The symptoms began subtly, much like the effects Nathalie had experienced when she first used the miraculous. At first, they didn't seem alarming—manageable, even—but Adrien couldn't shake the unease growing inside him. He had already lost his mother to a mysterious illness and his father had sacrificed himself to save Nathalie. Now, watching her falter again, Adrien's fear of history repeating itself was suffocating.
Though Nathalie tried to hide her worsening condition, Adrien noticed the signs: the persistent coughing, her occasional unsteady movements. Each time he caught her in a moment of weakness, he was at her side in an instant, his worry plain on his face. Yet Nathalie, as determined as ever, was focused on their next steps. Neither of them could bear to remain in the mansion, a place so heavy with memories and loss.
Together, they searched for a new home, eventually finding a promising house not far from the school—close to Marinette's neighborhood. With the school year having ended two days earlier, Adrien would have gladly spent most of his summer at Marinette's, but Nathalie needed him now more than ever.
On a warm summer afternoon, Nathalie and Adrien went to visit the house they hoped might mark the beginning of a brighter chapter in their lives.
"That could be my bedroom… oh, wait, that's probably yours. The couch would go right there—" Adrien's voice trailed off as Nathalie's world tilted. Her ears began to ring, drowning out the sound of his excitement.
A wave of dizziness swept over her, and she braced herself against the wall. Then, out of nowhere, a voice pierced through the haze.
"Nathalie, help!"
Her heart skipped a beat. It was faint but unmistakable. Gabriel's voice.
She froze, her breath hitching as she scanned the empty room, her pulse racing. It couldn't be possible—Gabriel was gone. But the plea had been so clear, so desperate, it made her question everything.
Adrien's cheerful rambling came to an abrupt stop when he noticed Nathalie leaning heavily against the wall, her face pale and her breathing uneven. His eyes filled with concern as he quickly crossed the room to her side.
"Nathalie, are you okay?" he asked, his voice tinged with panic.
Nathalie blinked, trying to steady herself. The ringing in her ears subsided slightly, but the voice still echoed faintly in her mind. She forced a weak smile, straightening up as if to brush off his worry.
"I'm fine, Adrien," she said, though her voice wavered. "I just… got a little dizzy for a moment. It's nothing to worry about."
Adrien didn't look convinced. His brow furrowed as he gently held Nathalie's arm, steadying her. "You've been saying that a lot lately," he said quietly, his voice tinged with worry. "But this… this isn't nothing. Maybe we should go to the doctor. Please, Nathalie."
Nathalie opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, the ringing in her ears flared up again. She winced, and for a fleeting moment, she thought she saw Gabriel's face flash before her eyes.
"Nathalie, help!" the voice called again, clearer this time, as though it were right beside her.
She gasped, stumbling back a step. Adrien caught her, his heart racing. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Nathalie stared past him, her gaze distant and unfocused. She wasn't entirely sure if it was real, but the urgency in Gabriel's voice was undeniable. She gripped Adrien's arm tightly.
Nathalie stared into the space where she thought she'd heard the voice, her chest tightening as she tried to make sense of it. Her grip on Adrien's arm faltered, but she forced herself to take a deep breath, steadying her expression.
"I'm fine," she said again, more firmly this time, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her. She released Adrien's arm and stood up straighter, brushing her hair back in a futile attempt to appear composed. "It was just a dizzy spell. I might need to sit down for a moment, that's all."
Adrien frowned, clearly unconvinced. "You're sure that's all it is?"
Nathalie nodded quickly, avoiding his eyes. "Yes, Adrien. I promise." She forced a small smile. "I think I've just been pushing myself too hard with the move and everything else. I'll be fine."
Adrien hesitated, still watching her closely. He didn't want to push, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't telling him everything. Adrien gave her a searching look before reluctantly stepping back. "Okay. Let's sit for a minute, and then we can finish looking around. I'll get you some water."
Nathalie nodded, grateful for the reprieve. As Adrien walked off to find a bottle of water, she leaned against the wall again, her mind racing.
She couldn't tell him. He'd already been through so much—losing both his parents. If Gabriel's voice was real, if he truly needed help, it wasn't something she could burden Adrien with.
Nathalie closed her eyes, the memory of the voice echoing in her mind. "Nathalie, help!"
It wasn't just a hallucination—she was certain of it. Gabriel was trying to reach her, but why? And how?
Her hands trembled as she pressed them to her temples, willing herself to stay calm. Whatever this was, she'd figure it out. But she'd do it alone. Adrien didn't need to be dragged into yet another crisis—not after everything he'd been through.
When Adrien returned a few moments later with water, she accepted it with a faint smile. For now, she'd play along, but the unanswered questions loomed large.
As Adrien handed Nathalie the water, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. His gaze flicked between her pale face and the way she still clutched the wall, unsteady on her feet. He was about to ask again if she was sure she was okay when, without warning, Nathalie's legs gave out beneath her.
"Nathalie!" Adrien gasped, his voice breaking as he rushed to catch her. She crumpled into his arms, her body limp.
Panic surged through him. "Nathalie, no! What's happening?" He knelt, carefully laying her on the ground, his heart racing as he looked for any sign of life. Her breathing was shallow, her face drenched with sweat, and her eyes fluttered open only briefly before closing again.
He had never felt this helpless in his life. He could barely process the thought that she had collapsed, but the fear that had been gnawing at him for days was now a suffocating reality.
Suddenly, Nathalie's eyes snapped open. There was no clarity in them, only a look of pure confusion and fear.
"Gabriel…" she whispered weakly as if her mind had drifted to another place entirely.
Adrien's heart skipped a beat. "Nathalie, don't talk about him right now, okay? You're scaring me," he said, his voice trembling. "Just focus on me, please. I need you to stay with me."
Her hand reached out, her fingers brushing against his face as if trying to reassure him. But her grip was so weak, it barely made contact.
Adrien's breath caught in his throat as Nathalie's hand fluttered weakly toward his face. He tried to focus on her, but the terror in his chest made it hard to think. Her pulse was faint, her body shivering with the sweat that coated her skin, and her breathing was shallow—like each breath was a struggle.
"Please, Nathalie," he whispered, holding her fragile body against him. "Stay with me. You have to stay with me."
But her eyes were distant, unfocused, her lips parted as if searching for something beyond his reach. She muttered again, barely audible. "Gabriel…"
Adrien's heart pounded in his chest. His father—was gone. This couldn't be happening. He wasn't sure what kind of help Nathalie needed, but it was clear that something was wrong.
She was getting worse. He had seen it in the way her strength was fading, her body fighting. The subtle signs that she had been hiding—her dizziness, her pale face, the coughing fits—were no longer something he could ignore.
With no other choice, Adrien acted quickly, panic creeping into his every movement. He scooped Nathalie into his arms, his hands trembling as he carefully lifted her. Her weight seemed almost weightless in his arms, and the stark reality of the situation hit him like a cold wave.
"Hang on, Nathalie. Please," he murmured, his voice barely more than a desperate prayer.
The drive back to the mansion was a blur. He kept glancing down at Nathalie, whose face remained pale and slack in his arms. He couldn't shake the fear gnawing at him, that she might slip away before he could do anything to help.
When he finally arrived at the mansion, he rushed inside, heading straight for her room.
He carefully laid Nathalie down on the bed, his hands trembling as he adjusted the pillow beneath her head. For a moment, he just watched her, hoping she would wake up, that the grip of whatever was consuming her would loosen.
But her eyes remained closed, her breathing shallow and uneven. Adrien's chest tightened. "Please, Nathalie… please wake up. I need you to be okay."
He couldn't stop the fear from creeping into his voice. It was like watching a nightmare unfold before his eyes, and he had no way of stopping it.
"Please," he whispered again, more to himself than to her. "Don't leave me too."