Huge thanks to Gur40goku for suggesting The Dark One. I did not take it as such because I love King Falls AM and there's this character in it called The Dark and my brain just could not piece those two things together.

And sorry for the pov skip in this chapter, it had to happen. Enjoy!

Hawkmoth was stunned, to say the least. How had it ended up like that? He had let his son, his son of all people, and fall under one of his akumas. He should call it off, retreat the danger from Adrien at once, be sure something like this didn't happen again.

And yet, a small voice in his head spoke, and yet feel all of those emotions, all that sadness, that solitude, that fear. There were intense just like the girl but directed at something else. There was hurt, there was an embarrassment, there was…jealously? Oh, oh all of those that could fuel one powerful akuma indeed.

But, it was Adrien. Hawkmoth's grip on his cane tightened as he fought those thoughts over and over. What had happened before? Adrien in danger because of akumas, Volpina using an illusion of his son to lure Ladybug to-

Ah.

Ladybug cared for his son a tad more than for any other civilian. Understandable, Hawkmoth mused, she must be some sort of fan out of the mask after all. And Ladybug would do anything to keep Adrien safe, even give personally her miraculous. Even more, he grinned, she could help him find that silver tongue, have a backup plan.

Besides, how else would he finally shake off that time she had her trail on him as being Hawkmoth? If Gabriel Adreste were Hawkmoth, he wouldn't risk his son's life like this. Yes, this was a perfect cover-up, a way for him to throw off that scent against him.

If he could make Adrien a strong, powerful akuma, then he was going to be safe from Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Hawkmoth was going to make sure of that.

oOo

One moment Adrien had seen the akuma flying towards Marinette and his body reacted on its own. Maybe, he would later think of it as his drive to protect his lady since she was the only one who would be able to save him. Maybe it had been his feeling of duty mixed with the feelings of devotion he still had for her that wanted to protect her.

The next moment? He felt like he was floating. He couldn't hear the others around him, couldn't really see them anymore, nor the streets or the school. Everything around his was turning dark, like a tunnel he had just entered where his body stopped working with the laws of physic. His feet were still grounded to something but his head was filling with cotton, muddling everything around him as well.

Adrien had seen it before, how when an akuma reached someone they would hear Hawkmoth and transform. He always assumed it was because he got into their heads like a hypnotic trance. Was there a time lapse before? Was time moving differently in his mind rather than outside? There was no voice in his head, no orders or threats, nothing but silence and darkness. Was that part of Hawkmoth's tricks to submit their victims to agreeing? Because if it was, Adrien didn't know how long he would be able to handle the silence and isolation.

His chest started to pound, fear creeping up his body. Was he going to be left abandoned there? Isolated from everything and everyone now? Was his body already lost? He had to get out, he had to find the light amidst all of that darkness.

"Hello!?" he tried to call out, receiving no answer, only an echo in his own mind. He called again and again, calling out for Marinette, for Nino, for Mauro even but no one answered.

"Pla-" he stopped himself from finishing that name. He couldn't voice out Plagg's name, not if Hawkmoth was in his mind. He couldn't let Hawkmoth know about it. He had to take it off, he had to protect Plagg as well.

Adrien reached for his hand, or thought he did, as everything was too dark for him to really know, and felt the warmth of the ring on his finger. But just as he started to work on it, he heard the voice of Hawkmoth clear as water filling his head.

"Hello L'Obscur"

"No," Adrien felt his voice sore but he didn't care "I am not agreeing to anything you say."

"Oh, but I haven't said anything yet,"

"I am not helping you spread fear to this city," Adrien stood tall –or so he believed, it was too complicated to keep track of- "get out of my head."

"You don't understand, all I want, all I ask is to stop being so lonely, and I know you can tell how horrible that feels."

Adrien was held back by that. It had to be a trick, a trap for him to agree.

"You don't know that"

"I do," Hawkmoth replied, "I can see it in your heart, and I can help you stop feeling it, just like me, I can help you have that you are missing."

"You don't-"Adrien struggled against him, the ringer coming loose on his finger "I don't need you."

"You do," Hawkmoth was more insistent "isn't that what you want after all? A complete family, friends? A young girl's love?"

Adrien froze. So Hawkmoth could really see into his thoughts and memories? He had to fight it off, he had to protect his identity, his Lady's identity.

"I offer you a deal L'Obscur,"

"I'm not –"

"Help me and I will help you."

"No-"

"You won't go after the Miraculous, they will come on their own,"

What?

"All I ask," Hawkmoth continued "is for you to find me someone that will help me stop feeling so lonely that is all."

It had to be a trap, it had to be a lie. But Adrien's mind was getting foggy and blurry, his thoughts meddling with themselves in an attempt to protect his privacy.

"No one will get hurt?"

"No one. I can help you protect your friends, protect the girl of your dreams even."

"Then…what do I have to do?"

"Get Ladybug and Chat Noir," Hawkmoth smirked, "so they can tell me how to find the silver tongue."

oOo

Marinette was stunned, to say the least. She tried calling to him, startled when Adrien was calling out for anyone and then turning quiet. It was obvious now he couldn't hear them, but he hadn't been engulfed in dark energy, which meant he was fighting back.

"Marinette," Nino called for her "we have to get help."

"Adrien-"

"We need to find Ladybug" he insisted, trying to pull her away "she can purify our dude."

Alya was already on her phone, liveblogging in hopes the heroes of Paris would find out, but Marinette didn't need to see that, she was already there, torn in helplessness and frustration. Adrien was struggling right now to fend off the akumatization yes but what if it wasn't enough?

"It'll be worse for all if we stay," Nino tried again and Marinette wanted to push him away, to tell him to run so she could stay and fix this.

"The-" Adrien started to speak, startling them all.

"He's fighting it back" Marinette looked at Adrien, "Adrien!"

"No one will get hurt?"

Marinette felt her heart pounding. Who knew what Hawkmoth was telling Adrien right there, but she had seen it before, with Mme. Bustier, how he had twisted words to convince the victims to agree.

"Then…what do I have to do?"

"No!" Marinette shouted, but it was too late.

It was then when the darkness took over, engulfing Adrien and transforming him into something else. His hair was no longer blond but now it was a sleek black all pushed back. His face was covered by a mask, shaped like Chat Noir's but this one was black with silver patterns around, the eyes with a white cloth that didn't let Marinette see those green eyes of his. He looked human in shape, except his skin was now a dark purple, like amethyst, and instead of his casual clothes, Adrien was wearing a suit, like the one he had worn when he had been frozen in gold, but this one was a dark purple with a violet tie.

The part that made Marinette fear was that he was no longer holding the fountain pen but a sword, a slightly shorter sword than the ones Marinette had seen Adrien use during his fencing classes. This one was broader and of the same black and purple pattern as his outfit.

"Ad-Adrien?"

"I am L'Obscur" he spoke, in a rich, melodious voice that was nothing like Adrien's "and I'm going to make things right."

"Adrien please" Marinette tried again, held back by Mauro before she could step further "n-no he has to-"

"Ladybug purifies right?" he muttered at her "that's what he needs."

L'Obscur raised the arm with the sword and pointed at Alya, who shrieked as Nino tugged on her hand to stand in front of her.

"Dude, it's us-"

"Stand down" L'Obscur slashed his sword down, a wave of purple energy hitting them both, their bodies kneeling to the ground in weaves of purple magic.

"Adrien! Stop!" she called out for him, looking at Mauro and to the other two "please, fight it!"

"You are not safe here" L'Obscur walked towards her, pointing his sword at Mauro now "I must protect you, I must find the Miraculous, I must trade them for the silver tongue."

"Oh, very nice of you" Mauro gritted his teeth "you just Percy Jackson'd my pen and now you think you can do whatever you want?"

"Mauro!"

She pulled him out of the way of another wave of purple energy when she saw it, lying behind Adrien, Chat Noir's ring.

Marinette looked at him just as he raised his arm to throw another wave at Mauro, and ran towards him, pushing him to a side as the wave hit a tree instead, bounding him with purple threads. She grabbed the ring and stuffed it in her purse, turning just in time to avoid a purple hand trying to grab her.

"Marinette," L'Obscur spoke to her, causing her knees to tremble "I must protect you."

"You need to snap out of it," Marinette wanted to cry, but held her tears in check as she ran past him, grabbing Mauro's wrist and running away. Both ducked their heads when another wave passed right above them, but Marinette didn't stop running until they were inside what seemed to be an apartment building's lobby. Even then, she kept moving until they were at the top of the stairs, just in front of the door that led to the rooftop.

"What am I going to do," she panted, catching her breath "what can I do?"

"Marinette" Mauro tried to call for her "you can help him, you've done it before."

She nodded, looking at Tikki who was gazing at the ring with worry.

"At least he took it off before something worse could happen" she held the ring in her hand "but how will I do this? He's my partner Mauro, the one who knows how Ladybug fights."

"Well," Mauro crossed his arms "he took away my pen so I'm as powerful as that fingerless ring right now" he clicked his tongue "I guess I could look around and find something to write… and why are you staring at me like that? "

"He's looking for you," Marinette said, Tikki nodding at her side "you heard him, Hawkmoth knows you are here."

"Oh, joy" Mauro frowned "I don't need to be in the front lines, he can't find me, and he doesn't know it's me!"

"But he knows of your magic," Tikki said, "and if he does, and sees you when doing it-"

"It can't be good" Marinette added, "besides, if Hawkmoth finds out Adrien is Chat-"

"That would be terrible" Tikki piped up "we need to cause another type of diversion."

"I don't like where this is going-"Mauro looked at Marinette and Tikki, who just disappeared as Marinette called her transformation, the stairs engulfed in pink light for a moment. In front of him now stood Ladybug, holding the ring on her palm, showing it to Mauro with a decisive expression on her face.

"I need you to become Chat Noir for today."

On a sad note, this has to be the longest conversation Adrien has had with his father.