33. Chapter 33

Grandfather paradox.

It was an age-old argument of preventing your birth by killing your grandparents. A hypothetical situation in which a person goes back in time to kill his grandfather at a time before he met his grandmother, and by doing so his father would never be born, and neither would the person himself.

It was simply an auto-suicide.

Chat Noir was facing a similar predicament, but with his hypothetical parents. Both the bride and the groom were huddled together, hiding beneath the church tabernacle as his black bubbling hands hovered above their heads. He hasn't aimed his Cataclysm intentionally to a person before or dreamed of using it out of defense or simply got curious to see the result if a living soul took it.

According to Plagg, the reason why he was chosen to bear the Cat Miraculous was due to the fact that he has high morals not to use the power of destruction for selfish gains. But was he?

Because right now he was trying to commit a parricide.

He knew that these people were fabricated by Twiddle Gain using his personal memories about Notre Dame. The Akuma didn't use any historical references associated with the church like the persecution of the Huguenots or the Festival of Reason he already learned from school, or even the marriages of certain monarchies he was familiar with, but instead he chose a single memory from his childhood that weighed more than those mentioned prior - and that'd be the wedding of his own parents.

Do Papillion finally learned about his identity? He doubted it.

If he touched one of his hypothetical parents with Cataclysm, his hypothetical self in that timeline would cease to exist. His real self would not, however, but the impact of his actions on the distorted timeline would cause some undesirable guilt.

He knew the reason why he was brought there in the first place, and the only way to escape the realm was to destroy something...or someone there. Sadly, he couldn't.

Because even though these two people were not real, he couldn't fathom to kill the image of his own parents.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, more likely towards himself. "I can't do this."

He lowered his arm with a clenched fist. He was so screwed, with sheer regrets about succumbing to his weakness and interfering the course of events because he was a deprived child who terribly missed his mother.

Right now he was on the verge of creating his own paradox on that twisted dimension, and by doing so he could either save Ladybug or destroy himself.

His last resort was to run away.

.

.

.

.

Ladybug gave the spotted item a deadpan look.

"Sweet Jesus, Mary, and Joseph." she hollered. "All I ask is a hammer...and here you gave me a nail?!"

What the frick-frack am I supposed to do with this?! the heroine screamed mentally while dodging her stone-figured assailants. Use this to shut my own coffin?!

Her Lucky Charms were starting to become random that sometimes it would take her hours to utilize it. It was a challenge to her, and challenges often provoked her, but this time it made her extremely annoyed.

It took her ounce of will and patience to stop and concentrate on how to save herself using a piece of metal. She wasn't a type that would put herself in a situation without a concrete plan. But then, life has full of surprises.

"Liar!" Le Bossu - or Twiddle Gain's vessel, she presumed - wailed below. "Coward!"

"Try not to chase me with that killing intent." she yelped. "And I'll prove you wrong."

The heroine never thought that her words would hit a nerve enough to have him declare his murderous desires. Usually, it was her partner who does the baiting, diverting their enemies' attention while she executes their course of action.

She was more of a range-type combatant as projectile defenses were nothing to her with the help of her yo-yo. Though she could manage to deflect direct attacks, regardless of her opponent's strength and agility, she had to reconsider her physique.

Like the insect itself, Ladybug was biologically small.

But then, smalls were often the terrible ones.

Just wait for me, Adrien! the spotted heroine thought as she ran towards the west side while decking an Angel, then leaped on the balustrade. I'm coming there to save you!

.

.

.

.

As if he'd run away.

That thought has never been his option, to begin with. He would rather lose a limb and die than to leave his partner. Besides, what kind of Knight he'd be if he abandoned his Princess for a measly Akuma?

A scaredy cat, he mused. But then, he has other ideas.

He wasn't a type that does tactical defenses - that was more like his Lady. He was more of a head-on type, a melee strategist that usually pisses their enemies off to buy some time for his partner to execute the plan.

And what would be the best way to piss the enemy off other than to run away from the scene?

Just wait for me, Marinette! the feline hero thought as he rushed towards the exit. I'm on my way to save you!

.

.

.

.

"Go!" Le Bossu commanded the remaining facade on the horizontal frieze to chase Ladybug. She was still clasping her Lucky Charm while fighting with the stoned minions, obviously from the Gallery of the Kings.

Some of them used their scepters as clubs, while others used their crowns as spikes. She even swore when others plucked their own heads and rolled it like a pinball.

How many Jesus Christs she had cussed while breaking some saints' faces?

The heroine has no idea how many stone figures and statues the cathedral housed during that era. Their numbers were too much for her, so she decided to stop counting in the middle. Knowing the figures of her enemies wouldn't change the tide anyway.

If this wasn't considered as Tribulation, then she didn't know how to describe the scenario.

True that she was able to defeat more than one villain all by herself before, like Puppeteer for example, and they weren't as easy as the figurines that she was facing at the moment, but the overwhelming feeling she had for her enemies, plus the anxiety about her survival and her partner's well-being were pressuring her.

There were cuts and bruises all over her body, and her left leg was bothering her whenever she moved around. She might be sporting a simple sprain there, or probably a broken bone. It didn't seem that she was bleeding internally, but the trauma was painful enough to distract her focus.

Three more spots left and she got no clue what to do on her Lucky Charm.

This must be a nail in my coffin, she bemoaned silently.

She whirled her weapon for an escape, then leaped towards the northern bell tower. There she caught a glimpse of the hunchback walking near Emmanuel, with a small entrance door behind it.

Looking at her Lucky Charm again, she finally saw a red and black highlighted on the door, the giant bell's rope and the pillars surrounding the tower. Then it clicked.

Two more spots left and she finally got the answer to her dilemma.

"Found you~" the heroine announced, then landed behind the small door.

Le Bossu was taken aback, surprised by her appearance, but before he could call his reinforcements, Ladybug immediately slammed the door closed, then slipped the nail on the barrel lock as a bolt.

To secure that the entire tower would be isolated and protected from unwanted infiltration, she unwound her yo-yo then flung it like a boomerang around the pillars, making the strings weaved on space gaps just enough to form a strong net barrier.

She was weapon-less with no partner to rely on that moment, so she was left with no choice but to run straight towards the enemy. It wasn't a suicidal act or an impulse move; she decided to rely on her physical strength and her Lady Luck to overpower him.

Le Bossu didn't cower. He aimed his fist at her face, but she was nimble to dodge it. She was still favoring her left leg, which became her oppressor's advantage, but that wasn't a problem. Once she had his protruding back slumped on the bell, she immediately grabbed the dangling rope, then used her entire weight to lurch towards him.

Using her stable right foot, she kicked the hunchback on his chest squarely, and with his loud cries a burst of light flashed and enveloped his entire body. She fell and rolled on the floorboards, then holstered herself with the help of the stone walls.

Her yo-yo was still wrapped around the pillars and remained sturdy despite the gnaws and gashes from the flying chimeras. But when the black butterfly emerged from the vanishing Akuma vessel, those stone figures that caged the tower froze and crumbled mid-air.

To unwind her weapon, Ladybug plucked the red string by a finger to detract and wrap on its spotted disk. Once caught, she drew a line on the disk's surface to unlock its cleansing mechanism, and with a precise hit the device captured and swallowed the butterfly.

"No more evil-doing for you, little Akuma," she muttered between breaths. "Time to de-evilize!"

A white butterfly emerged from her weapon, and without further ado, she squirmed towards the small door to retrieve her Lucky Charm.

She threw it in the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

Her entire body was enveloped by small red ladybugs, repairing not only the damaged timeline but also returning her back to the reality. She knew that her Cleansing power would only cover the physical aspect, so even though the wounds she acquired were healed, the pain that lingered on her skin would still remain.

I'm almost there, Adrien!

.

.

.

.

"No!" a loud shriek sounded from above, and there on the second story Chat Noir saw a big, chubby man wearing a black-and-pink striped jumper suit.

His hair was fizzy red and his eyes were decorated with yellow and pink swirl hues. Like Twiddle Doom, he has silver bracelets cuffed on each of his wrists, and a matching necklace which likely housed the corrupted Akuma.

He immediately knew that the man wasn't a vessel, but an Akuma itself.

"Found you!" the hero exclaimed triumphantly. "Twiddle Gain!"

The Akuma jolted, but instead of appreciating his discovery, he was utterly furious.

"You coward!" he bellowed. "Running away without giving a fight! You're a lying hero!"

"Me? You're calling me a liar?" Chat raised his voice with incredulity, then scoffed. "Why don't you go down here and I'll prove you wrong!"

He didn't, so he extended his baton upwards and landed himself on the balcony. While he was expecting Twiddle Gain there for a match, he was greeted by a furious crowd instead.

Little did he know that the Akuma manipulated the ceremony and transformed the place to be his burial site. Those attendees in formal gowns and suits became cold-blooded executioners, and the crews on that story became his hunters.

"I don't want to exchange my death vows here." the feline hero stepped back, calculating the moves of his enemies.

He barely heard his Miraculous beeping because on its first warning, the people began to rush to pounce him.

Chat Noir was extremely outnumbered.

He was knocking the people out cold single-handled. He realized he couldn't keep the pace up anymore unless he let go of his Cataclysm. He was supposed to aim it to Twiddle Gain's necklace, but the bastard chickened out and vanished into nothingness.

Is this part of Akuma's distorted reality? he wondered with disbelief. Or Papillion's manipulations?

He believed it was the latter.

Because he knew that Twiddle Gain desired nothing but freedom.

While he busied himself from defeating his overwhelming oppressors, a sabre suddenly jabbed his right shoulder. The blade pierced his flesh deeply, twisted, then pulled out unceremoniously, and the action earned him a loud cry. The hero fell and stumbled on the pillar, which he accidentally touched by his Cataclysm, and ended it up crumbled and destroyed.

Such powerful skill to be wasted on a worthless object because he was preoccupied. Oh, how he wanted to punch himself for such idiocy.

Chat scrambled to gain his footing. He was down to two paws, and even though he has a cheese stashed on his pocket, and more on his bag somewhere - probably below, near the entrance door - he couldn't easily de-transform there. Doing that would mean surrendering his identity to Papillion, and he didn't want that.

Somehow, the destroyed pillar affected the supporting walls of the cathedral that shook the entire floor. This caused a commotion, prompting his attackers to flee to save their lives. However, the one who stabbed him remained in place with a raging fury emitted from his glares

The person was standing near the Rose Window where the central medallion of Our Lady and her Child was depicted. The light from the stained glass cast a shadow of a tall, lean man, with a poise of a seasoned fencer. The sword on his hand gave him an imitation of a cane, and the dark bow tie on his tux reminded him of a black butterfly.

If he didn't know the face of Gabriel Agreste, he could've sworn he was seeing Papillion.

"Father." he uttered with disbelief, cursing himself for addressing the man that way.

"I am not your father." the man replied. "And you are not my son."

"Well, you stole my pop's face." Chat shrugged as he hoisted himself using his baton.

His right side was totally numb. He was losing a lot of blood from his stabbed wound, not to mention he has a minute remaining until his de-transformation.

"I have to defeat you before you can hurt the love of my life," he told him.

"What a coincidence - I have to defeat you too!" the hero declared with confidence, preparing his stance. "So that I can save the love of my life."

Blade clashed with a Baton.

Chat Noir was in a bad shape. He was fumbling on his balance, but so far he was able to deflect his blows using his weapon. He knew he couldn't remain offensive for that long, and surrendering himself was out of the equation. Killing his father's image was something he didn't want to do, but letting him kill himself would do him no good.

I have to finish this, he muttered internally. Marinette is waiting for me.

All of a sudden, the flooring quivered, making Gabriel lost his foot. He yelped. Large chunks of debris fell in between them, creating a massive smoke that blurred their eyesight.

The feline hero didn't know what happened to his imaginary father, but he was sure he wasn't buried among the rubbles.

He lost the sensation of his other half, and his right arm was currently soaked with his own blood. Some of the dust entered his lungs, suffocating him enough to make him stumbled backward. He writhed towards the balustrade, hacking and waiting for his demise until the supporting rail fell and dragged him down.

I guess this is my end, Chat thought grimly. I'm sorry I failed you, Marinette.

A red string suddenly shot out and encircled his left wrist, preventing his fall. This took him by surprise, and when he looked up, he was greeted by a masked face with watery blue eyes.

"Chat!" Ladybug's frantic voice broke his stupor. "I got you. Oh, God, I got you! Hang on tight there, Chat! Chat Noir!"

The hero had to blink thrice to realize that it was all real, that he wasn't hallucinating. Ladybug was alive and safe. He broke a small grin.

"Well, my Lady." he croaked. "You know, this is not an ideal place to hang out with."

"Stupid cat, this is not a time for jokes!"

He knew that, but at least he wanted to see a glimpse of her smile before he took his last breath.

His eyes might be bleary, but he could see that his partner was down to one spot. Both of them have few more seconds to go until their de-transformation.

"Give me your hand!" she demanded as she extended hers. He fumbled, then failed.

"I can't. I can't move it," he confessed.

He heard how her voice hitched when he attempted to move his right side. She might've seen the deep gash on his arm, and probably the paleness of his face. His entire body was numb already, and he was starting to lose his consciousness.

"Don't you dare give up on me, Chaton!"

"I'm not, Bugaboo. I'm trying not to...but then..." he sighed. "I saw my mother."

The only noises that he could hear were the rumbles from the ground and Ladybug's erratic breathing. She didn't stop though - she was very persistent of pulling him up, and he could feel her grunts and tugs from the string, but still no avail.

"I saw my mother here, my Lady. She was marrying my father," he was trying to distract her. "I made an attempt to kill her, so my father stabbed me."

"You didn't kill them." was her firm reply, still trying to pull him up.

"I didn't. I'm fucking weak for not doing my job. So here I am."

"Don't you dare fucking tell me you're weak - because you're not! So give me that damn hand of yours so we can clean up this mess!"

"But I am Ladybug. I am weak." he chuckled darkly until he saw the agony in her eyes.

It pained him to see her sadness, her desperation, her frustrations towards a low-life like him. He didn't deserve someone like her. She deserves better.

"Let me go, my Lady."

"No!" she exclaimed between sobs. "Don't do this to me, Kitty. Please."

"I'm out of commission, I'm holding you up here, and you could've captured Twiddle Gain - "

"No!"

"I can't be your handicap - "

"No!"

"Leave me alone - "

"No!"

"Ma – "

"No! No! No!"

Her fat tears were falling on his cheeks like rain, and its saltiness was mixing together with his own tears and blood as it dropped a hundred feet below the ground.

"You can do it, mon minou. We can do this together. I beg you, please."

He shook his head, then smiled. "It's alright. We're down to seconds now, Bug. You have an enemy to capture, and a city to save."

"I don't care a damn about - "

"Marinette!" he gave her a steely look, didn't care if his scolding made her flinched. "You were granted with a Miraculous power to save the lives of many. You have a responsibility to uphold. So set your priorities straight. Everybody needs you, and you know that."

"But I don't want to sacrifice your life in exchange for - "

"We're in a distorted timeline." he reminded her. "Everything will return to normal once you use your Miraculous Cleanse. You're the only one who can do that."

"What if I can't?! What if I failed to fix everything?! What if I lost you?" she shuddered as she wept. "I can't lose you. I can't do anything without you. I can't live without you."

"You can do it," he answered with a grin. "Believe me, my love. Because I believe in you."

"Adri - "

Five.

"Go, my Lady. Paris is waiting for their hero."

Four.

"I can't, I - "

Three.

"I love you."

Two.

This broke her dam of tears. "Oh, Adrien, I - "

One.

"Goodbye, Marinette."

His tender words cued the red strings to dissolve in a faint red light, followed by a burst of green that wrapped his body, stripping his leather suit mid-air as he fell.