This chapter is very fast paced. The time skips for Marinette's scenes are very small. Probably like minutes or hours apart. You can decide.

Also, I cut like the tip of 2 of my fingers with a saw blade (made for jewellery, don't worry it's not that bad. They're just sharp since they are meant to cut through metal and so now the cuts just sting) so editing this kind of stings. Bear with me please.

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

"No," she whispered, and then she screamed, "NO!"

"Mari..." a pitying female voice spoke from behind her.

But she ignored red it and shouted helplessly into nowhere, "Let me out! You have to let me out!"

A hand grabbed her hand and forced her to face him, "You know we can't get out. The emperor himself built the mechanism for this specific cell. Only he can unlock it."

She shook her head in disbelief, her restless tears falling down her pale skin, "No. No we have to get out. There has to be a way."

Luka sighed and placed both arms on her shoulders in an attempt to still her, "Be rational your Highness."

She glared at him, as if he triggered something within her, but really he knew she was just too emotional in that moment, "As if you can say anything of the sort."

He almost laughed because it was true. What right did he have to act like that? What right did he have to try calm her down, to tell her to not be hasty? Yet he knew, regardless of what had transpired between them not too long ago, she still (for a reason unknown to him) valued his advice and opinion with care.

"You're right," he said, "I can't. I probably shouldn't. But there's only the four of us here. We need to all have a clear mind if we want to get out together."

She stared at him for a few moments before gently removing his hands from her shoulder, the flow of her tears stopping with her clearer state of mind, "There should be some way out of here. We just have to figure it out."

He gave her a small smile and responded, "We will."

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

He had been plunged into another memory. From what he could tell, his father had possessed a bulky man named Ivan, a guard, though someone not of true significance in status. The reason he had been possessed was because his father had gauged the emotions of anger and frustration within him and because of it, it was very easy for him to manipulate Ivan. 

The point of no return for Ivan had been when he had been rejected by the girl he had fallen in love with, after an attempt at a confession had gone awry. 

Ivan had been a half giant, half fairy and because of it, had been discriminated against since he could remember. Only because of his strength he had been chosen to be a guard for a family known well in entertainment. More specifically, he had been assigned as the daughter, Mylene's guard. 

Mylene was sweet. She was shy but she believed in kindness and the beauty of all things and she was sure to express it. When he had first arrived at her home, she had looked up at him in awe and had told him to his face that she found his appearance lovely. It was the first time anyone truly thought so. 

From then on, he had grown to like her in a way he never thought he would have the chance to experience.

But when he had grown the confidence to tell her, she had looked at him sadly and told him, "I- I can't," she stuttered, "I'm sorry."

With no explanation, she quickly fled. 

At first he had been sad, even thought he knew there would be a possibility that he would be rejected. But then he had heard that she was already betrothed, as was common with families such as hers. And it had made him angry. Watching her for a few more days and realising she, herself was unhappy with her future marriage, it made him even more angry.

"Come with me. Let's run away," he asked her, concerned. 

But she still refused with only a small, "I'm sorry Ivan."

He didn't know why but his anger had gotten the better of him after that, and it had become what Hawkmoth had needed to completely take over him. 

After that, he had truly become a monster and had started to terrorise her family. Through the control of Hawkmoth, her family had ended up dead and Mylene, who had been devastated at his actions, had ended up enforcing death upon herself as a result. 

That had become the true turning point of his rampage.

Adrien found himself despising his father even more. 

Maybe it was because he was younger than or maybe it was because even though he knew his father was a bad person but there was that connection with him that made him think he would hate if it became severed. But now he regretted thinking that, now feeling that everything that tied him to his father was quickly being unravelled and that was something he was grateful for.

What his father had done to Ivan, he had caused him to lose his mind, to become someone who murdered a whole family and then even more people. He had been someone who had wanted people to not be scared of him, yet because of Hawkmoth, he had become the very fear of the people of Soleria who knew nothing of how he had been possessed by the true devil of Luneith. 

Ivan had been killed by those who were afraid of him. He had died without the peace he had desired, knowing he had been the cause of multiple deaths, including his own love.

Adrien knew the feeling. He understood how confused and alone and how desperate Ivan felt. How completely shattered his heart became once the love of his life no longer took a breath. No longer had been part of his world. 

He had experienced it too.

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

Nothing!

They had found nothing.

The prison was meticulously made, almost like the one she had trapped Adrien in. But the difference was, in this prison her uncle had made, the clear motive was to keep a person inside. One thing for certain, this prison was bound to her uncle's soul in a similar way to how Adrien's was bound to the both of theirs. However, unlike how the prison she made was a reflection of their soul, it was like this prison was more just another subordinate which answered to her uncle's soul.

She wanted to hate her uncle so much.

She wanted to hate him for every choice he had made to this point. From adamantly refusing peace treaties with Luneith, to instigating a war through the deaths of the former Lune Supreme and his queen. She wanted to hate him for his unjust prejudice towards Adrien and his people and she almost very much did. 

But somewhere in there, there were still memories of the uncle who showed kindness to her, of the one who raised her in the absence of her parents. There was still the person who very knowingly showed his unconditional love for her even when she went against his wishes. She knew the Emperor was like a villain for what he had done, but she couldn't help never forgetting the uncle he had always been to her. She would never be able to truly hate him.

Was this how Adrien had felt about his father for so long?

That didn't mean that she liked her uncle as much as she used to. Before meeting Adrien, she had always only seen him in the shining light which never left him. Growing up, meeting Adrien, unlearning all the wrong things she had been taught in Soleria about Luneith, she realised she only saw him in that light because she wanted to. 

Because this was her sweet and powerful uncle who only wanted the best of her.

The light faded when she realised how selective he was in his mercy.

But she still could only dislike him to a degree. There were still moments of him she wanted to cherish within her memories forever. 

It didn't mean it would be easier to forgive him for doing this to her, however. She was genuinely angry at him now, even if she wasn't before.

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

The scene had changed after a while and Adrien knew that he was experiencing a different akuma's memory. 

He had finally realised what was happening. Those whom his father had possessed had somehow become a part of him in a small way, waiting for the time someone would come and hear their story, so they could be relieved of their burdens. Sometimes the memory was from his father's point of view (like with Nathalie), other times it was from their own perspective.

This time it was a shapeshifter, an ability not many had but even in Luneith, they had a society just for them. But Soleria was a bit different. Within their Shapeshifting community, there was a hierarchy not seen in Luneith. 

Shapeshifters were those who were able to turn into more than one creature, though their spiritual animal was their strongest. That didn't mean more strength could be put into others. In Soleria, their hierarchy was based on, not only how strong their animals were, but the type of animals they were. Someone could be the strongest fish in the entire ocean but they would only reach the middle of the hierarchy since they could not shift into a, for example, water dragon.

The one who Hawkmoth had possessed was a small animal, a crow, whose strength was greater than most. But because he could only shapeshift into animals similar, various types of small birds, a few types of small mammals, he was not really seen as someone who should be revered for his power or strength as a crow. Moreover, people actively ridiculed him, for there was another crow who didn't match his strength but had the ability to shapeshift into bigger, more powerful animals. Even with the lack of strength the other crow had controlling his other animals, he was still more well-known and liked in their society.

He had wanted revenge and Hawkmoth gave it to him.

But when the people had enough, when they didn't want to live in fear anymore, he was hunted like the prey he had wanted to play with.

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

"I'm sorry."

She glanced at Luka weirdly, "It's not your fault we can't find an exit. This is a team effort, you know."

"I know- but that's not what I wanted to apologise for."

"Then what-" she looked at the other two who both shrugged their shoulders, not understanding what he wanted to say.

"I'm apologising for- well- everything that I caused to happen," he sincerely replied, startling her.

"There's no nee-"

"Yes there is," he interrupted, "It's been weighing on my mind for the last few days, especially after reading your letter."

She conceded, wanting to know what he was eager to say, "Okay," she said, "Tell me."

Luka took the opportunity to kneel on the floor beneath them, placing his hands on his knees as he looked up at her, "I'm sorry Princess Creation. I thought... I thought I could be someone in your life that you could rely on. That you could come to and be certain I could be your shoulder to lean on. But I didn't do that. Instead, I ended up worse."

"Luka, you don't have to say any of this," she knelt down so she was at eye level with him but he averted his eyes, not wanting to show her that he was already in the midst of choking up.

"I do. I have to. I-" his lower lip wobbled so he bit it to keep it from shaking before taking a deep breath, "I betrayed you. I hurt you. I lost your trust. I did the worst thing I could ever think of doing to you, even though I devoted my life to not doing so. I won't make excuses. Hawkmoth may have been to blame for the extent of physical hurt I inflicted on you, but it was my mind and my will that he used to affect you. From the bottom of my heart and my soul, I wish only to apologise to you for playing a role in all of the misfortune that is happening now. If it weren't for me-"

Marinette placed a finger on his lips and shook his head, looking not only at him, but Alya and Nino as well, "It's time we stop lamenting about what happened in the past and focus on the present."

Alya gave her a smile when she caught her eye, "I agree. You know Luka? I wanted to hate you for what you did, but I just can't. You are someone dear to us, who made some mistakes, albeit some grave ones, but all I ask from you is to repent and become better," she walked to behind him, Nino following, and she also knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

Nino stayed standing, but he leaned down to pat Luka's back in reassurance, "She's right. You are our dearest friend and we could never truly hate you. The fact is that she's alive now."

Marinette smiled at her friends and went to grab Alya and Nino's hands, this time addressing all three of them, "So," she squeezed their fingers and looked straight at Luka, whom she noticed was trying to hold back tears, "Stop torturing yourselves over the past, all of you. The only thing I want is for you is to acknowledge your wrongdoings and learn from them. I want you to remember the past, but not feel guilty forever. We're immortals, who the people rely on. For the sake of a satisfactory present, and a peaceful future, we must carry on with our sense of responsibility and our own goals to become better together. Hence, Luka, I will tell you this right now."

He nodded, "I'm listening."

"I forgive you."

Perhaps she was angry at him before, for kidnapping her, for killing her. But to her, the fact the she was alive, as Nino had said, was enough for her. She didn't feel the need anymore to even look at him and feel a sense of distaste or hatred. 

Though she would have to do something about the animosity between Luka and Adrien after this was all over. They could become great allies in the future.

'If there is a future for us.'

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

The town was in a state of complete havoc. 

Adrien didn't know where they were exactly, only that they were in a place which had been dearly affected by his father's puppet. From what he could gauge, people all around were being affected by anything that would be commonly feared to the most obscure elements- which Adrien could not understand the reason for- appearing. There were huge spiders chasing a few people, birds of prey pecking at others, shadows and creatures and harsh words and the innate feeling of doom surrounded them.

But the fact was that this was not even reality. The mouth of the akuma had opened and expressed their great desire for nightmares to take over and he quickly realised, with the information spewing out of the akuma, that they were in the world of nightmares created with the help of Hawkmoth's powers.

Adrien remembered something then. He remembered reading about it in the book Marinette had showed him- The 100 year Nightmare. 

Whilst it was but a blip for most, the village in which it took place would never forget the horrific nightmares their people had to endure because of the akuma. The story went that one day, people had started dropping onto the ground without a known cause and gradually, over the next 100 years, more and more people would fall victim. Before they knew it, the whole village had  plunged into a catatonic state and anyone who even tried to come close ended up just like them.

People thought it had been a curse on the village or the land they sat on, but they didn't know until much later that only one person had been possessed.

In those 100 years, those people dealt with nightmares worse than reality, and those who couldn't endure it died painfully. 

Eventually, it was the akuma themselves who was unable to endure the suffering they had inflicted on everyone, for the capacity of power they could hold was too little compared to what Hawkmoth gave them. The akuma died, unable to endure their own infliction on others for much longer.

Only a few survived to tell the tale and even then it had been hard to identify the start of this all. 

As Adrien watched the nightmare world take shape, he could feel the guilt and regret of the one who wanted to show him this memory. Again, he could see what they were all trying to show.

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

Nino and Alya had decided it would be best to walk around and look for an exit and give Luka and Marinette a chance to talk properly. For a few minutes, they just sat by each other, awkward and unsure of how to express the rest of what they desired to tell each other.

"I..." Luka finally started, "I don't think I deserve your forgiveness just yet. I want to do what I can to earn it properly."

"You don't need to."

"I feel like I became such a burden on you. I wish to relieve that for you."

Her answer was short, decisive, "You aren't."

He turned his head to face her, who was looking straight ahead, eyes unfocused as she was likely stressing about staying inside this prison for longer. But the other two had told her to stay put for a bit, realising that receiving the punishment inflicted by her own uncle, both physically and mentally, may have taken a toll on her. Luka, however, didn't think her lack of focus was due to a feeling of loss or betrayal from her uncle, rather it was about something- someone else.

In reality, he had still had his doubts, even after reading her letter and even after seeing them together so many times.

"You really care for him don't you?"

It was that question which finally got her attention and she smiled sadly, making him feel like someone had just punched his heart with her sorrow. It would probably take a long while before he could completely get over her but, he thought, even once he would, he would always feel gut wrenched when he saw her sad. It was likely the same for anyone who knew her personally.

"I sincerely love him, with all of my heart, body and soul. It's as if I had stumbled into a forbidden piece of land but found it to be better than anyone expected. He isn't perfect but to me, I-" she squeezed her eyes shut and her voice became smaller, "I don't know what I would do if I lose him. I think- no I know I wouldn't be able to live. I'd rather he would be able to live instead of me if the choice ever came to that."

"I know," he said, recalling in that moment how true her statement was. He already knew how selfless she was but when it came to him, she was even moreso.

She started muttering to herself, "I should have realised. Why didn't I realise?"

"Realise what?"

She opened her eyes and stared off into the distance, "I was so focused on trying to convince my Uncle that I didn't even notice the numbing feeling?," when he looked at her confused she sighed, standing as she did, "Forget it. Let's just get out of here already."

He quickly stood up as well but refused, "No. I want to know. And I think you need to say it out loud instead of keeping it all in."

"Are you sure you want to hear it?" He nodded at her question, even if it meant hearing something he might not necessarily like, "Ok well... Adrien and I are connected by a soul bond."

That got a gasp straight out of him, "I really had no chance at all!"

"I'm sorry Luka," he didn't even need to see her face to know the genuine guilt she possessed.

"It's not your problem Your Highness. It's mine alone to solve."

He felt slightly embarrassed in that moment. If he had known of the soul bod, would he have gone that far?

"Stop addressing me like that," she said quickly, "Anyways, you do understand what soul bonds are like, I presume."

"I do know. Though it varies depending on who it is, doesn't it?"

"It does," she nodded and the both of them began their trek to the other two, "One of the aspects of our bond was that we could feel each other's pain but now that I think about it, I don't think that has happened since I have come back."

Luka thought about it deeply, his mind wandering back to everything he knew about soul bonds, when he remembered something, "Maybe it's an instability?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Ah," he looked at her, "It's something I read quite long ago so I can't remember the details but what I do remember is that there was a theory that soul bonds can be unstable when the dynamic of the bond is not balanced. Perhaps you coming back could have either created an instability, or the fact that you could feel each other's pain was the instability. I don't know which is more likely, however."

Marinette had also heard this theory, a long time ago, by Master Fu himself. But it was something that had long been at the back of her mind, especially since there was so much piled on top of it that even trying to dive in wouldn't be enough to find it unless she absolutely needed to. 

"Or maybe it has something to do with another soul trying to possess him," she muttered, before letting out a depressing sigh, "I just- I thought that even without it, I would still be able to feel if something was wrong."

"You were distracted," Alya, who they had now reached, reassured her, "And for good reason. Take your own advice as well Marinette. In fact, it should be something you especially do considering your role is much bigger than any of us. Take responsibility for the things you are truly responsible for, but don't blame yourself if something went wrong that you didn't have control over. Because that will just increase the burden you carry and will do nothing but hurt you. Frankly, I don't think you have time for that."

"You're right Alya," she placed a hand on Alya's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze in gratitude, "I really don't have the time to do this."

Alya nodded at her, reaching to Marinette's hand and holding it with both of her own, "And I know you Marinette. I know you can come up with a solution, not just because you are the most powerful of all of us, but because you are determined. You always have been."

"Yeah..." Marinette replied, but her mind had already turned to the solutions Alya knew she would be able to figure out. It only took a few seconds to figure it out, really it was simple. It was just, she had been so unfocused that she hadn't thought about it but looking at where Alya was still holding onto her hand, she realised it may be their only chance, "I think I know what we can do to get out of there."

Alya, Nino and Luka all nodded at her as she told them what they were going to do.

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

The final vision Adrien saw was the worst of them all. 

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

I don't know why, but when she said "I don't know what I would do if I lose him." I just felt so sad and I teared up. I guess I'm just a bit too emotional today.

Ok finally I'm done with this chapter. It was this chapter that was the cause of all the delay but hopefully my schedule will be back on track!

By delay, I mean that I hated writing this chapter because it just wouldn't fit into the idea I had. Adding the small visions Adrien was having saved it, or at least I think so.

And for anyone who is wondering, the reason for the soul bond working is because, as Mari suspected, Hawkmoth is the instability as he is trying to possess Adrien's soul and mind and body etc. BOOOO to hawkmoth BOOOOOOOO!!!!

Happy Halloween!

See you soon lovelies <3