Lila gently removed the Wayne Heir’s arm from her shoulder, her gaze steady on his. Her mascara smudged as the tears streamed down her face, her narrowed eyes fixed on something in the distance, longing evident in her gaze.

“Damian, you have no idea what I’ve endured for this terrible mission.
Leviathan forced me into this; to infiltrate them, I was compelled to sell my soul—a form of their brainwashing.

To preserve my identity, I immerse myself in the pit. I have no other choice but to do this to survive.

As my father thought me as Nobody, it means to blend in, to be invisible…

I couldn’t be Maya Ducard, no, I had to become Lila Rossi—the cruel liar, the perfect candidate to infiltrate their ranks—and I then had to suffer through two dreadful years.”

A gasp escaped Lila’s lips as she paused, her eyes tracing the cracked, peeling paint of La Plage’s walls.

“I hated being the mean, sneaky liar I’ve turned into, hurting and fooling people to make them believe me. Just to get close to Nathalie. Be part of their secret clique.

I really can’t stand this, Damian.”

The Wayne heir held her closer, his grip steady. He asked,

“Why didn’t you reach out to me sooner? It may not have led to this. … We're siblings. I would be here for you in a heartbeat.”

Lila, look at him. Her eyes show warmth. As she claps her hand on Damian’s cheek, longing.

Marinette blanched. For the first time she saw her, without the lies.

”That’s why I fear you might suffer here as I did, and I can’t take you from your family. They are important to you, is it not?”

The Liar Lila- No it’s Maya, she cannot see Maya as the liar Lila anymore, Not after those words, no longer lies, she always spits. No longer the smiles that she uses to hurt her, manipulate the class, make her suffer. No.

Her mental barricade had been cracked, it’s too much, Marinette seeing how broken her tormentor really is.

Lila Rossi is a monster, but Maya Ducard…. seeing her vulnerable like this, she cannot sense the lies, and it scared her how Maya is being truthful here.

it's true, she suffered too.

But she still can’t forgive what that woman did to her and to Paris. She couldn’t believe it, gasping for air, refusing to forgive, wanting to scream but needing to let it out. So she clenched her fist, and tightened her jaw.

”Let’s discuss this after we complete the mission, Ukth. I know you have many questions, but time is of the essence.”

Maya wipes her tears, looking at them. As Damian nod, cleared his throat and re-steadied himself. They had a bomb to defuse, a plan to make.

”Follow me, I’ll show you the pit.”

Moving forward, Lila approached the ocean wave painted walls, and upon clasping a brick in an opening within the wall, she was met with smoke and the sound of bone creaking as the immense, gradually moving wall unveiled a further passage.

Marinette's internal turmoil deepens. The lair has a secret passage too. She can’t speak, not yet, or all her resentment will unfold and flow. Not now, Alya is in danger, the miraculous box missing. She cannot fall here. Keep it together, Dupain-Cheng!

As they moved closer, she noticed the cobblestones were not just medieval but also showed signs of older age. Its ancient stones, stalagmites of a striking green hue, felt cold and damp to the touch. Another stairwell—old, crude, and very basic.

As they move downward.

She can’t shake the eerie sensation. It’s stoic, similar to when Chat Noir deploys his Cataclysm, this sense of dread sends shivers down her spine.

In one of the cave’s many forks, she discovered a pool of viscous, green liquid. Like the color of Damian’s eyes, Chat Noir’s eyes glowed with a chaotic, emerald magic, reminiscent of Plagg, but somehow twisted and wrong.

”What is this?” she asked

“This Dupain-Cheng is my main mission objective . Protect the pit from Leviathan. My Ukth will explain what this pit is used for.”

Marinette looked at him. She can’t help but to focus at his emerald eyes, mirroring the green glowing liquid.

“Tt, this is a Lazarus Pit,” he whispered, pointing to the shimmering, emerald pool, “magical water capable of healing and even resurrecting the dead.”

We are the Al Ghuls are tasked to protect this sacred water to anyone.

My Grandfather had discovered it. For a hundred years, he used it to prolong his life.

The League of Assassins, where my mother lives, has the task of searching for and finding the remaining pits in this world.

So yes, Dupain-Cheng, we are a family of villains. That is the legacy I was born into.”

Lazarus Pit? Assassins? What did she get into? Putain, The Wayne Heir is a villain. He looks morose. Was that regret?

She’s backing away at the pit, looking at the two. Her legs collapsed. Is she able to handle another surprise? Marinette wrinkled her nose at the odor, which, while not strong, was enough to make her feel queasy.

Is Maya here to guard this awful place and raise the dead? That’s the reason? And why does it feel connected to the miraculous?

”Why this feels like Plagg magic?” She asked.

”It’s because it’s his.” a tiny chipper voice appeared, purple, with butterfly wings.

Her eyes widened in recognition.

”Nooru? Is that you?”

”Yes Marinette, I’m glad you're safe.”

The Butterfly Kwami, she’s here!