Explanations for why I was gone for so long are at the end of the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Aion in any way, shape, or form. I don't own Danny Phantom in any way, shape, or form. I only own my character, Iduna/Merula.
Credit for the translations goes to Codewizard on the Aion forums and his amazing translation program!
"Danny, it's obvious that something's wrong. What is it?" Sam (Samantha if you had a death wish) Manson asked. They were all actually sitting in Danny's room for once, bored out of their minds. There hadn't been a ghost attack in a month, not even the Box Ghost, so they weren't going to patrol until later.
Tucker Foley turned to the friend that Sam was facing. "Yeah, dude. Something's been up with you for a couple weeks now. Now spill."
Danny (Daniel if you wanted to get on his nerves) Fenton groaned. "Guys, it's nothing. You wouldn't believe me if I told you anyway."
The glare that Sam and Tucker gave to Danny obviously said, 'We saw you die and become a ghost and you don't think we'll believe you?'
"Fine," Danny sighed. He calmly stood up and let the twin rings of light form around his waist and travel up and down his body, transforming into Amity Park's Hero, Danny Phantom.
Once he was fully transformed, Tucker snickered, "Dude, what's with the huge boots?"
Now it was Danny's turn to glare. "I was going to tell you." Tucker held up his hands in an 'I submit' gesture, earning the end of the glare and Danny pulling at the huge boots that were obviously not part of his uniform. The boots slid off to reveal…
"…this is what you were freaking out about? You thought we wouldn't believe that you now had claws on your feet?" Tucker asked.
"Actually, they're talons, Tucker," Sam corrected.
"Who cares?" said Tucker with a shrug.
"Guys!" Danny interrupted quickly. "It's not just my feet!" Once he was sure that he had the duo's attention, he pulled off his gloves.
"You have claws on your hands, too? What the heck is going on with you, man?"
"For once, I actually agree with Tucker."
"Hey!"
"What's going on? Is it your core acting up again?"
"No. I already went to Frostbite, but his people haven't seen anything like it before. In fact, his kind was going through the exact same thing. He said that it's actually happening to every single ghost in the Ghost Zone. All of their auras are fading the longer it goes on." Danny paused here to snicker. "I think I saw Desiree flying around with a mane and a pair of legs."
Sam's eyes widened. "Is it…turning them human?"
"Sam, human's don't have hairy….well, they don't have claws on their hands and feet," Tucker pointed out.
Danny crossed his arms. "That settles it. We're going to Clockwork."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Ten minutes later, the trio was flying across the Ghost Zone in the Specter Speeder. All around them, as usual, were the lairs of ghosts, each hovering in midair. Every now and then, a ghost would fly out of a door, its legs refusing to merge into a tail.
"It's so…" Sam started.
"Abandoned? Creepy?" Tucker asked.
"I think she was going to say, 'much like a ghost town'," Danny finished for the goth.
"Actually, I was going to say 'quiet'."
"Oh."
The rest of the ride to Clockwork's was fairly silent.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
When they finally got to Clockwork's lair (after two hours of boys refusing to stop by a lair to ask for directions), there was a note on the main doors. "Stay here, guys," Danny automatically said as he floated over to the door.
"I knew he was going to say that."
"Wasn't planning on moving."
The second Danny got to the door, he read the note out loud.
"Danny, Sam, and Tucker–
"Please do not come in. In one hour, I will merely be an Asmodian with time powers. I advise you flee the Ghost Zone shortly after you finish this note, for when my transformation is complete, everyone in the Ghost Zone will be teleported away.
"Sincerely, Clockwork.
"P.S.– Daniel, would you and Merula at least try to understand Elyos while you are there?"
There was a moment of silence between the two humans and the halfa before Danny broke the silence. "What the heck is an Asmodian and what is Elyos?"
Tucker shrugged. "No idea, dude."
"Didn't you hear what Danny read?" Sam asked. Both boys shook their heads. The goth sighed. "We have fifteen minutes to get the heck out of the Ghost Zone before we get sent who-knows-where!"
Danny refrained from commenting, instead flying in the direction they came from and saying, "Then c'mon! We need to get going!"
"Great idea, Danny!" Tucker agreed as he turned the Specter Speeder to follow the halfa.
Sam sighed again. "Boys…"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Dude…you have a mane."
Danny glared at Tucker from his spot on his bed. He had tried to transform the second they had gotten back, but for some reason, he couldn't summon the rings. "I know I have a lot of hair, but I do not have a mane!"
"Actually, Danny, there's a lot of fur growing out of your jumpsuit right along your spine." It was true. Danny now had a strip of snow white fur growing on his back. "Face it, man. You have a mane. Whoa, Danny, calm down. Your eyes are going red!"
Danny's eyes immediately snapped back to green. "Q kdo'z cpehsvudoe gsx oxbw!" he cried out. (I can't understand you guys!)
"Um…what?" Sam asked.
"Ejdu ish gsx aebmoj?" Danny asked. (What are you saying?)
"Dude, quit speaking gibberish. Seriously," Tucker groaned.
Suddenly, Danny's eyes lit up. He gestured towards himself.
"Now's not the time for games, Danny! We need to–" Tucker started.
Sam swiftly cut him off. "Tucker, quit it! I think he's trying to tell us what's wrong through charades!" Sam looked back at Danny and motioned for him to continue.
In response, Danny repeated his motion. "You." A head shake. "No." A tap on his ear then on his head. "Understand." A gesture to both Sam and Tucker. "Us."
Tucker was stunned. "Sam? How the heck did you understand him?"
Sam shrugged. "I'm good a charades. I used to play it with my grandma when I was little."
"So he doesn't understand us anymore?" Tucker asked.
"Nope."
At that point, Tucker started laughing. Sam glanced over at Danny. She pointed at Tucker, then nodded towards Danny.
Danny's eyes grew red again and he shot a green ecto-blast out of his finger right at Tucker, knocking he techno-geek's beret off.
Tucker stopped laughing. "Not cool, dude. Seriously not cool." He could have gone farther on, but the sound of the doorbell ringing silenced him. "Sam, his parents aren't home, right?" Sam shook her head. "Ok, Danny, stay here. Me and Sam'll open the door."
With that, Tucker marched out of the room. Sam motioned for Danny to stay put before running after Tucker and slamming the door behind her.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Please be home please be home please be home PLEASE BE HOME!" Merula Idolon, aka Iduna Longfellow, muttered as she knocked on the Fentons' front door again. She was currently trapped in her ghost form, which was looking more animalistic by the minute. Her teeth had sharpened to fangs, her fingernails and toenails to claws, and a thick, furry black mane grew on her back under her cloak.
She had never felt more grateful for that piece of fabric.
The door opened and Merula let out a sigh of relief. "Tucker! Sam! You guys have to help me! I don't know what's going on and I need your help now!"
Tucker looked at me for a second and said, "Js…fiet?" (Um…what?)
Sam sighed. "Bii'b lomrg civoygh cii bfqi cimrg js Danny." (She's going through the same thing as Danny.)
I nodded. "Yes! Danny!" Hopefully he can help me.
"R cimrk bii ffrts cp omrd Danny!" Tucker announced. (I think she wants to find Danny!)
"Cierk dpy, Heptemr Tfzmoys," groaned Sam as she elbowed Tucker in the ribs. (Thank you, Captain Obvious.)
"Sam! Tucker! I heard someone I can actually understand!" a male voice yelled from somewhere in the house. An altered Danny Phantom pushed his way past Sam and Tucker. "Merula? We need to get you into the Ghost Zone. Now," Danny ordered the second he saw me.
I sighed. "Your sidekicks can't understand a word you say at the moment, O Smart One. Do you have any idea what's going on?"
"No. Only that the entire Ghost Zone is being affected by whatever's happening," Danny explained quickly. "Wait…Clockwork did say something in his note about being teleported somewhere."
I perked up. "Really? Where?"
"Lyiu? Fj bumll her'c jtdivsterd dpy," Tucker tried to…point out? I couldn't tell. (Guys? We still can't understand you.)
Danny ignored him. "Didn't say. It did say something about us trying to understand something called Elyos while we're there."
"And did it say anything about what we're turning into?"
"Yeah…Asmodings? Asmodongs?"
"Asmodians?!"
"Yeah! That's it! Wait, how did you know that?"
I froze. "I actually…don't know. It just…it was the first thing that I thought of!"
"But why?" Danny asked.
I yawned. "I don't know why. Now, if you need me, I'll be taking a nap." With that, I started walking over to the couch.
"Fiet'b bii iomrg?" Tucker asked. (What's she doing?)
Danny ran in front of me. "No! What if myyyster and missus Fenton come home and see a ghost on their couch?" Hmm…that was strange…I'll have to make a note of that.
I shrugged. "Ok then. I'll take one of the bedrooms."
"But–"
"Unless you want me to collapse right here, I suggest you let me sleep in one of the rooms," I weakly threatened. As if to emphasize my point, my knees chose that moment to give out on me.
Sam was immediately at my side, helping me up. "H'vor. R'ql lit dpy rrto j kid," Sam said soothingly. (C'mon. I'll get you into a bed.)
I vaguely remember Sam picking me up, glaring at Danny when he refused to help, and carrying me up to a room…Blech…I hate pink…and laying me down into a bed. After that, I was completely conked out.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Yep, after a month of not hearing from me, I have returned! As for why I was gone, I was puking every thirty minutes. When I wasn't puking, I was so exhausted that my family considered me a zombie.
This is not going to be a one shot! I am actually going to continue this!