"Then… what was the meaning of everything I did?"
Gabriel's voice was dry and hoarse, as if every word was painstakingly dug from the ruins of his soul.
He looked up at the colossal demon god, like a cosmic calamity, his blue eyes, once filled with ambition and calculation, now held only a desolate, blank grayness, completely hollowed out.
Another parallel universe's me? Another Emilie?
This answer was more cruel than any form of failure.
It turned all his persistence, all his sins, all his sacrifices into a complete and utterly meaningless joke.
He was like a traveler chasing a mirage in the desert; when he finally reached the destination, he discovered that the oasis forever belonged to the reflection of another world, and he himself, apart from being full of fatigue and sand, gained nothing.
His lifelong pursuit, his grand ambition to defy the entire world, in the end, was merely making a wedding dress for another "himself."
The colossal Plagg, with its three emerald cat-like pupils, slowly, almost pityingly, lowered its gaze, looking down at this mortal whose mental defenses were crumbling inch by inch.
Its grand voice resounded in their souls once more, carrying a trace of ancient weariness and mockery, having seen through countless cycles of reincarnation.
"Perhaps… just to add a… game… to this boring world."
"Heh heh… heh heh heh…" Gabriel let out a few dry laughs, uglier than crying.
He staggered backward, his body trembling uncontrollably, as if he might collapse at any moment. A game?
His life, his all-consuming love for Emilie, was just a game?
Just as he was about to be completely swallowed by this immense sense of nihilism, on the verge of a mental breakdown, a calm yet firm voice, like a steel needle, pierced his chaotic thoughts.
"Then…"
It was Nathalie.
She stood beside Gabriel, her face equally pale, but her eyes still held a trace of clarity.
Facing the gaze that could make even gods tremble, she asked the most crucial and only question that could pull Gabriel back from the abyss, "What if… that young man made the wish?"
This sentence was like the first ray of light piercing through chaos.
Gabriel's dissipating pupils suddenly refocused.
He stiffly turned his head to look at Nathalie, then sharply raised his head again, staring intently at Plagg with a frantic and desperate gaze, as if clutching at a last straw.
Right… Jaden! The young man with the "Rewrite" qualification!
In the three emerald-flamed eyes of the colossal Plagg, a subtle emotion, akin to "approval," seemed to flash.
It looked at Nathalie, this small mortal who, at a critical moment, displayed astonishing wisdom.
"By himself, using the power of 'Destruction' to achieve a 'resurrection' of this magnitude of Rewrite, it is still not enough."
Plagg's voice slowly resounded. This time, it no longer used that condescending posture, but rather like an ancient mentor, expounding on the fundamental laws of the universe, "The burden is too great.
The young man's body and soul cannot bear such a vast karmic backlash; he will be annihilated by the law itself the moment he completes the Rewrite."
Gabriel's heart sank instantly.
"But…" Plagg's tone shifted, making that sunken heart suddenly leap to his throat, "If the two miraculous of 'Creation' and 'Destruction' are gathered, and the complete, balanced power is given to him—
This person with the 'Rewrite' qualification, and if he makes this wish willingly…"
It paused, its grand voice seeming to announce a new possibility.
"Then… there will be no problem."
Gabriel and Nathalie's breathing stopped simultaneously at this moment.
"You mean…" Nathalie's voice trembled slightly with excitement, "As long as he uses the complete power himself to wish for Emilie's return, then… everything in this universe will not be Rewritten/Altered, not be destroyed and replaced?"
"Yes." Plagg's answer was concise and affirmative, "Because his 'qualification' itself transcends the conventional causality of this world.
The 'wish' executed by him will be judged by the world's laws as a legitimate 'correction,' not a 'tampering' that requires destruction and restart to complete.
The cost will be largely borne by his soul itself, rather than by the entire universe."
A brand new plan, full of hope yet also fraught with thorns and schemes, instantly formed in Gabriel's mind.
"Last question."
Nathalie gazed at the giant demon god, asking her final doubt, "Do you lie?"
Plagg's massive body seemed to move slightly, as if sighing silently.
"Why would I… lie?"
His voice carried a chillingly long sense of loneliness and vicissitude, "I existed for billions of years before you carbon-based life forms appeared.
Throughout the long ages, 'lies'… I have not told them for too long…"
As soon as the words fell, its massive body, composed of pure darkness and energy, began to become transparent.
The surrounding space, swallowed by nothingness, rapidly returned to its original state like a receding tide.
"Alright, I'm going back to sleep.
Don't… bother me again with such boring trivialities."
As the last grand voice gradually dissipated, the figure of the demon god of destruction completely vanished into thin air, as if it had never appeared.
"Whoosh— "
All the colors, sounds, and light in the lair rushed back at the same moment.
The buzzing of thousands of white Akumatized Butterflies flapping their wings, the hum of the central air conditioning, the sound of traffic in Paris at night… everything returned to normal.
Gabriel and Nathalie found themselves still standing in the lair, as if the world-altering meeting they just had was merely a bizarre illusion.
Gabriel's thoughts withdrew from memory and returned to reality.
"Alright, I'm going to rest too."
He stood up from his seat and said to Nathalie, his tone so calm that no ripple could be heard, "You should also get some rest early, Nathalie.
Tomorrow, and in the future, there are still many, many things… waiting for us to do."
With that, he took his steps and left the room without looking back.
His steps were steady and powerful; each step was like laying a solid foundation for a brand new, grander and more insidious plan.
Nathalie remained alone.
She quietly watched Gabriel's retreating back, then looked up at the large portrait of Emilie, her heart filled with unprecedented worry and conflict.
From her pocket, she slowly took out a phone. This was the last message Emilie had quietly left for her during the late stages of her illness, when she had a premonition that her husband might go astray.
She pressed the video playback button on the phone, and Emilie's figure, though weak, and her gentle voice, softly echoed in the empty room.
"Nathalie… If, if I'm gone… Gabriel… he will definitely do something foolish.
I know how much he loves me, and I know how obsessive he is… Please, help me persuade him not to cling to the futile power of those miraculous… Let him move forward, let him… take good care of Adrien, and… live well…"
Nathalie listened quietly, her eyes slightly reddening. She reached out a finger and gently stroked the cold phone casing.
Watching Emilie, who was still strong and smiling despite her illness in the video, the scales in her heart irreversibly tipped to the other side.
"I'm sorry, Emilie."
She whispered softly, as if confessing to the departed in the video, "I don't want… you to die like this. You should come back, come back to this already broken home. Gabriel and Adrien… they both need you, and I… I need you too."
She turned off the video and put the phone back in her pocket.
Her eyes, at this moment, became as firm and resolute as Gabriel's.
On the streets of Paris, the evening breeze carried a hint of coolness. Jaden walked leisurely alone in the long shadows cast by the streetlights, feeling more relaxed than ever before.
The game of wits with Gabriel and Hawk Moth had reached a "truce" in an unexpected way, which bought him precious time to freely enjoy life.
Just then, his phone in his pocket chimed, a new message.
He took out his phone, and when he saw the sender's name, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved upward slightly.
It was Rose.
He didn't know where she got his contact information, perhaps she asked Juleka or other classmates.
[Rose]: Making a weak patient who just got discharged wait so long in the hospital corridor is not what a gentleman should do, you know. ~(￣▽￣)~*
That sweet yet playful tone seemed to resonate directly in his ears through the text.
Jaden chuckled and shook his head, his fingers quickly tapping on the screen.
[Jaden]: Oh, I'm so sorry, something came up unexpectedly.
[Rose]: Humph, excuses! (¬_¬)
[Jaden]: Alright, my fault. I apologize. So, to make up for my mistake, how should I compensate the lovely Rose?
After the message was sent, the other party was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking seriously.
Then, a new message popped up.
[Rose]: Then it's a deal.
Do you have time this weekend? I'd like to… invite you.
Jaden looked at the phrase "I'd like to invite you" and could almost imagine the girl on the other end of the phone, with a shy yet expectant expression on her face.
A warm current surged in his heart.
[Jaden]: Of course I do. Since it's Rose's invitation, even if I don't have time, I must make time.
[Rose]: That's great! (≧▽≦)/ Then it's settled! Good night, get some rest early!
[Jaden]: Mm, good night, you too get some rest early.
After the conversation, Jaden put his phone back in his pocket, and the last trace of worry in his heart vanished. Judging by her tone, it seemed her body had truly recovered very well.
He didn't know that what he considered "recovery" was actually an earth-shattering "Rewrite."
In his view, Rose had merely escaped danger, but he was unaware that the entire history of the world had undergone a small yet crucial deviation because of him.
On the other side, Rose's room was lit with a warm light.
She lay on the bed, swinging her legs, a happy smile on her face. She could clearly feel a wonderful change happening in her body.
The deep-seated fatigue that had accompanied her for years had disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented sense of ease and vitality.
She hadn't seen her Rewritten/Altered medical records; in her innocent perception, her leukemia might have entered a miraculous remission, temporarily no longer flaring up.
And her parents, after picking her up and bringing her home today, had their worries completely swept away, simply telling her to rest more and drink more water, as if she had a common cold.
This change made her feel at ease and further strengthened her belief that Jaden was her lucky prince.
She excitedly opened the chat box with her best friend and shared her joy.
[Rose]: Juleka, Juleka! I invited Jaden to hang out this weekend, and he said yes!!!
In another room of the houseboat, filled with painting tools and rock posters.
Juleka was sitting on the carpet, wearing headphones, concentrating on sketching something on her drawing board. When her phone screen lit up, she subconsciously picked it up.
The moment she saw the message, her breath hitched.
"He… said yes…" Juleka's heart felt as if countless Akumatized Butterflies were flapping their wings simultaneously.
A complex emotion, a mix of joy for her friend, the bitterness of her crush going on a date with someone else, and an indescribable excitement, instantly filled her chest.
But in the end, joy prevailed.
She took a deep breath and replied, her fingers trembling slightly.
[Juleka]: That's great… Rose, by the way, how's your illness?
[Rose]: Of course I'm good! I feel great! No need to worry about that at all!
Seeing this reply, Juleka's last trace of worry was also put to rest.
She was genuinely happy for her friend.
Just then, his brother Luka's gentle voice came from outside the door: "Juleka? Want to hear my new song?"
Juleka was startled, like a frightened kitten, and quickly hugged her phone to her chest.
Her mind was in turmoil at the moment, and she was in no mood to listen to music.
She gathered her courage and, in a timid, almost inaudible voice, said to the door: "...No, no thank you."
Luka outside the door paused, then smiled gently: "Okay, little sister. I won't disturb you then."
Inside the room, Juleka hugged her phone, burying her face deep in her knees. Only her eyes, still sparkling with complex light in the dim glow, betrayed the girl's unspeakable, sweet yet bitter secret.
The Parisian night presented entirely different aspects to different people.
Some sought sweet dreams within it, while others brewed bitter storms.
In the royal suite on the top floor of the Paris Grand Hotel, a storm was raging.
Expensive silk cushions were torn, revealing the snow-white cotton stuffing inside, scattered like dissected offerings on the hand-woven Persian rug.
An antique vase from the fifteenth century now lay as a pile of glittering fragments, shimmering with a dying light under the crystal chandelier.
The air was filled with a mixture of high-end perfume and champagne, but more so, an oppressive atmosphere of "fury" that was almost tangible.
Chloé, the daughter of the city's Mayor, was pacing back and forth in the palatial room, like a golden lioness trapped in a cage.
Her expensive Chanel suit was wrinkled from her violent movements, and her carefully styled golden curls were somewhat disheveled, but she paid no attention to it.
Her pretty face, always adorned with exquisite makeup, was now filled with resentment, jealousy, and a furious sense of betrayal by the entire world.
"Knock, knock."
The door was gently knocked, and the steady yet respectful voice of the butler, Armand, came from outside. Despite the thick solid wood door, it was still clearly audible: "Miss, would you like some supper or dessert?"
"I don't need it! I don't need anything!"
Chloé spun around abruptly and shrieked at the door, her voice so sharp it almost pierced one's eardrums.
Armand outside the door was silent for a moment. His face, which always wore a gentle smile, was now filled with helplessness.
He continued in his unhurried tone: "Then...would you like your teddy bear brought in? Miss."
"Jean!" Chloé screamed hysterically, once again getting the name of the old butler who had served her for over ten years wrong, "How many times do I have to tell you?!
I don't need that stupid bear!
And if you dare say another word, I'll have you pack your bags and leave immediately! Do you understand?!"
"...Yes, Miss." The outside finally fell silent.
Butler Armand sighed silently. He turned and looked at the man behind him, who also wore a troubled expression—the Mayor of Paris, Mayor Bourgeois.
He quietly shook his head, indicating that he, too, was powerless.
Mayor Bourgeois waved his hand at the butler, signaling him to withdraw. Then, he cleared his throat, plastered on his most amiable and flattering smile, and, through the door, called out in an almost doting tone: "Sweetheart? Chloé?
My dear little princess, please don't be angry about those annoying things, okay?
Tell Daddy what you want, and Daddy will buy it all for you, isn't that enough?"
There was no response from inside the room.
Mayor Bourgeois continued to persuade: "Besides, haven't we already understood what happened?
It was just a poor person with a terminal illness who found Jaden and cried to him about his condition, which then attracted an Akuma Butterfly. That child was just unlucky to get caught up in it, and it has nothing to do with you..."
"Shut up!"
Chloé's roar abruptly cut him off, "Daddy! How many times do I have to say it?!
I'm annoyed! I don't want those things!
I just want to be alone and quiet right now! Immediately! Get out!"
Faced with his daughter's merciless dismissal, Mayor Bourgeois's smile froze.
He sighed helplessly, knowing that saying anything more would only add fuel to the fire.
He could only leave, pondering whether to go to Cartier or Van Cleef & Arpels tomorrow to choose a gift that would appease his daughter.
The outside completely quieted down, leaving only Chloé's heavy breathing.
She irritably clutched her hair, pacing back and forth in the room, her high-heeled feet almost wearing through the soft carpet.
Money? She didn't care about that little bit of money! Although she was annoyed that her money hadn't been Miraculous Ladybug Cured, that loss was merely a drop in the ocean for her.
What she truly cared about was that feeling of being ignored, replaced, and utterly humiliated!
She remembered the first "Mr. Pigeon" incident, on that tower, Jaden had personally told her that she was his Queen, and he was her Knight protecting her.
That sentence, like the sweetest candy, melted in her heart for a whole week.
She thought she had finally found that unique, special place that belonged only to her.
But what happened later?
First, a "Stormy Weather" appeared, then a "Hot Spot Girl", and now, another damn "Princess Fragrance"!
They appeared one by one, occupying the stage that should have been hers!
And that damned Hawk Moth, as if he were blind, completely ignored her negative emotions, which were as strong as a lighthouse in the night!
He would rather Akumatization those nobodies than spare her another glance!
This was practically a public declaration that she, Chloé, had lost the qualification to be chosen! She was...no longer that unique "Queen"!
This made her feel more angry and humiliated than any financial loss.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She casually grabbed the alarm clock, encrusted with Swarovski crystals, from her bedside table, ready to smash it against the wall, when a strange voice, tinged with an elegant smile, unexpectedly sounded from the corner of the room.
"It seems our esteemed 'Queen' also needs help now."
"Who?!" Chloé's movements suddenly froze. She looked warily in the direction of the voice, "Jean? I said, don't come in!"
"I am not your old butler who only gets names wrong, Your Majesty."
As he spoke, the shadows in the corner began to twist and swirl like living things, finally coalescing into a tall man in a dark blue suit, a style distinctly different from Hawk Moth's.
His face also wore a silver mask, but it was more ornate, inlaid with tiny, star-like gems.
He held no scepter, simply stood there elegantly, exuding a peculiar aura that was both reassuring and subtly dangerous.
"I am...Hawk Moth."
"What?!" Chloé's pupils suddenly constricted, and the alarm clock in her hand fell onto the carpet with a "clatter."
She subconsciously took a few steps back, hiding behind the sofa, revealing only her eyes, looking at the uninvited guest with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
The man chuckled at her startled appearance: "Oh? Our Queen, what's wrong?
It seems...you're a little scared.
It seems I worried too much. You don't want to fight alongside your Knight and be granted supreme power, do you?"
With that, he seemed to lose interest and turned to walk into the shadows, as if preparing to leave.
"Wait!"
Chloé almost blurted out, calling to him.
In just a few seconds, countless thoughts had flashed through her mind.
Fear, hesitation, longing, resentment...Ultimately, the strong desire to reclaim everything, which had been ignored for too long, overwhelmed everything else.
She emerged from behind the sofa, straightened her back, and resumed her haughty posture, though her voice still held a hint of an almost imperceptible tremor.
"What is your...plan? Tell me."
...After Hawk Moth's figure completely disappeared into the shadows, the determination and ruthlessness on Chloé's face also faded.
She seemed to instantly revert to her pampered young lady self, and, facing the door, she shouted in a drawn-out, tearful, petulant tone:
"Dad—dy—!"
Mayor Bourgeois rushed back almost immediately, pushing open the door: "Sweetheart! What's wrong? Daddy's here!"
Chloé began her usual "drama queen" performance: "My phone case! That 'Princess Fragrance' broke it!
I want a new one! The latest Dior model, covered in pink diamonds!
And my limited edition handbag! My high heels!
I don't care! I want all new ones! Right now!"
Looking at his daughter, who, though still throwing a tantrum, had finally returned to her usual imperious and "normal" self, Mayor Bourgeois not only wasn't angry but breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Buy! Buy everything! Daddy will have someone get them for you right away!" He promised repeatedly, "As long as my little princess is happy, we can buy the entire Champs-Élysées!"
...Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, in the Agreste Mansion, Adrien had already finished showering. He was now lying on his bed in loose pajamas, staring blankly at the unlit crystal chandelier on the ceiling.
Dinner remained untouched on the serving cart, long since cold.
He had no appetite, his heart filled with a heavy sense of worry and loneliness.
He turned his head, looking at the silver-white ring on his right ring finger, feeling a sense of powerlessness.
Since returning home, he had called out to Plagg no less than a hundred times, but the ring remained deathly silent.
Just as he was about to give up and drift off to sleep, the ring suddenly, without warning, flashed with a faint, fleeting green light.
Adrien's eyes snapped open.
He held his breath, staring motionlessly at the ring, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
A few seconds later, the green light flashed again, this time much brighter than before.
Immediately after, a faint, weak voice, thick with sleepiness, which he had been longing for all evening, wafted out from the ring.
"Where's my...cheese..."
Adrien practically leaped out of bed!
"Plagg!"
He cried out in surprise, so excited his voice almost cracked.
A black light shot out from the ring, coalescing in mid-air into the small, familiar figure he knew so well.
Plagg, the black cat kwami, was floating in mid-air, rubbing its eyes sleepily and letting out a huge yawn.
Its eyes glowed with two bright green points in the darkness, looking much more energetic.
"Where's my cheese?" It repeated, its voice filled with the hoarseness of just waking up and a righteous demand, "I'm starving...Hurry, bring out all those top-tier cheeses you've hidden!"
Adrien was overjoyed beyond words. He almost scrambled to the bedside, fumbling to turn on the bedside lamp.
With a "snap," soft light instantly filled the entire room.
He looked at the lively, energetic Plagg before him, at its green eyes still sparkling with cunning, and the huge stone in his heart finally dropped with a thud.
A tremendous, inexpressible wave of joy and relief, like warm tide, instantly enveloped him.
Plagg was a bit bewildered by his excited appearance, as if he had seen a savior. It tilted its small head, looking at Adrien in confusion.
"Hey," it waved its small paw, its tone full of bewilderment, "Why are you looking at me so strangely?
Is there something on my face? Or...did you eat all my cheese?!"