Location: France, Paris
Date: September 1, 2017
The sky over Paris was dark, and heavy rain poured relentlessly. People were still terrified by the events that had occurred—when their loved ones or friends had turned into stone monsters, then frozen in place like statues.
Between the buildings of Paris, a figure dressed in red and blue swung rapidly through the air.
Spider-Man fired another web from his wrist, slid through the air, and landed in a narrow, dark alley without anyone seeing him. Shortly after, Peter Parker emerged from the alley, his face hidden beneath a hoodie, his hands buried in his pockets.
He walked slowly toward the apartment he shared with May.
Peter opened the apartment door with a creaking sound and stepped inside.
He looked around the devastated apartment, then moved with slow, exhausted steps toward his room.
Two days.
Two days had passed since his aunt had turned into a stoneheart, frozen in the middle of a Paris square.
Peter had searched day and night for any clues about the person responsible for this nightmare, but he found nothing. Worse still, he had gained no new information beyond what Cat Noir had told him.
Peter stood in front of his board, which was filled with countless questions—questions he had pursued over the past two days using violence and intimidation. His eyes fixed on the biggest and most important question written there:
How do you return people who turned into stonehearts back to normal?
He remembered Cat Noir's words.
> "To return the people of Paris to their normal state, we must capture the Akuma and purify it from evil."
> "Akuma? What is that?"
> "An Akuma is a magical black butterfly created by the holder of the Butterfly Miraculous. Akumas have the power to transform ordinary people into supervillains through their negative emotions."
Peter stared at the picture of the black butterfly, surrounded by numerous arrows. He picked up a marker and wrote beneath it: "Akuma."
> "And what is a Miraculous, then?"
> "Miraculouses are magical jewels that grant their holders superhuman strength and various magical abilities."
Peter drew another arrow and wrote at its end: "Miraculous."
He sighed tiredly and turned toward a map of Paris. Many circles were drawn across the city, each marked with an X—areas he had searched and found nothing. He took his marker and drew an X over the last remaining circle.
With another weary sigh, he sat down on his bed.
Peter looked around his messy room, then picked up his phone.
99 missed calls from Marinette.
He stared at the number and felt a sharp pang of guilt. Marinette had called him repeatedly, especially on the first day when the people of Paris turned into an army of stonehearts.
Peter was certain that if it weren't for the curfew imposed on Paris, Marinette would have come here long ago.
He sighed sadly, set his phone aside, and picked up a family photo of himself and Uncle Ben. He looked at Ben's smiling face and remembered the night he died because of him.
> "Remember, Peter: with great power comes great responsibility."
Peter clenched his teeth as he recalled his uncle's final words, then hurled the photo violently against the wall.
"AAAHHHH!!"
Peter screamed in rage, then collapsed to the floor and burst into tears.
He hated this.
He hated this feeling of helplessness.
Since gaining his powers, he had followed his uncle's teachings and saved millions of lives in New York countless times. He had suffered and endured pain and loss more than anyone, faced death, and watched people he loved die before his eyes—when he was only thirteen years old.
Even then, he had managed to save his city and defeat evil in the end.
But this situation in Paris… completely overwhelmed him and left him lost.
How was he supposed to save his aunt when he didn't even know who caused all of this in the first place? And all this talk of magic, Miraculouses, and Akumas from Cat Noir only made things more complicated and pushed him further into despair.
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
Peter lifted his head quickly when he heard a voice he knew all too well.
It was Marinette.
Peter wiped the tears from his eyes, quickly hid all the scattered boards and maps, and put on a long coat that concealed his suit.
Marinette pushed the apartment door open, the hinges creaking as she entered slowly. She looked around, her eyes widening at the ruined apartment, then shouted anxiously.
"May? Peter? Is anyone here?!"
Marinette's body trembled when she received no response, tears gathering in her eyes.
"Oh, Peter… I'm so sorry. This is all my fault," she thought sadly as grief spread through her heart.
"Marinette? What are you doing here? Did you break the curfew?"
Marinette gasped when she heard Peter's voice, turned toward it, and cried out in joy.
"Peter!! You're okay!!"
She ran toward him, jumped, and hugged him tightly.
Peter patted her shoulder and said, "Okay, that's enough, Marinette—you're choking me."
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Marinette apologized quickly, releasing him, then puffed her cheeks angrily.
"What's wrong with you, Peter?! Why didn't you answer my calls?! Do you know how worried I was?!"
Peter looked at her and said softly, "I'm sorry, Marinette, but May… she turned into—"
He clenched his fist and looked down in grief and anger.
Marinette gasped and hugged him again.
"Oh, poor Peter… Don't worry. I'm sure Ladybug and Cat Noir will fix everything."
Peter slowly hugged her back.
"I hope so."
> "The only person capable of capturing the Akuma and saving the situation is Ladybug."
Cat Noir's words echoed in Peter's mind again, and he clenched his fist.
He hated the fact that he was useless.
He hated the fact that he had to wait for someone else to save his aunt.
Marinette stepped back and looked at him sadly.
"I'm really sorry, Peter."
Peter looked at her, warmth spreading through his chest.
"Having you here is enough, Marinette."
Marinette gazed at Peter's face with deep concern. She could clearly see the traces of tears, his red, swollen eyes, and the dark circles beneath them. It was obvious that Peter was pretending to be strong—he had cried a lot and spent many sleepless nights. The destroyed apartment only increased her worry about his mental state.
Guilt spread through Marinette's heart like wildfire.
If only I had caught the Akuma… if only I hadn't made a mistake…
She hugged Peter again, trying to comfort him.
"You shouldn't go through this alone, Peter. You can stay at our house until May comes back."
Peter frowned.
"I can't, Marinette. I can't—"
"No, Peter!! You're staying with us, and this is not up for discussion!!" Marinette interrupted firmly.
"But—"
"No 'but'! You're destroying yourself! Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You don't have to carry this alone."
Her voice softened as she took his hand.
"Just let me help you."
Peter slowly nodded, his eyes filled with tears, then sat down on the floor while Marinette stayed beside him, comforting him.
Half an hour later, Peter and Marinette stood on the sidewalk with Peter's bags, waiting for Marinette's father, Tom.
Tom arrived at the building and stepped out of the car with a worried and angry expression. His daughter had tried several times over the past two days to go to the Parker apartment. He had stopped her and ordered her to stay home, but she disobeyed him tonight and slipped out in the middle of the night, then called him to come and take Peter home with them.
Tom had suffered greatly getting there—stopped multiple times by the police, receiving five tickets and three threats of detention, despite repeatedly explaining the situation.
Marinette looked at her father awkwardly, knowing he was definitely angry with her.
Tom stepped forward, gave Marinette a look that clearly said she was in serious trouble, then looked at Peter—and his expression softened immediately.
He placed a reassuring hand on Peter's shoulder.
"I'm sorry about what happened to your aunt, Peter. But don't worry—Ladybug and Cat Noir will fix everything and bring her back to you safely. We'll be with you and support you the whole time."
"Thank you, sir," Peter said quietly.
Marinette looked down uncertainly when she heard her father's words.
Tom nodded.
"Come on, let's get in the car. It's very cold."
The three of them got into the car and drove toward Marinette's home through the empty streets of Paris.
---
[ Meanwhile, with Adrien ].
"Aha!! I knew it!! The person I fought was Spider-Man!!"
Adrien shouted at his kwami while watching a video of Spider-Man fighting Doctor Octopus and saving people at the same time.
"Who cares if the one you fought was a superhero? I can't believe you're wasting time watching this stuff,"
Plagg said boredly as he ate an entire piece of Camembert cheese in one bite.
Adrien pinched his nose and looked at Plagg in disgust.
"What I can't believe is that you like that horrible-smelling Camembert. That thing is disgusting, and now because of you I have to endure this smell all week."
Plagg shrugged his tiny shoulders and said,
"That's your loss. Camembert is the best cheese in the world. Besides, if you want to transform into a superhero and use my power, you have to feed me so I can recharge."
"Alright, Plagg, we get it—you love stinky cheese," Adrien said irritably, then turned back to his computer screen and watched another clip of Spider-Man stopping an entire bus from flipping over with his bare hands.
"Wow!! Spider-Man is really strong!!"
He then turned to Plagg and asked,
"Can I do that too when I transform, Plagg?"
Plagg looked at Adrien with annoyance, as if the question insulted him.
"Please, Adrien. You have no idea how powerful you really are. If you master the Miraculous and control my power properly, you could unleash a cosmic Cataclysm capable of destroying the fabric of reality and time itself across the entire universe!! And you're asking me if you can stop a small bus that weighs only a few tons?"
Plagg said mockingly, then flew around the room and landed lazily on Adrien's pillow.
Adrien stared at Plagg with wide, shocked eyes and an open mouth. He was about to ask whether Plagg was joking, but he stopped when his father's personal assistant entered his room.
Nathalie entered with a serious expression.
Plagg froze and went completely still like a doll so Nathalie wouldn't notice him.
"Adrien, your father want you".
Adrien quickly stood up in a panic and stepped toward Nathalie to draw her attention away.
"Really? My father wants to see me at this time? What's going on, Nathalie?"
Nathalie raised an eyebrow at Adrien's behavior, adjusted her glasses, and said in a professional tone,
"You'll find out when you meet him, Adrien."
Adrien sighed and followed Nathalie to his father's office.
After two minutes of walking through their massive mansion, they reached Gabriel's office.
Adrien and Nathalie entered and saw a man wearing a white formal shirt, blue jeans, and a red tie, standing by the window.
Gabriel Agreste slowly turned toward his son and assistant.
Gabriel was handsome like his son and blond as well, but instead of green eyes like Adrien, his eyes were icy blue. He was wearing glasses.
Gabriel looked at Adrien and Nathalie and said,
"Listen carefully, Adrien. You will no longer be going to school. You will stay here and study at home, as I see fit."
Adrien's eyes widened in shock. He turned to Nathalie with a betrayed expression. Nathalie looked down, avoiding his gaze—she hated when Adrien looked at her like that, especially since she loved him like a son.
Adrien turned back to his father.
"But Dad, I just want to go to school like everyone else. What's wrong with that?"
"Because you're not like everyone else!! You're my son!! The outside world is dangerous, and you'll be safe here!!"
Gabriel replied sharply. Adrien had been getting more defiant lately, which irritated him.
"No, Dad!! The outside world isn't as dangerous as you think! I can't stay locked inside forever!!"
Adrien shouted angrily, overwhelmed by the injustice of being confined his entire life.
"Silence!! You are my son, and I am your father!! You will obey me!! The outside world is dangerous!! Just yesterday, hundreds of people turned into stone monsters, and they may never return to normal!!"
"But Dad, I—"
"No buts!! Go to your room now, Adrien! And don't argue with me again!!"
Gabriel shouted, having completely lost his patience.
Adrien looked at his father sadly, tears filling his eyes, then turned and ran to his room.
Gabriel exhaled slowly and rubbed his temples in exhaustion.
"You're being too hard on him, sir," Nathalie said angrily.
Gabriel looked at her coldly.
"I'm doing this for his own good, Nathalie."
"For his own good? By isolating him and making him lonely with no friends?" she snapped.
Gabriel's face twitched with anger.
"Know your place, Nathalie! I don't need you telling me how to raise my son!!"
Nathalie looked at him with disappointment.
"Émilie wouldn't be happy about this, Gabriel. You know that."
Gabriel's face darkened at the mention of his late wife.
"Get out of my office now, Nathalie!!" he shouted.
Nathalie lowered her head.
"As you wish, sir."
She turned and left the office.
Gabriel stared coldly after her. If Nathalie weren't so important to Adrien—like a second mother—he would have fired her on the spot.
---
[One week later].
The city of Paris decided to impose a one-week curfew and close schools and workplaces until the citizens returned to normal. After a full week with no incidents, the curfew was lifted and schools reopened.
Peter spent that time at the Dupain-Chengs' house. Marinette's family welcomed him warmly and helped ease his grief.
Peter stopped searching for the person who turned his aunt and the people of Paris into stone and decided to wait for Stoneheart to reappear. He closely watched Ivan Bruel, knowing that Ivan's transformation would mean disaster for Paris—and the return of Ladybug, and a chance to save Aunt May.
From Cat Noir's words and his own observations, Peter discovered that the Butterfly Miraculous user needed strong negative emotions—anger, sadness, and the like—to turn people into supervillains.
Peter considered provoking Ivan to force his transformation, but he stopped himself. He had already made many mistakes that cost innocent lives and didn't want to add another to the list. So he decided to wait until Ivan transformed on his own, then help Ladybug and Cat Noir save the day—and save May.
"Peter, we're going to be late for school!!"
Marinette shouted from outside his room.
"I'm coming!!" Peter replied. He adjusted his shirt to hide his suit and slipped his Spider-Man mask into his back pocket.
He looked at himself in the mirror.
"This is it. Today's the day. I'm going to save you, Aunt May."
From watching Ivan all week, Peter learned that Ivan was extremely sensitive and emotional. It was a miracle he hadn't transformed yet—but with school reopening, Peter knew from experience that there was no better place to trigger negative emotions than school.
Peter sighed and headed downstairs.
Meanwhile, Marinette stood in her room, staring at her drawer with conflicted emotions.
"You are the chosen one, Marinette. You're the only one who can defeat Stoneheart and save Paris."
Tikki's words echoed in her mind.
"I'm sorry, Tikki… I'm not fit to be Ladybug," she thought.
She opened the drawer, took the small red-and-black box containing the Miraculous of Creation, placed it in her bag, and went downstairs.
---
"Good morning," Peter greeted the family of three in the dining room.
Sabine, Marinette's mother, looked at Peter and smiled gently.
"Good morning, Peter. How was your night?"
Peter smiled back politely.
"It was great, thank you for letting me stay here."
Tom waved his hand dismissively.
"Please don't say that again, Peter. You're like family to us. After all, you helped Marinette overcome her depression because of Chloé and made her happy again."
"Yes, Peter, there's no need to thank us," Marinette added with an encouraging smile.
"I'm sure you and May would have done the same if you were in our place."
Peter smiled warmly.
"Thank you all. I truly appreciate that."
"Alright, enough talking. Let's eat so you don't end up late for school,"
Tom said as he sat down and took a plate from the breakfast table.
Marinette and Sabine sat down after him, then Peter joined them. The four of them ate breakfast together, laughing and chatting.
After finishing, Peter went downstairs, telling Marinette that he would wait for her outside.
"Marinette, hurry up or you'll be late for school!!"
Sabine called out worriedly.
"Okay, Mom!!" Marinette shouted as she put on her bag and was about to leave, but she stopped when she heard the television.
"This is Nadia Chamack from Paris News. After ten days of curfew and the closure of public facilities, the government has failed disastrously to return the citizens to their normal state…"
Nadia's voice echoed through the small apartment.
The scene on TV changed, and the Mayor of Paris, Mr. Bourgeois, appeared in place of Nadia.
"My dear people of Paris, I assure you that the French authorities will not rest or tire—not even for a single day—until we succeed in bringing your loved ones back. We are prepared to try for ten years if necessary. In the meantime, I ask everyone to return to their normal lives. Go to work. Students whose families or relatives have turned to stone—go back to school with peace of mind and trust that your government will return your loved ones safely."
The mayor stepped away from the podium as reporters bombarded him with questions.
The screen switched back to Nadia.
"As you can see, this was the Mayor of Paris speaking at yesterday's press conference at the Paris Convention Center. However, most citizens—and the world—are still waiting for Ladybug and Cat Noir to save the day."
Marinette stood frozen, staring at the TV in worry.
Tom turned off the television when he noticed her expression.
He placed a reassuring hand on Marinette's shoulder.
"Don't worry, sweetheart. Ladybug and Cat Noir will save us all."
Marinette lowered her head hesitantly.
"But what if… what if Ladybug isn't good enough for the job… and fails?"
Tom smiled, grabbed a long baguette, waved it dramatically, and said,
"Then I'll save you myself—the superhero dad!!"
Marinette laughed and hugged her father.
"Thank you, Dad."
Tom returned the hug.
"You're welcome, my dear. But don't think this hug gets you out of trouble for what you did last week."
Marinette groaned sadly and looked up at him with big, pleading eyes.
Tom pretended not to see and released her, heading toward the bakery.
Marinette sighed sadly and turned to her mother.
"Dad is still mad at me, isn't he? What should I do?"
Sabine looked at her daughter gently.
"Don't worry, Marinette. I'm sure he forgave you a long time ago."
"Really?" Marinette asked hopefully.
Sabine nodded.
"Tom loves you too much to stay angry for long. But you must not repeat what you did last week—you scared us very much."
Marinette nodded slowly.
"Okay, Mom. I promise I won't do it again."
"Good. Now don't keep Peter waiting."
Marinette sighed, left the apartment, and headed downstairs.
Peter greeted Marinette, and the two of them walked to school together.
---
Meanwhile, a handsome blond boy was running through the streets of Paris, a backpack slung over his shoulder.
Plagg floated beside Adrien.
"I don't understand you, Adrien. Why do you want to go to school when you can stay home all the time?"
Adrien glanced at Plagg while running.
"Because I want to leave the house, make friends, and go to school like everyone else. And because I'm sick of my father locking me inside."
Plagg rolled his eyes.
"I still don't get you. You're a strange kid, Adrien."
Adrien stopped to catch his breath, then looked at Plagg.
"Isn't it dangerous for you to float around like that? What if someone sees you? Or a security camera catches you?"
Plagg shrugged.
"Cameras can't capture kwamis. And as for people—I'm too small to notice from afar. Anyone who sees you talking to me will just think you're talking to yourself like a crazy person in the middle of the street."
Adrien sighed in annoyance, opened his shirt, and said,
"Alright, Plagg, enough talking for today. Get inside my shirt—for everyone's sake."
Plagg shrugged again.
"Good. I was very sleepy anyway. I think I need a little nap."
Plagg flew into Adrien's pocket.
"All you ever think about is sleeping and eating," Adrien muttered.
Plagg yawned lazily.
"I may be only a few inches tall, but don't forget—I'm also a cat."
Adrien rolled his eyes, zipped up his jacket, and continued running toward Collège Françoise Dupont.
---
At the same time, Peter and Marinette arrived at the school gate when they heard two familiar voices they hadn't heard in a week.
"Peter! Marinette!!"
They turned and saw Alya and Ned waving at them.
Peter and Marinette waved back with smiles and walked over.
"Hey guys, how have you been?" Peter asked curiously.
Alya waved her hand casually.
"Nothing much—just created a superhero blog and became famous."
Marinette looked at her in shock.
"Wow, Alya! Did you really do that?!"
Alya smiled proudly, pulled out her phone, and showed them the blog. It had Ladybug's symbol, one video, several posts—and millions, even tens of millions, of views.
"Wow, Alya, this is amazing!!" Marinette said, eyes wide.
Alya grinned.
"I call it The Ladyblog!!"
Peter looked at the blog with mild amazement.
"This is impressive, Alya. You must want to be a journalist in the future."
Alya's eyes sparkled.
"That's right! When I grow up, I want to be the biggest and most famous journalist in the world."
Peter smiled.
"That's a big dream. Actually… I have experience in media and journalism."
"Really?!" Alya and Marinette exclaimed in surprise.
Peter nodded.
"Yeah. I used to work as a photographer for The Daily Bugle. I took photos for very little pay, published a few articles, and had journalist friends too."
"Wow, that's awesome!!" Alya shouted excitedly.
Marinette stared at Peter in shock.
"Wow, Peter—you never told me you worked as a journalist and photographer!"
Peter shrugged.
"It just never came up."
Alya opened her mouth, ready to bombard Peter with excited questions, but Ned stepped forward and interrupted.
"That's all cool and stuff, but Peter—have you seen Spider-Man?! He was here in Paris fighting Cat Noir more than a week ago!!"
Peter groaned inwardly at Ned's words.
He was glad the people of Paris hadn't focused on him in the news, given that their loved ones had turned into stone monsters.
To Be Continue!!.
---------------
Note: I apologize for the lack of downloads, but I have been busy recently. I will try to download this story regularly from now on.