Chapter 70: Lovers of the Sun

                                    

                                          
A/N: I can't believe this will be the last time I'll write a chapter note for this story and add a little 'enjoy!!' at the end. I still can't compute it.
Here's a little interesting fact that I found out after writing this chapter. Taken from the miraculous wiki: "Nooroo's name is an African variant of the name Nuru meaning "born in daylight" (...) The word Nuru also means "to paint" in Japanese." I thought that was an awesome coincidence. Or maybe it was Fate?
So here we go, one last time. Enjoy!!
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The earth around you rumbled and folded in itself.
Marius still tried to fight your control, but his mind wasn't strong enough. With the powers you gave him, he quickly made a tunnel, going even deeper than the catacombs, as you carried an unconscious Blanc in your arms.
As if he was a manifestation of your hope, Marius glowed in front of you. A sun deity that melted the earth and forged a path through the darkness. Marius tried to turn to his negative emotions and his light flickered, but you reached into your connection and brought forward his love for his mother, his hopes of seeing the outside world again, and starting over. He shone bright again, opening the path with renewed fervor.
When you finally reached the surface, you heard the catacombs groaning behind you, closing the land of the dead from the living once again.
You walked away from the tunnel and lowered Blanc onto a grass field. You wiped a trail of blood leaving his mouth and turned to Marius. His hair swayed like flames and his pupils flashed yellow.
"Find Ladybug and tell her our location." You ordered and he nodded. "Quick!" A trail of light followed him as he flew through the early morning sky.
You monitored where he was going through your connection while you took in your surroundings. It seemed to be the inside of a park. The grass patch extended in front of you and large trees provided different tones to the unending green. A tall column towered over you and Blanc, and at the top, the sculpture of a winged woman holding a sword seemed to watch over the park. Paix armée, your thoughts offered. Armed peace. How fitting.
You let the pure, fresh morning air fill your lungs. It soothed a lingering burning sensation in your throat and dulled your pain for a moment. The miraculous magic was healing your wounds, but the pain still lingered, refusing to let go.
Blanc jolted as another glitch raked his body and you kneeled by his side, putting a hand on his damp forehead. His pale skin was burning. He didn't have much time left.
"How can I save him?" You whispered to no one. Yet, soon came an answer.
Fix the ring. A part of you said and your mind was flooded with images. You saw Gabriel Agreste preparing a potion and pouring it over a broken peacock miraculous. Dust of meteorites, molten gold, and something related to the broken jewel are the necessary ingredients. The image changed to Gabriel storing a black box inside a vault in the Agreste mansion.
"Hey, what happened?" Ladybug's voice came from behind you, followed by many footsteps.
You rose and turned around, and each of your friends' faces contorted with a different emotion.
Marius landed softly on the ground, turning the grass around him into gold, and kneeled in front of you. "Master, I did what you asked. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"No, you did well," you said, looking down at him. "Rest now."
You pulled the butterfly out of him, but decided to let him keep the memories. When the energy returned to you, a normal Marius sat sprawled on the ground, eyes wide. He crawled backward while looking at you like you were a harbinger of death. When his back hit the base of the statue, he curled into himself, hugging his knees. You didn't bother restraining him. You knew from the broken state of his mind that he wouldn't run away. Thanksto the akuma, he had seen the dark depths of his mind, and you doubted he'd cometo terms with it.