(Small warning: Possible major character death)

Marinette had never been in the Demon castle, nor had she been in the Angel castle but she knew it definitely could not be as dark and cold as it was in here. Everywhere she looked, it was just another shade of black or purple. The only thing that wasn't either one of those colours was the throne which was a gleaming gold and silver. Above her, was a high ceiling that had flags hanging from the walls, each flag exactly the same. Purple background with a black butterfly. She almost laughed. She wanted to comment on how their family crest was literally a butterfly but kept quiet.

She wasn't exactly in the position to be speaking up, especially not when she was on her knees with her hands tied behind her back in front of what seemed like a small army of angry demons. They had even chained up her wings so she couldn't try to escape, all under the orders of Chat Noir.

She watched him speak with a Demon in armour, too quiet to hear what they were saying but based on the sombre look on Chat's face, she could only guess that they were talking about the situation happening outside the castle walls.

Marinette couldn't figure out what had happened to him, but she was beginning to piece together the clues she had gotten– yet it still didn't add up in the end. Plagg said that he was being tortured in the cellars, and yet here he was, the King and looking stronger than ever. Then she remembered what Chat had told her; Adrien had died in that cellar... —my father told me the truth... —after a few alterations...

The only thing Marinette could think of was brainwash but she wasn't even sure if that was a real thing.

Was Adrien really just like every other demon she had met? Was he just as merciless and brutal as the rest? Was all of it just a lie..? She didn't want to believe it, Adrien was kind- he had saved her countless times, why now was he suddenly different?

She glanced behind her slightly, spotting her bag hanging on a hook with all of her healing items and magic spheres. Perhaps she had something in there that could help Adrien...

Her attention was pulled back to the throne as Chat Noir dismissed the Demon soldiers and they filed out of the room, leaving Chat alone with Marinette. She tried to stay calm, swallowing her fear and taking in a deep breath. She was still alive, which meant he didn't have intentions on killing her. Hopefully.

"What should I do with you..?" He pondered the question for a moment, taking a seat on his throne as he stared at her, his pale blue gaze piercing and Marinette had to force herself to look away. It just didn't seem right, this couldn't be real; Adrien couldn't be gone.

She didn't like how quiet it suddenly got, not even the sound of footsteps or shuffling could be heard. She risked a glance up at him, her heart clenching in her chest when she met his gaze again.

She gathered up her courage and spoke quietly, "Adrien.. please, this isn't you..."

She noticed how the welting feathers of his wings shuddered and a few more slowly drifted to the ground. He seemed to be debating what to say and she was almost surprised when he didn't yell at her for using his real name. Before he could speak, the sound of heels clicking against the marble flooring drew closer and Chat's cat ears perked up, a smile growing on his face. Marinette slowly turned her head to look behind her, her gaze immediately catching sight of a young woman with long brown hair and sly green eyes. She was wearing a long, slim orange dress that pronounced her curves and her dark wings were tucked in like an arch behind her. Marinette was undoubtedly confused but it didn't take long for the realization to set in and her heart seemed to have cracked in her chest with dread and pain.

She could only watch as the female Demon made her way over to the throne and without a slightest bit of hesitation she placed her hands on Chat's chest as he stood up and she pressed a kiss against his lips. Marinette let out a small whimper; it physically pained her to see the one she loved with someone else but she just couldn't seem to look away, it was like watching a train wreck.

What made it worse was when she noticed how the brunette opened one of her eyes slightly just to glance over at the heartbroken angel, and somehow even Marinette could tell that her gaze was smug.

Once they finally pulled away from each other, the Demon turned to face Marinette, a smirk on her face that angered the angel more than she would've liked. Chat seemed to notice.

"How rude of me, I never introduced you two— Marinette, this is Lila. She's a Demon I met a few days ago in the village and something about her struck me as different. Then she recently came to me with a deal and now... she's the Queen," Chat Noir explained it all and yet Marinette still felt lost. A few days ago? And Adrien never told her? She almost felt betrayed, especially now that this mystery girl was the literal Queen of the Demon Kingdom.

Lila smiled, glancing over at Chat briefly before making her way over to Marinette, her stare unsettling and highly irritating. Marinette wanted nothing more than to smack the smug look off her face.

"So you're Marinette... Smaller than I imagined," She said with a small tilt of her head and the angel glared. Lila's orange lips lifted into a smile and she ran a hand against the feathers of Marinette's wings, causing her to gasp out in discomfort as her wings trembled in their chains.

Lila looked back at Chat, "What are you going to do with her?" She asked expectantly and he sighed, taking a seat again in his throne.

"I'm not entirely sure yet... The other angels are going through torture but that seems too boring for her- she's special. I need to think of something better than that,"

As if she had put much thought into it, Lila perked up and rushed over to his side, her heels clicking and she leaned down beside him, whispering into his ear her idea and covering her mouth so Marinette couldn't figure it out. Chat turned his gaze to the demon, silent for a moment before smiling.

"Good idea my sweet vixen.." And with that he gave her another kiss and Marinette wasn't sure whether to cry or gag. She felt like doing both at this point- mostly cry.

Perhaps that was his idea all along; to get a Queen to make Marinette suffer the pain of heartbreak. If so, he truly was as cruel as any other Demon. She felt like she had just gotten her heart torn out of her chest and now she was trying to live without it. It was like breathing with no oxygen, just constantly gasping for air that wasn't even there.

When Marinette finally snapped out of her thoughts, her vision had suddenly blurred and it took her a moment to realize it was because she had tears running down her face. She didn't care anymore if he saw her vulnerabilities, this was bound to happen at some point.

Chat stood up again and waved over a guard who appeared by Marinette's side in less than a few seconds. "Take her to the lake behind the castle- you know what to do with her,"

Marinette kept her gaze on Chat as she was hoisted up and began to get dragged down the hall towards a door. She cried out in a final desperate attempt, "Adrien! Please! I didn't risk my life at war just for you to turn your back on me! I know you're still in there!"

She thought she saw something change in Chat's expression but dismissed it until he suddenly stumbled forward, falling over and landing on his knees with his wings spread out behind him. Marinette's eyes widened, watching as he ran his hands through his blond hair and tugged on the strands, as if trying to rip out thoughts from his mind.

The guard stopped dragging her as Chat suddenly let out a scream, one that didn't sound pained but rather frustrated and angered. She finally understood why when he spoke, "Stop! Get out! I'm the one in control! STOP!"

Marinette's thoughts were racing, trying to get the pieces together and figure out what exactly was happening. Who was he talking to? His words meant no sense, ever since she first saw him on the battle ground they had made no sense. Alterations? Control? The truth?

Marinette was suddenly dropped back to the ground as the guard let go of her and rushed over to Chat, but he didn't get to close, afraid he'd get hit if he did. Chat Noir growled in anger and pulled at his hair, his wings flexing and twitching behind him as if struggling in an invisible hold.

When he looked up at Marinette, she felt her blood run cold in fear for a moment, but then confusion settled in. His eyes.. one moment they were an icy blue and the next they were back to their normal green colour, switching back and forth rapidly. For a moment they stayed green and he looked.. scared.

"M-Marinette..!" He sounded desperate, like he was calling for help. "I-I can't-!" He was cut off by another scream and his eyes returned to blue.

Realization hit Marinette so hard that if she had been standing, she would've fallen over. He was fighting for control, he was battling himself. That had to be the only explanation. It suddenly all made sense.

The alterations he was talking about earlier must've been relating to what his father did to him in the cellar and how his entire personality and attitude changed. He was being controlled by someone else.

The angel attempted to move closer, shifting slightly in her chains. "Adrien! Fight it!" She was so distracted by him that she didn't notice Lila slowly moving to the side..

"What do you think you're doing?! I'm in control, not you!" Adrien's demon side shouted furiously as he pinned him to the ground, the key to the mind just out of his reach off to the side- the only object needed to take control. Adrien grabbed hold of Chat's wrists to try and pry his hands away from his neck, but finding that his attempts were useless. His Demon side was stronger than his Angel one, meaning he'd have to find another way around this. He forced himself to roll over, bringing Chat along with him until Adrien was finally on top.

"You've taken it too far!"

"I did what father wanted!" The demon shouted back, his teeth bared like some furious animal. Adrien noticed Chat's hand closing into fist and before he could try to hit him, Adrien extended his wings and flung himself back, tripping over his feet and landing on his back. The Demon got up and rushed over to the key, Adrien panicked and scrambled to his feet, the two rushing to get to the key first.

Chat got to it first, grasping it tightly and turning quickly on his heel as he took off to the sky, Adrien quickly following. It didn't take them long to get farther into the forest, the Demon weaving through the trees quickly and easily. Adrien found that it was a little too easy to go through the trees, almost like their was a path mapped out. Then again, it was his mind.

He beat his white feathered wings quickly yet he was only slowly catching up to the Demon, he always seemed to be one second faster than him. Adrien lifted himself above the trees and moved faster, keeping his gaze locked on the black wings that weaved through the forest. Now that he didn't have to focus on dodging trees, he was able to move much faster and soon enough he was above the Demon. He quickly dived down and with as much force as he could, he pushed Chat down to the forest floor, the two crashing down and tumbling to a stop.

Adrien groaned slightly as he lifted his head, glancing around to find the Demon a few feet away from him, noticing how he seemed to have rolled into a tree trunk, the quiet groans proving that assumption. The angel scanned the grass, looking for any sign of the key. Chat must've dropped it right?

Adrien slowly got to his feet and made his way over to the Demon's body, "Give me the key," He ordered, his voice holding no sign of pity.

Chat glanced up at the angel and let out a small chuckle, "Why would I do that? You haven't won yet Adrien, I'm still in control,"

Adrien furrowed his brows, "I won't let you hurt Marinette anymore, now give me the key."

His words only made Chat laugh, though he seemed to only get angrier, "Is that your only motive? Is she the only reason you're doing all of this? For some stupid angel?!" By the end of his words, the Demon was glaring up at Adrien, his icy blue eyes filled with hatred.

Adrien was almost taken aback.

"She's not just some angel!"

Chat turned so he was laying on his back, his hands clenched on top of his chest. One of them definitely had the key.

"Is that so? Then does it just pain you to watch her get hurt by your own hands? If you listen carefully, you might be able to hear her screams echo through the forest-"

"Shut up!" Adrien couldn't take this anymore, he needed to get back to her and take back control. He got down to his knees and grabbed Chat's wrists, attempting to pull his hands open.

They both suddenly stopped, the sound of white noise filling the air and the sun in the sky being covered by grim dark clouds. Adrien felt his body become suddenly weak and he fell back, unable to move.

"Wh-What's happening...?" He asked, struggling to even speak. The Demon couldn't reply, all that came out was the sound of choking and gasps. Adrien glanced over at him, noticing the blood spilling down from the Demon's mouth. His eyes widened, not able to do anything to stop this and still not sure what was even happening.

He felt a sudden sharp pain in his stomach and his first reaction was a cough, blood dripping from his lips and onto the grass. Whatever was happening, it was happening because of something that was taking place at that very moment out in the real world.

Then he heard someone call his name-his real name, and he realized immediately who it was.

"Marinette..."

The angel watched helplessly as Chat Noir was impaled through the back and stomach from behind with a sword, and at the end of that sword was Lila.

"Adrien!" Marinette cried loudly, desperately trying to get up with chains around her hands and wings. She ended up making her way towards him, stumbling and nearly tripping but finally reaching him just as Lila pulled out the sword and he fell to his side limply. Marinette turned her attention Lila, her face contorted in anger despite the tears already spilling down from her eyes.

"How could you!? He gave you everything you wanted!" She cried and Lila scoffed, tossing the sword soaked in blood off to the side.

"Everything? No, he gave me an opportunity. I convinced him to make me Queen so that when the time was right and his guard was down, I would back stab him- literally," She chuckled and it sent off a spark in Marinette that burned with anger. She looked around at the guards who stood in shock, not sure what to do. They couldn't really do anything, Lila was their Queen and to the Demons, if one overthrows the other then it's obviously who should lead them. Demons really were cruel beings.

Marinette looked down at Adrien, her tears only spilling down faster once she saw how he looked— blood dripping from his lips and his eyes dull and faded, almost a grey colour. He looked like he was dying, and that's what really pained Marinette.

She lifted his head and let him rest against her lap, turning his body over so that he was on his back. She glanced down at his wound, cringing at the sight of so much blood. The red soaked through his black clothes and created a puddle underneath him.

"Adrien, say something please.." She looked back over at his face, his eyes were unfocused and for a moment she was scared that he had already died. She leaned down and pressed her ear against his chest, listening for the sound of his heartbeat. In the few seconds that she heard nothing, she had felt her own heart physically ache- but then she heard a faint beat and she couldn't help but sigh in relief, lifting her head to look down at him.

"Adrien please.. I can't lose you.. please don't leave me..." She begged softly, and slowly he turned his unfocused gaze to her, blinking a few times to finally see her. His hand slowly moved and he reached up to grasp her own chained hand, Marinette giving it a tight squeeze. She watched as his eyes went from a dull blue-grey to a pale green, and she knew that those eyes were Adrien's, not Chat Noir's.

"M-Marinette.." He spoke quietly and weakly, but at least he was saying something. Marinette let her tears fall, glancing around the room for anything that could help him. That's when she saw her satchel and she realized she still had a few vials of the potion Fu had given her. She felt a spark of hope and she carefully placed Adrien's head back onto the ground. She attempted to get up, her chains making it hard to do so and she stumbled to the ground with a groan.

She heard Adrien's quietly speak behind her, "R-Release her," and a guard hesitated before rushing over to her, undoing the chains from her hands and wings. She stared up at the guard, not sure what he was thinking in his mind but grateful anyway. She got up and ran towards her satchel, but stopped when black wings obstructed her view.

"What the-?" Before she could finish, Lila was there and the Demon used her wing to smack against Marinette, sending her tumbling to the ground with a cry. Lila grabbed the satchel and held it above Marinette mockingly, a grin on her face.

"You really think I'd let you save him? Once he dies, I'll be in control of the Demon Kingdom and the Angels will tremble in fear, you don't stand a chance," She chuckled and Marinette felt that same anger from before boil up inside her. She quickly kicked at her legs and the Demon gasped, falling back and dropping the satchel, Marinette catching it just in time.

She ran back over to Adrien, placing the small bag down beside him before turning back to face Lila, her eyes burning with hatred and anger. The Demon got up, an amused grin on her face.

"It seems I've underestimated you! You might just be a problem after all," She raised her large black wings and Marinette forced herself to stay strong, she had gone against three demons and survived, she had gone against hellhounds and had survived her plan to avoid the war. Then again, she had had Adrien with her for two of those, he was really the one who saved her.

But now he needed her, so it was her turn to save him.

The angel extended her wings in preparation, and before she knew it Lila was rushing towards her, her outfit shifting like an illusion into a skintight orange suit, she moved too quickly for Marinette to see exactly what it looked like and it caught her off guard, which gave Lila the opening to attack. A staff appeared in her hand and she jabbed it against Marinette's stomach, sending her flying back and smacking against the throne, falling to the ground with a thud. She wasn't prepared for that. Nor was she ready for another attack- Lila appeared beside her and kicked her while she was down, a cry of pain escaping the Angel but despite the pain, she felt adrenaline, which was enough for her to be able to grab the Demon's ankle and pulling her forward, getting her off balance and causing her to fall but she used her wings before she made contact.

"I won't fall for that again!" She swung the staff down, but Marinette scurried off just in time, her wings pushing her forward. She ran towards the sword Lila had used against Adrien and picked it up quickly, turning on her heel as her sword made contact with Lila's staff.

"Oh so you want to sword fight do you? That's fine by me!" Lila smiled in amusement as her staff changed into a sword and Marinette felt the blood drain from her face. For a moment, she had the upper hand, and then Lila does something like this.

Marinette used her wings to fly back, avoiding the slashes of Lila's sword. She quickly looked around for a solution, noticing the large chandelier lit with the purple flames hanging from the centre of the room. That's when she got an idea. She quickly flew over to the other side of the room to a pillar that had ropes tied around it, that led up to the chandelier.

"What do you plan to do when you finally take over the Demon Kingdom?" Marinette asked, stalling. Lila dropped down to the floor, sword in hand as she walked towards Marinette- and towards the centre of the room.

"That's a secret I'm afraid, but if you really want to know, it'll end with the Angel's extermination!" She extended her wings and Marinette quickly slashed her sword against the ropes, and just as Marinette looked back at Lila, the chandelier fell atop the Demon and everything went quiet after the dust cleared. Marinette panted in exhaustion, her heart racing in her chest as the adrenaline finally disappeared.

She glanced around, noticing how the guards stared at her with wide eyes. She didn't understand why, it wasn't like they killed people before. The thought made her feel sick, she just killed someone. It felt wrong, but it was also self-defence, and this was war. Which just meant she would get away with murder.

She suddenly remembered Adrien and she ran back over to him, noticing the satchel was opened and he had an empty vial in his hand- giving her hope. But her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw Adrien's expression- sadness or perhaps guilt.

"D-Did it work..?" She asked and he slowly shook his head, causing her throat to clench and her heart and stomach to ache. No, this couldn't be true- it had to work, they were potions made by the healer himself!

She dropped down beside him, tears once again welling up in her eyes. She noticed how his eyes were just as glossy, but despite the pain and heartbreak, he smiled weakly, reaching out and grabbing her hand.

"I-I can't b-believe you beat Lila.. that was a-amazing.." He mumbled weakly and Marinette wiped her eyes with her free hand.

"Stop changing the subject you idiot! You're going to die! And... and I can't save you.." She couldn't accept this, there had to be another way to save him. But she was running out of time, he was bleeding out too quickly and she could tell that he was struggling to breathe and keep his eyes open.

"No no no, please don't die on me Adrien!" She begged desperately just as his eyes slowly began to close, but despite that he still tried to speak. It came out inaudible which only made Marinette even more sick to her stomach- she was watching him die, slowly and painfully. He mumbled something under his breath but she couldn't understand, a few tears finally slipping down his face. Whatever he was trying to say, it must've been important and that only frustrated the angel more.

Then, he smiled weakly one last time, tears drying up in his dull green eyes as they closed shut. His smile faded and his body went limp as he took his final breath.