Chapter Text
Under the stars' veil,
On this softly lit night,
You shine like one of them.
You take and let go of my hands,
That always wanted to stay by your side.
Even though your presence was brief,
You'll be with me for an eternity.
---
Midnight in Paris
The streets, usually full of tourists, workers, or locals, were now eerily empty, dimly lit by streetlights. Tonight, the police had evacuated the area, keeping people away while they watched the ongoing fight in awe.
Several reports of missing people had come in at once, catching Marinette’s attention, who had been comfortably sleeping in her bed until just a few minutes ago.
The Akuma alarms were triggered when someone managed to snap a blurry photo of someone opening what looked like a portal. That was enough to get her up and out on patrol.
She was exhausted. Over the past few weeks, she had barely gotten any sleep, and the constant Akuma fights had worn her down to the bone.
She let out a huge yawn as she landed softly on a rooftop, adjusting her vision to the dim light, trying to spot anyone or anything suspicious.
A metallic thud landed next to her. “Nice night, isn’t it?” Chat Noir announced.
Ladybug glanced over her shoulder at him, then turned her eyes back to the quiet streets of Paris.
“You know, us cats have superior night vision!” Chat Noir put a hand over his eyes, squinting a little, trying to get a better view of his surroundings. “So, what are we looking for, My Lady?”
“An Akuma… supposedly.” Ladybug was getting more and more tired, shaking herself awake a little.
Chat Noir leaned against a chimney, opening his mouth a couple of times as if he wanted to say something but staying quiet. A few minutes had passed, and both heroes were starting to think it had been a false alarm, ready to head back home. That was when a soft play of colorful lights in the distance caught their attention. They shared a look before rushing toward the source.
In seconds, they arrived, only to see a girl vanish before their eyes, leaving no trace behind. In front of her stood someone, pointing at her as if their hand was a gun.
The Akuma in front of them wore a black cape covered in colorful dots, hanging from their shoulders down to their knees. They had a pastel pink shirt, a brown leather vest, baggy pants, huge boots, and gloves that went up past their elbows, matching the cape. Lastly, a necklace with a shiny mirror hung around their neck.
Ladybug immediately figured that the mirror must be where the Akuma was hiding. The Akuma seemed unaware of the heroes’ presence, so they exchanged a glance before charging straight into attack mode.
Ladybug leaped off the building wall, preparing a strong kick, while Chat Noir readied a punch. They were mere inches from hitting their target when the Akuma disappeared in an instant, leaving both heroes stumbling but barely managing to stay on their feet.
“Phew, that was close!” Chat Noir began doing a few stretches, but his eyes remained locked ahead, sensing this wasn’t going to be an easy fight.
“Well, well, you must be the famous Ladybug and Chat Noir! What an honor to finally meet you in person!” The Akuma’s voice seemed to be a mix of many—both feminine and masculine—accompanied by flowing silver hair that moved as if there were wind, with bangs completely covering their eyes.
Ladybug clenched her jaw, noticing the mocking tone. “Yeah, that’s us. Too bad your time’s almost up!” Ladybug charged again, aiming a punch, but the Akuma vanished right in front of her.
Laughter from behind startled her, and she spun around, delivering a high kick, but it was no use.
The fight dragged on for a while, with Ladybug throwing punch after punch, each one useless as the Akuma kept disappearing and reappearing within seconds.
Chat Noir, who hadn’t moved an inch so far, watched in awe as every attempt failed.
“Tch! This isn’t right!” He clenched his fists in frustration, knowing even if he jumped in, it wouldn’t make a difference. “Ladybug, wait!” he shouted, making her stop attacking the Akuma.
“What are you doing?! Come over here and help me!” Ladybug yelled, desperate to see Chat Noir wasn’t joining in.
“Wait, you don’t understand! Attacking won’t work!” Chat Noir excused himself. “I think we need a better plan, that’s all.”
Ladybug sighed, calming herself down. It was clear this wasn’t a normal Akuma. She looked around for where the Akuma had been, but they were no longer there. She scanned the area, trying to find them again.
It wasn’t until the laughter echoed from higher up, on a building this time.
“KYAHAHAHA! Your partner is right, Ladybug! No matter how much you try to hit me, you’ll never hurt me! Oh, by the way, my name is Miss Existence!” The girl struck a dramatic pose, followed by a colorful display of fireworks spelling her name in the night sky.
“Wow! That’s amazing!” Chat Noir said, mesmerized by the fireworks.
“We don’t have time for this, Chat Noir!” Ladybug slapped him out of his trance, then pointed at Miss Existence. “I don’t care who you are! We’re going to defeat you and make you bring back all the people you made disappear!”
Miss Existence sat on the edge of the building, resting her head in her hands. “Oh dear! Why would I do something so terrible?!?” she said with mock surprise. “Haven’t you realized? They’re all living better lives in another place, where they’ve achieved their dreams, in another time where they’re happy! It would be so selfish to bring them back!” Her voices became more annoying as she spoke.
“Liar!” Chat Noir shouted. “Got any plans, My Lady?”
Ladybug just shook her head. If they couldn’t get close to her, let alone attack her, they had to find another way to beat her.
Miss Existence shook her head sadly, leaping down from her perch with a thud that screamed pain, but she stood up without issue. “There are millions of universes and even more timelines, and in none of them can you defeat me! KYAHAHAHA!” With a hysterical laugh, Miss Existence raised her gloved hand, pointing at the two heroes. “Let me show you.” From her fingers, a blinding light shot out, and they barely had time to dodge before they were enveloped by it.
With them came hundreds of different Chat Noir and Ladybugs, each unique. Some had barely noticeable changes, while others were quite distinct. In some, they were the same people, recognizing each other instantly, while in others, different people were wielding the Miraculous. All of them fought the same villain, and every single one was either defeated or gave up after seeing no other option. In some timelines, even the entire Miraculous team was defeated without any chance of winning.
Frustrated, Ladybug held her head in her hands, shaking. “ENOUGH! THESE ARE JUST ILLUSIONS!!!” With a loud scream, both Ladybug and Chat Noir snapped back to reality, where Miss Existence now had her back to them, cradling something—or someone.
“Not illusions, darling, but universes, timelines where you’ve already been defeated! KIAJAJAJAJAJA!” With a sinister grin, she slowly turned to reveal who she was holding in her arms.
“Chloe!” Chat Noir growled, gripping his staff tightly, his fists clenched. “Who cares if those versions of us were defeated! That doesn't mean we will be, right, my lady?” Chat Noir tried to sound confident, but his voice came out shaky and weak, revealing he was trembling slightly. Ladybug couldn’t tell if it was from anger or fear.
“Yeah… As long as we’re still standing, you don't have a chance!” Ladybug silently cursed herself for not calling the rest of the Miraculous team earlier, wondering if it was too late now.
“KIAJAJAJAJA! Is that so?” Miss Existence raised her hand again, firing a pink beam at them. The heroes barely dodged it by a few inches before it sliced through cars and street lamps as if they were butter. They didn’t even want to think about what could’ve happened if it had hit them.
Out of reflex, both heroes counterattacked, but were forced to halt when Miss Existence used Chloe as a shield.
Chloe was still asleep in the villain's arms, looking so helpless and vulnerable. Ladybug wondered how she could still be sleeping through all of this.
“Why did you bring Chloe here?! That's not fair!”
“Oh, her?... I just wanted to give you a little incentive to fight!”
Miss Existence leapt back to the top of the building, where the wind was stronger and the night’s chill bit at them.
Chloe, now feeling the cold against her skin, shifted uncomfortably, grabbing onto the first thing she could feel, which happened to be Miss Existence’s cloak. She opened her eyes slightly, confused, and the first thing she saw was the villain's grinning face. A shiver ran down her spine, and she wanted to scream, but all that came out was a pathetic whimper.
“LET HER GO RIGHT NOW!!!” Chat Noir shouted as he scaled the building with his staff in one hand, aiming it at Miss Existence's head. But once again, she disappeared, causing him to land on the roof, smashing part of it with his staff in frustration.
“Chloe! Are you okay?” Ladybug was the second to reach the roof.
“Ladybug?” Chloe, still confused and terrified, could barely say a word.
“Let her go? Gladly, darling!” Miss Existence dropped Chloe, sending her plummeting from the rooftop. Without thinking twice, Ladybug jumped, launching her yo-yo to catch Chloe, who was now screaming in terror, hooking her in and pulling her toward her.
Chat Noir tried to follow, but Miss Existence froze him in place, taking advantage of the moment to draw a multicolored circle with her hand and hurl it toward the girls, leaving them no chance to dodge.
“Perfect,” Miss Existence said, a satisfied grin on her face.
Chat Noir broke free from the freezing spell, watching in horror as both his partner and his best friend vanished in an instant.
“W-What did you do to them?!?!” he shouted, his voice filled with fury but cracking, as he now stood alone against a villain he wasn’t sure he could defeat.
“KIAJAJAJAJAJAJA! I just sent them to another universe, darling. You don’t need to worry about them.” Miss Existence had a look of pure satisfaction on her face, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
Chat Noir gripped his staff tightly, gritting his teeth, and charged at Miss Existence, launching into a fierce battle.
Chloe clung to Ladybug with all her strength, even more than they had imagined she had. On the other hand, Ladybug once again felt a massive wave of fatigue, losing what little strength she had left. The only thing she could do was shield Chloe and try to minimize any damage, praying for the best.
But before they hit the ground, a bright flash enveloped them both, making them feel as if they were now floating in a vast lake. Their weight and gravity were nonexistent. There was nothing—just the two girls holding each other in a great void, watching as the small portal they had fallen through grew smaller and smaller, disappearing into the nothingness.