Miraculous Empire

Chapter 2: Dark Aura

Earlier that day...

Despite the clear skies atop the tri-state area, there was an odd air of negativity that crept through lower Manhattan. Among the populous in the city, a certain creature with green skin, big yellow eyes, and a patterned shell that resembled a turtle suddenly awoke. It felt a chill running down its spine as it tried to process the unnerving evil sensation that carried an oddly familiar aura.

"Could it be...?" The creature whispered to itself as it hopped out of its makeshift bed in a panic and flew towards an open patio where an elderly man sat with a hat over his head.

"Master! Master!" The being called out to the gentleman who wore a red button-down shirt that was adorned with white flowers.

The gray-haired gentleman gently lifted his hat and turned his attention towards the flying green creature. Mr. Fu, rather Master Fu, may look like an ordinary senior citizen on the outside, but on the inside he was one of Earth's oldest and wisest men. From his rigorous upbringing in rural China to his time spent bringing peace to the world in the twentieth century, Master Fu now found himself living a normal civilian life in a culturally familiar part of the city; Chinatown. At 186 years old, he had lived through eras of war lords, world wars, and other tragic events in human history. And along the way, he worked behind the scenes to help end countless conflicts time and time again. Nowadays, he lives among the locals while spending time at nearby parks listening to traditional music while playing games like Mahjong and Chess among other elderlies. But for the first time in years, he also felt a distinct unease that he hadn't felt since he was younger.

"Master! Its the Moth Miraculous, I can feel its aura," the turtle-like creature cried out.

The elder lowered his head towards the floor and mumbled to himself, "I thought it had been lost forever..."

"But master! I sense a negative aura and I fear it's landed in the hands of a dark power," the creature interrupted with a greater sense of urgency.

Master Fu raised his head and gave the creature his undivided attention. "We have to find Nooroo and the Moth Miraculous at once!" He defiantly said as he quickly got up from his chair and made his way towards his living room. He opened a cabinet that contained a collection of paper maps for cities all over the world and picked up a map of New York City. He then went to a nearby desk to unroll it and scan the area to spot potential hotspots that the trinket be.

"We'll start in the south and make our way uptown," Master Fu decided as he stepped back from the map and raised his hand into the air and said, "Time to transform! Wayzz..."

Master Fu suddenly felt his knees buckle and back give out which led the elder to freeze in place before he could finish uttering the chant to begin a transformation.

The green creature, named Wayzz, flew over to the distressed man and tried to offer some amount of advice. "Master, please be reasonable..."

Master Fu looked down to the floor and let off a deep sigh. He acknowledged that he was well beyond his prime and it certainly seemed like he would need allies by his side for this endeavor. The elder slowly made his way towards a nearby couch and leaned against its armrest while pondering what to do next.

"Maybe you're right Wayzz. I cannot do this alone. We'll need some help..." Master Fu began to say as he stroked his beard, "...and I think I have an idea of how."

After a few minutes of rest, he got up from his couch and walked to the other side of his living room and approached an antique that housed his most cherished possession; an antique record player with a vinyl still sitting on its platter. However, instead of bringing the tonearm towards the seated record disc, he nudged the arm away from the platter and pressed a series of buttons on a nearby panel which started a chain of events that led to unveil the secret that lay beneath the furniture's facade. An obsidian-colored box quickly rose from underneath the platter and presented itself to the asian elder and his green companion. The box contained a series of drawers that each had a unique Chinese symbol inscribed over its gold plated knobs.

"How strong is this evil, Wayzz?" Master Fu asked the green creature with a nervousness in his voice. Wayzz closed its eyes and tried to concentrate on the dark energy.

"It's a new evil with the potential to grow stronger if it's not stopped," the creature disclosed as it reopened it's wide eyes.

"Is that so...?" Master Fu thought to himself as he looked upon the collection of magical trinkets that seemed to sparkle with excitement. Even though the trinkets had not been touched in many years, none of them haven't lost their shine or power. He had to think strategically about which magical artifacts, otherwise know as Miraculouses, he should lend for assistance. Master Fu thought through each one of the nearly two dozen trinkets that laid before him. Some were suited for head-to-head combat while others were more optimized for tactical scenarios. However, his gaze turned towards the center of the box which sported a pair of the two most powerful, yet dangerous, trinkets that he possessed. Within his soul he felt a well of confidence nudging him towards the glossy jet-black ring and a pair of polka-dotted earrings.

He reached out and picked the two Miraculouses from the center of the box which quickly formed into two miniature black jewelry cases. With both trinkets in hand, Master Fu carefully slipped each box into his pockets and headed towards the front door to get ready to search for potential hosts.

"Master, who are you going to ask?" Wayzz wondered as his master changed out of his indoor slippers.

The sage chuckled to himself as he gently stroked his beard. "One mark of a great soldier is that they fight on their own terms or fights not at all," he mused while reaching for a wooden cane.

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"The bad feeling is the body knowing and pushing toward what good would be"

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