*I apologize for uploading this chapter so late in the day. That is not like me at all... but I've just been so dang busy 😅

Anyways, enjoy!

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"Noroo, Duusu, unify!"

Adrien watched in horror as blue and purple light clashed. The room began to shake like an earthquake underneath them, and the static of the magic shot the lightbulbs, causing electricity to spew like sparks of fire all across the room. The explosion had pieces of glass falling on top of them, and to protect himself, Adrien threw his arms over his head.

In only took seconds for the transformation to commence. But to Adrien, it felt like some of the longest seconds of his life.

As the glowing light of magic faded entirely, they were left with nothing but darkness in that small bedroom with only the outside sun illuminating through the curtains of an even smaller window. Blue lightning cackled around his father like static, as if he had too much power in the palm of his hand—which Adrien was sure he did. But then his father suddenly doubled over, heaving heavily, and that's when Adrien realized that something was wrong.

"You think you're the only one who knows about combining the miraculouses?" His father cackled, but he was still struggling to breathe. Adrien presumed it was because he couldn't handle the intensity of wielding two at the same time.

"Where did you get another miraculous?" Adrien asked cautiously. His kept his stance and his yo-yo spinning, unsure of what his father planned to do next.

"I've had it all this time." Hawkmoth revealed sinisterly. He lifted his head to grin up at his son evilly, his expression sending a chill down Adrien's spine. "It was actually your mother's before she fell ill."

Adrien's eyes widened at that revelation, but he didn't have a chance to question his father further. His father suddenly shuddered as another series of blue electricity coursed through him. Adrien could tell he was in pain, but he felt absolutely no remorse for his father's suffering.

"Take it off." Adrien instead demanded sternly.

His demand didn't have the effect he would have hoped. His father openly laughed at him, unfazed by such a command. "If you really think I'm going to hand you my miraculouses, then you're a fool."

"Ironic." Adrien dryly replied before he swung his yo-yo at his father. Hawkmoth barely had a chance to leap out of the way before the yo-yo struck the bedroom wall behind him. A series of cracks sounded as they slinked across the surface, indicating the force behind his throw.

His father quickly whipped his head over his shoulder to examine the damage. There was a hint of fear in his eyes when their gazes reconnected. It was barely visible, and to the common eye, it probably would have been unnoticeable... but Adrien knew his father to an extent. He knew how to read the man. He knew his father wasn't known to show emotion.

So, whenever he did, Adrien could spot it a mile away.

"I'm not leaving until I get your miraculouses," Adrien was swirling his yo-yo as he slowly advanced closer towards his father's crouched figure. "And until I kill you."

His father had a way of masking his emotion well even when it was right in plain sight. Hawkmoth schooled his expression by smirking, despite being crouched down on the floor, trapped between a nightstand and a wall.

"It seems we have a similar goal." His father sneered cunningly despite his vulnerable state. "I wonder which of us will be successful."

His blood was boiling by the second. Adrien launched himself forward, tired of the wordplay being exchanged, and bellowed. Despite his father's weakness, Hawkmoth somehow evaded him by rolling out of the way. Adrien whipped around on his heel and took out his baton. He unsheathed it and swung it like a baseball bat, sending his father flying into the bedroom window.

With a loud crash, the glass shattered as Hawkmoth was slammed into it. He fell through the opening at the height of three stories high, landing on his back in the property's courtyard. Adrien jumped through the broken window after him, smoothly landing on all fours.

He found his father laying on his back, groaning as he struggled to sit up. Adrien placed his baton on his father's sternum and leaned over it with his added weight, applying pressure to the fragile bone.

His father wheezed as if he were unable to breathe and grasped onto his baton with both hands, as if trying to escape, but Adrien didn't even blink. He could have killed him right then and there, and he should have, but a dark, twisted part of himself wanted to see him suffer first.

And Adrien wanted to be the cause of his suffering.

"How does it feel to be on the other end of the stick?" Adrien taunted as he pressed his baton further, finding pleasure in when his father coughed desperately. "Now I know why you seem so unfazed by inflicting pain. You enjoy it."

Despite his position, Hawkmoth found a way to grin knowingly through the pain. "Perhaps that is what makes us so alike."

"I am nothing like you." Adrien spat out behind gritted teeth. He leaned even further, applying more pressure, and his father cried out. "I don't purposely inflict pain on innocent people, and you are not an exception because you are not innocent."

"And you are?" Hawkmoth scoffed up at him. "You may not have done the things I have, but you've done your own share of bad deeds. At least I never left my wife or my child."

"Shut up." Adrien seethed. His father was trying to get into his head, and he couldn't allow it. "You can praise yourself for being physically there all you want, but you were never there. You were never there for me like she was."

His mother had been the only person he could ever rely on. She was the only one who had ever made him feel like he was worthy, like he was loved. She accepted him for who he was and loved him unconditionally.

Just like Marinette had. Just like Marinette continued to keep doing despite all he had done.

"You've always had it in for me, Adrien." Hawkmoth chuckled darkly, "Even though I stayed to make sure you had a roof over your head and food on your plate—"

"You never ensured I had any of those things. Nathalie did."

"And who do you think provided Nathalie's salary?"

Adrien chuckled darkly at that. "Perhaps your ignorance will be death of you instead of me. Nathalie didn't take care of me because you were paying her. She took care of me because she loved me."

His father simply grinned up at him. "You know nothing about love, boy."

Those words only sent a surge of rage through Adrien. He had no chance to even reconsider his actions as he gurgled up his saliva and spit right in his father's face.

His father looked unfazed by such disrespect, but Adrien should have known better. He was left unprepared for his father's next move. Hawkmoth called on the peacock miraculous. In the blink of an eye, Adrien watched in horror as black magic consumed the space beside them, revealing a figure that looked identical to the real Hawkmoth.

But it wasn't a figment of the imagination or an illusion like he had hoped. The fake Hawkmoth swung his staff at Adrien, sending him flying across the courtyard.

He was slammed into the stone wall surrounding the entire courtyard, his breath being knocked right out of him. Adrien heaved as he fell to the ground on his hands and knees. The brunt of the force was so severe that for a moment his vision was blurry. When he lifted his head, he could vaguely make out the fake Hawkmoth helping the real one stand to his feet.

He then looked to his right, finding his baton only a few feet away from him. Ladybug's yo-yo was still fastened around his finger due to his clenched fist.

As he shakily stood to his feet, he winced and moved a hand to hold his side. It seemed he'd severely bruised his ribs, but he wasn't about to let the pain stop him. Adrien lifted his gaze to his father's, his eyes filled with rage and hatred. His mouth pulled into a gritted sneer when his father had the audacity to smirk at him.

He felt a shudder suddenly run through his entire body... but it wasn't a shudder of fear. It was a shudder of rage. Without even a second thought, Adrien unleashed his yo-yo and used it to grab his baton. As soon as his metal rod was clutched in his hand, Adrien launched into a full sprint in his father's direction.

Something came over him then. It was an emotion that only heightened the goal to kill his father. But now, it wasn't just Adrien wishing to eradicate a man who had put his family though hell and who had lied to him all his life.

Now, it was a desire. Adrien had an immense desire to kill his father and there was no reason behind that desire besides his hatred.

As if he were blinded by rage, Adrien leapt into the air and swung his baton. Both Hawkmoths came at him in similarity. Their staffs were both raised to block his overhead swing. Steel met metal as their weapons clashed.

It was the distraction he needed.

Using his yo-yo, Adrien quickly swung it around the fake Hawkmoth's weapon and yanked as hard as he could. The fake Hawkmoth's staff snapped in half, leaving him weaponless, but that didn't seem to deter him from wanting to fight. The fake Hawkmoth raised his fists and slammed a closed fist right into Adrien's nose.

Adrien fell backward and his head struck the ground, his ears instantly filling with static.

Hawkmoth's evil chuckles could be heard even amongst the static as he slowly neared his son. Adrien peeked open an eye, only to find his father looming over him with his staff raised over his head, intending to strike.

It seemed his father wasn't the only one who planned to kill.

"Any last words?" His father taunted in a similar manner as he had. Adrien met his eyes, only to find nothing that resembled love. There was nothing behind those irises that led Adrien to think that his father had ever loved him.

All he saw was hatred and rage, and that's when he realized it would be impossible to spot any love of a father to a son, because his father was just as blinded as he was.

His father simply didn't care. His father was going to kill him. His father didn't care that he had been the cause of his son's bruised ribs, bloody nose and black eye.

Perhaps that was the only similarity they shared.

Through gritted teeth and hate-filled eyes, Adrien cried out for his cataclysm. The familiar feeling of black magic forming in the palm of his hand seemed to emit a strength Adrien hadn't felt before. As his father's staff came down to strike him (as if in slow emotion), Adrien swung his yo-yo and pulled. The yo-yo wrapped around his father's staff, and unprepared for it, Hawkmoth was suddenly yanked forward. He had no chance to evade Adrien's cataclysm when his hand firmly hit his father's abdomen.

Adrien had never cataclysmed a person before. In fact, he had no idea what would happen if his cataclysm ever touched a person. He'd always assumed they would instantly crumble to ash like most things did whenever they were touched by his power.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case when his cataclysm met human flesh.

Almost instantly, black magic began to surge through his father's body, turning the area of his suit where he had been touched jet black. The blackness began to speed at an incredible pace from his stomach outward, like a spiral of black ink. His father, realizing that he'd been defeated, tried to stand up and make a run for it. He instantly doubled over when the magic seemed to cause him pain. As he fell to his hands and knees, he howled in agony.

Adrien simply watched it all unfold, completely unperturbed. He had no remorse for what he had done, and he felt no anguish or pity for his father. He watched with a stone-cold expression as his father suffered from the effects of his cataclysm.

"Still want to know my last words, father?" Adrien found himself smirking for only a brief second when his eyes met his father's fearful gaze. "Fuck you."

That was the last thing his father ever heard before the blackness consumed him entirely, and then, all that was left of him was a pile of ash.

Gabriel Agreste was no more.

Along with his death, the replica of himself had vanished into thin air. All that was left amongst his father's remains were the two miraculouses he had stolen... and his wedding ring. In silence, Adrien reached down to pick them up. As he examined each item closely in the palm of his hand, it was then when he realized the peacock miraculous had a crack that ran down from one end to the other.

It was broken... and his father had used it. Perhaps that was why he had been so weak.

The two kawmis that belonged to those miraculouses floated up beside him. He recognized Noroo from his days as a young hero. Ladybug often mentioned Noroo's existence, which she only knew of based on what Master Fu had told her about the stolen miraculous. However, he didn't know anything about the peacock kwami. He never even knew that it had been missing... but Ladybug must've known if she was the guardian now.

And it must've been missing for a long time if his mother had been its wielder.

"A-Adrien?" It was Noroo who had timidly addressed him, but Adrien was too focused on staring down at the miraculouses and the ring in his hand to even acknowledge him.

He could just picture the horrifying images of his father and mother transformed, wreaking havoc upon their city, and the thought made him feel sick. There was no way his mother could have been a supervillain like his father... she was too good to be like him...

But if that were true, it didn't explain why she had a miraculous...

...or how it broke.

Adrien turned his sights to the blue kwami. His eyes held no emotion in them. In fact, his expression looked worriedly blank. If anyone had the answers to his questions about this mysterious miraculous, it was its kwami. "How did your miraculous break?"

"Adrien, I don't think—" Noroo tried to quickly interject.

Adrien eyes quickly snapped to him, his gaze ablaze with fury. "I don't think your miraculous is the one that's broken, is it, Noroo?"

The butterfly kwami shivered underneath Adrien's gaze. Adrien would have felt guilty for being the cause of the kwami's fear—after all, the last thing he intended to be was a replica of what his father had been—but Adrien wasn't himself right now.

He didn't really know who he was right now.

Despite the tension that filled the air, the peacock kwami seemed oblivious to it all. Duusu, giggled, his cheerfulness seeming odd to the atmosphere. "Madame Emilie was a great holder... she would have never broken me on purpose—"

"That's not what I asked." Adrien impatiently interrupted. "How did your miraculous break?"

Duusu's response was a series of more giggles. Noroo quickly interjected by clearing his throat cautiously. "Duusu is a bit... unhinged due to his broken miraculous, Adrien." He said, "I'm afraid he won't be able to logically answer your questions."

"Then why don't you enlighten me." Adrien slowly turned his sights to Noroo. "You were obviously there. You must know how it broke."

Noroo's silence was enough to prove he did know how it had been broken. However, he looked hesitant to reveal what he knew.

"Do you know what the power of the peacock miraculous is?" Noroo eventually asked timidly.

Adrien didn't, but from what he had seen as his father used it, he had reason to believe that it could be used to create anything one desired. However, he wasn't exactly sure if that power had its limits.

"It's emotion." Noroo answered when Adrien remained eerily silent. "It allows the wearer to manifest this emotion into the materialization of a Senti-being."

"Is that what that other Hawkmoth was? A Senti-being?"

"Yes..." Noroo nodded slowly, "Or in that case... a Sentimonster. Senti-beings are often controlled by the person who created them. There is an object that the creator wears that ties in with the Senti-being's existence. If that object is destroyed, the Senti-being will vanish."

A powerful thing to have in the palm of one's hand, Adrien thought to himself. Although everything Noroo was saying made sense, Adrien couldn't seem to understand why his mother had wanted such a power. What had she been trying to create?

Adrien eyes narrowed slightly at the purple kwami. "As interesting as this all sounds, it doesn't answer my question."

"Right..." the kwami swallowed, "Well... your mother wanted to create someone that did not exist in this life, which had never been done before." Noroo revealed nervously, "You see, the peacock miraculous has only ever been used to create Senti-beings that are based off of beings or people that have already existed in our timeline. Sure, people of the past have succeeded in creating new creatures but creating new people into existence is more complex. Your mother may have been the first to succeed, but the miraculous wasn't made to do so, and therefore, broke."

"Okay... so who did she create?" Adrien's eyebrows narrowed slightly in confusion. He couldn't even fathom why his mother would risk her life to do something so absurd. A part of him briefly wondered if his father had coerced her into doing something so dangerous.

Noroo fiddled with his little hands in front of him. Adrien was about to roughly demand for an answer when the silence prolonged for too long, but then the kwami revealed possibly the worst outcome he could have ever imagined.

"...You."

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Adrien being a senti-being? Did y'all see that one coming?

I wonder if that's why Adrien left in the first place... because he had no choice...

Guess you'll have to find out in the final chapter...

Tune in for chapter 21 on (1/27/2023) for the final chapter to this book (but don't worry, there will be an epilogue!) Adrien has discovered that he is a senti-being, and along with the corruption already seeping into his soul, this news has sent him over the edge. Lost in his rage and in the drowning sensation of dark magic, it will be up to Marinette to save him from his confused mind, his corruption, and make sure that he doesn't forget who he is... all without the help of her miraculous.

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