This is early because I have a lot to do for the whole day so I wanted to get this out of the way. 

...............

"Marinette?" a hand waved over her face, "Hey Mari, are you there?"

The girl shook her head of the awe that had shocked her into stillness and smiled weakly at the fox on front of her, "H-hey Alya. What are you doing here?"

Alya put a hand on Marinette's forehead and frowned when she realised how drained Marinette's energy was, "We're here to see if you're okay. And from the looks of it, you are absolutely not! What are you even doing out of bed?"

Marinette looked to where Nino and Luka were standing behind Alya and sent them an awkward looking smile. Nino just gave her a look which meant that he agreed with Alya's sentiments and that she should head back to the comfort of her bed. Meanwhile, Luka gave her a sincere smile and timidly waved at her.

But she noticed the wince he tried to hide and ducked away from Alya to get on front of him, "Are you okay Luka? You seem to be hurt," she tried to place a hand on his arm but he shifted his body away, clutching his arm defensively.

"It's fine, really. I just got hit by a piece of falling marble earlier. It's nothing new to my job. And it's nothing that shouldn't be healed in a day."

From the uneasy looks Nino and Alya were giving each other, there was something more about his injury that they weren't telling her, "What is it? What happened to him?"

Marinette was well versed in the language of looks the couple gave so she knew they were debating whether or not they should tell her. Luka, who had spent a lot of the time with the couple, could also tell what they were trying to do and just shook his head at them, "A prisoner escaped the Howling Spirit dungeon which we haven't caught yet and he's destroyed part of our library. I got caught up trying to help people escape but I got hit by a small bit of falling debris. As I said, it's nothing major."

She almost slapped his hand before remembering he was injured, "Nothing major! Lift your sleeve and allow me to check it. I'll be the judge of your injury thank you very much."

She lifted his sleeve without any prompt and gasped at what she could see. From both sides, similar sounds could be heard from the other two in her room, "Luka! This is more than you told us!" Alya stormed over to where they were and turned to Marinette, "You must heal him."

Part of his hand was stained with an almost ink-like black substance but when Marinette ran a finger across it, it felt rough like paper, nothing like the smooth skin she was used to. What's more was that as soon as she placed her finger on the wounded area, it felt cool to the touch, reminding her of someone who had left just moments ago. It was surreal. Marinette had never encountered an injury like this in her short life- and even though it was short she had seen many illnesses and injuries that she had learned to heal.

Luka forced his hand away from her, "Leave it. Whatever you do, it's not going to help."

Luka never thought he would ever be on the receiving end of the famous 'Marinette glare' Alya and Nino always told him about, "And how do you know that?"

"Because," he sighed, "The person who escaped wasn't just some run of the mill criminal who took their chance to leave when half of the prison collapsed. He didn't just decide to destroy the library for the sake of it. No. He is dangerous and he does everything for one reason and one reason only. When he attacks, there is rarely a chance of recovery because his power is unlike anything else. His only desire is to destroy. And now he is out, it won't be much longer before everything and everything we know could be destroyed because of him-"

"Luka calm down-" Alya tried to intervene.

But he ignored her, or he may have even been more riled up because of her as he continued to spit out a string of words, each more venomous than the one before," I am lucky I was only marked with the rubble affected by his power because if I was targeted directly by him, it is likely I wouldn't even be here to see you. I would instead be contained to my bed again, this time though, for longer. I would be stripped of my title as the God of war. I'd maybe even give up my immortality so I wouldn't have to suffer from his power for much longer. That is to say if his power wouldn't have already killed me despite the permanent and endless life I had been gifted."

By the end of his speech, Marinette's eyes had grown wide as she had never anticipated how aggressive he would sound when speaking. She had never heard the God, even when he was barking out orders to his army, sound so belligerent in his speech. And it made her worry that this person could even put the thought of committing- she didn't even want to think of it herself- into Luka's mind.

She waved her hand so a drawer opened behind her and a piece of cloth zoomed into her hand. She made quick work to tie it around his hand and Luka examined it closely. It was a piece of fine silk, an aqua themed snake embroidered carefully in the middle. It represented his life force and he knew Marinette had taken great discretion in seeing to the piece being perfect for him. It went to great lengths to cover up the mark he had. 

"Who is it? Who has gotten you to sound so agitated? Who did this to you?" The concern was written in her face.

He made a scoffing noise and said, "I think it is rather obvious, Marinette. There is only one living being I could ever hate so much."

She knew Luka wasn't the type who had the capacity in him to hate many and she was certain that ever since she had known him, he hadn't displayed any outwardly prominent distaste for anyone. But Marinette did actually have an inkling of who it could be. Marinette was a reader and she had read countless of stories and recollections of the events that happened 70,000 years ago. Even if she wasn't one she and everyone else knew that there was one person the God of war had stood against more than anyone. 

The implications made her hands fly up to her mouth in shock and maybe even guilt, "No! Is he really- has he really escaped," she gulped, "Has Destruction really done this to you?" Had she caused it to happen?

They didn't even need to say anything because the devastation in their faces confirmed it for her. It drove her to the brink of a frenzy, wondering what would happen if Destruction was out. He had already destroyed the library, she didn't want to think of what else could face the wrath of his fingertips. But she also wondered why it was only now? Surely, when she had broken out of prison herself, that would have been the prime time to get out, especially with his powers which even if only the tiniest part of it had become unrestricted, would have likely seeped through the cracks she created and burst him out of the prison he had been in.

This was her fault, wasn't it?

Alya, determined to avoid the subject (though Marinette couldn't understand why), wrapped an arm around Marinette's shoulders and quickly ushered her back into her bed, "Okay, enough. We didn't come here to talk about Luka. We're here for you."

"But-" Marinette protested, but Alya put a finger on the younger Fairy's lip.

"Shush, Mari. We actually have some good news to tell you."

"Ah I almost forgot about that," Nino muttered before reaching into the pocket of his robe (Marinette had made it for him) to get a scroll.

Marinette raised an eyebrow at her friends. However, when Nino unrolled the scroll, her eyes became fixed on the back of it, for the Royal Examination seal was imprinted on the back.

Nino cleared his throat before declaring, "'To Fairy Marinette, Ladybug of the sunlit forests and disciple of Lord and Master Fu the wise,

It is with great pleasure that the Royal Examination committee, on behalf of the Great Emperor, inform you that you have been selected to take part in the immortal ceremony as you have not only been able to pass your written exams with flying colours, but you have shown considerable strength and power which has allowed you to pass your practical exam masterfully.'

And you can read the rest later if you like. Obviously, this ceremony is the last test but I know you will be able to be compatible, finally. I will be waiting patiently for you to be able to join us on our quests and missions as the Great Emperor's immortals," he ended dramatically before rolling the scroll up and kneeling on front of her to present it to her.

She took it, bewildered, "But- but I thought I didn't finish the exam?"

Alya laughed and hit her shoulder lightly, "Are you kidding me! You were able to turn an akuma back into an ordinary butterfly! Literally everyone is talking about it right now. They're all wondering how you did it. The judge who was watching you couldn't even understand what happened."

"I-I uh," she paused, "Can you- do you know what the examiner said in her report or are you not allowed to tell me what?"

Luka spoke up, "I can tell you if you would like," at her nod, he continued, "She said that the akuma appeared and you screamed so she was about to come intervene but it seemed that instinct took over you and you cast a shield whilst also turning the beast into a harmless little butterfly all at once. We replayed her memories as well and everything she said was true. I don't think anyone will be calling you weak anymore, Marinette," he smiled at her, knowing from Alya and Nino that a lot of her determination to pass the exams was to stop the bullying she had been experiencing. And now she would be able to do what she had been dreaming of. He was proud of her.

Meanwhile, Marinette felt emotional. All that she had done, all of her training and all of the hardship she had gone through was finally going to pay off. One-thousand-five-hundred-years of trying and she had done it. Now all she needed was to be a compatible during the ceremony, because if she was not, all of her effort would be in vain. 

"I... I really passed?" she whispered as she looked at her hands in disbelief.

Alya grinned at her best friend and sat on the bed to hug her, "You better believe it girl. And don't fret too much about the ceremony. If there is anyone who can be a compatible, it would be your sweet and pure soul. You deserve it the most out of any of the others who passed. You may be the youngest but you've worked harder than any of them to get there and I'm sure the deities will see it too."

Marinette returned the hug, squeezing her friend gratefully as her eyes came to a shut in order to prevent tears from leaking out, "Thank you Alya. Really. I could never have done this without you."

"Girl. It was all of your hard work. I barely did anything."

"I am curious though," Marinette lifted her head so she could see Luka, his blue eyes shimmering in the natural light that shone through her large window, "What caused you to cast such a huge shield? It was just you there so I think a small protection spell may have sufficed."

She almost forgot and inwardly cursed when she blurted out, "You-uh. Did you not see him?"

At that, Alya released her from her arms and looked sternly at her, "See who Marinette? There was no one else there with you."

Panic flared in her chest as Marinette realised that for some reason they were unable to see the demo- Adrien in the memories of the examiner. It wasn't as if he was a hard person to see, in fact he was very eye-catching, especially when he was adorned in bejewelled armour from head to toe. Marinette realised he must have done something to prevent them from knowing he was there and she realised then and there that she didn't want to betray his trust by selling him out. Not after she had, as he had dubbed it, earned the honour of knowing his name. She needed to think fast.

"I-uh... a cat! I was protecting a cat which I had encountered before the akuma came. It was hanging around me and I was trying to get it to leave to go to a safer place but then the akuma came so I was trying to protect it from it which is why the shield is so big. You may have not seen it though because it was a very small kitten. And very, very cute. I didn't want it to be unprotected..." she looked at her feet as she trailed off, not wanting to make eye contact with any of them as they would know she was lying. Though, somehow, there was still some truth to that. She didn't want to leave Adrien unprotected.

"Still girl," Alya's hand rested on her shoulder, "I think you overdid it a bit. How you even had the strength to come home is a mystery."

She let out a nervous giggle, "Heh- I think I was just thinking about how much nicer it would be to be in my warm bed instead of the rough ground of the forest. I like to sleep in optimal condition, otherwise known as my bed," and as if to make her point, Marinette sprawled her arms out as she lay across her bed, the large cape sleeves of her dress spreading out with her arms and making her look like a fruit bat, much to the amusement of the others.

"Don't I know it," Alya replied.

Marinette sat up after demonstrating her goofiness to them and she knew that she had succeeded in steering the topic away from who she was protecting. 

Absentmindedly, she wondered how Adrien (and she really couldn't get over how naturally his name rolled off of her tongue) would react to being called a cat. He would probably scoff at her and say something about how he is above a measly cat and that they would all bow at his feet if they came across him. It sounded like something he would do. The thought of his haughtiness made her want to laugh. She had never been around someone like Adrien before. And she had never had a bond with anyone quite like the one she shared with him. It was new and thrilling and yes, she knew she was going down a dangerous road. Fairies and demons could never be friends in the eyes of the Solerian court. 

But something drew her to him.

"Look at you girl. You're radiating with happiness!" Alya exclaimed shaking her out of her thoughts about the demon. But for some reason, she believed Alya. In that moment she felt as if she was high up in the sky, basking in the sunlight as the news that she passed went through her head, all of her previous worries about Destruction pushed to the back of her mind.

Nino came forward to pat her head before leaning down so they were at eye level, "And just so you know Mari, we are so proud of you."

Marinette beamed at him and pulled the turtle in for a hug, ignoring his grunts of protest as she suddenly felt overwhelmed with how grateful she was for them. Eventually, Nino's own arms wrapped around her petite frame, patting a slow, rhythmic beat on her back before Alya joined in and embraced the both of them. 

Marinette lifted her head and pouted at Luka who was shifting in a graceless manner on the spot he was stood at, "Well," Marinette's head tilted to view him slightly better, "Aren't you going to join in?"

"I-uh."

"Stop stammering Luka. You sound like Marinette. We don't need two of them around. One is plentiful."

"I do not stammer!"

"Do too!" Alya stuck her tongue playfully out towards her friend before turning back to Luka, "And you. You are part of our group. You should already know rule thirty-two of our friendship rulebook is that group hugs must have all members taking part. If you fail to do so there will be consequences."

The ladybug fairy's face scrunched up and the girl leaned into her foxy friend's ear to whisper, "Since when did we have a rulebook?"

"Shh. I'm doing you both a favour okay. You need a little push if you want to be closer to him," Alya whispered back before once again calling Luka to join the hug immediately.

"But- but Alya..." she trailed off when Luka moved. 

After another bit of hesitation, he came forward and Nino and Alya released her, opening their arms out for the Godly being that they had somehow become friends with. It was easy to forget his status because he acted like any normal being did. It was why she had liked him in the first place. (Unconsciously, however, doubt was creeping in her mind as to whether or not her feelings towards Luka was that of more than friends- what did it feel like to love someone like that anyways?) So even with the confusion that settled in Marinette's mind about what the two were trying to achieve, she shrugged and let the three of them embrace her for the last time before she stepped into a new chapter of her life.

After years of trying and failing, she would be fulfilling her one and only dream and goal. The one and only thing she persisted and survived for. Without this goal, she would never have been motivated to even transform into a fairy. All she needed now was to actually become a compatible. 

With just a little bit of luck, she very well could be.

...............

Destruction didn't actually go too far when he left her home.

Instead, he decided to go back to the part of the forest where the akuma had been, in order to try and understand more of what had happened. He transported himself to the spot where the fairy had cast her shield, once again making sure that he, himself was invisible to Solerian eye. 

He leaned down to inspect her work, surprised to see that what was left of her power wasn't just a simple mark that was normally left behind for anyone who was able to make a shield with such strength. Normally, the mark was just a faint line where the being's power met the ground but this... this was so much more prominent. He wasn't just standing in a plain old ring of excess energy. 

Below his feet, the insignia of a ladybug was displayed, charred directly into the ground, as if it always had been a permanent fixture of the forest.

"I became a ladybug," She had told him. And he had vowed that he would find her.

But could Marinette really be who he thought she was? There were many ladybugs who it could have been and she had said that it wouldn't be too easy for him to find her. However, there was no one else he knew who could have power quite like Marinette had demonstrated. 

And what was it that she had said? She would be the one to find him?

Marinette had literally stumbled into his supposed unattainable prison. She had been the one to wake him up from his slumber and set him free. She was around the same age that had been given to him the last time they talked in the prison. Marinette was the only Ladybug who he had any connection to, including (and especially because of) the curse that had been placed on him which could only work with her. And he knew that because she was reborn, she may not know her power yet. Perchance, she may have not even been able to use it until the moment they had met (and if he was right, the moment they had met again).

He sat on the floor on the middle spot of the ladybug and contemplated what this all meant.

If it really was her, he needed to find a way to get her to remember everything again. And for once in his life, a sense of hope burst through him that maybe, maybe he wasn't just being unrealistic when he felt that Marinette could be the one he was looking for. 

He lifted his hand to look at the green light that surrounded his wrist, unnoticed by anyone other than himself and her and he frowned. She probably didn't even believe that she had been the one to put it there in the first place, instead thinking it was just a wicked trick played by the fates just to mess with them. But he wouldn't let that happen. 

 Something told him that he needed her by his side and he would do anything to see to it. 

Many people wondered what Destruction's weakness was. Many people wondered if Destruction even had a heart that could become exposed to such lengths of vulnerability. Many people wondered what must be done in order for the wrath of Destruction to be stripped defenceless for the peace of the masses.

When the Goddess had trapped him in her prison, many people thought they had the answer. 

What they didn't realise was that, as vulnerable as she had made him when she was dead, Destruction was stronger when there was someone to create for him. 

Without Creation, what was Destruction but just a myth used to scare children to go to sleep?

He would go through any means possible to get her back.

'No- I must.'

...............

So yeah, He's pretty much confirmed that she is who she is, though obviously there will still be a little bit of doubt there but, yes. He is pretty sure.

As I am going over this, I realised a lot happens in this chapter. And we are over the halfway point of part 1 of Realms. I don't know if I've mentioned this yet but Part 1 is 11 chapters and as of now, I have planned for part 2 and 3 to also be around 11 chapters. Part 4 will be an indefinite amount as Part 4 will not actually be about the main story, but I won't say more than that.

Ok anyways, I finally watched The Untamed and I'm having WangXian withdrawal so I will go and read some WangXian fics before I go to sleep.

See you soon Lovelies <3