𝐖𝐄'𝐋𝐋 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐎𝐍, five hargreeves¹

𝟎𝟏 the death of a wizard

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⊹⊱ № 𝟎𝟑.𝟎𝟏 ⊰⊹
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐖𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐑𝐃

"and though you're dead
and gone, believe me,
your memory will carry on"
welcome to the black parade;
my chemical romance

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           REGINALD HARGREEVES was a man who envisioned big things, too great for many to even understand it. Most could barely comprehend the reason why he'd go through such lengths to achieve what he yearned to do, and among those had been the very nine children he adopted.

He was a man who would sacrifice everything for the greater good.

And that was the very philosophy Number Eight rejected.

           The eighth child was many things, often said to be the one most capable of understanding. After all, she was gifted with the ability to enter people's minds.  She had seen various things through the eyes of others, but Reginald Hargreeves had never been one of them.

While the man strived to save the greater good, Number Eight would sacrifice everything, including the world they were destined to protect, just to save their little make-believe family.

It was the very reason why the old man had decided that there was no need for a reminder of such. Unlike Five who had a painting over the mantlepiece, unlike Ben or Eliza whom he built statues of, Eight had nothing; almost as if her existence ought to be erased from their home.

Then again, perhaps the man had been mistaken because it turned out that Number Five hadn't been too different.

            Among the nine children of the Umbrella Academy, it is admittedly Number Five who had most embodied the beliefs of their old man.

He knows how to put great value towards the greater good. It's for that reason he wants to save the world, going through any means to achieve it. He's pragmatic, seeing the big picture, not obsessing over the small details as Eight would.

Nevertheless, he remains torn, putting just as much value in the safety of their family.

His hubris tells him to do both, but that nagging voice in his head that was awfully similar to his father's, tells him that he knows what he has to do.

He ignores it, having never been too fond of the old man anyway.

            Ironically enough, despite the way they would antagonize the man, Reginald Hargreeves continues to be a catalyst. As much as he tore their family apart, he had also been the one who brought them together.

It's funny really, it was the only thing he did that was godsent.

He took all nine of them in. Their destinies aligned from that point of intersection, and as much as some would hate to admit it, it continues to do so as long as they remain tied to him.

Unknown to many, perhaps the man had also been the catalyst of the end.

It was for that very reason why the Hargreeves reunite seventeen years after they were apart, on the death of the most reclusive and eccentric billionaire that the world has ever known.