Time for a physical ghost-versus-ghost-type of fight. Because Sanduleak is not going to nicely hand over the Gem of Osiris and surrender. This is going to be messing with his head and making him more aggressive, not less. This is going to be a couple of very powerful poltergeists (and Danny) going at each other with murderous intentions. Because this fight will not end until someone is dead(er). Lots of stuff will be happening at about the same instant, so try to keep up.

Now let's find out if my writing skills can live up to my plans. Because as I said, a lot happens in this chapter. Wish me luck.

To: Caseworker Juno Daelman

From: Upper Management

About: The Gem of Osiris and the Poltergeist

We would like to speak to you upstairs immediately. There has been a development.

-Excerpt from an in-office note addressed to Juno Daelman


Lydia and everyone's frantic shouts not to touch the Gem of Osiris fell on deaf ears as Sanduleak snatched the necklace from Melinda's throat. She could see the moment the power hit him, a brief noise she didn't even want to describe coming from him. The iris of his eyes began to glow green while his expression shifted towards something more manic than before. Lydia remembered Juno's description. A significant power boost, destroys inhibitions, increases aggression, distorts thought processes, and sometimes destroys the ability to focus. And that's what they know happens with weak ghosts. The stronger the ghost, the worse the effects.

So a murderous poltergeist with a vendetta against Betelgeuse and apparently her was now stronger and crazier. Definitely not good.

Then he shoved Melinda to the ground, breaking the circle. Sanduleak was smiling at the same moment that Lydia felt Betelgeuse's hands tighten on her shoulders, tensing for whatever happened next. The psycho's grin was terrifying even to someone who liked the creepy and macabre. She knew he was dangerous and she could tell that even Betelgeuse was on edge. The situation was far more deadly than just facing her aunt.

Sanduleak reacted like he felt equal amounts of pain and pleasure from the power flowing through him, shuddering briefly as his eyes brightened further. Madness filled his expression as he tightened his grip on the knife in one hand and the cane in the other.

"Now this is a rush," said Sanduleak. He then released an unhinged laugh and added, "Let's try slicing open every single one of you."

He launched himself, magic knife stabbing forward. Lydia didn't have time to react before she hit the ground, shoved by Betelgeuse as he dove over her to intersect Sanduleak. He managed to avoid the sharp edge, snagging his opponent's wrist and twisting it to the side. Blasts of green energy hit Sanduleak as Danny opened fire. Unfortunately, it barely knocked him back a step. And if that wasn't bad enough, Sanduleak dissolved into mist and slipped out of the other poltergeist's grasp. The fog moved against all logic, shooting skywards.

Betelgeuse cursed angrily before adding, "So now he can turn the crazy woman's knife and necklace to mist too? Sure. Why not? That's completely fair."

Thunder crackled over head, causing Lydia to look up. Clouds formed unnaturally fast as the wind began to blow wildly. The sudden change was as unsettling as the fog the night before.

"Weather control. Perfect," muttered Danny. "Anyone know how to keep him solid?"

"Yes," Betelgeuse said shortly, glaring at the clouds. "Not easy to directly affect other ghosts and keep them from pulling off their assortment of tricks, but I've done it before a couple of times. I just need to get close."

Climbing to her feet and noticing that Sam and Tucker also apparently hit the ground at some point, Lydia asked, "Close enough to be stabbed by his new magic knife? Because we really don't need to test your resistance to it."

"Got a feeling that I don't have much choice, Babes," he said over the roaring wind of the building storm. "But I think I can avoid him poking holes in me if I actually try." Glancing towards Danny with a thoughtful expression, he said, "You're good at flying, right? Go up there, blast some of your ecto-energy around until he tries to kill you, and lead him back to ground level. Then I'll do my thing."

"You're using him as bait?" snapped Sam, digging into her backpack for something.

"I've seen him. He's faster and more agile at flying. And ground level give me an edge, gives me more to work with. Luring him down is better than waiting for him to choose when to attack or facing him in the middle of a storm," he said. "But don't bring him straight here. This is too open and with too many people with a pulse with no cover. Pick a different spot. I'll follow."

Danny nodded shortly before flying skywards. Betelgeuse gave a small smirk, one she interpreted as him enjoying the idea of a proper challenge before filleting Sanduleak.

"And what about us?" asked Tucker. "Do we just wait for him to kill us?"

"Steal the hag's van and try to keep up. And maybe find a better plan because I'm making this up as I go."

Then he was gone. Not vanished like he'd been banished back to the Netherworld. More like he raced off into the darkness. So none of them had a chance to remind the poltergeist that none of them could actually drive. Then, to add another element of unpleasantness to the disaster of the evening, the storm finally hit them with a downpour.

"Can things get any worse?" asked Tucker as they were almost instantly soaked.

"You!" snarled Aunt Melinda, abruptly reminding everyone of her presence and pouncing on Lydia, her hands wrapping around the girl's throat as she knocked her down. "You and your ghosts ruined everything."

Gasping and struggling for breath as her aunt aggressively strangled her, Lydia fought to pull the woman's hands away. They shouldn't have turned their backs on her. Her fingers pried at Aunt Melinda's vise-like grip. The woman's face was twisted into a look of insane rage. She saw Tucker trying to help, but Aunt Melinda was stronger than she looked.

Lydia's head pounded and her vision darkened. Air. She needed air. But she wasn't going to let go. This was a murder attempt. She was killing the girl. Fear and desperations gripped Lydia.

"If you care for ghosts so much, I'll make you one. Then you can share their fate," shrieked the woman, barely audible over the pounding in Lydia's head.

Lydia's weakening struggles to survive were abruptly aided as a flash of light hit the woman hard enough to dislodge her. The girl instantly gasped for precious air. She'd never appreciated how good it felt to breathe freely. Coughs hit her hard, but she was strangling anymore. She could cough, which meant she could breathe. She had air.

Tucker pulled her upright, giving Lydia a glimpse of her aunt lying unconscious on the ground. She didn't look seriously hurt, but Lydia honestly couldn't care less. The psycho woman deserved a little suffering. What really caught her attention, though, was the sci-fi-looking, raygun-ish object strapped to Sam's wrist.

"You all right, Lydia?"

Her first attempt to answer resulted in more coughing, so Lydia settled for nodding. Her hair and poncho were soaked, her throat ached, and she felt more than a little shaken. But she wasn't dead. She definitely wasn't telling Betelgeuse about this, though.

"You brought along the Fenton Wrist Rays? We weren't planning on facing ghosts this evening," Tucker said in a stunned voice. "And you used it on her aunt?"

"It was a glancing low-level shot of ecto-energy. She'll be fine," said Sam dismissively, pulling back out the duct tape. "And now that Sanduleak is here, I'm happy I brought it. Help me wrap up her hands and feet fast. We've got to move."


"I tried to make her happy. I did everything she wanted, never complaining and never asking for anything in return. Even when her decisions didn't seem very wise, I did as she asked of me. I wanted her to be happy. Why was it never enough? What was I doing wrong? Why was my love never enough for her?"

"It has nothing to do with your actions," Jazz assured Roger Livingston, who was now sitting on the grass since they lacked a sofa for him to lie on. "From what I've learned about your wife so far, there is absolutely nothing in the world that could make her feel content. She's convinced herself that accomplishing her goal will solve all of her problems to make the world perfect and when it doesn't, she'll either decide she didn't go far enough or she sink into a depression as she decides that absolutely nothing can make her life better. The healthiest option would be for her to realize that nothing is perfect and the world is not made of pure absolutes. But we're here to talk about you. Who are you when you are not defined strictly by your wife's existence? Who are you other than 'Melinda Livingston's husband'?"

"What did you do to our invention?" shouted her father from where he and his wife were trying to shut down the Ghost Shield. "You rewired half of it and reconfigured another good chunk. It won't switch off."

"We're going to have to turn it off the hard way," Maddie said. "This might take a little while."

"Hold on just a moment," said Jazz before turning away from her patient. Yelling towards her parents, she said, "I'll let Danny and the others know. You keep working on it."

Then, ignoring everything that the weathermen predicted for the evening, rain started to pour.


Rain soaked him as Danny flew straight into the storm. Lightning flashed and the wind roared, putting him on edge and making it hard to fly. This was definitely a step up from summoning fog. Danny hoped the vague plan worked. Otherwise he might end up fighting a living tornado or something all on his own.

Once he was just below the cloud line, Danny fired a few blasts. The green energy went straight through, but he knew hitting Sanduleak in his current state was impossible. Blasting the poltergeist out of the sky wasn't the point. Provoking him was.

"Guys, we talked down Mr. Livingston," Jazz's voice announced over the Fenton Phones. "But we're having trouble turning it off thanks to his alterations. Any luck with the wife?"

"Melinda isn't the problem anymore. We have a serial killer ghost with a necklace that makes him stronger and crazier," he said hurriedly.

"Anything we can do?"

Before he could respond, a lightning bolt barely missed striking him. Danny moved quickly and randomly, hoping to be unpredictable. Dodging a bolt of electricity was a bit outside his normal skillset, so he would just have to hope the one firing missed the target. His timing was perfect because the lightning only increased in frequency. He'd definitely gotten Sanduleak's attention. Now he'd just have to survive it.

"Sorry, can't talk now, dodging lightning, bye Jazz," he said frantically, barely managing to avoid another strike.

"Die," shouted Sanduleak's voice from somewhere within the roaring storm. "You will die."

Shaking some of the rain from his face, Danny fired randomly into the clouds and yelled, "Your banter needs work. You seemed chattier before."

"Die," he repeated as more lightning flashed.

"If you want that so badly, you'll have to come down and face me directly," taunted Danny, firing a final shot before diving. With a smug look as he saw a tendril of fog splitting off from the clouds, he muttered, "Tag, you're it."

He flew fast, aiming for a street with some tall buildings and other obstacles to hide him from sight. He didn't know how long it would take Betelgeuse to reach them and it would be best to have something to dodge and hide behind. Whether or not the magic knife worked on ectoplasm-based half-ghosts, Danny really didn't want to get stabbed.

"Hold still and die," shouted Sanduleak, giving just enough warning to roll mid-flight and dodge the now-solid blade.

As Danny spun around, fists glowing brightly with power as he prepared to form a shield for protection, but things turned strange. The brick wall of the apartment building shifted and bent like clay, reaching out in the shape of a hand to grab at Sanduleak. The poltergeist twisted out of the way of the first, but other arms sprouted from the wall. He was forced to dodge and weave around the grasping shapes.

"Need a hand?" remarked Betelgeuse, standing on the street smugly.

"You die," Sanduleak snarled, diving towards the older poltergeist. Swinging the knife wildly, he said, "You will die."

"Too late," said Betelgeuse, dodging the slashes with ease like he did in the fight against Danny.

Knife in one hand and cane in the other, Sanduleak seemed completely focused on getting the other poltergeist, apparently forgetting that they weren't alone. Danny took advantage of that fact to deliver a surprise tackle, flying in at full force. The impact was enough to rattle the halfa, but only slightly budged Sanduleak. Danny barely twisted out of the way of his retaliation, the knife close enough that he could hear it whistling through the air. But someone took advantage of his actions anyway. Betelgeuse hit the other poltergeist while he was off-balance and followed through by gesturing sharply, causing a lamppost to twist and spear Sanduleak.

"He was easier to tackle the first time," said Danny as the aggressive ghost started pulling himself free. "At least when he was solid."

"And he's hard to keep from turning into fog again," Betelgeuse said, sounding slightly distracted. "He's strong. If he isn't close enough, it won't work. Even for me."

The universe apparently took this as a cue to increase the challenge. Ripping free of the lamppost, Sanduleak started dissolving. Betelgeuse cursed sharply before diving forward. The aggressive poltergeist grew solid again just as sections of the concrete and asphalt rose up like serpents and wrapped around Sanduleak's legs. Hoping it would hold him in place for a little while, Danny started blasting ecto-rays at his face.

"Where's the necklace?" shouted Danny.

"Probably in his jacket pocket," Betelgeuse yelled back as he pulled a rope from his own suit. "Only place it could be."

"Getting it without going crazy or getting stabbed is impossible then. How do we stop him?"

Swiftly tying the rope into a noose, he said, "No idea, Danny-boy. But let me know if you think of something."

"Slice you to shreds," shrieked the mad poltergeist as tore loose.

Danny, taking a risk, dove under the knife slash and grabbed the cane. The grip was tighter than expected, but Betelgeuse looped the noose over Sanduleak's neck and yanked at the same moment. Ripping the cane free, Danny swung hard. The hit rang out with a sharp crack and knocked the unbalanced Sanduleak down.

"Homerun," muttered Danny.

Unfortunately, he recovered almost instantly. Not letting the loss of one weapon slow him down, Sanduleak bolted up and stabbed violently at the closest target. The blade easily sliced through striped cloth, but Betelgeuse miraculously jerked back enough to avoid any real damage.

"Whoa," he yelped in surprise. "Cutting it a little close." He managed to knock the next slash aside and dodged the one after that. "And this was my favorite suit too."

Not knowing what else to do with the thing, Danny decided to improvise with the cane. Waiting until the next time Sanduleak turned his back, he slammed the cane through the poltergeist's back like a spear while blasting as much ecto-energy as possible. He had no clue what would happen or what his actions might accomplish long term. All his high school-level brain could come up with was lightning rod.

It at least had an immediate effect. Like a small explosion, it sent Danny flying backwards until he hit the altered brick wall. Shaking his head to clear it, he saw that Sanduleak was also down momentarily. The cane appeared missing, but Danny didn't worry about that. One less weapon for the enemy, albeit he'd removed the less dangerous one.

"Okay, that was pretty good, Danny-boy," said Betelgeuse, looking slightly disheveled by his proximity to the event.

"Thanks," he said. "I have no idea how I did that."

Launching himself up again without warning, Sanduleak shouted, "I'll kill you all. Humans and ghosts. All dead."

Throwing his hands up to create a concrete wall from the sidewalk to block a vicious slash, Betelgeuse said, "I know I make this look easy, but I don't want to keep this up all night. Any ideas?"

"Not yet— Watch out!"

Danny blasted at Sanduleak as he tried to turn back into mist again. Betelgeuse snarled another quick curse before doing something that forced the poltergeist solid again.

"I didn't want to do this, but I'm probably going to have to be even closer to keep him solid. He's too strong otherwise."

"How much closer can you possibly get?" asked Danny as the older ghost barely deflected another slash.

"Danny, Lydia has a plan," Sam's voice announced over the Fenton Phone.


Lydia tried to hold on tight as the van turned, the forces at work nearly throwing her against the side of the vehicle. After binding Aunt Melinda's unconscious body with duct tape, they'd tossed her in back and decided to let Tucker drive. Unfortunately, due to the torrential rainfall and his main driving experience coming from playing video games, it wasn't exactly the smoothest ride. She tried not to think about the crazy driving. She needed to think of how they could stop Sanduleak.

"Attention, citizens of Amity Park, this is a special news alert," announced the radio. "There are aggressive ghosts fighting near the corner of Burton Road and Hartman Road, just outside the main city limits. Everyone is advised to avoid the area for their safety. Remember, ghost fights are dangerous. Thank you. We now return you to your classic rock."

"At least we know where they are now," Sam said. "Now we need an idea how to help. They can't just grab the necklace."

"How about—" Tucker's words cut off abruptly as the van swerved and he hit the horn hard. "Hey, out of the way! This is my lane. And use your turn signal next time."

They couldn't have Danny or Betelgeuse grab the necklace from Sanduleak. Lydia knew that. Separating the poltergeist from the Gem of Osiris would be dangerous for anyone alive. He was already psychotic and murderous before adding the power boost. The idea of stopping him by depowering the poltergeist just wouldn't work. They needed a more drastic method.

They needed a way to get rid of the evil ghost for good. And that sparked a plan, prompting Lydia to start digging through her aunt's junk in the van.

"I know how to stop Sanduleak," said Lydia, her voice still rough from the near strangulation. "I just need a couple of things."

As the van hit another curve, she heard Sam's voice over the Fenton Phone, "Danny, Lydia has a plan."

"Great," his voice replied, sounding winded. "We're starting to run out of ideas. He shrugs off everything we try."

"I can stop him, but I need something from you and Beej," said Lydia over the Fenton Phone.

"Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like this?" he asked.

Smiling with success as she found a white candle and a lighter in the chaos of the van, Lydia said over the line, "I need you to grab something from Sanduleak and get it to me. The knife, his old one in his chest, would be best."

"Can't make things easy, can you? Fine. We'll try not to get stabbed in the process," he said.

Taking his eyes unnervingly off the road briefly to look at her, Tucker said, "You really know how to stop him?"

"He's a super-powered, crazy, killer poltergeist," said Lydia firmly, "but he's still a ghost."


Honestly, this was the most problems he'd ever dealt with in a short span of time. Near exorcism, binding of his abilities, nearly ripping himself apart, and now a very strong and stab-happy ghost just refused to stay down. Betelgeuse might be the Ghost With The Most, but as Lydia pointed out not that long ago, even he had his limits. And a big chunk of his power was devoted to keeping his opponent from turning into mist, using telekinesis, summoning tornados or lightning bolts to hit them, or any other sneaky trick the psycho might attempt. He stuck to manipulating and changing objects in his surroundings rather than the more energy-costly creation of stuff, but Sanduealk kept going without any sign of wearing down.

But now it was clear he wasn't putting enough power into keeping Sanduleak solid. He'd either have to use less power trying to utterly destroy the vicious little poltergeist that went after his Lydia or get even closer to the scum. Neither option was appealing, but he intended to make Sanduleak pay. So he was picking the second one.

"Beej, Lydia has a plan," announced Danny, blasting yet another beam of ecto-energy towards their opponent's face.

Using a quick twist of power to turn concrete sidewalk underfoot into spikes to skewer Sanduleak, Betelgeuse said, "Great. Always knew she was smart. What is it?"

"Still don't know all the details," said Danny, flinching as the psycho poltergeist ripped himself free rather graphically. Throwing a few hard right punches to Sanduleak before jerking back out of knife range, he added, "She just said she needs something."

Blocking Sanduleak's rapid flurry of violent slashes, Betelgeuse said, "What?"

"She needs the knife. The one stuck in his chest."

It only took a moment for him to realize what Lydia had in mind, causing Betelgeuse to cackle briefly. She could be pretty ruthless when given the proper motivation and lack of other options. Betelgeuse definitely approved of her plan, though he would need to make sure it worked.

"Fine. I'll get you the knife and you get it to Lyds," he said. "And you protect her in case something goes wrong because Sanduleak will try to stop her once she starts."

Throwing up a brief shield of ecto-energy to block a particularly close stab, Danny asked, "You seriously want me to leave you fighting alone?"

"I'll kill you," snarled Sanduleak, slashing at the closest throat. "Hold still and die."

Waiting until a frantic slash brought the empowered blade to the right position so Sanduleak couldn't bring it against him immediately, Betelgeuse moved. Tendrils of concrete struck, grabbing Sanduleak's limbs and holding them in place momentarily. Betelgeuse used that brief instant to reach out and snag the more mundane knife from his chest, barely dodging Sanduleak's retaliation swing as he tore free. A bit closer than he wanted, but no harm.

"Mine. That's mine. I'll kill you for that," shrieked Sanduleak, his glowing eyes looking even more insane.

Taking a page from the half-ghost's book, Betelgeuse threw a quick punch to the violent poltergeist's jaw. Annoyingly, it barely fazed him. The murderous ghost seemed to have far too much endurance and resistance. But the punch distracted Sanduleak long enough for Betelgesues to toss the less dangerous knife to Danny, who clumsily caught it.

"I can take care of myself, Danny-boy," he said. "Just get that knife to Lyds fast."


"We're getting close," said Tucker as Lydia tried to light the candle in her hand.

"Good," she said, wincing at the screech coming from the van's engine from all the rough driving. "I can start as soon as we get his knife."

Luck was on their side for once. As soon as the words left her mouth, Danny phased through the roof of the van and landed right beside her. Sam smiled briefly as Danny handed over the weapon.

"Thanks. That is perfect," Lydia said, leaning forward to see.

He glanced at the tied-up and unconscious woman in back with slight confusion. Then he looked at Lydia's throat with a slightly worried expression. Maybe the roughness of her voice helped give away what happened. Or maybe he was just really good at guessing why they would tie up and toss her aunt in a vehicle.

She shrugged off his concern. They need to hurry. She knew how dangerous and vile Sanduleak could be. He needed to be stopped before he killed someone else. The Gem of Osiris would only make it worse.

Lydia took the knife from Sam with a brief nod of thanks. The blade was old; it had a history. It was the weapon of Jack the Ripper. It was the weapon he used to kill. It was the weapon that killed the murderous man who became the murderous poltergeist. If any object held significant meaning for Sanduleak, this would be it.

She knew in theory how it worked, even if she never tried it herself. It was easier than some tricks she could try, like summoning or binding. But she knew she would have to be focused and possess stronger willpower to overcome pure supernatural power. She would have to be stronger than the gem-enhanced poltergeist. Otherwise he'd break free and probably try harder to kill her.

So no pressure.

Candle lit, knife present, and all her courage and stubbornness gathered, Lydia closed her eyes. She knew the words; she could never forget them. She ignored the sounds and swerving of Tucker's driving. It didn't matter. All that mattered was what came next.

"You can do this. Otho managed it by accident," she reassured herself. Then, firm and determined, Lydia recited, "Hands vermillion, start of five."


He saw Sanduleak falter, even the fraying state of his mind not enough to keep him from realizing something was wrong. Betelgeuse couldn't help grinning at his confusion even as the sound of screeching tires filled the air. His Lydia was good.

But he also knew a strong ghost could break free of an exorcism if they were fast enough and wasn't facing a crazy-prepared woman with a dangerous necklace. Betelgeuse did it a few times himself in the past. It was hard, but not impossible. And if Sanduleak had any sense left, he'd break himself free of the exorcism and stop the person performing it. That was not going to happen.

So when some of the brief confusion evaporated from Sanduleak's crazed expression and he turned toward the approaching van, Betelgeuse reacted. He slipped behind the younger poltergeist, wrapping his arms around Sanduleak to pin his arms against his sides. It kept the knife out of play. But more importantly, he wrapped Sanduleak's enhanced power in a cocoon of his own power. With as much power as he could summon, Betelgeuse forced him to stay ensnared by Lydia's exorcism. He kept Sanduleak from doing anything. He would not escape. He would not break free.

Betelgeuse would make sure that Sanduleak was dragged to the Lost Souls Room, one way or another.


"Bright cotillion, raven's dive," Lydia recited, refusing to break focus even as the van screeched to a halt. "Nightshade's promise, spirit's strive."

Leaning her head out the window, Sam said, "There they are. Wait, what happened to the wall and sidewalk?"

"To the living."

"Beej happened," said Danny.

"Let now the dead..."

The van doors started opening. Lydia, her head aching slightly, refused to let it distract her.

"Come alive."


Betelgeuse grimaced as Sanduleak's power fought him, fought Lydia's exorcism. He should have been weakening by now. The stupid Gem of Osiris was a serious annoyance. But as long as he was wasting power fighting Betelgeuse, he had less to fight the exorcism with.

"Just give up already," he growled. "You hurt my Lyds. You tried to do worse. You're not getting out of this."


"As sudden thunder, pierces the night."

With the first section finished Lydia allowed her friends to pull her out of the van. She kept the candle and knife in hand, careful not to lose focus. Though it was nice that it was no longer raining.

"As magic wonder, mad affright," she recited. "Rives asunder, man's delight."

She could see that most of the street was now covered in spikes, tendrils, and weird hands that grew out of the various materials without rhyme or reason. It was definitely Betelgeuse's work.

"Our ghost, our corpse and we rise to be."


He could finally tell that the exorcism was having an effect. Sanduleak might have resisted for a while, but now it was hitting fast and hard. Betelgeuse could feel the poltergeist crumbling in his grip and growing a little less substantial. It would be over soon.

It was a cruel and painful fate. And he couldn't think of a ghost who deserved it more.


"As flies the lizard, serpent fell."

So close. Lydia was almost done. As long as she could finish this and he didn't break free at the last moment, Sanduleak would be gone.

"As goblin wizard at the spell."

She tried not to look at him. It would remind her of what nearly happened to the Maitlands and would weaken her resolve. She couldn't risk it.

He was a murderous monster. She knew Juno would send him to the same destination if she'd found him first. If anyone deserved the Lost Souls Room, it would be Sanduleak.

"The buried dead and slain rise again."


Betelgeuse's bear-like grip on the crumbling Sanduleak unexpectedly ended, the suddenness of him finally vanishing to the Lost Souls Room surprising him. The abrupt absence of the body in his grasp left him stumbling for balance. There was a clang as the knife hit the ground and something else brushed against him as it fell, Betelgeuse catching it in his hand instinctively.

Only after it was too late to stop himself did he realize that it must be the necklace hidden in Sanduleak's jacket pocket.

It hit him hard and fast, the indescribable amount of power. It flooded him, burning and intense. So much power, more than he could bear. He didn't think he could contain it, bright and burning under his skin until he felt like bursting. It hurt, burning too hot and with so much pressure. And even as the power hurt, it felt good.

The overwhelming, inescapable, uncontrollable, intense flood of power was intoxicating. It overwhelmed his senses and his thoughts, burning too bright for anything except the power to remain. He couldn't control it. He couldn't contain it. And he didn't want to.

He wanted to release it, use it. Let the power escape. Let it all out. There was so much he could do, so much he was capable of if he just let it go. Let the power consume him, burning bright and intense.

Restrain, control, caution, rules, memory, and identity were all burned away by the addictive, painful, pleasurable power that flooded his body. They didn't matter anymore. The power that threatened to destroy him and everything else was all that mattered.

He opened his eyes. Everything was so bright, too bright and blurry to see more than vague shapes. Shapes he could manipulate and destroy, just like everything else. Release chaos and destruction; the power burned too hot and bright for anything else. He could do more than ever, unleash the power he could barely contain.

Yes, he should do that. He should do it now. Use his power on everything.

"EEEEEYYYYYYAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAHAAAAAHAAA!"

So Lydia managed to shake off the semi-"Damsel In Distress" situations she's been tossed in recently and exorcise Sanduleak, defeating him once and for all. And Aunt Melinda is knocked out and tied up. That would be the good news. The bad news is that the Gem of Osiris is not done causing trouble for the protagonists just yet. As hard as it was to deal with Sanduleak while he had the necklace, it is far worse now that Betelgeuse has it.

And "Burton Road" and "Hartman Road" are a reference to Tim Burton and Butch Hartman. If you can't figure out why I would reference these two guys in a story about Betelgeuse and Danny Phantom, then you might want to look at who created these characters.

Remember, reviews are nice and I always appreciate them. I love hearing feedback on this and all stories I write. Thanks.