Chapter Text
A grim tableau of destruction took over the heart of Paris where the Eiffel Tower once stood. Buildings that had once been vibrant and full of life lay in ruins, their shattered remains casting long shadows over the once-bustling streets.
From the rubble came the heartbreaking screams and cries of the civilians who once lived in these streets. Amid the devastation, a young man stumbled through the debris, his heart heavy with grief and anger. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he clutched a woman in his arms, her lifeless form cradled against his chest.
Dust and blood stained the face he once showered with love and devotion. The man carefully brushed the strands of hair away from the woman's face, revealing her ashen complexion. The once vibrant and energetic woman he had once adored was gone forever.
He gently wiped away the dirt and debris that clung to her as if trying to erase the horrors that had befallen them. He knew there was nothing more he could do for her, but he couldn't help but cradle her fragile form with aching tenderness.
Kneeling amid the chaos, he laid her on a makeshift bed of rubble, her form like a fallen angel amid the apocalypse. He gazed at her. He longed for another chance to hear her voice, to see her smile again. But she was gone, taken from him by the relentless chaos that had descended upon their once beloved home.
Tears fell like rain from his eyes, the salt mingling with the grit and dust on his cheeks. As he looked up, he saw the shattered remains of the home they had once built together, now gone in a matter of seconds.
His cyan eyes flickered with anger for a moment. He will no longer play this cat-and-mouse game anymore. It ends today. He will no longer hide in fear. He will make those responsible pay for their crime.
The man took one last look at her. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. It was a kiss filled with sorrow, love, and the promise of vengeance. He whispered to her, "It will all be over soon, I promise." His once tender eyes burned with a vengeful fire.
*
The sound of birds chirping and cars driving by could be heard in the room as the soft morning light crept into the window. Inside, a girl lay asleep, tossing and turning, sweat beading on her brow.
"Please... no... don't go."
The sound of an alarm went off.
"Don't go!" she screamed, her eyes wide open. She could feel her body covered in a cold sweat, her heart pounding in her chest. With a glance, she could see that she was no longer in that dark and eerie place. She put her hands to her chest to catch her breath.
"What... what was that?
The preteen frowned, trying to remember what she had seen, but to no avail. No matter how she tried, nothing but this horrible sensation. It was just a nightmare, she thought, but no. It felt real - too real - the people and the screaming - God, the screaming and the man.
Who was he, and why did she have this strange mixture of wanting to comfort the man and crying at the sight of the man?
"What did he mean, it will all be over?"
She shook her head and groaned as she got back into bed.
"This is what I get for watching that stupid horror movie Claude sent me."
She could picture her mom lecturing her that this is what she gets for being stupid and watching scary movies late at night. Great, just as she was starting her new school. Could her day get any worse?
She heard a loud knock at her door. Carolinà jumped out of bed, shaking as she called out, "¡¿Qué?!"
"Mija! Are you awake? Breakfast is ready!" She let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm up! Be right there, Papá. Let me get dressed!"
"Well, you better hurry. You don't want your food to get cold."
"Oh well, no point in sulking here. I'll deal with it later."
She quickly jumped out of bed and started to get dressed. She wore a white top, denim shorts, and a pink and purple plaid shirt over it; and she tied her curly hair up in a half-up style. She grabbed her backpack and walked to the dinner table, greeting her parents with a smile.
"Good morning!"
As she sat at the dinner table, her mother greeted her with a smile as she replied, "Good morning, mija. Are you excited about your new school?"
"Yeah... I guess," she replied as she sat down.
"I know you miss your old school, but François Dupont is a..."
"It's one of the best schools in all of Paris. I know, Mamá. I know. You've told me a hundred times."
"Caro, mija."
Her father walked to her side as he set the plate before her. "Here, you're favorite. Just as you like them."
"Thanks, papá. You're the best." Her father gave her a worried look as she took a bite.
"Hey, are you okay? You look a little pale. You're not getting a fever, are you?" He put his hand on her forehead to check her temperature. "Hmm, you don't feel warm."
She moved her head to the side. "Papá, I'm fine. Just didn't get enough sleep. No biggie."
"Did you stay up all night watching scary movies again? How many times do I have to tell you, Carolinà..."
She looked at her phone, "Oh, look at the time! I better get going. I don't want to be late for my first day." She quickly grabbed her backpack before giving her mom and dad a quick kiss on the cheek on her way out, "Bye, Mamá! Bye, Papa!"
Closing the door, she sighed, "Here's hoping for the best," she said as she walked down the stairs to the nearest bus stop.
*
A large window with a butterfly design opens into a large, doom-like room. Inside, a large figure approaches as the light from the window fills the room. In front of him appears a small creature, a kwami - a divine spirit being, one of the nineteen kwamis of the Chinese Miracle Box. Nooroo, the Kwami of Transmission, the Miraculous Butterfly.
The kwami trembled in fear as the man shouted in anger. His eyes filled with malice, "I want this absolute power, Nooroo. I must have the Miraculous!" The man clutched the brooch that habited the creature.
"But no one knows where the Miraculous are!" Nooroo frowned as the man grinned. "But I have found you, my little Nooroo. Remind me again of their powers."
"Wielder of the Butterfly allows the host to give someone his own superpowers and make that person his own devoted follower!"
"And when it comes to luring superheroes, what could be better than creating supervillains?" The man grinned again. Nooroo pleads, "But master, the Miraculous are not meant to be used for evil purposes! There are serious consequences. Please, I beg you!"
"I need this absolute power!" The man angrily strikes the ground and points at his kwami, overcome with fear. "Your miraculous is under my control! I am your master now, and you must obey me."
Defeated, Nooroo prays that the others can help save him from his wielder. Sadly, he bowed his head and surrendered to the man. "Yes, master." The man smiled sinisterly, overpowered the kwami, now in complete control, and put on the brooch.
"Nooroo, dark wings! Rise!" As Nooroo was forcibly taken into the miraculous, the butterflies in the room began to surround his master. The man transformed and walked into the light with a grin. "From this day forward, I shall be known as Hawk Moth!"
*
After getting off the bus, Carolinà was only a few steps away from the school. On her left, she noticed a small bakery. She could smell the faint aroma of freshly baked pastries.
She pulled out her phone; she could see she had some time to pick up a pastry or two. As she walked into the bakery, the bells above the front door rang to announce her presence.
"Bonjour! Welcome to Tom and Sabine's Boulangerie Patisserie!"
A petite Chinese woman with short black hair smiled from behind the counter.
Carolinà smiled as she continued to look at the pastries and loaves of bread. After a quick look around, she turned quickly, ready to buy her order. Unfortunately, a girl who looked like the woman behind the counter was right behind her, holding a box of macaroons.
The two collided, and both girls fell to the floor; just as the macaroons were about to hit the ground, Carolinà quickly grabbed them in the nick of time, still inside the box.
"Gah!!" The other girl yelped.
"Are you two okay?" the women behind the counter asked.
In a panic, the other girl quickly stood up and offered her hand to help Carolinà get up, "I'm so, so, so sorry!"
"It's okay. I'm fine. Really. But I should ask you the same; that was quite a fall." Finally, she looked up and made eye contact with the girl. Getting a good look at her, she could see she had gray eyes, dark hair pulled back in braids, and light freckles on her face.
The other girl smiled, "Oh, don't worry about me, I'm fine, thanks for asking. I'm pretty clumsy, so I'm used to it. Oh, I'm really sorry about all this. How can I make it up to you?"
"Don't worry about it. We're all good. Oh, here, I think these are yours. " Handing the box of macaroons back to the pigtailed girl.
The girl smiled, "Thank you." She turned her head to where the woman was standing at the counter. "Mom, can you put together a dozen more croissants for..."
"Carolinà."
"Hello, Carolinà. I'm Marinette. I haven't seen you around. Are you new to Paris?"
"Sort of. I've never been to this part of Paris before. My family just moved from Lyon to Paris. I just transferred to François Dupont."
"I go to François Dupont too! I can show you around if you want."
"Sure, that would be great."
"Oh, before I forget." Marinette rushes over to the counter and grabs Carolinà's pastry bag. "Here you go, on the house."
"Thanks. Oh, we better get going if we don't want to miss homeroom," Carolinà smiles.
"Yeah. Better hurry. Bye, Mom. Tell Dad I'm leaving."
"I will. You two better hurry."
"We will. Come on; you'll love François Dupont."
*
"What teacher did you say you had?" Marinette asked.
Carolinà pulled out her phone from her pocket, checking the email sent to her with her schedule, "Says here I have Ms. Bustier."
"I have her too! She's really nice. You'll really like her," Marinette said with a smile. Both girls went upstairs, heading up to their designated classroom, and as they opened the door, Marinette's face turned sour.
"Oh no, not her," Marinette muttered. Her hands trembled as entered inside, afraid to take another step inside. Carolinà tilted her head to the side, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. We should get to our seats." Marinette said, making a beeline to the second front seat.
As the two sat down, Carolinà started to put her backpack down. Suddenly, a hand slammed down on the desk, making both flinch. Carolinà looked over to see a young girl standing smiling. The girl had blonde hair with blue eyes, wearing heavy blue eyeshadow.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," the blonde grinned. "That's my seat,"
Marinette muttered, "But Chloé-"
Meanwhile, Carolinà continued to take her notebook out of her backpack. Only to see a bobbed redhead with big blue eyes and Velma glasses sitting next to her, really, really close.
"Santa Maria! How long has she been sitting there?"
The redheaded girl grinned, "Not anymore! New school, new year, new seats!"
"So why don't you and your friend go sit somewhere else? Listen. Adrien's coming today, and that's going to be his seat, this is going to be my seat. Get it?
"Who's Adrien?" Carolinà asked, only for Chloe and the redhead girl to laugh.
Chloe chuckled, "Can you believe she doesn't know who Adrien is? What rock have you been living under? Sabrina, if you will."
The redhead took out her phone and practically shoved the screen to Carolinà, showing a picture of a blond boy around her age, whom she assumes is this so-called Adrien. "He's just a famous model."
"Okay, so?"
Chloé raised her voice again and slammed the desk once more. "So! I am his best friend. He adores me. Now, come on, move!"
Carolinà rolled her eyes, "Well, I don't see your name here. So why should we move? You should have sat down earlier if you wanted them so much".
The whole class fell silent, and when Carolinà looked around, she saw that everyone was staring at them, stopping what they were doing earlier.
Chloé gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, "W-What did you say? Do you have any idea who I am?"
"No, and I don't care," Carolinà shot back. She could see Chloé's face was getting slightly red. Carolinà sighed, "Are you just going to stand there or move, Blondie? You're blocking my view."
"Wh-what did you just call me?! Wait till I tell my daddy. He's the mayor of Paris. He can have you expelled!"
Carolinà drummed her fingers on the table, her eyes glazing over the blonde, "Is that supposed to scare me or something? Ooh, I'm so scared. You could be the Queen of England, and I still wouldn't move."
"Yeah! You tell her, girl!" said another girl from the other side of the class. Turning around, Carolinà could see that the girl who spoke was dark-skinned, with amber-brown curly hair and a beauty mark above her right eyebrow.
Just as Chloé was about to bite back, Ms. Bustier entered the classroom. Chloé gave one final glare to Carolinà before taking a seat on the other side of the class.
After introducing herself to the class, Ms. Bustier called out, "Now before we begin. Miss Ramirez? Could you please come forward?"
Carolinà rose from her desk and stood next to Ms. Bustier. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce a transfer student: Carolinà Ramírez.
Finally getting a better look at the new girl, she had dark brown skin and curly brown hair in a half-up style, with two strands on either side of her face.
Carolinà smiled, "Hi, nice to meet you all."
"Thank you, Carolinà. You can go back to your set. Now, everyone, I want you to be nice and help Carolinà if she ever needs help."
"Yes, Ms. Bustier."
"Good."
*
The rest of the lesson went quite well, despite the few looks Chloé threw at Carolinà, only for her to ignore the blonde and continue writing in her notebook.
Just as Ms. Bustier finished her lecture, the bell rang, "Okay, that's it for today. Remember, those of you who have P.E., Mr. D'Argencourt is waiting for you in the stadium. The rest of you can go to the library," Ms. Bustier said.
As everyone began to rise from their seats, the class fell silent as a boy's voice called out, "Kim! Looking over her shoulder, Carolinà saw a tall boy with short black hair and a tuft of long, dyed blond hair above his forehead raise his fist, ready to punch Kim in the face. Before he could land a punch, Ms. Bustier yelled, "Ivan! Go to the principal's office!" Ivan shrugged, grabbed his backpack, and glared at Kim one last time before heading out the door.
Everyone continued to grab their bags and head out the door, Carolinà put away her notebook and checked her phone to see her next class.
"Hey, Carolinà?" Marinette called. Carolinà looked up from her phone, turning her attention to the girl. "I-I just wanted to say thank you for standing up for me. No one has ever stood up for Chloé before. Like ever. How can I repay you?"
Carolinà gave a quick smile. "Oh, it's nothing. You have done enough for me by helping me on my first day."
"No, girl," the curly brunette said as she came down beside the two girls, "You're like a hero.
"Stop it. You're making me blush."
"No, seriously, you are. I wish I had your confidence, but aren't you afraid of being expelled? Chloé's dad is the mayor of Paris," Marinette said with a worried look.
"Not really, honestly. Besides, my mom is a lawyer. She knows the law like the back of her hand. If he even tries to expel me, she'll make him wish he never messed with us again."
The brunette laughed, "Wow. I'm Alya, by the way." She offered her hand for a handshake.
Carolinà smiled and took Alya's hand. "Carolinà, but you call me Caro. All my friends do."
"What class do you have next, Caro?" asked Marinette.
"Library," replied Carolinà and picked up her backpack.
"Cool, us too. Let's go together." As the girls walked to the library, the building suddenly began to shake.
"Earthquake?!" Marinette shouted.
"In Paris?!" Alya yelled.
"Quick, get under the desks," Carolinà said, with no hesitation grabbing both girls' arms and moving them under the desk. They could see the room continue to shake before slowly going down.
Carolinà turned to face them, "Are you both okay?" they nodded.
As they slowly crawled out of the desk and stood up, Marinette went to the window to look outside, her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared, "What the hell is that?!"
Alya and Carolinà quickly ran to Marinette's side, but before they could ask what was wrong, both girls froze in mid-step as they saw what appeared to be a rock golem with glowing yellow eyes. The monster turned to the sky before yelling, "Kim!
Carolinà was caught off guard by the giant monster until she realized she had heard that voice somewhere, "Wait? It might be me, but doesn't his voice sound familiar?"
A gasp escaped Marinette's lips, her hands instinctively flying to her chest, "It's Ivan! What happened to him?!"
"I don't know, but we should probably get out of here." Carolinà turned, noticing Alya had been quiet the entire time, probably shaken, and reached out to comfort her, "Hey, Alya? Are you okay?"
"This... is... so cool! A real-life supervillain!"
Carolinà blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of her friend's sudden excitement. "Um, Alya, I don't think now is the time to fangirl. There is a giant rock monster destroying the city right now. Let's go before it gets worse."
Alya glances at her briefly, then quickly looks away and into her bag, "GPS, check. Battery, check. I am so out of here!"
"Hey, where are you going?" asked Marinette.
Alya, still not making eye contact, casually raises her phone, "Where there's a supervillain, there's always a superhero close behind! No way am I missing this!" the excited girl declared before running out of the classroom.
"Kim!" the rock monster, Ivan, shouted.
Marinette cried, "What do we do?! Do we call the police, the army, or the task force?!"
Carolinà put her hand on Marinette's shoulder, "Hey, let's take a deep breath, okay?"
Marinette nodded as she slowly took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Better?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Let's try to get home before things get worse, okay? We should exchange numbers just in case.
Marinette nodded. "Okay, that sounds good." Both girls took out their phones and exchanged numbers with each other before heading out.
*
The air was tense as Carolinà hurried home, her heart still pounding from the chaos she had witnessed. Ivan had been akumatized into a monstrous boulder-like creature, wreaking havoc through the city. She had barely managed to slip away before things escalated further. Locking the door behind her, she exhaled deeply and pulled out her phone.
"Made it home," she texted Marinette. A few moments later, her phone vibrated.
"Good. Me too. Stay safe." Marinette replied.
Carolinà sent another message to her parents, letting them know she had arrived safely. Almost immediately, her phone rang. It was her dad. "Papá, are you there? Can you hear me?"
"¡Caro! ¡Gracias a Dios! Are you hurt?"
"No. I'm fine, Papá. Where are you? "
"I'm still in the office. They haven't let anyone out since that monster showed up. Caro, listen to me, stay inside, and don't go outside. If anything happens, go to the Rivera's next door, okay."
"Yes, papá. I promise. Be careful, though."
"I will. I'll call you later when we are safe to leave. I love you, Mija."
"Love you too. Bye, Papá.
Carolinà ended the call and took a deep breath. First, she had this weird dream, and now one of her new classmates had turned into a giant stone monster. Great. Just great.
She trudged to her room, dropping her backpack near her desk. Pulling out her phone, she lay down on her bed, ready to unwind with a few YouTube videos. But as she settled, she felt something poking her head. Frowning, she turned her pillow over and froze. There, resting in the center of her bed, was a small black hexagonal box adorned with a red Chinese symbol.
"Hm? Did mamá leave this for me?" Curiosity piqued, Carolinà sat up and carefully lifted the box. As soon as she opened it, a blinding magenta light filled the room, forcing her to shut her eyes. She yelped, dropping the box. From the dazzling light, a tiny floating creature emerged.
Carolinà blinked in astonishment. The creature had magenta fur with black stripes on its head and tail, and its large orange eyes shimmered with excitement. It hovered in midair, stretching its tiny paws.
"Aha! Finally, free!" the creature chirped before turning to Carolinà. "You must be my new chosen! I'm Roaar!
Carolinà's eyes widened. "What the—?"
Before she could react further, Roaar zipped around her room, poking at her figures and toys. "Wow! What's this? And this? Ooooh, what's in here?"
Carolinà groaned. "Wait, don't touch them! They are unique, please! They are worth more than my whole life!" Before she could grab Roaar, she quickly flew to the other side, "Hey, come back!"
Roaar darted toward her jewelry box, entranced by the glimmering necklaces and bracelets. Seeing her chance, Carolinà quickly snapped the box shut, trapping the little creature inside.
"Hey! Rude!" Roaar's muffled voice protested from within.
"Okay, talk. What do you want?" Carolinà demanded.
The jewelry box shook slightly before Roaar phased through the box, pouting. "Sheesh, I was going to tell you. You've been chosen as the new Tiger Miraculous holder!"
Carolinà frowned. "Miraculous? What are you talking about?"
Before Roaar could explain, a sudden wave of dizziness struck Carolinà. Her head spun, and she flinched as she collapsed onto the floor. Shadowy faces flashed through her mind, calling her name in a cacophony of whispers. She clutched her head, gasping.
"Whoa, are you okay?" Roaar hovered over her, worried.
Carolinà slowly nodded as the sensations faded. She exhaled sharply, her heartbeat steadying.
Roaar gave her a soft look. "I know it's a lot to take in, but please, Caro. Paris needs you. I need you."
Carolinà took a deep breath, staring at the little tiger. Something about this felt... right. Even if it was overwhelming, she couldn't ignore the weight of Roaar’s words.
"I’m probably gonna regret this. But, fine. I'll do it."
Roaar’s face lit up with excitement. "Yes!” floating around excitedly after centuries; she's finally getting a new owner.
She twirled in the air before settling into a more serious demeanor with a hint of excitement: "Carolinà Ramirez, I give you the power of the hunt, which will allow you to camouflage yourself, gain the upper hand in the fight against your enemies, and catch them when they least expect it. Your mission is to protect the citizens of Paris from the Akumas."
Carolinà swallowed. This was real.
"To transform, say, 'Roaar, stripes on!'"
Carolinà hesitated, then clasped the Panjas bracelet around her wrist. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steadied herself, and raised her hand. "Roaar, stripes on!"
A brilliant glow surrounded her as Roaar merged into the bracelet. Magenta energy swirled around her, enveloping her form as power surged through her veins.
After centuries, the Queen of the Jungle was back and ready to wreak havoc.