Dawning of a Sun

by pearl84

A twist in destiny makes the month old Danny F. half-ghost and places him in the hands of the ghost king: Plasmius. Stuck in between a Human and Ghost war, will this young prince find his true self? And most importantly, who will he fight for?AU DxS VD-FS

38. Chapter 36: The Deepest Point of Despair

Greetings all! Thanks for your patience! Sometimes it gets hard to write with everything else that we must do in life, but here we are! With an update at last! I want to thank you all for your wonderful reviews! They really mean the world to me! It certainly shows that support I need when Vlad muse is forcing me to write when I lack the desire to. So, I truly appreciate each and every one of them.

Alright, so brief summary:

With Desiree's death, the portals have opened, leaving the Ghost World open literally for an attack. Yet, not much has happened with that yet. They are still in chaos, without their Ghost King around to give them some sort of direction on where to go from here, so the High Council is pretty much at a standstill.

However, a few days back, Skulker, under Vlad's orders, told Horris everything that happened, and further confessed that Danny is half-ghost like Vlad. It was hard for the Ancient leader, but he did make a decision on what to do with this discover given the circumstance, and you will see that decision in this chapter.

Vlad and Danny, meanwhile, are still in the Human World. Angela is now in the picture, and is about to determine how extensive Danny's core has been injured.

Gregor is unaware of the foreboding danger that is about to enter into his life—as if he needs anymore, right? But he is still very upset with Damon's fate, and is worried about Valerie's fate and his own, too.

So, yeah, everyone, besides the bad guys are in a pretty dark place right now…

So, without any further delay, here's more angst your way… Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, but this AU plot is my own.

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Chapter 36: The Deepest Point of Despair

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Having arrived at the room where Danny was, Anĝela quickly moved over to the child while Vlad came up behind her. Skulker had decided to wait outside.

Anĝela placed a hand on Danny's chest, feeling as it slowly rose and sank with every weak but steady breath. She bit her lip at feeling the constant thumping of a human heart, and it took everything in her not to cringe.

It was still hard to believe this was the Ghost Prince. Not only was this unconscious child human, but he looked so… dead. If it was hard for the ghost doctor to accept that the man standing beside her was her King, it was even harder to believe this child in front of her was her Prince.

And yet, she felt an almost overwhelming sense of sorrow and rage in her core as she took in all the lacerations on this innocent child's body and face—human or not. But the worst of it was when she pulled away the bandages from his face and saw those hideous letters burned into his pale cheeks: 'Demon Spawn'.

What sort of sick man did something like this? It was beyond Anĝela's comprehension.

"How long has he been like this?" Anĝela asked soberly as she moved her hand away from the child's chest and focused fully on his face.

Vladimir had his eyes lowered, as if ashamed of having to allow the female ghost to see his own son in such condition. It only drove further into his mind what a horrible father he had to be…

"It's been five days. Maybe six. My own memory is still a blur," he replied quietly, still not looking at the doctor.

But Anĝela quickly turned her eyes to him. Her eyebrows creased as she finally noticed how pale and sick the father looked. She would have to tend to him, too. But, first, she needed to try to help Danny; especially since she was certain that the man's unstable emotional and mental reactions at seeing his son this way were affecting his physical condition.

Anĝela turned her eyes back to Danny, and leaned in closer to inspect the child's wounds. It was strange that these wounds had not healed. In spite of their severity, a ghost's healing system should have completely healed the wounds after several days at the most. She just hoped the wounds had not been caused by a ghost device meant to prevent proper healing, which would then leave permanent scarring.

She had seen quite a bit of that during Dark's rule. Humans would dip their knives and instruments in mixtures of acid and ectoplasm to permanently brand ghosts or disfigure them. But humans weren't the only ones who loved these sorts of tortures. Pariah relished in them, too. After all, Pariah once owned the Skeleton Key, which turned into the Skeleton dagger designed for the purpose of destroying ghost flesh. And word had it that the dagger even had the power to enslave others.

Anĝela had seen the destruction of that dagger only once. On Skulker. But by the time they had found the hunter, his body had been beyond repair. It was literally falling apart and his diseased ectoplasm turned into this black ooze…

Anĝela frowned as her thoughts spun. She raised one of Danny's hands and placed it flatly on top of her palm. In an instant, the child's hand turned transparent. She was among only a very few ghosts who could manipulate intangibility and invisibility like this with such skill and precision.

The child's skin practically vanished, revealing the muscles underneath to the naked eye. But then she moved further, and the muscles faded under her practiced power of intangibility and invisibility. She carefully studied the bones and blood vessels in the child's hand. But coming upon his fingers, her eyes slightly widened at finding the space between the finger bones, meant to hold the child's claws, were almost empty. Aside from a small piece deep inside the bones, the child's claws were gone!

Anĝela solidified the Prince's hand once more and then lowered it. She then turned her eyes to the tensely silent father and extended her hand to him, asking, "May I see one of your hands for a moment?"

Vladimir just placed his hand on the female's own without a word. He watched as she used the same manipulation of her intangibility and invisibility powers until the bones of his hand were revealed. The doctor frowned as she confirmed what she had suspected.

"Your claws are accessible to you even in… this form," she muttered. "I can see them even within your human bones…"

Vlad slowly pulled his hand away, already knowing where the female was going. "Yes, they and my fangs are the only evidence of my real form while I am human… I assume it is the same for my son." He paused before he shakily asked, "Will they grow back?"

Anĝela's eyebrows creased but then she answered, "There are more important things, King Plasmius."

Vlad shook his head, wrapping his arms around his stomach as he quietly said, "I'm not your King, Anĝela. Not here. Just call me 'Vlad.'."

The doctor smiled sadly. "You surely are my King. It was hard to believe that at first, but… that goodness in you remains the same regardless of whether you have a human or ghost body. I see that now. But if it will please you, I will address you as you wish… Vlad."

She turned from him and carefully began to remove the blankets off Danny's body; but she was careful not to disturb the IV and other medical tubes in the boy.

"I hope you can understand that I will need your help to properly examine your son. I am not familiar with the works of a human body, let alone of one that is half human and half ghost," she said.

"Of course," Vlad answered. "As I said, while human, our bodies have no signs of our other half, except for the fangs and claws. However, under human tests, like x-rays, it only shows as a gap in our bones, and human doctors dismiss it as abnormalities. Our blood and hearts are no different than any other human. And our cores are invisible while we are human. It only becomes active when I wish it to."

He paused, feeling awkward with sharing this with someone beside his wife, Horris, or Skulker. But he knew it was necessary, so he continued, "From my own studies, I know the moment I use any ghost power while in this human form, my core activates to some extent, sending ectoplasm and ghost energy through my veins and system to allow me to use my powers. They are usually limited to the more basic powers, though. To use my full abilities, my core has to be fully active, and the only way it does that is if I turn into a ghost."

While the man had been explaining this, Anĝela had been using her powers to expose and examine Danny's organs and circulatory system. She had been carefully listening to the King's every word, confirming with her own eyes how there was indeed no signs of anything ghostly in the child's body.

"His human body is completely healthy; at least if it's anything like a ghost body, it appears this way," Anĝela said, her critical eye still on Danny.

"Yes, the human doctors said aside from the physical wounds, Daniel's body and mind were healthy. They did not know why he would not wake up," Vlad replied sadly.

"But we do," Anĝela answered.

"Yes… I have already told you all that happened…," Vlad said quietly. "Whatever those humans injected into Daniel and… Desiree's core was meant to kill them. It was meant to destroy their cores… She… She literally m-melted in my hands and I—"

Anĝela quickly grabbed one of Vlad's shaking hands, cutting him off. She frowned with compassion at him as she gently said, "You have already told me, Vlad. You do not need to repeat it again."

Vlad took in a few shallow breaths before he nodded and fell quiet again. It had been hard to tell Anĝela all that had happened with Desiree and Daniel. But since he had brought her here, he felt he owed her to tell her everything so she would understand the gravity of the situation—plus, she needed to know all that happened to properly help her son the best she could.

Still, every time Vlad thought or spoke about it, it was like it was happening all over again. The whole gruesome thing would just flash across his mind, making him relive the desperation and helplessness he felt. It made him remember how his wife was dead—something his mind, heart, and core just could not bear to fully assimilate just yet. He was afraid of what would happen if he did, and right now, he couldn't risk falling apart completely. Not when his son was battling to stay alive.

Anĝela sighed as she lifted her powers from Danny, and then just gazed at him again. It was difficult to see her leader so uncertain and frightened… it frightened her all the more… But now, after all the King had told her and after examining the Prince's body, she was certain that the boy's problems indeed lay hidden within his dormant core and ghost body.

But how was she to access them while the child was completely human?

What really concerned the doctor was what Vlad had told her while re-counting all that had happened. He had mentioned how the venom injected into the Queen and Prince's cores had turned the ectoplasm in their veins black. The effects were too familiar for her liking.

But then, it couldn't be Pariah's lost relic. Humans would not know how to use it; and besides, it was a knife, not a liquid that could be injected. Perhaps, then, the humans had learned to create something similar, some sort of poison that could destroy ghost cores from within. Surely if they could devise weapons to kill ghosts, then why couldn't they invent biological weapons to use against them as well?

It didn't matter how they had done it, though. What mattered now was a way to reverse the effects of the mysterious venom…

Anĝela brought one of her wings forward and plucked out two feathers. She then turned to face the King and said, "We need to find out how much damage your son's core sustained… You said your core can be partially awakened even while human, so the same must apply for your son…"

Vladimir nodded. "But how can his core be awakened without his consciously willing it so?"

"Well…," Anĝela said, raising one of the feathers and watching as it began to glow gold in color. "That is what I hope to test. Perhaps his core can be subconsciously stimulated to wake. However, I wish to test it on you, first. I need to see how you react to my power's stimulation. This way, there will be less risk when we try it on your son, since we will know what to expect."

At any other time, Vlad would have hesitated. He had always been skittish when it came to 'testing'. He had always been so afraid of his secret being discovered. But right now he didn't care.

"Just do whatever you have to," Vlad muttered as he pulled off his suit's jacket.

"Have a seat," Anĝela asked, gesturing to a chair nearby.

As Vlad did so, he further unbuttoned his white shirt enough to expose his upper chest. As Anĝela approached him, the man was suddenly struck by a reoccurring thought and he glanced at his son.

"Anĝela… Do you know of anyone who successfully completed a Life Energy transfer?" he asked quietly.

The doctor paused in what she was doing, and her eyes widened with a bit of fear. "King… Vlad. The only way that is successful is when the ghost has their core energy intact. They can afford to give away half of it to another…. But that's not the case with you. You and your wife formed Daniel, therefore, you only have half of your core energy, which you need to survive. And you should know from experience that a ghost will die before it can complete the transfer. Please do not even ponder trying it. Do not make the same… choice your parents made. It will not help your son, and all you will do is lose your life in the attempt…"

Vladimir didn't reply. It was true that he only had half of his Life Energy, but it wasn't because he had formed his son. It was because Pariah Dark's curse on his crown and ring had destroyed half of it and had made him human… But Anĝela didn't need to know that.

Vlad knew giving up the remaining half of his Life Energy to save someone else would kill him. After all, it had been why he had never been able to form a child with his wife….

But having lost Desiree and finding himself close to losing Daniel, the King had done more than contemplate the thought of giving up his life for his son. The idea had become a very realistic option. What if he could complete the transfer? Yes, no ghost had ever accomplish it, but… he wasn't just any ghost, and he wouldn't let himself die until he completed it… until he saved his son.

If all else failed, he would go through with it, and he would be successful, because he had made a promise to his deceased wife. He simply could not let their child die.

"Sire?" Anĝela called worriedly, afraid of how quiet the man had become.

The father slowly turned his eyes to her. He sighed tiredly before saying, "I'm ready."

Anĝela frowned; but then without a word, she placed the feather on her palm and then levitated it towards Vlad. As it touched his chest, it began to dissolve into a fine gold dust that just as quickly vanished under his skin.

At first, nothing happened, except that the man's body was glowing gold. But then, Vlad began to feel a tingle in his chest before he suddenly gasped as a force gripped his dormant core. It was so foreign and more uncomfortable than anything else he had ever experienced as it took control of his core. His instincts told him to fight against it, and it took all his will power not to do so.

"Are you alright?" Anĝela asked as she watched the man grip the seat's armrests and squeeze his eyes close. She had never tried this, so she was very nervous.

Vlad nodded as he breathed laboriously. He could feel his core partially awaken on its own. As a result, his cheeks began to heat up with a dark blush and his body grew warmer from his hot core. Then, when he finally opened his eyes, Anĝela saw how they were no longer blue but bright red. Small pink flames danced on the older hybrid's hands and a bit of perspiration settled on his forehead.

"It worked," he breathed out before licking his hot lips. The amount that his core had been forced awake was definitely more than what he allowed it when he was in control. He usually didn't have such an increase in temperature to the point that he felt his skin almost burning, like he was running a high fever. But it was still bearable, which meant it should work for his son, too…

Anĝela raised the other feather and moved over to the younger half-ghost. "The affects will only last about five to ten minutes. However, we have to take into account that if his core is severely damaged, awakening it, even for a few moments, could have negative effects on his human body…"

"I thought as much," Vlad answered, standing up and ignoring his still glowing eyes and body. He moved over to a large cabinet and pulled out a needle and a vial with some kind of medicine in it.

"I overshadowed Daniel's human doctor," the father explained, "So, I gathered enough knowledge from him to be able to take care of my son's human body." He carefully filled the needle with a specific amount of the liquid medicine as he added, "If anything goes wrong, I'll inject this into Daniel's blood stream. It will stabilize his heart if it begins to falter. I also have a defibrillator. It shocks the heart into responding," he explained, knowing the ghost doctor wasn't familiar with human technology.

Anĝela nodded and grabbed a beaded necklace she had around her neck. She then pulled off one of the white glowing beads. "It is best to be prepared. This is pure energy from a Nova, mixed with healing enzymes. I have a feeling we will be needing it, too…"

Anĝela bit her lip before she levitated the feather to Danny's exposed chest and it dissolved under his skin. The child's skin quickly began to glow with a gold hue, like it had with Vlad. And a moment later, a faint green symbol appeared on his chest.

Anĝela smiled with slight hope as she said, "His core is reacting… It means it hasn't been fully destroyed…"

Vlad dared to get closer, but it was then that the heart monitor began to speed up and his blood pressure began to rise. The man tensed, but Anĝela grabbed one of his arms.

"Your heart picked up speed, too. Let's see what happens...," she told him.

Vlad didn't reply as he watched his son's heart rate double its speed from a second ago, and then he heard his son's breathing increase through the mask.

"Anĝela…," Vlad began fearfully, but he was silenced when he watched little black lines appear on his son's chest and spread out over the rest of his body, drawing a gruesome outline of every one of his veins. And then… he began to convulse.

"Anĝela!" Vlad exclaimed.

The female ghost gasped and she quickly moved to hold the child down with one hand before turning her other hand intangible and reaching into the child's now awakened and poisoned core. She inserted the medicine bead into it before pulling her hand out.

Even then Danny continued to convulse on the bed. But seeing Vlad on the verge of reacting with his growing panic, Anĝela quickly exclaimed, "Wait! Just wait a moment!" She swallowed another gasp when she saw the child's hands dripping a mixture of blood and ectoplasm; but she continued to hold him, praying the medicine would take affect soon!

"Anĝela, you have to stop this! It's killing him!" Vlad yelled desperately, gripping his hair.

"I cannot stop it! I told you, the affects last five to ten minutes!"

"His body can't handle his core being awakened for that long!" he cried back at her. But when he saw his son's blood pressure suddenly take a dive and his face drain of color as a result, Vlad couldn't take it anymore.

Turning into Plasmius, he moved forward, pushing Anĝela away from his son.

She gasped as she saw the man's body light up as he placed a hand against the child's convulsing body and another on his own chest. It was clear what the father was about to do.

"NO!" she yelled and quickly grabbed his extended arm. But Vlad's hand was unmovable. "King Plasmius! Stop! You are going to kill yourself!"

"I don't care! I'm not letting him die! Now, let me go!" he yelled at her.

"No! You won't save him, and your irrational actions are not helping! I need you to trust me, and let me help him another way!" Anĝela yelled back.

It seemed that their screaming had been loud enough to be heard outside the room because a second later Skulker flew through the door. And seeing what his friend was trying to do, Skulker gasped and lunged at him from the side.

Vlad was pushed away from his son, but then his hands were also seized by Skulker's larger metal ones.

"NO! Let me go, Skulker! He's going to die!" Vlad yelled desperately, struggling to get free.

"Plasmius! You're not thinking straight! Anĝela knows what she's doing! You have to trust her to at least try to help you son!" Skulker yelled back.

Anĝela, who had moved back to Danny's side, saw how the child's convulsing began to grow less violent. But she also saw and heard the heart monitor slowing down and his blood pressure begin to descend even further.

"Come on, little one!" she begged. She needed him to stabilize to be able to check his core and find out the extent of its damage. But if his heart couldn't take it long enough for her to do anything…

Suddenly, Anĝela remembered the syringe with the human medicine Vlad had left on the table. He said it was meant to stabilize the child's heart!

Anĝela made a quick decision and administered the human medication into the Prince.

Meanwhile, Skulker struggled to hold against the frantic Vlad, all the while pleading with his friend to see reason again.

But Anĝela ignored them, and just watched the monitors as they continued to drop. She was growing a bit panicked herself now, not understanding why the child's vitals were not stabilizing! The human medicine plus the ghost medicine she had given him beforehand should have taken affect—done something by now!

Suddenly, she heard Plasmius cry out in pain, followed by a gasp. Anĝela briefly turned her gaze to him and Skulker. Her King was cradling one of his wrists! At first, she wasn't sure what had happened but when she saw Vlad begin to sway on his feet, she realized Skulker must have bitten him and injected him with his venom.

"Sorry, Plasmius," Skulker muttered as he grabbed his friend before he dropped to the ground.

The moment the man was out cold, black rings appeared around his waist and turned him human once more.

As Skulker put his unconscious friend in a chair, Anĝela looked back at Danny. She worriedly watched his weak heart struggle to beat. There was now a little bit of blood and ectoplasm leaking from the child's mouth, and those hideous black lines remained on his body.

These medicines were not having the effects she was expecting, and she realized she needed to try something else and fast!

Anĝela didn't hesitate to act on her sudden idea. Perhaps she could attempt to remove some of the poison in the child's core. She wasn't sure if there was any left in it, or if it had already spread through his body, but she could try. She had done this before to the child, when she had accidently given him an overdose of meds… She paused as that triggered another thought. Now, she knew why he had overdosed! He was only half-ghost!

But she then shook her head and focused. That didn't matter right now. She just had to do this before it was too late. Anĝela grabbed the biggest syringe with the longest needle from the cabinet from which she had seen Vlad remove the first one. She then focused her powers, and coated the syringe with a gold hue. She hoped this worked!

Carefully, she inserted the needle into the child's chest and then turned her own hand intangible to guide the needle to the child's core. Soon, she felt the energy organ in her hands and she let the needle pierce just its first layer.

The child convulsed a bit more before falling still again. She then began to pull the syringe and watched with dread as it filled with a black liquid instead of the normal clear energy that should have been in the child's core. But when she saw that the syringe was close to full and she was still pulling out more of the black liquid, she stopped.

There was no way that the humans could have inserted this much venom into the child's core. That meant that what she was removing was the child's actual energy. It had turned black from the poison!

She removed the needle as a sad look came over her face. It was too late. The venom had already consumed the child's core. How his core was even responding she didn't know. But she was sure now, it was only a matter of time before it finally gave out and then so would the rest of his body.

By the way his dissolving ectoplasm was mixing with his human blood, it was clearer that both of his halves were connected. And as one died, the other was dying with it…

Anĝela sighed as her spell finally wore off and the child's core became dormant again. With it, the black veins disappeared and the blood and ectoplasm stopped dripping out of his body. She watched as his symbol vanished and lastly the glow around his body.

Anĝela was somewhat relieved when Danny's heartbeat and blood pressure began to rise again, until it stabilized. His vitals were weaker than just a few minutes ago, but they were steady again.

Still, his face was paler than before; so much so that he looked like a porcelain doll. The worse of it was that there was still no response from the child. And Anĝela was now certain there never would be again. Not with his core as destroyed as it was.

The tragic thought brought tears to her eyes, though she kept them at bay.

But suddenly feeling a hand on her shoulder, Anĝela turned to face Skulker and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Skulker. I should have not allowed the King to be present for this. I just needed his help, but I shouldn't have risked it, when it was so obvious how unstable he is."

Skulker sighed. "He would have insisted to be present anyways. He's going to be furious with me when he wakes up, but it had to be done…"

"Skulker, I am worried. He is determined to sacrifice himself for his son! And we both know, it will just end in a bigger tragedy!" Anĝela said.

"I'm not surprised it has crossed his mind…," Skulker replied, glancing sadly at Vlad. "But I just didn't think he would… I don't know, Anĝela. But I do know one thing, if the Prince does not make it, we might as well begin to accept that we're also going to lose the King. He won't survive losing both his wife and son…"

Anĝela felt tears return to her eyes. "Skulker, I-I do not think the Prince is going to survive this… His core is too damaged. I cannot do anything to help him."

Skulker's eyes widened but then he closed them. "We are all doomed, then…"

---

From his 'pretend room' up on the catwalk, Gregor watched the sun rise through a large gash in the circus tent. It had only been a small rip at first, but the dragon kid had enlarged it for the sole purpose of being able to see the sky. And since this particular catwalk was abandoned, he didn't have to worry about anyone finding out about his little 'hideaway'—especially his master. If his master knew that he got out of his cage at night and came up here to sleep, he would get severely punished.

Yet, for some reason, Gregor was willing to take the risk. It was just so peaceful here. He supposed it was the closest thing to freedom he would ever know.

"No, you're good, Gregor," Damon cut him off seriously. "You're good. And you can't let Agent C and Frederick make you forget that. You can't let them take you down their dark path."

"I don't have a choice," he whimpered back as tears gathered in his eyes.

"Yes, you do. You just have to be brave, Gregor," Damon said encouragingly. "You have a choice right now. All you have to do is use your ghost powers and fly us both out of here..."

Gregor's gaze fell as Damon's words haunted his mind once more. The dragon ghost had never contemplated freedom. In fact, for the longest time, he had had no concept of it. As for escape… it was just as elusive for him. So, of course, he couldn't desire something he didn't even know about…

But now… He knew what it was. Damon had made him realize it existed. For once, he had hoped and longed for an escape—for freedom. It had been at his fingertips… and now it was gone.

He had lost his only chance to be free. And it hurt… It hurt so much.

In all of his few years he had seen many horrors and had experienced tortures beyond belief. Yet, they compared nothing to how he felt now. He just felt defeated. He… wished to he could just… die. He wished someone could put him out of his misery, because with Mr. Gray gone, he had lost the only chance he had at freedom from this… life.

Gregor sighed emptily, though he pulled his stuffed dragonfly closer. But then remembering his other toy, he glanced to the side and spotted it. The boy quickly reached for the unicorn and brought it against his chest, right beside his dragon toy.

With a shudder, he buried his face into the unicorn's head, thinking of Valerie—of his only friend and how she would never see her dad again. Somehow, he felt responsible. He felt unworthy of her friendship…

"SLAVE!"

A sharp pain in his skull jolted him to reality and he gasped.

"GREGOR! Where the hell are you?"

The dragon kid jumped to his feet, his toys dropping out of his hold as panic and pain consumed him. In spite his deep depression, the fear he felt for his master was ten-times stronger. And he knew he was in deep trouble now!

The dragon boy always made sure to be back in his cage before his master woke up at his usual time of eight. But it was only six in the morning! Gregor didn't understand why his master was awake so early!

Gregor choked back a scream as another wave of pain slashed through his brain before Freakshow screamed out a curse at him.

Gregor bolted. He ran straight across the catwalk, and without thinking, leapt off and gripped an acrobatic swing twenty feet away. He just as quickly swung himself onto another one and then dropped ten feet down onto the top of a pole with the grace of a cat. He finally slid down the pole to the ground and ran over to his master. He instantly dropped to his feet in front of the man.

"Master! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leave my cage! I just like it up there, but I'll never do it again! Please! I'm sorry!" he cried hysterically, while keeping his face against the man's feet.

But much to the dragon ghost's surprise, his plea was greeted with silence. And there was no pain. Wait. Why wasn't he in pain anymore? And more importantly, why wasn't his master beating him right now?

Gregor swallowed before he dared to glance up at his master. The boy was shocked again to see the man staring back at him with disbelief.

"Master?" Gregor hesitated to whisper questioningly.

Freakshow frowned back before he glanced up at the catwalk which was at least fifty feet up before looking back at the child again and asking with confusion, "How did you get up there, drone?"

Gregor raised his face a bit more and glanced at where he once was before looking back at his master and replying, "S-Same way I came down, m-master…"

Freakshow just stared at him for a long moment as various emotions passed through the man's eyes. He had never seen anyone—ghost or human—descend from such a height as fast as Gregor just had. And more astounding was the fact that he didn't fall from the daring acrobatics he had just displayed.

"You know what, drone?" Freakshow finally said, his surprise melding into a satisfied smirk. "You might not be as worthless as I thought."

The man suddenly moved past him and headed towards the small control panel at the center of the rink. The main one was of course outside of the stage so the technician could run the lights and special-effects without being seen. But Freakshow kept a small one at the center rink. It looked like a prop from afar, but there was buttons on it. The man pressed three of them and the dimmed room was flooded with light. After he was through, he turned back to look at the dragon ghost.

Gregor had stood up, but there was confusion and fear on his face. The child did not understand why his master wasn't angry at him. It made no sense!

"Tom called me late last night. He wants you to be at the 'GiW' facility in an hour," Freakshow informed him calmly. But then his eyes flashed with brief irritation as he added mostly to himself, "Apparently, the brut doesn't sleep and thinks we're all like him…"

Gregor blinked; but then his master sighed tiredly and continued, "Anyways, once he's done with whatever it is he wants you for, make sure to come right back…"

The boy tensed as his master grabbed his chin and smiled eerily, "I have something I want you to do for me, too, slave. So, hurry back."

And with that, the man walked off to do his morning routine before his workers arrived.

Gregor just stared after the circus leader, shocked beyond belief. He didn't understand at all what had just happened. He supposed he should be thankful, though, that he wasn't punished.

But… he felt uneasy about it, because he knew he should have been and something had stopped his master from doing it…

Gregor glanced back up at the catwalk and nervously rubbed one of his arms. But suddenly, his thoughts shifted and he froze when he realized his master had just ordered him to go see Tom. No! He didn't want to go see that man! He didn't want to remember what happened just yesterday!

Sadly, he had no choice.

Gregor felt a lump form in his throat as he reluctantly pulled off his ring. He then braced himself before separating the Gem of Form from his core. With a flash of light, he was soon in his real dragon form.

Sighing in defeat, he swallowed the ring and gem for safekeeping before he turned intangible and invisible and leapt into the air. He flew high up into the sky, half-heartedly glancing at the views below.

All too soon, he arrived at the 'GiW' headquarters. But he landed about a block from it and in an alley. He stayed invisible as he pulled out the gem and ring from his stomach. Once his core reabsorbed the gem and was in his human disguise, he regained visibility. But he knew better now than to get anywhere near the place without the ring suppressing his powers and energy signature—the last and only time he had done that, he was almost killed by the automatic ghost weapons around the facility's perimeters…

Scowling, he slipped the ring back on and walked out of the alley. He continued down the block until he reached the ghost hunter facility. Once inside, he didn't even bother to glance at the woman at the reception desk. By now, she was too use to seeing him here to question it. But as Gregor walked closer and closer to Tom's office, he began to feel a wave of helplessness and sadness surfacing again.

He stopped at the door; and with a lowered gaze, he unwillingly knocked. There was a brief silence before the door was suddenly opened.

"Oh, right on time," Tom said with a smile before he grabbed Gregor's shoulder and led him to a room—and Gregor realized it was the room the man usually used when he made him do bad things: the weapon's room. That's where he had killed the sister of those two male ghosts his master now owned…

But as they finally got there and saw they were indeed in that room, Gregor said nothing. Honestly, he didn't care. Why should he? He had no say in anything; so what was going to happen was going to happen.

"Wait here a moment," Tom said as he walked to a table, which was already set up. "I have been working on this all morning. I think it's ready, but there's only one way to find out…"

Gregor frowned at first, now wondering, like his master, if the man ever slept. But in the end the young ghost really didn't care. He knew that he wouldn't be in this room if there wasn't going to be some kind of experiment. And he didn't have to guess who got to be the lab rat…

"Did you know, Gregor, that the Ghost Prince actually had a regenerative core?" Tom said conversationally as he prepared a shot with some glowing clear liquid. "But what is more astonishing is that the core energy I took from him actually reacts to both human and ghost bodies. It's compatible with both, in other words."

Gregor just silently watched the man.

"I would like to harvest this potential; but first, I need to see how it reacts to… other ghosts." Tom turned towards him and grinned almost insanely at the young dragon kid.

He then walked up to him and pulled out a small gun. Gregor tensed as the man grabbed his shoulder before pressing the barrel against his chest.

"What are you doing?" the child asked fearfully.

"Relax, I won't shoot your core," Tom assured him; and before the child could even digest his words, the man pulled the trigger.

Bam!

Gregor choked on a cry of pain as a bullet meant to hurt ghosts sliced through his body and a sharp pain exploded from his chest. He whimpered before he dropped to his knees gripping at his profusely bleeding chest, certain that the man had lied and really had shot his core.

Tears gripped at the corner of his eyes as his vision began to blur. Oh, God. He was dying. Tom had finally gotten sick of him and killed him!

The boy whimpered again before he collapsed on the ground completely and closed his eyes. Maybe this was what was best. He would be free now…

Tom kneeled next to the heavily bleeding ghost. He knew he hadn't shot the child in his core, but it had been close enough for the wound to cause heavy bleeding. And really, the blood loss could very well kill the child. But Tom was confident in what he was doing; so although Gregor seemed on the verge of fainting, the hunter watched him for a moment longer.

He supposed he could have just used one of the ghosts he gave Freakshow for this, but… he was still a bit angry with Gregor. After all, the child had almost tried to kill him yesterday over Gray. So, yes, he was doing this for experimental purposes, but also to teach this little demon a lesson.

"Do you see, Gregor?" Tom asked darkly. "Do you see how easily I could kill you? You might have power and size, but I have cunning and experience. You could never challenge me without regretting it. I should let you die… A dog that tries to bite the hand that feeds it is immediately put down, you know…"

Tom placed a hand against the child's forehead, smiling as Gregor's eyes opened, looking glazed and disoriented. "Luckily for you, I have more mercy than that, and instead, I prefer to… instruct you, Gregor. You need me. I'm the one who feeds you and takes care of you. But I am also the one who holds your life in his hands. You live because of me. You are my weapon, Gregor—you belong to me." He moved closer, looming over the child as he whispered in his ear, "Don't ever forget that."

Gregor turned his head to the side and dug his fingers into the cold floor when Tom suddenly stabbed a needle into his core. A scream lodged in his throat as a cold burning liquid was pumped into it.

Tom quickly moved away when the child curled into himself and finally screamed. The man figured it was painful, but he had not expected it to be this painful for the dragon ghost.

"Tom…" Gregor breathed out as he fought against the burning coldness inside him. "What did you do? What did you… put in me?"

The child screamed again and convulsed before he gripped at his hair.

Tom froze in worry. Why was Gregor reacting so violently to the Prince's core energy? Was it that it wasn't compatible with other ghosts after all? But that would make no sense!

Thomas gasped when he saw something even more surprising. Gregor's hair had been originally black and for some reason it had developed a few white streaks here and there over the years… But now, the child's hair was turning completely white!

It seemed forever, but the effects only lasted a few minutes before Gregor was left panting on the ground. The gun wound was now fully healed and the child's hair was all white except for two black streaks in the front.

Thomas quickly moved next to the dragon ghost and grabbed his face. "Gregor?" he called, uncertainty in his voice. "Are you alright?"

Gregor opened his eyes and Tom gasped when he was greeted with yellow eyes. "I-I feel… good…" he slurred before his eyes rolled up completely and he fainted.

Tom frowned, but then he picked up the unconscious ghost and carried him out of the weapon's room. He took quick steps as he moved to his private lab. When he got there, the man placed the child on the table and then moved to get a few things.

He took a quick ectoplasm sample and noticed how the child's blood was glowing brighter than normal. But when he plunged a needle into Gregor's core and pulled out a sample of the energy inside it, Tom was shocked when it came out a transparent color instead of the child's normal blue.

He couldn't believe it! The Prince's own regenerative core energy had converted Gregor's own energy into a similar state!

"But is it permanent?" Tom wondered.

He quickly moved to the microscope and began to run some tests on Gregor's blood and clear core energy. By the time he had finished, the child was coming to.

Tom had discovered that the effects were temporary, but it was still an amazing and unexpected side effect! But now that he thought about it, it made sense. After all, the healing properties when the regenerative energy was injected into a human were also temporary.

"Damn. I really regret killing that demon brat," Tom muttered. If he had known before about this child's unique core, he would have kept him and milked him for all he was worth.

Tom focused back on Gregor when the child moaned himself awake. He sat up and rubbed his aching head before he opened his eyes. Tom noticed how they were still yellow…

Gregor stared back at the man before asking, "What was that? I feel… so weird." He looked down at his hands. "I feel… stronger."

"You should… Your core has temporarily acquired regenerative properties…," Tom informed him with a smirk.

Gregor suddenly glared. "You shot me."

"You deserved it," Tom answered uncaringly.

"You're such a bastard," Gregor growled before jumping off the table. "Can I go now?"

"No, I want to keep an eye on you for a few hours, just in case," Tom replied.

Gregor scowled some more before looking away. But when he caught sight of his reflection on a metallic surface of a storage container and saw his almost-white hair and his yellow eyes, he screamed.

---

The seventeen-year-old Vlad panted, but it wasn't just out of pain. He could tell something was wrong. And it was getting worse. His chest kept rising and falling for no apparent reason, and his lungs burned with the need for something foreign that he didn't understand. And the more he stressed his body and the more it fatigued, the stronger the pain in his chest got.

But like before, he forced himself to ignore his ailing body. He and the Ancients had just beaten back Pariah Dark and his army of Skeleton Warriors. And now they had the fallen king surrounded.

"It's over, Uncle," Vlad spat, keeping his voice as steady as possible, clinging to the strength generated from the intense disgust he felt for the evil ghost.

Pariah, bleeding and kneeling on one leg, grinned insanely at his nephew. "Is it, child? Do you believe that you have truly defeated me?"

Horris spoke up before Vlad could reply to his uncle's jab. However, what the Ancient was saying was lost to Vlad's ears. The young ghost's angry eyes stayed locked on those of his evil uncle. Vlad had never hated anyone in his life, but he was certain now that he hated his uncle. All the king had done to him: all the torture and cruelty; practically murdering his parents; and for all he knew, he had killed his best friend. He couldn't find Skulker!

The pain in his chest suddenly flared again, drawing Vlad out of his tormented thoughts. Nevertheless, he was determined not to give into the pain. He pulled himself more upright and managed to keep his groans at bay. Yet, the young ghost could not hide the fact that his angry gaze had faltered a bit and that he was perspiring more from the soft spasms running across his arms and legs.

In the next moment, Vlad heard a demonic whisper in his mind, and this time, he gasped and gripped his head.

Pariah abruptly began to laugh, cutting off Horris' words.

"Fools! You have been so eager to defeat me that you have failed to see what was right under your noses! But it is too late! "Behold!" he said, waving a hand at his suffering nephew, "the price you pay for your insolence!" Dark laughed some more; but then his eyes gleamed wickedly as he focused them on Horris, and added, "My sister would be disappointed in you, Horris. You are my nephew's guardian—practically his father now; and even you have failed to protect him against me! Even you do not see what is happening to him!"

The Ancients glanced at Vlad, but it was Horris who frowned and asked, "Vlad? Are you alright?"

"Oh, he is anything but," Pariah sneered before Vlad could answer. "Or, do I lie, my young foolish nephew?"

Vlad suddenly lunged forward and punched his uncle in the face. The former King fell back; but his nephew was right over him and grabbed him by his collar.

"Enough of your games, you demented monster!" Vlad spat. "Where is he? Tell me! Where's Skulker!"

"Dead… just like you will be soon," Pariah growled darkly before suddenly grabbing his nephew's hand wearing the ring and gripping it with a bone-crushing hold. "You wanted my power, you wretch? Then, have it."

An ominous red glow quickly encased Vlad's body and the dark whispers returned to his mind, but now they actually were painful and seemed to be driving themselves into him.

The young ghost cried out, and quickly let go of his uncle and gripped his head. In the next instant, however, he clutched his chest as the another piercing wave of pain attacked his core. But nothing he did alleviated the mounting agony within him.

Taking advantage, Pariah lunged at his nephew with his claws extended. He angrily dug them into Vlad's left shoulder, effectively pinning him down.

"You have lost, child," he whispered with evil glee. "You will never see your friend again, and you are going to die in the most painful way. You feel it, do you not?" he sneered. "You feel your core falling apart. My power corrupting your sweet innocent soul as it consumes it!"

Pariah quickly lifted his other clawed hand to attack the ghost below him; but before he could, Horris blasted him with an energy bolt and hit him on the side and knocked him off Vlad.

Serenity then stepped forward and fired a red beam at the fallen King, and a red energy bond secured his hands and legs, subduing him in an instant.

"Fools! You will regret this mutiny!" Pariah screamed furiously as he struggled to free himself. "You have just doomed the entire Ghost World! Without me, there is no one left to take the throne! I have killed all possible heirs to the throne, including this wretch who wears my crown and ring now! He will die by my power!"

Vlad forced himself to his feet, flew over to Fright Knight, and grabbed the Soul Shredder. The sword immediately took on the same red glow as the hue around his body. Then with his remaining strength he walked over to Pariah.

"Uncle," Vlad said in a cold voice, "you are hereby removed from the throne. And for your transgressions against the kingdom and the Ghost World, it has been agreed by the Council and myself—for I am the son of the former Ancient leader—that you be sentenced to imprisonment and banishment in the Realm of Forever Sleep and Nightmare for all time!"

Pariah's eyes widened, showing fear for once. But he then quickly glared and spat, "Of course you would not kill me. You are too much of a sniveling coward to do so! Go on then, Vlad. Send me away forever! But I promise you one thing: You will never be rid of me! I am your curse for all time!"

Vlad narrowed his eyes as he raised the sword up. "And I promise you that I will never live under your wretched shadow again!" And with that, the young ghost pierced his uncle's core with the sword.

Pariah screamed in pain before a black void formed in his chest and he suddenly vanished out of existence. The black void was all that was left, and that, too, then disappeared.

Hands shaking, Vlad lowered the sword. At first he froze under the overwhelming bombardment of all of his emotions. But the biggest was relief; relief that this nightmare was finally over.

But he soon realized his uncle's defeat was just the beginning of a new nightmare…

Vlad gasped as another jolt of pain stabbed at his core, but it was even worse than before. So much so that he collapsed on the ground in pain.

"Vlad!" Horris exclaimed and quickly rushed to his side.

Everyone else began to hover around the younger ghost, all staring in horror at what was happening.

Vlad had known there was something wrong with the Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage. He had felt it the moment he had put them on; but he had known that without them, he would stand no chance at defeating his uncle and his Skeleton Warriors. And without the relics, Vlad would have never been able to banish Pariah into the Realm of Forever Sleep and Nightmare.

But… what the crown and ring were doing to him was beyond understanding.

There was something trying to claw its way into his mind and core, and it felt like hot brass against his every fiber. And as the pain intensified, he screamed for all he was worth.

Panicked, Vlad reached for the ring on his left hand and attempted to yank it off. But the pain only grew and the demonic voices returned, whispering darkly in his mind. He yelled again as he yanked at the ring so desperately that it was as if he would willingly rip off his own hand!

Seeing what was happening, Horris finally understood Pariah's words and he gasped, "It is the crown and ring! They are cursed!"

"Get them off him!" Serenity said gravely. "They are killing him, Horris!"

Horris quickly grabbed the crown, but cried out when fire burst out from it and burned his hands. He gasped but then quickly reached for the crown again. He yelled in pain once more, but this time didn't let go. Even when his flesh was slowly being eaten by the crown's hot red flames, Horris pulled with all his might, but it was like an invisible force was keeping it in place, and Vlad only screamed even more.

"No! I won't let him win!" Vlad screamed in his mind. He gripped the ring even harder, further crying in his mind, "Get off me!" But it seemed as if the evil relics were determined to kill him before letting go of their victim.

But just when it seemed Pariah's evil power would win, a blue glow that seemed to come from within the relics themselves encased the red-glowing ring and crown. And even more strangely, the unknown blue energy suddenly ensnarled the red energy surrounding the evil relics, as if they had somehow come to physical blows over controlling the turn of events. After a few moments, the ring released its hold, followed by the crown, and Vlad and Horris were able to yank them off.

Vlad collapsed in exhaustion and Horris quickly grabbed his face, terrified at how the young ghost's eyes kept rolling back and his natural white glow was gone from his body and his aura was now randomly flickering between red and blue.

"Vlad? Vlad? Can you hear me?" Horris asked urgently. He gasped when he saw his protégé's black hair slowly turning white!

Vlad somehow managed to focus his eyes long enough to lock them on Horris. "Des… Desiree." He coughed and a mixture of green and red fluid spilled out of his mouth. He choked on the strange fluid before he gripped Horris's arm and pleaded, "Take me to her, Horris…"

"We need to get him to a doctor right now," Serenity said urgently, and the other Ancients agreed.

"Its… too… late. Desiree. Please, Horris," Vlad insisted weakly. He was sure he was dying. He could feel his core fading inside him.

"Vlad…," Horris began fearfully, but when he saw the young ghost's head turn to the side, clearly about to pass out, the Ancient nodded sadly. He looked at Wulf, and without the need of words, the ghost werewolf opened a portal with his claws.

"Finish off the rest of Dark's army," Horris ordered the other Ancients before he picked up Vlad and then flew into the portal, followed by Fright Knight and Wulf.

Appearing at the ghost mage's abode, Horris instructed Wulf, "Go get Kuracisto! Hurry!"

Wulf nodded and dived into another portal.

The moment Horris knocked on Desiree's door, it flew open and she gasped. "Oh no! Vlad!" she exclaimed.

Horris and Fright Knight put him on a couch and explained what had happened. But before Horris could finish, Vlad began to choke, as if he was having an asthma attack. Of course, that made no sense because ghosts didn't need air; yet Vlad was fighting to draw in oxygen within lungs not made to use it.

"What's happening to him?" Desiree cried out as he watched Vlad's hair go all white and his blue skin begin to pale into almost a white color. His lips were turning blue and little lines of the same color appeared all over his body.

But all Horris and Fright Knight could do was stare on in despair, not knowing what was happening, either.

"Des…," Vlad gasped as his breathing quickened and boils began to appear on his face, which oozed out a mixture of green and red blood. "My chest… it hurts… I…"

"No, stay with me!" Desiree exclaimed, gripping his hand and feeling it was abnormally cold. "You're going to be alright! Kuracisto will be here soon!"

Vlad stared at his fiancée, seeing her eyes glowing with tears. "I-I'm sorry…," he whispered. "I love—" But another wave of pain cut him off and he screamed, not knowing that black rings appeared around his waist. But he felt the fire and pain that followed them as they slowly—very slowly—separated, traveling up and down his body and changing it forever down to his molecular structure.

He then felt a violent throb against his chest; but now the agony was more on the left side before it just became too much and he knew no more….

Vlad gasped as his eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed.

"Whoa. Shh. Take it easy, sire," a voice soothed him, followed by a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He breathed heavily as his eyes slowly focused and he realized it was Anĝela standing next to him. But even as he escaped his nightmare, he was reminded of another.

He inhaled sharply again and cried out, "Daniel!"

"No! Wait!" Anĝela quickly said, her hold on his shoulder tightening to stop the man from leaping out of bed. "It's alright. Your son is fine. He's stable once more. Sadly, there is no improvement, but he's… stable."

Vladimir's eyebrows drew in as he tried to remember how he had passed out. Then, it hit him. "Skulker poisoned me…"

"Yes, and he told me he'll apologize later. But he did what he thought was best. You were very panicked, sire."

Vladimir lowered his gaze, finally thinking clearly enough to realize he had acted illogically. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I just… I thought I was going to lose my son and—"

"I understand," Anĝela assured him gently. "Now, I'm sure you want to go see your son, but I beg you to wait at least an hour. You're undernourished and weak. So, while you were unconscious, I took the liberty of injecting a mixture of vitamins and other medicines to help you recuperate. Your heartbeat was elevated, so I also gave you a relaxant. It is going to make you groggy for another hour or so, which is why I would like you to stay in bed for at least that long…"

Vlad frowned. He just wanted to go see his son. But he knew that Anĝela was trying to help, and he really did feel dizzy. Plus, he owed her that much. He was finding it harder and harder to trust others, even those he knew he could and should trust. But his mind was so overwhelmed with everything that it made it very hard for him to do that.

"Here. I took the liberty of preparing you something to eat. I have never prepared human food, so I just followed some instructions in a cookbook in your kitchen. I hope it is at least edible," Anĝela said with a weak smile.

Vlad couldn't help but smile a bit in amusement. "You cooked human food?"

Anĝela rolled her eyes. "It follows the same principals as ghost food, so it wasn't that hard." She grabbed the tray off a nearby table and brought it over.

"Thank you," Vlad said, accepting the tray. He lifted the cover and saw it was a simple vegetable soup. It was still hot, too, so she had to have made it recently.

"How did you even get me to my room?" he asked as he picked up the spoon.

"Skulker," she answered. "He carried you here."

"Where is he?" Vlad questioned before taking a sip of the soup. It was a bit bland, but it was still edible.

"He went home," Anĝela replied. "He said there were a few things he needed to do, and that he would return tonight.

Vlad paused mid-way of taking another spoon of soup. "Tonight? But isn't it—?"

Anĝela interrupted him. "No, sir. It's the next day. Just past noon to be accurate. You were very exhausted."

Vlad's eyebrows creased. He had slept for practically half-a-day! Now, he really wanted to go see his son. He couldn't wait an hour.

Vlad forced himself to eat more of the soup, so he could then convince Anĝela to let him go to Daniel's side.

"…Vlad…?"

Anĝela's troubled voice quickly caught his attention. But when she lowered her gaze, the man raised an eyebrow.

"Sire… you still haven't explained to me how you and your son… are the way you are…," she said timidly.

Vlad sighed and looked back at his soup. He took another sip and said mostly to buy himself some time, "You did a good job with the soup… Thank you again."

Anĝela just nodded, but stared expectantly.

Vlad knew he was going to have to finally talk. It was hard because he hadn't spoken about this in years.

He sighed again before saying, "Sit, Anĝela. It's a long story."

The ghost female pulled up a nearby chair and sat down.

Vlad was quiet for a moment before he began to tell her all that happened, even the part that he had just dreamed about.

"So, the ring and crown are truly cursed? It is not just a rumor? And… they turned you human?" Anĝela gasped in disbelief.

"Yes…," Vlad answered soberly. "I do not know how it happened. The curse should have destroyed my core—it should have killed me… But instead, it turned me human." The man breathed tiredly as he admitted, "The pain and fear I suffered for over a year had had me wishing at times I had died. As you can imagine, a body that had spent almost two decades as a ghost suddenly being re-structured completely into a human one had severe consequences."

He paused as he thought back to that dark time in his life, but his sad expression was mostly because of whom it brought memories of…

"I… Desiree saw my initial transformation," Vlad said quietly. "Horris and Fright Knight, too. I had fallen unconscious and they had not known what to do with me until they realized what I had become. They had known they couldn't let anyone see me like that. If the kingdom found out, it would have caused even more chaos in our world. I was unconscious through it all, but I was told by Desiree that she had quickly stopped Kuracisto from entering her home and made up some excuse, which I do not remember. Wulf had also arrived, and being that he was a close friend, Desiree told him. They all quickly agreed that my only chance of survival was to be taken to the Human World… You see, the transformation left my body in a state of shock. It did not know how to properly use its newfound human organs… So, my lungs were not functioning properly, and as a result, my heart was struggling to survive…"

Vlad paused and he took an unsteady breath and lowered his gaze. "Desiree always told me that being forced to leave me alone at some human hospital was the hardest thing she had ever done… I now know how she felt. Having to bring my own son to that human hospital and hope that some… humans could save his life…"

"What happened in that hospital to you, Vlad," Anĝela asked quietly. But she had purposely cut the man off, not wanting him to return back to his troubling thoughts about his son.

Vlad shook his head before answering, "They classified it as some case of ghost contamination. It wasn't anything unusual in those times because of the war. Many humans did come down with ecto-poisioning, from the chemical warfare my uncle used against the humans… In reality, my body was struggling to survive the transformation, as I already mentioned. It was trying to learn how to be both a ghost and a human. My core and heart were practically attacking each other, as if they thought each other as an invading disease… It was why I developed what the humans called 'ecto-acne' which deformed my face. It was actually my ectoplasm and now human blood poisoning each other… "

The man sighed again. "It was horrible. They gave me pain killers every day. I was slowly dying… But I think the hardest thing was that I was dying alone in some foreign world with creatures I didn't trust around me. And yet, against all odds, I survived… Somehow, my body learned to be two different beings. Now, my human half and my ghost half are so fused together that they need each other to survive. I now have a regenerative core. My core has the ability of making its own energy. It produces higher amounts of energy. And as a result, my abilities hold no limit. I grow stronger as I age… But my core has also become more sensitive… It is more easily affected by outside sources than normal ghost cores…"

Anĝela nodded. "So much makes sense now… Your refusal to be touched or examined by me. You were afraid I would learn the truth; but you were also afraid that I could harm your core…" She paused before adding, "I also remember when your son was first formed… When you transferred your symbol to him; it weakened you… I had found it strange, but I did not say anything because I saw you quickly recovered, too…"

"Yes, it weakens me to expose my core and connect it to someone else, as is the case when you transfer an Ectoplasmic Energy Signature. But I also recover quickly from the effects…," Vlad added.

Anĝela hesitated but asked, "What of your son? How did he become half-human? Or… was he formed that way?"

Vlad looked away. He knew he couldn't speak the truth about his son. Not about that. He would never let anyone know Daniel was not his biological son. Yes, he had promised Desiree that if their son's unique half-human half-ghost status was discovered that they would tell everyone the truth; but he couldn't do that. Now, more than ever, he didn't have the strength or courage to take such a gamble…

"Sire?" Anĝela asked worriedly when her king wouldn't speak.

"As I said," Vlad finally said with a sober tone voice. "My transformation was down to the molecular level…. So, when Desiree and I formed Daniel… I passed on my mutation to my son. It had been hard to learn of it at first. When I first held him in my arms and saw his breathless human self, I had not known what to do. I thought he was dead. But then the most beautiful thing happened… He changed. A set of pure white rings, so unlike my own dark ones, turned him into a ghost. He was my son from the moment I saw him, and I knew he would be safe with me…"

The man's hands fisted as he said painfully, "I thought he would be safe with me. I thought I could protect him! He wasn't ever supposed to turn human again! He wasn't ever supposed to leave the Ghost World! He was supposed to grow up safe and loved by me and his mother! And now! Now, she's gone! And he's dying! And I cannot do anything about it! I've failed my own son! My own family!"

Anĝela jolted when the man suddenly pushed aside the tray of food and pushed himself out of his bed.

"Wait. Sire, you need to remain calm and rest!" she asked pleadingly.

"I need to go see my son," Vlad answered seriously before moving past her and heading out of his room. He walked back to his son's room with a worried Anĝela floating after him.

---

Arriving at his home, Skulker sighed deeply. Everything that was happening was emotionally trying on his core. Even when his dark past as a warrior and his strong will as a hunter had taught him to not let something as weak as emotions block his mind, it was getting harder and harder to prevent it. Every time he ventured into the Human World, he was reminded of the murderous dragon that killed his sister and brother-in-law. He was reminded of his failure to protect his loved ones. And he was reminded of his innocent and orphaned niece waiting for him back home.

But the worst thing was seeing his strong King and best friend on the verge of insanity. Not even when Vlad had lost his parents did he fall into such a dark place as he was now. But Skulker understood all too well why. He understood his friend felt that same feeling of failure and guilt for his own loved ones.

As much as Skulker had been trying to keep these thoughts out of his mind, he could not. But perhaps this last episode with his best friend had been the last straw. It had been painful to see Vlad so far gone from any logical sense that he had to poison him to control him. The hunter had had no choice but to accept that things would never be the same for any of them. But there was something else that had brought him back home to do what he was about to. It was what Anĝela had told him about the Prince's certainty of death.

It made Skulker realize one very hard truth:

Things were only going to get worse before they got better—if they ever got better at all.

There was no fixing any of this. You couldn't fix death. You could only accept it and move forward. And that's what Skulker intended to do. If for anyone at all, he would move forward for his niece and his best friend. But that meant making a very hard decision…

Skulker sighed again, though this one was shakier than the last one. But his jaw then clenched with his decision and he walked into his abode. He headed towards his niece's room. But when he opened the door, there was no one in there.

Skulker frowned and thought a moment. Of course, he didn't leave Ember alone. While he was away, Dora was watching over her. But it was odd not to find at least his niece here. She had not left the room since he had brought her…

Perhaps…

Skulker turned to another direction and soon made it outdoors. He followed a path to a meadow behind his abode and quickly spotted Ember and Dora with a certain little ghost phoenix.

For the first time in a week, Skulker smiled. His niece was playing with the little bird she had rescued some time back. Indeed Ember would be spending more time with the phoenix now that she would be living with him.

The hunter's smile vanished, but then he shook his head and continued on.

"Dora," Skulker called when he was close enough, and the dragon maid turned around and smiled.

"Skulker! How grand to see you. I had assumed you would not return until late again," she said, stepping forward and giving him a small peck on the cheek.

Skulker lowered his gaze and grabbed her hands. "I returned for a specific reason, and I realized I needed to do it right away before I lost the courage…," he replied soberly.

Dora raised a questioning eyebrow, but before she could say anything, Ember noticed her uncle.

"Uncle!" she cried happily and flew into his arms.

Skulker smiled and asked, "How are you, child? It is nice to see you outside."

Ember grinned. "I'm feeling better! Dora said Saphear missed me, so I wanted to come see her." The little girl flew out of her uncle's arms and further said, "Come on! I want to show you what I taught her!"

Skulker nodded. He glanced at Dora, who smiled back at him, before following his niece.

The blue phoenix chirped in recognition of her caregiver, but her attention readily returned to Ember when the little girl walked in front of her.

Ember grabbed a bit of sand from the ground and smiled at the phoenix. "You ready?" she asked it before she stepped back a bit and then threw the sand in the air and spun around, giggling.

Skulker raised an eyebrow, unsure of what his niece was doing; but she was certainly going to need a shower after this, judging by all the white sand in her hair.

The phoenix chirped at Ember, and for a moment, the bird didn't do anything else. But then the young creature suddenly spread her wings and exploded into blue ashes. But those same ashes readily spun, creating a small sand storm before the bird reformed, wings still spread.

Ember clapped in delight. "You did it, Saphear!"

The bird chirped and happily flapped her wings.

Skulker chuckled, though he was impressed to see his six-year-old niece teach a young bird such a complicated trick. But what really warmed his core was seeing Ember more like her usual active and cheerful self. It really gave him hope for his niece.

Skulker nodded his approval. "That was very impressive, child. You will have to tell me how you taught Saphear that, but it will have to be later. Come along, you need to bathe and then nourishment."

Ember looked a bit put off that she had to stop playing with her friend, but she still nodded. She kissed the phoenix on the beak before she flew after her uncle and Dora.

Once inside, Dora said, "If it is fine with you, Skulker, I will go make us lunch, while you prepare Ember's bath."

Skulker just nodded.

Dora was a bit surprised by his lack of words, but she didn't say anything about it and walked off.

"Can you go get your towel while I prepare your bath, child?" Skulker asked his niece.

She nodded but hopefully asked, "Can I take a bubble bath?"

Skulker smiled. "Of course."

Ember grinned back before flying off to her room.

The hunter's smile fell once his niece was gone and as he walked into the bathroom. As he drew up a warm bath for his niece and added bubble soap to it, his mind was awhirl once more with what he had returned to do. He needed to do it soon because with every second that passed by, his resolve was weakening.

"I'm ready!" Ember announced as she walked into the bathroom with a toy and her towel.

"Good. Your bath's ready," Skulker replied. He watched as Ember touched the water and nodded her approval. "Will you be okay on your own?" he asked.

Ember nodded. "Yup!"

"Alright. Call for me if you need anything. I'll come back to check on you in a bit," Skulker said before he walked out of the bathroom and closed the door.

He headed towards the kitchen and quickly spotted Dora cutting up vegetables. She smiled when she noticed Skulker, and said, "Is a stew appetizing to you, my sweet warrior?"

The hunter's lip curled up a bit as he nodded in response. He sat down at the kitchen table and just watched his fiancée. It was amazing to think how far they had both come in terms of their relationship. It seemed forever since they were merely friends. Skulker had been so certain he would never fall for anyone, let alone desire a family some day. And Dora… she had been such a submissive and shy female when he had first met her.

In some sense, Dora still was. But her humble and soft personality was what Skulker loved about her—well, just one of the things he loved, anyways. Her tranquil soul was what his restless one had always needed. She was perfect for him. They were so compatible, yet so different.

Skulker knew in his core and soul that he would always love Dora.

"You are so beautiful," he suddenly told her.

Dora jumped a bit, surprised by the unexpected break in the silence. She turned from what she was doing and smiled shyly. "And you are sweet, my handsome hunter."

"I cannot imagine my life without you, Dora," he continued, his tone a bit more sober now.

"As I cannot, either," she replied, though her eyebrow raised in slight confusion. His words were lovely, but she didn't understand why he was so suddenly effusive about it.

"You have changed me for the better," Skulker said. "You are all I need and will ever need. Dora… you're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Dora's eyebrows creased and she approached the table and sat down across from Skulker. She searched his eyes for a moment before worriedly asking, "What is wrong, Skulker?"

The hunter's own eyebrows creased and he reached across and grabbed Dora's hands. He sighed shakily before telling her, "I love you. I will always love you."

"Skulker, I love you, too. But… I do not understand why…," she began a bit fearfully, but trailed off.

Skulker looked down at their joined hands. "Dora… I love you, but…" He let go of her hands and soberly told her, "But I have realized that you deserve better."

The female dragon froze and her eyes widened. "I… What? Skulker, what are you implying?"

He shook his head. "My niece needs me, Dora. Her parents are gone; and well, I need to raise her now. Provide for her. Care for her."

"I know that, Skulker," Dora answered. "And you will. We will. We will do it together. We will raise her as our own."

"I cannot ask you to do that," Skulker answered seriously.

"But I want to," Dora replied with a frown. "Skulker, I had believed this was clear to you. I thought it was something that did not even need to be said! We might not be married yet, but that does not mean I will not be with you for better or worse."

"I know, Dora. I am certain you would never leave me. You would never abandon me." Skulker paused before reluctantly adding, "That is why I am making the decision for you. I am leaving you."

Dora gasped.

"We are not getting married, Dora. We cannot," Skulker said with all the strength he could muster. "I will not force my burdens on you. As I said, you deserve better than me. I thought I could offer you something—a home; a family; protection. I realize now I cannot. There is no happy ending from here, Dora. At least, not with me. So, the best I can do for you is to let you go and hope you can find it elsewhere… with… someone else."

The dragon female just stared back at him. She couldn't believe this was happening. She couldn't believe Skulker was… doing this!

Dora lowered her gaze and shook her head. "You are upset, Skulker. You are not thinking with clarity."

"No, Dora, I am," Skulker assured her.

"No, you are not," she insisted and looked up at him angrily. "If you were, you would see how absurd it is what you are trying to do! Skulker we love each other! We need each other! Yet at the first sign of hardship, you want to toss our bond—everything—away? It is the upmost foolishness! It is selfish!"

"It's not just because of Ember, Dora. I have other reasons for making this choice; and believe me, if I told them to you, you would be the one asking me to break this off," Skulker assured her.

"Oh, really? Then what are these reasons that you think would make me hate you, because that would be the only reason I would stop loving you!" Dora snapped back.

"That is just it. You would hate… You will hate me when you find out," Skulker replied. "But by the time you do, you will not be able to stop me."

Dora's eyes widened. "Skulker, you are frightening me…"

"Forgive me," Skulker replied sadly.

But Dora shook her head and stood up. "No, I will not accept this! You cannot do such a horrible thing as this to me, Skulker! I love you! I desire to spend the rest of my life with you!" Dora's eyes filled with tears as she added, "I thought it was what you desired, too…"

Skulker finally stood up and pulled the distraught dragon maid into his arms. He kissed her head before telling her, "I did… I still do. But as I said, it will be unfair to you. I have nothing to offer you. I have to continue on a path I cannot let you follow. Please understand. I am doing this to save you greater sorrow later."

Dora pulled away and begged him. "No, please. You are all I have, Skulker. Milady is gone. My brother hates me. What am I to do without you? Please, I beg of you, do not leave me!"

"Your brother only hates you because you were going to marry me. Well, problem solved," Skulker answered sadly. He grabbed her hand with his symbol on it and placed his other hand on top of her own.

Dora choked back a sob as she watched Skulker's core light up and then his hand. She felt more than saw how the symbol on her hand—which once represented their bond and love—faded away.

"You're free from me, Dora," Skulker said softly as he released her hand.

Dora pulled her hand against her chest and began to weep, but didn't say anything else.

Skulker stared sorrowfully at her for a moment before he turned to walk out of the kitchen. But just as he reached the door, Dora cried out in pain. The hunter spun back around in time to see her rip the medallion off her neck.

In an instant, she transformed into her dragon form, something he had not seen her do in years. But just as quickly, Dora vanished, leaving Skulker alone in a semi-destroyed kitchen with the lingering smoke of teleportation.

Unable to hold back the pain in his core, tears fell down the strong hunter's face for the second time in a week. "I'm sorry, Dora," he whispered. "But I could not let you marry the ghost who will be killing your own nephew…"

---

Gregor watched from his bedroom window as the sun set over Amity Park. He stared down at the small container in his hand and suddenly tears spilled down the child's cheeks. He loved dragonflies. They were comforting because he didn't feel alone around them. But they also reminded him of his own predicament.

They were trapped like him with no hope of ever escaping except through death.

For a moment, Gregor had been happy at the chance of dying when Tom had shot him earlier. It was strange. He had often feared death and at other times been indifferent to it. But it had never been something he looked forward to… Well, there were times in the past he had thought he wanted to die—those times when his master was torturing him without stop. But he now understood he never really wanted to die.

Today was the first time he did wish for death.

He couldn't stop thinking about Mr. Gray and about Valerie. He felt guilty and worried at the same time. And worse, that helplessness and hopelessness was tearing at his core.

Gregor shook the small container a bit and looked at the pink dragonfly inside. More tears slid down his face as he saw it was no longer moving. That was the sad thing about dragonflies. They never lived long, and even less when they were captive.

He felt sorry for the little bug because, trapped as it had been, it had never gotten to enjoy its short life. It never got to find a purpose or even meet another of its kind. It was a sad fate.

"At least you're free now," Gregor whispered to it before opening the container. He then briefly placed it down on the window sill before unlocking his window. Just as he opened it, he made a decision. He would never let another dragonfly die inside a container again. Now that he understood how precious freedom was, he knew it was unfair to keep any creature away from it.

True, he still liked the dragonflies' company; so he would continue to keep them as he had over the years. But from now on, he would let them go a day or two before the little bugs would die anyways. And at least they would get to experiment true freedom—something he never would.

"Bye, Ruĝa," Gregor muttered before he threw the dead pink dragonfly out his window. He sighed emptily as he gripped the now empty container with both hands.

Right then, his door opened, and unfortunately, he already knew who it was.

"Gregor? How are you feeling?" Thomas asked calmly as he strolled deeper into the room.

The dragon child didn't even bother looking at the hunter and just shrugged. "As well as someone can feel after they have been shot in the chest and almost bled to death."

Tom chuckled. "Oh, Gregor, your morbid sarcasm can be so amusing sometimes."

Gregor's eyes flashed red with contained rage but he didn't respond.

"Your pet died already?" Tom asked, noticing the empty container and concluding the bug had died. But then he smiled and added, "You really should take better care of them…"

Gregor suddenly glared at the man and snapped defensively. "I do take care of them! They just don't live long! And you didn't feed it while I was away!"

"Huh. Then maybe we should buy you a different kind of pet," the hunter said thoughtfully, ignoring the ghost kid's latter accusation. "How about a rabbit? No, you would probably eat it…"

Tom grinned, and Gregor knew the man was messing with him again. And yet, the child couldn't help but be riled up and he growled, "Yeah, I probably would because all you've ever fed me is raw meat, and let's not forget that most of it has come from MY OWN KIND!"

Tom raised an eyebrow at the red-eyed and shaking Gregor.

"You're more upset about Gray than I thought," Thomas suddenly said.

Gregor's angry look instantly vanished and he looked away. He was quiet for a moment before he walked off toward his bed.

Tom watched as the disguised and disheartened ghost plopped down and grabbed his stuffed unicorn—the one Valerie had given him.

There was a long silence in the room before Tom sighed and finally said seriously, "You know it had to be done, Gregor. Gray was too much of a liability. He would have ruined all my hard work, and he would have exposed you."

Gregor didn't reply.

Tom frowned before he walked over to the child and sat beside him on the bed. "How about I get you a large insect aquarium and buy you several dragonflies? Maybe they will survive longer in a larger container. Well, unless you do want another kind of pet…?"

Gregor just shook his head. "I like the dragonflies...," he replied quietly.

"Alright. I'll get that for you when I get some time off. Now, sit up straight for a moment, I need to get a quick sample of your energy before you can return to Frederick," Tom commanded lightly.

Gregor didn't even complain and he just sat up. He closed his eyes as the jolt of pain hit him the moment the needle embedded into his core. If he wasn't so use to being hurt, he would have probably screamed. But true to his word, Tom took a very small sample and the needle and pain were quickly gone.

"You're energy is back to normal… as expected," Tom muttered mostly to himself as he studied the blue energy in the syringe. He looked back at Gregor and saw his hair was still white. But if he looked carefully, the roots were beginning to turn black again—well, expect for the strands which had already been white before the Prince's energy boost. And Gregor's eyes were back to their usual green—or red, when he was angry.

"Hmm… Perhaps I can find a way to slow down the body's elimination of this regenerative energy… It would certainly be more useful, then…," Tom contemplated in his mind.

"Can I go now?" Gregor asked.

Tom turned his attention back to Gregor and nodded. But just as the child pulled off the ring from his finger, Tom spoke up again as he pulled out a device from his pocket. "There is one thing I want you to take with you before you go…"

Gregor frowned as Tom typed something on the device before it began to beep. "What is that? For my master?"

Tom shook his head and finished programming the strange device. He then handed it to Gregor and replied, "No, it's for you."

Gregor stared at the device and saw it was some kind of digital map and there was a beeping green light some distance from where they were.

"I don't get it," the child said, staring up with confusion at the ghost hunter.

"Just follow it," Thomas said with a smirk. "And remember what I told you once: What Freakshow doesn't know, can't hurt him… or you. Good-bye, Gregor. I have a lot of things to do, so we won't be seeing each other for at least a week. Try not to not be a complete mess without me, eh?" the hunter added with a large smile.

And before Gregor could even respond, the man walked out of the room.

Gregor just stared at the closed door in complete shock and confusion. But then he scoffed and said, "I think his plan is to confuse me to death. Sounds like something the sick bastard would do…"

He looked down at the beeping device in his hand and muttered out loud, "What the hell is this?"

He was sure it was a map that led to something. But what? And did he even want to know?

Gregor sighed and walked over to his window. He knew he should go straight back to his master. Even if Tom clearly was giving him permission to make this 'detour', his master had not—and he would never approve of it. He would be in so much trouble if his master found out…

But… how would he find out?

"What Freakshow doesn't know can't hurt him…or you…"

The words rang in his mind and Gregor shivered at the thought of going against his master's wishes. But… he really wanted to know what this device led to…

Gregor swallowed hard and muttered, "I'll make it quick. He won't even know."

And with that thought, he turned intangible and invisible and leapt out of his second-story window. He agilely landed in a crouch with one hand flat on the lawn to balance him. It was only then that he pulled out the gem from his core and turned into a dragon.

With the tracking device in his hold, Gregor jumped into the air and took off. He followed the device the best he could and tried to keep down the panic in his mind with the fact that he was deliberately disobeying his master. His fear was so great he was shaking.

It took about half-hour but he finally arrived at the location the device was indicating. But when he saw it was a simple house, he frowned in confusion. Why would Tom give him a device that led to a human home?

Gregor glanced around nervously, debating whether to just leave or investigate.

He really didn't know what possessed him to do the latter.

Trembling, the child pushed the gem back into his chest and turned to his human disguise. He kept the ring off, though, and remained intangible and invisible to avoid detection… At least he hoped. If these people had ghost detection devices, he was screwed without the ring hiding his ghost signature…

Steeling himself with what little courage he had, Gregor phased into the front door of the house. He froze when he spotted a man sitting on a couch, watching television. But then a woman walked down a set of stairs and sat next to the man. It was what the couple said next that kept Gregor from running out of that house.

"Is she asleep?" the man asked calmly, glancing at the woman.

She sighed. "Yes, at last. But you know it's always hard for children to acclimate to foster homes. Let's just hope this is temporary and they find Valerie's father soon…"

Gregor's eyes widened. Valerie. She was here!

All thoughts of fear and uncertainty forgotten, Gregor ran over to the stairs and climbed them so quickly that if he had been tangible, his feet would have thumped loudly against each step.

"Valerie!" was all that ran through Gregor's anxious mind as he searched around the multiple rooms, searching for his only friend.

He didn't search long, though, because he soon found her in one of the rooms farthest to the left. Surprisingly, she was awake. Only a night lamp kept her from complete darkness as she hugged a pillow close to her small frame.

Gregor smiled sadly as he approached her, but then stopped. He couldn't just appear out of nowhere. She would freak out at the very least.

The boy looked around, trying to find a way to justify his sudden entrance. And he found it when he spotted a window. He smirked. That would do.

Moving over to it, Gregor phased through it and was careful to keep his balance on the ledge outside the window. But he also had to suppress his powers, because if the girl touched him, she would feel his ghostly coldness.

He gulped as he looked down the three-story drop. He wasn't sure what would happen to him if he fell from this height without any ghost powers and he sure didn't want to find out. He clenched his teeth as he carefully put the ring back on while keeping his balance the best he could.

He shivered, now both from the cold weather and fear. But he ignored it and rapped on the window, calling quietly, "Valerie?" It took a few more knocks and calls before he finally got her attention.

At first, the girl gasped in fear, clearly thinking it was a monster or a burglar outside the window. But when she recognized the voice, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Gregor?" she whispered in disbelief.

Gregor grinned and nodded. "Open up! I'm freezing!"

Valerie's eyes lit up with glee and she ran over to the window. She quickly unlocked it and pulled her friend inside and into a tight hug. "Gregor! I'm so happy to see you! I didn't think I'd ever see you again! How'd you even find me? How'd you even climb up this high?"

"Valerie, shh! You're gonna get us caught!" Gregor said, though he was having trouble keeping down his own excitement and happiness. He didn't even remember the last time he felt such joy! Even with the tragedy that was his life, it didn't matter right now. All was perfect because he was with his only friend again!

Pulling away, Valerie saw how his friend was shaking from the cold—though she didn't know it was also because of his overwhelming emotions.

"You're so crazy! You could've gotten hurt climbing all the way up here! Or worse, frozen to death!" Valerie scolded him as she rushed over to her bed and grabbed her thick blanket.

Gregor shivered again as a draft crawled up his back, and he then remembered the open window. He quickly moved to close it.

As Valerie gave him the warm comforter, Gregor grinned and replied cockily, "I'm still here, right? I'd say being crazy isn't too bad if I made it up here."

Valerie giggled before she sat down on the rug and patted it to gesture to her friend to sit, too.

Gregor complied and brought the comforter closer to him to warm himself quicker. He hadn't realized just how cold he was until now. But seeing his friend exposed to the now chilled room from having opened the window, he scooted closer to her and moved the covers on her, too.

Valerie quickly hugged him under the covers, and Gregor placed an arm around her shoulder.

"I really missed you," Gregor told her with a warm smile. "I'm glad you're okay."

"How'd you find me?" she asked, though she kept her arms around him, enjoying the comforting warmth, something she had not felt since… her daddy had gone missing…

Gregor frowned as he admitted, "Tom helped me find you…"

"I'm glad you found me," she answered shakily. "I thought I was all alone now. My daddy… No one can find him, Gregor… People are saying that… that a ghost took him… And that he's… "

The girl couldn't finish and she began to weep in her friend's shoulder.

Gregor wrapped his other arm around the girl, trying to provide whatever comfort he could. He wasn't use to any kind of affection, but this just felt so familiar to him. It seemed… natural…

Gregor's mind suddenly hazed as a broken memory flashed through his mental eyes.

"Gregor! We're stuck! We will die in here and never see our parents again!" Elliot cried out.

Gregor's tail curled around his body and his ears flattened in distress as he looked around, trying to think of something to do. He knew this was his fault. He had wanted to venture into a new area of their home and they had gotten all turned around because of it. But what was worse was that they had fallen down some kind of hole and now they were stuck. They didn't have a lot of experience with flight, so there was no way they could fly straight up. Their symbols were already lit up with their distress, but he knew it would take his parents some time to find them and even more time to get them out of this hole.

Hearing his brother weeping, Gregor focused back on him. He felt his brotherly love swell at the sight of his distressed sibling and he quickly moved closer and rubbed his face against his brother's, purring.

"Do not be frightened, Elliot. I am here with you. I will not leave you. I will protect you until mother and father find us. It will be okay… It will be okay."

Gregor closed his eyes as the memory faded back into the abyss in his mind. But opening his green eyes, he held his younger friend closer and whispered, "It's okay, Valerie. It'll be okay. Don't be scared. I'm with you and I'm not going to leave you. I'm gonna protect you until your dad comes back, okay? It's gonna be okay…"

Valerie looked up at him with watery eyes. "You promise?" she asked.

Gregor nodded. "I swear."

She smiled and hugged him tightly again. They stayed that way for a long time as they began to talk about lighter things, like Valerie's favorite games and what were the best tasting foods.

Eventually, the girl drifted off into slumber, though not before making Gregor promise to visit her every day. Surprisingly, he had agreed right away. It would mean sneaking out from his master's place on the nights that he wasn't with Tom. But for once in his life, the fear of displeasing his master was overridden by something greater—by something stronger that warmed his core and very soul.

Making sure the girl was asleep, Gregor pulled off his ring, and using his ghostly strength, he picked her up and put her on the bed. He made sure she was in a comfortable position and tucked her blanket around her before he left via the window.

As he flew off into the night, a sudden hope returned to his core. It wasn't one for freedom or for himself, but it was the hope that he would always have someone who truly cared about him. And that was enough to make him want to continue living.

His only friend would be his reason for living. He would protect and care for her, just as he promised her… and her deceased father.

---

"Sire… Vlad, you have been sitting here for hours. Please get some rest," Anĝela pleaded with Vladimir. "I can see how tired you are. I give you my word that I will alert you at once if there is any change with your son."

But like the various times she had pleaded him, he ignored her and just continued to silently stare at Daniel as he sat at his bedside.

Anĝela's wings sagged in defeat before she walked across the room and turned her gaze to the large window. There was a heavy snow storm outside. In fact, it was so thick that the sun was completely hidden, making it appear as if it was late at night instead of early evening.

It was amazing how different this world was from the one the female doctor knew. Oddly, though, she had imagined it would be more… populated. There were no other homes anywhere to be seen—just trees and mountains. It was so… empty.

"It feels like we are the only ones in this world…,"Anĝela muttered, glancing back at the older hybrid.

Vladimir looked up and glanced over at the doctor. But knowing what she was seeing and where they all were, he quickly guessed what she meant before he turned his eyes back to his son.

At first, it seemed he would not respond, but a moment later, he replied, "We are deep in the Rocky Mountains. It is an isolated part of the Human World, which is why I had this chalet built here. It is the safest place I could think of to bring Daniel."

Anĝela just nodded in understanding.

There was another long silence before Vlad spoke up again, saying, "I know there is something you are not telling me about Daniel, Anĝela. And I am sure the reason you have not told me is because Skulker told you not to tell me. But I do have a right to know."

Anĝela looked over at her human King and saw he was now staring intensely at her. And for that instant, it was like she was seeing the King she knew. His eyes were focused and certain, demanding attention and an answer.

But she had already seen how unstable her leader really was. In fact, she was almost frightened. His mood changes were so violent that they caught her off guard each time. Of course, she understood why it was. Anyone would be unstable after watching his wife die and being unable to do anything as his only child faded away, too.

Still, she was afraid to trigger anymore mood changes that could lead to her King's further mental, emotional, and physical deterioration.

Anĝela brought one of her wings forward and nervously combed through the feathers with her fingers. She usually was very reserved with her emotions around her patients, but things had gotten so personal now that she couldn't keep her feelings completely at bay. It was probably because the royal family—or what remained of it—was now more than her patients or her leaders.

"Skulker did not say anything to me, sire," Anĝela finally spoke up. "As I said, I stabilized your son but I cannot do any more for him. Awakening his core was too risky to try and do it again, let alone attempt to keep it awaken long enough for me to try to do anything significant. All we can do is administer ghost medicines and hope his core repairs itself."

Vlad sighed deeply and closed his blue eyes. But when he opened them again, they were blood red. This time, he spoke with a graver tone of voice. "You have already told me this. I want you to tell me what you have not told me, Anĝela. And if I have to command you to do so, then so be it. I command that you tell me the truth. What did you find out about my son's core while I was unconscious?"

The female doctor's eyebrows creased, "I only wished to prevent you further grief, my King. However… if you insist…" Anĝela walked closer to Vlad before pulling out the syringe with a black liquid she had taken out of Danny's core.

The older hybrid's eyes widened, instantly recognizing it as the black poison that had been injected into his wife and son. He had discovered about it when he had found his family at Axion.

"I removed it from Daniel's core," Anĝela said soberly.

"All that venom was inside his core?" Vlad whispered, staring in horror at the syringe.

"No, King Plasmius," Anĝela replied. "This is not the venom that was injected into your son… It is his core energy." The father could only swallow hard as the doctor further clarified, "Whatever venom was inserted into your son, it has consumed your son's core. And not only that, but it has further poisoned his human blood. You want the truth? I am sorry to say, it is this: Your son's core is beyond repair. I am surprised it has been able to survive this long. The medications might prolong how much longer his core holds out, but… medically speaking, there is no chance of his core surviving this… I'm sorry, Vlad, but only a miracle can save Danny…," she ended sadly.

The father just stared at the female ghost for another moment before he looked away. His hands clenched, clearly trying to restrain himself. But looking back at his son, he reached forward and grabbed one of his small and fragile hands.

There was another long silence before Vlad spoke up again, softly asking, "How long do you think he has?"

Anĝela bit her lip. "It is hard to say; but by the extent of the damage I saw in his body… a few weeks at most."

Vladimir took an even breath before asking, "Anĝela? …Could you leave me alone with my son for a moment?"

The female ghost's eyes widened and she quickly replied, "Sire, if you—"

"Anĝela," Vlad cut her off soberly. "Please."

Anĝela hesitated, not wanting to leave the father alone in fear that he might do something foolish. But she also didn't want to disobey her King….

Luckily, something else stopped her from making a decision.

Vlad abruptly gasped as a stream of red smoke escaped his mouth. He instantly jumped to his feet, knowing there was another ghost in his home. But it wasn't just any ghost. It was a very powerful ghost. He could feel its power: only a ghost with a high level of energy could make his usual inner ghost sense become the tangible red vapor.

"King Plasmius?" Anĝela questioned nervously.

"There is someone here," Vlad said as more red smoke leaked past his mouth.

"Another human?" Anĝela asked, her eyes widening with the horrifying thought.

"No…," Vlad answered, eyes narrowing, before he quickly walked out of the room. He headed down a hallway, following his ghost sense, but as he got closer, he realized that the energy was familiar—very familiar.

Vladimir halted in his tracks just as Horris materialized in front of him.

The two stared at each other for a second before the older hybrid whispered shakily, "Horris…"

"Oh, my poor child," the Ancient ghost whispered back before he flew over and grabbed the human king in a tight hug.

Vlad just gripped at his guardian with all his strength, afraid if he even said anything he would break down—and he couldn't do that. But the immense relief he just felt at seeing the Ancient was beyond words.

"Vlad, why didn't you tell me about your son?" Horris asked sadly, though there was no accusation or anger in his voice. "I would have helped you somehow. I don't know maybe we could have done things differently—together."

"I-I'm sorry, Horris," Vlad was able to choke out. "I… should have told you. I… Oh, God. I-I couldn't save her, Horris… A-And my son… I…"

"I know, Vlad," Horris cut him off, hugging him tighter. "It's not your fault. You did all you could." The Ancient gently pulled the half-ghost from his arms, and smiled woefully within his hood as he took in Vlad's helpless expression. It was like his protégé was an orphaned teenager all over again, silently begging him to make everything better somehow.

If only he could.

"It's alright, child. I will help you through this," Horris said gently.

But Vlad looked away. He wanted to ask 'How? How could Horris—or anyone—possibly help him get through this?' But… he knew his childhood guardian meant well, and he was thankful for his support all the same.

Vladimir was quiet for a few seconds before he turned the conversation elsewhere, and confessed, "Anĝela is here."

"Anĝela? Your female advisor from the council?" Horris asked, his eyes wide with alarm.

Looking back at him, Vlad nodded. "I asked Skulker to bring her. You know she's also a doctor specializing in helping children, Horris. I had no choice. Daniel needs her help. But it's fine. She will not say anything."

Horris nodded quietly before asking, "What is her diagnosis for your son?"

Vladimir sadly shook his head, and Horris understood it was not good.

"Horris," the King spoke shakily. "My son… My six-year-old son is going to…die."

Horris pulled Vlad into a hug again, and he could feel his protégé shaking with the effort to control his sorrow. The Ancient didn't understand why the half-ghost was holding back his emotions so much. It was as if he was afraid of letting them out.

"Listen to me, Vlad. You have to remain hopeful," Horris said seriously. "You cannot give up. I'm sure we can find a way to help your son. Plus, he is a strong child. He can make it through this."

But Vlad shook his head, knowing Horris didn't know the extent of it.

"Come. I want to see him," Horris said, pulling away and placing a hand on Vlad's shoulder.

The man breathed in slowly, trying to calm his shaking limbs. And succeeding slightly, he nodded and led Horris to his son.

When they went in, Anĝela startled. "Horris. I didn't expect…," she began, but then she smiled weakly with relief, and instead said, "No matter. I am glad that you are here." She knew the head Ancient was like a father to the King, and he needed that support right now. Perhaps, even, Horris could help Vlad pull through this tragedy, much like he had when the half-ghost had lost his parents.

Horris only nodded at Anĝela before floating over to the Prince's bedside. But the Ancient's jaw tensed and his eyebrows creased within his hood as he looked at the human boy on the bed. Strangely, the child resembled more his father in his human form than he did in his ghost one.

Still, it was hard in some way to finally confirm with his eyes that Vlad's genetic alteration had been biologically transferred to his son. If it was difficult for Vlad to cope with his unique body, how could a six-year-old cope with such a thing? Horris could now further understand Vlad's fear of letting anyone know about Daniel. And that fear was so great that the father had kept that secret from his own son.

If the Prince didn't survive, he would never know about his uniqueness. But if the child did make it through this…, having the young Prince comprehend his being half-human would be a challenge in itself…

Still, that was a thought for later. Right now, they needed to focus on saving Danny's life. Horris knew this child could not die. It would destroy them all, starting with Vlad.

"Oh, little one," Horris said sadly, placing a hand on the child's face and seeing the written scars on his cheeks. "What have those soulless beings done to you?"

Anĝela looked between the two males standing next to the bed. She needed to return to her abode, but she had not left because she had feared leaving the king alone. But now that Horris was here, perhaps she could go now.

"Excuse me," she whispered, moving closer to Vlad and placing a hand on his shoulder from behind. "Sire, I need to make a trip to my abode. I need to get my medical supplies and more ghost medicine. The only vial I had with me, I used it up to stabilize the Prince, and I am certain we will need more to give his core all the help we can…"

Vlad nodded. "I will meet you in the lab to open the portal for you. Just give me a few minutes here."

"Of course," she replied before she vanished from the room.

Once alone, Vlad told Horris what Anĝela told him. The Ancient never took his eyes off the Prince, partly because he was horrified with the child's appearance, but also because he didn't want to see the King's desperation when he could hear it in his voice.

But keeping calm, Horris said, "I am certain Anĝela will do everything in her power to help your son. But I will also look through the Ancient Books. Perhaps, there is something—a relic, a spell, something—that can restore Danny's core."

"Thank you, Horris," Vlad whispered. "Thank you for understanding; for being here…"

"There is no need to thank me. You have always been a son to me, Vlad," Horris answered. "I needed to come see with my own eyes that you and your son were still alive. I thought I had lost you, child…"

This time, Vlad didn't answer.

But already guessing the King's thoughts, Horris decided to change the subject slightly. Unfortunately, there were other serious matters to discuss…

"Vlad, I would like to hear from your own mouth what happened that led up to this tragedy…," Horris said soberly. "However, that can wait. Right now, there is something more urgent I need to discuss with you. It's about the current threat the Ghost World faces. I realize your son is what is most important to you at this moment. I understand. However,… we need to at least discuss what we are going to do now that all the portals are opened. We need to know how you want us to deal with this situation, but also… with your absence in the Kingdom…"

Vlad sighed. "I told Skulker to tell you everything so that you can make that decision, Horris. I cannot leave my son's side. And… I don't have the… frame-of-mind to make any decision regarding the humans or anything else. Just…. do as you think is best."

Horris didn't reply at first. But then he said, "You have to understand. I am in a very hard position. I have always been able to keep your secret because your absences have been defined and planned; plus, Desiree had been there to represent you…" The Ancient paused before further saying, "However, with this uncertainty of when you will return, with Desiree's… departure, with the portals opening, and with the threat of the humans over the entire Ghost World… Vlad, I cannot keep your secret nor your son's any longer—not when we are faced with a tragedy of this magnitude."

Vlad stared fearfully back at Horris, but didn't interrupt as the Ancient continued with more desperation in his voice.

"Everyone is wondering if their King and Prince have also met the same fate as their Queen. There is chaos already with the fear that the humans could invade the Ghost World at any moment. And the only hope I can give at least to the council is to tell them that their King is still alive. But that would mean they would ask me why you are not present… They and everyone else will want to know where you are, and the only answer I have to give them is… the truth."

Horris sighed deeply before saying, "Nevertheless, I do not want the kingdom, let alone, the Ghost World, to know about your and your son's half-human status. You have enough to deal with as it is. I will do all in my power to keep your and your son's secret intact. But I cannot do it alone. I need to at least tell the council. I… had to tell them."

"You told the council about Daniel and me?" Vlad asked quietly, though there was no anger in his voice.

"I told the Ancients and the Observants. We have not made the decision to tell the rest of the council yet. We… wanted to talk with you, first," Horris replied.

But Vlad shook his head. "Horris… I cannot leave my son's side."

"I know," Horris answered right away. "It is why I have brought them here."

Vlad's eyes instantly widened. "What? You brought the Ancients and the Observants here? To the human world? To my home? Horris, why would you do that? You're not only placing yourselves in danger, but my son and I as well!"

"Calm down, Vlad," Horris replied. "They are not in here. They are just outside the portal—waiting for us. Waiting for you. Please. It will only take a moment."

Vlad glanced at his son, but then he nodded. He didn't want to leave his son alone for even an instant, but he knew he had to at least talk to the council—or, rather the Ancients and Observants—about all that was happening…

The two walked out of the room and they headed back down to the hidden lab. But when they neared, they could hear Skulker yelling.

"I know it is urgent that you speak to him, but you cannot be here! You are placing the King, Prince, and all of us in danger!" the hunter yelled.

Vlad's ghost sense was already leaking out of his mouth, and from the amount of powerful ghosts nearby, it was going crazy.

"Horris! You said you didn't bring them in here!" Vlad exclaimed.

"I did not! I told them to wait for me on the other side," Horris replied, distressed.

But Vlad's hands fisted and he quickly walked into the lab, instantly seeing all the Ancients and Observants from the council floating around in his lab, arguing with one another, but also with Skulker and Anĝela.

However, at the sight of a human man, they all gasped in horror.

"What the blazes are you all doing here?" Vlad exclaimed, his eyes turning red. "Do you realize what could happen if your energies are picked up by ghost hunters by some unfortunate chance?! Together like this, you are all a blasted beacon that would easily be detected!"

But no one moved; they just stared at the human in the room.

"Oh good heavens…," Serenity suddenly spoke up. "Horris… is this… the king?"

"Yes," Horris answered firmly. "And he might be half-human, but he is still our King. And you are all still to respect him as such! Furthermore, I told you all to wait for me on the other side of the portal! It is a great risk for all of us to be here!"

"So, it is true…," Justeco then spoke up, ignoring Horris and Vlad's angry words. "Our own King is… human."

"How could this have happened?" another Observant questioned.

"How is it even possible?" an Ancient member added.

Justeco shook his head before his eye narrowed. "Why, King Plasmius? You have betrayed us with your lies. How can we trust you now?"

"I do not need to prove anything to any of you!" Vlad snapped back. "Think what you want. Just get out of my house!"

"No, we want an explanation," Justeco replied firmly.

"I do not believe this human is our King. He could be an imposter for all we know," Konsilisto added.

"Change. If you are King Plasmius. Prove it," Serenity said, and the other Ancients nodded.

"You dare doubt my word?" Horris hissed.

"You have been supporting this deception all this time, Horris!" Justeco accused. "Can you blame us?"

Vlad's eyes narrowed even further as he watched the Ancients and Observants begin to argue amongst themselves again. In the back of his mind, he was troubled by how things were falling apart even within the council. But right now, all he wanted was for them to go!

"Skulker, how did they even get in here?" Vlad asked angrily, turning his eyes to his friend.

"I do not know, Plasmius," Skulker answered. "They were already in here when I came in. I assume the same way Horris got in. I'm sure with the amount of power they hold, they must have found a way to break open the protective barrier you put in this portal."

"This is absurd! I'm putting an end to this right now!" Vlad growled and a set of black rings appeared around his waist. But just as he was going to morph, a flash of blue light appeared in the air, followed by a clock face.

As Clockwork appeared, Vlad cut his transformation short and everyone silenced once more.

"Clockwork! At last, you are here!" Horris said in relief. "Please, help me convince the Observants that what I say is true! That this is indeed our King!"

The Observants gasped. "Clockwork! You knew about all this?!"

But before the Time Master could answer, Vlad suddenly hissed, "You…"

Everyone froze at the venom and hate in the older hybrid's voice as he approached Clockwork with fisted hands.

"How dare you? How dare you show your face to me, you vile traitor!" Vlad snarled, his eyes going red.

"I know you are upset with me," Clockwork said soberly, "but you must understand…"

"Understand what?!" Vlad abruptly screamed. "That you did nothing when you swore to me that you would protect my son?! That you knew all this would happen and you just watched it happen! I even asked you days before, and you just lied to my face! I begged you to watch over them! Curse you! I trusted you to keep them safe!"

"Vlad, calm down," Skulker began warily.

"NO!" the King yelled. "I'm done being calm!" A dark shadow fell over the King's eyes. "I'm done being calm for monsters like him!" Vlad's claws suddenly slipped out and he narrowed his eyes further on Clockwork, saying, "I'm going to kill you for this…"

It was all the warning the time ghost had before Vlad lunged and attacked him with extended claws.

"No!" Horris yelled, quickly flying over to the King and wrenching him off Clockwork.

"Let me go, Horris!" Vlad screamed, fighting against the Ancient Leader's hold. "He promised me! I trusted him with my family, and he did nothing!"

Having dropped his staff somewhere, Clockwork struggled to his feet, clutching his bleeding face and his side where Vlad's claws had clipped him. And if they hadn't done worse damage, it had been thanks to Horris' quick reaction.

But Vlad suddenly morphed into his ghost form, and Horris gasped as he lost his grip on the younger ghost.

Plasmius instantly closed the gap between him and Clockwork before he fired a red energy blast at the time ghost's chest.

With no time to react, Clockwork was sent slamming into several lab tables.

The Observants and Ancients all backed away as the room began to shake under the King's uncontrolled power. Oh, they were now certain this was the Ghost King. But they were now seeing him in a new light—for the first time, they were afraid of him.

But the King didn't even notice his elevated energy. He quickly flew forward, determine to make Clockwork pay for his betrayal! But just when he was about to throw himself over Clockwork again, Skulker flew in and grabbed the half-ghost from behind.

But the strong hunter could not subdue the King. In fact, Skulker was as frightened himself by his friend's display of power. But what was worse was the fact that Vlad seemed set on killing Clockwork!

"Plasmius…," Skulker gasped as his friend's normal white hue turned red and sparks of electricity began to cackle and bite at his armored body.

But right then, Horris stepped in again, and formed a sort of barrier around the King, trying to keep him in place so he couldn't move any closer to Clockwork. The Ancient begged once more for the King to stop, but Vlad was too far gone.

"Let me go, I'm going to kill him for this!" Vlad yelled in a mixture of hysterics and fury. He struggled even more, moving inches closer to the time ghost in spite of Horris and Skulker's attempts to hold him back. "How could you? My son trusted you, you lying snake! My wife trusted you, and she's dead. She was killed and you did NOTHING! They tortured my son, and now he's dying! And you DID NOTHING! You promised to protect them! I TRUSTED YOU!"

"Vlad, I'm begging you, stop!" Skulker yelled, watching as the lights in the lab began to explode and the rumbling room began to crack. Not to mention, Horris' barrier was cracking and he was about to lose his grip! "For goodness sake! Look at what you're doing! You're going to destabilize the house! …Think of your son! You're putting him in danger!"

That seemed to snap Vlad out of his blind hate, and he abruptly stopped struggling against Horris and Skulker. The room just as suddenly stopped shaking.

Plasmius kept his eyes narrowed on Clockwork, who was flattened against the wall with his staff still on the ground. He still said nothing, and clearly, the Time Master was not trying to even defend himself. He had stopped holding his bleeding face, which had a cut over one of his eyes, making it hard for the ghost to see.

Suddenly, Vlad phased out of Horris and Skulker's hold; and before they could react, the King raised his own barrier around him and Clockwork to keep anyone else from interfering.

"Vlad, no! Think about what you are doing!" Horris yelled, while Skulker blasted at the barrier, trying to break in.

But the King ignored them, and he approached Clockwork, his claws out. Once he was right in front of him, he raised a clawed hand and aimed it at the Time Master's chest.

"Go ahead," Clockwork said soberly. "You will do me a great favor."

Vlad stared hatefully back. "No… Death is too good for you," he replied. "… You are hereby bashed from the Kingdom. And mark my words, Time Master… If you ever come near my son again… I will kill you."

Vlad pulled back his claws and then turned human again before he demanded hatefully. "Get out." But then looking around, and seeing all the other horrified ghosts staring back at him, he added, "Get out, all of you. I am not returning to the Ghost World without my son. And if you all have a problem with that, or if you have a problem with what we are, then go find yourselves another fool to be your King!"

Vlad didn't even care to see their reactions, and stormed out of the lab.

Everyone stared after the King before they all turned their attention back to Clockwork. But at that moment, Clockwork had already picked up his staff; and with a flash of blue light, he vanished as quickly as he had come.

Horris closed his eyes in distress before he opened them and looked at everyone. "Let us respect our King's wishes," he said seriously before adding bitterly, "I think you all have seen enough proof of the truth to convince yourselves…,"

This time, no one protested and they began to file out via the ghost portal. Only Horris, Anĝela, and Skulker stayed behind.

But then Horris said, "Anĝela, I would like you to come with me. There are things we need to discuss. Skulker…." He placed a hand on the hunter's shoulder. "Keep an eye on Vlad. Keep me informed, please."

The hunter nodded but didn't say anything.

Once Anĝela and Horris were gone, too, Skulker locked the portal again, and then flew out of the lab in search of his friend.

He found him just as he was heading up the main stairs. However, before Skulker could say anything, Vlad obviously sensed him, and spoke without breaking stride, "Skulker, when I said for everyone to get out, it also included you. I need a moment alone, please."

But Skulker quickly moved in front of Vlad, stopping him. The hunter glared weakly and said, "I am not leaving you alone. You are clearly unwell. You… You just attacked Clockwork! You cannot blame him for all this!"

"No," Vlad answered angrily, "but I am blaming him for his betrayal! He…" But the half-ghost narrowed his eyes, and instead said, "I do not want to talk about this! Leave! I want to be alone with my son!"

But just as Vlad passed him, Skulker grabbed his arm tightly. The man's eyes flashed red, but the hunter ignored it, and seriously said, "Vlad, I know about Danny. I know how badly his core is damaged. And I know what you're thinking of doing. But you must not go through with it. You will not succeed. It is impossible. You will die trying, just like your mother."

"I won't let him die, Skulker," Vlad answered gravely. "So, if I die, at least he will live."

"That is just it!" Skulker exclaimed. "He will die regardless! Even if you do succeed to do something no other ghost has, Daniel cannot survive without you! He is human, Vlad! He cannot even return to our world as he is! And if he stays here, he will be all alone, and eventually discovered! He will be taken to some ghost hunter lab and experimented on!"

Grabbing both the older hybrid's shoulders, Skulker said more desperately, "Do you not understand? He's too young, Vlad! Without you, he is doomed regardless! There will be no one to protect or help him!"

Skulker sighed before removing his hands from his friend. He then ran a hand through his flaming hair before begging, "Please, if you don't care about your fate, then think about your son's. Dying to let him live will condemn him to a worse fate. When you first found him, you told me that he needed you; that there was no one else who could take care of him. Vlad, you were right. You are still right. Danny needs you. Don't leave him alone in this world. He will not survive without you."

Vlad stared sadly at his friend before he quietly said, "Leave, please. Come back tomorrow, if you want."

Skulker sighed in defeat as Vlad walked away from him.

---

Clockwork stared at the comatose Danny. He knew he was risking his life by being near the child, but he had to come see him. Even when he had his viewing orb, it wasn't enough. He needed to see this to accept it as the truth.

But he had also needed to see Vlad. Even when he knew that the King was going to react as he did to his presence, he felt it was the least he could do—a few blows from the father was the least he deserved. Plus, it had been the quickest way to have the Observants and Ancients accept the truth about the Ghost King also being human. And even if they had not seen Danny, they would now believe it, too.

Of course he had known all this would happen. He had foreseen it since Daniel fell into Vlad's arms six years ago… But as much as it pained Clockwork, he knew if he had interfered the outcome would have been worse.

But… it didn't stop Clockwork from feeling guilty.

Making sure not to get any blood on the child from his bleeding face, he leaned forward and placed a hand against Danny's slowly moving chest.

Clockwork had seen so many horrific events over time that he had learned to control his emotions. He had learned to accept this curse and the gift of being able to see into the future and not interfering.

Yet, all his experience did not matter now. It had been painful to watch the Queen die when she had believed in him so much. And the King… to see his hatred after the father had entrusted his son's safety to him… But the worst of it all was this dying child. The pain and guilt riddling Clockwork's core at doing nothing to protect his young innocent ward from being tortured and then gravely injured was more than he could bear.

If only Vlad had really killed him. He really would have done him a favor.

"Danny…," Clockwork whispered, his red eyes glowing with utter sadness. "I am sorry… Your father is right. I failed you… I do not deserve to be your guardian."

He removed his hand and gripped his staff against him, whispering again, "I am truly sorry…"

The guardian closed his eyes and felt the sting of tears burn the gash on his face.

"All… is as it… should… be," he quietly recited to himself; but it brought no comfort.

With a bow of his head, the Time Master vanished with the knowledge that he would never be allowed near the child he had grown to love as a son ever again….

---

A moment later, Vlad entered the room, unaware of Clockwork's ever being there.

He moved over to his son, and sat next to him on the bed. He reached over and grabbed the stuffed badger on the other side of his son's bed and moved it next to his son.

He stroked his son's face for a moment as millions of thoughts ran through his mind. But they all centered on his son.

Vlad glanced at the heart monitor and noticed Daniel's blood pressure had dropped a bit.

"Your son needs a miracle to survive this…"

"Don't let him die… Don't let our son die, Vlad…"

Silent tears fell down the father's face before he suddenly morphed into his ghost form.

His hand shook as he produced a claw and touched the suit which protected his ghost body. He barely managed to cut into it enough to expose his glowing symbol. He then placed his hand against his symbol and looked at his other hand, still on his son's face.

But when it began to glow, too, he moved his hand lower and pressed it against Danny's own chest.

A white sphere began to slowly form on the hand touching his child. But at the same rate, his symbol began to dim.

Plasmius gritted his teeth as a pain began to grow in his core, much like how a heart attack would feel. Yet, he knew the pain all too well. It had been the same pain he had felt every time had tried to form a child with Desiree. It was the pain of killing his own core by removing the remaining half of his Life Energy.

But he had never tried it like this. Vlad was quickly discovering it was even more painful, because the more he connected to his son's dying core in order to make the transfer, the more he could feel his son's injuries.

Little black lines began to spread out from Vlad's core through the rest of his body, and he gasped in pain. But he closed his eyes. He didn't care. He would do this. He would give his life to his son.

As his mind spun, a sudden memory flashed in his mind. It was from years back, from his last attempt to form a child with Desiree. And… it had almost killed him.

"Vlad, stop!" Desiree yelled, seeing her husband's symbol and glow growing weaker.

Sweating, the King shook his head. "I can do this…"

"NO!" she exclaimed. "You'll kill yourself! It isn't worth it!"

"Yes, it is," Vlad replied.

"Yes, it is," Plasmius repeated as his whole body shook. "Oh, good heavens! You can't die, Daniel! You cannot leave me. I need you to live."

"Please, if you don't care about your fate, then think about your son's. Dying to let him live will condemn him to a worse fate."

Skulker's words suddenly rang in the father's mind, and he shook even more. He knew the hunter was right, but he just couldn't let his son die!

"Danny needs you. Don't leave him alone in this world. He will not survive without you."

With a heart-wrenching cry, Vlad yanked his hand away, severing the connection that was about to kill him. He just as quickly felt a weakness overtake him, and he unwillingly turned human again.

But the father stood on shaky feet, as something more debilitating than physical weakness threatened to consume him.

He choked on a sob as he exited his son's room, and continued down the hall, though he supported himself against the right wall. However, as another sob clogged his throat, he felt his weak knees give in under him and he dropped to the ground.

But Vladimir didn't even bother to stand up. Instead, he gripped at his burning heart and core, while he bit the knuckles of his other hand. It hurt. It hurt so bad!

And yet, it wasn't physical pain—though, his core still throbbed with what he had been about to do. It was his soul that was in agony. It was suffering from the fact that he knew his wife was dead and he would never see her again. It was in anguish because his son was dying and the only thing he could do to save him would just condemn his son to a similar—or worse—fate than his.

But though he wanted to scream away his sorrow, though he wanted to cry until his heart and core could take no more and die, he knew he couldn't, because Skulker was right. His son needed him. If he lost it now, he would lose whatever remaining strength and sanity he had left.

And yet, he couldn't stop the pain from tearing into his soul. He couldn't stop the tears from spilling out of his eyes as he sat alone in a cold hallway of an empty house.

So, he cried. Quietly. Silently. For fear of his son's somehow hearing how broken his father was. He cried for his deceased wife he was unable to save. He cried for his dying son, whom he was unable to help. He cried for the world that depended on their King to rescue them from an imminent threat but he could do nothing to protect them.

But he also cried for the darkness that was seeping into his core, destroying his hope and naïve belief in the goodness of the world.

And he cried for the hate that was coiling around his very soul, suffocating the goodness in him…