Of Umbral Shine

Summary:

AU. In a post-apocalyptic earth overrun with ghosts, Danny and Jazz Fenton struggle to lead a normal life. But Fate has much more in store for them than just the simplicities of living.

A/N:

I'll admit now that it's been some time since I've watched Danny Phantom, and I don't have access to the episodes. So even though this is an AU, there may be a couple of mistakes here and there, though some are intentional. Feel free to point them out. This was inspired by Chrome Shelled Regios, at least setting wise, though it's not very important to know about that anime/light novel. The details will be explained along the way. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom

[Prologue]

Omen

Green. The world was a swirling vortex of green, thousands of shades varying from light to dark, dark to even darker, blending in a flawless masterpiece that spiraled into the far reaches. Goo-like substance spewed from the middle of nowhere, rising up and then vanishing with a 'pop'. Platforms hung in the midst of space, imprinted with memories of the living.

There were the doors, so many of them, spread out across the infinite space, some near, some far, but all of the same composition, dark violet giving them shape and form. These gateways, portals to other times and dimensions, floated with no apparent force between to hold them apart or draw them closer. And one of these doors opened, allowing a skeletal ghost to enter from the backdrop of what was an entire city wreathed in a dome of green, set against a desert plain.

The ghost, dressed in armor befitting of a lowly soldier, rushed off in a single direction, passing islands of inversed crags, ignoring the fearful caw of the crows, nestled together in the branches of a long dead tree.

Moving progressively deeper into the darkness, a crimson red keep, with twisted towers and tapering points, appeared along the skyline, welcoming him with iron-fanged gates. Lead along the surreal passageways that littered the citadel, the messenger was brought to the door where within his lord would await his report.

Sitting on the throne of his palace, the general towered over his servants in the court, a disdainful glare aimed at the heavy oak as it creaked open, the ghost shuffling in nervously.

"M-My lord," he whispered fearfully, bowing so low that his helmet scraped against the floor. "I bear word from the realm of the living…"

"Go on."

"O-Our scouts have finally located him, as you requested."

His green eye lit up in interest.

"Where is he now?"

"He is being imprisoned within one of the humans' contraptions situated within the cities, my lord," the ghost answered faithfully, never once lifting his eyes from the ground. "I-It has a very unyielding barrier that we are unable to destroy. We have exhausted all means, yet our efforts remain futile."

The messenger then winced. Failure was not an option for them; their liege did not take kindly to failure. If the lord was in a foul mood today, no doubt that he would be obliterated on the spot for igniting his fury.

The blast never came. Instead, there was an intense chuckling that spoke very much of intrigue

"Excellent," the general purred, his fanged mouth curling up into a vicious grin. "I was in need of a little… exercise."

His one good eye flared emerald, burning brighter than before.

"We strike at sundown," he announced, and those around him made obeisance. "Those pathetic insects… they will soon learn the consequences of messing with our kind."

Cackling darkly, every ghost present, every minion, all of them trembled as the ghastly sound echoed off the walls of the dark chamber. Their lord's wrath was terrifying, even if he was hiding that wrath behind the pretense of laughter. It died down, just as the general turned his head slightly to the right.

"Ah, but first… I should teach our little eavesdropper the meaning of sequestration."

There was a sudden flash of red, and Jasmine Fenton jolted out of bed, panting heavily.

Pressing her hand against her face, cold sweat met her palms as she felt for every detail, every contour with utmost care. As if fearful of being disfigured, she reached for the compact mirror in the bedside table, seeing the reflection of tousled orange hair framing teal eyes and a heart shaped face. Relief flooded her features, only to be replaced by exasperation as she set aside the polished metal.

"Right…" she breathed, a hand across her chest to calm her pounding heart. "Right. Calm down. It was only a dream, Jazz. It was only a dream. It was not real."

Setting herself back in bed, Jazz tried to get herself to fall asleep, forcing her eyes shut and curling her body beneath the comforter. But every time she closed her eyes, the same image would reappear: a wardrobe of dark armor, black, red, grays, and greens melding together to create the figure of the general, tall and imposing, his merciless gaze filled with nothing but the intent of conquest and destruction. Then there would be the flash of red, the same red as before, and her eyes would peel open by instinct.

Flipping listlessly for several more minutes, the girl finally gave up and tossed the blankets aside. The numbers of the digital clock beamed at her, and she scowled.

3.13 a.m.… Great… I'm losing sleep over a dream…

"I need to get a drink," she sighed. Pushing off the mattress, she dragged her lethargic body across the room and headed for the nearest vending machine.

~A~

The smell of coffee wafted up to her nose, its aroma rich with the enticing scent of caffeine as she moved to take a seat in the canteen, alit by only the dull glow of the vending machine lights. Collapsing into one of the many empty benches, she blew absently on the surface of the dark drink, observing the ripples as they travelled. Taking experimental sips, Jazz allowed the bitterness of the brew to bring her into wakefulness. So entranced was she by the steaming beverage that she did not notice when the shadows shifted, the tiniest of sounds echoing in the still-dark corridors.

"Jazz?"

Looking up, the teen watched as her younger brother slunk out of the darkness. His black hair was messy, his blue eyes betraying fatigue. She noted silently that he was already garbed in his outdoor wear: his favourite white shirt, blue jeans and red sneakers, which meant that he had probably been up for quite some time already.

Or he might not have gotten even a wink of sleep in the first place, if that haunted look of his was anything to go by. He slumped down into the seat directly opposite of her, groaning as he let rest his head on the table.

She was treading on thin ice by doing this, but… "Danny? Why are you up at this hour?"

Her younger brother frowned.

"I could ask you the same thing, you know."

Icy blue met calm teal as the siblings glared defiantly at each other, neither showing signs of weakness. This continued for several minutes, until Danny broke eye contact with an irritated exhale and closed his eyes tiredly.

"Fine, you win. I had a nightmare, alright?"

Jazz inhaled sharply.

"The usual?"

"The usual," he confirmed. "It wasn't as bad as the previous time, though. At least I didn't wake up the entire hostel. Tucker woke me up before that happened." He cast a glance at the clock. "He's probably back to bed by now. Lucky guy."

She nodded in understanding, letting her eyes drift downwards to the cup. Seven years. It had been seven years since that incident, and her brother still hadn't gotten over it. She didn't blame him. She hadn't gotten over it either. That was the reason why she occupied herself so much with work. If she didn't have enough time to sleep, then logically, she wouldn't have enough time to dream either.

"So how much longer is this going to last anyway?"

"Until tomorrow, noon."

"Darn… why does this stupid trip have to take up forty percent of our overall grades?" Danny complained. "I wouldn't have come otherwise."

"And that's exactly the reason why it's worth forty percent of your grades, little brother. They want you to come."

The two siblings lapsed into silence, what has to be said already said. There was not much that they could exchange with words without bringing up the forbidden topic. Since that incident, there had been a mutual agreement between them to never speak of it. Following this line of thought, Danny perked up abruptly, his intense gaze landing on his sister. She shuffled nervously in her seat, startled by the sudden attention.

"Hey Jazz, you still haven't told me why you're here."

"Couldn't sleep. Isn't that obvious?"

"Why? Aside from having too much caffeine in your system, I mean," inclining his head to the side, Danny stared curiously at his sister. "You don't suffer from the same nightmares as I do, do you?"

"No, I don't," she admitted quietly. "But that doesn't mean that my dreams are necessarily peaceful. I do get nightmares, just… not the ones you have."

Danny chuckled. "Like the one where you got chased by a giant watermelon off a checkerboard?"

Jazz flushed the brightest red. "O-Of course not!" she spluttered, turning away as embarrassment heated up her cheeks. "That was such a long time ago!"

"Then what was it?"

The sixteen year old winced at the memory of the red flash, her grip on the paper cup tightening involuntarily. The conversation between the ghost general and its soldier was probably some garbage generated by her muddled mind thanks to all the ghost stuff that had been crammed into their brain for the past three days.

And being blasted by the attack? Only a fear that had found its way into her dream. Dreams were, after all, the involuntary occurrences of emotions, images, and ideas in the mind. She should know better.

"Jazz?"

No. Better not to tell Danny about that. He was such a worrywart sometimes.

"It's nothing; just a stupid dream about being blasted in the face by a one-eyed ghost."

She thought she saw his eyes darken significantly, but when she blinked, Danny looked more than amused. He chuckled.

"Did he have a one-eyed parrot too?"

Jazz grinned.

"Nope, but I bet he's got a teddy bear."

"Like Bearbert?"

Laughter overcame them, and soon the two were chortling heartily, though they consciously kept their volume down so as to avoid waking up the light sleepers amongst the student populace. Finally, the fourteen year old stopped, breathing in deeply to regain his breath. His gaze turned stony as he glanced in the direction of the breaking dawn, disgust bubbling within at the thought of what they were about to learn in a few hours' time.

"… I hate ghosts…"

"Yeah," Jazz smiled sadly. "I hate them too."