The Boy In The Coffin

Rage

Even a well-lit place, can hide salvation

A map to a one-man maze that never sees the sun

Where the lost are the heroes

And the thieves are left to drown

But everyone knows by now

Fairy tales are not found

They're written in the walls

As we walk in a straight line

Down in the dirt with a landslide approaching

But nothing could ever stop us

From stealing our own place in the sun

We will face the odds against us

And run into the fear we run from

It has begun

—It Has Begun- Starset

Most know Alya Cèsaire as a kind girl with a strong set of values. In fact, it was that very strength that had drawn Nino to her so long ago when they were in tenth grade. Despite his desire to be her protector, Alya was usually the one saving his ass from dumb situations. If ever they argued, Alya always wound up being right. She's a smart girl, cunning too, a girl fit for holding the fox Miraculous.

Alya finds herself in the position of the protector, not just to Nino, but to all her friends. She is their rock, their foundation, their strength. And Nino has never seen Alya be as strong as she has been since Adrien died. She has kept Nino from falling apart, kept Marinette from falling apart, and somehow kept herself from doing the same. However, most of that is because she and Adrien never truly had much of a bond.

She has fond memories of Chat Noir as Rena Rouge, and losing a classmate breaks her heart. In the end, what hurt the most was seeing Marinette's reaction to it all; forced to watch the world carve pieces out of her left and right, unable to fill the holes left behind. Today, Alya walked away from the man who had caused all that anguish for the second time.

She had her chance to end this much earlier, but she chose to walk away again. It was a good decision to leave the cemetery when she did. Her hatred toward Gabriel Agreste had caused an unpleasant bitterness to fester inside her, and that fury had been ready to take control. If she had opened her mouth, she knew that it would have, and she wouldn't be responsible for the outcome.

She dwelled on this unfettered rage for the duration of the bus ride home. With nowhere to escape, it was eating away at her like a carnivore within. Rose and Mylène had pleaded with her to stay with Marinette and kept trying to find out what was wrong. But she refused to tell them. With a tight-lipped smile, she assured them that everything was fine, that she just was stressed because she had so much work to do that definitely wasn't waiting for her when she got home.

Instead, Nino is waiting when she arrives from her near-hour long trip home. The setting sun has mostly painted Paris a stunning blue-black as the stars begin to make their appearance.

Nino hasn't heard the truth about Gabriel Agreste, but after today, concealing it will be much harder. Sadly, Alya is probably the only one aside from Marinette who would ever agree to spare Shadow Moth. If Nino knew, he would more than likely try and play the hero and tell the authorities.

For Marinette's sake, that can't happen, and as her best friend, Alya's role is to respect her wishes. Although, she still isn't sure why Marinette would want to have mercy on Shadow Moth. No matter the reason, Alya suppresses her feelings and banishes any intrusive thoughts that attempt to undermine her image as a kind person.