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sassyduckqueen · 2 years

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Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 72

Hello! I am alive and finally bringing the next chapter! So as you can tell, it taken ages to do this. The main reason is that godforsaken ball of fire in the sky also known as the sun. I'm sure most of you are like 'but Sassy, the suns out everyday?'. Yes, I know. I hate that thing! It's too bright and too warm.... basically I'm severely sensitive to heat and summer. I suffer with hay fever and I have reverse SAD (basically I'm more depressed in the summer) plus work has been a little busy. Thank you, Doctor Strange, Top Gun and Jurassic world. Anyway, I hope the court scene isn't too bad. I have no experience with court so please don't comment that it's unrealistic. I know it is but its fine. Also I've tried to explain why Luka hasn't actually mentioned Issac and that since then. Anyway, hope you guys like and hopefully I won't take this long in releasing the next chapter

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Chapter Seventy-Two: Midas

~Dr Lang's Office~

"How are you feeling today then?" Mila asked as Luka sat on her sofa. He wasn't sat in a relaxed position and seemed more stressed then usual. She wasn't surprised given that the trial of his stepfather was getting closer and closer. Issac was getting charged with endangering a minor, attempted murder and assault. He had been released on bail but this didn't surprise Mila. His bail had been set to €10,000 and Issac had to meet certain things in order to be allowed to roam free before his trial. She wasn't surprised about him been able to afford the bail bond but she was a little worried that he might go after Luka. However, she learnt from Luka that Issac had to keep to certain conditions in order have bail. The lawyers dealing with his case investigated where Issac was in order to make sure he was keeping to his side of the deal and that Luka was safe. They had learnt that he had three conditions to meet for his bail. One, he was to stay in a private mental health facility due to his sudden breakdown. Two, he had to stay in a certain radius of the mental health facility and had a curfew. He was basically under house arrest. Finally, he was not allow to contact or go near Luka or his family. If he does, he will be returned back to prison. Mila personally thought the court was been way too nice considering that Issac attempted to murder Luka but she wasn't surprised that he had managed to get this deal. There was a lot of corruption in Paris so she suspected that someone in a high place had arranged for this. She wouldn't be surprised if it was the Mayor or his wife but she couldn't prove it. Speaking of friends of the mayor, Bob Roth was also facing his own trial for endangering a minor and conspiring to murder when it came to Luka as well as several misdemeanors and gang related crime. It turned out he had been quite the character in Paris' underworld. Dealing with illegal substances was just one of the crimes he was been charged with as the whole situation had opened a can of worms on him. He had originally been arrested for trying to prevent justice and with-holding vital information but they soon uncovered much more. Like Issac though, he was also allowed bail. Something she suspected had been done by the same person who was able to get Issac out on bail too. However, that wasn't Mila's concern. Luka was. "Luka?"

He flinched, making her frown as he looked around wildly before he closed his eyes and muttered to himself under his breathe. She frowned and noted it as he opened his eyes again, a little calmer. She was very concerned for him.

"Sorry," He muttered, making her frown. "I'm as ok as I can be,"

"Luka, you flinched and it looked like you were about to have a panic attack," She pointed out, making him frown. "Is it to do with Issac?"

"N-No," He replied, shaking his head. "I mean I'm not looking forward to seeing him again or Mr Roth but I'm not afraid of them,"

"Then what are you afraid of?" She asked, making him look at her. "It's clear it is something,"

"You're right.." He muttered, glancing down as he played with his hands. "I saw... something... but the thing is... I can't really talk about it. Not to you,"

"Is there a reason?" She asked, making him frown but he didn't answer. "Can you hint to me what you saw?"

"It's not what you think," He replied, making her raise an eyebrow. "I didn't see a crime or anything like that. I saw a terrifying akuma but I can't tell you anything more then that. If I do... who knows what will happen?"

"An akuma?" She asked, frowning. "Luka, most akumas are terrifying and you have a fear of them-"

"This is why I can't tell you!" He snapped, surprising her. "You just don't get it! No one does because no one else saw it! Only I did! Only I remember but I don't want to! I wish I could forget all about her but I can't! Every-time I close my eyes, I see her! I-"

He shook as tears rolled down his face, making Mila frown as she reached and handed him a tissue.

"Luka, it's ok," She stated as he wiped his eyes. "This akuma... does she have a name?"

He shook his head, making Mila frown. He wasn't going to talk about it anymore. She knew that. He said he couldn't, like he was afraid of the consequences of what might happen if he did but this deeply concerned her and it sounded like a miraculous issue. An akuma that no one else saw. It had to be an akuma from somewhere else. Maybe a different timeline or a different reality but as far as she knew, Luka hadn't held a miraculous but then again she didn't exactly know the identities of Anatis' allies. She only knew who she had given them to. She was even considering giving one to Luka as he had a good heart and a strong sense of justice. After all, that's how she chose her holders. They were either her patients or her students. Unbeknownst to Luka and Anatis, Mila wasn't just a therapist or at least she hadn't been until recently. She was also the mistress of a Dojo back in Japan which she had founded when she was forced to retreat there after Toutai's murder. For the last century or so, she had ran the dojo but as far as her students were concerned, she was the great-granddaughter of the original mistress. She used the dojo to find potential miraculous holders in order to prepare for the day where she would have to battle against Su Han and the Order. A small number of her students had been chosen over the years and were allowed to know her true identity but over the years, the dojo fell into hard times, especially after it's sister school in china was destroyed in a fire. She was devastated to learnt of it and had reached out to the daughter of the master but Fei didn't trust her. Her father had told her nothing of his connection to her and so Fei chose not to believe and distanced herself from Mila. As someone who understood lost better then most, Mila accepted that and hoped that Fei was able to learn to cope with her father's loss. Despite that, Mila still kept an eye on her and was happy to discover that Fei had gained a friend in Anatis. Though she wasn't fully aware of what exactly had happened in Shanghai. She just heard about it from an associate in China about it who acted as her eyes and ears in Shanghai. Speaking of her dojo, she was still the mistress but had left one of her student teachers in charge while she investigated Paris. Still, as far as she knew Luka didn't hold a miraculous but he was close to Anatis so maybe that had something to do with that. She would bring it up to Anatis tonight when they met tonight. She had already sent a request to him as Fu had sent word to her that he was finally settled in a new and safe place. While she had taught Anatis some small things about been a guardian, the differences between them were obvious and she was sure he would be happy to see his master again. Putting her attention back on Luka, she noticed he was shaking again. She grabbed some fresh tissues and gave them to him, getting a mumbled thanks of him.

"I'm not going to push you to talk about this akuma to me," She reassured, making him look at her with a grateful look before he nodded. "But can I give you some advice?"

"S-Sure," He mumbled, wiping his eyes.

"If you have someone who you can open up to about this akuma then do so," She stated, making him look at her in surprise. "I know you think keeping it in is right but I can see that whatever you saw is eating you up on the inside and bottling it up is not healthy, Luka. It's like having a poison in your system and not taking the antidote. All it will do is poison your mind and heart. It will make you akuma bait so talk to someone about it. It doesn't have to be me. It can be your mother, sister or a friend,"

"I... you're right..." He mumbled, looking down. "I... I think I know who I can talk to about it..."

"I'm glad there's someone," She replied in a sincere way. "Now why don't we discuss something more fun for the rest of the session? Like your band? Have you been working on anything new?"

"I've been working on a new song for Marinette," Luka mumbled, wiping his eyes with the tissue but he seemed happy for the change of subject. Sometimes, it was best to talk about more causal things, especially after an emotional outburst like the one Luka had. While Mila wasn't worried about akumas coming into her office thanks to her protection spells, she knew that leaving a patient in an emotionally vulnerable state is not a good thing especially in a city with an emotional terrorist. So her solution was to get her patients to talk about things they love. With Luka, that is music. "It's not finished yet but she likes it so far,"

"Marinette? She's your girlfriend isn't she?" She asked, remembering him mentioning her before. Luka nodded. "Does she have a hobby too?"

"Oh yeah. She's an amazing artist and makes her own clothing," Luka gasped, perking up at the opportunity to tell someone about how great Marinette is. "She's such an amazing girl and I'm still surprised that she's my girlfriend. She designed me my favorite jacket and I actually modelled some of her clothing before. Though modelling is more of my sister's thing,"

"Juleka right?" Mila asked, getting a nod of him. Luka had mentioned her several times. He seemed close to her and thought of her as one of the people he needed to protect. That was one of the reasons why she had considered him for a miraculous. He had a strong sense of loyalty and wanted to protect the people he loved. "How is she doing?"

"She's getting better with her anxiety," He replied, making her nod. He had explained about it in one of his previous sessions. "Her modelling with Marinette is definitely giving her confidence,"

"That's good," She replied before they continued to chat for the rest of the session. By the time the alarm went off, Luka had fully calmed down and seemed more relax then before but he still had a lot of tension. She knew that would be the case though as things like this don't just disappear instantly. However, she was glad with the progress. "Ok so that concludes our session today but I have some homework for you,"

"Ok?"

"I want you to open up a little to someone close to you today," She stated, making him bite his lip a little. "Now it doesn't have to be about this akuma... though I do want you to reach out to someone to talk about that even if it isn't me but with today, I want you to tell them something small that you need to get off your chest. It can be anything you want and that you need help with it,"

"... you're trying to get me use to asking for help..." He stated, making her raise an eyebrow. Sometimes she forgot how perspective he was. "Aren't you?"

"Yes," She admitted. "I want you to understand that it's ok to ask for help or to talk about things with others. You don't need to shoulder the weight of the world on your own. You have people who love and want to help you,"

"I know," He replied, nodding. "I just don't want to stress them out or burden them... but I'll try to do what you asked and I think I'll try and talk to my friend about the akuma,"

"That's a good choice," She replied, walking over to the door with him as he grabbed his jacket. She noticed it had a snake on it. "Is that the jacket Marinette made for you?"

"Yeah," He smiled, looking at it with a soft look. "I thought I'd wear it today since it brings me comfort and seems to improve my luck. I guess you could say it's my lucky charm,"

She chuckled at that, making him smile.

"Well, I can see why you like it," She smiled, making him smile. "Marinette is truly talented,"

"Yeah," He smiled happily before shaking his head. "Same time next week then?"

"Yes," She nodded, opening her door to let him out. "Be safe, Luka,"

"Thank you Dr Lang," He replied before existing the office and leaving. Mila closed the door behind her and walked back to her desk, taking a drink from her water before setting out the notes on Luka and getting ready for her next patient. Meanwhile, Luka began to head back to the Seine, coming to the Liberty. He had taken out his phone and sent an email to Mr Damocles, explaining that he had a particular stressful therapy session today and wouldn't be returning to school for the rest of the day. Because of his therapy, he did have an arrangement with the school in case of something like this as therapy sessions can be very draining. Once the email was sent, he sent a text to Juleka and Marinette as he crossed the gangplank and headed down to his room. With everything sent, he took off his jacket and shoes and flopped onto his bed, letting out a sigh as Tikki flew out.

"Are you ok?" She asked, making him nod. "Dr Lang is right. You should talk to someone about her,"

"I know," He mumbled, moving his arm over his eyes. "I know... I can't keep on bottling it up... I think I'm going to tell Lady Noir. She is the best person to talk to about it and I did say that I would tell her at some point,"

"That seems like a good idea," Tikki nodded as Luka yawned. "You should get some rest,"

"Y-Yeah," He mumbled before curling up on his side and falling asleep almost straight away. Tikki flew over to the blanket that Marinette had made for him when he was in hospital and picked it up, moving over him as he slept, breathing lightly as he did. She curled up next to him and closed her own eyes...

The echos of beeping was the first thing that caught his attention as Luka found himself waking up. The second thing was the smell that can only be described as clean and he recognized it straight away. It was a smell that only seem to exist inside a hospital. He had been in enough of them recently to get familiar with it. Slowly, he opened his eyes and found himself frown as he looked up at a white ceiling. As far as he remembered, he had just fallen asleep at home so why was he suddenly in a hospital? Had he been caught up in an akuma attack? Did he get hurt? He glanced at himself but saw he was still in his normal clothing, still with his shoes off so that ruled out he was a patient. He glanced around the room and saw it was empty. None of the medical equipment was set up but the beds were made so he was on an empty ward and by the looks of the way the walls were decorated, it was the children's ward. He sat up and climbed off the bed, heading towards the door. He went to open it but to his horror, his hand went through the handle. He took a deep breathe and calmed himself. So he was currently in a spirit form. He must be experience something similar to visiting Feng's hut but he didn't think that they could manifest a hospital. Still, at least he wasn't actually in one. He was sick of them. He stepped through the door and began to walk down the corridors. As he traveled down them, the sound of someone crying caught his attention. He frowned and followed it, coming upon a scene that ached his heart. Sat on one of the chairs was none other then his mother but to his surprise, she looked younger. Her hair was a little shorter and not completely gray. By the looks of it, she had only just started to go gray but he could see part of it was brown. She was hugged a little girl who he realized was Juleka. She couldn't be any older then four years old and was clinging to Anarka's side. To his heartache, Anarka was the person who was crying. Even though she was trying to be strong for Juleka, the tears just wouldn't stop.

"Ma!" He gasped, rushing over to her. He tried to reach out but his hand went straight through her cheek as a dark shadow moved over, making him spin around. He gritted his teeth as he came face to face with Issac but the man just walked through him and moved to Anarka. Luka tried to grab him as he loomed over his mother and sister. "Leave them alone!"

"Anarka," He stated in a cold voice, making Anarka flinch a little. "Have the doctors said anything since we admitted him?"

"Only t-that he's in a coma and they need to run tests..." She sobbed, looking up at him. Luka couldn't help but wonder how long he had been in hospital for at this point. "W-What happened? How did he get so hurt?"

"I'm sorry, Anarka," Issac replied, making Luka grit his teeth. "He was been reckless. I tried to stop him but the boy... Luka... he fell down the stairs and hit his head..."

"Liar!" Luka screamed, trying to go for him as he realized what Issac was talking about and why his mother was crying. This was the time he was in hospital in a coma. "You lying bastard! I didn't fall! You beat him me up! You tried to fucking kill me, you asshole!"

"I rushed him here as soon as I could," Issac continued his lie as Luka found himself raging more. He would have to be careful when he woke up though but before he could continue, the doctor came out with a somber look on his face. "Is he...?"

"It's not great news," The doctor stated, causing his mother to look at him. "Your son's injuries are dire, especially his head injury. Due to it, he slipped into a coma almost straight away which is why we did tests and I'm sorry but the chances of your son waking up are extremely slim. If he does, there's a high chance of severe brain damage but right now, the only thing that's keeping him alive is the medical equipment... which is why I have to ask you... do you want us to continue treatment or will you allow us to let him pass?"

Anarka burst into tears at that as Issac looked to the doctors.

"What's the chance of him pulling through?" He asked but Luka could feel that he was hoping there wasn't one.

"Honestly, I'd say there's less then 10% chance of him pulling through," He answered, making Issac nod. He looked sad but he could see glee in his eyes.

"In that case, we should do the kind thing and let him pass on-"

"What?!" Anarka screamed, surprising Issac. "No! I will not let you kill my son!"

She turned to the doctor with a determined look.

"Please don't give up on him," She gasped with tears in her eyes. "Luka is a strong boy. He can pull through so please keep him alive,"

"Mrs Farrow-"

"It's Miss Couphène!" She declared, surprising him. "Issac is not Luka's father but I am his mother so please save my baby,"

"I see," The doctor replied, giving Issac a look of disgust before looking back at his mother. "I can't make any promises but we will do everything in our power to try and save him,"

With that, he turned on his heel and walked back into the room, causing Luka to glare at his step-father as his mother sobbed. He ignored it as Issac attempted to reason with his mother, saying his survival was minimum before disappearing through the door into the room where he was. The doctor had directed the nurses to treat him as best as they can but it was weird seeing his younger self, lying there. His head had been partially shaved in order to place brain monitors on him and he was connected to a machine that was keeping him breathing and his heart beating. He had been so close to dying it actually scared Luka a little. Gradually the nurses and doctors left and the room became empty apart from the beeping of the machine. Luka had taken to sitting the chair next to his younger self, though he didn't seem to be able to affect the environment. From what he could tell, he was viewing the past in a similar to how he viewed his vision on leaving Paris, his dreams about Lady Blanche and his dreams about Feng's life. He seemed to always learn about things in these dreams so he wondered what he would learn about in this one. He frowned a little as he felt the room's atmosphere change a little but before he could do anything, a shade appeared in the room before taking the form of Feng himself. He seemed to ignore Luka as he walked over to his younger self.

"Oh, Luka," He sighed sadly as he sat down next to the young boy. "I'm sorry. I should have warned you about him and protected you better,"

"It wasn't your fault," Another voice stated, causing Luka to glance over as Khnurn walked over. "Humans are selfish creatures and most of them will hurt the innocent. We all know this better then most. Will he wake up?"

"I don't know," Feng answered, frowning. "The others... are they?"

"Toutai is panicking so Alpheus and Rene stayed with him," Khnurn answered. "He doesn't want to see another one be murdered as well. Is there anything we can do?"

Feng remained quiet, making Khnurn frown.

"Feng?"

"This machine is the only thing keeping his soul from moving over," He replied, making the younger guardian frown. "Humans have come far but even they can not stop death in it's tracks,"

"I could," A new voice stated, causing Luka to recognize it as Finni. He glanced over with the other guardians and rose an eyebrow as he saw a young boy stood in the corner of the room. His eyes were the same silver as Finni's in his bird form and his hair was golden with colorful highlights. He wore orange and red robes and looked roughly the same as the Luka in the bed. "I can save him,"

"Finni," Feng stated, frowning. "This isn't the same as when I was dying. He's already dead,"

"I know," Finni replied, walking over. "His body is only breathing because of this machine and this machine is keeping us both here but I can't let him die. I can't go through that loss again. I failed to protect Toutai and I'm not about to fail this child either. I have the power to bring him back,"

"It will drastically weaken you!" Khnurn gasped, making Finni look at him. "Not just that but there would be no undoing that merge. At least with what you have with us, you can separate yourself if you wish to do so and wonder about as a separate spirit but this would permanently merge you with his soul. There would be no way to separate you from him. You'd lose any freedom you had,"

"I know the risks, Khnurn," Finni replied, smiling softly before looking at him. "But this child is more then just your latest life. He is a light soul and a powerful source of good but even if he wasn't, I couldn't sit there and let him die when I can save him,"

"You've made up your mind," Feng stated, causing the phoenix boy to nod. "I see. Is there anything we can do to assist you?"

"I need you to watch over him... and bound his abilities. Right now, it is far too dangerous for him to use them, especially with that man around," Finni replied, making them frown. "Since I will go into a dormant state as I have not fully recovered from Toutai's murder, I won't be able to protect him,"

"How do we protect him then?" Khnurn asked, causing Finni to sigh. "With his powers binded, he won't be able to see us,"

"I know but you can use your own magic," Finni replied, making them look at him. "You are all empaths. Influence someone to leave him alone shouldn't be trouble for you,"

"I see," Khnurn replied, nodding. "We will try our best but it might be enough,"

"I know but with his powers been bound until it is safe to undo them, that man and the others should leave him alone. I will also repress his memories of you and that so his 'step father' can not use it against him anymore," Finni replied, frowning. "At the very least, the spirits will leave him alone since he won't be able to see them,"

"Finni," Khnurn stated but Feng remained quiet. "Feng? You knew this would happen?"

"I foresaw it," He answered as the three of them looked at him. "But this binding will not last forever. There will come a time where his powers will reawaken and where Finni will no longer be asleep. He will need all of us when they do,"

Feng looked at Finni, who gave him a nod confirming his words.

"Don't worry, old friend. We will always be by his side," Feng replied, causing Finni to nod again before he gently took Luka's hand and closed his eyes, beginning to glow...

Luka gasped as he jolted away, finding himself back on the liberty and not in the hospital. He sat up as he took a breathe and ran his fingers through his hair. He got up and walked out of his room, heading into the bathroom. He locked the door and filled the sink up with water before washing his face and drying it. Once that was done, he took another deep breathe and glanced at his reflection. He needed to know if that dream was in fact his memory and if so, he had questions. A lot of them and he knew Feng or the others wouldn't be able to answer them. No, he needed to talk to Finni.

"Finni," He stated, looking at his reflection. "I need to ask you something,"

At first, nothing happened but then the room suddenly warmed up. Not like a fire but more like a feeling of warmth and familiarity. He glanced around the room as the light flickered a little before looking back at the mirror. The glass rippled, causing his reflection to change into the young boy from his dream. Finni in his humanoid form.

"Hello, Luka," He stated, though his voice was like an echo. "I know you have questions and I'll do my best to answer them as clearly as I can,"

"Thank you," Luka replied, nodding as Finni also nodded. "That dream I had... I was-"

"In the hospital," Finni replied, nodding. "I know. I experienced it too. You want to know if it was just a dream or if it was real,"

"Yeah,"

"It was real, Luka," Finni replied, making Luka nod. He had a feeling. "I'm sorry. This must be hard for you, especially with the fact that we binded your magic,"

"... It worked a little..." Luka confessed, making Finni look at him. "Issac was still abusive but he didn't try to kill me again... well not until recently.... and Ma finally got herself and us out of that situation,"

"I'm glad you were about to get out of that situation," Finni replied before glancing down. "I'm sorry though. I wasn't able to help you,"

"Hey, you saved my life," Luka stated, wanting to comfort the spirit. "But... was I really dead?"

"I'm afraid so,"

"You bounded yourself to me again but in the memory, they said it was different to the time with Feng," Luka mumbled. "That since I was already dead, you wouldn't be able to free yourself if you bounded yourself to me. Is that true and what does it mean? Am I just a walking corpse?"

"No! You're very much alive," Finni gasped, holding up his hands. "While it's true that I am bound to you and unable to leave, the process brought you fully back to life,"

"So I'm not dead anymore but I was?" Luka questioned, making Finni nod. "This is a lot,"

"I know but I can explain it. It's kind of like those people who were dead for two minutes, only it was a little longer," Finni replied, making Luka frown a little. "I promise you that you're definitely alive but our connection changed when I binded myself to you. It is different to the connection I had to Feng and the others. Feng and the others were my host but I existed beyond them too. As a spirit, I was capable of walking both plains, though no one but the gifted could see me. When I binded myself to Feng, it was to save his life but his soul wasn't dead. It was damaged as all soul are when the body receives mortal wounds plus Simme had left damage too but it hadn't passed yet. When I binded myself to him, our souls intertwined which allowed his soul to heal itself from my soul. It feed off me so to speak but with you, the scenario was very different. You were already dead and those machines were keeping you breathing. When I binded myself to you, I wasn't merging myself with a damaged soul that could regenerate. I was merging myself with a one who's life force had already gone,"

"Umm..." Luka frowned, still feeling a little confused. "I'll be honest... I don't really get it,"

"Ok, let me simplify it for you," Finni replied, thinking. "Ok, imagine you have two smartphones?"

"Ok?"

"One of them is really low battery and desperately needs charging but it's not dead yet and the battery itself isn't damaged," Finni replied, making Luka nod. "You connect to a power outlet with a charger and it charges up right? Takes time but soon the phone is fully battery and it's capable of functioning right?"

"Yeah,"

"Well, that is what I did with Feng," Finni replied, making Luka nod as he understood.

"You were the outlet with the charger and he was the phone who's battery was dying,"

"Exactly," Finni replied, a little proud of his explanation. "Which brings us to the second phone. Like the first one, it needs help but its in a much worst condition then the first phone. It's battery is completely dead and damaged. It can't hold a charge no matter how hard you try so you have to replace the battery with a new one so that's what you do because you love this phone and you don't want to replace it. That's what I did with you. I replaced your battery so to speak with myself becoming your new battery,"

"I see," Luka nodded, getting it. "But with the charger, you can remove it and the phone will last a certain amount of time but if you remove the battery, the phone will die... that's why you can't leave isn't it? If you chose to leave Feng, he wouldn't die straight away. He would live out his life but if you leave me... I'll die won't I?"

"Yeah but it's not because your soul is still dead. The phone isn't still dead when you replace the battery. It is brought back to life but the new battery becomes part of it," Finni replied, making Luka frown. "I have become part of you. I became your life force,"

"My life force but doesn't that mean that you're my soul?"

"Not at all," Finni replied. "Life source or Esse in spirit terms is the energy that allows creatures to live. The soul or Chi in spirit terms is the thing that makes people who they are. Souls grow and change as they live through their experiences. In your case, it grows and changes throughout your different lives. I joined with Feng's Chi, allowing it to heal with his Esse. Because I stayed with him, it gave him a long life and when it was time for his death, he allowed his soul to move on and I followed. i did the same with the others and I intentionally did the same with you but because I was weakened from Toutai's murder and our connection had been weakened, I wasn't able to heal you in time when your stepfather attacked you. Your Esse was gone so I became it in order to save you but your chi is still you. That's why we're able to talk like this. If I had become your chi then you wouldn't be here. I'd be inhabiting your body... but I hope you can forgive me,"

"Forgive you?" Luka asked, frowning. "Finni, there's nothing for me to be angry about. You gave up your chance of a life to save mine. You saved me. If anything, I should give you my thanks,"

"But... we kept it from you..." Finni replied, looking at me.

"Can you honestly say that I would have been safe if I knew?" Luka asked, making Finni think before he shook his head. "See? It's ok,"

"You're too kind, Luka," Finni smiled, making Luka smile back. "However, those memories while locked away are not lost. I can return them to you,"

"But that means the bad ones too, doesn't it?" Luka asked, looking to the side. While he remembered most of the abuse he had faced from Issac, he knew he didn't remember all of it. There were spots in his memory. He always just assumed that it was because he had blocked it out and even with the option to remember, he wasn't sure if he wanted to. "I'm not sure I want to remember the bad ones,"

"You don't have to have them back right now. They'll always be within your mind," Finni reassured, making Luka nod as his phone vibrated. Luka glanced over at it and sighed. He picked up the phone, took a screen shot and proceeded to block a number, making Finni frown. "Everything ok?"

"It's another anonymous text telling me to drop the case against Bob Roth," He sighed, looking back in the mirror. "I keep on getting them so I've been collecting them for my lawyer... well, Dad's lawyer. We think Bob Roth has paid someone to basically try and threaten me. He got out on bail but we're due going to court against him after we've finished up with Issac. Given the link in the two cases, Dad's lawyer has insisted that we do the two trial on the same day. Get it over and done with I guess,"

"Is that tomorrow?" Finni asked, getting a nod of Luka. "Do you think he will get away with it?"

"No, this one isn't really a trial but more a sentencing hearing," Luka admitted. Even though he knew Issac was probably going to go away for a long time, he wasn't looking forward to seeing him again. Finni tilted his head to the side as if confused. "Issac pleaded guilty. This court is basically for the judge to sentence him and reward me compensation. Dad's lawyer insisted on it been a thing so I can get closure but the real trouble is Bob Roth. As far as I know, he's refusing to admit guilt for anything even the stuff not related to me. Of course, those cases have nothing to do with me but it's still annoying to know he's refusing to take responsibility for releasing the information that directly led to Issac attempting to murder me,"

"So what's the charges for him?"

"Child endangerment, Perverting the course of justice, assisted kidnapping and assisted attempted murder," Luka replied, frowning as his phone vibrated again. He repeated his previous action before sighing. "I'm gonna have to change my number again,"

"Maybe it's time to get some rest," Finni replied, making Luka nod. "It's late after all,"

"Yeah," Luka agreed as he yawned. Finni glowed and left the mirror in a golden light before appearing in his kwami form next to Luka. He gently nuzzled his cheek before turning in a golden light that surrounded Luka. He gently placed his hand on his heart as it died down before heading to his room. He looked in on Juleka who was curled up asleep in her room before going through his door. Tikki was curled up in bed, making him smile a little before he got back into bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

~Next Day at the Supreme Court~

"Now remember that this is just a sentencing court. Issac is under restraint and has been under house arrest for the last few month since his bail was posted," Jagged's Lawyer, Salomé Monet, declared, making Luka nod. She was an interesting woman. Fierce and determined, he could see why his father had hired her. She knew the law like the back of her hand and she was not one to surrender. However, she was also compassionate for those who needed it. "If he does try anything, a number of guards will have him restrained before you can even say 'Anatis',"

"R-Right," Luka nodded. He glanced over as his mother who gave him her best smile. Sadly, Marinette or Juleka couldn't be there as they still had to attend school but Anarka was and they had already arranged it with Marinette's parents to have Luka sleep around that night. "Shall we go inside then?"

"When you're ready," Salomé replied before giving him a look. "If you need to step out, don't hesitate. We'll understand if you need to,"

"Thank you," Luka replied, nodding. A few seconds later, they headed into the court room and took their seats. Luka began to figet a little so Anarka reached out and gently took his hand, making him glance at her.

"You ok, Lad?" She asked, making him smile and nod as Issac was brought in by some officers Luka's eyes widen as he looked at him. He looked awful, like he hadn't slept in months. His once neat hair was frazzled and his clothes were crinkled and ever so slightly tattered. His beard had grown out and he had dark circles under his eyes. He honestly looked like the living dead. His lawyer, a meek man, trailed behind him as Luka watched them. Issac came to a stop and glancing around, his wild eyes landing on Luka. They widened in fear and he looked like he might start screaming but luckily, he didn't. Instead he looked away from him as he shook before glancing around. Luka realized he was looking for the kwamis and seemed to calm down when he didn't see any. He took his seat and glanced back at Luka, causing him to grip Anarka's hand a little tighter. "It's ok, Lad. He can't hurt you anymore,"

Luka nodded, not trusting his voice but relaxed a little when Issac's lawyer told him to stop staring.

"That freak unleashed little monsters on me," Issac hissed back, making the man facepalm.

"Issac, you did take your meds today didn't you?" He asked in a tired tone.

"I'm not crazy,"

"Sure, you're not," The lawyer replied, shaking his head as the lead officer came out.

"All rise," He declared, causing everyone to stand up as the judge came and took their seat. "Judge, this is case 1345 of Farrow vs Anarka Couffaine on behalf of one Luka Couffaine. All parties are here,"

He turned to the small crowd.

"Please be seated,"

"It is my understanding that this is a sentencing case and that the accused has in fact pleaded guilty. Can you confirm this, Mr Auclair?"

"Yes, your honor," Mr Auclair declared, standing up. "My client offers his deepest-"

"Save it," The Judge ordered. "I doubt Ms Couffaine or her son want to hear your client's false apologies. Now according to my files, your client also suffered a mental breakdown and you have applied for him to carry out any sentence he is given in a mental health facility? Do you have Mr Farrow's medical records?"

"Yes, your honor,"

"I would like to read them before I make a judgement on where he should do his sentence," He ordered, causing the officer to grab the files from Mr Auclair and handed them to him. Luka watched as the judge read over them, making him nervous a little. "Mr Farrow, according to your records, you have no history of mental health issues and have never had a mental breakdown prior to the one you had before you arrest. Is this true?"

"Yes, your honor," Issac replied, making the judge nod.

"And while you experienced mental health issues after your arrest, you did not actual suffer another mental breakdown during the time in jail and under house arrest?"

"Also true, your honor,"

"I see," The Judge replied, handing the files back to the guard. "In that case, I will not allow your client's request, Mr Auclair. I find your client is of sound body and mind and therefore will complete his sentencing in a normal prison,"

"But that brat caused me to break down!" Issac screamed, causing his lawyer to pull him down and tell him off.

"Forgive his interruption, your honor,"

"Mr Farrow, your stepson did not cause your mental breakdown nor is there any evidence that he was even there when you had it," The judge replied, making Issac tut. "Regardless of those facts, I would say after the trauma you put him through, he would have every right to make you feel as vulnerable as he felt when you kidnapped him,"

"It's not my fault, your honor!" Issac shouted before pointing to Luka with a smirk. "He's a witch!"

He had an expression like he thought the accusation would change everything and that the judge and everyone else would suddenly change their minds and agree with him but it didn't go his way. The Judge instead rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.

"Witch or not, he is still a child," The judge stated, causing Luka to smile a little. "And you still committed a crime. I don't see why you shouldn't be punished to the full extent of the law or placed in a prison instead of a mental healthy facility,"

"I'm insane!"

"Playing that card are we?" The judge asked, glancing over his glasses at Issac. "Mr Auclair, your client has been examined by our doctors correct?"

"Yes, your honor,"

"Could you read out their findings?"

"Um... 'Mr Farrow shows no signs of any mental health illnesses and appears to have had a freak mental break down. We have tested and observed him in order to determine a cause for it. We have determined that stress was the main factor in his mental breakdown due to his outstanding warrants for his arrest but we deem him sane. He has no history of mental health issues nor has suffered a mental break before this incident. However, he is a threat to society and has shown a taste for violence'..."

"In order words, Mr Farrow. You did not act out of insanity when you attempted to murder your step son and were of sound body and mind," The Judge stated, causing Issac to go pale. "Therefore, I think it only fair that you be punished to the full extent of the law. I hereby sentence you to 30 years imprisonment without parole for 10 years. I also hereby reward the Couffaines with €5000 as compensation,"

He turned to look at Anarka and Luka.

"I can only reward up to €5000 so I hope this acceptable for you," The judge recommended, causing Anarka to nod. "And I hope that this ruling will allow you two some peace of mind,"

With that, he turned to the bailiff who nodded. Two officers came back in and made Issac stand up before leading him out. He looked behind him and glared at Luka but before he could do anything, one of the officers roughly dragged him outside. Luka let out a breathe he hadn't realized he had been holding in before the judge cleared his throat.

"We will take a recess for one hour before we tackle the second half of this case," The Judge announced before getting up and leaving. Anarka and Luka got up and left the court room, just as Luka's phone vibrated. He took it out and frowned as he saw another threat. He sighed and switched off his phone before turning to Anarka who was speaking with their lawyer.

"Ma, I'm just going to use the bathroom," He stated, making her nod. He walked off and into the bathroom before running the water in the sink and splashing his face. This threat was the worst one by far and he was certain they were from Bob Roth even if they were from an unknown number. It basically threatened to hurt Juleka and he didn't want that. He let out a sigh as he felt Tikki press her paw against his chest, reminding him that she was there for him. However, the door to the bathroom opened and closed before someone cleared their throat. Luka looked up and saw a man in a black suit with sunglasses stood behind him. He turned around with a weary look. "Can I help you?"

"Mr Couffaine, we want you to drop the case against Bob Roth," He declared, making him frown. "Our client is willing to... give you compensation for the troubles you have endured and will ensure no harm come to your family if you do so but we need you to say to the judge that you want to drop the case. Convince him to do so,"

"How am I suppose to do that?"

"Say that you made up the accusations out of jealous against our client's son. Tell him you lied for attention. I don't care how you do it as long as you do," The man replied, making Luka frown. Bob Roth and his people thought he could be brought and bribed but this went against everything he was. As if reading his mind, the man took a step forward. "If you don't, I can promise your loved ones will pay. Mr Roth has connections with powerful people who can make your life extremely difficult. I would hate to see your family lost the Liberty or your mother to lose custody of you and your sister. Speaking of your sister, we can destroy her future easily. She wants to be a model correct? We can easily blacklist from every fashion house there is and that nice little baker you're dating with the dreams off been a fashion designer. It would be terrible for her career if she was accused of plagiarism or if her family's bakery was closed down so I highly recommend you take our offer, Mr Couffaine or else your friends and family will suffer. I'm sure you don't want that so do the right thing,"

With that, he turned around and left the bathroom, leaving Luka shook. He sunk to the ground as what the man said came into his mind. They knew he was with Marinette. They knew about her dreams and Juleka's dreams. Tikki flew out as he shook. They must have been following them.

"Luka, take a deep breathe," Tikki gasped, pressing her paw against his cheek.

"T-They know Marinette and Juleka..." He gasped, shaking. "I... I can't... th-they... hurt t-them..."

Tikki looked around panicked as his breathing got more ragged and panicked. She knew she should get Anarka but before she could, the air seem to shift in the bathroom, making it feel like the spirit realm. Footsteps echoed as Luka continued to have his panic attack. He gripped his hair as tears rolled down his face but he jumped as he felt a hand on his, stopping him from yanking his hair out. He shakily looked up and found himself face to face with Alpheus.

"Al-Alpheus..." He whimpered.

"Follow my lead, Luka," He stated, making. "Breathe in.... and out..."

Luka followed his actions, slowly calming down. Once calm, he wiped away his tears.

"T-thank you," He replied as the Greek sat next to him as he looked around the room. It seemed different. Luka glanced over at Alpheus and noticed he seemed a little older then when he last saw him. He roughly looked around 25 years old. "Are we still in the court?"

"Technically yes but I used my magic to pull you into the spirit realm," He replied, making Luka glance at him. "I know what just happened,"

"I don't know what to do," Luka admitted, hugging his legs. "If I don't get the judge to drop the case, my loved ones will suffer but if I do, it goes against everything I am as a person. It means Bob Roth will get away with it and if this how he deals with a civil thing... how many other people have he threatened to get them to drop their cases against him?... I'm scared, Al,"

"It's ok to be scared," Alpheus replied, causing Luka to look at him. "And no one will blame you or hold it against you if you decide to drop this case,"

"B-But isn't that against the rules?" He asked, frowning. "That's why you're here right? To test me?"

"Do you know what my trait is?" Alpheus asked, making Luka shake his head. "My trait is loyalty. The team I had in my life was built on our loyalty to each other. It was what defined us but it was also what was broken when Juno stole the peacock miraculous. She betrayed my loyalty and it hurt a lot but I learnt from it and fought against her because I couldn't give up on what I had started,"

"You think I should continue?"

"I think it's up to you," Alpheus replied, making Luka nod. "But that's not the question you need to ask. The question is if you don't... can you live that choice? You don't have to answer that question now but you'll know it when the moment to answer it comes,"

"What if I decide to drop it?"

"Then you drop it," Alpheus replied, looking at him. "and you'll have to live it with it,"

"... I don't know if I can..."

"Like I said you don't have to answer it right now," Alpheus replied, getting up and offering his hands to Luka. He took them and allowed Alpheus to pull him to his feet. "And even if you decide that, we'll still be here for you but maybe I give you something,"

"O-ok,"

"Here's some words that I think might help," Alpheus replied, making Luka raise an eyebrow as he cleared his throat. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,"

With that, he disappeared in a wisp of smoke, leaving Luka with his thoughts. Tikki gently placed his hand on his cheek as he splashed his face again before walking out of the bathroom. It was odd seeing Alpheus so serious but that means it's important. Anarka looked at him and asked him if he was ok. He nodded and walked back into the courtroom before taking a seat. Would it be worth it if he dropped it? His family would be ok right? And so would Marinette? But Bob Roth also thought he could get away with stealing their work. Who else had he hurt? Who else had he threatened to get his own way? What if Luka standing up to him gave people courage to do the same? What if it didn't? Was it really worth it but more importantly... could he live with his choice if he choose to drop the case and go against his morals?

"Luka, the case is about to begin again," Their lawyer stated as Anarka took a seat next to him. "Is there anything else you want to add before we do?"

"I got another text just after we left for the break," He replied, showing him. The lawyer frowned as he read it.

"Anything else?"

"... A man in black came into the bathroom when I was washing my face and threatened everyone I care about," He stated, making both the lawyer and Anarka look at him shocked. "He said that I need to drop the case and that they would give us compensation if I did. when I hesitated, he said he would destroy my loved one's life. He knew about the Liberty and Juleka's dreams of been a model. He even threatened to destroy my girlfriend's dreams of been a fashion designer and threatened her parent's business,"

"Damn it," The lawyer groaned, pinching his nose. "You're not my first client to experience this,"

"Lad, if you decide to drop the case, I understand," Anarka stated, making Luka look down. "You haven't decided yet have you?"

"... not yet..."

Before they could continue, Bob Roth himself was brought in and had the nerve to smirk at Luka before he sat down with the man in the black suit. His lawyer. Of course. Luka's lawyer gave him a glare before the judge came in and took their seat.

"Welcome back," He stated before taking his papers. "So now we are dealing with the second half of this case. Anarka Couffaine on behalf of Luka Couffaine vs Bob Roth. Unlike the previous part of this case, this is a trial not a sentencing hearing. Mr Roth has pleaded not guilty against the charges accused of him. I hope both sides have evidence readied. I do not wish to drag out this case longer then necessary. We will start with the opening statements,"

Luka looked down at his hands as each lawyer did their opening statement. Bob Roth's lawyer tried to paint him as a family man who helped out the community and tried to make out that Luka and his family were ruffians and seemly trying to get money from Bob. Luka's lawyer showed how Luka was a kind and gentle person who tried his best to help his friends, even acknowledging his friendship with Anatis and tried to counter Bob's lawyer's ideals of him. With the opening statements done, the two lawyers presented the evidence to prove Bob Roth's guilt or innocent. A lot of Luka's lawyers evidence was countered by Bob's lawyer including the threatening texts. Soon Bob was brought onto the standing and was questioned by Bob of them. He tried to make himself seem like a nice man, joking and acting 'kind'. The worst part is it seemed people were falling for it.

"Defense calls Luka Couffaine to the stand," Bob's lawyer stated, making everyone gasp.

"Objection! We agreed not to do that!" Luka's lawyer argued, making the judge call them over to the stand. The three of them discussed before the judge nodded, causing the lawyer to walk back over. "I'm sorry, Luka but the judge wants you to be questioned,"

"... Alright..." Luka nodded, getting up and walking to the stand. He swore the oath to tell the truth before taking a seat. The judge leaned over to him.

"Answer everything as best as you can and clearly," He stated, making Luka nod. "I will overrule if I think the questions are too personal,"

"Ok," Luka nodded. He looked over at the captain who gave him a reassuring look.

"Luka? Can I call you Luka?" The lawyer asked, making Luka nod. "Ok, Luka. Will you tell us your story of your accusations against Mr Roth?"

Luka nodded and explained what had led up to this case.

"An interesting story," The Lawyer replied, nodding. "But how can I be certain it's true? After all, your mother has butted heads with Mr Roth before as has your father. Could this be their way of getting even with Mr Roth?"

"No," Luka answered. "My mother and father have nothing do with this case,"

"Are you sure?" He asked, making Luka frown. "It seems very far fetched, claiming that Mr Roth and his son stole your music and then released your relationship to Mr Stone for revenge. Why would my client do that? And how can we be sure you didn't make it up?"

Luka went silence as he realized what the man was doing. This was it. His choice. He could agree with him and get the case dropped... or he could tell the truth.

"Luka, did you make it up?" The lawyer asked in his best 'child speaking' voice. "It's ok if you did. No one is going to be angry. You just need to tell the truth,"

The question is if you don't... can you live that choice?

"Luka, please answer the question,"

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

"Luka?"

".... I didn't make it up..." Luka stated, looking at the lawyer. "And my ma and pa didn't pressure me or anything. Mr Roth stole from me and my friends. He released that information on purpose and even got a message from Issac when I was kidnapped. I remember it. Issac had beaten me up then yanked my hair and took a photo before going on the phone with him so he could contact my parents for a random. I know I can't prove that it's his number but he has been harassing me for a number of weeks threatening me to do the case against him and then during the break, you came into the bathroom while I was trying to calm down from seeing Issac again and threatened me and my loved ones! The worst part is I thought about doing what you wanted. I want to protect my loved ones but the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing! I am not going to stand by and let him getting away with this. He is corrupt and greedy and you should be ashamed of representing someone like that!"

"Why you little brat!" Bob shouted, jumping up as his lawyer looked at Luka shocked. Apparently, he didn't expect that. "You're gonna pay for this you little brat!"

At that point, everyone apart from Luka started to shout. Bob was screaming about something, Anarka was screaming at him with both of their lawyers trying to calm them down while the judge tried to get control of the court room.

"Order in the court!"

~Hawkmoth's Lair~

"Ah, all these emotions running wild and all because of Mr Couffaine. No wonder why he feels so much guilt right now," Hawkmoth declared as his window opened, allowing light into the room. "Should I have kept my mouth shut? Am I wrong to speak up? Have I done the right thing? These questions make for a troubled heart... perfect prey for my akumas,"

He held out his hand as the butterfly landed on it before charging it up with dark energy. Once that was done, he let it flight off.

"Go, my little akuma," He declared, spinning his cane as it flew towards the window. "And evilize this lost soul!"

The akuma flew out the window and fluttered across Paris, coming to the courthouse as the parties continued to shout and argue while Luka tried to put his input and question if he had done the right thing. It crawled through the window and began to flutter down towards him but before it could enter any of his items, Bob Roth spotted it and made a rush for it, causing everyone in the room to gasp including his lawyer.

"Bob! No!" His lawyer shouted as he roughly grabbed it and forced it into his golden necklace, opening up the connection with Hawkmoth.

"Well, this is unexpected," Hawkmoth stated, feeling the feelings of rage and greed going through Bob's mind. "You were not my intended akuma,"

"Give me powers to shut down this case and I'll give you the miraculous," Bob declared as everyone began to run out of the courtroom and a number of officers came in, shouting at him to surrender and that they had already alerted the heroes. "That's what you want right?"

"Hmm... I'd be a fool not to accept a willing akuma," Hawkmoth replied. "Midas, I am giving you the power to use your wealth to rid yourself of this case. In return, you will get me the miraculous of Anatis and Lady Noir. Do we have a deal?"

"I will buy my way to victory!" Bob declared, laughing manically as the purple smog covered his body. As it disappeared, the floor where he stood turned gold and his appearance had changed. The akuma that stood before the officers was still very much Bob Roth but his outfit had most changed. Instead of his normal clothing, he was now dressed as a king. He had a golden crown upon his head where his glasses once were and his eyes had turned black with golden irises. His skin was an extremely pale yellow kind of color but his hands seem to fade into gold. He stepped forward, causing the floor that he stepped on to turn into gold. In a way, he resembled Style Queen but instead of glitter, his body appeared to be made of molten gold.

"Bob Roth, surrender the akuma and come quietly,"

"I am not Bob Roth anymore!" He roared, making them aim at him. "I am Midas and you will fear my golden touch!"

With that, he summoned a golden whip into his hand before hitting the officers with it, turning them into gold. The whip disappeared into his hand as he walked past the statues and began to look for the rest of the people in the court. The main one he wanted to deal with was Luka Couffaine but he'd take everyone else too, regardless of who they were.

~Meanwhile~

Luka and Anarka ran as fast as they could out of the courthouse as soon as Bob had made a grab for the akuma. Luka was glad that he hadn't been akumatized but now Bob had and he had to find an excuse to run off to turn into Anatis. They made a sharp turn but before they could, golden fire blew in front of them, causing the street and unfortunately Anarka to get turned into gold.

"Ma!" Luka shouted as he stepped back in horror. He looked up and saw a golden dragon flying in front of him. On top of it was the now akumatized Bob Roth. Seeing the young musician, he jumped down, causing Luka to step back. "Stay away!"

"Drop the case and I'll return your mother back to her normal form," Roth declared, narrowing his eyes at the boy. He edged closer as Luka frowned, clearly not expecting that but he intended that to be the case. He knew that he wouldn't drop the case but that wouldn't matter when he was gold. Seeing his chance, he went to grab Luka's arm only for the boy to realize what he planned and jump back as he ran off. However, his fingers managed to briefly brush the boy's skin, meaning he would slowly turn into gold. Satisfied, Midas smirked and left as Luka ran as fast as he could. He ducked into an alleyway and took a deep breathe before realizing his left arm felt stiff. He quickly moved it and pulled up his sleeve, seeing the golden poison. Tikki flew out, gasping as she did.

"You got hit!" She declared as he frowned. "And it's spreading!"

"Shit," He gasped as it slowly increased. "Tikki, how long would you say I've got?"

"About... 30 minutes at the most?" She suggested, making him frown. "We need to defeat him now!"

"Can I briefly use a lucky charm to get rid of it?"

"No, the miraculous cure won't work until you've defeated the villain," She declared, making him frown. "I'm sorry, Luka but you have to fight the villain first then reverse the damage,"

"Right," He nodded, swiping his ear rings. "Tikki! Spots on!"

He transformed and frowned as he saw the golden poison had affected his outfit to. The patch was now the size of his hand, making him frown deeply. He really didn't have long. He took out his yoyo and checked the news feed, showing that Midas was terrorizing people near the court and Lady Noir was on the scene. He threw his yoyo and made it there but by the time he got there, his hand was almost covered in gold as well. He frowned as he glanced around. Seeing that anyone who had been hit was already gold made him realize that if Midas saw his arm, he would realize his identity. Somehow he needed to cover it without making it obvious. He glanced around and saw nothing that would help so left with no choice, he threw his yoyo into the air.

"Lucky charm!" He called out, causing an arm sling to appear out of thin air. He caught it and quickly put it on, covering his arm before swinging down into battle.

"Annie! Don't let him touch you! He's got a golden touch!" Lady Noir declared as she dodged his whip attack. Anatis nodded before joining in with the fight. It wasn't easy fighting with one arm at all. Anatis had far too many close calls, especially with the golden dragon up in the sky. The worst part was they couldn't touch him, meaning getting his akumatized item off him was impossible. Lady Noir jumped back as he tried to hit her again. "Annie, I think we need help!"

"I agree but I had to summon my lucky charm already!" He declared, making her look at him with surprise. Midas and his dragon charged towards them, causing Lady Noir to call on her powers and slammed her hand into the ground, causing it break and dust to cover their escape. With Midas blinded, the two heroes rushed from the scene and into the sewers. With no one on their trail, Anatis leaned against the wall and careful removed the sling. Lady Noir gasped as she saw his now completely golden hand. "I got hit when I was trying to protect Luka,"

"Can't you just cast the cure?"

"According to Tikki, I need to defeat the cause first," He replied, making Lady Noir frown as he put his sling back on. "I have about 20 minutes before I'm completely gold. We can't touch him either or we'll be turned to gold straight away,"

"Isn't there anyway to buy you some time or like stop it?" Lady Noir asked, causing Anatis to make a face.

"There isn't a way to buy myself more time," Anatis replied, making her frown.

"Then how do we defeat him?" She gasped, looking upset. "You'll detransform and be gold before we can and we can't even touch him,"

Anatis made a face before sighing.

"Let's go to Mulan," He replied, making Lady Noir nod and follow him out of the sewers, making sure they weren't followed. By the time they got to Mila's office, Anatis' arm and part of his shoulder was completely gold and that had been they moving as fast as they could. Lady Noir gave him a worried look before knocking the window, causing Mila to come over and open it.

"What on earth happened?" She asked as Anatis' earrings beeped and Lady Noir's ring beeped. The two heroes climbed inside and Anatis rushed off to a separate room to detransform and recharge Tikki. "Lady Noir?"

"Annie got hit while protecting someone from the akuma. Also could you not look? I'm about to detransform," She replied, making Milan frown as her ring beeped rapidly. Mila nodded and turned around, keeping her eyes closed as Lady Noir turned back into Marinette gave Plagg some cheese.

"Tell me about the akuma,"

"His power is literally turning to people into gold. He seems to have copied Guitar Villain and Frightingale too as he has a golden dragon and uses a whip to turn people into statues straight away," She replied as Plagg finished the cheese. She re-transformed and took out her baton, looking for the akuma's location. "But from what Anatis told me, if he briefly touches you, the golden touch is slow and spreads like a poison, meaning we can't touch him either. If we do, we'll turn to gold,"

"I see," Mila frowned before walking over to the phone and dialing a number as Anatis came back out. Lady Noir gasped as she saw him. The golden poison had spreaded down part of his torso and part of it was spreading across his lower jaw. She went to go touch him but he shook his head.

"We don't know if it's contagious," He replied, making her frown but she nodded.

"Fu, it's Mila," Mila stated, making the two heroes look at her. "Bring the ox asap. Anatis and Lady Noir need it now,"

She looked over at them, frowning.

"Use the horse miraculous to get here," She added, frowning even more. "I know you're old but Anatis doesn't have long. You'll see when you get here,"

With that, she hung up and not even a second later, a portal opened, causing Fu wielding the horse miraculous to step through. As soon as he saw Anatis, he gasped and rushed over.

"What happened?" He asked, making the young hero frown.

"I got caught up protecting someone from the akuma," Anatis replied, turning to Lady Noir. "Can you take the miraculous? I don't want to risk turn it into gold,"

"Sure," She nodded, taking the box of Master Fu. "I have a good idea on who could be useful for this... if you're ok with me picking the hero this time,"

"I'm good with that," Anatis replied before his eyes widen in fear as the gold spread to his eye. "But can we go a lot quicker. I'm down one eye now,"

"Right!" Lady Noir nodded, worry covering her features before she turned back to Master Fu. "Can you take us to the local swimming pool?"

"Of course," Master Fu nodded before opening another portal, causing Kim to scream and fall into the pool. Lady Noir giggled a little as he climbed out and grabbed a towel.

"Whoa! Anatis and Lady Noir! And another hero! So cool!" Kim grinned, clearly happy to see them. "I never thanked you for- hey, Anatis you don't look too good? You ok, bro?"

"Just peachy," Anatis replied, giving him a thumbs up with his good arm. Lady Noir took out the box and held it out to Kim.

"Le Chien Kim, this is the miraculous of the ox," She stated, making him tear up. He looked like he was about to cry. "It grants you the power of... um... what power is it, Annie?"

"The power of Preservation,"

"Thanks, Annie," She replied, grinning before turning back to Kim. "It will give you the power of Preservation and um... look we need your help. You in?"

"Sure," Kim grinned, taking it and opening the box, allowing Stompp to manifest. "Aww, a little bull plushie,"

"I'm not a plush-"

"Guys, I would love to get you to know each other but we don't have time," Anatis interrupted before looking at Kim as the gold spread down to his thigh and part of his hair. "The transformation words are Stompp, Charge Ahead. Please hurry,"

"R-Right," Kim replied, realizing the seriousness of the situation. He put the ring in his nose before holding up his arms. "Stompp, Charge ahead!"

He lifted his arms and threw them back, creating his mask before stomping his feet as his outfit manifested. He lifted his hands and placed them on his head like horns before stomping again, creating real ones then held out his hand, creating real horns. He held out his hand and created a ball of light that turned into a Glaive Staff before he stuck a pose. With his transformation done, he turned to Lady Noir and Anatis.

"You should be able to find a user's guide in the glaive," Lady Noir stated before turning to Master Fu as Kim quickly read through it. "Can you open a portal to the outside of the Louvre? That's where Midas is,"

"Yes. Voyage!" Fu answered, causing a portal to open before he looked at Kim. "I suggest you use your power as quickly as you can, young man... and think up a name,"

"Just call me Lord Ox and sure," Kim or rather Lord Ox nodded before going through the portal with the two heroes. As soon as they landed on the ground, they saw a number of golden statues and Midas sat happily in the middle of them. "Whoa!"

"Ah, looks like I got one of you after all," He smirked, glancing at Anatis. However, he didn't seem to put two and two together. Anatis hoped that Hawkmoth wouldn't either. "Give me the brat and I'll remove that curse, Anatis,"

"Not happening," Anatis replied before groaning as his leg turned completely into gold. "Lord Ox, now!"

"Herd Immunity!" Lord Ox declared, causing his glaive to glow before he slammed it into the ground, causing a light to spread across the area. Midas jumped in shock as Anatis stood up and lifted his golden arm, flexing his fingers.

"That's much better," He smirked before turning to Midas. "Now to deal with you,"

"B-But how?!" He growled before trying to summon his whip but he couldn't. "You brats! You made have taken my ability away but I'm still the boss and I have a dragon!"

As if on que, the dragon flew down and blew golden fire on them, causing the heroes to jump back, changing the ground to gold.

"Shouldn't his dragon not work?!" Lord Ox declared, looking worried.

"It must be above the radius of your ability, meaning it's not been nullified!" Anatis declared, throwing up his yoyo and causing his outfit to change. "Lucky charm!"

The magical swarm appeared and created a fire truck, causing the heroes to jump back in surprise.

"How are you going to throw that?" Lord Ox asked as Anatis looked around before the hose, a fire hydrant and Lady Noir lit up. "It's a huge truck!"

"I'm not throwing the truck!" Anatis declared, grabbing the hose as the dragon flew up in the air. "Lady Noir, can you open that for me?"

"No problem, Annie," She replied as Midas ran over. Lord Ox dived at him, lifting him over his head like a wrestler as the dragon turned around. Lady Noir quickly opened the lid of the hydrant, allowing Anatis to connect it and turn it on, pointing it towards the dragon as it flew down, ready to fire at them again. "Fire!"

Anatis switched on the water, causing a strong stream of water to hit the dragon, causing it to turn solid and crash to the ground before he directed it towards Midas, who had managed to the upper hand on Lord Ox. He was about to bring his hands down on the hero before Anatis turned the hose onto him, causing the water stream to hit him into the truck and push it back quite far, causing it to leave the radius space. It turned solid gold but caused Midas to fuse with it in solid gold before Anatis turned off the stream and threw his yoyo around the ladder of the fire truck, quickly pulling it back into the radius as his yoyo began to turn gold. Lady Noir skipped over as Midas' eyes moved and he made some angry noises.

"It's in his necklace," Anatis stated, making Lady Noir nod. "But we need to be careful. He took it willingly,"

"For real?" Lord Ox declared as Lady Noir summoned her power and tapped the necklace, causing the akuma to escape. Anatis caught it and released it before throwing the hose into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybugs!" He declared, causing it to burst into the cure and sweep across Paris before it swarmed around him, returning him to normal. He moved over to Midas as he turned back into Bob, looking down at him as the cops who had surrounded him and been turned into a statue rushed over. "Bob Roth,"

"W-Wait i can explain!" Bob gasped, getting on his knees. "I was desperate and angry. Hawkmoth took advantage-"

"There was many witnesses, Roth," Anatis stated in a cold voice. "You took an akuma willingly... I will not allow that to happen again,"

Anatis held out his yoyo.

"Prosperity," He declared, pressing it open and taking out a golden charm that resembled a ladybug but unlike the two others he had created, this one did not have a nice look to it. It looked faded and old. Anatis held it out. "This is an anti-akuma charm but since you willingly took an an akuma, I have added an extra charm to this. It is not something you can take off. You can try to lose it but it will always come back to you no matter what you do. I can not risk you taking an akuma willingly again,"

Bob Roth looked at him shocked as he took his hand and place it in it as the police moved in.

"Bob Roth, you are under arrest for willingly aiding a terrorist," One of the officers declared as a portal opened, causing the three heroes to walk through. Anatis turned around to Lord Ox, who took off his miraculous and handed it back to them.

"Thank you for your help, Kim," He smiled, making Kim grin. "Hopefully next time you can get to know Stompp a little more,"

"Sounds good to me," Kim declared, grinning. "It was so cool! I can't believe I was a hero! Wait til I tell Ondine! She's gonna-"

"Kim, you can't tell anyone," Lady Noir stated, making him look at her. "If you do, we won't be able to give you a miraculous again,"

"Oh... you mean like Chloe isn't that Queen Bee anymore?" He asked, making them nod. "I see. I swear I won't tell anyone then,"

"Thank you," Lady Noir nodded as Master Fu opened another portal for them. "See you next time, Kim,"

The two of them walked through with Fu before he closed it and detransform.

"I'm glad to see everyone is back in one peace," Mila declared, sipping tea before she got up and took out two pieces of paper to Anatis and Lady Noir. "Here,"

"It is my new address," Fu answered as he took the ox miraculous back from Lady Noir. "If you need me, come here. Anatis, we will re-beginning your training again,"

"Ok, Master," Anatis replied. "But can we discuss this later? I have to return to where I was. It's really important,"

"Of course," Master Fu nodded, causing Anatis to nod back and leave via the window. He turned to Lady Noir. "You did good work today as well, Lady Noir. Feel free to come by if you need help or just want tea,"

"Thank you, Master Fu," She smiled, hugging him. "It's great to see you again... no offense, Mulan,"

"None taken," Mila replied before lightly grabbing her arm. "But please let Anatis know that if he needs my help or any of the western miraculous to come by. You are both welcome here,"

"I will do!"

~Later that Night~

"How are you feeling?" Tikki asked as she ate a cookie. Luka was laid on his bed, looking at the ceiling. The court cases were finally over, meaning he could finally talk freely about them but he wasn't sure if he wanted to. He felt relief. Issac was gone from his life and Bob had been returned to the courthouse to receive his charges. His lawyer had confessed as well, admitting that he had arranged to have Luka threatened and had threatened himself. He also was willing to assist the law with the other charges against Bob Roth, having lots of dirt on the former music producer in return for a reduced sentence. Luka had a feeling that the lawyer knew all about Roth's dark side and was only helping to save himself, especially since his client was willingly akumatized. He knew to jump ship when the current one was sinking. If Roth was looking for loyalty, he should have hired someone else. After all, a snake is still a snake even when it sheds it's skin. The same when for the lawyer but none of that mattered to Luka. His part was done now and he was glad. He just wanted to move on with his life. He sighed and closed his eyes, taking a deep breathe. He felt the air shift, causing him to open his eyes and sit up. He was no longer in his room but in Feng's hut. Sat on the floor was Alpheus.

"Congratulations is in order," He grinned, making Luka raise an eyebrow. "You passed my test. You proved your loyalty and thus have unlocked one of the keys. Three down, two more to go,"

"I did?"

"Yep," He grinned, holding up a jug. "Wine?"

"I'm too young to drink,"

"More for me then!" He grinned, taking a swig and swallowing it. "If you confused, it was because you stuck to your morals despite that snake's threats. Loyalty to one's self is loyalty never the less! Besides, I had to come up with a better test then friends or family because you are really loyal to them. No question on that!"

"Then why did I have to get tested?"

"Do I look like I write the rules?" Alpheus asked, making Luka smile a little. "Oh, no! I do not! Feng did! If I had been the first born, I would have written in a warning for myself! Beware the harlot Juno but nooo, he didn't think to warn me!"

"Are you ok?"

"I am dandy!" Alpheus smirked before hiccuping. "And a little drunk but we need to celebrate and you can't drink! So I shall instead!"

"Who is Juno?" Luka asked as Alpheus took another drink.

"A traitor!" He declared, placing down the jug. "Claimed she loved me then went with some guy then stole the peacock miraculous of me and terrorized Greece all because I broke up with her and moved on. Got myself a nice wifey too but nooo, Alpheus isn't allowed to love anyone but Juno! Well, fuck that! I stopped loving her the moment she laid with that other guy!"

"Wait... she was your girlfriend?"

"Yes!" Alpheus declared. "And then Mr Hunk came along and she fell straight into bed with him! You see you don't have to worry about that! You're too young for one thing and that sweet baker's daughter loves you full-heartedly. She would never ever consider hurting you like that but not Juno! Oh no, she did and then got pissed when I dumped her! She got pissed at me! I'm the frigging spirit of loyalty! I should be the one pissed at her!"

"Alpheus, I think you've had enough," Feng stated, walking over and turning to Luka. "Congratulations for passing his test by the way,"

"Thank you," Luka smiled as Feng helped Alpheus to his feet. "Will he be ok?"

"He'll be fine," Feng replied, making Luka frown. "In his timeline, Hera... well, Juno just gatecrashed his wedding so he's a bit upset about that,"

"Wait that just happened?"

"Well, to you it would have happened a long time ago but to him it happened half an hour ago," Feng replied, turning to Alpheus. "Sober up. Ariadne is waiting for you,"

"Ariadne!" Alpheus declared, smiling. "My sweet Ariadne!"

"Yes, yes," Feng replied, shaking his head before looking at Luka. "Go back to your room. I'll look after this idiot,"

"Ok," Luka nodded, waving to Alpheus who waved back before he laid back down and closed his eyes. When he next opened them, he found himself back in his room. He got up as Tikki looked at him. "Time to go meet Lady Noir... I think it's time I told her about Lady Blanche,"

~XY's Hotel Room~

"I can't believe this!" XY declared, kicking a pillow before he paced across the room. His rich life was pretty much over. Not only was his father been sued but he had been arrested for aiding a terrorist. To say, XY was angry was an understatement. His father always had the nerve to call him dumb yet he was stupid enough to willingly become an akuma and on top of that, that brat Couffaine had won the case. His father was expected to pay that trashy family compensation for the stress he put them through and would be doing time for Child endangerment, perverting the course of justice, assisted kidnapping and assisted attempted murder. In other words, their image was ruined. XY growled and kicked something again. "This is all Couffaine's fault!"

He punched one of the amps in the room, causing to it to break and a small box to fall out.

"Huh?" He gasped, reaching down and picking it up. "What the hell?"

He shook it, causing to make a noise. He realized something was in there and opened it, causing him to cry out as a ball of light appeared. Once it disappeared, a little floating crocodile appeared in it's place. It opened it's eyes and looked at him before bowing.

"Hello, Master,"

"What the hell are you?"

"My name is Snapp and I'm the kwami of Immersion,"

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Next Chapter: Coming Soon (hopefully :p)

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