Finally! After weeks of reworking and giving y'all the redone old stories, I've got the first chapter of my newest installment! This one picks up immediately after the end of the last story, and like the last story, it's going to be a bunch of multiparters and single chapters. Hope y'all enjoy!

Chapter One

Lichkaiser, Part One

"Mom?" Adrien felt the word slip out of his mouth.

Emilie's gaze turned to her son, and she gave the softest, purest smile he had ever seen. "Hello, Adrien."

The sound of a scream pierced the quiet of the room. He turned and saw Amelie nearly faint in complete surprise, only being caught by a shocked but still dutiful Felix. Nathalie's face betrayed shock and… understanding? Adrien wasn't sure how to describe her expression.

His father's face was only lit up by the softest smile Adrien had ever seen on him. "Go on," he urged gently. "Just be careful."

Adrien stepped towards his mother slowly, still not sure if she was real. What if I touch her and she fades away? Like some illusion? What if this is another plan Tyranno Moth made? What if she's a sentimonster?

Despite his worries, his hand reached out and lightly brushed against hers.

"Come on, Adrien," she said softly, spreading her arms out. "I've missed you."

Adrien choked back a sob as he fell into his mother's embrace. "I missed you, too. More than you could imagine."

"My sweet son," Emilie cooed, stroking his hair and pulling him closer.

The sereneness of the moment was interrupted by Amelie suddenly recovering. "Emilie Juliette Louise Graham de Vanily!" she yelled, nearly stomping over to her twin. "You have the nerve to die, turn out to be comatose, and then just… Come back!?"

Emilie sighed. "Stop pretending to be our mother, Am. And I didn't plan on it. Apparently from what I was told, some quack gave the wrong diagnosis. It was only at the morgue that they realized things weren't as bleak as they seemed, but by that point, Gabriel had given into his grief and organized the funeral." She shot a pointed glare at her husband. "I hope my preferred song was played."

"Oh, it was, Em, I made sure of it," Amelie reassured, throwing her own glare at Gabriel. "But… we could put this entire matter behind us. I'm certain Mom and Dad would be absolutely thrilled to see you awake."

"I would prefer it if we kept this somewhat quiet, for the time being," Gabriel interjected. "Yes, we can inform them, but we must be very certain the media will not look into this and reveal it to the masses."

"Yes, yes, whatever," Amelie said, brushing aside Gabriel's concerns. "We'll be careful. Right, Felix?"

Adrien had been watching the adults' conversation, but his eyes flitted towards Felix as he crossed his arms and awkwardly smiled.

"Yes, Mother," he said. Adrien immediately sensed that his cousin's teeth were clenched. "We will be extra careful." A pointed glare from Felix found its way to Adrien and a distracted Gabriel. Then he moved slowly to his aunt.

"I am… happy you are back with us, Aunt Emilie," Felix said, almost robotically.

Emilie smiled softly as she traced her nephew's cheek with her thumb. "I am, too, Felix," she replied. Then her smile disappeared. "I heard about your father. I'm terribly sorry."

"I'm certain you are," he said shortly. The air in the room shifted as everyone noticed Felix's British accent slipped into his voice.

"Felix…" Adrien said slowly. Felix raised a hand, silencing his cousin. "I am fine. I am perfectly fine. I am perfectly happy with my dear aunt's return."

Adrien glanced at his father, noticing Gabriel's troubled look.

"Perhaps it would be better if we all had something to eat," the elder Agreste suggested as a pair of nurses rolled in carts loaded with covered dishes. "Emotions don't run nearly as high during meals."

"Start without me," Felix said simply as he turned on his heel and headed towards the door. "I just need to use the restroom." Not bothering to wait for an answer or an objection, Felix left the hospital room.

Adrien glanced at his father, a slightly worried expression crossing his face. Gabriel only nodded once. That was enough to send Adrien running after Felix, even as it pained him to hear his mother calling after him in confusion.

Plagg popped his head out of Adrien's overshirt. "Well…" he began slowly. "That answer leads to a bigger question."

"What answer?" Adrien asked as he ran through the halls of the hospital, trying to remember the labyrinth of the building. It was very likely that Felix didn't actually go to the restrooms.

"Look, Adrien, I know you're euphoric that you got your mom back, but you've gotta work with me here," Plagg replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Stop and think about it for a second. Your mom quote-unquote dies about… what is it, a couple years ago, right? Hawk Moth shows up not long after, right? And your dad has that crazy safe with the spellbook in it, right? Behind the portrait of your mom? Add to the fact that he almost never goes out? And he's been getting more and more distant? I know it seems like a leap, but I think you've got your culprit and his reasoning for it, too."

Adrien stopped in his tracks. Suddenly the pieces fell into place. He slowly looked at his kwami. "If you figured this out… why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"To be honest, I only guessed it just now, and even if I had thought of it sooner, we're also dealing with crazy Darks and…"

"And?"

"I was worried if you found it and we were right, your father would lash out and try to akumatize you."

Adrien took a shaky breath. "Would he do that?" he asked hollowly. Plagg shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past him."

"Okay… what about the bigger question?"

"Well, if your dad is Tyranno Moth - not saying he is, but if he is… why did he look so panicked when Felix left?"

Adrien forced himself to relax. "Well…" he began, subconsciously noticing his voice was half a pitch higher than usual. "That would mean he isn't Tyranno Moth."

Plagg nodded once, but even that seemed unconvinced. "I guess," he replied noncommittally. "Maybe we should find Felix before something happens."

"Yeah," Adrien replied offhandedly as he took off again.

Turning the corner, he nearly slammed right into Felix, and the first thing he noticed was that his cousin seemed to be doing better than he did two minutes ago. "F- Felix!" Adrien stammered. "Where did you go?!"

"I told you," Felix replied coolly, his voice lacking its accent. "I just needed to use the restroom. Did Uncle really send you after me?"

"Um…" Adrien wasn't sure how to reply. Then Felix smirked.

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" he remarked, brushing past Adrien, almost deliberately knocking his right shoulder into Adrien's left. Felix threw one last glare at his cousin. "I wasn't going to make any trouble, if that's what you and Uncle were afraid of." With that, Felix began to make his way back to Emilie's room, leaving Adrien dumbfounded and slightly worried in the sterile halls of the hospital.

"Adrien hasn't called yet," Marinette muttered, holding her phone loosely. "He said he'd tell us if it's safe to look into his father today. And he said he'd call before his first photoshoot today."

"Maybe he forgot?" Alya suggested, trying and failing to keep herself from yawning. Marinette had rushed over to her apartment not even ten minutes after she'd gotten out of bed to get rid of her morning breath and practically dragged her back into her room, brushing it off as something urgent to Alya's family.

"He wouldn't forget," Marinette answered automatically, waving her free hand around wildly. "Not this. Not when his father could be our greatest enemy!"

"If Dragonus isn't awake by now, he probably just bolted up in alarm at the insinuation that he's chopped liver," Trixx deadpanned, just as tired as his owner. Alya nodded. "Girl, if it's such a big deal - and I'm not downplaying the seriousness of the situation in the slightest - why don't you just call him? Maybe Adrien slept in or something? Like I was trying to."

"No!" Marinette yelped, startling her pajama-clad friend. "First off, Adrien never oversleeps! He told me himself… after I figured it out by analyzing his schedule, but that doesn't matter! Second, if he did forget to call and he's in a photoshoot, he won't have his phone on him! And this isn't a discussion that can have anything leading up to it! What if his father tapped his phone for words relating to Tyranno Moth? Lastly, what if he's trapped by Tyranno Moth?! What if his phone leads him to me?! Or anyone with an active Miraculous?!"

"How much sleep did you get last night, girl?" Alya asked, changing the subject. Marinette's surprised blinks barely elicited a smile. "Uh… seven and a half hours? Maybe?"

Alya sighed. "I only got three. After staying up trying to fix a technical issue in the Ladyblog after I took down the Lila interview and dealt with the fallout of that. So here's what I think. You are going to call Adrien, while I go back to sleep and get rested up for the search. Okay?"

Marinette noticed the dangerous edge in her best friend's voice. "Okay, okay," she relented. "I'm sorry for overreacting. I'll let you go back to bed." Then a sly smirk crossed her face. "Hope your dreams with Nino are fun."

Marinette slipped out of Alya's room and was out the front door before the redhead realized what she meant.

Tikki popped out of Marinette's purse. "I'm sure Adrien has a good reason for not calling," she chirped. "Maybe he got dragged into some family thing."

"Maybe…" Marinette said slowly as she found Adrien's contact and waited for the phone to dial. After the longest time, Adrien picked on the other end. "Marinette?"

"Why didn't you call?" Marinette demanded. Adrien seemed to be caught off-guard by her sudden statement. "Not even a hello, princess?"

"Hello. Why didn't you call?"

Silence on the other end. Then Adrien spoke again. "Something came up. Something big."

"What is it?" Marinette asked warily. "Does it have to do with… him?"

"Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know," Adrien replied, and Marinette imagined him running his fingers through his hair. Then his voice turned serious. "Where are you?"

"Just left Alya's apartment, why do you ask?"

"Hang up and get somewhere where no one can see or hear you. Then call me back. It's that secret."

Marinette pursed her lips, then nodded. "Okay. Give me a couple minutes," she said before clicking off of her phone and slipping into an alley. "Tikki, Spots On!"

Three minutes later, Ladybug finished her climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower and slipped into the office perched at the top. "Spots Off." Then Marinette dialed Adrien's number again.

"What is it?" she asked.

Adrien sighed. "Before I tell you, promise me you won't tell anyone. Not Alya, not Nino, no one. I'm already taking a huge gamble on telling you, and I'm hiding in a hospital bathroom."

"Hospital… Where are you?! Are you okay?!" Marinette yelped, suddenly fearing the worst.

"I'm fine… for now. I'm at an Agreste Foundation hospital just outside of Paris, and I'll tell you why once you've promised."

"Okay. I promise I won't tell anyone."

More silence on the other end, and Marinette got the sense Adrien was checking his surroundings. A sense of dread rushed through her. What's going on?

"My mother is alive," Adrien said shortly. "After we thought she was dead for so long."

Marinette's jaw dropped. "Your mother… Emilie Agreste… alive? But… but the news said she was dead, right? There was a funeral, right?"

"I'm not sure what to believe anymore," Adrien replied, and she noticed a note of bitterness in his voice. "But yes, that's why I didn't call. My father just revealed it all today."

"Well, at least he told you and… are your aunt and Felix still there?"

"Yeah, but the truth, if that's what you're going to say? I don't think he did. Plagg pointed it out to me. My dad has the spellbook, right? The one he made such a fuss about? And the fact that Hawk Moth first appeared not terribly long after my mother died…" Adrien's voice trailed off. "I don't want him to be my enemy. I really, really don't. Not after I just got my mom back."

"For what it's worth, I don't want him to be Hawk Moth, either," Marinette offered. "But we have our strongest lead possible for his identity. Maybe if we get Rena and Carapace and maybe Ryuko or Viperion, we could show we mean business but not exactly threaten him."

"Yeah… but here's the thing. Felix… kinda stormed off in a bad mood. I think he's gotten - rightfully - bitter that I got my mom back while his dad's… gone," he replied, his voice wavering. "Either way, I saw Father's face flash with panic, like he was afraid Felix was going to get akumatized. And it's that little bit that just fills me with doubt."

Marinette pursed her lips again. "Okay. Here's what we're going to do," she began. "Depending on what happens, we'll go to your place and see if we can find anything. If it turns out there's nothing and your father's clean, we'll apologize and leave. If there is something that reveals him as Tyranno Moth, we'll be there and I can call the other permanent heroes as backup. Tyranno Moth can't fight us all off."

The line went silent one last time before Adrien spoke again. "Okay. We'll do that. But… we should still be careful."

"We will."

"Okay… I gotta go. We're due to leave at any moment." Adrien's words seemed shaky. "I think my father's going to have my mother stay here for the night."

"I was never going to suggest that we look when she's there."

"Okay," Adrien replied softly. "See you later, m'lady."

"Me too, my sweet kitty," Marinette said before the line cut off. "Me too." She sighed as she slipped her phone back into her purse. Tikki poked her head out. "It'll be alright, Marinette," she said. Marinette detected the slight note of unease in her kwami's voice. "I hope so, Tikki. I hope so."

"Finally…" Andrew Hendrol muttered as he unlocked the vault in the Darks' warehouse. Vorath floated up to his shoulder and peered down at the Miraculouses, then at his holder.

"Think carefully before you act, Andrew," Vorath warned. "If Ladybug finds out you have them both in addition to me and the Dark Box... she might double down on her attempts to search for you."

"I know, Vorath, I know," Andrew replied softly as he retrieved the Butterfly brooch from its little nook between the spellbooks. "Which is why we need to do this... and hope nothing bad happens because of it." Then he pinned the Butterfly Miraculous to his chest. Nooroo materialized from the ball of pale purple light, recoiling as he saw his new master in front of him, smirking darkly.

"Hello, little butterfly," Andrew said gently. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I just need you to help me out."

"W- why?" Nooroo stammered. Andrew sighed. "Honestly, I would've preferred you to still be in your former owner's hands. But he quickly stepped out of his place by stealing some of the Dark Miraculouses under my care. So he had to be removed. And because I need all of Paris to believe Hawk Moth is still a threat to them without that pesky wild-card factor of Gabriel Agreste... Vorath, Nooroo, Unify!"

Nooroo yelped as he was violently pulled into the brooch and the purple and gold light flashed around the teenager. When it faded, Dragonus's golden boots had turned into clawed, silvery loafers and his lower legs faded from dark purple slacks to golden thigh armor. A dark purple blazer was left open over his golden bodysuit, splitting the large black lapel in two as the halves pointed over his shoulders. His gloves turned black, the claws turning golden. His helmet gained a butterfly-shaped indentation, the same as Hawk Moth's. The membranes of his wings turned the same shade of purple as the slacks and blazer.

"A little more formal than I would like, but still a suit fit for a supervillain monarch," he commented. "No, wait, not Monarch, that's dumb and I don't intend on keeping this thing. So, how about... Viceroy! Yeah, Viceroy works. Rolls off the tongue nicely, right?"

"What about your Dragon half?" Vorath's voice questioned. Viceroy groaned. "It's implied! A viceroy is a type of butterfly and a stand-in for a monarch, and the dragon is the real king of beasts, so it fits!"

"Uh huh."

Viceroy rolled his eyes behind his visor. "Whatever. It's not like Paris will know for a while, anyway. Watch out, Bugabrat. Viceroy's done playing nice. All I need to do is wait for my first prey."

Then the Butterfly Miraculous glowed against his chest. The souls of two million people screamed at once. Viceroy fell back in pain, clutching his head. This wasn't what I expected, he thought, barely able to hear himself. How did he not go… crazier through all of this noise?!

He thought he might've heard Nooroo tutting in disapproval, but the sounds of joy and sadness and pleasure and pain drowned out everything.

"Focus, boss," Vorath's voice pierced through the din in his mind. "You can do it. Just like with… her. Focus on the real world. Focus on who you are. No matter how many bug or feather suits you put on, you're still the Dark Dragon. Breathe in… and don't let your mind go nuts."

Viceroy was tempted to snap back with something sarcastic, but nothing came to mind amid the sounds of the souls of Paris. Deciding he had no other option, he took a breath and focused, asserting his will over the Butterfly Miraculous. He felt Nooroo's consciousness within the jewel and his own mind as it began to submit to him. The sounds quieted before going so quiet they might as well be silent. He exhaled gratefully.

"Now that you're mine," Viceroy sighed. "I'm going to use you properly." Despite the almost deafening screams of Paris, Viceroy had picked out one particular combination of emotions: jealousy, grief, and the guilt his target had for even feeling those things. He reached out, searching for it, sifting through the - infinitely more manageable - sands of Paris's emotional underbelly.

It grew stronger… no, not stronger, he realized. Closer. A dark smirk crossed his face when he realized who he was picking up.

"Felix…" he said slowly. "I remember you… barely. You should've gotten punished. But it seems you're dealing that punishment to yourself." Viceroy's upper lip curled as he realized the exact situation Felix would feel that set of emotions. "Oh, you didn't," he hissed, biting back a curse against Gabriel. "But I can work this to my advantage."

"Now?" Vorath asked. Viceroy sighed. "No. Not now. Not while his family's on the way back to the butterfly dude's castle. But we'll just wait a little. See if he finds anything in the in-between time. That'll be a lovely smörgåsbord of a supervillain."

Just then, he felt a slight chill run down his spine as he heard a voice he just barely recognized gasp his name. As if he were being watched, and someone was shocked by what they saw...

Viceroy glanced behind him. He could've sworn he saw a blink of white light. He brushed the feeling aside. Probably an aftereffect of transforming with the Butterfly for the first time. Most likely nothing serious.

"Felix, may I speak with you?" Gabriel asked slowly. Felix rolled his eyes. They hadn't even gotten into the mansion yet and already his uncle was beginning to annoy him. He begrudgingly followed Gabriel into the atelier, Felix's eyes immediately darting to the painting at the back of the room. The painting of his aunt.

"I assume you really want it back now?" Felix questioned. Gabriel nodded once. Felix sighed. "I didn't bring it with me, but I can get it for you and send it once I've gotten home. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes," Gabriel replied, following his nephew's glance. "It's a beautiful painting, isn't it? It cost a small fortune to get commissioned, but it was worth all the money put into it. Your aunt's thirtieth birthday present. You and Adrien hadn't been born yet."

"I am aware," Felix said, brushing a stray lock of hair away. "If I recall correctly, my mother didn't seem to like it."

"Your father mentioned it was jealousy."

"I'm certain he did." Felix's voice was filled with bitterness.

Gabriel sighed. "I am sorry that your father died. And I am sorry that we were… unable to come to the funeral. There was an… ordeal."

"So I heard."

"Aren't you at least happy your aunt is back with us? Alive and well?" Gabriel asked lightly. "Overjoyed by this miracle?"

"I'd feel better about it if my uncle hadn't withheld the truth from me and let me believe my aunt was dead, and continue to believe that and neglect the rest of the family when my father died," Felix retorted.

A cross between an exasperated sigh and a disgusted snarl escaped Gabriel's lips. "Fine," he relented. "You're excused."

"Very well." With that, Felix turned on his heel and stormed out of the office. Then he slipped behind one of the chairs in the foyer. Once Gabriel had left the office, muttering about… something he couldn't quite understand - under his breath, Felix slipped back into the office and silently closed the door. Then he stepped towards the painting.

He wasn't sure what drew him nearer. In his opinion, it looked tacky. Out of place. Like his uncle just threw money at it and loved the first thing the artist made. But it wasn't the objective beauty of the portrait. Something about it felt… off. Like there was some secret it held. Whether it was mundane or dangerous, he wasn't sure.

Felix reached for the painting, lightly brushing his fingers over the surface. Then he recoiled. I shouldn't have done that, he thought. Then he noticed the tiniest imperfection. One side of the painting seemed closer to him than the other. He stepped over to the left, running his fingers along the frame. Sure enough, there was a gap. He wedged his fingers beneath it and pulled. The painting swung open like a huge door.

Or a safe, his subconscious seemed to whisper. Felix took a closer look. The combination lock and steel door confirmed his suspicions. "So it's just a cover for the safe," he muttered to himself, closing the painting. "Which seems odd, since it would make sense for some criminal to try and steal a painting likely worth more than the paints and paper."

But he didn't leave just yet. Some miniscule part of his subconscious gnawed away at him. Felix ran his fingers over the painting, and this time he didn't recoil. Something didn't feel right about the painting. He would find out.

Suddenly, he found it. Six little buttons, all grouped close together. Taking a breath, he pushed them in.

Felix yelped once as the floor sunk beneath him, taking him with it. Panic and intrigue filled his body. His uncle was hiding something. It could be related to Aunt Emilie. It could be something else. But he wouldn't leave until he figured out what it was.

The elevator stopped, opening to a massive arched room with a single walkway leading to a garden that had a single… thing standing right in the middle. Felix crept closer towards it, realizing how unprepared he was. He didn't know if there were booby traps or cameras hidden along the path. But the only thing he could do was move closer.

The thing in the middle became more easily defined. It was a pod, one that looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen it. He noticed a few empty chrysalises nestled in the bushes around the pod. A shiver of disgust raced down his body. Bugs so close to this pod?

When he finally got closer, Felix noticed the slight smudge marks of fingerprints on the otherwise pristine foot of the machine. Without thinking, he laid his hand on it.

The pod opened.

His eyes widened.

The memory. His aunt being lowered into the Earth… in this exact same pod.

The one his uncle spent a small fortune on.

The coffin.

"No!" His jaw dropped as he backed away from it, before he turned and broke off into a run. He raced into the elevator, nearly slamming into the glass wall before slapping the 'up' button on the control panel. The elevator seemed to respond to the urgentness of the boy's movements, rising to the office faster than when it left.

His mind raced. Did… did Uncle steal her body? She had to be dead. She was confirmed dead. Wasn't she? Was my father really dead? Or did he just fall comatose? Or…

The most frightening thought crossed his mind. "Did Uncle use magic to bring her back?" Felix asked aloud, not caring if he couldn't be heard. "That cat-thing Adrien has is how he turns into Cat Noir. That and his Miraculous… but Uncle couldn't have a resurrecting Miraculous… could he?"

An anger born of bewilderment started boiling within his body. "Whatever he did, he kept it from the family… he let my father die."

"Are we ready to cut the power to the lair?" Gabriel asked. Nathalie nodded. "You must admit, sir, you never thought you'd see the day the lair got deactivated. Or return to its original purpose as an observatory."

"No," Gabriel replied. "On either count. The observatory is not going to be opened up again."

"Are you sure?" Nathalie asked, somewhat surprised. Gabriel nodded once. "Prepare to turn off the power to the lair and the mausoleum."

Then an alert came over Nathalie's tablet. Her eyes widened. "Sir, you may want to look at this," she said urgently as she handed it to Gabriel.

The designer's eyes widened as he realized what happened. "Felix… I knew I should've checked before I left! He's poking around- oh, no."

"He entered the mausoleum. It's quite possible he found out the truth," Nathalie reported. Gabriel growled. "Why?! Why would he snoop around my office?!"

"He's returning to the office as we speak," Nathalie said. "Should I cut the power?"

"No!" Gabriel snapped. "We can't let this be any worse for us than it already is. Wait for him to get back up. Then turn it off. I'll have a word with his mother. Maybe she can get him to stop looking into things he shouldn't. In the meantime, see if you can change the security footage."

"Very well," Nathalie replied slowly as Gabriel handed her the tablet and stalked out of her room. The little blip that was Felix reached the ground floor. Nathalie's lips curled into a worried frown. If the illusions began to unravel…

"There it is," Viceroy said with a grin. "The last little push to send it all tumbling down. Now he's angry and confused and ripe for the taking." Opening a small portal to another of his pocket worlds, he watched as a single snow-white butterfly fluttered out and into his palm. Viceroy carefully closed his hands around it and focused, drawing solely on the power of the Butterfly Miraculous.

The rush of power felt dark and thrilling, more than he'd felt when he absorbed the Butterfly's power originally. But it also seemed… halting. Like Nooroo was actively resisting him. But it didn't matter. The akuma fluttered out of his palm and towards the skylight of the Darks' warehouse as it locked onto Felix's anger.

"Flutter off, little akuma," Viceroy found himself saying. "And grant this fracturing emerald his power… or something dumb like that. Seriously, how did he even come up with those?"

"He's a poet and we didn't even know it."

"Ha ha."

Felix found himself propping against the painting as he tried to process the rapid revelations. His uncle robbed his aunt's grave. Or he made a fake version of his aunt's body and coffin and gave those to the funeral and kept the real ones. The first seemed more possible, but Felix didn't discount the second one.

But the one revelation he took away was the thought - the mere inkling - that his uncle had resurrected his aunt. It seemed impossible, yes. But so did his cousin being a magical destructive cat superhero or being threatened by a draconic supervillain.

Felix's face twisted into a growl. If his uncle did have the ability to bring back the dead, and he kept this ability a secret from the family…

"He let my father die," Felix snarled. He was so caught up in his anger that he didn't notice the akuma flutter closer to his ring finger and sink into it.

The pale purple outline formed over Felix's face. "Tyranno Moth?" he asked darkly. The sound of a surprised cough filled his mind.

"What? Oh, I mean, yes," the voice on the other end answered, his voice deepening. Felix subconsciously noted that whoever was on the other end wasn't what he imagined. This one sounded too young.

"Anyway, Lichkaiser, I am Vic- Hawk Moth," the villain said, and Felix noted how he hastily corrected himself. "I understand your repressed grief for your father has recently become an open wound again, what with the return of your aunt. And I understand that you believe your uncle has been keeping secrets from your family regarding her previous fate. I will give you the power to bring back your father and force your uncle to reveal his secrets to you. All I want in return are-"

"Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses?" Felix asked. The other end went silent, save for the one who called himself Hawk Moth quietly bickering with someone near him. The voice growled once as he returned his attention to the akumatization.

"No," he said. "I want Ladybug and Cat Noir. Both of them, their Miraculouses attached to them."

"So you want me to capture them?"

"Yes."

"Sounds like a deal," Felix said, the link cutting off as the purplish smoke cloaked his body.

Once it faded, his skin had turned to a deathly pallor. His vest and slacks were replaced with a tattered black jacket over black torso armor adorned with a single green emerald inset on the chestplate and dark navy pants accentuated by a studded black belt and armor draping off his hips and down his thighs. Massive black pauldrons jutted off of his shoulders. Black metallic gloves tipped with green claws went up to his elbows, ending in massive jagged spikes. Dark metal boots covered his feet and lower legs. A two-pronged crown of obsidian and emeralds rested atop his bleached hair. His eyes blazed green.

Lichkaiser reached out, manifesting greenish mist that shaped into a spectral black blade easily as tall as he was. His clawed glove took hold of the sword and twirled it once, slicing through the portrait of Emilie.

"Impressive," he mused to himself, right as Gabriel and Amelie burst into the office.

"Felix, why did you… what happened to you?" Amelie began, her voice descending into a horrified gasp. Gabriel stepped back and growled. Lichkaiser smirked once.

"No need to worry, mother," he said softly, despite the echo it carried. "I'm perfectly in control of myself. I'm going to bring back my father. So our family can be whole again."

"Bring back… you aren't grateful that your aunt is back with us?" Amelie asked hollowly. "It's not enough that she came back by some miracle?"

"Is it enough for you?"

Amelie took a startled step back. Lichkaiser smirked. He knew she never expected him to ask that question. And it was the exact opening he needed. Green mist leapt eagerly from his free hand into his mother's body. Amelie screamed once before she abruptly silenced herself and turned to Gabriel with a twisted smile as her skin paled and her hair took a greenish hue.

"I guess it wasn't," Lichkaiser and Amelie said in unison, the echo warbling in her throat. "And I assume that a question I've had since the last time I was in Paris has been answered."

"What do you mean?" Gabriel demanded, obviously trying to keep his voice strong.

Lichkaiser smirked. "Despite the evidence suggesting my theory, Hawk Moth speaks to me while you stand before me, Uncle," he answered, running his gloved thumb over his claws. "I had assumed you were Hawk Moth. But apparently not." A fanged grin crossed his face. "Which only makes my job easier."

More mist leapt hungrily from his hand towards his uncle, but Gabriel managed to dive away and escape the office, slamming the doors as he ran. Lichkaiser tutted as his enthralled mother burst down the doors and let his power spread through the foyer. The Gorilla rushed over and tried to tackle Lichkaiser, but the villain's power seeped into the bodyguard and took him over almost instantly. Lichkaiser smirked as armor formed over the Gorilla and his skin and hair paled. The weak-willed… so easy to enthrall.

"Find my cousin and my uncle," Lichkaiser commanded. "Especially my cousin. He cannot be allowed to get away." Then he groaned as the butterfly link opened.

"And why, pray tell, do you need your cousin?" the voice that called itself Hawk Moth asked condescendingly. "A full family reunion, perhaps? Or something you're not telling me?"

"If you're asking if it's something I'm not telling you, then you know perfectly why I want Adrien with me," Lichkaiser replied simply. A small smirk crossed his face as he felt the villain on the other end blink in surprise. Then he cut off the link. "Let's hope that nuisance doesn't bother me anymore."

"Well…" Vorath began. "That didn't go as well as I expected."

"Maybe I shouldn't have made him so powerful," Viceroy said as he disengaged the Butterfly Miraculous and renounced Nooroo. "It feels…"

"It feels like you gave up your monopoly on resurrection."

"I didn't give him true resurrection powers!" Dragonus protested as he placed the brooch right by the Peacock Miraculous. "The Butterfly can't do it! Wouldn't Mr. Flutterby give his assistant with a crush the power to resurrect his wife if he could?!"

"He's an idiot. But you were saying? It feels…"

Dragonus shook his head. "It feels too strong, especially for a first outing. And the craving is back."

"You managed it well the last time something like this happened," Vorath remarked.

Dragonus scoffed as he stepped out of the safe. "The guys tied me down and shoved me in the freezer for the duration of it. And the timing of the situation…"

"So what I'm getting here is that when we first arrived, you took your anger out on Chloe because she was the reason you got thrown in the cooler and it didn't help that you didn't get cuddles from Melissa to keep you from going crazy."

"That's not what I said and you know it," Dragonus snapped back. "No amount of cuddles in the world would've stopped it… and the second-to-last time before that was the worst."

"Which we now know is the result of the old butterfly man going scarlet and akumatizing the city."

"Exactly. And this time I don't intend to go into a frenzy, especially not one of my own making. And it helps keep up the ruse for now, doesn't it? Dragonus being on the front lines of the fight means that he can't possibly be the one who akumatized the poor victim."

"Adding a sentimonster to the mix would've helped keep it up better."

"The others would see through it, especially since I can't control a villain and a sentimonster at the same time," Dragonus said flippantly. "And besides, Lichkaiser'll be too focused on bringing his father back from the dead to fight us off. His thralls won't be a problem at all."

"Famous last words," Vorath muttered darkly as Dragonus spread his wings and flew out of the Darks' warehouse.

"At least your father canceled your photoshoot," Plagg offered as Adrien paced the massive bedroom, his head in his hands. "I mean, that might be a bad thing since it gives you more time to tear your hair out over this 'is-he-Hawk-Moth' situation, but… free time, right?"

"I've made up my mind, Plagg," Adrien answered. "It's going to be today. We'll find out the truth one way or another." A hard look crossed his face. "No matter the cost."

Then the sound of his aunt's shrill scream pierced through the relative quiet of the house. Adrien threw an alarmed look at Plagg, and his kwami immediately finished the cheese he was working on and leaping into his overshirt, only a second before Gabriel burst into Adrien's room and slammed the door shut behind him. A wild, panicked look filled the adult Agreste's eyes as his gaze found his son.

"Adrien," Gabriel began, attempting to mask his panic with a firm tone. "Get to the safe room. Immediately. It's for your own good."

"Why?" Adrien demanded. "What's going on?"

"Your cousin's been akumatized."

Those four words filled Adrien with relief and fear. If his father was panicking so much over an akumatized villain, then he couldn't be Hawk Moth. On the other hand, the fact his father was panicking to begin with meant that Felix was on the most destructive warpath possible.

Then the door slammed open. Gabriel was thrown aside as Amelie and the Gorilla strode in, covered in evil-looking armor. They parted and knelt as the akumatized Felix entered the bedroom. The villain flashed Adrien a sardonic smile. "Like the new look, Adrien?" he asked. "It's based on your own… to an extent."

"Felix…?" Adrien asked slowly. His akumatized cousin laughed. "Almost, but not quite. I am Lichkaiser, and I only want to make our family whole again. You got your mother back, even though the world believed she was dead. I want my father back, and I won't let anyone get in my way," Lichkaiser replied, his mouth curling into a sneer on the last words as his green mist formed in his hand.

Before Lichkaiser could envelop and corrupt Adrien in the mist, Gabriel managed to get up and tackle the villain, surprising Adrien and giving him an opportunity to run into the bathroom.

"No, Adrien!" Gabriel yelled. "The safe room! Get to the safe room!" Then he yelped as Lichkaiser shoved him off and sent him sprawling. Lichkaiser turned to his uncle, his sneer widening.

"If my theories about you are true, Uncle, you are lucky you haven't been found out and torn apart by a mob," he hissed as his mist wrapped around Gabriel. "Now, I will find out all of your secrets, and I don't care if I have to rip them from your mouth or from your body."

"Never," Gabriel choked out. "You will never find them out. Not even if you make me like them." He gestured to the villain's thralls with a single motion of his head.

Lichkaiser shrugged. "Perhaps I will, perhaps I won't. We'll just have to see," he replied simply as he stepped forward and plunged his blade into Gabriel's chest. The designer let out a strangled gasp as the mist surged into his body and took him over. Lichkaiser smirked as his uncle's skin and hair bleached and jagged armor formed over his body.

"Grief, pain, suffering… it's all the same to me," he said softly as Gabriel bowed before him. "Just more emotions to serve. Now… get Adrien."

His three thralls burst through the bathroom door, only to find it empty. Lichkaiser only chuckled once. "Run, my cousin. Get your lover and all the allies you wish. You cannot stop me from completing my goal."

"I'm sorry, Father," Cat Noir muttered as he leapt to the next rooftop. He stole a glance back to the mansion. It was enveloped in Lichkaiser's smoke, the haze slowly spreading around the perimeter of the house.

Cat Noir quickly opened his staff and thumbed a message to Marinette, sending a picture for good measure. "Hopefully, she'll get everyone we could need," he said to himself as he leapt away from a particularly long tendril of green smoke.

"Do these things take over anyone they touch or is there something to it?" he asked aloud, watching the few civilians that had been around his house run away. Once he noticed a single strangler trip over his own feet, he forgot any sense of caution and leapt down to the man, swatting away a single tendril of the smoke and hefting the man over his shoulder before leaping to the next block over.

"Thank you, Cat Noir," the civilian said once they landed, his voice a little jittery. "Is Ladybug on her way? Can you handle this?"

Cat Noir flashed one of his signature grins. "Don't worry. We'll always be able to handle any villain Hawk Moth throws our way. Get to safety, quickly, and tell anyone you see to run, too," he ordered. "The heroes of Paris will take care of this villain quickly."

His grin faded once the man ran off and turned the corner. "I hope."

And we're off! Chapter two will be out next week ,and it'll be a lot more action-packed with maybe a heartbreaking moment or two, God only knows. And Dragonus gets a little more backstory (which explains why he kinda made a dumb move...)! I know there's some of y'all who like it when I give more backstory. (And I wrote this before a lot of MLB Bible leaks came out and revealed that Colt was nothing less than a douche, but to hell with it, it's a canon divergence and I'm not invested enough in Felix to change it :P)

So, as always, stay safe, healthy, and don't get bodysnatched!