Title: The Edict

Chapter 4: Secrets in the Shadows

Chapter 4: Secrets in the Shadows

Wang Fu stared out the window of his modest apartment, the warm hues of the setting sun casting long shadows across the floor. His tea sat untouched beside him, steam curling from the cup as the weight of his thoughts pressed down on him. The mistakes he had made in his past were catching up faster than he ever imagined.

He had chosen Adrien to be Chat Noir, believing that his heart was pure, his soul aligned with the power of destruction. But the truth, the reality he had been too blind to see, was now threatening to undo everything. Adrien wasn’t a true destruction soul, and because of that, Marinette—the brave, selfless girl he had entrusted with both the Ladybug miraculous and the guardianship—was paying the price.

It was all his fault.

The balance between creation and destruction was fragile, and it had been Marinette, not Adrien, who had borne the brunt of that imbalance. Her body had been pushed to the edge, beyond what any mere human should endure. And yet, despite everything, she had survived. But for how long?

A soft knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts. His old joints creaked as he rose, crossing the room to answer it. When he opened the door, he wasn’t surprised to see who stood on the other side.

“Plagg,” Fu said, stepping aside to let the kwami in. The little black creature zoomed into the room, his usual mischievous grin nowhere to be found. Instead, Plagg wore a grim expression, one that mirrored the weight in Fu’s own heart.

“We need to talk,” Plagg said, his voice unusually serious. “About Adrien.”

Fu nodded, closing the door behind him. He gestured for Plagg to sit on the table, though the kwami remained floating in the air, his tiny arms crossed.

“I know,” Fu said quietly. “I made a grave mistake.”

Plagg’s green eyes narrowed. “You’re damn right you did. How could you not have known he wasn’t a true destruction soul? You’ve had centuries of experience, Fu. How did this slip past you?”

Fu sighed, sinking into his chair. “I… I didn’t want to see it. I thought Adrien was the right choice. His heart seemed pure, and I believed he could handle the power. But I was wrong.”

Plagg hovered closer, his anger palpable. “Your mistake has hurt Marinette. She’s been carrying the burden of both creation and destruction. She’s strong, but she’s not invincible. What if she doesn’t recover fully?”

Fu rubbed a hand over his face, the weight of his guilt pressing down on him like a mountain. “I know, Plagg. I know. And now, the only way to fix this is to find a true destruction soul.”

Plagg scoffed. “Good luck with that. We don’t have the luxury of time. Marinette’s already at her limit, and Adrien… well, he’s unraveling too. He’s not handling the strain of the miraculous well, even though he’s not a true destruction soul. It’s affecting him in ways we didn’t anticipate.”

Fu’s heart sank further. Of course, Adrien would be struggling too. Even if he wasn’t the right match for the miraculous, the power of destruction still coursed through him, corrupting and twisting. And Adrien had been through enough in his young life—losing his mother, dealing with his father’s coldness, the isolation of his sheltered existence. How could Fu have been so blind to the boy’s fragility?

“We have to act quickly,” Fu said, his voice low. “If we don’t find a true destruction soul soon, the imbalance could destroy them both.”

Plagg’s eyes darkened. “And where exactly do you plan to find one? True destruction souls are rare, Fu. You should know that better than anyone. It’s not like they’re walking around Paris, waiting for us to tap them on the shoulder.”

Fu’s mind raced. Plagg was right. Finding a true destruction soul was no easy task. They were rare, scattered throughout the world, and many were hidden away, their power dormant until the right moment.

But there had to be a way. For Marinette’s sake. For Adrien’s sake. And for the sake of the world.

“I’ll start searching,” Fu said at last. “I have some old contacts, some ancient records that might help us find one.”

Plagg’s expression softened, though his frustration remained. “You’d better hurry, old man. Marinette doesn’t have much time.”

With that, Plagg vanished in a puff of black smoke, leaving Fu alone with his thoughts once more. The weight of the world pressed down on him, heavier than ever before.

He had failed once. He couldn’t fail again.

---

Back at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, Marinette sat on her bed, staring out the window at the city below. The weight of her new responsibilities as Guardian still felt overwhelming, but she pushed those feelings aside. There was no time for self-pity. There was always something more important than her own needs.

She hadn’t told anyone about the visions she’d been having. The dreams. They were vivid, more like memories than mere dreams, but they weren’t her memories. They felt ancient, tied to the miraculous themselves. Sometimes she saw flashes of distant lands, of guardians long gone, of battles between creation and destruction.

But the most troubling part was the voice that echoed in her dreams. A voice calling to her from the shadows, offering her power, control—if only she’d let go of her fear.

Marinette shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. She couldn’t tell Tikki. Not yet. The little kwami had enough to worry about, and Marinette didn’t want to add to her concerns. She would handle this on her own, just as she always had.

But as the sun set over Paris, casting the city in shades of gold and violet, Marinette couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming—something dark and dangerous, and far more powerful than anything she’d ever faced.

And this time, she might not be able to face it alone.

---

Adrien paced in his room, his heart pounding. The weight of the miraculous felt heavier than ever. Every transformation left him more drained, more unbalanced, like the power was slipping out of his control.

He couldn’t shake the anger building inside him. It wasn’t like him to feel this way, but lately, everything set him off. His father’s coldness, Nathalie’s hovering, even his friends—he felt disconnected from all of them, like a shadow of his former self.

And then there was Marinette.

Something had changed between them. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but the way she looked at him now—it was different. Distant. And it hurt more than he wanted to admit.

He clenched his fists, frustration bubbling to the surface. He needed answers. He needed to understand why everything was falling apart.

As if on cue, Plagg appeared, his usual carefree demeanor absent.

“We need to talk, kid,” Plagg said, his tone serious.

Adrien looked at him, fear creeping into his chest. “What’s going on, Plagg?”

The kwami floated closer, his eyes sharp. “It’s about the miraculous. And it’s about you. We’re running out of time.”