about 2 minutes left before I detransform. I focus on my vision and estimate that I have a few mire tries before I turn blind completely.
I have to admit, the fear is kicking in as I break into cold sweat. Any misstep could cause me my life. Holding my fist up, I say once again, "Oblivion!"
For every time I eliminate one illusion, the remaining seems to become more hellish to defeat and demand more of my draining energy. I would compare this situation to trying to whack a cockroach that keeps slipping away.
For what seems like forever, I'm finally down to one last illusion. But by this time, I'm literally guessing my whereabouts in the area. There's absolutely nothing I can make of with my pitch black vision. Experiencing this disability to its entirety causes my heartbeat to shoot up drastically. The last enemy catches onto this and keeps silent as I struggle to claw at them in all directions.
If your sight fails you, utilise your other senses. Grimm's advice rattles in my mind. I force myself to focus on the slightest of noises, but the erratic beating of my heart throws off any other soft noises. I can't hear anything else!
I'm scared.
I freeze, hearing my own conscience.
I faintly feel a soft cloth wrap around my head. My hand reaches up to my face but all I feel is my mask.
"Don't be scared. It's just a game!" A child's voice answers. "Follow our voices and you'll figure out where we are."
What if I can't guess where you are?
"As soon as you hear us, try to grab us as fast as you can!"
I lung towards the voice and splay my hands onto their arm. I caught you!
He laughs. "Give me a head start first."
I let him go hesitantly as he slips past me. Marco...
"Polo!" Two voices respond in unison. But I could already pin point their locations from the scuffling noises of their shoes.
It's only a brief gust of wind that brushes across my cheek but dodge out of range. I hear a faint whistle of something about to approach me so I grab onto it with one hand. Based on my sense of touch, I can guess that I've seized the clone's arm. I catch a whiff of perfume- similar to what Lila wears everyday. Jeez, even her clones carry the same scent.
I hold a fist with my free hand and collide it to the vague direction of the opponent's face. "Oblivion!"
My aim hits true as I cringe at a resounding crack of a jaw. I relinquish my grip as the illusion disappears into smoke, slipping through my fingers. It's over. I've finally done it!
Just as I was about to drop onto my knees, I hear collective gasps to my right. Without my consent, I detransform and Grimm reappears. He falls into the air in exhaustion, landing into my palms.
"Selene?!" To my right, a crowd of my whole class erupts in whispers and mixed expressions on their faces. Rose and Juleka's horrified expressions especially shakes me to the core. "You're the Blood Bat?"
"I c-can explain that!"
"Police! Arrest her!" Chloe shrieks in panic.
"No, don't do that!" I object. Without warning, the fire alarm blares, causing the sprinklers on the ceiling to switch on. Water like rain pours into the hall, causing the students to disperse in a flurry of screams and screeches.
A hand wraps around my wrist and pulls me further away from the chaotic crowd. I lock eyes with a superhero in vibrant blue scales as their costume. "Luka?"
"You must be tired little serenade, my name is Viperion." He smiles at me in greeting. "I missed you already. I didn't see you this morning."
"Well somethings happened here and there and now I'm on the run," I say briefly. We suddenly stop, pushing our backs against the wall. A group of students scurry pass us to the exit like scared mice. He guides me to another pathway, changing course at an unrecognisable pattern. He occasionally asks me how I'm fairing and I assure him that I'm okay. I'm surprised that we haven't bumped into anyone yet.
"In here," he says, leading me into an abandoned classroom. He saunters to the teacher's desk and pulls open a single drawer with a key. He then approaches a door at the back and unlocks it as if he's done it a million times. "Voila!"
I scowl, coming up to him. I open my mouth to ask a question, but he interrupts me. "Don't worry, this is only the forty-something time I used Second Chance. It's just a lot of trial and error.
"But you were asking me if I'm all right the whole time," I point out. "Unless, you ask me that for every single time you repeat."
"By the third time, I discovered that talking makes you calmer and more alert. Besides, I needed to know you're okay in every scenario," he explains, melting my heart by the last sentence. He detransforms in front of me with his backpack rather than his guitar slung over him. "Here you might be bad at French but you may be able to read everything in here."
"I borrowed this from Master Shou which is where most of everything I know is from," He fishes out a red, leather bound book similar to one I have and passes it to me. I accept it in confusion and flip through the pages. I recognise illustrations of ancient superheroes such as the bat and sunbird. While there are few passages in French, even some in English, more than half of the pages are in Chinese characters. "I think you won't have trouble reading them."
"You're not coming with me?" I ask, feeling frightened.
"Before I meet up with Chat Noir, I had to make sure you get out safely. This is the farthest I can take you." He place a light kiss on my forehead, regardless, the sensation ingrains itself on my skin. He leaves through the door we came from as I hesitantly turn my back and stumble out of school. In a heated rush and my mind in a haze, I dash in an undecided direction, so long as I'm far away as possible.
I almost slam into an unsuspecting bystander if I didn't stop instantly. They grab me by the arm, but before I could shriek, I catch sight of their face. "Master Fu?"
The short senior, wearing a red shirt with white leaf prints, tugs me away. "Come with me. We must act quickly."