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Eighteen years ago...
Gabriel's P.O.V
I scanned my investigation wall for what felt like the hundredth time. The faces of possible suspects, pictures of places and objects to piece together clues of a puzzle, and locations Akumas appearing.
If I can at least trace the area where Hawkmoth resides, then I can narrow down my suspects to one person who might quite possibly be the villain of Paris. I can send someone to spy on the suspect to see if my theory is correct.
I am growing so close to discovering the identity of Hawkmoth.
I have to defeat him and every other vermin possessing witchcraft. It is the only way I can protect my family.
"Darling?"
My attention averted away from the board and over at my lovely wife. She stood in the doorway with a look of concern, cradling our swaddled one-month-old son in her arms.
He was the spitting image of his mother. He had dazzling emerald eyes and a little tuft of blonde hair.
"Yes? Is there something the matter? Is Adrien okay?" I asked, feeling a wave of worry wash over me.
Her concern faded into a small smile and tilted her head a little.
"Why do you not take a break from your investigation? You have been obsessing over Hawkmoth since his first appearance. Why not come and spend some time with us?" Emilie suggested, nudging her head at the doorway.
I glanced at the board before letting a sigh fall past my lips. She is right. I should probably take a break and be with my family. I can come back and work on this later.
Besides, I am growing very close to finding out who Hawkmoth is anyway. It will not hurt to focus on my wife and son for a while.
"Very well," I agreed. I looked over at the clock, seeing that it was nearly time for dinner.
"Why do we not have a lovely picnic out in the garden?" I suggested. Emilie's smile brightened tenfold. Emilie absolutely loves the garden and enjoys having tea parties with her other lady friends in the gazebo.
We would sometimes have picnics out in the garden for special occasions.
"That sounds absolutely lovely! But what for? What is the special occasion?" Emilie questioned.
I thoughtfully hummed and wrapped an arm around my beloved. We walked out of my office and down the hallway.
"Maybe, we can celebrate my close discovery of Hawkmoth," I said, "I am very close to figuring out who he is."
"Really? That is wonderful news," Emilie chirped before turning to Adrien, "Did you hear that, my little kitten? Your papa is close to finding the bad man."
Adrien just stared at Emilie before giving her a gummy smile. A warmth swelled in my chest at the sight of the two best people in my life.
I placed a kiss on the side of Emilie's temple and fondly brushed my digit across my child's soft cheek.
I would do anything to protect them from harm if it means we can continue having moments like this.
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I woke up.
I did not know why so I sat up. I usually do not randomly wake up in the night for no reason.
My gaze searched the moonlit room, not finding anything out of the ordinary. Emilie was still fast asleep next to me and Adrien was soundly snoozing in his bassinet.
Maybe, I had a dream and cannot remember it. Maybe I am just being paranoid since I am close to finding out Hawkmoth's identity.
Yet, I swear... something is watching me right now.
But how could that be? I always make sure to secure every door and window in the room. I would have heard any sounds of forced entry or even the smallest creak of the door. Yet, everything was still shut and intact.
On edge, I keep on alert while reaching for a gun inside my nightstand's drawer. I raised my weapon, scouring the room for the intruder. Unfortunately, I still saw no threat but I had an uneasy sense of being watched from the shadows.
I kept my weapon raised and shook Emilie awake. She groaned from being brought out of her slumber.
"Why did you wake me?" Emilie murmured before instant panic fell over her, "Is there something wrong with Adrien?"
"Emilie," I started. That is when she noticed the seriousness of the situation and went pale. Then, she searched the room, coming to the same conclusion as me.
"What are you doing, Gabriel?" she asked, voice thick with tension.
"Get the baby," I ordered. She did not have to think twice and scrambled over to Adrien's bassinet. Emilie trusted my judgment, especially with a possibly dangerous situation like this one.
I followed her over, shielding them from whatever else was in the room with us.
My wife picked up Adrien, quickly swaddling him in his blanket. Adrien woke up and crankily whined from being disturbed.
"Let us go," I quietly told her, guiding the two to the door. I kept aiming for anything that might leap out at us.
Just as Emilie opened the door, a creature leaped out of the shadows. Without a second thought, I fired my gun. It must have startled Adrien, hearing him crying.
Emilie shrieked and stumbled back a little. Then, she barreled out of the room after seeing the monster.
The purple beast was some kind of werewolf with sharp yellow eyes and gnarly teeth. Flickering on the top of its head, there is a violet fire with a silhouette of a butterfly in the middle.
The werewolf charged at me.
I quickly slipped out of the room and shut the door. The creature hurled right into the door.
"That should buy us some time," I thought.
That is when I saw the two dead guards lying on the floor. There were giant bite marks on their necks but their heads were still attached. Spilled blood stained the floor, doors, and walls. The werewolf might have snapped their necks as a way to keep its presence quiet.
"It is quite clever," I thought begrudgingly. I raced to the parlor room. We had made an escape tunnel in that room since it was in the middle of the mansion. With my job attracting unwanted criminals, it was good to have a way to escape.
I heard a snarl behind me and the scratching of the monster chasing after me. I dashed into the parlor and slammed the doors shut. The werewolf let out vicious barks and scratched at the door in a rage.
Then, it stopped.
Everything went silent.
"That is not good," I muttered. I continued my way into the open secret tunnel and sealed the door shut. I made a mad dash to the end of the tunnel. Emilie should have shut it if I were to not have made it. It would have given her more time to get away.
I knew that this was only temporary. That thing was probably hunting us down like prey. It being a monstrous wolf, it probably has the senses of a wolf. It knows how to track and has our specific scent in its nose.
"There has to be a way to kill it," I thought, "As much as it hurts my pride, I might have to seek help from those blasted demons. But where are they residing? Maybe if we cause enough commotion, they will appear."
Finally, I arrived at the hidden room with merely a parked car. Emilie sat in the passenger seat, holding Adrien close to her chest and trying to calm his wailing.
Her shoulders relaxed at the sight of me, letting out a relieved breath. I opened a large door that blended in with the outside design of the mansion's walls.
I hopped into the driver's seat and started up the car.
"You should have left without me," I told her before gunning it out to the road. She yelped from the sudden jerk of the car moving.
"Like I would ever do such a thing. You should know me better than that, dear," Emilie joked. I knew that the reason she was teasing me was due to her nervousness. Yet, she should not be thinking like this anymore.
"As much as I am flattered by your loyalty, we do not have that luxury anymore. You and Adrien are my top priority now. Your safety comes before mine," I stated, "So when there is danger, you and Adrien escape while I deal with the danger, even if it means that I die."
Emilie did not seem pleased by my stern speech and narrowed her eyes at me.
"You will do no such thing. Your first priority should and always be Adrien's father. He needs you just as much as I do, Gabriel," Emilie scolded me.
"I do not know what I would do if I just let either one of you die. You both mean the world to me. As the man of this family, I will protect you and am willing to sacrifice myself if it means that you both can live. I love you both too much to care what happens to me," I sincerely expressed.
Emilie frowned at me. She was about to say something but was never given the chance. Something had landed on top of the car. The transportation swiveled in a zigzag.
I did my best to straighten out the car but it swerved straight into a wall.
We crashed.
My head collided with the steering wheel so hard that my head ached. I could feel my vision fading and slowly falling into unconsciousness with one thought.
Are Emilie and Adrien okay?
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I groaned as I began to find my way out of my unconscious state.
"What happened?" I thought, taking in my surroundings. I tried to sift through my memories to recall what was going on.
I recognize that I am currently in our escape car but I do not see Emilie or Adrien. But the passenger door is open. This meant that whatever we were running from, Emilie and Adrien had continued running without me.
At least...I hope that was the case. I would not wish that she and Adrien were kidnapped by whoever or whatever was chasing us.
"I have to find out if they are okay," I thought, "So long as I am conscious, I can fight to the bitter end to protect the ones I love."
I kicked the jammed door open and slid out. I am mostly unscathed aside from some scratches, bruises, and a head injury. I checked my hip, feeling the gun still in its holster.
"Why had she not taken my gun for protection?" I thought, cursing under my breath.
I noticed that the wall I had crashed into was none other than the wall that separates the poor and wealthy sections. Not far away was the main gate—the only passage between the two sections.
What baffled me the most was it was open. A highly unusual thing. This late at night, they should be closed. I carefully made my way over to investigate and kept a hand on my gun.
The two guards on the ground were dead with the same bite marks on their neck as mine at home. The two guards up in the towers were not there, making me think they had been killed.
I slipped in through the gates. It was not strange for it to be quiet. So quiet, considering the poverty-stricken citizens were sleeping. Yet, something was definitely wrong.
"I should have grabbed the lantern from the car," I scolded myself. I could not search for any tracks due to the dry season.
"Emilie...where are you and Adrien?" I thought. Dread gripped my soul but I cannot panic. If I start to panic, then I may as well be a dead man.
I have to find my family before that werewolf. I need to know their fate...even if they did not survive.
"NO!" I snarled at myself for such nonsense, "Emilie is a brilliant woman. She knows how to take care of herself and Adrien. There is no need to worry."
I continued down the dirt roads, keeping alert for either the werewolf, a magic user or a standard thug that may attack. There is no telling what may happen if I keep my guard down.
Yet, I was not prepared to see a splatter of crimson in the dirt. Not just one but multiple slouches creating a trail.
I have a very unsettling feeling that they were not there before night had fallen. The blood was still fresh. I had a discouraging sensation that I knew whose blood it was. A cold, heavy pit weighed in my stomach as I followed the trail.
A howl filled the air. I reacted, raising my weapon and swinging around for anything that may jump out.
Nothing happened.
"Emilie, where are you both?" I thought, irritated. I was tired of my slow pace. To heck with keeping an eye out for danger, I must move faster.
I began running, still following the trail and rounded a corner in between huts.
In my rush, I realized that everything was too quiet.
Where were the sounds of battle? Were the supposed "heroes" even fighting that blasted Akuma? Did they not know of the monster's presence and sound asleep? Would not one of them be awake and keeping an eye out for trouble? Why are they not doing anything?!
"Why am I relying on magic users to save my family? They do not care for rich folk like us! Only I can save my family! Those demons are the reason why villains exist in the first place!" I reasoned in my mind.
In the end, the only thing magic users care about is power and glory.
The huts started turning into somewhat rundown buildings. The blood was beginning to change from splatters to a streak along the dirt...
...as if the owner of the crimson liquid was dragged.
A knot in my chest tightened at the idea. It has been a long time since I felt a wave of panic crashing into me. The last time was when my parents were murdered.
Then, the trail of blood stopped into a pool of blood.
I would think I would be used to the stench of the liquid but my stomach churned in revolution. I stared at the puddle and searched the area for any more clues.
That is when I felt something wet land on my shoulder. I stared at the red spot on my white shirt. My body was paralyzed by the sight and a voice in my head was yelling at me to not look up.
Yet, a curious urge reeled me in to do so. I gulped and slowly turned to face the inevitable outcome of this mess.
There was a body from the abdomen and up dangling over the edge of the rooftop.
However, the body was missing a head. The grotesque image shook me to my very core, especially when recognizing the clothes. They may have been shredded and stained in blood but I knew that nightgown from anywhere.
I was the one who designed it specifically for Emilie after all.
My figure trembled at the awful sight, unable to tear my eyes away. I felt so sick to my stomach and was close to throwing up right there. My legs finally gave out and fell to my knees.
My whole world was ripped away from me. As if someone plunged their hand right through my chest and tore out my heart, tearing it apart piece by piece in front of me.
Another drop of blood fell, snapping me out of my shocked state. I gasped, staggering away and trying to clean off the terrible reminder. The image was ingrained in my brain. Denial continued trying to reassure me that this wasn't real. That Emilie is still alive. That this was all just a cruel nightmare.
Yet...I knew better.
It dawned on me that Emilie was dead.
Dead because I could not save or protect her.
Dead because of magic. That evil sorcery!
I growled, plotting my revenge as shock turned into outrage. I wanted to scream and shout at the top of my lungs. But I did no such thing.
It dawned on me that I do not know what happened to Adrien. Where was he? Is he dead as well? Did that werewolf brutally kill my son?
"I swear on my last breath, I will get revenge on Hawkmoth and kill him," I hissed.
"Even if it hurts, I need to know what happened to Adrien. You probably sacrificed yourself to protect him. It will not go in vain. If there is a chance he is still alive...I will find him and bring him home. This is a promise I make to you, Emilie. And I am so sorry for being unable to protect you both."
With a heavy heart, I made my long trek back to the mansion. Yet, it did not feel long since I was mindless the entire journey back.
Back to an empty mansion.
I would have to send for someone to retrieve Emilie's body...and search for her head.
I am incapable of doing such a task. It would not be good for my mentality. I already know that I am not going to get any sleep for the rest of the night...and many more sleepless nights for a while.
"Why?" that question always seems to pop up.
"Why us? Why did that werewolf attack us? None of the other Akumas have targeted specifically us before. What change was there? Is it because of my reputation as the head chief of the SSS?"
I changed my shirt, knowing it had stained reminders on it. I headed for my office and returned to studying it more vigorously.
I am going to kill Hawkmoth if it is the last thing I do.
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