IRONY

12

The secret room was almost empty of everything when she entered. It was plain and barren, except for a comfortable looking couch, a fireplace and a table in the middle. Hurriedly she entered, eager at the sight of a thick, old-looking book placed neatly on the table. She settled on the couch comfortably and opened it.

She thought it wouldn't work but by some miracle, the only book in the world that held information about the Luteus stone was now in her hands.

The Luteus stone, known to intensify the powers of the owner.

It is different because unlike the other stones it is inserted inside the one who wishes to obtain its powers.

She frowned at this.

Its various uses range from dark powers to untraceable attacks (it is very unclear what exact magic it can display).

It was banned by the mayor of Paris because of its uncanny dark properties, branded under Dark objects by the year 1760, and was kept locked in the ministry, never to be used again.

He probably stole it there some time ago...

Only through the Removal spell can the stone be removed from one's body, but there is only a faint chance that it might work.

So it means, he has used magic to insert it inside his body? I thought magic didn't exist.

She turned the other page but there was no more.

A faint chance? What if it didn't work? What if it backfired and Damian kills them all for even trying? The Removal spell was a complex spell after all. And people like them stood no chance against wizards. It needed pure concentration and powerful magic before one can do it. It was hard enough to use it on small objects but on a person? Was that even possible?

A faint chance. What if it did work? She and Alya could practice it and pull it off. She would use her knowledge of the spell to help them. She was powerful. She was a ladybug. Tikki would help her. She could do it. She believes in Tikki.

They had to take this chance.

"I'll help you until you get it, Alya." She told her reassuringly when they were in their room.

So practice they did but three days passed and there was absolutely no progress whatsoever. Tikki had given her a stick called a wand. Alya was struggling to get it right, doing the best he could but nothing was happening.

"Amoveo." She said again, for what seemed to be the hundredth time this day. They were in the secret room, practising removing a piece of paper inside a small bag.

"You need to concentrate more!" She said bossily. She was starting to get frustrated. They were running out of time. She's been at it for hours and the only result she got was a small corner of the paper, sticking out of the bag. "This isn't like the science, it's different!"

"You try it then!" Alya said irritably. She sat down on a chair and crossed her arms. Annoyed from the lack of progress, Marinette stood up, took a deep breath, concentrated hard and whispered,

"Amoveo."

The sheet of paper started to come out of the bag. Her eyes widened and she lowered her wand. The paper stopped. Half of it was inside the bag, the other half was sticking out.