Hello everybody! We're at the last stand now. This will be the finale in three parts.
The updates will change to once every three days starting today (Sat, Tues, Fri).
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Fervid anticipation pumped through my veins, creating an extreme urgency. It coaxes me to push faster despite the arduous battles that should have drained me to exhaustion. Solely adrenaline has kept me standing- and maybe even Grimm at my side.
We pass by numerous areas of conflict, even spotted Rena Rouge and Carapace battling their own set of criminals, in our hurried attempt to chase against time. I spot the park where even the police is battling against the villain Stormy Weather. There's no chance to stop and comprehend the madness around as for in every street lies a super villain we've seen before. From a phony Princess Fragrance to a mock Mr Pigeon.
"Over there!" Grimm alarms me, pointing a wing to the far side of the Pont de la Tournelle Bridge. Ladybug and Chat Noir seem to be balanced on the railing, eyeing the black icy waters below.
I sigh in relief- about to make a beeline for them. But just as I take a single step onto the concrete white bridge, giant waves slapped onto the sides as the water eddy and swirl in wild currents.
"Woah!" I throw my arms out, struggling for balance as the bridge under me literally shakes on impact. An ear-splitting roar reverberates in the air- as loud as a raptor. "What the hell was that?"
As if on cue, the waters erupts into a humongous splash with the droplets falling down like cold rain. The water seems to part and a colossal but slender creature with pure white scales sprouts out. It's bloody eyes look down with malice, pure white scales contrast the dark of night, and blue fins sharp and jagged at its edges. Oh my God what is that?
"Fascinating! I haven't seen a live sea serpent in millennia," Grimm praises, eyes glowing with wonder.
"A living sea serpent?" I splutter, crouching down to avoid its gaze. Ladybug and Chat Noir swing directly on to the gargantuan creature 10 storeys tall, attempting to apprehend it.
"Well, probably not since they've been long extinct. This one may be an amplified illusion."
The serpent's long tail end, just as decorated with deadly fins as its head, slams onto the bridge like a whip, threatening to cut the infrastructure in half. I fall onto my back gracelessly. I can't talk- much less negotiate with the superheroes like this!
"They're struggling." I mention, watching the heroes send blow after blow onto the sea serpent fruitlessly. I consider helping out but the way the monster rained down chaos so authentically may give me doubts about the serpent as a mere illusion. "We'll have to go in ourselves. Uhm do you think my rings could extend to capture the serpent?"
"It's only a trick of the eye- maybe including all your other senses. It could disappear with Oblivion since it's not real."
"All right," I say, trusting his words. "Witching hour!"
I transform instantly. Holding a gloved fist, I command, "Oblivion!" A yellow aura smokes around my hand in ardent swirls.
I turn towards the battle. Why haven't they used their special abilities yet? Maybe they're on their last leg since fighting the super villains running amok since this morning. I press a fist onto the serpents tail end still settled on the bridge.
The dark cloud of oblivion materialises around the monster but not swift enough to take instant effect. Ladybug coils her yo-yo around its thick neck. She lands precisely back on the railings and puts all her might to pulling it downwards. She must actually posses an uncanny strength as she's able to make it bow down a metre.
The sea serpent hisses, its flat tongue tip poking out of its massive jaws. It jerks in a mix of fury and surprise as Chat Noir claws its underside, leaving deep scratches. The monster suddenly lunges forward, head coming straight at Ladybug and Chat Noir.
"Watch out!" With a boosted speed in my strides, I instantly meet the two and throw all of us out of harm's way. The serpent's scaly- and slimy- head crashes down on the very spot we were before. It bellows in anguish- squirming in its trapped position- before blanching entirely as the black cloud spreads wide enough to hold it in a trance. The serpent slowly disperses into a cloud of smoke, leaving nothing except the damage it caused.
"What was that?" Ladybug demands. I prepare to stand up, wobbling on my feet, when Chat Noir pins me back onto the ground. "Chat Noir!"
"Look what the cat dragged in, my lady. It's the Blood Bat herself," Chat Noir says as I struggle out of his grasp.
"Let her go! She's an ally," Ladybug announces.
"She could be working for Volpina," he accuses, but his grip falters.
"No, atleast right now. Just this morning, Collège Françoise Dupont was overrun with Volpina's illusions, she rescued me which allowed me to hunt down Volpina."
"T-that's right so you can let me go now," I say, under his suspicious eyes.
"We can't trust her, my lady. She's been a part of many of Hawkmoth's antiques. What if it's another trick to put down our guard?"
"It's not! I promise," I assure, but his claws on my wrist tighten, digging down on my skin.
Beeping noises cuts through the tension, one from Chat Noir's ring and the other from Ladybug's earring. Ladybug says, "We have to go."
"I need your help," I plead, returning back to what's at stake. "You have to listen to me. We don't have much time and the city is about to be taken over by Hawkmoth- and all for your miraculous," I say aloud for the two. "I know where he is. If you stop him now, you can save Paris from all this destruction."
"Why would you help us?" Ladybug asks, more out of curiosity than cautiousness.
"He has Luka," the words spill out of my lips before I considered them. I feel a sense of hopelessness just emitting his name.
Chat Noir instantly releases me and I scramble to stand up. Turning to Ladybug, he asks, "No wonder he hasn't answered any of our calls. What do we do? Hawkmoth has Viperion now."
"What we have to. Save Viperion and defeat Hawkmoth once and for all.
"We can't be too cautious." Chat Noir looks at me with wide green eyes. "What if this is an elaborate trap? She could ditch us somewhere and disappear."
"I'm not going anywhere," I proclaim. Closing my eyes and steeling myself, I say, "Grimm, call it a day."
After a flash of bright light circling my body, the two superheroes both gasp. Grimm perches onto my shoulder, reveling in their surprise. They stare at us wide-eyed and in disbelief. "Selene? You're the Blood Bat?"
"The one and only?" I say more like a question- I always wanted to say that though. "I know I don't have any right to ask after all the things I've done, but could you trust me just this once?"
Their miraculous beep simultaneously one last time, but they stay rooted to their places. I turn to the cat-themed superhero. "Chat Noir, I'm so sorry I never told you about myself. I carried so many secrets and I never told you because I was afraid. Afraid you'll never see me as family anymore. I also knew it was selfish of me to ask for your honesty when I've never been so for you."
I look at Ladybug's bright blue eyes. "Ladybug, you're one of my dearest friends. You could already tell there was something odd about me but you brushed it aside to be my friend. And I really kept your secret, I promise I still do."
Ladybug is quiet as Chat Noir looks at her expectantly. The red superhero's eyes dart all over the place before she chuckles light-heartedly. "There's no point in keeping secrets now. Spots off."
The spotted superhero detransforms, revealing her midnight-blue hair and her charming, shy smile. "Marinette?" Chat Noir says when the light surrounding her fades.
"Hey there, kitty," Marinette greets softly. I give her a hug from the side and she reciprocates it without a care in the world.
"Letting the cat out of the bag..." Adrien mumbles. "All right then, since it doesn't matter anymore. Claws in."
Marinette freezes in shock beside me, but her hand tightly and painfully grips my arm. Seeing the boy she has been crushing for an eternity, she looks down with shame. "Y-you must be disappointed."
Adrien doesn't reply. Instead, he walks over to us and encases us in a big, wonderful hug. I feel my eyes begin to water- unable to stop tears from trickling out. "How can I be disappointed? The two people that means the world to me are right here."
Wrapping my arms around them, I yell, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"Why are you apologising?" Marinette says, sniffing and eyes welling up with tears. A red blush dusts her cheeks as her hands tremble. "I'm happy- I've never felt so ecsatic to see both of you!"
"Don't scare me like that ever again!" Adrien demands from me. I nod vigorously, laughing like a fool.
Grimm flies out before we could all crush him. He bows in deep respect to the two powerful kwamis. "Greetings, I am Grimm. It's an honour meet you."
"You don't have to act so formal-" Tikki begins.
Plagg interrupts, "The honour is all mine. I am the incredible Plagg and this is my subordinate, Tikki."
"Subordinate!" Tikki exclaims in disgust. "Please raise your head, Grimm. Plagg, don't make fun of him."
"I'm not. I think I'm gonna get along with this guy. Anyway, I'm hungry. Do you smell cheese?" Eventually, the three of us pull back to feed our kwamis their little snacks.
"I think you did great," Grimm whispers to me, making me smile in return. "When should we start?"
I throw a quick glance at the two lovebirds. They're whispering in hushed tones, but there's a pinkish blush that colours both of their cheeks. "Maybe when they're done."
I know that after the massive reveal, they would need some time to talk about it between themselves. However, every minute that passes causes my agitation to rise gradually.
"I'm mildly surprised that Master Fu was actually confessing the truth about their identity," Grimm says, referring to our time with the Masters right before we left.
"Well, why would he lie?" I say, shrugging. I may have had the idea that Adrien was Chat Noir. The hair colour was definitely the same and the one time I scratched Chat Noir's back neck and the mark appeared on Adrien's. But I didn't have enough evidence to conclude it. Maybe the notion that Adrien is Chat Noir was so surreal, I refused to believe it. There was no way I would have trusted that idea until it revealed itself right in front of me.
"You're right," Grimm says. "Master Fu wouldn't lie."
"You have a lot of explaining to do," Adrien says as he and Marinette walks up to me. "But I guess, we're running out of time?"
"We have to go as soon as possible," I agree.
"So what's the plan?" Marinette asks.
"Yeah, about that..." I suck in air through my teeth. "We're going back home." I didn't want to be the one and only person who would have to drop the bombshell on Adrien. Once upon a time, I would have chosen to die rather tell Adrien how close the villainous mastermind is to him and me. "There's something you should know about your father."
We have another group hug after that.
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Thank you for 4k reads!!!