The soft strumming of my guitar filled the quiet room, the familiar rhythm grounding me as I lost myself in the music. Music had always been Luka's escape—my way of expressing what words couldn't—and right now. The past few days had felt like a haze, my thoughts scattered between the plan I had for my new life and trying to 'adjust some of the main characters views that'd help me.
Three akumatization had passed back to back while I was growing my relationships, the Evilustrator, Mr. Pigeon, and Rogercop. None of which had to do with my future plans.
Slightly distracted, my fingers moved over the strings, I could almost hear the familiar melodies, as if the music itself could bridge the gap between who I was and who I was now.
A soft knock on the door snapped me from my thoughts. I turned to see Juleka standing in the doorway, her purple hair tucked behind her ear, a quiet but knowing smile on her face.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked, her voice calm but with a hint of curiosity.
I nodded, gesturing to the space beside me. "Of course. You know you're always welcome."
She walked over, sitting down next to me, her presence ever comforting. Juleka had always been the quieter one, the one who kept to herself more than anyone else in the family. But music? Music was our common ground. Growing up, it was the one thing that brought us together. While I had taken up the guitar, she had gravitated toward the piano, and we'd spend hours playing together, even without speaking much.
She didn't need to ask before she reached for the piano keys across the room, her fingers dancing lightly across the ivory. The sound was soft at first, but it quickly grew into something beautiful, full of emotion, a melody I recognized all too well. I had heard her play this before—it was one of her pieces, one she had been working on for a while.
"That's beautiful, Juleka," I said, my voice filled with admiration. "I never get tired of hearing it."
Juleka paused, looking up at me for a brief moment, her eyes soft. "It's how I feel lately," she murmured. "Like everything's out of tune, but this helps."
"Your song's are sounding better each time," I said, offering a small smile.
She met my gaze, a small, shy smile playing on her lips.
I understood completely. The way she spoke, so much was left unsaid, but the emotion behind it was clear. Music was the one way she could say everything without speaking a word. And it was the same for me.
I grabbed my guitar and started to play along, the familiar chords mixing with her melody.
We didn't need to talk; the music spoke for us. We were like two halves of a whole, each complementing the other, filling in the spaces where words failed.
But then, as I strummed a chord, the loud boom of a portal opening interrupted our quiet session.
"Luka? Juleka?"
We both turned, and I could see Alix standing in the doorway, a strange, uneasy look on her face. It was unlike her. Alix, now akumatized, was wearing a bug-like mask with an ash black and olive green outfit.
'TimeBreaker' I thought.
"Alix?" Juleka asked, her voice filled with concern. "What's wrong?"
Alix stepped into the room, her hands clutching something tightly—something that caught my eye immediately. A watch. But not just any watch. This was the heirloom her father had given her for her birthday. A family treasure passed down for generations. I knew how much it meant to her.
Alix looked at us, her face taut with emotion, and then, in a voice that trembled with frustration, she said, "It's broken… It was supposed to be something special… and now it's ruined."
She held up the watch, and I could see that the glass was cracked, the metal bent. It looked like the delicate piece had been shattered in the race from canon. It wasn't just any race. She had been racing Kim, trying to prove something to herself. I could feel the sting of her disappointment radiating off her. But as I looked closer, I could sense something darker creeping into the air. A subtle shift in the atmosphere.
"I know how much that watch means to you," I said carefully, trying to calm her. "But it's just a watch, Alix. You can always fix it."
She didn't respond right away. Instead, she clutched it tighter in her hand. "I don't want to fix it," she whispered harshly. "I want to turn back."
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Ladybug's POV
Bunnyx's warning echoed in my mind as we darted through the streets. "She's in the Couffaine household. Timebreaker has emerged, and she's causing a rift in time. You need to stop her before it's too late."
I turned to Cat Noir, who was already ready for action. "We need to move fast. Time isn't on our side."
Cat Noir gave me a determined nod. "Let's go, Ladybug! We won't let her rewrite the past."
We leaped into action, our movements synchronized, as the world around us seemed to slow. The weight of the situation pressed against me. Time wasn't something we could just undo, and Timebreaker's ability to manipulate it was dangerous—if we didn't stop her, there was no telling how much damage she could cause.
When we arrived at the Couffaine house, the air was thick with tension. Through the window, I could see Alix—her new form as Timebreaker standing tall, her hand still raised, as Luka and Juleka remained frozen in place, trapped in her time-warping power.
"No time to waste!" Cat Noir shouted, charging forward with a swift swipe of his staff. I followed closely behind, focusing on the task at hand. We had one shot to stop her.
Timebreaker turned at the sound of our approach, her eyes narrowing beneath her mask. "You're too late," she sneered, her voice filled with cold malice. "Time is already mine."
With a flick of her wrist, she sent a surge of energy toward us. The blast hit the ground between us, sending shockwaves through the room, but we managed to dodge it just in time.
"You can't control time, Alix!" I shouted, trying to reach her. "This isn't you. You're been manipulated!"
For a moment, I saw a flicker of hesitation in her eyes, but it quickly faded. Timebreaker raised her hand again, this time to freeze me in time just like she had with Luka and Juleka.
But Cat Noir wasn't going to let that happen. With a mighty swing of his staff, he knocked her off balance, momentarily distracting her. "Ladybug! Now!"
I didn't hesitate. I reached for my Miraculous, summoning the power of the Ladybug earrings. "Lucky Charm!"
In an instant, a glowing object appeared before me: a net. The shimmering material was lightweight but strong, a perfect trap for Timebreaker to prevent her from escaping through her portal into the past. I realized exactly what it was meant to do—if she was allowed to go back, the timeline would be shattered. This was the final chance to stop her.
I hurled the net at her, watching it expand and spin as it wrapped around her, entangling her in its strands. Timebreaker screamed in frustration as she tried to break free, but the more she struggled, the tighter the net became, binding her in place.
"NO!" she cried out, her hand outstretched toward the swirling portal in front of her. "I have to go back! I can fix everything!"
"Not like this," I said firmly, stepping closer. "You can't fix the past by controlling it. You need to move forward, Alix. Please, let go."
I walked towards timebreaker grabbing the skates with the Akuma within it.
I held it up, my voice firm. "Timebreaker, it's over."
Time seemed to slow as I broke the skate under my knee "Miraculous Ladybug!" I called out, and in an instant, the world around us began to shift.
As Timebreaker's mask shattered, revealing Alix's face, I saw the sadness in her eyes. She had been consumed by the desire to undo a single moment in time, to fix the broken watch that had meant so much to her. But now, free from the control of Hawk Moth's influence, she was left to face the consequences of her actions.
Alix collapsed to her knees, her eyes wide with guilt. "I… I didn't mean for this to happen. I just wanted to fix it."
I stood strong, taking a deep breath. "Miraculous Ladybug!" I called, summoning the full power of my Miraculous.
The magic of the Ladybug Miraculous filled the air as I twirled my yo-yo, summoning a bright, radiant light. The energy surged around us, sweeping through the room, repairing the cracks in time and mending the rifts that Timebreaker had created. Each broken piece of the timeline—whether it was Luka and Juleka's frozen forms or the distorted reality she'd left in her wake—began to restore itself, stitching together the fabric of reality.
As I focused on the task, I watched as the world around us returned to its natural order. The frozen figures of Luka and Juleka began to move again, their expressions softening as time returned to them. The damage to the house, the broken watch, and even the cracks in the air that had been formed by Timebreaker's power began to heal.
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The world around me flickered back into motion. I felt time flow back into place, and the world resumed its usual pace. The sense of cold tension lifted, and my body was no longer trapped in the stillness of frozen time.
I blinked and saw Juleka, who was beside me, her eyes wide as she processed the sudden shift. The frozen world thawed, and I found myself breathing in the fresh air of the present once more.
Cat Noir, who had been motionless only moments ago, shook himself out of his frozen pose. "Whoa, that was intense."
I looked around and saw Ladybug standing tall, her yo-yo still glowing faintly. Alix—now just Alix again—was sitting on the floor, her head in her hands, clearly overwhelmed by what had just transpired.
"Alix," I said, my voice gentle. "Are you okay?"
She looked up at me, her eyes brimming with guilt. "I… I'm sorry," she murmured, her voice full of regret. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I just wanted to fix it… all of it."
I moved toward her, offering a hand. "You didn't know what was happening, Alix. It's not your fault."
Ladybug joined us, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You're not alone in this, Alix," Ladybug said softly. "We all make mistakes. But it's never too late to make things right."
Alix wiped her eyes and looked at us, her expression filled with gratitude and remorse. "I… I'm sorry," she repeated, her voice small. "I didn't know how to fix it, and I thought… I thought if I could change things, everything would be better."
Ladybug smiled warmly. "We all have moments when we wish we could change the past, but the future—that's what matters. You have the power to shape it, Alix. You don't need to go back in time."
Alix nodded slowly, and for the first time since the incident began, her face softened. "Thank you… I'll try to move forward."
Luka placed a hand on his sister's shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. "And you don't have to do it alone. We're all here for you, Alix."
The tension in the air lifted, and we stood together, united by the bonds of friendship and family. As Timebreaker's reign ended and the damage to the timeline was undone, I realized that while we couldn't undo the past, we had the power to move forward—together.
Ladybug's final words echoed in my mind: "The future is ours to shape." And with that, I felt a sense of confidence appear in me. A hope for my future.