Hello fellow Authors and Readers of FanFiction, firstly here you go the next chapter in Daughter of a Phantom and second Happy Thanksgiving to the people of Canada. Now before I let you get to it I must address something, on October 12th, I came to Fanfiction and came across a story that had copied a section of Daughter of a Phantom, I took action and asked fro your help. Firstly I would like to thank those who did help me out in my hour of need. I would also like to say that the author who copied me, has sent me a message and has apoligized for coping, this matter has been taking care of and I would ask that if there is anyone giving them a hard time to back off, the wrong has been fixed, apologies have been made on both sides and we would both like to move on from it. Howver this dose bring me to ask everyone, please do not copy this Fanfiction, I don't think it will happen again, FanFiction is a place where authors can write what they want, but that dosen't mean they can take from others, so please let's move on and just enjoy this stroy, so without further ado the next chapter in Daughter of a Phantom.

Chapter XXI: The Trial of Suffering

Danny was arriving at his next location, a section of Axiom Labs, which was used for disposal. Luckily, it was still early in the morning and the workers haven't arrived yet. Danny increased his speed and phased through the roof, he landed in a square room with one door, some controls and a tunnel with a giant metal hatch. It had a sticky note on it that read; Daniel, open the hatch. Danny did just that, he unscrewed the clamps holding it in place and used his super-human strength to pry it open. It revealed an entrance to a long tunnel, a long, dark, tunnel. Danny remembered what this section of Axiom was used for, and he knew what this most likely was from looking at the black walls and controls. Suddenly the tablet came back to life, Danny grabbed it and Vlad appeared on the screen.

"Well you arrived at the site of your second trial Daniel, are you prepared to suffer to save your daughter, now this one is simple, just climb inside this tunnel and make it to the exit."

"What's the catch?"

"Why dose there have to be a catch?"
"Vlad I know this is an incinerator tunnel, they fill it with the things they want incinerated."

"Very good, then Daniel, I suggest you do this in your ghost form, if you turn human I will activate the incinerator, now get going, if you don't reach the exit in 10 minutes I will kill Danielle, if you turn back before you reach the end I will kill Danielle."

With that the screen shut off, Danny put the device back and looked at the entrance of the tunnel, this was supposed to be the trial of suffering, Vlad was definitely not telling him something. But Danny had no choice, if he didn't reach the end in 10 minutes, Vlad would carry out his threat and kill his daughter. Danny looked into the dark tunnel, it had to be about half a mile long, there was no room to fly, he couldn't stand up, he would half to crawl. With no other choice, Danny climbed into the dark tunnel and started to crawl as fast as he could.

Danny suddenly felt a burning pain on his hand; he pulled it back and held it. His hand felt like it was on fire, like every single, individual cell was in pain. But the thing that bothered Danny the most was he knew what this was, for he had felt this before. Danny raised his other hand and formed a glowing orb of Ectoplasm, which illuminated the dark tunnel with its green Ectoplasmic light. Danny's eyes widened as his fears were confirmed, as he saw that before him, lay a half mile long trail of Blood Blossoms.

Danny was right, there was something Vlad had left out, so this was the suffering, was he willing to suffer pain to save his daughter. Of course he was, even though Blood Blossoms were the second most painful thing he's ever felt after the accident, if going through them was the only way to save Danielle, and then he would do it. Danny then continued to make his way through the tunnel, each shove forward, every time he made progress, his body hurt more. Danny felt his energy being drained, he felt like his whole body was on fire, he felt his insides on fire, he felt like his whole molecular structure was screaming out in pain, and a eerie red mist was pouring out of him as his body was trying to expel the effects of the Blossoms.

Danny felt like begging for death, but he could not give up, he had to reach the end, Danny decided to close his eyes. Close his eyes and crawl, just crawl as fast as you can, reach the end as fast as he could. Danny kept on crawling, but he started to remember his first encounter with the dreaded flowers. He, Tucker and Sam were in the time of the Pilgrims, and Sam was going to be burned for a witch. Vlad had gotten the town on his side, Danny was going to save Sam, but was stopped by these flowers, courtesy of his ancestor John Nightingale. The only way the he survived was because Tucker ate the flowers, thereby destroying them. As soon as Danny got out of these tunnels and completed this trial, he knew he had to find the controls to this incinerator unit, and burn these flowers to ashes, only then could he be free of their effects.

Danny felt like he had been crawling for hours, with this pain he lost track of time, however he got quite a shock when instead of continuing, his head smacked into a solid object. Danny, used as much strength as he could to summon another orb of Ectoplasm to illuminate the way, only to discover that he reached the end of the tunnel, a dead end. Suddenly the tablet started to come back on, Danny used his strength to pull it out and turn it on, revealing Vlad, smiling evilly.

"Well Daniel I take it you reached the end of the tunnel."

"What…gives…Vlad?" Danny said, pain clearly in his voice

"What do you mean?"

"Where's…th…the…exit!"

"It's behind you; I did say I would kill Danielle if you went back before you reached the end."

Danny's eyes widened in pain and realization, this tunnel only had one entrance, and therefore one exit, the way he came. Vlad wanted Danny to crawl through the half-mile long tunnel, hopefully exhausting all his energy, and falling victim to the Blood Blossom's effects.

"Daniel there is only one entrance to this tunnel, so it's also your exit, and now that you reached the end, you may turn back, however it took you eight minutes to reach here, which gives you exactly two minute to reach the exit."

"What…you said to reach the end?"

"No I said you have ten minutes to reach the exit, so If I were you I wouldn't waste your time talking to me, you clock's ticking Daniel, tick tock, tick tock, tick t-"

Danny cut the fruit loop off by turning off the device, Danny then turned himself around, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel, a faint glimmer of freedom. Danny already felt like quitting, his body was in more pain then he felt he could ever endure, he felt like killing himself to escape the pain. It had taken him eight minutes to get to the end; he wouldn't make it back in time. Not unless, Danny booked it, crawled like there was no tomorrow. Danny would have to lay down on his stomach to save his energy and use his hands to pull himself to freedom, which meant exposing him to the flowers even more. But he had no choice, if he didn't get to the exit soon, Danielle would die, followed by him.

Danny took a breath and laid down on the flowers, sending his body into more pain than ever. Danny started to pull himself along the tunnel. His eyes were glued on the exit; his mind was focused on the exit, not the pain, the exit. If he thought about the pain it would slow him down. He needed an comforting thought, and for some reason he thought of his childhood, he remembered when he was little and his mother read him The Little Engine that Could. Danny remembered the story and the engine, and it's lesson of optimism an hard work. Danny could see the exit coming closer, but he was not going to make it.

No, Danny was not going to have those thought through his head, he knew he could make it, he hoped he could make it, and for some reason Danny started chanting, I think I can, I think I can. Danny was surprised as he noticed the pain disappearing. Instead of the pain, all Danny could feel was his determination, he was going to reach the end, he knew, and his chanting changed to. I know I can, I know I can, I know I can. Danny felt like he was floating through the tunnel at intense speeds, running out of time, he felt his lungs, heart, working in over time, like the fierce engine of a locomotive, Danny was just charging through the tunnel, the exit was in sight and in one last ditch effort. Danny put the last of his strength and lunged at the exit, flying through the exit and coming crashing down outside the entrance.

Danny lay on the ground, panting, he felt like his lungs and heart were going to explode, the pain soon returned to its excruciating levels. Danny felt his dry throat and tried to pull himself up. Danny looked around, his eyes peering for anything to help him. Then Danny spotted it, on the wall were controls and a giant red button with a label that read, Activate Incinerator. Danny used what little remaining strength that was left within him and pulled himself off of the cold ground, he started to make his way to the button, but his strength was gone, in one last effort he reached out and slammed the button as he collapsed to the ground.

Sirens and light flashed as it warned the incinerator was going to be activated, moments later the tunnel was filled with a blinding light and intense heat as everything in it was vaporized into ashes. Danny lay there for another minute as he felt his strength start to return and the effects of the Blood Blossoms where off. He had done it; he had completed the second trial, the trial of suffering. Danny turned to lay on his back and pulled out the tablet, which already had Vlad on it.

"Well done Daniel, I must admit I am surprised, I didn't expect you to complete this trial, I thought the Blood Blossom's would zap your strength so it would be impossible for you to make it back in time, but you did it, but you didn't have to destroy them, do you know how hard they are to find now a days?"

"I've completed two of your trials Vlad, give me the third."

"Very well Daniel, go to this address and I will give you your next trial."

"One last thing Vlad."

"Yes Little Badger, what would that be."

"Why her?"

"Why who Daniel?"

"Danielle's Mother, why her?"

"Why, well Daniel the simple answer would be, why not her."

With that an address flashed across the screen, and the tablet shut off. Danny looked at the address; it was the same address as the warehouse he picked the tablet up. Danny put the tablet back, then he looked at himself, he realized that he was covered in ash that was left behind from the tunnels. Danny quickly phased and the ash felt into a nice pile on the ground. Danny then took off for his next destination. Vlad didn't really give him the answer he was looking for, but after he finished these trials, saved Dani, and gives Vlad a major ass-kicking, he was going to have a talk with her; the only thing he was trying to figure out was how to exactly say, oh hey, guess what, we have a daughter.

Well there you go, I hope you enjoyed the Trial of Suffering, oh poor Danny, at time it almsot hurts to put him through all this pain. I'm also guessing if anybody did not hate Vlad at this poitn, they are hating him now. But let me warn you, if you thought the Trial of Courage and Suffering were Bad, I have one thing to say, Vlad's plan and evilness hasn't even begun to shine. Also like i said above the copying issue has been delt with so everybody please drop it and move on, so as always if you love this story and you haven't already, please favorite/follow and remember to review at the end of everysingle chapter. The next chapter will not be as long and I most likely will have it for you Wensday mornign at the earliest, so keep checking back, as Daughter of a Phantom continues, and is qucikly approaching it's conclusion. So yeah as always favorite/follow and Review, until next time.

The Storymaster1000.