Thanos muttered, "You... should have... gone for the head."

*SNAP*

~Meanwhile in Paris, France~

Alya started to yawn as she sat and listened to Marinette ramble off while pacing her bedroom. She just didn't seem to stop talking. Adrien this, Adrien that, "then I'll say..."

"Marinette." Alya said, stopping Marinette in midsentence.

"Yeah?" Marinette replied.

"I'm getting tired, why are we here again?"

"Alya, haven't you even been listening?! I came up with a plan to finally tell Adrien how I feel!"

Marinette was right, she had been telling Alya this plan for the past two weeks. She remembered what her friend had told to her yesterday. There's never going to be an opportunity like this ever again, not in a lifetime! But now, trying to follow along with the whole thing being explained to her was harder than any math, science, or history class she had ever taken, combined for that matter.

"Marinette," Alya said, rubbing her eyes, "I think you lost me at..."

"Oh, that's ok, I'll just start over."

Alya groaned.

"Come on Alya," Marinette whined, getting down on her knees and grabbing her friend by the arms, shaking her, "I need your help with this."

"I think that's the part that confuses me the most." Alya said, readjusting her glasses.

"But without you, my plan won't work. Then Adrien will never know how I feel about him, and he'll fall in love with someone else, and I'll give up on a love life, living alone with my hamster which I'll have to name..."

"Whoa, whoa, calm down girl!" Alya said, trying to reassure her, "It's not like it's the end of the world."

"But what if it is?" Marinette moaned, dropping her hands in her lap.

"Don't be ridiculaaaaah!"

"What?!"

Quite suddenly, Alya's skin was covered with little gray flakes. She tried shaking her disappearing arm to make it stop, but it didn't help.

"Marin...?"

"Alya?!" Marinette cried out as Alya's small remains floated down.

Tikki hovered next to Marinette. "Do you think it's an Akuma?"

Getting up off the ground, Marinette said, "What else could it be? Tikki, Spots on!"

~Elsewhere~

"Let me see that smile!" Vincent exclaimed, taking another picture of Adrien.

It was at moments like these that Adrien's mind was usually blank, but for some reason today, his thoughts were on Ladybug. How she's always helping others so willingly, how he was at her side as Chat Noir, and oh, how he loved her so much and wished that she did as well, for him. He sighed, I'll figure out how, he thought.

"Now look that way." His photographer instructed.

He did, gazing at the sky above in the park on a lovely day. Perfect for pictures. He picked a tree to stare at, watched as a bird flew out of it and... disappeared?

"Uh..." Adrien started.

"Don't move Adrien, I need you to hold still."

He didn't really move, but he continued to hold the pose, watching two more birds fly by. One of them disappearing.

"What?"

"What, what? What is it?" Adrien's photographer asks, wanting an explanation.

"Um, the birds are..." Adrien started to say, but his photographer was no longer there. Only a camera on the ground and what looked like a cloud of floating ashes.

"Whoa, what's happening?!" Adrien said. He started to run all around the park, he passed several people, some disappearing, others as surprised as he was. He continued to run until he reached his car.

"Photoshoot ended early, take me home." Adrien said, making the excuse while putting on his seat belt. But when he looked up, his driver was gone too.

"Plagg, what's going on?" Adrien asked his kwami.

"I don't know. Did my cheese disappear?!" Plagg said.

Adrien laughed at Plagg's concern. "Your camembert is fine. Plagg, Claws out."

"Wait! I wanted to check just to be suuuuurrr...!" Plagg cried out, being absorbed into Adrien's ring.

~Elsewhere~

"I think this my new favorite movie," Kim whispered to Max.

"I know, the last one had the biggest cliffhanger, this one was a must-see." Max quietly replied with a mouthful of popcorn.

"Totally worth the money. Hey, we're sharing, remember?" Kim whispered, pulling the popcorn out of Max's hands.

"Seeing that this film has been very successful after recently being published, I would not be surprised if this movie becomes a timeless classic. Especially becau..."

"I know. Man, if I ever have kids, I'm definitely going to show them this one, am I right?" Kim said. But no reply came. "Max?"

But when he looked at his friend's theatre seat, he was missing.

~Elsewhere~

Wayzz had been sleeping while Master Fu meditated. But something unexplainable woke him up.

"Master, master?" He shouted, "I have felt something terrible, I don't know what, but I fear it is amiss. Master?"

Wayzz scanned the room for Master Fu, it was the last thing he did before being absorbed into his Miraculous.

~Elsewhere~

"Do you think I can try them on?" Sabrina asked, holding up an old pair of elbow-length gloves so Chloe could see.

"You could try them on, but whether they will look good on you is an entirely different question," Chloe said while painting her nails, not even bothering to look at what her friend was holding. Both of them were sitting on Chloe's luxurious bed. "If you're asking me, they wouldn't be stylish with anything that you've got in your closet."

"Oh." Sabrina's reply didn't sound hopeful.

After pausing for a second, Chloe looked away to see what was even in Sabrina's hands, then returned to her own. "But Daddy did buy me a better pair last week, so you can keep those if you like."

"Thank you, Chloe! Your the best!" Sabrina exclaimed.

"I know, I know." Chloe said, casually waving her hand. She went back to finishing her nails now that her friend was no longer a distraction.

"Aaaaahhh! Chloe!" Sabrina cried.

"What, do the gloves have a stain or something?!" Chloe said annoyed. She had one more nail left.

"No, it's...!" Sabrina yelled.

Once Chloe finished the nail, she looked over at Sabrina. "Well, what is it then?" But Chloe didn't see Sabrina, only disgusting gray flakes on her bed and the gloves Sabrina was holding. "Eew! Sabrina, what did you do to these gloves?! Do you know how much they cost?!" Chloe shouted. She looked around her large bedroom for Sabrina, but found her nowhere. Chloe's arm was then covered with the same little flecks.

"Eew, eew, get it off! Get it off of me! Get it off, get it..." Chloe yelled.

"Are you in distress, madam?" Butler Jean asked opening the door.

When he realized what he was seeing, he dropped his silver platter, the rest of him floating down with it.

~Elsewhere~

Gabriel Agreste was filing through his fashion designs that he was working on for the week on his computer. They all seemed to remind him of Emilie. His wife never seemed to leave his mind, not ever since... the news appeared in a notification. He opened it.

"Breaking news," Nadja Chamack reported, "Several people have been disappearing all over Paris. The cause of this phenomenon is still unknown and appears to be random, several people believe it's another Akuma attack..."

"But I didn't do anything." Gabriel said to himself. It was true, He didn't send out an Akuma. So... what was really happening?

"...and trust that Ladybug and Chat Noir will save the day. I'm Nadjia Chamok, bringing you the news." There was a pause as the news remained on. "Is... is it still rolling? Ty...!?" The footage finally cutting off.

"Nooroo, if it's not an Akuma, then what is it?" Gabriel asked, his kwami levitating next to him.

"I'm honestly not sure master, it's like nothing I have ever seen before."

"If random people are disappearing, then... Nathalie?" Gabriel called for his assistant, but there was silence. "Nathalie?!" Gabriel called again, sounding more worried.

"I'm here sir." Came a reply as Nathalie entered Gabriel's study. "Are you troubled, sir?" She asked, walking over to him.

Gabriel sighed with relief "Yes. I am very troubled. Have you seen the recent news reports?" Gabriel asked. He started to pull up some more news about missing people, there seemed to be more every time he searched.

"Yes, I have sir. Is that what is troubling you?"

"Correct."

"Is there anything I can do sir?"

"Perhaps."

"What do need?"

"Where is my son?"

"Adrien is at his photoshoot. If you would like sir, I could..."

"See that he's okay."

"Understood sir."

"And bring him home."

"Of course." Nathalie began to leave the study.

I can't bear to lose my son too. Gabriel thought. All I ever wanted was... wait...!

"Nathalie!" Gabriel said. His assistant looked back.

Still holding the doorknob, Nathalie asked, "Yes sir?"

"Wait here!"

She dropped her hand from her exit. "Sir, what do you mean by..."

"I said to wait here!" Gabriel yelled.

...

Gabriel's hands tightened against the casket, now filled with ugly little particles. The love of his life was gone.

What's the point now? He thought. What am I going to do now? Whatever took her away, I want it to take me too.

"I'm done Nooroo." Gabriel said, grabbing his brooch, taking it off.

Nooroo returned to his Miraculous, and Gabriel returned the Miraculous into the small white box he had for it. He stared at its Butterfly design for sometime, then looked back at where his wife used to be. He dropped the Miraculous, dropped to his knees, and sobbed.

...

Nathalie checked the time again. Still not back. She thought. It had been half an hour or so since Gabriel left the study. If I don't return, assume the worst. Nathalie remembered the last thing he said.

Assume the worst... but the thought was too painful. A tear brushed her cheek. Wiping it away, she wrote a note for Gabriel, informing him that she was going out to find Adrien, the other last thing he asked of her. She placed it on his computer, just in case. All she could think about now was looking for his son, hoping Adrien hadn't vanished too. After she left the house, the mansion had never been quieter.

~Elsewhere~

Alya's phone rang, the vibration causing it to fall off the chaise longue in Marinette's room. Noise could be heard downstairs.

"Sabine, Marinette, anyone?!" Tom Dupain called out opening Marinette's bedroom door. He saw a cellphone humming on the floor and walked over to it, picking it up off the ground.

"This doesn't look like Marinette's phone." Tom said, he touched answer.

"Hello, Alya, are you there?!" Nino was on the other end.

"Nino? This is Marinette's dad. Are you trying to call Alya?"

"Oh, Mr. Dupain! Uh, yeah, do you know where she is?"

Tom looks around his daughter's room. "I don't see her. I can't find Marinette or my wife either. Do you know what's going on?" No reply. "Hello? Nino, are you there?" Tom was more confused than he had ever been before.

...

I have tried calling everyone in the Césaire family, but no one has responded. Nino thought. He looked back at the TV. The news was reporting more and more missing people. Is everyone in her family... gone? The idea was too painful.

"NOOOOOO!" Nino screamed, chucking his phone across the room and throwing his hat on the ground. He pressed his forehead against knees, feeling there was no way that his life could have gotten any worse.

~Currently~

Please come, please come. Chat Noir thought anxiously. He was waiting on the Bourgeois hotel rooftop, one of their usual meeting places. If she disappeared too, then... Ladybug suddenly landed right in front of him. Thank goodness.

"Chat Noir, do you know what's going on?" Ladybug asked.

"No, but I am glad to see you in one piece, M'lady." Chat Noir complemented, giving his partner a flirtatious wink.

"I haven't seen an akumatized villain anywhere, have you?" Ladybug said, completely ignoring the minor innuendo.

"All I have seen are clouds of dust."

"And more people are said to be disappearing by the second. If we don't figure this out soon, perhaps more innocent people will vanish."

Even more sudden than Ladybug's appearance, A stranger in white and red armor stood on the far side of the roof. The two heroes pulled out their weapons, facing the unknown person. Where did he come from? They both wondered. The new arrival removed his helmet, causing both Ladybug and Chat Noir's jaws to drop. Not because the face mask seemed to quickly vanish, but because it was...

"Carapace?!" They both exclaimed together.

[First chapter end.]