Marinette stumbled in the silent corridor, lagging behind Damian and Lila or was it Maya?.

The main function room clustered with gala guests, while the three slipped into the deserted side corridor.

Maya, with shocking efficiency, had already dispatched one mercenary. A swift sweep of her leg, a brutal head strike, and the man was unconscious within seconds.

Lila’s lethal skill chilled Marinette; a deadly precision that felt chillingly professional. Was this the work of Chrysalis, their supervillain? The thought sent a shiver down her’s spine.

Right now, however, the immediate priority was escape.

Damian, gripping her wrist, pulled her toward a side entrance. Suddenly, another man appeared ahead of them in the corridor, clad in tactical gear and brandishing an assault rifle.

She needed to concentrate, her thoughts drifting to her parents at the moment. She couldn’t imagine them in this way, there’s no gunshot so far. Only the guest weeps, suspecting the men had other concerns, hoping they weren’t a death squad.

Looking forward, she noticed Damian pushing her and throwing a bottle of champagne at the attacker without hesitation.

Damian wall-ran through the corridor, subduing a rifleman.

The sound of gunfire alerted them to more enemies approaching.

Kwami,No!

Three more figures closed in—two from the back, one from the front. They spotted their fallen comrade on the floor, semiconscious. No time. Her instincts kicked in.

She vaulted up, grabbing a beam above and hauling herself into the shadows of the ceiling. Unseen, breathless.

Chaos reigns below.

Maya—Lila—had already stolen a rifle from one attacker. Without hesitation, she raised it and fired.

“Ukth, refrain from taking a life!” Damian snapped, stepping in hard.

“Naturally,” Maya replied, her gun still pointed. I’m going for non-vital areas only. Trust me, Ukth.”

From above, Marinette watched through the darkness. She didn’t trust Lila. Not for a second. But what she can do,stop her?

She watched with bated breath as Lila and Damian, in a blur of motion, switched places. Maya did a somersault, landing in front of the men and grazing their shoulders with rifle fire.

Panicked, Marinette dodged bullets from the furious man’s gunfire, scurrying to the opposite side of the beam like a rat fleeing a predator.

Putain. that's too close. The sudden jolt made her arms go numb as adrenaline surged. Her exhaustion was apparent in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Damian, with superhuman efficiency, evaded the exploding shells. He slipped behind his two opponents, using the chaos as a distraction. With a powerful kick to their sweeps, he used his belt to execute a lethal takedown from behind. The kick left both opponents incapacitated before they could react.

One question lingers: from where did the Wayne heir and Maya develop such exceptional combat skills? Their training and expertise surpass typical expectations.

A shadow lurks below her, aiming for Damian.

In a split second decision, Marinette reacted to seeing another person sneaking up from behind. She vaulted down, leaped from the beam, and landed on the opponent from behind, causing him to collapse under her weight.

“Not bad, Dupain Cheng, you’re useful.” Taunted by Lila.

Damian scolded, “Not at the moment, Ukth.”

He look at her.

“Thank you, for that I’m grateful,” he nodded to her.

Marinette blushed unexpectedly at a compliment from him.

“Ahh… o-oh. Thanks?” Marinette stammered, trying to shift the focus. She cleared her throat. “So… what’s the plan? There’s so many of them. What do they want?”

Damian glanced at Maya, silent.

Maya walked past them like nothing had happened, calmly tying up the unconscious men. “They’re a splinter group,” she said . “What’s left of Leviathan after it collapsed.”

Marinette’s eyes flicked to Damian. His expression had gone still, unreadable.

Then, his voice, barely audible above the wind, carried a single word.

“...Mother.”

Though uncertain if she should, Marinette overheard the information.

Maya moved quickly, slipping down the shadowed corridor like she’d walked it a hundred times. Marinette trailed close behind her, heart hammering, the echoes of chaos from the gala still ringing faintly in the distance. Damian followed without a word, his steps silent and alert.

“Well,” Maya started, her voice low and casual, as if they weren’t sneaking through danger.

”The mission came directly from your mother, Talia. She wanted someone to track the Leviathan remnants. Following that trail, I ended up in Paris.”

A glance from Marinette, breath tight in her throat.

“Complications arose,” Maya continued, checking a corner before signaling them forward. “I was tasked to infiltrate a high-tier faction—no official name so far. They’re a shadow organization embedded in France’s elite. The only lead I had left was the daughter of their current figurehead.”

She glanced back, eyes sharp. “Nathalie Sancoeur.”

Marinette stopped short, a chill shooting down her spine.

Nathalie? As in… Gabriel Agreste’s assistant?

Her breath caught. She knew that name—too well.

“Your Lying!”

She burst out with not too much volume, but just enough for Lila to pause, her eyes narrowing as her eyelashes fluttered and her lips formed a frown.

If Nathalie is involved, then Gabriel Agreste would also be part of it. It shocked her to the core when the video was broadcasted; she had no idea her idol was once Hawk Moth, the terror of Paris, and Adrien’s father. She finds it unbelievable that his secretary is part of this secret organization. Isn’t Lila lying again?

”Marinette, cease your outburst, were not in safe position yet. Are you interested in hearing the whole story? She rebuked.

Silent, Marinette’s teeth were gritted, her hands balled into aching fists.

That bitch was right—she did want to know.

Desperately. Where it all began. She needed to hear it.