Miraculous Ladybug: Marinette

Part 4: Confrontation

*Lila's POV...*

When she awoke, Lila had a severe headache. The thoughts of the Parisian citizens pounded into her skull like a jackhammer, leaving her unable to think straight. "Nooroo!" she cried out as she stood up, her frustration clear. "Nooroo! Where are you?!"

"Here, Master," Nooroo said, flying to her side. He was glad she had only just woke; any sooner and his absence would have been noticed. "What is it?"

"What, augh... what is happening?" Lila could barely think with the mess her mind was in. "Why I am I feeling the emotions of everyone in bloody Paris?"

"Your power allows you to convert someone's feelings and emotions into magical powers. To aid with this, the Miraculous grants you the ability to sense the thoughts and emotions of others to locate ideal hosts of your power."

"Can I... turn it, off?"

"Yes, but it is something that you must do. As a kwami, I cannot control such things."

"OK. I have to do it... fine." Lila sat back down, focusing her attention on the mental assault she was being forced to endure. She closed her eyes, and slowed her breathing. She cancelled out all that she was hearing, and focused on everything that she was feeling. The hate, the fear, the pain and suffering of all she did and didn't know. From the most minor of inconveniences to the greatest of offenses, she could feel them all. The overwhelming emotions crashed into her like waves on a stormy sea, each thought threatening to drown her in the cacophony of turmoil. And with nothing but her willpower, she had to drown them out.

It was a slow process. Every time she thought she was making progress, her focus would slip and the emotions would slam into her like a semi-truck. It was strenuous to say the least. But then she remembered what Nooroo had told her: that the Miraculous was granting her that power. By that line of reason, as the wielder of the Butterfly Miraculous, she had the power to control this ability, not unlike a conductor orchestrating their symphony. It still required focus to accomplish, but once she realised what needed to be done, her task became much easier. In just a few minutes, her mental harassment had come to end, and she was blessed with the sweet, sweet sound of silence.

"Hooo... that's better." Lila smiled to herself, her mind now free of the traumas of others. She had never appreciated silence as much as she did now. And then the moment passed. "Nooroo," she began, her voice evenly balanced. "Why is every Parisian afraid of a new, akumatized villain?"

Nooroo's voice quivered as he answered, "I have no idea why-"

"I order you to tell me the truth, Nooroo," Lila demanded, her tempered rage threatening to rear its disfigured head.

Nooroo tried to resist, but his willpower crumbled before her command, and confessed, "Because I created a new villain to force you to give up the Butterfly Miraculous to the Guardian."

Lila didn't respond for a while, simply closing her eyes and exhaling in frustration. Nooroo looked to the floor, afraid of what his new master would do to him, before feeling the pull of the Miraculous as Lila whispered, "Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise." He was sucked into the lilac gemstone, his great power spreading throughout his masters body once more. As she transformed, she could sense Nooroo's fear and apprehension, afraid of what Lila would accomplish in her quest for revenge. She could also sense his longing for freedom, his carnal desire to be freed from his masters tyranny. However, as the transformation ended, she felt his resignation, his acceptance of his new master and his new fate as a servant to the Butterfly Miraculous once more.

Not that Lila cared.

"Now, Nooroo," she said to herself. "You and I are going to correct this egregious error of yours. And when we are finished..." A smile crept up on her, her eyes gleaming with a dark spark of mischief. "When we are finished... Atala's reign over Paris will begin."