"Come on, Nooroo, it's time to go."

Nooroo beamed at the kindness in his holder's voice, just reassuring him more and more that this was going to be okay. When Nathaniel finally gets Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous and makes his wish, everything will be fine.

For centuries, those that have sought out the two most powerful Miraculous have been selfish, power-hungry aristocrats, cruel dictators, and so many others that Nooroo can't help shudder when he thinks of them. And each time one manages to get their hands on the Miraculous and make their wish, there have been horrible outcomes- The Black Plague, The Salem With Trials, the ugliness that goes on behind closed doors in the Roman Catholic Church, the Great Irish Potato Famine, and World War III. Thank Kwami Fluff's holder at the time prevented that last one before it could get even worse.

But all of those were caused by evil people who wielded both Miraculous... In fact, there's been no record of anyone like Nathaniel making a wish, someone kind and with remorse in their heart. Nooroo couldn't explain it, but he was certain that the outcome of his holder's wish would not lead to disastrous consequences, which was good, because, in the event of wishes, certain people will be removed from the picture to accommodate for the new reality. And Nathaniel has so many friends and a loving mother, Nooroo knew he'd be crushed knowing one of them had to disappear...

Of course, it would be nice knowing what Nathaniel was wishing for. Nooroo's known him for weeks now, yet Nathaniel still hasn't told him.

"Coming, Nathaniel!" The Kwami chirped.

Nathaniel smiled. "Hey, I told you to call me 'Nath.' Now come on." He pulls on the cuff of his hoodie sleeve, allowing the purple Kwami to fly into the roomy oversized sleeve. He grabs his bag off of the chair and heads downstairs where he sees his mom in the living room watching a movie. "The Princess Bride again?" The young redhead teased, only to get a piece of popcorn thrown at his head.

"Hey, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Plus, it's either this or smother my little man," Aya cooed, reaching to grab her son's cheeks so he couldn't get away as she kissed every inch of his face.

"Ma! Quit it!" He groaned. "Go back to the movie, please?" His mom snickered.

"Alright, but when you get back, you and I are making sundaes and doing a Marvel marathon, alright?" She beamed at Nathaniel's smile. "Devorah and the others didn't tell me to take a few days off just to spend them without my son."

Nathaniel kissed her cheek before heading to the door. "See you later, then." It wasn't every day that he got to spend time with his mom, seeing as she was usually so busy with the diner and it seems her employees have picked up when she had one of her very rare burnouts from working too many hours again. They still don't know how she confused that sponge for a cake.

As the redhead made his way to the museum, he pulled out his phone, opened up Bug and Cat Chat, and started playing the latest video. While he's technically a villain, (Hopefully, Alix spreads around that anti-hero spiel he gave her) and he shouldn't be helping to promote the two people trying to stop him by adding to the viewer count, the blog is still a good way to see if there are any weaknesses to Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black. Plus, he can't help if Marinette and Alya make good content and if Marinette is selling some of her best work in the online store.

"Don't blink now, 'cause we are live from the Louvre!" Alya announced as she and Marinette stood outside the museum. Behind them, a few movers were wheeling in large crates marked 'FRAGILE'. "Hey, ya'll, Alya and Mari here bringing you the one and only Bug and Cat Chat."

"We got word from a source and personal friend of ours' that there is something in the upcoming Ancient Egyptian exhibit on Pharaoh Tutankhamun linked to our heroes, Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black," Marinette continued. "Is it hieroglyphics? A statue? Let's find out this Saturday!"

Feeling Nooroo trying to get out of his sleeve, Nathaniel paused the video and put his phone up to his ear. "What is it?"

"I think I recall Tikki and Plagg having previous holders back in Egypt. If I remember correctly, they were trying to stop the Pharaoh at the time from sacrificing a pure soul in order to resurrect Nefertiti." Seeing Nathaniel's eyes shoot open, the Kwami nodded solemnly. "Yes, those were dark times."

"I'm just more shocked that there's been a Ladybug and Black Cat hero since those days, but yeah," he chuckled. "That whole sacrificing thing is way dark."

🇪🇬🦋

"Anything yet, girl?"

Marinette shook her head once she made it down the row of just some of the ancient Papyrus behind the glass case. "Nope, nothing here. I told you we should've saved that video as a draft and done a documentary-style piece. But, I'll keep looking."

Alya's only known Alix for a while now, but she knows that girl wouldn't lie, especially about something that could impact the future of Bug and Cat Chat. Plus, she takes her history seriously just like her father and brother, so much so that she's treasurer of the History Club at school, always the first call when the drama club needs help looking for any historical inconsistencies in school plays, and she's the first choice when the class is split into groups for history projects. Alya couldn't help but smirk. There's a nerd under jock.

"What do you think we'll even find?" Marinette wondered as she inspected a vase. Even if they couldn't find what they were looking for, this exhibit was giving her inspiration for some outfits. Maybe a white sundress with open sleeves and a gold wrap belt... Though, it would be nice to find something related to Scarlet Beetle or Ikati Black.

"My money's on the Papyrus. Or jewelry. Maybe the ancient Egyptians tried to create replicas of Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous."

Before Marinette could respond, Jalil Kudbel, Alix's older brother runs past Alya carrying a folder full of papers, nearly knocking her over. Feeling just a bit vindictive for her friend, Marinette casually stretches out her leg, causing the young man to trip and send papers flying everywhere, along with some sort of medallion he's quick to pick up.

"Oh, thank Ra it's not broken," he said, relief in his voice as he gathered the papers.

Alya rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'm okay too, thanks for asking. Also, who the hell are you?"

"Alya, this is Alix's brother, Jalil," said Marinette, still giving the taller boy a playful stink eye. It's hard to believe she used to think this guy was kind of cute when she was seven. Maybe she had a thing for nerds back then. If that's true, then she should have been all over Max and... Maybe Nathaniel. Now she just sees Jalil as a cousin. Kim, Nino, and Max already reserved all the spots as her brothers. "He works part-time at the museum with his dad."

"Marinette," he greeted. "Still the little demon I remember."

"Oh, you." Marinette waved him off with an exaggerated giggle. "Still with the flattering words. Anyway, Jalil, this is my friend, Alya." She gestures to the auburn-haired girl. "We're doing a piece for Bug and Cat Chat and your sister tells us there's something connected to Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black around here. And since you're such a history buff, maybe you'd know where to look?"

"Sorry, Marinette, but I'm working on a discovery on my own," he sound, sounding giddy which kind of worried the bluenette. "Oh! Dad!" The two girls look and see Mr. Kudbel making his way down the hall, often greeting visitors. With him are Alix and Nathaniel. The four friends wave and Alix is quick to bring them away from her family.

Alya quirked an eyebrow. "What's that about?"

"Prepare for the chaos that is my family," Alix sighed, gesturing to the two brunettes.

"Don't act like you don't wanna get in on that, history nerd." In response, Alix nudged the redhead in his arm

"Dad, just so you know, I've been reading up on this for long nights!" He drags the blue-eyed man over to the Papyrus Marinette and Alya were just looking at. "Now, as you know, the one with the scepter is Akhenaten. And there, opposite is Nefertiti, his princess. There are exactly one hundred mummies beside them. When she died, the sun god, Ra took her as his goddess."

Alim chuckled. "Yes, yes, I know. I am the director of this exhibition, remember?" He claimed proudly.

"Then you also know that Akhenaten wanted to bring his princess back to life, by offering the sun god a new love." Jalil points to the offering in the hieroglyphics, a young peasant in white robes. "One of pure soul. This illustrates the ritual he devised. Nobody has ever fully deciphered the hieroglyphics, but I have!" He doesn't seem the notice the wary look on his dad's face and continues, "It's a magic chant that needs to be recited in order to complete the ritual! I'm sure of it!"

Nathaniel whispers to Alya, "Wouldn't that require sacrificing someone?" The girl blanched at those words and slowly began to back away, pulling Marinette along with her. "They were smart to leave." Alix nodded and continued to watch her brother and father go at it.

"Jalil," Alim started, sounding like he had gone over this a dozen times... Probably because he has. "These types of frescoes are almost always the illustration for a legend. They called it a legend for a reason-"

"That's what everyone thinks," Jalil interrupted, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement. "But I know it's real, and I can prove it!"

The man sighed, but he supposed it couldn't hurt to hear Jalil out. He always got so excited over his conspiracy theories from Science-fiction to mythology to real life. So, he offered only a tired smile. "Oh, really? Exactly how are you going to prove it?" Honestly, what's the worst that can come out of this? Besides, Jalil is a wonderful student who takes his job seriously. Surely he won't go too overboard-

"I just need to get my hands on Tutankhamun's scepter and recite the spell!"

Nope. He will. Going so far as to cost Alim his job, by the way! Seeing him go towards the scepter under the glass case, Alim is quick to step in Jalil's way. "Are you serious?! Don't even think of touching that scepter! I'd lose my job on the spot. And on top of that, it's a priceless historical object! Not a toy!"

"But dad-!" He's quickly silenced by Alim putting a finger up to his lips.

"Not another word about this! Get your head out of those papyrus scrolls and focus on the real world! This one!" He storms off, ignoring the awkward looks of the museum-goers as they tried to act like they were looking at the exhibit the entire time, leaving Jalil looking dejected as he clutched his research close to his chest and went off in the opposite direction as his father.

"Dude, I am so sorry you had to see that," Alix mumbled while rubbing her temples. "But, you know Jalili. He can get real... Overzealous with this kind of stuff. Still wanna check out the exhibit?"

"Sure..." Nathaniel's voice trailed off when he felt his Miraculous pick up negative emotions coming from, you guessed it, Jalil. "But, hey, I think I left my phone by the sarcophagus. Be right back." He speed-walks away. Alix just shrugged it off and looked at her phone to pass the time.

🇪🇬🦋

"I'm thinking something with an Egyptian theme," Nathaniel said as he thought over the look for Jalil's akumatized form and his power set. "I mean, obviously, right?" Nooroo nodded along. A part of the redhead was tempted to make Jalil look something like Salaam from My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission, but he felt like the whole 'thin as paper' thing might be a hindrance.

"Maybe for his powers, he can look like any Egyptian god or goddess he calls for," Nooroo suggested, and Nathaniel nodded, liking the idea. "And he could have Akhenaten's funerary mask and diorite skin. They were used to sculpt ancient Pharaoh's statues." Without warning, he was nuzzled up against Nathaniel's cheek for a hug.

"God, how'd I get lucky with you?!" He strokes the Kwami's chin, eliciting a content chirp from him before saying, "Nooroo, Wings Rise."

Monarch laces an origami butterfly with his magic and sends the newly-formed Akuma on its way. "Let's hope Jalil didn't go too far." While he waits for his latest Akuma to find Jalil, Monarch decides to check out Bug and Cat Chat on his cane's phone setting to see if Marinette and Alya made any updates. So far, nothing new. Jalil probably scared them off with that talk of sacrificing someone.

Still not linked up with Jalil yet, Monarch scrolls through some of the apps before tapping on the one for his social media. It's not any specific app like Twitter or Instagram, but when Monarch makes a post, it shows up on accounts of the apps that Nathaniel has on his phone. And there's absolutely no way anyone can link it back to him.

He types, 'Hey @ScarletB @IkatiBlack ! Guess who's gonna akumatize someone!' Monarch snaps a picture of himself with a taunting look and posts it. To his verified account, he might add. Already, people are starting to comment, like, repost, retweet, share to their stories, etc.

Finally, he connects with Jalil and greets him, "Hello, Pharaoh, I am Monarch. Now with the power of the ancient Egyptian gods, you will fulfill your prophecy along with one of my own- Getting Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous."

"My precious Nefertiti will come back to life!"

"Yeah, get Nefertiti back," he droned as Jalil transformed into Pharaoh. "Wings down. Man, that guy is over the top."

Nooroo furrowed his brow. "Pharaoh's not really going through with the ritual, right?"

"Relax," Nathaniel dismissed. "I highly doubt that's going to work anyway!" He laughed, but it slowly died down he noticed Nooroo wasn't laughing along with him. "... Nooroo? Is there something you'd like to tell me?" The purple kwami tensed for a moment. "Come on..."

"Okay, so... Akhenaten really did go through with the ritual, there was a bright light, this strange portal in the sky, and... It gets kind of fuzzy after that," he chuckled, but judging by the stark whiteness of Nathaniel's skin, he didn't seem to find it funny. "W-well, he just has to find a pure soul! A-a virgin!"

"Everyone in my class is a virgin!" He whisper-screamed so no one would hear him. Realizing panicking wouldn't make things better, the redhead rubbed at his temples to try and calm himself down. "Okay, okay, okay. I sent out an Akuma who has the memories of an Egyptian pharaoh so clouded by grief that he is going to sacrifice a pure soul to resurrect his wife. Combine that with Jalil's fanaticism over Egyptian history... And we're screwed."

🇪🇬🦋

"Gods, my eyes are hurting," Alya moaned, taking off her glasses to rub her eyes. "I feel like we've been staring at these hieroglyphics for hours."

Marinette yawned. "Thirty minutes, actually. But, we've still got tons and tons and tons more artifacts to look at- OH, SHIT! WHAT IS THAT?!" She points to the broad figure with a golden head making his way into the museum. Other museumgoers begin to scatter or hide, but one brave museum employee rushes to try and stop him, not knowing yet that he is an Akuma.

"Hey, you! Stop!"

"Khonsu, give me time!" His human face glows before morphing to look like Khonsu, the Egyptian god of time and the moon. With that, he creates golden bubbles that move toward the civilians, trapping them. Marinette and Alya avoid one only by hiding behind a column. Marinette slaps a hand over her mouth when she hears the Akuma walk by yelling, "The prophecy will be fulfilled and my Nefertiti will return!"

Their eyes go comically wide when they realize who this is. "Jalil," the two whisper and peer out from behind the column to see the Akuma grabbing the very same scepter Jalil tried to take, along with the papyrus depicting Akhenaten and Nefertiti.

🇪🇬🦋

This was just supposed to be a nice outing with his friends. They were going to check out the new exhibit, take some photos, and learn a bit about ancient Egypt, but no. No, Simon just had to pick today to go to the Louvre at the very same time Monarch decides to be a total prick and Akumatize someone! Now here he is, hiding behind one of the structures around the museum with his friends, waiting for Scarlet Beetle and/or Ikati Black to show up and take this bastard down so they can check out the exhibit.

"Simon, amor, I can hear your anger," Denise whispered to avoid being discovered by the Akuma as he now started turning nearby citizens into mummies. "The heroes will fix this, and you can show me that exhibit you were so excited to see, okay?" They kiss the redhead's freckled cheek, giggling as he blushed.

"IS NO ONE HERE THE OWNER OF A PURE SOUL?!" The Akuma calling himself Pharaoh bellowed to the sky before turning another poor civilian into a mummy.

Mireille sank even further behind the structure. "Wh-what does he mean by, 'pure soul?'

"In most cultures it means, he wants a virgin," Ismael confirmed with a gulp. "We're all screwed."

Startling them is a yell from Pharaoh. The group peeks out from behind their hiding spaces and see not only Pharaoh and his mummies, but Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black, too, much to their relief

"Look, I'm not one to point out fashion statements, but this isn't the 1300s," Ikati Black snarked before flipping a zombie over his shoulder and into a small hoard of them. Fortunately for him and Scarlet, these guys were slow as Hollywood made the undead out to be.

While Ikati Black handled the mummies, Scarlet Beetle was fighting against Pharaoh, who was now using Sekhmet's powers to give him the strength of a warrior, making it about as difficult as when he and Ikati Black fought Stoneheart. Just when the spotted hero believes he has the Akuma when he wraps his yoyo around his arm, Pharaoh grabs his wrist and throws him hard into a stone structure, revealing Reshma, Marc, Jean, Marcelle, and Mireille.

Pharaoh's eyes seem to go wide, and he approaches the terrified group who are too terrified to move despite their friends yelling for them to run.

"Your face."

Jean nervously laughed. "Wh-whose face? G-gotta be more specific here."

After a quick recovery, Scarlet Beetle gets up and surges toward The Pharaoh with his yoyo spinning, but still with Sekhmet's powers, he grabs his face and throws the hero behind him like he's garbage. Ikati Black is quick to catch his partner so he'll avoid another hard impact.

"It would seem fate has placed you on my path." Marc paled when he noticed the Akuma was looking right at him. "Come with me!" Marc screamed as he slung him over his broad shoulder and took off with him.

"HEY!" Marcelle shouted, catching Pharaoh's attention for a brief moment before she surged forward and punched his chest. A moment passed before the noirette girl screamed to the top of her lungs and clutched her hand in pain. "JESUS CHRIST! ARE YOU MADE OF STONE?!" Pharaoh just shoved past her as she screamed a bunch of profanities.

Aurore tugged on her shirt collar. "Their moms are not gonna be happy about this- HEY!" The weather girl kicked and screamed as one of Pharaoh's mummies grabbed her by his arms and lifted her up off the ground, same as her friends. Surprisingly, they were very strong, so all the teenagers could do were writhe in the mummies' holds while they walked them over to Pharaoh. And much to their horror, Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black were in the mummies' grasp as well, and their weapons are feet away from them.

"How come we didn't get turned into mummies?" Jean wondered, quickly looking to Simon for an answer.

Simon looked around for a moment before the answer came quickly to mind. "Well, I heard that in the papyrus, there are exactly a hundred mummies beside Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Maybe he's trying to recreate that, and he doesn't need us because he already has about a hundred mummies. Guess he just wants an audience," he added.

"Soon, we'll be together again, my Nefertiti! My long-lost love!" Pharaoh yelled to the heavens as the scepter and papyrus circled around him and Marc, who was still in his grasp and struggling to try and escape. All Scarlet Beetle, Ikati Black, and Mme. Mendeleieve's students could do was watch.

🇪🇬🦋

"We've gotta do something," Marinette said, panicked. "Marc's gonna be sacrificed and Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black can't do anything to stop it!"

Alya quickly grabbed her friend's shoulders and forced the bluenette to look her in the eye. "Hey, calm down. We're gonna do whatever we can to help. Look, you heard Simon, Pharaoh has enough mummies so he won't turn us into any. We just... We need to distract him somehow. Then one of us can get Scarlet Beetle's yoyo to him so he can call for his Lucky Charm and stop this."

Marinette thought Alya's plan over. It was a good plan, but there was still the risk of Pharaoh using his other powers against the person trying to distract him... It's the least she can do after Alya was willing to use her body to shield her from that car. With a determined look, Marinette pulls out her tablet, much to Alya's shock. "Alright. Let's do this." Without missing a beat, she runs toward the Akuma and yells, "Hey, Pharaoh!" Everyone, even the mummies turn their heads. "What exactly is going on? Can I get some details for Bug and Cat Chat?" She holds up her tablet and starts recording.

Reshma blinked. "Is this girl for real?"

Denise was about to respond until they caught a familiar head of auburn hair out of the corner of their eye. Quietly but still loud enough, the curly-haired teen cleared their throat to catch the heroes' attention and pointed to Alya with the corner of their lips. The two mouthed, 'Oh,' knowing what the girls were planning... They just hoped it would work.

"I'm going to carry out the secret spell, to bring Nefertiti back!" Pharaoh states before turning to the heroes. "However, I'm certain Scarab would just revel in telling the story of my defeat once again!"

Scarlet Beetle furrowed his brow in confusion. 'What did he call me?' He looks at Ikati Black to see if he knows what Pharaoh is talking about, but he's just as confused as him. "I-I'm a little fuzzy on the details."

Marinette clears her throat, drawing the attention back to her. "Hey, you've mentioned Nefertiti a few times! You're talking about the spell on the papyrus, right?"

"Correct! The one hundred mummies," he gestures to the bandaged civilians under his control then to Marc, "And the offering!"

"Now, why exactly do you need an offering?" Marinette takes a quick peek and silently cheers when she sees Alya getting closer to the weapons. She just has to avoid the mummies' lines of sight.

"This is to persuade the sun god Ra to give me my sweet princess. I must give him something in return. A pure soul! And I've found that soul!" Triumphantly, he holds Marc high above his head.

'Come on, Alya! You're so close!' "Uh... O-okay, but why Marc? No offense, Marc, I love you, but why him, Pharaoh?"

Ismael nodded. "Yeah! Come on! Why not me? I'm plenty pure!"

"No!" Reshma quickly yelled. "He's a mess! I am the purest soul here! Ask anyone!"

"All lies!" Cosette countered. "They all curse like sailors! I still think 'darn' and 'heck' are curse words! Sacrifice me!"

"Hey! Why have him when you can have his sister?" Marcelle offered. "Come on, I've always been the golden child!"

Jean looked close to crying. "Let Marc go and take me instead! Please!"

While his friends and sister tried to offer themselves as a sacrifice, Marc's eyes darted around for something, anything to get him out of this! Finally, his eyes settled on the papyrus. Maybe he could have The Pharaoh explain some long Egyptian story to delay the sacrifice. That has to work! His panicked thoughts were soon replaced by confusion when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. "Uh... Um, excuse me?" Marc flinched as The Pharaoh whipped his head towards him. Shakily, he points to a spotted figure in the papyrus. "Uh, who's the lady with the black spots right here?"

Pharaoh seemed to narrow his eyes at the image. "Scarab, my sworn enemy! My nemesis may have kept me from carrying out my ritual 3300 years ago, but she... Or rather, he will not stop Nefertiti from coming back to me this time!"

"3300 years ago?!" They all yelled, and at that moment, Alya grabbed the yoyo and staff.

The scepter in Pharaoh's hand begins to float up to the sky. "Oh, sacred Ra, god of the sun! I Pharaoh, offer to thee a pure soul!" As he makes his speech, the scepter begins to glow until it can no longer be seen. A beam of light shoots from the scepter's gem and at the Louvre pyramid, making it light up. "The sacrifice for the return of Nefertiti!" The Louvre pyramid shoots a beam into the sky, creating a dark swirling vortex. "I bow to you, and present this gift with my mummies! In company, we pray to you for the safe return of princess Nefertiti! Awaken, Nefertiti! Awaken! Awaken, Nefertiti! Awaken!"

The mummies chant, "Awaken, Nefertiti... Awaken..."

The Pharaoh hands Marc over to four mummies who each take a limb and carry him towards the pyramid as he screams for his life. The Akuma is reveling in the moment. Soon, his princess will return and he will defeat Scarab like he should have done centuries ago!

"SCARLET! CATCH!"

The Pharaoh has no time to react when he hears, "Lucky Charm!" followed by the sound of slow yelling from his mummies. By the time he turns to where Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black are being held, they're gone. "NO! YOU WON'T FOIL THE RITUAL AGAIN, SCARAB! SEIZE THEM!" Two more mummies grab the bloggers and hold them captive like the others, but it doesn't matter to them as they know Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black will get them out of this.

🇪🇬🦋

Seeing the mummies were moving quicker toward the pyramid, Scarlet Beetle hastily looked around for a way to use his Lucky Charm... A Scarlet Beetle costume.

"... Do people know if you take off your earrings, you detransform?" Ikati Black wondered, giving Scarlet Beetle an idea. He opens the box, tossing aside the hoodie, yoyo, and sneakers, and just going for the earrings.

"Maybe, but let's not take any chances," he said, handing Ikati Black the fake earrings. "You take these to Pharaoh and try to find his Akumatized object while I get Marc." Ikat Black pocketed the earrings with a nod, then leaped off of the roof and on top of a lamp.

PHARAOH! You want Scarab's Miraculous? Then come and get them!" He holds the fake earrings high in the air for Pharaoh to see.

Pharaoh gasped. Now he would have Nefertiti and he could repay his debt to Monarch... But, somehow this feels familiar to him. His eyes dart around for any sign of the other hero, but he's too late to stop Scarlet Beetle from swooping down and snatching his sacrifice out of the mummies' hands.

Marc breathed a breath of relief once the spotted hero set him down safely on the roof, far away from Pharaoh and his mummies. "Thanks, Scarlet Beetle."

"You're welcome," he smiled. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have some idea of what his Akumatized object is, would you? He's wearing so many jewels that it's hard to tell."

"Could you hand me your yoyo?" Scarlet Beetle complied, and Marc opened it to the telescope setting, zoomed in on Pharaoh as he was trying to nab Ikati Black, and eventually spotted something that stood out to him on the Akuma's body. His necklace. It was the only thing that didn't look attached to his stone body. "Go for the pendant." Scarlet Beetle looks at the pendant Marc is talking about through his yoyo and nods.

However, right as he leaps off the roof to join the fight, Pharaoh, now flying somehow with golden wings, swoops in and takes off with Marc again. "LET GO OF ME!" He cried, immediately taking it back when he sees how high they are.

"Crush that insect and take his earrings from that cat!" He commanded his mummies before throwing Marc onto the beam of light surging from the pyramid, carrying him up to the black portal. And if Marc tries to get down, he'll suffer a fate worse than getting sacrificed to an ancient god.

After narrowly avoiding getting hit by a car thrown by the mummies who are surprisingly strong, the heroes run to a bus, and the mummies are quick to follow. Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black go out through the other door, shut it along with the door they and the mummies went through, and turn the bus on its side so they can't get out.

Ikati Black points up to the portal. "Marc's getting awfully close! Let's hope he falls for the earrings again." Scarlet Beetle nodded until he heard his real earring beeping, prompting him to put his hood over his head so Pharaoh won't see them, and the two run over to Pharaoh, standing protectively in front of the glass pyramid.

"You will not stop me from bringing Nefertiti back! I'll finish you off! Anubis, bring me mummies!" He shoots beams at Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black, but they either dodge or deflect the blasts with their weapons. Scarlet Beetle's yoyo wraps around Pharaoh's torso, and while he's restrained, Ikati Black vaults up to save Marc.

"Mut, give me your wings!" His golden wings return and he lifts himself and Scarlet Beetle into the air, even going so far as to fly towards the portal. But before Pharaoh can get close enough, Scarlet Beetle snatches the pendant and loosens his yo-yo string around Pharaoh. While freefalling, he grabs Marc's hand, pulls him off of the beam, tosses the pendant to Ikati Black, and rapidly spins his yoyo to slow their descent to the ground.

"And just to be clear!" Scarlet Beetle shouted as he spun his yoyo, ready to capture the Akuma. "I'm the best choice for a sacrifice!"

"CATACLYSM!" Ikati Black yelled, making sure he was loud enough for Pharaoh to hear and let him know of his defeat.

The Akuma was freed, and Scarlet Beetle's yoyo nabbed it before it could get away. He purified the Akuma, turning it back into a white origami butterfly that got swept away with the slight breeze and caught the fake earrings Ikati Black tossed to him before throwing them into the air with a "MIRACULOUS SCARLET BEETLE!" As always, the Lucky Charm explodes into a blast of energy, releasing thousands of ladybugs that turn everything back to normal.

Jalil adjusted his glasses. "What happened?"

Once the de-mummified civilians released them, Marc's friends and sister ran and pulled him in for a group hug, exclaiming how thrilled they were he wasn't sacrificed, especially Marcelle.

"Don't you ever scare me like that!" She cried, hugging Marc tight, almost as if she was afraid he would disappear if she let go. "I thought I lost you!" The other noirette brushed back her hair to calm her down. While Marc consoled his sister, Lacey did the same for Jean.

"I-I just thought he was really gone," the thespian silently cried as they wiped away a few tears streaming down their cheek. The blonde girl pulled her friend in for a hug, unaware of the real reason behind their tears.

After the heroes did a quick high five, Alya and Marinette approached with their phone and tablet set to record.

"Amazing work as always, you two," Marinette commended. "But, I've gotta know how old are you two?"

Scarlet Beetle smirked. "A lady never asks, and a gentleman never tells. Goodbye!" He said before swinging away, Ikati Black quickly going in the other direction before either one could transform back.

Alya stops recording. "I think we've got what we needed."

"Pound it," the two girls say before fist-bumping.

🇪🇬🦋

As they head back inside the Lourve, Alya and Marinette are met with a strange sight... Alix is hugging Jalil.

"Don't scare me like that again, idiot! You know how worried you were when I got akumatized on my birthday? That is nothing compared to how I feel now! Another thing, don't go sacrificing people I know, do I make myself clear?!"

The elder sibling gave a nervous chuckle and held his hands up in a 'stand down' manner. "Yes, Alix, I understand. I won't get Akumatized again."

"Yeah, you better not." The four turn to see Nathaniel making his way down the hall and approaching the siblings, right before he flicked Jalil's head. "That's for turning me into a mummy!"

Marinette scoffed. "Nath, you can hit him harder than that. I suggest the ankles, those are his weak points." Jalil gaped.

"You get Akumatized one time and people wanna kick your ass," he muttered.

"I mean, you did almost sacrifice Marc," Alya mentioned. Not noticing the almost horrified look on Nathaniel's face, she continues. "Yeah, I wouldn't suggest walking by DuPont unless you wanna get your ass kicked by his friends, especially his sister. I'm telling you, this girl challenged my sister in the ring and won! Like... That's an accomplishment in my family!"

While Alya went on about Marcelle, Nathaniel whispered to Alix and was trying very hard to keep his voice steady. "I need to go. Mom texted me." The pinkette gave him a quick side hug and he was on his way out.

🇪🇬🦋

"Nathaniel, y-you couldn't have known," Nooroo stammered, trying to console his holder when he wouldn't say a word. "There we so many people trapped in those bubbles, you had no place to transform a-and check on Pharaoh. And the- what's it called? Oh, the WiFi wasn't great, so you couldn't have checked Bug and Cat Chat-"

"Nooroo." The Kwami was instantly silenced even though it wasn't a command. "Let's not have something like this happen again, alright?" Sensing Nooroo's distress over his tone, the redhead gave him just the faintest smile to ease his worries. "I just can't have people I know getting hurt, alright?"

Nooroo couldn't help but joke. "People you know, or just Marc?" He smirked as his holder's face turned as red as his hair. "Nath, it's okay to have crushes."

He scoffed. "I can't have crushes now, because then that leads to dating, us going on dates and being close, and then that person will find out I'm Monarch and turn me in to the police."

"Not unless you tell them about the wish, I'm sure."

"Yeah, that'll be a great conversation. 'Hey, don't worry, babe, I'm only stealing magical jewelry so I can bring my dad back from the dead,'" he said bitterly.

Nooroo gasped, and ever so slowly, the pieces were coming together. The level of grief he sensed from Nathaniel when they first met is something Nooroo knows all too well, having to console his kinder past holders when they lost beloved family members over the centuries.

And there was that slip-up at the park with Manon after Stormy Weather was defeated where Nathaniel almost said 'him' instead of 'her'. Then when he was in the process of Akumatizing Alix, she wasn't the only one who noticed how quiet Monarch got when he mentioned wanting to go back and fix mistakes. At first, that made the Kwami wonder if Nathaniel's wish would be to fix a past mistake of his- possibly one that greatly affected his life- but that didn't feel right.

Well, now he knows. And honestly, Nooroo wants to kick himself for not realizing this sooner. There are only three photos in the Kurtzberg household of a man Nooroo has not yet seen and whom Nathaniel won't talk about. Whenever Nathaniel passes by one, he seems to stop for a few seconds before walking again. Nooroo has yet to ask him about the man, worried there might be a meaning behind him Nathaniel wouldn't be willing to explain.

Nathaniel sighed. "Even I wanna run from me right now..." Noticing Nooroo hasn't said anything yet, he becomes concerned. "Nooroo? Are you okay?"

Figuring now was the time, Nooroo took a deep breath and said, "Originally... I was afraid when you wanted to make your wish," he admitted before quickly closing his eyes and waiting for Nathaniel to react like three of his past holders. Tentatively, Nooroo open his eyes ever so slightly and saw only confusion and innocence in his aquamarine eyes.

"... I-I could sense your emotions when I explained what would happen if you used both Miraculous and there was an all too familiar feeling," he shuddered. "I thought your judgement would be too clouded and you'd be-become corrupt l-like so many other holders who wanted to use the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous, and-" Nooroo's ramblings were abruptly cut off as he was pressed against the soft fabric of Nathaniel's hoodie.

"That will never happen," Nathaniel whispered. Nooroo's tremors slowly stilled. "I don't know what you went through with your other holders, but... Nooroo?" The Kwami looked up at him with his purple eyes. "If there's ever a time you don't feel safe around me... Take the Miraculous and run."

The Kwami's eyes widened. "Nathaniel-"

"I'm serious." Nathaniel pulls out his house key as he nears his home. "I don't want to put you through that again, okay? I really care about you." Seeing Nooroo smile made his lips curl a bit. "Whenever you're up to it, we can talk more about this later," he said before opening the door. Nooroo's quickly flew back into the sleeve as Nathaniel made his way into the living room. "Hey, mom."

Aya grinned. "Hey, sweetie. Still on for sundaes and Marvel?"

"You know it."

"Alright, let's go!" She cheered, getting up from the couch and heading to the kitchen with Nathaniel following. "So, how as the museum exhibit?"

'Must not have heard the news.' "It was nice until Alix's brother got Akumatized, turned a bunch of people into mummies, and wanted to make a sacrifice," he explained without missing a beat.

"WHAT?!"