Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom, I'm a big fan and was feeling nostalgic.

Note (02/22/2018): Sorry if I spooked you guys with the last note, I probably shouldn't have said anything about my current real-life drama. At any rate, the funeral was the day before last and I for one feel better finally giving my stepdad a proper goodbye. Now, I just have to start moving forward and it'll be alright since I have lots of friends and family who are here to support us. Anyways! While some things are still up in the air hopefully it won't be as stressful now so I'll be getting back to updating regularly, well I hope so anyway. So don't worry about me, I'm going to be fine and you guys can continue to enjoy the fanfic! And speaking of, here's a new chapter for you!

~Chapter 25~

Love Is Fearless

Vlad's eyes widened in shock at the revelation yet, he couldn't help but smile and exclaim proudly, "Owen you brilliant boy! You're right, how could I have missed something so obvious? This would also explain why other ghosts cannot possess you, that is unless you're physically or emotionally weak. And that is because you're already possessing yourself! Your blood naturally protects you in most cases against invasion yet should that fail you then your spirit, or necroenergy purifies the contaminate or converts and absorbs the invading presence just like you did with Skulker's flame sample just now. But wait, doesn't that mean..." suddenly troubled Vlad activated the lab's computer despite knowing they were expecting company and asked it upload Owen's medical files.

"Medical files indicate that there were no known complications during the birth of Owen Ravenwood. Aside from several sensory problems that were later dismissed seeing as they were only behavioral the subject was completely healthy. The behavioral concerns are as follows according to his official medical records: the subject displayed an uncommonly strong sensitivity to cold temperatures, displayed a disturbingly quiet demeanor for a newborn, and the subject was often easily distracted by seemingly nothing in the immediate vicinity."

Frowning a little while Vlad continued manually searching through the files to confirm this and asking the computer more questions, Owen said almost to himself since Vlad was so OBVIOUSLY too distracted to notice him, "I wasn't stillborn in this lifetime Vlad, if that's what you're worried about. I don't know how else to explain it but while I was born normally like everyone else, I'm like one of those people who have had their own near-death experiences. I've passed through The Veil, or what is known as the Ghost Zone now so that my soul could go to wherever it is we're supposed to go when we pass away and the final judgment is passed on us. Only unlike those people...even if I do die through natural causes or before my time I'm always sent back regardless. Sent back to be reborn and start my life all over again as someone else. The same soul, recycled over and over and over again." Looking away, Owen added sadly, "There is no heaven or hell for me, just this. Forever..."

Pausing when he heard Owen's last remark Vlad shut down the system again and took the troubled teen by his shoulders, giving him such a hard look that at first Owen thought he was mad until Vlad told him seriously, "Owen look at me. I understand that some part of you still is and will always long for a normal life. However, that is not who you are. You have lost more then I can ever imagine yet, at the same time it wasn't you that has suffered the other losses that you recall as if they too are branded onto your heart. Owen, your past lives, and even the losses you have suffered in this life as well, they do not define who you are now. I've seen who you are with my own eyes. I've seen your strength of will and courage as well as your innate cleverness all of which truly astounds me. Tell me, Owen Ravenwood, isn't 'just this' enough for you?"

Owen just stared blankly at him, confused when he felt a dark bitterness seep into Vlad's heart at his own words. Seeing this, Vlad nodded at their current surroundings and elaborated rather coldly and eloquently.

"Despite all of the set backs and close calls we've had, aren't you glad you took me up on that offer to come visit me so we could discover the truth about you and your powers...? More importantly before your life began spiraling out of control once again? With or without my help your powers would have begun to manifest themselves actively because of your coming of age as a necromancer. Imagine if you will what would have happened if you had indeed discovered your fire -no, your necroenergy powers- if you were still living in that orphanage? The results would have been disastrous. But now you have me, Vlad Masters, the most powerful man in the world as your ally. The ONLY man in this cruel world who is even remotely capable of helping you the way you need to be helped. Namely by someone who understands the true and rare nature of your very existence. The life you once knew, sad to say, was merely a prelude to the one you ultimately have here with me. I have and will offer you everything you could possibly desire. So long as you swear that you will become my one and only son, my heir. To think, before all of this, I never knew that the son I've always wanted -the one who would not only readily accept my love at its fullest and need me to guide them to become one of the most powerful beings imaginable- was waiting in that orphanage for little over two years, ripe for the picking who would not fight me every step of the way like Daniel. A part of me wishes I had found you sooner, but, my dear boy, you are everything I have ever dreamed of and more. As for your fear of what the future holds I promise you I will put an end to your endless cycle of suffering somehow if it is the last thing I do." Vlad sighed, realizing he was rambling and so he let go of Owen and sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose before putting his hands behind his back and giving Owen another harsh stare, "What I'm trying to say is, I'm grateful that you want to help me, however, since in this life you ARE just a teenager -one who I might add has lost far too much in the short 15 years you've been alive- I am asking you to trust that whatever I do now is for your own good. I told you this once before, I am no hero. I will never lie to you nor pretend to be. However, I am and will soon be your father, and like it or not that means I am going to do things you won't like. This is probably one of them."

Taking a step back from Vlad, Owen realized too late what he was about to do and whirled around when he finally sensed that the Fright Knight was there on the opposite side of the ghost portal. His senses were dulled because of how much power Owen put into his spell by mistake but he could tell that Vlad, behind the mask of sternness, was afraid of putting him in danger again. He didn't want Owen anywhere around this creature if it was as dangerous as a fully fledged wraith even though it was nothing more then the product of a dark spell, a curse, aimed at Owen whose purpose was to use him against the boy of it's prior intentions failed when Owen willingly absorbed it along with the miasma into his body.

"Vlad don't!" Owen pleaded, flinching when his heart pulsated again in response to the Fright Knight's presence. "I promised I wouldn't run away again didn't I? I thought you trusted me!"

Smiling warmly, Vlad strode over to the controls to his portal and responded, "I do trust you my boy. The one I don't trust, is myself. Regardless of which 'self' is in control right now."

Just as Owen was about to protest again Vlad opened the portal and Owen shuttered violently as a wave of unfiltered ectoenergy billowed past him and a high pitched neigh shattered the silence. And soon after a huge alicorn as black as ebony with large leathery bat wings, a curved horn, toxic green mane and tail, flaming hooves wreathed in a similar sheen green, a fanged maw, and gleaming red eyes took several proud strides forward so that it was between Vlad and Owen. And atop of the nightmarish steed -whose name was in fact Nightmare- sat none other then the Fright Knight himself, the Spirit of Halloween. His entire body was solid black, save for a pair of ghostly green eyes, and he wore similar black set of Greek-like armor with two dark steel pauldrons, silver -flame gauntlets, faulds adorned with a generic skull, greaves, a gorget around his neck, and a spiked barbute-style helmet wreathed in amethyst colored flames to match his similarly flaming cloak...

Turning his head towards Vlad who for whatever reason was in his human form, the Fright Knight smirked though it was difficult to see in the shadows of his helm due to his solid black form and called, "I have answered your summons my Lord, what are my orders? I have it on good authority that you would make it worth my while in the coming days." It was then that the Fright Knight's gaze turned to Owen who yes, he had sensed the moment the portal was in sight but actually seeing Owen in his necromancer form made the knight unexpectedly gasp and dismount his stead at once, striding over to Owen and falling to one knee, bowing his head in awe and respect. As a flood of old memories swelled within him, the knight mused, "So those three servants of Lord Plasmius spoke truly, you really are Death's proxy. I could not believe it at first but then I would not mistake this presence for anyone less. It is truly an honor to meet you once again, my liege. Though, admittedly I was not expecting you to be so...young once we finally did. No doubt one day we will ride together into battle once more, but for now I see that it must fall to my current Master, Lord Plasmius, to prepare you to face against a far greater foe then the ghost who dared claim your title! Forgive me, but in your absence I was forced to serve under the false Ghost King. We will rectify this someday, but sadly, today is not this day. Clearly you are not ready to face him let alone the source of your true fear, because you have yet to overcome all of your fears in order further shield yourself against her corruption. But fear not, for I will do what is required of me and test the fortitude of your heart. " And as he uttered those last words, the Fright Knight slowly began unsheathing his Soul Shredder.

"How did you...!" Owen began as he backed away from him when he was suddenly overwhelmed by a vision upon seeing the Fright Knight 'in the flesh' so to speak for the first time in centuries...

"...if you must think of yourself as anything, to me you are the Fifth Horseman, the horseman of Fear. Your blade serves as a test to see if men can truly overcome their fears before they are consumed by them and plunged into eternal darkness. You are now and forever shall be known hence forth as the Spirit of All Hallows Eve. And as such it is your duty to test the hearts of men when the Veil is the thinnest in preparation for the day Lilith breaks free from her bondage. Should you fail to remember that, let this always serve as a reminder of the fealty you swore to me of your own free will on this very day," placing his hand on your average everyday pumpkin that had been symbolically carved to ward off other darker spirits, he continued with a sad smile, "Back then you were merely a wandering spirit trapped in one place without any purpose except for searching for your lost head. People even began calling you the Headless Horseman. It wasn't until the villagers actually summoned me to banish you once and for all after you claimed three victims in a single week that I discovered the truth and found a way to help you instead to break free from that endless cycle of mindlessly killing mortals in hopes of regaining the part of you that was stolen and lost forever. Your head. I simply had to remake you into something much greater. Something whole at long last. It cost me greatly but I have no regrets. Even so, my friend you are and forever will be a knight at your core, thirsting for the glory of open battle. That, I cannot change. As such I have no choice but to cast this curse upon you. I wish it wasn't necessary, but the power I've given to you will someday become a temptation to use for your own gain and claim power over the human world. It always does. But at least...with this blade you can satisfy that urge to slay your enemies and instead send them to a dimension built out of their own fears. I can only hope that this will be enough to prevent you from returning to that dark path once again once I depart from this world. Though I have no doubt we will meet again, perhaps even more then once. After all, I am also your King as well as your savior am I not...?"

Owen shook his head, as if shaking off the memory and looked down at the knight with mixed feelings, forgetting all about Vlad until he spoke venomously. "What are you doing? That isn't what I summoned you here for! Put that thing away. What I need it for is entirely different."

Remembering himself, the Fright Knight's eyes narrowed and he did as Plasmius instructed without delay, turning back to face Vlad and bowing as he apologized calmly, "I did not mean to assume I knew your intentions, I apologize Lord Plasmius. But if I am not here to test the boy, then why have you summoned me? Unless...it is YOUR fears that my blade is to cleave?" Straightening up, he crossed his arms and responded to Vlad's silence with a frown, "It gives me no pleasure to bring forth a dimension of fear using my blade that is built out of the fear of losing a loved one. Even I find it repulsive. I have my duty, and more often then not forget myself after all these centuries but still, I am surprised that THIS is what makes you truly afraid. Surly someone of your caliber cannot be bound by such a baseless fear as that, can you?"