Pearl: I blame you all for the length of this chapter. Enough Said. Happy Reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But this AU and it's OCs are my own.
Chapter 48: Somewhere Between Truths and Lies
Berlin, Germany. It was the Ghost King's latest conquest. The rest of the country and all other places of the world that had met the same fate knew what that meant. They knew of the terror that would follow.
However, the people of Berlin were only just beginning to experience the changes and hardship of enslavement. At first, the citizens had almost been relieved that their government, and in turn, their country, had been defeated. Surely it had to mean that the attacks and the constant fear would cease? Isn't that what was said? Whoever submitted to the Ghost King's rule was left alone?
But in the past week since King Plasmius' takeover, there had been no peace. Only chaos.
Agent Delta, one of the commanders for the Guys-in-White agency, was undercover in Berlin. He was a middle-aged Hispanic man, who was currently dressed in jeans, t-shirt, and a baseball cap. And though he looked no more important than the next person, his green eyes were focused and observant. Having been present during another take over in South America, the ghost hunter knew what to expect in the next few weeks.
The defeat of the German government had been the first step in the Ghost King's complete takeover of the country. The ghosts had already been restricting the food supplies in other parts of Germany but had now completely cut off any imports into its capital.
A week into their invasion, the entire power grid had been taken down—courtesy of an infamous ghost that worked alongside Plasmius known as Technus. The people of Berlin had now been without power, dwindling food and water supplies, and under constant ghost attacks for ten days.
If it wasn't purely evil, Agent Delta would have been impressed with the ghost race's tactic. It was cold as it was efficient. What better way than to submit a country than to limit their basic needs?
Now that Berlin—Germany's last stronghold—had surrendered, the citizens had remained in their homes as they did their best to ignore the dying screams of those individuals who would not yield to the ghost race, even when their government had.
But although the head commander, Agent C, had also deemed Germany a lost cause, the GiW leader had ordered Agent Delta to do what he did best:
Find, multiply, and train rebel groups within places under the Ghost King's control.
Agent Delta had wasted no time; and disguised as a normal citizen, he had sought out any remaining ghost hunters in Berlin that had been smart enough to keep their heads down until the initial invasion was over. Luckily, the undercover agent found a group of ghost hunters known as the MB Hunters. The group was small, and most of the rebels were in their early and mid-twenties.
After making sure they were really who they were and further assuring himself that no one in the group was overshadowed by a ghost, Agent Delta had revealed himself to the group. For now, they were all keeping quiet and just doing what the ghosts wanted. If they were going to later attempt a counterattack, then they needed to stay alive to see that opportunity.
And Plasmius was not done yet.
It had been alarming for those in Berlin when after ten days of no power, the electricity returned around five pm. The broadcast on all TVs and screens had been a simple message: People of Berlin. Gather at the Charlottenburg district by six pm.
And too afraid to ignore a clear order from the Ghost King, everyone had stepped out of their houses for the first time in ten days and had made their way to the indicated district.
Agent Delta and the group of rebels had proceeded to the district as well. But it was of no surprise to the undercover agent when everyone was greeted by the Ghost King's army. Most of the ghosts all looked the same; then again, whatever distinguishing features they could have were hidden under a squared-shape metallic helmet and upper body armor. The only thing that could be seen was their green ghostly tails, which had these energy rings all along said tails. In their hands they held cackling green staffs which the ghosts used to enhance their powers.
There were also a second group of ghosts, but these were clearly all from the same energy-line since they were all identical. Once again, these ghosts were covered; but instead of armor, the ghosts' features were hidden under a burgundy and black hood, and they were clad in the same color attire. They resembled medieval archers—bow and all.
However, Agent Delta knew from experience that these specific ghosts' greatest weapon was their duplication power. No one really knew how many there really were. The ghost hunter believed there were about five archer ghosts; but their ability to duplicate was unlimited. At the moment, there were over a hundred duplicates, and there was no way of telling which ones were the real ghosts.
Finally, there were those unique and powerful ghosts that worked closely with and protected the Ghost King. But Agent Delta had yet to see any of them.
A scream suddenly sounded to his left, and Agent Delta turned towards it. He frowned as he saw a woman with two teenage boys shoved into the crowd by two of the armored ghosts.
But as the undercover ghost hunter continued to look around he noticed how more of the king's 'soldiers' were either scaring or pushing people towards specific areas—like herding dogs nipping at the heels of sheep to force them to where the shepherd wanted them. People were being pushed along the vacant streets which once were swarmed by traffic instead. Now, the only cars that could be seen had crashed along buildings and traffic signs, or just abandoned.
Agent Delta glanced up at the large empty buildings around them. Most were smoking and had some structural damage from all the fighting. But what caught the hunter's attention were the multiple screens around the area. Once lit up with commercials and propaganda, the screens were now blank.
Could those screens be the reason why everyone was being forced in this area?
The hunter turned his attention past the sea of heads in front of him, and he instantly frowned when he saw one of the Ghost King's closest warriors:
The Fright Knight.
The ghost knight was on his winged ghost horse at the front of the crowd and above what once used to be an iconic water fountain.
More screams erupted when the Fright Knight released a swarm of bats to force the people in the surrounding streets to walk faster towards the gathering.
"Are they going to kill us?" a young man beside Agent Delta suddenly asked him fearfully.
The hunter looked at the young man, but then at the other people closest to him. They were all rebels.
"Unlikely…," Agent Delta replied seriously. "But don't be surprised if they kill someone to make an example… Just don't reveal yourselves. Live today. Fight tomorrow."
"But we can't just let them do this!" another guy beside him whispered back. "They are treating us like cattle!"
"There's nothing you can do. They've won—for now," Agent Delta replied calmly. He then reached for his baseball cap, and pressed a hidden button on it. A barely noticeable camera lens blinked red once before it turned black again. But the hunter knew it was recording.
After a half-hour more, most people in the vicinity were forcibly gathered in the open area of the downtown. Suddenly, one of the monitors that used to display commercials on a tall building came to life; but that was followed by another, then another, until screens and TVs all over Berlin were displaying images of all the gathered people in the Charlottenburg district.
Suddenly, a flash of red smoke caught everyone's attention and the images on the screens changed to show only one thing:
The Ghost King.
Plasmius appeared within the red smoke beside Fright Knight. Pupil-less red eyes scanned the sea of frightened humans. His black hair was curved in two horns, which only heightened the fearsome appearance the powerful ghost gave off. As was usual in his travels into the human world, Plasmius wore an all white suit with a red-and-white cape. A flaming red crown was on his head.
As the crowds silenced with quiet dread, Plasmius lips curled upward, revealing his sharp fangs.
"Do not be frightened. My intentions are not to harm you." The older hybrid glanced around the destruction around the area before adding, "All this chaos could have been avoided if the people of Berlin would have simply submitted. Tsk. In the end, your struggles were futile… So much death and loss… for nothing. It has changed nothing. You are now mine… Just another part of the Human World under my will."
Narrowing his eyes, Plasmius sneered, "I am now your ruler. I am now your Law. Berlin will live by my decree. You will walk, eat, sleep, and even breathe at my will…."
The Ghost King suddenly raised his right hand up and shot a bolt of lightening into the sky; as the energy exploded and released a red smoke, screams erupted from the crowds of people. But silence instantly followed when the smoke dissipated and revealed the star-shaped symbol glowing brightly in the sky.
Fright Knight then spoke up in a dark, echoing voice, "You are now under the rule and authority of the Ghost King…Bow before the King, for this land is now his property, and you are all his slaves."
One by one, the humans began to bow on one knee… And yet, there were some in the crowd that remained standing, and two of those included a young man and woman from the rebels with Agent Delta.
Bowed on one knee, the undercover ghost hunter glanced up at the standing couple and hissed, "What are you doing? They will kill you!"
"I am nobody's slave! I won't be ruled by this monster!" the young man answered in defiance, and the girl nodded.
"Live today. Fight tomorrow," Agent Delta reminded them.
But they refused to bow.
Plasmius calmly looked around at the dozen or so people that were not bowed before him.
"Is this rebellion I see?" he asked casually.
"We will never be ruled by you!" a man closer to the front said with wavering bravado.
The Ghost King suddenly teleported right in front of the man who stepped back in fear.
"Not ruled by me, you say?" Plasmius asked. But then he glanced back at Fright Knight and this time asked with pretend curiosity, "Fright Knight, what is the penalty for rebellion?"
The ghost knight readily replied, "Death, my liege."
"Ah, yes…" Plasmius answered with a small smile; but then he abruptly unsheathed his claws and ran the defiant man through.
Everyone gasped as the man fell dead before the Ghost King's feet; and as his claws disappeared, Plasmius then coldly commanded, "Kill them."
Screams rang through the district and the crowds began to part as the King's army flew in to slaughter all those that would not bow. Agent Delta just looked away as the young man and woman beside him were lifted into the sky and then thrown into a car.
However, the death count was not just rising in the district. Electric bolts shot out of the screens and TVs, also killing those in the other areas of Berlin that had not bowed.
"You humans force my hand," Plasmius said with an unpleased frown. "I wish to bring you order and peace—a world safe from yourselves. And you still fight against it. Can you not see that you humans cannot be trusted with your own existence? No matter. You will learn soon enough… My law for you is simple, really. Those that abide my decree will continue to live their lives in peace. I will provide all your basic needs, and maybe, a little bit more. As for those that refuse to submit, well… I think you all already know the outcome."
Plasmius grinned before he said, "Thank you for your attention, good people of Berlin. You can all go home until further notice. Ta!"
The older hybrid teleported back to where Fright Knight, and calmly commanded, "Come with me."
The two flew further up until they were in front of a large screen on a tall building. Plasmius then called, "Technus…"
In an instant, the screen and TVs around Berlin went to static, and another male ghost then reformed out of the screen in front of the King.
The ghost known as Technus was an older ghost with white hair. His hair was wild, and upon closer inspection, had electricity shooting between the strands. He wore a pair of black glasses, which matched his all black attire, save for a white cape. In his hand, he held a staff with blue electricity shooting from it.
"My King?"
"Kill the power," Plasmius commanded. "And keep it off for another two days. These humans need to be taught a lesson."
"Can do!" Technus answered evilly before he shot back into the screen.
The older hybrid then focused on the medieval ghost beside him, "Fright Knight. Have my army make sure these humans meet the eight o'clock curfew that I have placed upon them."
"Yes, my liege…" Fright Knight immediately flew back down; and riding on Nightmare, the medieval ghost began to give out orders in Ghost Speech to the King's army of ghosts.
As the screens and lights began to go off, the screams of people being scattered rang through the night. The King just watched the chaos below with a blank expression. And yet, he suddenly realized how tired he felt. He had been here for too long.
A moment later, Fright Knight returned to the King's side.
"This took more effort than I wanted…," Plasmius remarked as he continued to watch the happenings below.
"But in the end, you have been victorious, my King," the medieval ghost reminded him.
"Hmm… Yes," the King answered thoughtfully. But he clearly dismissed his thoughts as he turned his eyes to his knight, and commanded, "Fright Knight, I wish you and Technus to remain here a few more days more. Just to make sure these humans learn their boundaries. Inform me if any significant rebel group or ghost hunters arise…"
"May I ask, sire? Are you going to meet with Nocturne and the Sleepwalkers? You did send them to Amity Park, did you not?"
Plasmius nodded. "I sent Nocturne there to gather pertinent information… I have decided to put Amity Park next on my agenda…."
The King smiled genuinely for the first time all night as he added, "But first, I will be heading home…"
Nighttime had blanketed the town of Amity Park in the soft glow of the moon—a welcome reprieve from the constant green light of the ghost shield. And yet, without its protection, the streets of Amity were once again deserted. And with nothing to do, most everyone had retreated into slumber.
However, Gregor didn't get that luxury. It was rare these days—and especially nights—when he wasn't busy fulfilling either Tom's orders or Freakshow's commands. He hardly knew what it was like to just have a normal night, let alone did he know what a full night's sleep was.
And yet, on this particular night, Gregory found himself… with nothing to do. Tom surprisingly told him to take the night off… and his master had yet to summon him for anything.
Gregor wasn't sure how to feel about it.
He supposed a normal person would just go to bed, and be thankful for the opportunity to wind down. But he wasn't normal, and sleep always meant giving up control of his mind…
Leaning against one of the circus tent's supporting beams with one of his feet pressed against it and arms crossed, he stared across his 'room' at his stuffed dragon toy.
There was a dark, yet thoughtful look, on his face.
"I bet you get nights like these all the time…," he spoke out loud and his eyes flashed red.
"Well…" Gregor smirked. "When I let you, that is…" The ghost teen walked over to the stuffed toy and bent forward to whisper with wickedness, "And I don't think you deserve a calm night today… I think I'm gonna go kill something… and I'm gonna make you watch."
Gregor grinned at the dragonfly before turning from it and going towards his bed. He quickly took off his circus vest and tossed it on his bed. He then proceeded to change into a pair of black jeans and a button-up white shirt that he didn't even bother to button up. Instead, he grabbed his wallet and keys and stuffed them into his pants' back pocket.
However, just as he was about to leave, something seized his mind, and he dropped to his knees with a gasp of pain. His eyes then suddenly turned yellow just before his mind filled with voices and visions…
"Show us again, Father!" Elliot beamed excitedly.
But beside the child was another young dragon that was identical to him and just as excited.
Aragon smiled at his young sons before he raised his large wings and flapped them lightly. "Come on then, my sons. Like this."
A small gust of wind encouraged the two little dragons to lift their own wings and flap them. And they giggled as their small paws would lift off the ground for a few seconds at a time.
But then, one the young dragons began to hover completely off the ground.
"Yes, Gregory! Hold them steady, my son!" Aragon said with fatherly excitement.
The child grinned as the air currents his father was creating helped him hover higher and higher until, suddenly, he missed one and his wings wobbled around him. With a gasp, Gregory dropped, but his father's long neck was under him and broke his fall.
"Well done! Both of you!" Aragon praised the two.
Elliot whined as he saw his brother standing on top of their father; and wanting to go up, too, he ran over and attempted to climb on top of his father; but his father's scales were slick and he couldn't get a good grip.
Aragon chuckled as he used one of his front legs to help the child up as he said, "You two are inseparable…"
"No…," Gregor hissed as he all but yanked his hair out while his eyes whirled in a mixture of yellow, red, and green all at once; but suddenly ripping his hands away from his hair, he yelled, "Stop it!"
Eyes now blood red, Gregor got to his feet and stormed over to his stuffed dragonfly, which was still on the bookcase where he had left it. He immediately gripped it with both his hands and shook it as he screamed at it, "You bastard! Damn you! I hate you! I hate everything about you! I… I'm going to kill you! I swear!"
The energy-suppressing ring on his middle finger began to spark as it tried to fight against the dragon ghost's quickly rising energy; but neither the ring or even the Gem of Form could totally control the ghost, and as Gregor continued to scream profanities at the toy, the tip of his claws came out, drawing green blood from the boy's fingertips.
But the dragon ghost didn't care. He wanted to kill his tormentor. He wanted to rip him to pieces!
Gregor's pupils were drowned in a sea of red as he hissed at the dragonfly, "Let's see how you like it, you traitor!"
'RIIIIIIIP!'
Gregor jolted with the sound, and his eyes turned green again before they grew wide in panic as he stared at the large gash in his stuffed dragonfly.
"No… No, No!" Gregor whispered as he stared at the white stuffing protruding from the rip in the dragonfly's chest. Squeezing his eyes close, the teen pulled the toy against his chest and caressed it. "Look what you made me do…," he muttered. "I'm sorry…"
With a shaky sigh, he opened his eyes and stared sadly at his toy. He was about to pet its head when he paused upon finally noticing the tip of his claws were out and he was bleeding… and the ectoplasm had now stained his hands and the stuffed dragonfly.
Gregor's distress vanished behind a bitter scowl as he yanked off the energy-suppressing ring and then sheathed his claws. He then used intangibility to get rid of the ectoplasm on himself and his toy.
The ectoplasm spilled to the floor; but he didn't care and just walked over it and headed out of his room with his ripped toy and ring in hand.
He cursed his own stupidity before shaking his head. That's what he got for letting down his guard.
He glanced over at the nearest pole as he put the energy-suppressing ring in his pocket. And if it wasn't for all his experience, his next actions would have been impossible.
Holding his toy under his armpit, he then jumped off the platform and onto the metal pole before he deftly slid fifty-feet down to the ground.
As his feet touched down at the center rink in the circus, he grabbed his toy again and frowned in worry at it. How was he going to fix it? However, before he could decide what to do, the sound of voices quickly captured Gregor's attention.
"I am yours. I live to serve you. To please you, master…"
Freakshow grinned as he moved closer to Lydia and caressed her face and neck. "You are my most valuable treasure… Perfect. Obedient. Loyal. And beautiful…"
"I am what you wish for me to be," Lydia responded in her usual emotionless voice. Her eyes were on Freakshow, yet they still looked vacant.
Gregor's hands slowly dropped to his side and his toy barely touched the ground as it hung in his now vice-like grip. His eyes narrowed in hate and he moved closer to his master as the man continued to speak lovingly to the female ghost.
"I wonder if he'd still think her beautiful if I ripped off her face," Gregor thought darkly as he shook with suppressed rage.
Nothing made him more furious than to see his master with Lydia. Ever since he obtained the female ghost, his master only had eyes for her. Freakshow didn't even spare him a glance nowadays unless the man needed him to do something.
Before Lydia, Gregor was sure his master would have never allowed him the liberty he allowed him now. He remembered how he would always fight with Tom whenever the man took him away from him for too long. His master had wanted him at his side back then. He had been his master's best servant.
But now… Freakshow didn't care about Gregor. And the only reason the man kept the dragon ghost was to fulfill his own plans….
Gregor forced himself to calm down before his master noticed the murderous look on his face. He then lightly cleared his throat before speaking up, "Master, Sorry for interrupting but… I wanted to ask you something…"
Freakshow jolted with Gregor's sudden voice. And while Lydia calmly turned to face the child, the ringleader turned his fake-red eyes furiously at him.
"What the hell do you want, slave? Can't you see I'm busy?"
Gregor bit back the automatic sarcastic reply that had been about slip from his tongue. Sometimes he had to mentally remind himself who he was dealing with. Perhaps Tom tolerated his cheek… but his master would skin him alive if he would ever dare to disrespect him…
The eighteen-year-old lowered his gaze, but still calmly replied, "I'm sorry, but I was just wondering if there was anything you wanted me to do tonight… I could… take your other servants with me to get you some money… or jewels. Um, whatever you'd like…"
"Drone, if I wanted you to do something, I would have told you!" Freakshow snapped. "But since I haven't, that means I don't want anything and that means I don't want to see your face. Now, go screw around somewhere or go annoy Tom. I don't care. Just get the hell out of my sight!"
Gregor tensed as he raised his gaze and found Lydia watching him.
"Well? Didn't you hear me? Get lost!" Freakshow yelled.
Gregor nodded and he took a step back, but still hesitated to leave. "Yeah, sure… Uh, did you like the performance today? I-I did everything how you asked me, master. I obeyed your every command."
Freakshow rolled his eyes, but then with a wave of disregard he replied, "Yes, yes. You did fine." But then he paused before he smiled at Lydia and asked her, "How do you think Gregor did today, my goddess?"
Gregor cringed when he barely held back a gag this time.
Lydia answered almost robotically, "Excellent performance, but there were still minute flaws…"
Gregor's eyes flashed red and a scowl twisted his face.
Freakshow laughed in response. "Well, he isn't you, my beautiful Lydia…." He stared lovingly at the female ghost as he whispered, "Everything you do is perfect."
Gregor's self-restraint snapped; and too angry to care about the risk of Freakshow being just feet away, he opened his telepathic connection and savagely attacked Lydia's mind.
She instantly screamed in agony and collapsed on the ground.
"Lydia!" Freakshow exclaimed in alarm and surprise.
The dragon ghost just stared darkly at the suffering ghost as he painfully peeled through the layers of her mind. Yes… he was getting very good at using his telepathy…
But suddenly, Lydia gasped; and when her eyes snapped open at the next second, they were green. She whimpered as she looked around in panic.
Alarmed, Freakshow quickly kneeled beside her, and asked, "Lydia, are you alright?"
But at the sight of the man, the female ghost recoiled in fear as she whispered, "No… Stay away from me…. Ghostwriter… Skulker…" She gasped. "Ember? Ember!"
Slightly shocked at what was happening, Freakshow didn't react right away. But then sure he had somehow lost control of the female ghost and realizing he had left his staff in his tent, Freakshow turned his eyes to Gregor and yelled in panic plea, "Gregor! Don't just stand there! Do something! K-Knock her out! Now!"
"Yes, master," Gregor replied, barely hiding his glee. He loved it when his master needed him. And he especially loved the command he had just been given.
"Ember!" Lydia continued to yell in hysterics as she looked around. "God, where am I? What have you done to me? Where's my daughter? Ember!"
Without hesitation, Gregor raised his hand and hit the female ghost with a strong ray of ghost energy.
Lydia screamed in pain again; but unable to take the pain and confusion, she readily passed out.
Freakshow crawled towards the fallen female ghost and grabbed her face. "Oh, Lydia. I'm sorry! Don't worry! I'm going to fix you! I'm going to make everything better again!"
Getting to his feet, Freakshow then lifted the female ghost in his arms as he said, "Come on. Let's go to our tent. I don't know what happened, but I'll make sure it never does again."
Gregor watched as his master continued to mutter under his breath and then walked off without even a glance back at him.
The teen scowled. But then with a quiet growl, he turned away and walked off towards the circus' exit.
"Whatever," Gregor said bitterly before adding, "Let's see how long 'your goddess' remains loyal to you, master. Once she betrays you, you'll realize that you have no one better than me…."
But as he stepped out into the dark cool night, he paused and glanced back with a nervous frown…. He had not meant to break his master's control of the female ghost. But this was the second time he had accidentally done that—the first time had been with the other two male ghosts.
Was it possible? Did he have the ability to overpower his master's staff?
Gregor felt more than uncomfortable at the thought. But it was all the more reason why his master could never know of his telepathic abilities…
Shaking the thoughts away, Gregor touched his pocket to make sure the ring was still in there as he looked around the area to make sure he was alone. He then closed his eyes and reached into his core. With a cringe, he pulled out the Gem of Form.
As he turned into his dragon form with a flash of light, Gregor ignored the little voice in his mind telling him he was disobeying Tom. He didn't care. He hadn't been in his true form for months. He needed to 'breathe'.
With relish, he spread his wings while his front paws still gripped the gem and stuffed toy. He then took the gem and swallowed it before he took to the sky with his toy in hand.
He quickly turned invisible and went up high for good measure. For several minutes, he just turned and dove and twirled through the sky, just enjoying the use of his wings again. Being in his dragon form had become a sort of liberation for him. He felt free from everything and everyone—even himself. He pretended to be so many things that only in this form did he remind himself who he really was.
He wanted to stay up in the sky forever, but he knew being in ghost form with so many hunters—and other enemies around—was too risky. Gregor, of course, wasn't afraid of any of them; but… Tom and his master had strictly prohibited him from exposing himself.
But surprisingly things were quiet tonight. There was no ghost activity. No ghost hunters out, either. Really, the only things that could be heard at random times were temporary portals forming here and there; but even those seemed few tonight.
Nevertheless, it was never wise to stay in the open for too long, even if he was invisible.
At the thought, Gregor growled in frustration before he dove. He shot through several trees and landed on the ground with a quiet thud. Red eyes narrowed as he looked at his surroundings to make sure there was no one here. The good thing about Amity was that it had a lot of gathering of trees, and even his large form could disappear into them.
Sure he was safe, Gregor became visible and walked over to a nearby stream. With a sigh, he sat in front of it. His wings sagged, and his tailed curled in front of him as he peered down at his reflection.
But what stood out the most in the darkness were his piercing red eyes. Still, his ghostly glow was ever present and reminded him that though he lived in the human world, he was still part of the creatures he hated.
Gregor brought his right wing forward and stared at the large hole in the center of it. It was a reminder of that hunter ghost that had almost killed him many years back. His wing had healed, but the permanent hole left in it had reduced his speed and maneuverability. Luckily, he had learned other ghostly abilities that made up for it.
Still, this was the main reason Tom had forbidden him from taking his dragon form unless he was ordered to. Even when Tom had attempted to take down that ghost who they now knew was named Skulker, it was easier said than done.
Skulker had turned out to be one of the Ghost King's personal warriors. They protected each other. Actually, they protected each other as well as he and Tom protected one another. It made it almost impossible for either side to target each other.
But the Ghost King had yet to learn that Tom had a powerful dragon ghost on his side. Tom was waiting for the right moment. And it seemed that that hunter ghost had not told the King about Gregor simply to have the pleasure of killing the younger ghost himself.
But Gregor wasn't as afraid of the Hunter as before. He had become a efficient predator himself. And Gregor was sure Skulker had made a huge mistake in letting him live.
Ironically, the teenager had seen the Hunter with the King a few times but only in his humanoid appearance, and the older ghost had no idea who he was in his disguise.
It gave Gregor the upper hand, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he would have to face that Hunter. But this time, Gregor was going to make sure it was Skulker who lost their next fight. And just for the pleasure of it, before he killed that bastard, he was going to make sure he knew his weakling-of-a-sister was his master's personal toy!
Gregor rubbed his damaged wing against his neck before pressing it back against his side.
He looked down and suddenly remembered his toy still secured in his front paw. He lifted it up and stared in worry at the large rip…
He needed to fix it. He could go to Valerie's but she was still mad at him for ditching her so suddenly last night. He couldn't exactly blame her, though. The only other place he knew he could find the supplies he needed was at Tom's house. Then again, he really hoped sewing wasn't too hard. He had never done it in his life.
"Great…" Gregor muttered in annoyance.
But suddenly feeling his body shift slightly, the dragon ghost looked down and frowned at the unstable bank. It had been raining a lot lately so the soil was very moist. He slowly stood on all four feet but made sure to keep his toy safe by fisting a clawed hand around it.
He then warily raked the water with his other unoccupied clawed hand. And instantly, he tensed as his phobia of water began to curl around his mind. He had worked so hard to get rid of it, but no matter what he would do, he was still as terrified as ever of drowning.
"Damn water… I don't know why there's so much of it around here," he said in distaste. He hissed in his throat; but just as he turned to leave, something zoomed by right in front of his face. The teen's eyes quickly followed it, and he suddenly grinned at confirming what it was.
A dragonfly.
Dropping his toy on a dry patch of leaves, he quickly chased after the insect around the pond's bank. However as it darted inward, Gregor flapped his wings and flew after it, though kept his distance from the deep water below.
Just as he was a foot from the insect, he dissolved into dark blue smoke and shot past it; but the ghostly smoke was enough to disorient the bug to a halt. As Gregor reformed in front of it, he trapped the dazed bug within his two front claws before he dove back towards the ground.
As he landed, he was careful not to use his front feet. He sat on his rump with an excited grin and carefully opened his cupped hands enough to peer with one red eye at the tiny creature.
Gregor gasped in wonder. It was silvery blue with black at the tail! He hadn't seen this color combination yet!
"Oh, this is awesome!" he beamed.
He quickly but carefully captured the creature in one hand and then used his other clawed hand to create a hallow sphere of blue energy. The dragon ghost then rolled the energy sphere in the cool mud before blowing a stream of fire at it. When he picked up the now steaming energy sphere it had become a blue, hallow glass ball.
The teen tossed it up and down in his hand a few times to let it cool off. Finally, sure it was safe, Gregor turned his other hand intangible and put the dragonfly within the glass sphere.
Gregor lifted the ball to eye level and smiled at the little bug within. Maybe this night wasn't a total loss after all.
Excited with his find, the dragon ghost wasted no more time; and after retrieving his stuffed dragonfly from where he had left it, he then turned invisible and took off towards Tom's house.
However, Gregor was unaware that halfway into his trip, someone spotted him.
A teenage ghost girl with flaming blue hair and sporting a gothic rock-star look and glowing guitar watched the dragon ghost from a distance. If it wasn't because she was also invisible, she would have never spotted him.
Ember's green eyes were wide in disbelief as she whispered, "That's the ghost that killed my parents… But my uncle said…"
Blue hair flared with anger as she realized her uncle had lied to her. Gripping her guitar closer, she flew forward trying to close the large gap between her and the dragon ghost. However, just as she tensed with anticipation to attack the murderer, Ember was startled when the creature disappeared right before her eyes.
In her surprise, she regained visibility and flew forward a few feet trying to find the ghost. How had he done that? She had initially spotted him because invisible ghosts could see other invisible ghosts in the Human World. But the dragon ghost had now literally disappeared!
"Where did he…?"
Ember never finished.
A cloud of bluish black smoke suddenly slammed into her, pushing her back. However, as she regained her balance, she only managed a gasp as a large jaw with razor sharp teeth opened up in front of her to snap her in two.
Ember barely managed to teleport to another spot in the air; but she had barely gotten there, when the dragon ghost shot towards her in a pillar of smoke again. But the smoke ignited into flames as it circled around her and began to stretch in an attempt to trap her within a ball of blazing inferno.
Panicked, Ember created a shield to protect herself before grabbing her guitar and slamming its chords. The flames pushed outward and she darted up.
Gregor reformed within the fire before he followed after the girl with dark intention. His form rippled and smoke eked out of him as he kept his body barely formed, which allowed him to travel faster after the ghost.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Ember startled when a sharp pain briefly invaded her mind; but it didn't alarm her more than having heard that dragon ghost's words within her mind.
"Next time you want to sneak up on someone, you should do it downwind of them… Then again, you won't have a next time…"
Gregor didn't relent in his chase, and this time, he quickly opened his mouth and shot out lava-like fire, which split into two streams and jetted on opposite sides of the ghost girl.
Ember yelped as she was forced to a halt as the jets of lava advanced in front of her and slammed closed, blocking her escape. She was trapped in a bubbling ring of fire which was quickly growing vertically but threatening to tighten like a noose around her entire form.
She whirled around just in time to see two malicious red eyes staring at her.
"Too bad… You're pretty hot…" Gregor said with a grin. "But I'm hotter…"
Ember screamed as the ring of flames suddenly transformed into a sphere and engulfed her. Out of instinct, she clicked a switch on her guitar and slammed down the chords. In an instant, a portal formed and she fell into it, escaping the deadly flames.
Gregor waved a clawed hand in front of him and the sphere of flames vanished. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the temporary portal the ghost had created vanish.
"So much for a quiet night…" Gregor muttered.
Still, it was strange to have seen the ghost all alone. Gregor had no idea what she had been up to… Or, how long she had been following him.
The sound of screeching tires got his attention and he looked down at the streets below.
"Fentons…," Gregor said in disgust as he realized the ghost hunters had picked up his ecto-energy. That was the problem with being in his real form; his energy could be traced like any other ghost.
With an annoyed growl, Gregor turned into his vaporous form and shot away from the area back to where he left his toy and the dragonfly. He quickly grabbed them before making a straight shot to Tom's house.
As he approached at full speed, he grabbed the gem of form out of his stomach and then fused it back into his core. His body morphed into his human appearance just as he landed in front of the hunter's house. He looked around to make sure no one was around before turning visible and then slipping the ring on his finger to hide his ghost signature.
He couldn't have Tom's ghost shield shock him.
He finally pulled his keys from his pocket, and finding the right one, he opened Tom's door.
He looked down at his watch and saw it was midnight. He was sure Tom was up. What he didn't know was if the man was home.
Gregor shrugged and walked further into the house. He made his way to what had become his 'second room'. He headed up the stairs and opened the door. He flipped a switch; but instead of normal lights coming on; black lights came on around the corners of the room's ceiling, bathing the place with purple light.
It would seem like poor lighting to anyone else; but for Gregor, it was perfect. It gave his ghost eyes a rest from the brightness of the sun and the circus' spotlights he had to deal with everyday.
He gently placed his ripped stuff toy on the dresser and then went over to a horizontal cylindrical glass tank inserted into the wall. Natural green plants dotted the area within the enclosure; and fireflies flew about yet circled a small pool of water at the bottom of the enclosure.
The tank was quite a sight, and it was clearly made to hold living insects. But the fireflies were not the large cylindrical tank's main feature.
Its main focus was the dozen or so dragonflies flying around the enclosure or resting on a leaf. There were all kinds of colors. Red, green, blue, silvery white, pink, and all sorts of mixture of colors.
Gregor watched them in fascination for a moment, but then smiled and said, "Time for one of you to go free…"
He quickly spotted the oldest one in his collection, and opened the small circular glass door at the center of the large tank. He swatted lightly at the fireflies, not caring too much about them. After all, they were just in there to provide the dragonflies with food…
He held his hand still for a moment before quickly grabbing the dragonfly he wanted by the wings to keep it from flying away. But then, he gently wrapped his hand around its small frame and finally removed it from the enclosure. He walked over to his window.
When he carefully opened his hand, he found the dragonfly now resting on his palm. He wished he could keep them forever; but they had a very short lifespan… and he liked for them to be free again before they died.
That, and he didn't like seeing them die.
Gregor lifted it up to eye level to admire the small creature's beauty one last time before whispering, "You're free…"
He opened his window and then gently blew at the creature, which quickly flew off his hand and disappeared into the night sky.
The ghost teen stared out the window lost in thought for a moment.
"Gregor!"
The boy jumped at the sudden voice. He had forgotten he left his door open. But knowing who it was, the teenager readily relaxed and just turned to face Thomas Chrome.
"Jesus! What is wrong with you?" Tom asked with a mixture of annoyance and relief in his voice. "I hate it when you sneak in here like some damn thief!"
Gregor raised an eyebrow in reply but it was also weird at seeing the man in just pajama bottoms with a gun in his hand. The ghost teen briefly got a mental picture of Tom sleeping with his gun as if it were a teddy bear.
The teen smirked lightly as he watched the man lower his weapon. "What? Thought I was the Ghost King sneaking into your house to murder you in your bed?"
Thomas rolled his eyes. Still, the ghost was somewhat right. He had been getting ready for bed when he heard his front door creak open and then he heard footsteps. It had instantly put him on alert. The Ghost King had bypassed ghost shields before—even if these now had ecto-radium; one could never be too cautious.
"I thought you were at the circus," Tom said with slight irritation.
"And I thought you were at your facility vivisecting some ghost," Gregor retorted dryly. But turning around to close his window, he added, "I didn't even think you slept. Huh. Guess you are human after all."
"I had a long day," Tom said casually as he clicked the safety back on his gun. "I was at my sister's house all day. It was exhausting…"
Gregor turned around but there was some hesitation in his eyes suddenly. Should… he tell the man he ran into his niece the night before?
The teen had been worried about his unexpected encounter with Sam. It had been alarming to realize she still remembered meeting him all those years back. He wasn't sure if that could bring about complications for his master or even Tom. It also could put his own identity at risk. Maybe it was something he needed to tell the ghost hunter… But… would Tom get angry if he knew?
"Why are you here?" Tom asked curiously.
He had noticed the boy's slight tension. He wondered if Gregor had gotten himself in trouble or something… He only got like this when the teen had something to tell him that Gregor knew Tom wouldn't like.
But deciding to just keep quiet, Gregor shrugged and replied off-handedly, "No reason in specific."
He turned and walked over to his new dragonfly and picked it up. He commanded the glass sphere to dissipate before he cupped the creature in his hands. He then walked back over to Tom and opened his hands slightly to let the man see the bug.
With a real smile, Gregor said, "I found it. You ever see one this color before?"
Tom briefly looked at the bug before sighing tiredly. "Tell me you didn't just wake me up over a bug?"
"It's not just a bug! It's a dragonfly, and I didn't have one in this color yet," Gregor replied in annoyance.
Tom shook his head. "Your obsession with those things is beyond comprehension."
The creature suddenly buzzed its wings, and the man looked at it in disgust, "Ugh… I don't even know why I let you keep bugs in my house…."
Gregor scowled before he turned back around and headed to his collection. He carefully put the dragonfly inside its new home and watched it for a moment. Some people just didn't have appreciation for true beauty.
"I'm going to bed," Tom muttered before rolling his eyes at the ghost teen. However, as he turned to go, the man noticed something on the boy's dresser. "Oh, I didn't know you still had this…"
Gregor turned and tensed when he found Tom had spotted his toy dragonfly on the dresser and had picked it up.
Quickly moving over to the man, the ghost teen attempted to yank the toy away from him, but Tom moved it away from his reach as he curiously inspected the toy. "It's ripped… and by your claws by the looks of it."
Tom suddenly paused as something came to his mind. He turned his sharp green eyes at the ghost boy and asked with a frown, "How did you get here, Gregor? Your jet board is at the facility and I doubt you walked all the way here…"
"Motorcycle. You bought it for me, remember?" Gregor replied quickly, but the teen was obviously nervous.
Tom narrowed his eyes. "Then where's your helmet? And why didn't I hear the motorcycle's engine before you snuck into my house?"
Gregor frowned. "Okay, fine. I flew here. Why does it even matter?"
"You know full well it matters!" Tom exploded as his suspicion was confirmed. "I told you not to be flying around in your real form unless I order it or you are with me. Or, did you forget that there's a level seven ghost trying to hunt you down?"
"Chill out, alright?" Gregor snapped. "I've only seen him while in my disguise, and he doesn't know it's me. And if he ever attacks me, I'll rip him to pieces. I'm not an inexperienced kid anymore, Tom!"
"Don't be so cocky, you little demon!" Tom warned angrily. "I've seen that ghost as well, and he isn't the type of ghost you just brush off. So, I'm warning you now. I better not find out again that you're taking your dragon form when you're on your own."
"Don't start with this 'being worried about me' crap," Gregor hissed. "And I already told you, I can handle myself. So, back off… And give that back!"
"Oh, this?" Tom asked innocently, wagging the damaged toy in front of the boy's face. "Why? You can handle yourself. You're not a kid anymore, as you just said. So why shouldn't I just throw it into my fireplace and start a fire with it?"
Gregor's glare fell. "You… wouldn't do that."
"You're staying here tonight until I can drive you back to Freakshow's tomorrow," Tom said sternly; but his voice turned darker as he added, "Gregor, this is my last warning to you. If you take your dragon form again without my permission, I'm going to remind you what I'm capable of…"
"Fine! Alright!" Gregor snapped. "Now give it!"
But Tom just turned away from the ghost and headed out the room with the toy.
"Damn it!" Gregor exploded before he punched his door on the way out as he followed after Tom.
The man went into the kitchen and searched one of the black cabinets. He soon found what he was looking for.
"Next time you want me to sew one of your toys, I suggest you wait until morning," Tom said with slight sarcasm.
Gregor scowled. "What? I didn't come here for you to sew anything. I can do it myself."
But the hunter laughed in response as he walked over to his table. As he sat down, he replied, "What are you talking about? You've never sewn anything in your life."
"Can't be that hard," Gregor muttered as he crossed his arms over his still unbuttoned white shirt.
"Oh, yeah?" Tom asked with a smirk. He placed the toy and the sewing kit down on the table before pushing it towards Gregor. "Be my guest, then…"
The ghost teen frowned before he hesitantly walked over to the table and picked up the sewing supplies. He had enough common knowledge to know how the thread went into the loop part of the needle. So, the actual sewing couldn't be that hard, right?
Tom crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair as he watched with a barely suppressed smirk on his face.
After getting the thread into the needle, Gregor picked up his toy and looked from it to the threaded needle. The gash on the dragonfly was not in a straight line and there were pieces of thread sticking out everywhere along the rip, while the cotton was barely being contained within the stuffed toy.
Gregor began to feel anxious at the sudden idea that the rip was beyond repair. But not wanting to give up, he jabbed the needle in at the top of the rip and attempted to bring it back up at the other side to begin joining the gash. But as he pulled the thread through, it came right back out.
Tom chuckled. It was these small things about the dragon ghost that deeply amused the man; but it also filled him with satisfaction at the thought that the creature would never stop needing him.
Too upset at the thought of not being able to fix his dragonfly, Gregor swallowed down his pride and just placed his toy and the threaded needle back on the table.
He then pushed the things back towards Tom; and looking like that lost little ghost boy the hunter found at Freakshow's so many years back, Gregor quietly pleaded, "Fix it."
Tom's smile grew but he just silently pulled the toy closer towards him, and then turned his attention to the needle and thread. Once he had threaded it properly, he grabbed a small scissor and began to clean up the rip so that he could then sew it cleanly.
Gregor awkwardly stood beside the table and watched the man. It made him anxious to see the man using that pair of scissors on his dragonfly; but he was more nervous at the thought of his toy not being repaired.
"Relax, Gregor," Tom suddenly said with amusement. "It's not going to die."
The eighteen-year-old frowned as he finally realized how he was acting. He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair before forcing himself to move away. He hated how Tom knew what strings to pull to make him feel like some vulnerable child. But he forced himself to get a grip, and went over to the island in the middle of the kitchen.
Gregor jumped up and sat on the expensive silvery black granite top. Tom didn't seem to care, though.
As the teen pulled his legs up and crossed them, he lowered his gaze to his shirt. And more out of wanting something to do, he began to button it up. Once he was done with that, he looked back to a bowl of fruits behind him and grabbed three apples. He began to juggle them.
And yet, his eyes were now on Tom. It was funny. When he would observe the ghost hunter before, he used to imagine all the ways to murder him. But in the past few years, Gregor found himself trying to figure him out, trying to understand.
But already getting a headache from it, Gregor decided to not bother right now; and as he continued to juggle the apples, he abruptly broke the silence as he said, "I saw a ghost today."
Tom stopped what he was doing and looked at the teen.
"I was on my way here when I smelled it," Gregor continued casually though he sped up his joggling. "I managed to catch it off guard, but… she still got away."
"Female ghost?" Tom asked curiously as he split his attention to sewing the toy to studying the teenager.
Gregor nodded. "She looked younger than me… Had blue fiery hair. I've never seen her before. And what was strange was that she was alone. I don't know what she was doing here."
"How did she get away?" Tom questioned.
"Portal. She had this weapon that looked like a guitar, and she somehow made a portal with it. She didn't seem like much of a threat, but it was still weird… She looked at me like… she knew me."
Tom paused again and asked "Does she?"
Gregor stopped joggling when he heard the man's suspicious tone of voice. He frowned at the hunter as he replied, "I've never seen here before. I swear."
"Well… can't do much now if she got away. I'm almost disappointed," Tom said with a smirk. "Outwitted by a girl ghost? And here I thought you were smooth with the ladies, Gregor…"
The teenager briefly glared; but then he rolled his eyes before taking a bite from one of the apples in his hand. By the time Tom was done sewing, the teenager had eaten all three fruits—pits and all.
Tom suddenly stood and tossed Gregor the toy dragonfly. "I'm going to bed. We'll finish talking tomorrow. Don't go anywhere else tonight," Tom warned the teen before he left him alone in the kitchen.
Gregor watched him leave before looking down at his toy. He smiled lightly as he realized that the gash was gone and it couldn't be seen thanks to the furriness of the toy. That, and Tom had done a perfect job at making it seamless.
The eighteen-year-old sighed in relief before he fell back against the granite counter and closed his eyes with his toy pressed against his chest.
But as a set of purple eyes flashed in his vision, the teenager opened his eyes and raised his toy in front of his face. He stared at the dragonfly as it smiled down at him with its yarn-made smile.
He knew he should tell Tom about seeing Sam yesterday, but he had made the man angry enough for turning into his dragon form. Maybe he would tell him tomorrow; or, some other day that the hunter was in a better mood…
Honestly, Gregor didn't understand why Tom was so set on keeping his niece from him. Did the man think he would hurt her? What was he so worried about?
It didn't matter. Tom hardly made sense about anything else anyways. But Gregor couldn't deny that as worried as he was over Sam remembering him, he was also as excited.
It was the first time he had interacted with her without his ghost hunting suit on or since the first time he had met her trapped inside a cage when he had only been ten.
"She remembers me," Gregor spoke to the toy. "Sam didn't forget me…"
The ghost teen smiled again as he pulled his toy against his chest and hugged it as he repeated, "She remembers…"
Now in the Ghost World, Ember had finally made it to her uncle's home—and really now, her home as well.
"Uncle!"
Skulker frowned at his niece's angry yell. He walked out of the kitchen and found her in the living room.
"Ember, child… You have returned," he said with a mixture of relief and confusion. "I had expected you home an hour ago. Is everything alright?"
"No! Everything is not alright!" she exclaimed back as she threw her guitar on the nearby couch. "You lied to me, Uncle Skulker!"
The Hunter's frowned returned as he seriously replied, "What have I lied to you about, Ember?"
"You told me that dragon ghost that killed my parents was dead!" she yelled at him in a mixture of anger and hurt.
"He is dead," Skulker automatically answered with a deeper frown.
"Oh, yeah? Then it must have been some other dragon ghost that lives in the Human World and almost snapped me in half just moments ago!"
"What? You saw him? You saw Aragon's son?" Skulker asked in alarm. But then further realizing what she had said, he added, "Are you hurt? Did that monster—"
"I'm fine!" Ember cut him off.
The Hunter silenced.
"Why, Uncle Skulker?" Ember asked in disappointment. "Why would you lie to me about this? You know what this means to me! What it means to know my parents killer is still on the loose! And you've kept it from me!"
"I will not apologize, child," Skulker replied seriously. "I did it to protect you. I knew that if you knew, you would go after that dragon ghost. Ember, he will kill you. I cannot let that happen."
"He could've killed me now because you didn't tell me he was there! He used powers I've never seen before! He has telepathic abilities, Uncle! I heard him in my head! How could you keep this from me?" Ember shouted back.
"Ember, calm down," Skulker said sternly. "I did not expect you to run into that ghost. Otherwise, I would not have allowed you to go there. In fact, I am completely shocked by the fact that you actual saw him."
"You've been hunting him on your own, haven't you?" Ember accused, though her voice had lowered.
"Yes… I have been actively hunting him for several months—ever since he turned eighteen," Skulker replied seriously.
"So, why haven't you killed him?" Ember asked angrily.
"Have you not heard a word of what I have said, child?" Skulker asked, annoyed. "I have not seen him! All my efforts to find him have been futile! I cannot track his energy signature, and any scent I have picked up is too dispersed! Those hunters he is working for are hiding him from me!"
Ember ran a hand through her flaming hair as she asked quietly, "Did you know he has telepathic abiltiies?"
"Yes," Skulker replied. "Aragon once mentioned his sons shared that unique power."
Sounding mostly worried, his niece answered, "Uncle, we can't let that monster continue to be on the loose. He's dangerous. Maybe if I—"
"You are staying out of this," Skulker cut her off with a glare. "I don't prohibit you many things, Ember; but this is one of those things. I will kill that dragon ghost on my own. I want you out of this."
Ember frowned. "At least tell the King about him! Maybe he can help you track him!"
"No. Not a word of this to anyone. No one can know that dragon ghost is alive," Skulker answered.
"Why not?" Ember asked angrily.
"Because if Aragon finds out that his son is still alive, he will fight tooth and nail to bring him home," Skulker said firmly. "Not only will I lose my chance to kill him, but he will bring that monster in here! And if he does that, he could very well bring the Ghost World crumbling down."
"Well, what about the King?" the ghost girl insisted with creased eyebrows. "Do you think he'll tell Aragon?"
"I do not know. But I cannot risk it," Skulker replied. He then moved closer to his niece and gripped her by the shoulders. "Ember, give me your word that you will stay away from that dragon ghost. You know what he is capable of. I do not want him hurting you, too, child."
Ember sighed, but nodded.
Skulker lowered his hands from the girl before sighing himself. "I now regret not killing that creature when I had the chance… As you have now seen, he's become too powerful. Too elusive. And I am running out of time…"
Ember nodded. "According to Nocturne, the King wants to target Amity Park next."
"If Plasmius turns his full attention to that town, it is only a matter of time before he finds out about Aragon's son…," Skulker said soberly. "I must find him and kill him before Vlad attempts a full attack on that town… In fact, we might be closer to winning this war than we all knew."
"What do you mean?" the girl quickly questioned.
Skulker sighed again before telling her all he had learned about the Ghost Prince.
By the time her uncle finished, Ember's eyes were wide in disbelief. "I can't believe Danny can actually take down those shields… Uncle! That's great! You have to tell the King!"
Skulker scoffed. "And have him hang my head on his mantle for encouraging his son to get involve in the war with the humans? You must be joking, child."
"Well… He has to know," Ember replied hesitantly.
"Yes… he does…," Skulker admitted. "I just do not know how to tell Plasmius without him becoming too furious to then listen to reason… You know how he gets over his son."
"Oh, I know…," Ember answered with a shudder. Nothing was scarier than an angry Ghost King.
"Uncle…" the girl called as she nervously played with her ponytail. "Maybe… Maybe it's time I tell Danny the truth—about me. I hate lying to him. Do you really think he'd be too mad if I told him I'm involved in the war? I'm tired of having to tell him I'm visiting my parents' house or some other lame story!"
"No, Ember. You must not tell him," Skulker answered. "You know it was one of the conditions Plasmius gave you in order to allow you to even step outside the Ghost World again. Right now, telling the whelp that you are part of this war will only make things worse… You must wait."
Ember sighed but nodded.
"So, did you find in Amity Park any proof of what Nocturne told us?" Skulker asked.
The ghost girl frowned as she told her uncle all about her findings in Amity Park.
Three seemingly uneventful days passed in the Ghost World. And unaware of their King's near arrival, the Kingdom remained under the watch of the Ancient Clan.
Horris remained at the head of the group; but Serenity never hesitated to speak her mind.
"Should we be troubled? The Ghost King has been gone for longer than expected…," Serenity said in a calm voice that greatly contrasted her question.
Horris sighed. "We all know things have become difficult. The humans are resisting more and more each day."
"It is to be expected," the female Ancient answered. "Chaos will always beget more chaos."
Horris frowned. He knew the female ghost well enough when she was implying something. "Explain yourself, Serenity."
"Well, it is no secret that our King has been unstable ever since the Queen's death. I still question whether or not your decision to keep him on the throne was wise."
Horris readily replied with a bit of impatience, "King Plasmius has not led us astray thus far. All things considered, we can still say the Ghost World remains relatively safe for us all."
"But for how long, Horris? He has brought us into war on his sole desire for revenge," Serenity countered.
The head Ancient rose to his feet in anger, "You are speaking falsely of our King, Serenity. Remember your place!"
"And perhaps you should remember his lies to us, Horris. Perhaps you should remember how ungrateful and cold he has become towards you," Serenity replied as the air heated up around her.
Horris stared in disbelief at her; but then shaking his head, he narrowed his eyes and hissed, "How dare you!"
"Please, we came to discuss our concerns," one of the other male Ancients known as Amoris interjected.
"Yes… and my concern is how dangerously close King Plasmius is becoming to King Dark," Serenity pressed. "He has brought us into war out of spite. He continues to place thousands of ghosts in danger for his desire to overtake the Human World. And for what reason? With what end? Let us say he accomplishes his feat. What then? Will he attempt to enslave us all next? Is it not what King Dark attempted?"
"Enough, Serenity! I command you to silence!" Horris exclaimed.
"I will not silence," Serenity replied in a quiet yet cold voice. "You need to accept the truth. The clan needs to hear what we are all afraid to voice. Tell me, Horris, how long will it be until King Plasmius turns into his uncle? What will we do then?"
"How quick you are to see darkness in everything and everyone around you," Horris said with a shake of his head as he forced himself to calm down. But with sternness, he added, "If you would open your eyes, you would see that we are all capable of good and evil, and it is in our hands to make the right choice. And so far, King Plasmius' choices, though harsh at times, have been with the best interest for this Kingdom. The same could not be said for King Dark."
"Horris, I do not completely agree with Serenity," the Ancient known as Virtru said, "But it is hard to forget that you have a biased view of our King."
"Yes, I will not deny it," Horris replied. "However, it is that biased view that allows me to see him for who he is. And Queen Desiree's death might have made the King's attitude cold, even bitter at times, but in his core, he remains loyal to this world. He remains loyal to protecting this Kingdom. And if you do not believe any of that, than be sure he remains good thanks to the love he has for his son. He would never do anything against us. And he would especially never do anything that would harm the Ghost Prince."
Horris looked at the other Ancients around him before asking, "Why must we always return to the same issue? Yes, I am not pleased with the King's decision to continue with this war, but I can understand how he finds himself with no other choice. And it is cruel and even treacherous of anyone to compare him to King Dark just because he has been forced to make a difficult decision," Horris ended with a hard look at Serenity.
"Horris is right," the Ancient known as Eve spoke up at last. "We cannot judge nor condemn King Plasmius for crimes or acts he has not done. He has yet to show us that he bears any ill intention for this Kingdom or this world."
"We should take this time to discuss ways to further protect our home instead," Reaper said.
"Yes, let us move on," another agreed.
Serenity sighed, but nodded in agreement.
"It is quite unfortunate that humans are still finding ways to invade our world. And now, according to the Ghost Prince, they are even daring to come in here in the earlier hours of the day!" Amoris said.
"They could not have come from a temporary portal," the female, Fate, concluded. "Temporary portals rarely open outside the late night hours. And the five open permanent portals are well-guarded."
Virtru added, "King Plasmius told us that the humans have a man-made portal. It must be how these humans are acquiring access in the day."
"How can we find it? We have been in search of the opening for years without success," Eve replied in a troubled voice.
Horris sighed. "It has become a grave issue. King Plasmius has used all his resources, including his human disguise, yet he has been unable to discover the man-made portal's opening to our world…"
"Maybe we need to set our own trap to lure those humans to where we want them, and then force them to speak…" Serenity replied seriously.
"You want us to torture them?" Horris asked with a frown.
Serenity smiled lightly. "Oh, Horris… You do not need to resort to something as chaotic as torture to force someone to do as you ask…"
Horris just looked at the female spirit. Sometimes, her thoughts perturbed him.
"Serenity makes a valid point," Fate said; and Horris was surprised by her agreement. "We need to find a way to lure these human hunters into a trap. Or, at least, place them into a situation where they will unknowingly lead us to the human-made portal's entrance."
"And how will we do that?" Horris asked.
"I feel that is a question and suggestion to bring up at a High Council meeting," Virtru suggested. "Perhaps the King's warriors and officials will have an idea on how we can proceed."
"Very well," Horris replied. "For now, we will ask the King's officials to keep vigilant, especially around Pandora's island where our young ones spend a great deal of their day. Heaven forbid those humans attempt to attack the Kingdom's school."
The Ancients all nodded in agreement.
At Pandora's Island, the ghost kids were all at recess. And while the ghost teens enjoyed socializing around the mystical maze and garden, the younger children played at the Shifting Canyon.
However, two particular ghost teens were simply sitting on a hill near the canyon.
"Hey, dipstick! Are you even listening to me?"
The Ghost Prince turned his bright green eyes at Ember and blinked at her. "Oh, what?"
The blue-haired ghost girl scowled at him. "What's with you? You've been all spaced out these past three days. You're not mad at me for leaving so long, are you?"
Danny shook his head. "No, of course not… I'm used to you abandoning me."
Ember knew he was teasing her; but there was also some seriousness in his words.
"It's not like I want you…," she said with a frown. "I just…"
"Ember," Danny cut her off with a small smile. "I'm not mad at you. And I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind."
Ember suddenly elbowed him gently as she replied, "I bet! Tomorrow's your Formation Day! You're turning fifteen!"
But much to her surprise, Danny's expression turned sober again.
"Uh… I take it that you're not excited about your celebration," she muttered, but still raised a questioning eyebrow.
The Ghost Prince just sighed as he gazed towards the children playing a game at the canyon. He remembered how he would play it as a kid, too. He had never been very good at it, though. You needed legs for it, and he didn't know how to morph his tail into legs back then.
"Danny? What's wrong?" Ember asked, this time with concern.
The Prince shrugged. "Nothing... I just really don't want to have this celebration tomorrow."
"What? Why?" Ember asked in surprise. "Your Formation Day is like one of the few celebrations we get to have nowadays. Everyone looks forward to it, and you above all should, too."
"That's just it, Ember," Danny answered with a frown. "I do not understand the purpose of attempting some grand celebration just to pretend that things are normal."
Ember raised an eyebrow. "Danny, the purpose of the party tomorrow is to celebrate your birthday. So, what does that have to do with anything else? But then what are you saying? That it's wrong to celebrate anything because we've got problems? Do you expect everyone to just live in fear or worry about the war and everything else we're facing? That wouldn't be living at all!"
"That's not what I am saying," the Prince defended with a shake of his head.
"Then… what?"
Danny fell silent for a moment as he looked up at one of the Energy Novas in the atmosphere. But then looking back at his friend, he hesitantly voiced, "Have you ever wondered if we are doing the right thing? This whole war against the humans, I mean…"
"You're kidding, right?" Ember replied with a raised eyebrow. And yet, she was so confused. What was up with her friend's random thoughts? Is this what he was thinking about that had him so distracted?
But when the Prince just lowered his gaze to his light blue pants and began to trace the silvery pattern etched on it, Ember's eyebrows creased. "Danny," she said seriously, "They want to kill us. It's them or us. You know better than anyone that there is no middle ground with humans. Actually, I think your father's being pretty merciful by allowing them to continue to live out their lives under his rule."
"But what if there was another way?" Danny countered as he returned his troubled gaze to her. "What if we could actually live a life of normalcy and peace again? There must be some way we could at least come to a mutual respect with the humans without having to resort to enslavement or death!"
Ember just stared back in disbelief at the ghost boy before she shook her head. "I can't believe we're even talking about this…" But then her eyebrows creased as she said with slight anger, "Danny, have you forgotten everything the humans did to you?"
"Of course not!" Danny snapped with a brief glare at his friend. "You think anyone could forget all that? They murdered my mother! They tortured me, and until this day, I'm still suffering the consequences of it! I am as resentful towards the humans as you!"
He took an unneeded inhale of air as his face melded back into a frown. "It just… feels wrong. Are we to blame an entire race for the evil a few have done?"
A little boy with green eyes and a little girl with purple eyes instantly came to his mind.
He still remembered Sam and Tucker vividly. He remembered how kind and gentle they had been. He remembered how they did everything they could to save him. If it wasn't for them, he would utterly despise the human race. But it was also because of those two little humans that the Prince wondered until this day if there were others like them?
Was the human race truly evil? Or… was there still good in them?
Danny glanced at Ember, who was just looking at him with worry and confusion. He knew she just couldn't understand. And it was moments like this that made him afraid of what would happen if she knew he was half of what she hated…
"We have all lost enough in this never ending cycle of hatred between us and them," Danny said quietly. "I just want a way for things to be like before… when we had nothing to do with them."
"So, what? You want us to just leave them alone like before?" Ember asked bitterly. "Pretend they don't exist? Your dad already tried that, remember? It doesn't work. And you're right. We've lost enough; but until we win this war, we'll continue to be at risk of losing more."
"And what if we lose more because of this war?" Danny countered sharply. "Tell me you are not afraid of something happening to your uncle!"
Ember silenced; but then searching her friend's eyes, she realized, "It's your dad, isn't it? That's why you don't want to celebrate your Formation Day, and that's why you're talking like this now."
Raising a knee and draping an arm on it, he muttered, "He's all I have, Ember…"
"Hey, you got me, too," she said with a small encouraging smile.
Danny smiled weakly. "I know… But you know what I mean." Frowning deeply, he added, "The humans took my mother from me… I couldn't bear to lose my father to this war with them, too."
Running a hand through his hair, he added more desperately, "There must be a way to stop all this."
"There is," Ember answered with certainty. "We have to beat the humans. Your dad needs to win this war."
The Prince's eyebrows creased. "Do you really think winning the war would bring everything back to normal?"
"Definitely," she answered.
Danny didn't reply this time. He had been thinking a lot about the fact that he could destroy those ecto-radium shields… He could help his father win this war, and for the longest time, it was all the Prince had wanted. To help protect his home. But now that he was faced with the actual possibility that he really could help the ghost race win this war, he was hesitant. His mind told him it was the right thing. His mind told him that Ember was right, and that they needed to protect their home at all costs… But in his heart and core… It felt so wrong.
"Do you know about the Ecto-radium shields?" Danny suddenly asked.
Ember tensed slightly but still nodded. "Yeah, my uncle mentioned them to me… and he told me how you can destroy them."
Danny nodded but then muttered, "I don't know if I should tell my father about it."
"What?!" Ember exclaimed, jumping to her feet.
Danny's face brightened with embarrassment as his friend's shout captured everyone's attention nearby.
The Prince grinned back nervously before clearing his throat to compose himself, and then calmly commanding, "Please, carry on… Don't mind us."
As the kids and instructors went back to what they were doing, Danny grabbed one of Ember's wrists and yanked her back down.
"Can you be loud enough?" Danny muttered in annoyance.
Ember blushed. "Sorry… But, Danny! You have to tell your father!"
The ghost girl knew that if the King found out about his son's ability, it would probably mean the King would target Amity Park earlier. But though it would interfere with her uncle's plans, Ember still believed that the King should know about that evil dragon ghost on the loose! She was sure that if the King knew, he would help her uncle take him down!
"Your uncle thinks I can help my father win the war once and for all," Danny replied. "But how am I supposed to tell my father without him freaking out about it?"
"Come on, Danny," Ember replied skeptically. "I know your dad's gotten all uptight since this war started, but you're his kid. He'll listen to you if you explain things to him."
The Ghost Prince scoffed. "Explaining things to my father is like explaining things to a brick wall—and not because he doesn't understand, but because he won't listen. He never listens."
Ember frowned in worry. "I know things have been hard between you and your dad, Danny… but I didn't think it was this bad... I still think you should at least try to tell him."
"And what am I going to say, Ember?" Danny retorted with frustration. "Father, I'm sorry for disobeying you and going off on my own; but I needed to visit Clockwork, and I couldn't do that with Wulf, because he would probably tell you. Oh, but it's okay because on my way back I found two dangerous ghost hunters, and while I was fighting them, I realized I could destroy the ecto-radium shields with my Ghostly Wail. Oh, wait. You want to know how I know how to fight? Well, that's easy! I've been training in combat with Skulker behind your back!"
Danny rolled his eyes as he deadpanned, "I am sure he will ignore all that after finding out his son is the weapon he needs to complete his plans with the humans…"
"Okay, I get it. Chill," Ember answered, annoyed.
Danny sighed. "Sorry…. But you know what I mean. Even if I could get him to listen, he would be too furious to even consider letting me help him. Besides, I have asked him for two years now to let me help him in this war, and he refuses time and time again! So, why even bother now? I doubt he will care that I can take down those shields. He isn't going to let me go to the Human World ever again."
Ember's eyebrows creased in sympathy. "You're probably right… but we both know he's going to find out—at least about you fighting with those humans. The whole Kingdom has been talking about it. Whether you want to or not, you'll have to tell him something."
"No one but you and Skulker know that I can destroy those shields," Danny reminded her.
Ember frowned before asking, "Danny, let's say your dad would let you fight in this war… Would you really do it? I know you keep saying you want to help, but you also just said you wish there was another way besides being at war with the humans."
Danny rubbed thoughtfully at his symbol before replying, "If it's really the only way… Yes, I would. I would help my father win this war."
Ember smiled. "Then, don't give up. You might change your father's mind yet. And besides…" The girl placed her hand above the boy's hand still on his symbol, and added, "You know I got your back. And I'll talk to my uncle. Maybe he can break the news to your dad. He's always been good at sweet-talking the King."
Danny chuckled. "More like he's the only one that has the guts to talk forwardly with my father."
Ember laughed herself; but sobering again, she said, "But in all seriousness, Danny. Don't worry so much. . I know war is never pleasant; and things have gotten hard, but it'll get better. Besides, think of your mother…"
She removed her hand from her friend as she muttered, "It's what I think about. I just feel that once the King wins this war, well, I'll be able to say my parents can rest at ease. I can say that their deaths weren't in vain."
"It wasn't, Ember," Danny quickly replied, grabbing the same hand she had moved away. "They saved you. And for that, I am extremely thankful."
"Yeah…" she answered quietly as she stared at their joined hands. But her mind was on the monster responsible for her parents' death.
"Danny?" Ember suddenly asked seriously. "Are you still friends with that dragon ghost?"
The Prince instantly let go of his friend's hand and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "You mean Elliot? … Yes."
"Danny," Ember began in a slight reprimanding voice.
"I know what you're going to say, Ember," he said tiredly as he briefly grabbed his ponytail before lowering his hand. "Aragon and his kin have no consideration for the Kingdom; therefore, we should not hold any for them. But Elliot is different. If it was up to him, things would be different. And even if he and I know we have to keep our distance from each other for the sake of both our homes, it doesn't mean we have to break our bond because of our fathers' decisions. He is my friend. He will always be my friend."
Ember shook her head. "Whatever. Trust those overgrown reptiles if you want. I'm watching my back with them."
Danny frowned. "You make it sound as if they're evil."
"Maybe they are," she answered coolly.
"Now you are being harsh," the Prince replied with a disapproving frown.
Ember rolled her eyes before smiling slightly and asking, "Have you noticed we barely agree on anything?"
Danny smirked. "Imagine if we did."
Ember grinned. "Alright, baby pop! That's enough melodrama for today! You are going to have fun at your celebration tomorrow even if I have to make you!"
The Ghost Prince's smirk grew as he narrowed his eyes in challenge. "And how are you going to make me?"
"By getting you into the mood right now," Ember answered as she grabbed her guitar, which had been resting next to her the whole time. "I need you to help me get my musical number squared away for tomorrow!"
"Strange… I finally feel like taking a nap," Danny answered as he stretched his arms before falling back on the purple grass.
"Don't make me hit you with this guitar," Ember warned calmly as she drummed on her guitar to make sure it was tuned.
"You're clearly your uncle's niece," the Prince said dryly as he turned on his side and propped his head up with a hand.
Ember grinned proudly before focusing back on her guitar. "Well, what I was trying to tell you earlier before you spaced out on me is that I'm writing a new song… But I'm still trying to work out all the lyrics."
"Well, let's hear it, then," Danny said with an encouraging smile as he turned his full attention to her.
Ember nodded before pulling up her guitar. She drummed the chords a few times before she began a slight upbeat tone.
She then sang, "It was… It was September. Wind blows; the dead leaves fall. To you I did surrender. Two weeks you didn't call."
"Your life goes on without me. My life a losing game. But you should, you should not doubt me…Your will remember my name."
"Oh, Ember you will remember… Ember one thing remains. Oh, Ember… so warm and tender. You will remember my name…"
Danny blinked in response before he suddenly grinned. "And I'm melodramatic?"
"Shut up!" Ember snapped defensively. "It's supposed to be core-felt!"
Danny chuckled. "Calm down. I'm just teasing… So, what's wrong with it? Sounds good to me."
"Well… I am working on another part to it, but I want it to imply more than one meaning. Like the word 'Ember'. Well, it's my name, but it's also a flame. It's about love, you know? Like where there is a remaining ember, there can always be a chance for that love to be rekindled…"
Danny raised an eyebrow at her, and Ember blushed and looked away.
"Here… I'll just show you what I have…," she muttered shyly before continuing the song, "Your core, your core has mended. Your loss, now bear the shame…"
But then she trailed off when she didn't know what else to say; yet surprisingly Danny finished for her in a quiet tone, "Like dead trees in cold December… Nothing but ashes remain..."
Ember stared in disbelief, but then she grinned. "Dip stick! That was genius! Ha! I knew I kept you around for a reason."
"You're hilarious," Danny deadpanned before turning on his back, sliding one of his hands under his head and placing the other on his stomach.
"How did you come up with that?" Ember asked curiously as she tried out the lyrics herself.
Danny shrugged slightly. "Just came to me, I guess. Glad I could help."
Ember glanced at her friend, and noticing him fall into that far-off thoughtful look again, she cleared her throat and added, "You know, I have all night to practice. Let's do something else. Actually, how about we hang out today after school?"
"I can't. I have to go see Walker," Danny said, rolling his eyes. "I also have to train with Frostbite today; and Horris sent me a message that he wants to talk with me today."
"Horris?" Ember asked in surprise.
"Yes… I think he's worried about my father. I wish I could put him at ease, but I do not know what to tell him…"
The ghost girl sighed. "Poor old Horris… But what can you do? You don't know when your dad's coming back anymore than he or anyone else."
Danny scoffed. "It's almost as if he doesn't care about anyone. It makes me so angry sometimes."
"Hey, easy, baby pop," Ember quickly said as she scooted closer and looked down at him. "Let's not go there, alright? No one likes a sour Prince."
Danny's lips curled into a smile again as he asked, "And how would I turn into a sweet Prince?"
"By sneaking out with me tomorrow during your birthday bash," Ember answered mischievously. "We'll stick around long enough to eat, then for me to sing, and finally, for you to mingle a bit with your loyal subjects. After that, we'll leave all the party-goers to entertain themselves."
Danny smirked. "Or, you could just sing them all to sleep… and then we wouldn't need to mingle or sneak out."
"Haha! We haven't done that to someone in a while!" she said with a grin, referring to when they were young and would use vocal hypnotism to put others to sleep.
"But I didn't mean the voice hypnotism power. I meant your singing in general. It will be sure to put everyone to sleep!"
Ember gasped before she glared playfully and quickly moved over to grab her guitar. "I'll show you how I put someone to sleep!"
"You'll have to catch me first, Ms. Diva," he challenged before he suddenly teleported into the air and took off.
"Danny! Get back here!" She quickly flew after him.
The younger kids, who had been playing their game on the canyon's edge, startled when the Ghost Prince, followed by an angry Ember, flew right past them and dove into the gorge. But now excited by the prospects of a 'new game', the kids giggled as they jumped in after the older teenagers.
Danny quickly turned on his back as he glided just above the lake at the bottom of the canyon.
"Don't be so angry, Ember. Sleep is very therapeutic, you know…" he teased as he crossed his arms behind his head in a leisurely manner.
"That's it!" she exclaimed as she turned a switch on her guitar and then slammed the chords on her guitar, which released a sphere of blue energy at the other teenager.
Danny quickly righted himself; and coating his hands in ice, he grasped the energy sphere as it came at him. He grinned at Ember's surprised look before finally noticing all the excited kids around them.
"New game…," the Prince said with a smirk before he blew ice energy down on the lake and froze it solid under him. However, blue snow began to form above the ice as he turned his narrowed yet playful eyes at Ember.
"Snow ball fight!" Danny abruptly yelled; and in an instant, the hot blue sphere in his hand was encased in blue snow just before he threw the ball back at Ember.
The girl squeaked as she ducked, but the ball of snow with her blue energy within it still hit the top of her ponytail. And like a popping water balloon, the snow burst; and because of the energy within it melting the ice, cold water fell right on top of the ghost girl's head.
Ember gasped as her fiery ponytail was snuffed out, and all that was left was her actual short hair. "Ugh! Danny!"
The Prince laughed loudly, and was unaware that he had now also gathered the attention of the other teenagers and even the instructors, whom were all watching the spectacle with growing amusement from above the gorge.
Ember narrowed her eyes; but she had already noticed their audience. And more importantly, she noticed how the younger kids around them were now throwing snow at one another.
"New game!" she quickly yelled. "Let's play 'bury the Ghost Prince'!"
Danny's smile fell as he watched all the kids turn towards him with snow balls. And before he could say anything, he was slammed by dozens of snowballs.
Ember didn't hesitate to take advantage of the situation. She lifted her guitar, and quickly strummed a few chords, which produced a strong blue energy burst, which slammed into a nearby pile of snow. Like a tsunami, the wave of snow swiftly roared toward the Prince. The girl smirked in satisfaction as she calmly floated down and walked over to the blue snow mound, which now covered Danny completely except for a few strands of his white hair.
The Prince managed to push himself halfway out of the snow and had to spit out the snow that had even gotten in his mouth.
"Now…" Ember began. "What did you say about my singing?"
Danny scowled at her, but then placing a hand on the snow, he suddenly sent a wave of ecto-energy below Ember's feet.
She was only able to gasp as she sank halfway into slushy water.
"It's so beautiful it puts me right to sleep," Danny replied smugly.
Ember just grabbed some of the slushy snow and threw it right at the boy's face, cutting off his laugh.
Danny sputtered in surprise before looking at Ember. However, the two friends readily burst into laughter.
Accompanied by Wulf and Cujo, Danny arrived home later that day after visiting Walker to talk about the prison activities. Everything was in order according to the Kingdom's laws. Still, Danny did have a problem with some of the arrests. They seemed too… harsh at times. But the last time he tried to protest against his father's laws, things didn't turn out too well for him.
Trying to change his father's mind about things was like swimming against roaring rapids. Impossible and very unpleasant.
Still, as hard as the laws were, Danny had to admit that they had kept them all safe and the Kingdom running smoothly thus far.
Shaking away his train of thought, the Prince focused back on his task. He had just stopped by the castle to drop his dog off and get him something to eat before heading out with Wulf again to see Frostbite for his training. But now that it was obvious that Wulf was busy talking to one of the castle's guards, Danny shrugged and made his way in and towards the kitchen with Cujo floating beside him.
As he parted the kitchen's swinging doors, Danny found Dora and George inside.
He smiled at them. "Hello. I'm back. Well, momentarily. I just came to get Cujo something to eat, and then I have to head back out to see Frostbite."
"Greetings, Prince Phantom," Dora replied. "How was school?"
"And did they feed you enough?" George asked with concern.
Danny chuckled. "Dora, school was as… engaging as always," he said with a smirk. "And George, do not worry. I am fed. However, I am sure you will make sure my dinner tonight is completely satisfying and nutritious for my growing body and developing mind."
George puffed out his chest. "You can be sure of that, my Prince!"
Dora giggled. "Oh, Prince Phantom. You have such a way with words."
"Hmm… Thank you. I practice every night before bed," Danny answered with a grin.
George and Dora laughed this time.
"Are you hungry, my Prince?" the ghost chef asked.
"No, I'll wait until dinner. But thank you," Danny answered as he went to the pantry and began to pull out different food items.
"Prince Phantom," Dora spoke up with a bit of excitement, "I have picked out a few new attires for your celebration tomorrow. I would like you to see which of them you like best! I also want to make sure what you select is to your fitting and then have the maids send it to be pressed."
"Dora, I am sure whatever you pick out I will like," Danny answered distractedly.
"Perhaps, but you still must try them on, so I can then take what you pick for safe keeping," the dragon maid answered. "I will not have a repeat of your formation celebration last year…"
"What happened….?" George began, only to trail off when the Prince suddenly waved his hands as if to tell him not to ask. But it was too late.
"Oh, it was horrible!" Dora exclaimed, and Danny just sighed in resignation and went back to what he was doing.
"I had laid out the Prince's entire wardrobe for his formation celebration because he asked me to just leave them on his bed. He said he would be right back to see them," Dora explained, and shot a disapproving frown at the Prince.
"I was coming right back…," the Ghost Prince defended himself with a small smile. "It just took me longer to 'come right back'."
"Apparently the Prince left Cujo in his room," Dora continued as if the teen had not said anything. "When I went to check if the Prince had found the attire to his liking, you will never believe what I found!"
"Cujo sleeping on the clothing?" George guessed nervously.
"Oh, no! It was worse! Cujo decided to eat the Prince's complete wardrobe—priceless jewels and all!" Dora exclaimed as if it had just happened.
Danny covered his mouth to hold back a laugh before he said, "I got the jewels back, didn't I?"
But seeing the Prince resisting the urge to laugh, Dora scowled at him, and with a hand on her hip, she asked, "Is this funny to you, Prince Phantom? I had to wake up a dozen ghosts at two in the morning to have new attire made for you!"
"I would have just worn one of my previous clothing," Danny muttered; but when the dragon ghost's eyes turned reptilian, he quickly added, "But I completely understand that it was no laughing matter! I was as horrified as you, Dora!"
"Yes, well, as soon as you return from your meeting with Frostbite, we will be choosing your wardrobe, and it will be staying in my dormitory until tomorrow," Dora said sternly.
"Of course," the Prince said with a nervous smile. "And I cannot think of anything more important to do as soon as I return home than to try out all that wonderful clothing you picked out for me."
"Good, because there is not anything more important," Dora added with a raised eyebrow at the teenager.
The Ghost Prince just smiled innocently at her before turning away to grab a large pot from a closet.
But Dora's eyebrows creased when she saw the ghost teen return with a pot big enough to hide his upper body from view. "What in the world are you doing, Prince?"
"Feeding Cujo," Danny answered as he put the pot down on the kitchen counter.
"Yes… you mentioned this," Dora answered slowly. "I just did not know it took something so… large." She smiled in slight amusement before offering, "If you would like I could feed Cujo for you. That way you can be on your way."
"It's fine, Dora," Danny answered with a small smile before he turned back to what he was doing. "Cujo is a very picky eater…"
"Never would have guessed," George replied dryly.
Danny chuckled. "He won't eat unless I make his food."
"You know, I've never seen you make his food before," Dora said with interest as she moved closer and watched the teen.
George cleared his throat. "Madam Dora, you are not missing out on anything. Believe me…"
George knew full well how Danny prepared Cujo's food, and he was sure it wasn't anything anyone wanted to watch.
But Dora didn't seem to take the hint, and she insisted, "Well, I best learn in case Prince Phantom cannot feed him one day."
Danny secretly smirked as he went to grab once more item. Now that Cujo wasn't a puppy he ate a lot more.
Sure he had everything now, Danny began to mix everything he took out; and the more Danny mixed, the more Dora's face tightened in disbelief and disgust.
George just sighed as he handed the teen the leftovers from breakfast and lunch before he could even ask for them.
Cujo began to whine in excitement.
"Almost finished, buddy," Danny assured him. "Lastly, Danny grabbed something that looked like spoiled milk and dumped the entire gallon into the mix."
Danny calmly mixed it all up with a big spoon before dipping his finger in the mix and tasting it. "Um-hmm. Perfect."
Dora covered her mouth.
And noticing the look on her face, the Prince frowned. "What? It's good. No, seriously. Just try it."
Dora waved her hands and backed away. "I will take your word for it, Prince Phantom."
Danny lightly shrugged. "Okay…"
The Prince walked over to Cujo with the large pot filled with food, and placed it in front of the ghost dog. "Enjoy. I'll be back later, Cujo."
Cujo just barked before digging in.
Danny went over to clean up, but George said, "Leave it, my Prince. I will clean up."
The teen nodded. "Thank you." He then gazed at Dora and added, "I will return soon, Dora."
The dragon maid just nodded.
As soon as the Ghost Prince had left, Dora gasped as she asked in horror, "George! I cannot believe you actually let him make something so revolting! How long has he been doing….that?"
"Since he was a kid… I always thought it was a phase…," George answered calmly. "Guess not. But in the end, it is food, and… Cujo loves it."
Dora glanced at the dog as it ate with gusto. "Ugh. Excuse me. I think I am going to be ill."
George chuckled as the dragon ghost maid left. "I told her she didn't want to know."
Danny glanced at a clock on the wall as he turned into the next corridor. It was late, and the trip to Frostbite was a long distance away. Luckily, Frostbite was a laid-back type of ghost, and never cared if he was late. Nevertheless, Danny tried to be punctual.
Picking up his pace, the Ghost Prince passed the throne room. However, he had not gotten more than a few feet away when someone called to him.
"Daniel."
The ghost teen froze in place at the familiar voice. Not to mention, only one person called him by that name…
Turning around, Danny stared in surprise at his father who was standing just outside the entrance of the throne room.
"Father…," Danny said quietly.
The King's lips curled into a warm smile, one only reserved for his son.
"Hello, Daniel," he greeted him.
The Ghost King no longer looked like the ferocious creature that had been leading a hostile takeover in the Human World just days ago. Instead, his red eyes were once again filled with warmness; his white hair was tied to compliment his handsome appearance; and his clothing was now a simple yet elegant olive green pants with a simmering gold cape.
For a moment, the Ghost Prince continued to just stare back at his father. He felt a wave of emotions threatening to spill over and urge him to respond as he wanted to the sight of his father after not seeing him for almost six months.
But if there was one thing the Prince had learned from the King, it was pride and self control.
Disbelief melding into a small frown, Danny sighed quietly before coolly saying, "So, you've finally returned…?"
The young hybrid nodded at his own rhetorical question before he suddenly turned on his heels and walked off without another word or glance back.
Vlad blinked at his son's quick change in demeanor and obvious cold shoulder. He had expected Daniel to be upset with his long absence, but not like this…
Frowning, the King followed after his teenage son. If he wasn't so worried, the father would have been amused by how regal and confident his son's strides were.
But he knew Daniel all too well to know it was an act.
Catching up, Vlad leisurely fell in step with Danny as the older hybrid commented a bit teasingly, "I know I probably deserve it, but is this really how you are going to greet me after all this time? …I had expected a more… receptive welcome."
But although he knew his father was just trying to cheer him up, Danny was not in the mood for it. And feeling even more insulted, the Prince halted his steps and turned his full attention to the King.
"You expected a more receptive welcome?" he repeated back as his green eyes glowed with indignation. But then his voice took on a more sarcastic tone as he added, "Oh, yes, of course. Forgive me, my King."
Vlad's eyes slightly widened when his son took a few steps away from him and then gave him an exaggerated and mocking bow.
"Now, excuse me," Danny snapped before he spun back around and marched off, his steps now clearly sharp and angry.
"Daniel," Vlad called with a serious voice.
But when his son continued on, the King rolled his eyes before calling more sternly, "Prince Phantom!"
Danny stopped dead in his tracks, not so much because of the sternness in his father's voice, but because of the title. The times his father addressed him as such were rare, which always threw him off-guard.
Turning back around, the young hybrid stared in displeasure at his father as he crossed his arms and asked, "Yes, King Plasmius?"
The older hybrid raised an eyebrow at his pouting son. For a growing teenage boy who could act beyond his age with a flip of a dime, his son just as quickly could throw quite the temper tantrum.
"Enough with the sarcasm and titles, Daniel," Vlad replied, his tone of voice now laced in anger. "And that mocking bow was uncalled for and certainly not appreciated. If you are this upset with me, then just speak your mind."
"You really want me to speak my mind?" Danny asked angrily. And when his father just continued to stare at him, the teenager nodded. "Very well. But, first, allow me to correct you, Father. I am not upset. I am angry. I am furious with you! You have practically abandoned me for over five months. You have not even send word to me in the past two months, and you have left me beyond worried and fearing something had happened to you! You didn't even bother to show up for your own Formation Day! You—"
"My Formation Day?" Vlad interrupted with a raised eyebrow. "That hardly matters to me, Daniel."
"Well, it does to me!" the Prince exploded. "But, clearly, you don't care for the fact. Clearly, you did not even bother to consider how alone I have felt in the past months!"
"I returned as soon as I could," the King replied seriously as he dared to move closer.
"Of course you did. That makes everything better now. Thank you for that fantastic explanation!" Danny replied sarcastically before walking off again.
But this time, Vlad quickly moved forward and grabbed one of the younger hybrid's arms, stopping him. "Son…," he began in a worried voice.
However, when Danny saw his father's intention of touching his symbol, he quickly phased out of his hold and glared at him with hurt eyes.
"So, you finally remember that you have one?" he snapped.
Vlad stared sadly at him before replying, "I have not forgotten for even a day. You know there is nothing more important or precious to me than you, my son. I promise that I would not have left you alone all this time if I could have helped it."
Danny looked away as he tried to stay mad.
Plasmius gripped his son's chin to get him to look at him as he added, "Daniel, For what it's worth, I am sorry. And you're right. I should have at least sent word to you more often. I got so caught up in what I was doing in the Human World that I…" The older hybrid sighed as he let go of his son and pleaded with all sincerity, "Forgive me, Daniel."
Danny sighed in surrender before quietly nodding. As much as he tried to be angry at his father, he knew that he was more hurt than anything else. Deep down he also knew that his father would not have left for so long unless he had had no choice. And the teen knew all too well how risky it was for his father to attempt any form of contact with the Ghost World while pretending to be human.
"If you want, we can celebrate my Formation Day with yours tomorrow…," his father suddenly suggested with a small encouraging smile. "I'm sure you'll be getting enough gifts for the both of us…"
Danny rolled his eyes with mild amusement; but it quickly melded back into a frown as he replied quietly, "I feared something had happened to you…"
Vlad stepped closer as he answered in regret, "Oh, Daniel. I am alright. And I did not mean to worry you so much."
Danny just quietly nodded.
"Do you think… I could get a proper greeting now?" Vlad asked softly, raising his hand to his son's symbol; and when his son did not pull away, he touched him. "I missed you, little Phantom."
Overwhelmed by his father's emotions touching his soul, especially how he could feel his father's regret at leaving him alone, Danny didn't bother to mask anymore how relieved he was with his father's safe return.
He touched his father back, replying, "And I missed you, Father."
Vlad felt how true that was and how upset his son was with his absence; and unable to control himself any longer, he quickly pulled the younger hybrid into his arms and hugged him tightly.
Danny gripped him back with the same intensity, and all the tension in his body washed away as he welcomed his father's protective and loving embrace.
"Don't leave me like that again," the Prince whispered, but closed his eyes when he felt them begin to water.
Plasmius placed a kiss on his son's head, and replied, "Never again. I promise."
After a moment, they let go; but Vlad readily smirked at his son as he took in his appearance.
"What?" Danny asked before chuckling a bit from happiness and also from the weird look on his father's face.
"I distinctly remember you being shorter six months ago," Plasmius commented thoughtfully, though he was grinning.
The younger hybrid rolled his eyes. "I seriously doubt I've grown any significant amount since you last saw me, Father."
"Well, you are practically fifteen years old. And at your age, children tend to get growth spurts. At least you didn't sprout facial hair. That would have been too shocking for me to return to."
"Ha-ha. Very funny," Danny replied sarcastically; but then he smirked back, and added, "But you know, that wouldn't be as shocking as if I told you I got engaged while in your absence."
"Come again?" Vlad said quickly and his eyes briefly widened.
Danny laughed. "I'm kidding!"
Sighing in relief, Vlad wrapped an arm around his son as he led them down the hall and said calmly, "Daniel, that's not even remotely a joking matter. And we both know you would be grounded for life if you ever got engaged behind my back."
"Father, I'm fifteen and I'm not even romantically involved with anyone. So, why are we even talking about this?" Danny asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You brought it up with that joke, my dear son. I just felt the need to remind you of what would happen if you were ever serious about getting engaged without my consent," Vlad replied with a tone of voice that said he was both teasing and serious about his words.
Danny rolled his eyes again. His father could sometimes be a bit of a… fruit-loop. The teen mentally smirked. He had no idea if that was even a word, but it perfectly fit his father's level of weirdness.
"Now, I don't know about you, but I feel like we are long since due for some father-son bonding," Plasmius continued happily. "I am quite eager to hear all I have missed. And do not think I will allow you to leave out a single detail. We have plenty of time."
But at the mention of time, Danny jolted. "Oh! Geez! Frostbite!"
Vlad stopped and blinked at his son.
"I'm sorry, Father. I cannot. I mean, not now," he quickly corrected himself when his father frowned in displeasure. "I have to go see Frostbite. I told him I would come today, and you know he's quite busy. I cannot just leave him waiting for me." Danny smiled before adding more calmly, "But as soon as I return, we can do all that you said. I definitely have much to tell you. But… perhaps during dinner instead?"
Plasmius sighed in disappointment, but still smiled and nodded. "Of course, my son. It would be wrong of me to keep you from fulfilling your responsibilities with others. I will see you again for dinner."
Danny grinned before flying back over and hugging his father again. "It's good to have you home, Father!"
"Thank you, my son. I am immensely glad to be home… with you," Vlad replied with a warm smile.
But as they pulled away, Danny added, "Oh, I also promised Horris I would come by today. But now that you're home, maybe you should go in my place."
Vlad frowned deeply.
"Ah. Remember what you said about keeping me from fulfilling my responsibilities, Father," Danny retorted with a smirk. "You owe me. Go see Horris in my place, okay? Great!"
And before Vlad could even protest, Danny flew off towards the palace's exit.
Plasmius scoffed; but then he smiled. He really was happy to be home. But although he had come home for his son's birthday, he also had some matters to resolve.
He had a new conquest in mind: Amity Park. And although it had been the first place he had wanted to conquer, the King had held off from that desire for several reasons. But he had also held his hand against them simply to make them suffer as they watched everything around them crumble and fall apart with the knowledge that sooner or later they would be next.
But he had waited long enough. Everything was in place now to make his move on that wretched place. He still had the problem with those ecto-radium shields; but if he acted soon, he might be able to bypass them in the same way he had done in Berlin…
He knew exactly how he was going to put a crack in Amity's defenses. And it meant that he would have to return to the Human World sooner than later. But he wouldn't do that, of course, until he had gathered his best warriors to discuss his plans with them.
Plasmius frowned as he thought about his son once again. He had just promised him he wouldn't again leave him as he had; but though he wouldn't be leaving his son as long as he had when he had attacked Berlin, he would have to leave…
"Daniel will not be very pleased with this, but I will have to find a way to break the news to him. Hmm… It will have to be after his formation celebration tomorrow…"
Plasmius sighed helplessly before shaking his head. "I suppose I best go see Horris…. I can use that time to let him know that I will be calling for a council meeting in two day's time."
The King glanced at a spinning clock on the wall before deciding to just get this over with before he could talk himself out of seeing the old Ancient leader.
When Horris opened the door, he had expected to see the Ghost Prince. But instead, he found the Ghost King.
"King Plasmius…," Horris said in surprise but then he smiled in relief. "It does my core good to see you home at last."
The older hybrid's eyebrows creased slightly as he studied his childhood guardian. Sometimes he forgot how old Horris was...
"How are you, Horris?" he asked quietly.
The Ancient chuckled. "Old. Tired. Nothing new. Please, come in."
Vlad abided and walked into the Head Ancient's abode. He quickly spotted Juukka, who had been sleeping nearby; but at seeing the Ghost King, the wulf-like ghost stared intently at the King.
But there was no warm reception like so many years ago. Instead, the creature just pressed his ears back and seemed saddened and anxious by the King's presence.
Plasmius briefly locked eyes with the wolf-like ghost but then focused back on Horris and said, "Daniel asked me to excuse him. He had another obligation to attend to, and so could not come to see you; but I am here in his place. What did you need, Horris?"
As they entered the living room, the Ancient gestured for the King to take a seat but Vlad just shook his head. The old ghost just sighed and took a seat himself. Clearly, the King had no intention of staying long.
"Well, King Plasmius," he began, "I will admit I had called your son for a friendly visit. I do not get much company nowadays…"
Plasmius frowned at the brief silenced that followed that comment.
But Horris then added, "However, I had also called him to ask about you. But here you are."
"Yes…," the King answered. "I returned just a couple hours ago. However, I will not be staying long. I have to continue with my plans before anything changes in the Human World."
"I see…," Horris replied with a small frown.
"Actually, it is fortunate I came to see you," Vlad continued. "I want to inform you that there will be a High Council meeting in two days time. Noon sounds acceptable. I will tell you and the rest of the council more on what is happening with the humans and my future plans."
Horris nodded.
"Well, then, I best take my leave. I expect you will be at my son's formation celebration?" Vlad asked.
"I will try my best," Horris answered.
Plasmius nodded. He glanced at Juukka one last time before he turned to leave.
"I hope you can one day forgive me," Horris abruptly said.
Vlad stopped and turned to face the ghost. "Forgive you for what, Horris?"
"For not telling you about your mother's counterspell. For… whatever reasons you want nothing more to do with me," Horris said as he looked at his former protégé with remorse and sadness.
Plasmius crossed his arms and sighed. He then shook his head. "Horris, I have already forgiven you for that. Yes, I was upset you never told me about my mother, but it is in the past, and… I can now understand your reasons."
"Then, why do you treat me so coldly?" Horris asked.
"I have no hate towards you, Horris. In fact, I will always have nothing but care and respect for you," Vlad answered seriously. "You just continue to insist that I be someone I am not anymore. I have a Kingdom to run; a son to protect; and an entire world filled with enemies to defeat. I am no longer that naïve and weak child you practically raised. I wish you would accept that."
"You were never weak, Vlad," Horris dared to say. "A compassionate core is not a weakness."
"But it is a luxury I cannot afford," Plasmius answered gravely. "Now, I must go. I have to meet with Skulker before dinnertime." He glanced at Juukka again before suddenly asking, "Juukka is combat trained, correct? And he has telepathic abilities?"
Horris looked uncertainly at the King. "Yes, that is correct."
"I might be in need of his unique abilities," Vlad informed him as he continued to look thoughtfully at the wulf-like ghost.
But hearing this, Juukka whined anxiously.
"King Plasmius…," Horris began worriedly. "Juukka… He might be combat trained, and he is powerful, but he is very innocent… And, he is all I have. If something were to happen to him, I would be devastated. You see, we take care of each other."
"Do not fear, Horris," Vlad replied. "I would never let anything happen to him. And I would only need him for a day. He would be of great help to me."
Horris sighed as he looked at Juukka. "If you truly need him, then he is at your disposal, King Plasmius."
The older hybrid nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Horris. I will see you tomorrow."
"Be well, my… King," Horris answered quietly.
Vlad's eyebrows creased; and this time, he hesitated in his departure. But then, after nodding, he left.
As soon as he was gone, Juukka was on his feet with a growl.
"Easy, Juukka. Do not be angry," Horris asked as the creature stood on its two legs in front of him. "You know I cannot deny him anything. If by allowing him your services, I can help him, then I will. Besides, I believe he will take care of you."
Juukka whined before he replied mentally, "But you need me." The wulf-like ghost then growled as he added in aggravation, "You should have told him. If he knew, he would not allow me to separate from you!"
"Do you really think he would care?" Horris asked.
"He cares. I can sense it in him," Juukka answered.
Horris smiled. "Then I will tell him; but you must promise me you will help him if he asks. In anything he wants; even if it means leaving me."
Juukka sat back on all fours and his ears pressed back. With a soft purr, he placed his head on Horris' lap and replied mentally, "Of course I promise. I will do anything for you."
Horris stroked his companion on the head as he replied, "Thank you."
"Uncle Vlad," Ember blinked in surprise when she opened the door and found the King at the door.
"Hello, Ember. I have come to speak with your—" Plasmius chuckled, "… other uncle."
Ember grinned. "Yeah. He's in his workshop finishing some repairs on his suit. I'll go get him. Oh, and it's good to have you back!"
Before he could reply, Ember had already turned and run off while yelling, "Uncle Skulker! Guess who's back?"
Vlad watched her go in slight amusement before he walked further into the house and then took a seat on his friend's couch.
A few minutes later, Skulker appeared, followed by Ember.
"Plasmius! It's about time you show up!" he said angrily. "I kept trying to communicate with you, but you blocked my connection with your own communicator!"
"Calm down, Skulker," Vlad replied as he raised a hand in a pacifying gesture. "I have an explanation."
"It better be good," Skulker growled back.
Ember stood awkwardly to the side. She didn't know of anyone, save for Danny, who actually had the guts to speak to the King like this.
"Uh, I'll go get us something to drink!" the teenager said, and then quickly left.
Vlad just glanced at the ghost girl before he turned back to his friend, and said, "I was in Germany…"
"I know that," Skulker snapped, crossing his arms. "I hope that is not your 'explanation.'"
Vlad narrowed his eyes slightly at his friend in warning. "As I was saying, I was in Germany. As you know, Berlin was Germany's last stronghold, and I knew it needed to be defeated from the inside. However, things were more difficult than I had expected. Those blasted ecto-radium shields are everywhere. I almost aborted the takeover. However, Technus got the idea to use a computer virus to take down the shields. He was able to program a virus but it was too complex to be uploaded onto just one microchip. He needed a computer and we both knew that would be too obvious. It was already going to be quite a feat to access the German government's database without drawing any suspicion; even with my abilities it would be no easy task to infiltrate its facilities."
Skulker frowned. He knew that by 'abilities', his friend meant his ability to become human.
"And so, the only inconspicuous computer system I had which would serve my purposes was my communicator, being that it is cloaked as a simple wrist watch. Technus inserted the virus within the device's internal system. I had no choice but to block my link with you to keep the virus from infecting and destroying your communicator's system as well. Fortunately, it worked. I used the hidden virus in my watch to infect the government's network. It then easily spread through the rest of Berlin's computers and systems, including the mainframe for their ghost shield. Thanks to that, we were able to take down Germany's last resistance within a week after crashing their network."
"You were gone almost six months," Skulker reminded him, but he sounded a lot calmer now.
"Yes, because it took me almost five months to infiltrate Germany's government to then gain access to their network," Vlad answered, annoyed.
"I see…," Skulker muttered.
"Believe me, Skulker. I would not have left as long as I did if I could have avoided it; but it was my only choice. And now, I am forced to leave soon again—"
"What?!" Ember abruptly interrupted when she returned with drinks just as the King had said this. " You just got here! Does Danny know?"
Plasmius frowned at the girl before saying with slight warning, "No, and I do not want him to know until I deem it time."
Ember just nodded and placed the drinks down on the table before going over to sit at a chair nearby, and just quietly listened. Her friend was going to be really upset when he found out...
Returning to what they had been speaking about, Skulker suddenly realized, "You are planning to try the same thing in Amity Park. That is why you sent Nocturne on a mission there not to long ago."
"Correct," Plasmius replied. "Although I am well aware of how the ghost shields work, I still sent Nocturne to attempt a mock attack just to test the strength of the shield and in hopes that he and the Sleepwalkers gather further information that can be of help to us."
"How soon are you going to attempt the first strike on Amity?" Skulker asked hesitantly as he briefly glanced at his niece.
"In a week's time, I hope," the King answered. "It must be soon if my plan is to work. I will be meeting with Nocturne, and the rest of my warriors to plan the attack. I will need your help for this one, too, my friend…"
"Of course," Skulker answered. "I did get your message from Nocturne, and I have been periodically scouting out Amity Park in the past month as you wanted. In fact, I went with Nocturne and the Sleepwalkers during that mock invasion… Of course, I stayed hidden, and just watched all that was happening…"
The hunter paused before he scoffed in disgust, and said, "You are right. There are some new ghost hunters around, and they are human whelps. I believe two are working with that Guys-in-White hunter…"
"Yes, I am aware of those two…," Plasmus sneered.
"There are others, though. They might be working with the Fentons," Skulker said. "They are less conspicuous than those two children that work for Chrome. But according to Nocturne, who had a confrontation with these whelps, they are trained enough to be considered a threat."
Vlad shook his head. "Humans do not even have respect for their young anymore…. Unfortunately, it also puts an uncontrollable variable in my plans… You know I have the means to monitor the adult ghost hunters in that cursed place, but… children are an entirely different matter…"
Ember raised an eyebrow as she wondered how the King could 'monitor' the adult hunters… But she knew better than to ask. There were some things only the King and her uncle knew about.
"I had Ember also do some scouting," her uncle suddenly said; and she slightly startled with the mention of her name.
Plasmius instantly looked at Ember; but then with a heavy frown, he turned his eyes back to Skulker.
"She volunteered," the Hunter explained, matching the King's look. "And you know how I feel about this issue."
"Yes, Skulker, I know," Vlad replied angrily. "However, we are talking about Amity Park." He glanced at the girl again as he added, "You are risking a lot."
Ember hesitated before she spoke up, "I want to help, Uncle Vlad. You know that. And the reason why I went there is because Nocturne told us that those ghost hunter teens are doing more than just hunting. I went out there to use my guitar to test if there are any sound waves around. My uncle suspects the hunters are trying to find a way to keep the shields up permanently."
"Did you find anything to suggest that?" Vlad asked seriously.
Ember nodded. "My guitar found a trace of sound waves around the towers that create the shield. When I got closer to inspect it, I found these camouflaged transmitters on those towers. I'm not sure what they do, but they are emitting some kind of signal…"
"But that is not the only reason I suspect those hunters are trying to improve the shields, Plasmius," Skulker continued, "The Fentons were spotted in here—near the Nova Field close to the prison… They seem highly interested in the Energy Novas, and that cannot mean good news."
Plasmius growled. "Curses! If only I could find the opening to that blasted man-made portal! Those humans are becoming a thorn in my side that I am soon not going to tolerate anymore!"
Staring at his friend, he muttered angrily, "I doubt they were captured." And when the Hunter shook his head in confirmation, the King asked, "Were they at least stopped from doing whatever they had in mind?"
Skulker hesitated this time. "I believe so, but I think it is best you speak to the only one who actually saw them…"
"Who saw them?" Vlad asked with a confused frown.
Ember and Skulker glanced at each other before Skulker answered, "… Your son."
Back in Amity Park, Tom had just returned from a two-day undercover operation in Wisconsin. Being that the place was one of the few states now under the Ghost King's rule, Tom's trip to the place had been very risky.
Naturally, with the place under ghostly rule, there was no ghost shields, which meant ghosts were roaming free. And the Ghost King always made sure that at least a few of his guards were always patrolling 'his territories' for any rebel groups.
But a lot of these rebel groups were being supported by the Guys-in-White, which was precisely why he had gone to Wisconsin.
Tom had gone to meet up with the rebel group living underground. The group was being led by one of his undercover agents. They needed supplies, which Tom and a group of his own men had gone to personally deliver.
The operation had been particularly dangerous because the main ghost in charge of watching over Wisconsin and other conquered territories in the United States was a ghost knight that called himself 'Fright Knight'. Apparently, though, even the Fright Knight had left his usual duties to assist the Ghost King in the efforts to take over Germany.
As a result, it had been quiet in Wisconsin. They had not run into any serious threats; only low-ranking ghosts had been patrolling the area. However, the creatures had been easy to evade, and Tom and his men had managed to bring in the supplies for the rebel group without detection.
However, he had left his men to finish up there; and he had returned back to Amity Park to get ready for a briefing he would be having with all his generals the next morning. Tom was currently planning a counter-attack on the ghost race, and he needed to do it soon—now that the Ghost King was feeling overconfident with his takeover of Berlin.
It was why the GiW leader was currently working on a list of Plasmius' top warriors; and his undercover men were working to get him Intel about these ghosts and any possible weaknesses they might have. They would also be discussing these findings at tomorrow's meeting.
So far, the list of the Ghost King's more dangerous warriors were Fright Knight, Skulker, Nocturne, Technus, Walker, and the newest was an ice ghost named Frostbite—though this specific ghost had only been seen once before. As if these demons were not trouble enough, they also led legions of their own. For such instinctual beasts, the Ghost Race was, unfortunately, well-organized.
Tom knew he had a long night ahead of him. So, he decided to first head to his personal lab at the GiW headquarters to get himself a shot of that regenerative ghost energy serum he used on himself. He was already feeling the effects of withdraw from not taking a shot for a couple weeks now. He couldn't go another day without one.
He knew he was addicted to the stuff; but he didn't care. It made him stronger, faster, more focused. A perfect killing machine. He just loved how invincible it made him feel.
However, just as he entered his lab, he was greeted by the sight of Penelope, who was curiously watching the trapped Sleepwaker still within the ghost chamber.
"Penelope," Tom said with a sigh. "What brings you here?"
Spectra in her human disguise turned and grinned at the hunter. "Tommy! I didn't know I needed a reason to visit my favorite ghost hunter!"
"It's late, and I have a lot of work to do. So unless you have something important to say to me, then go away," Tom said with annoyance as he walked past the female ghost, and pretended to be there for the trapped ghost in the containment unit. No one knew that he took the energy serum shots; and he wanted it to stay that way. So, he was more than eager for the female ghost to leave.
However, before the hunter could get close to the containment unit, Penelope suddenly stepped in front of the man, then turned and pressed herself against him.
"Aww, Tommy, don't be so mean!" she cooed as she grabbed his hands and wrapped them around her body. "It's been like a month since we've seen each other. Come on. Admit it. You miss me!"
Agent C didn't answer, and instead hungrily studied the ghost pressed against him. But it wasn't because he was attracted to the demon female; not at all. He was actually more interested in the glow around her skin. The cool, yet tingly feel of her reminded him of the energy just below her skin…
He really needed a shot.
He didn't know what he was going to do if he ran out of the key ingredient before he could get his hands on the only source. The Prince's core energy was the only thing that could make normal ghost energy compatible with his human cells. Without it, the serum would be useless…
Placing a hand on her shoulder, Tom then ran his hand down her arm as he muttered, "Tell me you bring me good news, and I might consider telling you what you want to hear…"
"Well…" Spectra began hesitantly; but she didn't get to finish.
Tom suddenly shoved her away, and said coldly, "Wrong answer."
Penelope scowled. "I didn't say anything!"
"You don't need to. Your tone of voice says it all." But feeling himself losing control of his growing frustration, Tom added in a sneer, "It has been years, Penelope, and I still don't have Plasmius's spawn in my hands like you promised me! I'm beginning to wonder why I ever thought you'd be useful!"
Spectra narrowed her eyes. "You're the one that didn't kill him when I did put him in your hands. So, guess what? It's not as easy anymore. Danny doesn't trust me, and he isn't the stupid little brat you let slip through your fingers!"
Tom abruptly whirled around; and grasping the female ghost by the shoulders, he yelled, I don't want to your excuses! I want that demon spawn's core! So, you better find a way to bring that brat to me or what I did to your sister is going to be nothing in comparison to what I do to you!"
"Let go!" Spectra hissed as she yanked away from the man's almost inhuman grasp on her. But though her glare never faltered, she was secretly scared of the wild look in the hunter's eyes.
But when Tom's green eyes narrowed further in fury, the female ghost exclaimed, "Just what do you want me to do? Danny isn't going to come out here on his own! And I can't even lure him into a trap when he's guarded more than the Ghost King!"
"Then find another way!" Thomas snapped back. "Hell, I'll give you a ghost trap; just trap that little demon in it and bring him to me!"
"Ugh! Are you even listening to a word I'm telling you?" Spectra asked with exasperation. "He. Is. Too. Guarded!" But when the hunter's glare remained firm on his face, the female ghost sighed loudly. "Alright! Fine! Just… give me more time. I want you to have my nephew as much as you do. I just need to find an opening or something that I can use to get him to come out here…"
Tom still looked displeased, but he didn't say anymore, and went over to the Sleepwalker. He glared at it as he forced himself to calm down.
"Has Plasmius returned from Germany…?" Tom then asked soberly.
Spectra smirked. "I heard he was… I haven't seen him yet, though. I also heard he's enjoying his latest victory over you, Tommy."
"You're really pushing it today," Tom warned as he turned back around and glared at the ghost.
Penelope just laughed before daring to move close to the man again; but this time, she got behind him and began to message his shoulders, "I'm just teasing. You need to relax, Tommy…" But pulling closer she added in a whisper, "You know, my offer's still in place… You could take me to your house. I'll help you relax."
The hunter scoffed. "I already told you, I'm not interested in contaminating myself with ghost scum."
Spectra let him go and shrugged. "Your loss…" But then she smiled as she moved back in front of him. "I did bring a gift for you… I probably shouldn't give it to you after how you've treated me… But…"
Spectra reached into her purse and pulled out a single Blood Blossom.
"A glowing flower?" Tom asked, unimpressed.
The flower was very bright with its bud closed, which meant it had yet to blossom.
"Not just any flower, Tommy," Penelope replied smugly. "This is a blood blossom. Very nutritional to ghosts once it's in its mature state… But in its immature state, like this one… it can be deadly to ghosts."
Tom's expression quickly melded into curiosity. "Interesting… But what am I supposed to do with a single flower?"
"I'll get to that in a minute," Spectra said with a smirk. "But, first, a story! Okay, so, when my sister was alive and almost all the main portals were closed, the Ghost World had been struggling with a shortage of blood blossoms. They were dying off or not blossoming, and my sister had been working with a ghost named Vortex—powerful ghost, by the way!—to figure out why. The main thing a blood blossom needs is heat. They live in very hot places. But long story short, my sister never figured out why the blossoms were dying. But then, with her death and the opening of the portals, the blood blossoms began to bounce back. Anyways, I heard that it is now believed that aside from heat, blood blossoms require one other thing: oxygen."
Tom frowned. "But oxygen is a minor gas in the Ghost World, isn't it?"
Penelope nodded. "Exactly! So because the portals had been closed, they were not getting enough oxygen. But now, even though Plasmius has closed off the permanent portals, the temporary portals that open at night bring in enough oxygen for these plants to thrive again."
"That's all very interesting, but so what?" Tom replied, crossing his arms.
"Come on, Tom, even I can figure it out and I'm not into biology or science or whatever," Spectra replied, rolling her eyes. "I brought you one because this ghost plant has evolved to adapt in both the Human and Ghost World. Imagine what you could do if you cultivated these beauties…?"
Tom rubbed at the claw marks on his cheek as he said thoughtfully, "You make a good point… And I've always wanted to develop a green thumb…"
He grabbed the flower from Penelope and studied it with growing intrigue.
"They're very easy to cultivate. The blossom seeds are inside the flower. Just plant them. Feed em'. Talk nice to em'. You get the picture," Spectra said with a cunning grin.
Tom looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Sometimes I wonder why you still help me…? Is killing off your nephew so important to you that you would put your kind in danger?"
"I would hand you the Ghost World on a silver platter if that's what it took to get rid of that brat," Penelope sneered. "I hate him. He's the one thing that has been standing in my way of getting what I want. If he were dead, the King would already be eating from my hands…"
"You mean he would already be in your bed," Tom said with a chuckle.
"That, too," Spectra answered with a dark smirk.
"Yes, well, I hope you're not too attached to him, considering that I do plan to rip him to pieces one of these days…"
"Don't forget our deal, Tommy," Penelope answered as she moved closer and began to run a hand down the man's clothed chest. "I get you intel on Plasmius and hand over Danny to you… and you hold off your blood lust long enough for me to get the throne and have my way with the Ghost King. After that, he's all yours…. But not a moment before."
Tom quickly grasped the ghost by the neck and pulled her even closer. "You might not want to take too long to keep your end of that bargain… I might just get tired of waiting…"
"Patience," she replied seductively. "Just keep the King busy with this little war you two have going on. All I need is one chance. One. And I'll get my little nephew right where I want him… He might be older, but he's still weak. You really messed up his core, Tommy…"
"Good. He messed up my face," the hunter hissed back as he released the female ghost. "But whether his core is messed up or not, I still want it. I want him, Penelope. And you better deliver soon."
"Yeah. Yeah. We already talked about this," she answered in annoyance; but then she brightened again, and said in a purr, "I better get going... I want to go see my King."
Tom rolled his eyes; but right then, he heard a knock on the lab door, and the hunter turned towards it just as a familiar face walked in.
"Samantha…"
Sam paused at seeing that her uncle was not alone. She frowned at the woman, who was looking at her with curiosity… and something else.
"Uncle...Sorry, I didn't know you had… company."
"Penelope was just leaving," Tom said as he shot the woman a look.
The female ghost grinned as she replied, "I sure was…" But she abruptly grabbed Tom by his jacket and pulled him into a kiss; and before he could react, she just as quickly pulled away and whispered, "Niece, eh? …She looks… delicious..."
The hunter resisted the urge to scowl at the woman and just watched her leave.
"And here I thought you were all work, Uncle," Sam spoke up as she walked further into the lab, but paused when she noticed the weak Sleepwalker trapped in a ghost-proof cage.
"She's no one important," Tom replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Right…," Sam answered sarcastically; but her eyes were on the ghost in the lab. She then asked, "Why are you keeping this ghost captive? Why not just kill it? Isn't that what you do?"
"Sometimes a live specimen is better than a dead one," Tom said as he walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "And let's not forget I'm not the only one in the family that has become 'pro-killing', Sammy."
Unknowingly to the Fentons, Thomas Chrome knew all about his niece's ghost hunting—he knew that, and a lot more.
The girl turned around to face the man, who was forced to remove his hand from her, as she tersely responded, "Not because I like it. No one should stand around and allow others to be enslaved by evil beings—whether they are human or ghost. I won't let that happen, especially in the place I consider my home—not without a fight. And you know that's why I ghost hunt. I'm trying to protect the people I care about. But you, uncle… You do it for pleasure. And one more thing, it's Sam."
"Come on, Sammy, we both know it's all the same thing. The thrill of the hunt is as satisfying as your reason for doing it," Tom answered with a calm smile. "I told you before, darling, I'm the good guy. We're the good-guys. So why not enjoy what we do? Protecting the innocent is just a bonus."
"Good guys… Yeah, and in the name of doing good, I bet it justifies all the horrible things we've done," Sam replied sarcastically.
Tom frowned as he studied the girl for a moment before saying, "Sammy—"
"It's Sam!" the girl snapped back.
Tom sighed. "Sam, I know you're angry with me about all that's happened in the last couple years. But just because this war has made me make some… hard decisions, it does not mean I have stopped caring or loving you. Sam, you're my niece—my only niece—and I would give my life for you. You're very important to me, and all I want is to protect you… even if it also means from yourself."
"Yeah, and that justifies everything for you, doesn't it?" Sam answered angrily. "You can say you love me or care for me all you want, but your actions speak differently. Nothing justices what you've done! And you might be my uncle, but that doesn't mean I have to like you. And lately, I don't even know if I even care about you anymore."
Tom's eyes narrowed slightly as the girl's words jolted his heart. "Don't forget you chose all this, Samantha," he reminded her coldly. "You're where you are because it was your decision. You wanted be a ghost hunter; well, you have to play by my terms. And you might not like them, but it assures me you are at least relatively safe—"
"It assures you a lot more than that," Sam said with a scoff.
"Like I've told you before, you can walk away at anytime..." Tom answered seriously.
Sam narrowed her eyes, but then just shook her head and sighed. She didn't even know why she was wasting her breath. To her uncle, his actions were justified. And the reality was that she could protest all she wanted, but he was right. She had made the choices that her uncle was now taking advantage of. But she couldn't walk away. She just couldn't.
And that made her as bad as him, because she was helping him. She was helping him take advantage of good people that had put their trust in her...
Sam quietly went over to a lab table and put the backpack she had brought with her on top of it. She had come to keep her end of the bargain, and she might as well just get it over with so she could head home.
"Here. I took a few pictures on the Fentons' latest projects. I'm sure you'll find them interesting…"
Tom grabbed the stack of pictures his niece handed him and began to look at them briefly before placing them to the side and saying, "I'll have to review them carefully when I have time. What happened with the ecto-converter that they were making?"
Sam rummaged through her backpack again before pulling out an extra receptor she had kept from when she had helped the Fentons place them around the towers.
"We placed receptors like this one around the towers," she replied as she also handed her uncle the extra receptor. "The way it works is that each receptor gives off an inaudible signal to the Ecto-converter, which is now connected to the shield's mainframe… Everything went perfect, but it still didn't work. Even with all the temporary portals; they are just not open long enough for the converter to pull in enough energy to power all the towers…"
Sam sighed again. "I really thought it would work this time…"
Tom shook his head. "Well, I never had too much hope in that project anyways. Did you get what I asked you for?"
Sam frowned in annoyance before she pulled out the Specter Deflector she gotten from Jazz just two days ago. "I already brought you one of these. I don't know why you needed another one. Not to mention, I brought you pictures of the blueprints for these belts so you could make your own or improve them or whatever it is you wanted them for. So, I don't get why I had to practically steal another of these belts for you. You do realize that my whole excuse of, 'My belt or weapon got destroyed by a ghost', isn't gonna stick one of these days, right? You're going to blow my cover at this rate."
"Relax, Sammy," Tom answered calmly as he took the Specter Deflector from his niece. "You know I mainly want you to just keep an eye on the Fentons for me; so I won't be asking you to bring me anything else for a while. Actually, I asked you for another of these anti-ghost belts because I have…" He smiled secretly. "—a project in mind; and well, I don't have time to make one from scratch right now…"
The GiW leader studied the belt with a gleam in his eye. He actually wanted the anti-ghost device for his secret weapon… If he was able to tweak it as he had in mind, it would be quite beneficial to Gregor.
Tom's smile widened as he looked back at his niece. "Thank you, Sam. I'm really glad you're back from Wisconsin. I missed my little spy."
Sam rolled her eyes. "I don't even know why you spy on the Fentons. I mean, just work with them! Wouldn't that be easier?"
"You know I've tried," Tom answered with a shrug. "But they didn't want to cooperate with the government. I had no choice but to get those laws passed that prohibit anyone from interfering in this war, unless they work in hand with the Guys-in-White. They refused; so they lost their credentials and credibility as ghost hunters and inventors."
The hunter smirked as he added, "I could technically have them arrested at any time I want because they really shouldn't be ghost hunting anymore… But I know of their many talents—and as long as I can monitor them and they don't get in my way, I won't stop them. And with your help, I can even gain some advantage from having the Fentons around…So, thank you, Sammy. Your help is indispensable."
"Whatever," Sam replied tersely as she zipped up her bag and then placed it on her back. "Just keep your end of our deal, Uncle."
The teenage girl turned to leave; but she didn't even take a step forward before her uncle suddenly stopped her by grabbing her by an arm.
Sam sighed in annoyance, and asked with impatience, "What?"
"I mean it, Sam. I love you," Tom said sincerely before leaning forward and kissing the girl on the cheek.
The girl lowered her gaze to hide the pain reflecting in her violet eyes. She knew deep down she still loved him, too. She still remembered all the good times they had together when she was a kid. She had even looked up to him at one point… But he stilled scared her. The things he had done and the things he could still do… She didn't know how much longer she could keep the good memories alive when the things he was doing now were burying them further and further down each day…
She felt so much resentment towards him… but not hate.
"Good night, Uncle," she answered stoically before pulling away from him and heading towards the lab's exit.
But then, just as she was about to leave, she remembered something; and she paused to look at her uncle with a brief scowl.
"One more thing, Uncle Tom," she said with thick annoyance. "I'd appreciate it if you stop talking to your little soldiers about me. I don't enjoy being anyone's private joke!"
Tom instantly smirked. He knew she was talking about Gregor. The teen was the only person to whom he spoke about his niece.
And though the ghost hunter was not aware of Gregor's recent encounter with Sam, the man was aware of her niece's encounter with the 'White Hunter'.
"Oh, right… I heard you ran into the… 'White Hunter'…. What did you think of him?" the man asked in a mixture of amusement and intrigue.
Sam's eyes narrowed further. "He works for you. You can imagine what I think of him," she answered before she finally left.
Tom chuckled. "Oh, Sammy… If only you knew."
In the Ghost World, the Ghost King stormed into the palace as he muttered angrily, "Calm? He wants me to be calm about this?"
Although Skulker had not told him all the details of Daniel's encounter with the Fentons, he had told him enough to bring him right back home to speak with his son. The hunter believed it was best that the Prince explained things to him. And of course, Skulker advised him to listen and remain calm.
But even if he wanted to try, Plasmius could not. Just the thought of his son putting himself in danger by being out on his own… And out of all ghost hunters, it had to be the Fentons that he had encountered!
"Dora!" Vlad called when he spotted the dragon maid in the hallway.
The female ghost, who was carrying a shimmering silver outift in her arms, jumped in surprise and almost dropped the clothing. She gasped as she clutched it against her before sighing in relief.
But remembering the King, she blinked at him and said, "King Plasmius! You have returned!" But then she smiled as she added a bit excitedly, "Oh, how grand!"
"Where is my son?" Vlad demanded with barely contained anger.
Dora hesitated this time, but then smiled again as she replied, "I left him in his dormitory. He will be wearing this royal attire tomorrow. Isn't it lovely?"
Plasmius just glanced at the clothing before moving past the female ghost without a word.
Dora squeaked. "Sire, just a moment! We must discuss your wardrobe for tomorrow, too!"
But much to the dragon maid's displeasure, the King just kept walking.
"As if I care about clothing at a time like this," Plasmius muttered in annoyance to himself. "How? How in blazes am I supposed to protect my own child when he deliberately defies me as soon as I turn my back on him?"
"Vlad!"
Plasmius stopped and turned, ready to explode on whoever it was that had dared to keep him from reaching his son. But the moment he saw who it was exactly, his anger faltered.
"Spectra…," he said with slight surprise.
The female shadow ghost squeaked in delighted before she flew over to the male ghost and hugged him. "I heard you were back, but… I can't believe it! I'm so happy to see you!"
Vlad tensed with the female ghost's proximity, but then he relaxed and just lightly hugged her back.
When she pulled away, Spectra smiled and placed a hand against the King's face. "You have no idea how worried we were. You were gone for a long time."
Vlad grabbed her hand and politely lowered it from his face before replying calmly, "Yes….I did not expect to be away for so long, but it was necessary. How are you?"
Spectra grinned. "Much better now that you're here." She glanced down at her hand which the King was still holding by the wrist as she added, "I hope when you're not busy we can… catch up?"
Plasmius let go of her wrist as he nodded. "Of course. But I must leave you now. I have an urgent matter to discuss with my son."
"Oh?" Spectra asked curiously as she heard a hint of anger in the King's voice.
But right then, Danny suddenly rounded the corner and froze when he saw his father and aunt there.
"Oh… You have returned…," the young hybrid said with a bit of surprise. He thought his father would take longer. Horris's home was pretty far away, after all.
Plasmius narrowed his eyes slightly at the teenager as he replied in a hard voice, "Yes… I returned for us to talk about all that you have been doing in my absence. And I would like to start with how you placed yourself in danger by going off on your own when I strictly told you to have Wulf accompany you at all times!"
The Prince's eyes widened before he glanced at his aunt.
"Don't look at me, Danny. I didn't tell him about that," Spectra quickly said as she raised her hands in front of her.
"I hope you were not thinking I would not find out, Daniel," Vlad added angrily.
The younger hybrid frowned in response. He knew his father would find out about his encounter with the human hunters, but not so soon. He had not even gotten the chance to prepare himself for this. And by the look and sound of it, his father was as furious as the Prince had feared. The question now was… just how much did his father know?
"If you allow me, I will explain, Father," Danny finally replied carefully.
"By all means. That is, if there is an explanation for your disobedience!" Vlad snapped.
But when his son fell quiet again, the older hybrid sighed deeply to calm down a bit. He absolutely hated arguing with his son, especially now when he just got home. But as typical, his son never left him any choice.
Vlad then asked with more worry than anger this time, "What were you thinking, Daniel? You could have been captured, or hurt, or who knows what else!"
"Father, I am capable of defending myself," Danny answered, only to regret it.
"Do not pull that excuse with me as if that justifies your disobedience and foolishness!" Plasmius exclaimed. "You have no idea what the humans are capable of!"
Danny's eyes brightened as he became furious by the other hybrid's words. "You really think that, Father? Because I'm pretty sure I am well aware!"
"I meant," Vlad said through clenched teeth, "that you do not have experience in combat, let alone with human hunters!"
"Yes, and you know why?" Danny answered back with fisted hands. "Because you've never bothered to teach me!"
"Teach you? How about you first learn to obey me!"
"I would if you wouldn't make it impossible for me, Father!" Danny yelled back.
Plasmius' eyes darkened; but just as he stepped forward with the intention of teaching his son some respect, Spectra suddenly grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"Vlad," she said with a small frown. "I don't mean to get between you two, but… you're being too hard on Danny."
The Prince's glare melded into a surprised look. His aunt was actually defending him?
"Look," Spectra continued before the King could reply, "I know for a fact that Danny never goes anywhere without Wulf. He won't even go anywhere with me just because he doesn't want to disobey you! So, don't you think you should at least let him explain things before you yell at him?"
Plasmius's hard expression turned into a deep frown as he replied, "Spectra, I appreciate your concern, but—"
"Vlad, you just got back after almost six months," the female ghost interrupted him with a hand on her hip. "Is this really how you two are going to spend your first night together after so long?"
Danny lowered his gaze when his Father glanced at him and said nothing.
Spectra grinned victoriously before she then gave Vlad a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good! Now you boys play nice! Vlad, we'll catch up later! Bye!"
Danny watched his aunt leave, but then turning his eyes to his Father, he found the older ghost staring at him.
"Come… let us continue this discussion over dinner…"
Danny hesitated before nodding and quietly following after his father.
As the two sat down, they waited to be served in complete silence.
Danny felt his core clench in sadness as he thought over his aunt's words. He realized that arguing with his Father was quickly becoming a common occurrence. Just a few hours prior, they had been hugging and expressing how happy they were to see each other… And now…
But it's not like the Prince purposely wanted to disobey or upset his father; and it wasn't his fault the older hybrid was so closed-minded! He never listened to him!
Soon, the two were served dinner and left alone, save for Derek who just went to stand beside the dinning room's entrance in case the King or Prince required anything else. Usually, Dora would also join the two hybrids for dinner; but apparently the dragon maid was too busy with the preparation for Danny's birthday celebration…
The young hybrid was hardly hungry anymore, but he just started eating to distract himself.
"Daniel…"
The Prince's fork stilled on his plate, and he looked over at the King.
"I apologize for reacting as I did," Vlad said seriously; but then his eyebrows creased as he added with deeper distress, "But please understand how troubling it is for me to know you could have been hurt. I know you feel that you are old enough to protect yourself. And yes, you have grown up, my son. But that does not exempt you from danger. Daniel, any human hunter would do the impossible to get their hands on you… and I do not want that to happen ever again."
"I know," Danny replied softly as he stared down at his food. "And I'm sorry. I needed to see... Walker, and I guess I got a bit impatient. I should have waited for Wulf."
He hated to lie to his father; but if his father knew he had really gone to see Clockwork… There would be nothing that would keep the King's wrath at bay, then.
"Skulker told me you spotted the humans near the Nova Field near the prison," Vlad continued more calmly.
Danny looked up at his father with a small frown. So, it had been Skulker who told his father about that…
He sighed softly. He supposed it was better this way. If his father had been told by anyone else, the Prince was sure they wouldn't even be trying to talk about this.
"What else did he tell you…?" the teen asked carefully.
Plasmius raised an eyebrow. "Not much more… He told me to ask you the rest…"
Danny hesitated as he thought of those Ecto-radium shields. Should be tell him?
But noticing his son's nervousness and guessing its reason, Vlad frowned as he asked, "You engaged them, didn't you?"
Danny could only nod his response.
"Daniel…," Plasmius said as he pinched the bridge of his nose before asking with a bit of anger. "What were you thinking?"
"Father, please," Danny quickly said in hopes of avoiding what would escalate back to a full-fledged argument. "You must understand me, too. You are not the only one with a responsibility to protect this Kingdom—this world! I could not just stand there, and let them get away with whatever they were doing! I had at least try to stop them!"
"No, Daniel. Protecting the Kingdom is my duty—not yours. Not yet," Vlad said seriously. "You should have alerted Walker or one of my warriors."
"By the time I would have done that, those human hunters would have gotten away!" Danny protested.
"They got away anyways, Daniel!" Vlad answered forcibly.
Danny frowned. "How do you know that? Did Skulker tell you more than what you've told me?"
"As I said, he told me to ask you about it. But it is obvious that those humans were not captured—otherwise, Walker would have told me by now."
"Well, you guessed right… They got away. I used my Ghostly Wail against their ship… But I weakened before I could subdue them…" Danny stated bitterly.
Vlad sighed. He couldn't believe his son took such a gamble. Using his Ghost Wail? Anĝela had advised him against using the power.
"Did they hurt you? Are you alright?" Vlad asked in concern.
Danny replied. "I'm alright, and they did not hurt me."
Yet as he said this, he grabbed his right hand. The burn had long since healed; but knowing his father, he was afraid the older hybrid would somehow know he had been hurt.
"We should visit Anĝela tomorrow, just in case," Vlad decided.
"Father, that was three days ago. I feel fine," Danny insisted.
"It will make me feel better," Vlad answered in a tone that said his mind was made up on the matter.
Danny sighed, and just picked up his fork and went back to his food.
Vlad also returned to eating and the room quieted once more.
The Prince continued to internally debate whether or not he should tell his father about the ecto-radium shields. The teen wanted so badly for this war to end. Maybe then things would get better between him and his father… But then it meant helping his father ultimately enslave all humanity…
Was he willing to do that?
"If it's the only way," Danny thought with a troubled sigh.
Making up his mind, the teen put down his fork and addressed the King again. "Father… Skulker told me of your difficulty in the Human World and about those ecto-radium shields…"
Plasmius narrowed his eyes a bit. "Yes… Things have become complicated. Still, it is only a matter of time before I succeed."
"What if I knew of a way you could succeed sooner?" Danny asked. "What if there was something I could do?"
Vlad set his own fork down as he replied sternly, "I will not allow you to involve yourself in this war, Daniel. We have spoken of this countless of times, and my answer is not going to change."
"Father, just hear me out," Danny began, only to be cut off.
"No, Daniel," Vlad said seriously. "I am not going to allow you to go out there again. Not to mention, I would be practically handing you to my enemies by exposing you in such a way!"
"And yet you expose yourself every day!" Danny protested. "And so do many other ghosts! What makes me so special? Why do you think I am exempt from my responsibility to protect my home? Regardless if I am the Prince or not, we are all by law obligated to use our powers for the good of the ghost race!"
"Do not attempt to sway me with the Kingdom's laws, Daniel," Vlad replied, annoyed. "I know exactly what they say. And though you are right in that there is a law that says all ghosts must use their powers for the good of the Kingdom, there is also another law that says that no one under sixteen years of age can be obligated into serving in the Kingdom's army."
"Good. Because I am volunteering," Danny retorted firmly.
"You are not volunteering because I am not going to let you," Vlad replied angrily. "Do not forget your place, Prince Phantom. My answer is 'no.'"
Danny stared soberly at his father before revealing, "I can destroy those ghost shields."
Plasmius' eyes widened. "What? What are you talking about?"
"The ecto-radium shield," Danny answered. "Those humans had one of those shields around that ship, and I destroy it with my Ghostly Wail. And I would have destroyed their ship, too, if they hadn't thrown some gas bomb!"
Vlad stared at his son in disbelief; but then he quickly shook his head. "No… That is not possible, Daniel. It must not have been an ecto-radium shield, or maybe you are mistaken."
"Skulker told me that pair of ghost hunters only use ecto-radium shields, and I am sure there was a shield! I know what they look like, Father!" Danny insisted.
"Daniel, listen to me," Vlad stressed gravely. "That is impossible. You know why? Because I cannot destroy them."
"Maybe my powers work differently than yours," Danny replied.
That was the only way for the boy to explain it. After all, just because he and his father were half-ghosts and had regenerative powers didn't mean that their cores had to work the same. The fact that he could destroy those shields had to be proof of that.
"Regardless," Vlad continued to deny. "It doesn't change the fact that whatever caused that fluke with the ghost shield could have been from a number of things—and not specifically that you destroyed it."
Danny hesitated this time. He wanted to tell his Father that Skulker had proved it in his lab; but if he told his Father that, not only would the Hunter be in serious trouble, but his Father would be so furious he would have no chance of him listening.
"What if we try it once?" Danny suggested. "Let me at least try. Father, let me help you. Please."
"Little Phantom," Plasmius said tiredly. "I do not want to fight with you. I haven't seen you for months, and this is not how I wanted this night to go. Please stop insisting. You are asking me to put you in danger. I will not do that."
Danny's shoulders sagged and he lowered his gaze.
But the King quickly stood up and went to kneel beside him. "Daniel, you help me here. All that you do for me while I am away and all the help you provide the Kingdom, it is very important. You do more than you should be."
He placed a hand on his son's arm to get him to look at him as he added, "I wish things were different. I wish you could just continue to be a child who only worries about schoolwork or… how to approach a young female," he added with a small smile. "However, things are not as we want them sometimes. All I need, little Phantom, is for you to be safe. Promise me you will not risk yourself like that again. You want to help me win this war? Then do so by giving me the peace of mind that while I am away, you are safe and protected."
Danny looked sadly as his Father, and just nodded.
Vlad smiled before he then reached into a pocket in his pants and pulled something out.
"I brought you something…."
Danny's eyebrows creased as his father handed him a piece of paper. But when he turned it around, he realized it was actually a picture.
The Prince's lips curled upward. "Matty… Father, she's beautiful."
There, captured on the picture, was a white cat; but she was no longer a kitten and was covered in silky white hair. Interestingly, her eyes had changed from yellow to blue. But she was still the cat that had been his companion during the hardest year of his life…
"I cannot get her off me when she sees me. I wouldn't mind except she sheds everywhere!" Vlad replied with a small chuckle.
Danny's smile widened but there was deep sorrow in his eyes. "I doubt she remembers me…"
Vlad rose to his feet before placing an affectionate hand on his son's head. "I am sure she does. And perhaps when I am the complete ruler of the Human World, things will be different. Who knows? Maybe someday it will be safe enough for you to visit Matty again…"
Danny watched as his father went to sit back down before he turned his eyes back to the picture of the fluffy white cat. "Yes… Someday…"
And yet the supposedly hopeful word weighed heavily on the Prince's core.
Back in Amity Park, Tucker and Mikey were working hard on salvaging the camera footage on the Specter Speeder. But the heat had corrupted the file; so they were trying to see if any information could be obtained from it.
"I'm surprised Sam's not here. She really wanted to see if the Speeder had managed to capture any footage of that mystery ghost," Mikey commented as he continued to type away on the Fenton's mainframe computer.
Meanwhile, Tucker was working on running a scan on the damaged file in hopes of the system's finding something that hadn't been corrupted.
"She said she had a family thing," Tucker replied. "She seemed really annoyed by it."
Mikey shook his head. "Why doesn't she just tell her folks the truth?"
Tucker scoffed. "If you knew her folks you'd know why. And don't get me started on her creepy uncle. He'd probably kill the Fentons for letting Sam ghost hunt. Besides, I also think deep down Sam doesn't tell them because she doesn't want to disappoint her parents…"
"Seriously? Sam? The 'Miss Goth Girl' who doesn't care what anyone thinks?' Mikey retorted in surprise.
Tucker frowned. "Sam's changed a lot, Mikey. Ever since she lost her grandma; I think she's afraid of losing her parents, too. Actually, I think she does all this to protect them; but she keeps them happy by pretending to be the daughter they want. It's pretty rough for her, man. I hate it when she has to leave for Wisconsin. And I know she hates it, too…"
"Gosh, Tuck…, " Mikey said with sympathy. "I didn't think it was that bad." He sighed. "I guess we all got our own battles outside of ghost hunting…"
The dark-skinned boy nodded but the comment had him thinking about his own circumstances, and he soon voiced, "I know everyone thinks I'm pretty lucky to have my parents with me and helping us ghost hunt… But sometimes I wish they were in the dark like Sam's parents. At least she doesn't have worry about them being hurt every night…"
"Yeah, well, I'm sure your folks feel the same way about you, man," Mikey replied. "It's part of the life."
Tucker nodded again. "Speaking of that, we haven't heard from the team yet. Maybe we should contact them to make sure they're okay."
Mikey replied, "Let's finish this first. Mr. and Mrs. F said that they'd contact us if they need anything. Besides, Lester, Nester, and Star are with them. I'm sure they're okay. At least, I haven't picked up any ghost activity on the scanners."
"It's been quiet lately," Tucker realized; but readily frowned when the computer was showing little progress with opening the Speeder's camera achieve. Maybe the whole file was corrupted…
"I'm still shocked that the Fentons picked up readings for two high-level ghosts three nights ago," the dark-skinned teen continued.
"It was weird. But they never were able to find them. Both signatures just abruptly disappeared from the scanners," Mikey said. "The weird thing is that one of the signatures was much higher than the other, and I've seen it before on the radar. It's very rare when it pops up, but I'm sure it's the same one… and the same thing always happens. It disappears off the radar before we can track it…"
"That is weird," Tucker replied. "Think it might be a ghost spy?"
Mikey shrugged. "Who knows, man…"
The two fell quiet and just continued to work. But, suddenly, a growl startled them both.
They paused in what they were doing, and Mikey asked with a smirk, "Was that my stomach or yours?"
"Think it was mine… It's getting pretty restless," Tucker answered with a grin. But then he frowned over at the lab's door, and added, "I sure hope my parents and Jazz finish making dinner soon! I'm starving!"
"Same here!" Mikey agreed.
"Beep-Beep… Data found."
Tucker and Mikey froze as they stared at the computer after the message it had said and was now also displaying on the main screen.
"It's found something…," Mikey said with surprise. He had also been sure the whole file had been too damaged to be of any use.
Tucker didn't reply as he quickly began to type up the commands to transfer the saved files before they could become corrupted by the rest of the damaged database…
Mikey also worked away, and began to separate the information to see what it was. "They're pictures," he told the other boy. "Looks like the camera's information wasn't destroyed; but the video recording is definitely gone."
A minute later, Mikey began to open the pictures. At first, the two teens just looked calmly through the shots of the Ghost World. A picture of floating doors. Some of those weird Energy Novas. Even a ghost guard.
But then, as they got to the last picture, their eyes slightly widened when they saw it had captured some odd green rings of energy coming at the camera—or, actually, the speeder.
"Think that's the strange power the Fentons were talking about?" Mikey asked as he zoomed up the image.
"Maybe... Seems like it was coming at the Speeder," Tucker answered; but then he squinted his eyes, and realized, "Dude, there is a ghost in the background. Zoom it up!"
Mikey quickly did as he was told; but it was hard because the image began to distort.
"Hold on," Tucker said as he pulled out his PDA and connected it to the mainframe. "I have an image restoring program on here…"
Tucker uploaded the picture of interest and went to work. Meanwhile, Mikey pulled closer to the screen as he tried to make out the ghost who was clearly responsible for the Fentons' close call.
"It's humanoid," Mikey muttered.
"Got it!" Tucker exclaimed and quickly transferred the image to the mainframe's screen.
The teenager's eyes widened as an image of a white-haired green-eyed ghost boy showed up on the screen.
"I've never seen that ghost," Mikey said with a frown.
But the blood in Tucker's face had drained as his eyes stayed glued to the image on the screen.
"I… I have… It's… Danny."
"What? Who?" Mikey quickly asked, confused.
But Tucker suddenly placed a hand over his face as if to block the image from his sight as he whispered, "It's can't be. Danny's dead… Sam's uncle killed him!"
"Tucker, dude! What are you talking about? You've seen this ghost?" Mikey pressed, completely lost.
But the dark-skinned teen didn't answer as he looked back at the image. However, he then quickly turned back to his PDA and commanded the image to zoom closer—specifically to the ghost boy's chest.
Tucker fell back in his chair as he saw what he was dreading: the star-shaped symbol.
It was Danny! That was the very symbol he had had on his chest!
"Look at the symbol!" Mikey exclaimed. "I don't believe it!"
Tucker looked over at the red-haired boy. Now it was his turn to be confused.
"What? You've seen it before?"
Had Mikey seen Danny before?
"Yeah!" Mikey quickly pulled out his own PDA; and as he began to search for what he was looking for, he explained, "So, I've sort of managed to use the link we have to the mainframe that controls Amity's ghost shield to access information off the Guys-in-White's database."
Tucker's eyes widened in alarm. "You hacked into the GiW database? Dude! That's the government! You could go to jail for that!"
Mikey laughed. "Hey, it's not my fault the GiW's database has a direct link to the ghost shield's mainframe. If we're going to jail it's going to be for hacking into that mainframe to begin with!"
Tucker frowned but realized the boy was right. However, he didn't bother arguing about that. He was more disturbed by what he had just discovered…
Looking back at the image, Tucker's eyebrows creased. All this time… They had believed Danny was dead; but… the teen was wondering if learning he wasn't dead was a worse tragedy. The ghost that had attacked the Fentons was Danny!
"Ah-ha! Found it!" Mikey suddenly exclaimed before showing Tucker a picture. "Okay, so this was supposedly taken in Berlin just three days ago."
Tucker's eyebrows creased further in as he stared at the same star-shaped symbol on Danny; but it was written in red in the sky over Berlin… But how?
"Tucker, that's the Ghost King's symbol! No one has ever seen his symbol because he covers it; but every time he takes over a part of our world, he brands the skies with his symbol to mark it as his territory!"
Tucker suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. "Are you saying that…?"
"Yeah, man!" Mikey replied when the boy didn't finish. He pointed at the ghost boy on the screen and said, "They are related. And that means we just captured an image of the Ghost Prince! Dude, do you realize what this means? The Fentons told me Agent C had killed the Ghost King's son and wife a long time ago! But unless he has another son, then the GiW lied to them! The Ghost Prince isn't dead! And this all makes so much sense now! Only a ghost close in power to the Ghost King could have possibly caused so much damage to the Speeder. But it still doesn't explain how he destroyed the ghost shield… Maybe…"
Tucker stopped listening to the teen as he continued to stare at the image of Danny on the screen.
The Ghost Prince. Danny was the Ghost Prince. How had he never made the correlation before…? It now made sense why the GiW had been so set on capturing him all those years ago. He was the Ghost King's son! And that meant… He was the next Ghost King.
But as he looked at the angry and hateful look captured in the picture and the amount of power the ghost teen was releasing with the purpose of killing the Fentons, Tucker was forced to further realize that this wasn't the Danny he had met. This wasn't the little ghost boy who had been so curious about him and Sam. And this wasn't the ghost they had defended because he was good.
That Danny was gone… and in his place was now a powerful Ghost Prince who, by the looks of it, would do anything it took to destroy his enemies.
And they were the enemies.
"Tucker? Are you okay?" Mikey asked as he finally noticed the devastated look on the other boy's face.
Tucker shook his head as he muttered soberly. "Sam can't know about this…"
"Huh?"
Tucker's face tightened as he suddenly turned to his PDA and began to type on it.
However, when Mikey saw the enhanced picture disappear from the mainframe's screen, the red-haired teen quickly asked, "What are you doing?"
"Deleting it. I'm getting rid of the whole thing," Tucker said almost angrily.
"WHAT?" Mikey exclaimed before yanking Tucker's PDA from his hand.
"Give it back, Mikey!" Tucker demanded.
"Tucker, are you crazy? Why would you want to delete all this stuff? This is a big discovery! We've just captured solid proof that the Ghost Prince is still alive, and powerful! The Fentons gotta know about this!"
"No!" Tucker answered instantly. "They can't know. No one can know!"
"Why not? You're not making any sense!" Mikey yelled back.
"Sam can't find out Danny's alive—that he's become…." Tucker sighed deeply as he added, "The Fentons will hunt him down… And I don't want that, either."
But when Mikey just stared at him in absolute confusion, Tucker's eyebrows creased as he begged the other teen, "Please, Mikey. I need you to do me this solid. At least for now. I can't explain it to you, because it'll sound crazy, but Sam will be devastated if she knows about this. I can't do that to her, man. Please. We don't have to delete it; just… give me some time."
Mikey looked torn. "Tucker… this ghost is dangerous. What if it comes out here and uses that power on Amity's shield… Tucker, hiding this information means putting everyone in danger! We can't do that!"
Tucker frowned. "Mikey, I need you to trust me, man. I won't put anyone at risk; but right now, even if we told them who attacked them, the Fentons couldn't do much about it. Let's just focus on trying to strengthen the shields by using the ghost-converter. If it doesn't work out, then we'll tell them. Just, please, man… Help me out here."
Mikey cringed, but then sighed in defeat and handed the other boy back his PDA. "I hope you know what you're doing," he muttered.
Tucker didn't reply as he quickly went to work, and began to encrypt the pictures they had recovered so that no one but he and Mikey could find them. He knew it was probably a horrible idea, but all he could think about was protecting Sam from his upsetting discovery.
Danny had meant so much to her, and for her to find out he was the Ghost Prince, and that he was… evil. It would break her heart.
"Danny…," Tucker thought sorrowfully. "I… I thought you were different."
Ah, don't you all just love unexpected discoveries... Hehe! Ta!
