Level 22: Cost of Victory

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Cutscene: Sacrifice

In an alternate timeline

A hot sweat took over her body, making sleep uncomfortable and consciousness fight to return. Her eyes fluttered, a white light hidden behind it almost blinded her every time a slither fought its way through her stuttering lids.

She could hear talking in the background. One. Two. Three people... maybe more? What were they doing in her house? And where was Adrien? She listened again, fully aware his voice was not there.

"She's waking up!" she recognised that voice; that was her Maman, she could tell it anywhere. A shocking realisation came to her that she was back at home. Her mother and father were trying to wake her up for lycée, just as they had so many times before.

Had she dreamt the last ten years of her life and she was about to wake up at home, in her bed — alone? The thought made her shiver, the movement jarring and waking her up. Adrien — Chat Noir — there's no way she could have dreamt that up.

The voices became more and more pronounced. Louder and louder. Her eyes fought to open up and welcome her back to the real world.

"Marinette?" Her name was spoken softly, by a voice she didn't instantly recognise.

"Marinette?" There it was again. A voice so different, yet so familiar.

As her eyes began to flutter open, the light from the room burned her retinas, blurring the face of the woman beside her.

"Wake up, Marinette. Quickly! We don't have much time." Marinette's eyes finally focused on the woman's face, her brain moving through her index cards of people before landing on the correct one.

"Bunnyx? What are you doing here?" Marinette scanned the room, taking in all the people present. Her Maman, her Papa, and Bunnyx. No one else was there. Where had Sabrina and Alya gone?

"I'm here to save the world, like always," Bunnyx replied; her eyes darted from Marinette, across to the windows, over to the door, then back again. "Quick, we need to go. He's almost here."

The hurried tones of her voice had Marinette's anxiety increase ten fold, the sweat building up and prickling all over her skin.

"Who?"

"Luka. Just follow me into the burrow, then I'll explain," she opened a portal behind her and gestured for Marinette to follow.

Marinette gingerly slid out of bed and turned to face her. "What about my parents?"

"They need to stay, I'm sorry."

"But what if Luk-"

"We'll be fine, sweetheart. Go!" Tom said encouragingly. Sabine nodded in agreement. Reassured by her parents, Marinette followed Bunnyx, stepping through the portal and into the unknown.

Once both of them were inside the burrow, the sound of breaking glass vibrated through the room — the window. Bunnyx quickly closed the portal, moving Marinette safely into the centre of the room and away from a possible infiltration.

They stood silently together, Marinette's hands covering her stomach on instinct as Bunnyx stood with her umbrella ready beside her.

"What was that?" Marinette whispered, her heart beating wildly in her chest, each and every inch of her was overwhelmed with concern for her parents.

"That was probably Luka smashing his way through the window to kill you," Bunnyx said with feigned indifference.

"What?" Marinette was stunned stupid. Her hand shooting to her mouth to cover the shock. "Buh..Buh, m-my parents-"

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