The street was quiet, too quiet. The akuma had vanished into the fog—only to strike again seconds later.

—“Viperion, now!” Ladybug shouted, voice sharp with panic.

Luka’s heart was already breaking.

He pressed the string on his bracelet.

Second Chance.

The world rewound. Five seconds. Ten.

You smiled at him—just before the building collapsed behind you.

Again.

Explosion. Fire. Screams. Rubble.

You were gone.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Every time, he found new ways to try. Shield you, push you, call for help. But something always went wrong. A loose beam. A missed second. A distraction. One moment too late.

He began to memorize your final words.

Began to hate how easily they slipped away with each rewind.

—“You have to save them!” Ladybug’s voice cracked now. “Their father’s one of our best allies—Paris will fall apart if we lose them!”

Luka didn’t care about the city anymore.

He cared about you.

Your laugh. Your voice. The way your fingers gripped his sleeve when you were nervous. The way you once told him music made things feel less broken.

He saw every version of your death.

And each time, the ache in his chest deepened.

But this time…

He looked up as the dust cleared, the city rumbling.

You were still standing. Barely.

And he didn’t wait.

He ran to you, dropped his weapon, caught you before your knees gave out.

You looked up at him, dazed, bleeding.

—“Luka…?”

He whispered something you couldn’t catch.

But you saw it in his eyes.

He hadn’t just broken time to save a citizen.

He’d broken it for the person he couldn’t bear to lose again.