Amity Park; November 14, 3:30 P.M.
If Danny had known how easy hunting the ghosts that managed to slip into the human world on a seemingly daily basis would be with Valerie on his side, then he probably would've done it when they had been dating. Sure, there was the fact that she might kill him, or at least finish the job, but an extra gun was always welcome in any fight. It wasn't even that hard equipping the newest member of Team Phantom with a Fenton thermos. Thankfully, her normal battle attire already had more than enough weapons to silence any thought of giving her anything from the Fenton arsenal, or at least any of the inventions that actually worked.
Still, getting the chance to act like normal teenagers every once in a while was practically a godsend for the group, and Danny and his friends, sans the Red Huntress, had managed to find a respite in the living room of the halfa's home before their trip into the ghost zone. To be fair though, most wouldn't be watching footage of a fight that they had been in just days prior. "With these two protecting the city, I think its safe to say that Phantom's enemies don't stand a ghost of a chance." The current news segment was that belonging to Ghost Watch, a news segment whose name was rather obvious. They would essentially show up at any one of Team Phantom's more public fights do a story on that or whatever else they had managed to hash together. As for the reporter currently speaking, that would be one Tiffany Snow, a regular to the program as a news anchor. "Now that the Red Huntress is working alongside Phantom, what other ghost hunters will become his allies?"
"Well, at least it's good media coverage." Danny said, cringing slightly at the pun.
"Ah, it's all an act. That ghost kid is probably controlling her in some way." The voice itself belonged to Jack Fenton, Danny and Jazz's father. He, along with his wife Maddie, were putting the finishing touches on one of their latest inventions before they headed out to a weekend convention in Wisconsin. The invention, aptly dubbed the ecto-gatler by Jack, was basically a gatling gun with three rings of ten gun barrels that was meant to fire stored ectoplasm at a incredible speed. How they heard Danny over the sound of the tv was a mystery.
"Your father's right, dear. All ghosts are simply ectoplasmic manifestations of post-human consciousness and malevolent in nature." Maddie said as she put a few spare tools in their respective container.
The teen simply rolled his eyes, knowing better than to get into a argument with his parents about ghosts. He knew that most of their research was flawed, but there was no way he could correct them on such things without revealing some the secrets he kept from them. That alone would draw too much attention to himself, and he didn't really expect them to understand his state of being. After all, they did hunt ghosts for a living. Hopefully Valerie's father was a bit more accepting. Heck, the only reason she wasn't with the rest of the team was to throw off any connection between the two of them and their hero identities.
"Anyway, once the ecto-gatler is fully operational, we'll blast that ghost kid into next week with this baby."
"Yes, but that can wait until after the weekend." Maddie said. "Anyway, we should be going if we want to make it to the hotel on time."
"Right. I'll put the gatler in the vault." Jack said, running down the stairs and into the lab that comprised the basement of their home and holding the rather large weapon by two bars, one sticking out from the furthest end in relation to the gun barrels and the other in the center of the mass of metal.
Maddie gave a light smile as she watched her husband leave, before turning her attention to Danny. "We'll only be gone for the next few days, but Jazz will be here if you need anything sweetie?"
"I'm sure we'll be fine, mom. Have fun on your trip. You two deserve a vacation from ghosts." Danny said.
"Oh, I'm going to miss you when you go off to college." Of course, that was still a year or two off, but that didn't really matter to her. Maddie then gave her son a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. They may be obsessed with their work, but both parents cared for their children dearly. After that, it didn't take long for both ghost hunters to climb into the Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle, which was pretty much a militarized RV on tank treads, and headed off to Wisconsin. Fortunately, or unfortunately if you were on the road in front of the behemoth of a vehicle, Jack was driving, which meant that they would probably get to there destination before the sun set under the horizon.
Danny then glanced at both Sam and Tucker, before giving a light smile. "So, you two ready to head off into the Infinite Realms? Jazz is still getting a few things, so we should have a some time."
"And here I thought you'd just leave me behind." Jazz said, coming down the stairs with a backpack containing both medical supplies and the Fenton ghost peeler should it be needed. While they may be going to visit Danny's allies, he still had enemies to deal with and she wouldn't be caught unprepared.
"Us, leave you behind? You're crazy." Sam said, giving a light smile and a laugh. "Anyway, Tucker and I are ready. My parents don't know I'm here, and his actually like you."
Danny nodded, before the four headed into the laboratory basement. Science equipment was scattered throughout the room and the ghost portal was on the wall furthest from the stairs, the black and yellow striped steel doors sealing away an entire dimension from their world. The specter speeder was in the middle of the room, hovering just in front of the portal. After opening the doors, the three human teens climbed into the vehicle as Danny shifted into his ghost form and soon found themselves shooting through the Ghost Zone.
"Whoa." Jazz said, looking into the green sky that looked like something out of a Van Ghou's Starry Night. Stone islands floated through the air and purple doors leading to the lairs of other ghosts hovered in place. "This place is amazing."
"Welcome to the Ghost Zone, sis. Just try not to spook the locals." While the group had came into the Ghost Zone to speak with a few of Danny's allies, they had decided to take a alternate route to their first destination, Dora's kingdom. The only problem was that there didn't seem to be any ghost in the immediate area, let alone any geological features aside from a few floating chunks of rock. It was as if one could just look down and peer into the dimension's very core and the darkness it dwelled in
Of course, it didn't take long for someone to bring that minor, in not concerning, fact up. "Dude, is it just me, or is this area deader than normal?" Tucker asked, looking at the scanners in the specter speeder.
"I don't know, but I'm not waiting around to find out." Danny said, before flying ahead. The entire area in general made a chill run down his spine, which was strange considering the fact that he had been to the Ghost Zone several times before, and had never recalled feeling such a thing.
Eventually, the four of them arrived at Dora's kingdom and were greeted by the guards. Leaving the specter speeder on the outskirts of the town, they were escorted to the castle. As they walked through the relatively large area, they could see that it had grown since the change in leadership, something that was very much welcome in their opinion. If the people rallied behind Dora, then there would be very little chance of an uprising or her brother taking back the throne. Upon reaching the castle and walking through the oaken doors that led to the throne room, they could see Princess Dora looking over scrolls they assumed were important. She had become Danny's ally when he and his friends helped her defeat her brother and free her people from his rule. It took a few moments for the monarch to realize that she was not alone, but not displeased when she realized who it was. "Sir Phantom and friends, to what do I owe this unexpected visit." It didn't take long for her to also notice Jazz, and she was somewhat curious about her. "I also see you brought another human with you."
"Yeah. This is my sister, Jazz. She wanted to come along so that she could meet a few of my allies in person. Are we interrupting anything?" Danny asked, hoping that that wasn't the case.
"No, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Jazz. Any relative of Sir Phantom is a friend of mine, so long as they aren't a threat to my subjects of course." She said.
Jazz didn't know what to do, so she simply gave a slight bow. "Thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, princess."
"Please, call me Dora. Now, I'm curious as to why you are all here. My brother is still locked away in the dungeon, so it can't be because of him."
Danny decided that it would be best to keep his new power a secret for the time being, at least until he trained it. That didn't mean he wouldn't tell her about the new ghost, however. "To be honest, I don't really know what to think of this, but my friends and I were attacked by a dragon. She wasn't either of you, that much was evident from the silver color of her scales. I was wondering if you knew anything about her."
Dora's eyes seemed to widen in shock, before she set the documents aside. The teens now had her full attention. "Unfortunately, I do. I never would've thought one of them would still be in existence, let alone make it to the human world, though."
That got the attention of the four teens, and now more questions were brought to light. "What exactly do you mean by that?" Sam asked.
Dora sighed and folded her hands. "There's a reason why the amulets my brother and I wear turn us into dragons when activated. They both contain what are essentially the spirits of the very creatures within them." It was evident that she was not proud of that part of her family's history, but also fortunate that she took the time to learn it. She would need it to tell the coming story.
"Ok, but that doesn't explain how it got into the human world or why it called me a hunter in Latin." Danny could tell that this was going to be a rather unpleasant story, and he steeled his nerves accordingly.
The ghost princess nodded, before continuing on with the conversation. "That is unexpected. Only a few ghosts know Latin, and those that do haven't used the language in ages. As for why the dragon called you a hunter, that can also be answered." Dora then paused slightly, trying to think of an answer.
"They were presumably hunted to extinction." Sam's voice was a bit blunt, but she knew she wasn't wrong. Nearly every story she knew of depicted dragons as mindless beasts that destroyed everything in their path and tormented humans. Why would it be any different in the Ghost Zone? Granted, there were a few modern day cultures that worshiped the creatures, but those only seemed to reside primarily in Asia.
"Up until this point, it was believed that they had been, but it was not without reason. As you know, Pariah Dark ruled the Infinite Realms before many of its current inhabitants, but what you do not full realize was the impact his sealing had on this dimension as a whole. What we might consider realms today were fractured in terms of internal politics, and one of the largest was inhabited by beings that belong to the same 'species' as the ghost that you fought earlier today: dragons. They were strong, aggressive to any ghost that wandered into their territory within reason, and constantly fought with each other for resources, territory, and among other things, sport. No one really batted an eye at any of this, for while they may have been a threat to others united, they could not cooperate with anyone aside from possibly family. Something changed, however. One day, a new dragon appeared in their land, one stronger than any before him. He came from no known nest, though I believe it was rumored that he joined one eventually."
The princess then shook her head as she momentarily lost her train of thought. Memories tended to fade faster when the events of the time period in question were not clear. After a few moments to collect her breath, she continued on with the story. "Either way, after five years of fighting, this dragon united his kind, and his name was Draco Ignis. Despite his strength, though, he never considered himself better than his subjects. During his rule, his people experienced what humans might consider a time of peace as they carried on with their individual existences.
"So, what happened to him? If he was such a good ruler, I doubt that his people would betray him." Tucker said, a worried look evident on his face. He was scared to listen to the rest of the story, but knew it would help in the future. He, along with the rest of his friends were more curious than anything now, and were also worried about where this story was going.
"Fear is a very strong motivational force, Sir Tucker. While Draco wished for peace and to remain isolated within his home, along with his subjects, other ghosts were not pleased with the amount of power he held and many forces outside his realm conspired against him. I wish that I could say that my ancestors weren't a part of this plot, but then I would be lying." Regret was evident in Dora's tone, but there was nothing she could do to change the past. "They planned to simply poison him during one of the few times he visited the other realms within this dimension, but something went horribly wrong. Instead of Draco, a dragoness who he considered a dear friend and his escort at the time fell in his stead."
Danny flinched slightly. He knew his obsession was protecting anyone close to him, and if Draco was anything like what Dora said, he could already guess what had happened. "He didn't take it lightly, did he?"
"Not at all. Even if the most vocal critics within his land had fallen, nothing would've changed. Draco viewed his people as his own children, even if he had none of his own. The death of the dragoness brought about the full force of his rage, something few have ever seen and even fewer live through. The other ghosts assembled barely escaped with their existences intact, and Draco returned to his lair, grief stricken. The texts made it unclear if he knew of their full involvement, so that may be the only reason why he let them live at the time. Seeing his full power didn't intimidate his enemies, however. It simply hardened their resolve to see him end."
Dora then stood and walked towards a window, staring out into the green sky. "Not wanting to have a second Pariah Dark and lacking the powers that sealed the tyrant away, the forces of the far frozen, my own at the time, Pandora's acropolis, and many other smaller realms amassed into one singular force and attacked Draco and his people head on. The skirmish would later become known as the Battle of Dragon's Edge, and lasted for three days and four nights. Draco was expecting a surprise attack and had strengthened the defenses of his land accordingly, but even he knew that the odds were against him. He had no allies aside from his own subjects at the time, and his army was vastly outnumbered by three to one. By the end of the third day, thousands of dragons lay either dead or dying, and he felt all of their pain and suffering. It didn't matter if they fought or not. They were all targeted. As for Draco, the king felt like he had failed his people. As his final command, he ordered anyone who was able bodied to leave and escape their death. Many did manage to accomplish the task, taking hatchlings with them as their king fought as hard as he could to ensure their survival. Hundreds of ghosts died before he was subdued. For his final words, he only gave this solemn warning before he was executed, 'Beware the child of life and death, for they shall take my final breath'. At least, that is its English translation. Either way, his enemies began to hunt down and kill the dispersed dragons, fearing retribution and not wanting to have them united again. As I said before, it was believed that the last dragon died hundreds of years ago and none have been seen since. At least, not until today. Only a few beings remain that know of the legend, and many of those are hidden away in the darkest recesses of the Infinite Realms."
The four teens were shocked by what they had been told. The story was tragic to say the least, and it all stemmed from hatred and the death of a friend. Sure they fought ghosts, but Draco sounded like he was on a whole different level entirely. The warning wasn't exactly the must comforting thing either. From what they could discern from previous experiences, the 'child of life and death' part could be interpreted in such a way as to mean that a new halfa would be made. The second half was confusing. Was it meant to be a warning of his reincarnation? If that was the case, then he could be dormant within Danny, Vlad, or Danielle, waiting for the right time to emerge. As unlikely as it was, anything was possible with ghosts. The legend was centuries old, though. Surely it must be nothing more than a mere few dying last words.
Eventually, Danny decided to break the palpable silence that had entered the room. "If Draco's people were killed hundreds of years ago and haven't been seen since, how did that dragon attack us?" That was one of the few things concerning him now.
"It is possible that she escaped through a naturally formed portal. It certainly would also explain how she survived for so long and was never seen until today." Dora then turned to looked at the four teens. "I'm sorry all of you had to hear this, but I thought it would be important to know about the dragon and what her past might have been. The history may not be entirely accurate, but that is from the least biased account I have read." The princess then returned to her throne and clasped her hands.
Danny nodded and sighed. This was so much to digest, but at least most of the questions he had were answered. "Thank you, Dora. Hopefully the next time we see that dragon will be on better terms."
"Safe travels, friends. Do feel free to visit again soon." She said. Plans were already forming in her mind as to what to do about this new revelation and whether or not it was a sign of something to come. Danny and the humans with him might have been friends, but she had a duty to her people as well.
With that being said, the four returned to the specter speeder and continued on their journey.
What they did not know was that a sixth entity was listening to their conversation, one that had been trapped far longer than she should have been. The dragoness within Dorathea's amulet, contrary to popular belief, was able to eavesdrop on any conversation that might take place near her proverbial cage and see the world around her through its gem. While her initial meeting of the boy that had brought her to the human world as a gift for some girl was still mixed at best, she now had a solid interest in him and his friends, one of which being the goth that had been unable to control her seething, impotent rage. A deep growl emanated from her throat as she closed her eyes, going over what had already been said. "It is good to know that another of my kind survived the purge, but who could it possibly be?" Memories of the atrocities she and the other dragon enslaved to these weaklings had committed against their kind ran through her mind. If she were to escape, she would be sure that these fools would pay for all they had done through her, even if it was not directly their fault.
For now, she would have to wait. She didn't know who exactly had made a rather surprising return, considering the fact that neither the halfa nor the humans had didn't feel the need to describe the dragon they had encountered, but it was unlikely that they would be strong enough on their own to help her and the other dragon to escape. Sure, they might be able to abscond with the amulets in question, but the magics that kept the two bound to them were powerful to say the least. Still, being stuck in her cage would have been better than being used for the gains of other. At the very least, it would make for a fitting punishment. "I suppose I could try to find a way to speak with the other dragon, but that will take time. Still, it would help if they knew as well."