Miraculous: Tales of Shadowstar

Part 18: Relief

The soft rays of the sun's warmth peeked through the red curtains that made the polished mahogany floor seem to glow like gold. The air smelled faintly of incense being burned as Kagami knelt down in front of a ceramic backflow with jade lotus flowers. Three incense sticks burn simultaneously with Kagami's hands brought in front of her. For she silently prayed for peace, harmony, good luck, and most importantly balance with her troubles as of late.

Ever since that night when they fought victoriously against Oni, Kagami found herself plagued with nightmares. Nightmares of herself losing to such a fearsome opponent, and likewise the fear when the metal pole threatened to impale her. She knew very well that if Purple Tigress hadn't intervened, if Tigress didn't have Shadowstar's boomerang, then it was likely that Kagami would not be where she was.

In the past, Kagami had always heard stories of many ancestors who proved themselves in battle to gain honor and open the doorway for a good life. She even read stories about people who rose against the conflict, and now she could only imagine how absolutely terrifying it was. Kagami's amber eyes opened slightly as she absently stared at the three incense sticks. 'What would Adrien think if I was gone? I don't want to inflict that kind of grief upon him.' Kagami thought to herself. Truthfully, she didn't like the idea of keeping secrets let alone lying to the people she loved. It always brought misfortune and it never ended well until the truth was spoken. But nothing was as unfortunate nor unsettling than knowing Shadowstar was the crow Miraculous holder.

'The akuma might have been spewing nonsense, but he wasn't wrong about Shadowstar bringing misfortune and death. If he didn't spend his time antagonizing Shadowmoth, then Oni likely wouldn't be akumatized and Paris wouldn't have been so close to being eliminated.' Kagami pondered. Again she couldn't bring herself to focus on her prayers, but she hoped that it was enough to bring some good fortune to dispel the negative energies Kagami likely accumulated from being near that so-called hero.

"I'll never understand why Ladybug and Cat Noir trust him so much." The dark haired teen muttered under her breath. It was only the next morning after the incident, and yet Kagami could still feel the stinging kiss of the heat from the fires. Her body had never felt so sore before, and Kagami was only realizing the extent of these sores as she went about her daily morning routine.

A sharp knock on the heavy door disrupted the teen's thoughts as she peered over to the only entrance. "Come in," Kagami announced. A mechanical click later and the door swung open. Revealing a graceful woman with a red-white chang-ao along with her signature bokken that doubled as her cane. Her black shades rested upon the bridge of her nose as the woman caught the scent of incense. Despite Tomoe's lack of sight, she always was keen on the world around her. It was truly astounding just how much she could perceive the world.

"Good morning, mother. Forgive my lateness, I was just-" Kagami respectfully bowed to her mother while explaining herself. Ordinarily, Kagami was to train with her mother in the mornings before breakfast. Then Kagami was to focus on her studies before her fencing class started. Likewise, missing this routine of responsibilities would result in disappointment from her mother, and Kagami's training would only be more brutal than before. Her mother's voice cut through the tension like a graceful blade as the air felt heavy, like her very words could command the air to her whims.

"It has come to my attention, Kagami, that Paris has begun to prove unsafe for your training. I will overlook your tardiness just this once because I wanted to inform you that in the next month we will be leaving Paris and returning to Tokyo. Whatever business you may have, I suggest you see to their conclusion immediately." She informed her daughter. The news made Kagami's heart leap in her throat and her stomach felt like an unseen grip tightened around her abdomen. It was true that things have grown dangerous over the past couple of months, but Kagami didn't want to turn her back on her friends. More importantly, she didn't want to leave Adrien either.