Danny was getting bored out of his mind. He would lose invisibility because of falling asleep. Watching Zuko mop the floor was as entertaining as watching the paint dry. Soon, to his surprise, Phantom got interested once the familiar girl joined the cleaning, but that was it. He chuckled at seeing an awkward exchange between them. Finally he got sick of waiting.

"Alright, I'm tired of it," Danny got up and dropped invisibility.

The guards jumped in surprise, but that was a split second before they all were knocked out. By being tossed into the nearest wall. Both janitors stared at the culprit behind this mess. Phantom smiled innocently.

"Hello again," he waved and approached the two. "So, here is your improvised curfew, Your Highness. Now speak."

"You are awfully demanding," Zuko noted. "We don't have any working plan yet. We haven't been here that long."

"Alright," Danny sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I wonder if my past experience would work. I mean, I did escape the last prison without spending a day in it. Do you think the riot would work? I could help."

"Wait up," that girl intervened. "What are you actually? This kind of stuff is not possible."

Phantom smiled enigmatically, but then he heard an exclamation of surprise. Danny's head snapped in that direction and he saw one particularly scrawny looking guard. About to knock him out as well, Phantom raised his hand, but Zuko was quick to react.

"Wait!" He exclaimed, stopping the curious half ghost. "It's Sokka."

"Oh, so you HAVE teamed up with that little team."

Phantom gently flicked his hand and Sokka was pulled closer at the neck-breaking speed. The guy just stared at the grinning half ghost, stuttering some nonsense, before suddenly clutching the girl and pulling her away from the much amused Danny.

"Suki, do NOT approach this guy," Sokka whispered.

"Who. Is. He!?" Suki exclaimed, obviously tired of being kept in the dark for so long.

"Daniel Phantom, King of the Spirit and Ghost world. Plus-minus the first part. My absolute pleasure. Sup, Sokka, haven't seen you in a while, since, you know...has it been in Ba Sing Se? Shame about that army of yours I had to take down...but hey, I repented and beat the Fire Lord to a bleeding pulp, so...are we good now?

Suki blinked and indeed made an extra step behind. What a perfect and to the point introduction.

"So that's truth?" Zuko asked, somewhat apprehensive.

"Yep. I wasn't myself back then..." Danny rubbed the back of his neck, seeming embarrassed. "Being a god is very intoxicating. Your sister is actually the reason he is still alive."

"Azula? Do you know where..."

"While it is very interesting to know what your crazy sister is doing, Zuko," Sokka chirped in. "We are still in prison, so we have to do something about it. Without..." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the half ghost. "Otherworldly intervention."

"Okay, then," Danny sighed heavily. "Riot it is, then. Darn, I so wanted to try something different this time around. Just whisking everyone away is too boring. And I still have to get these guards as far away from this prison as possible, because they saw me. Yeah, definitely ditching them on the North Pole."

"Wait, that's going to interfere with my plan!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Really now? Flash news," Danny lowered his head to his eye level, "I don't give a damn, I have my own agenda now. And you are not getting out of here sooner than anyone else."

"That is ridiculous," Suki crossed her hands. "Are you just going to stop us?"

"To be honest, it won't be hard," grumbled Sokka like a baby.

By the sunset Danny returned back to his world. What a joy it was to come home at the snap of his fingers. He could just return to the prison later, he had left the watchers there. In the remaining time Phantom was busying himself with seeking the ins and outs of that whole facility, while the whole plan was hatching like an uncertain chick. He also came to learn that only Zuko and Sokka were present there, and the rest of the group was pretty unaware. Danny was slowly realizing how he could use it to his own advantage.

With a tired yawn he was going through the massive halls of his castle. He actually cackled at the thought. So, the gaang members were sleeping on the nasty prison beds, he was about to take a nap on the royally gorgeous piece of furniture. The mere thought of this was making Danny more sleepy. He was somewhat tired after a day on the field, coupled with a load of paperwork early in the morning. As Phantom passed one of the rooms, he heard a crash inside.

Curious, the half ghost opened the door. What he hadn't expected, was a gust of blue flames into the face. The entire room was engulfed in them, already ruined beyond any recognition, with Azula standing amidst all that chaos. Her hands were the clear indication of what was the source. The princess noted his presence, and, although, startled in the first second, she smiled proudly.

"My firebending is back!" Excitedly exclaimed Azula, throwing even more fire.

Just a few hours ago she was not that enthusiastic. Exasperated even. While reading her own scribbles she couldn't wrap her mind about such ludicrous concepts. She was the one to write them down, yet it still made as much sense as a cabbage in flames. Sitting in the special room where Danny had been practicing his own powers, the princess was reading the pieces of parchment.

It was the ancient technique of firebending, the one that was created the first. Dancing Dragon, they called it. It was based on three types of attacks: low kicks, high punches or hits, and double punches with both fists. It was fierce, quick, and very strong. Azula liked that part. What she did not like was the fact that she couldn't get right down to it. The fire just wouldn't come as anything more than a little gust. It was bad enough that her usual fire bending was weakened, it was just pathetic, no matter how she would try. She later realized that she was hurrying too much. And that she was leaving apart the most disregarded thing. The spiritual part.

It was something totally foreign to her. One would think that spending time in the place few spiritually enlightened people managed to get in as the exalting experience, but not for her. Besides, ghosts were no spirits, she had seen many confirmations to this. Even as scarce as her interactions with the locals were, it was clear that they were just like humans. Many were far from spiritual matters. Therefore Azula was not in a proper environment.

But this task seemed maybe not so daunting at the second look. Passion. That was another source of a firebender's power. She sure had enough, so what was the point? Why didn't it work? It took her a long while to understand the issue. But Azula was smart enough to deduce everything. Maybe she was just mistaking her jumbled emotions for passion. Not enough hatred to use one thing, and too much to utilize the other end of the specter. There was only one solution to the problem.

Just sitting down, she tried to find something, any little thing to grasp and aspire to. It sounded so laughable. What could it be? She had never actually thought about it. What else there was, a question so many people fill their heads with. What she wanted was the key. The neverending train of thoughts eventually led her to the conclusion. She got the idea.

Standing up, she began doing the moves shown to her in the scroll, the ones she had half-memorized, half sketched on the parchment of her own. Fluid and slow, they were nothing like her old style. But, despite occasional mistakes that forced her to begin anew, Azula finally finished that Dragon Dance. Did she feel any different? Maybe. A little.

The princess made a swipe, before an enormous torrent blew forward, obliterating everything on its wake.

"Uhm...good job?" Danny congratulated uncertainly back in the present, "Let's just get you out of this room and I put out the fire, okay?"

Azula shrugged and went out of the room, moving away the flames on her path. As the door was shut behind her, Danny looked at the princess questioningly.

"Couldn't you do that in...another place?" He asked. "Of course, I can repair it in a matter of seconds, but why break it in the first place?"

"Where else can I practice?" Azula put a hand on her hip. "There isn't much of a choice. Be happy that it's not your office or anything like that."

"How considerate of you," Danny grumbled.

"How did the prison break go?"

"It's nothing yet. But your brother and one of the avatar's buddies are there."

"Zuzu is in the prison? Huh, I expected him to last longer this time."

Danny shrugged. "They are planning the escape of their own. Maybe I should just let them. I have other matters to attend to."

"Really?" Azula yawned, suddenly realizing how tired she was as well, "Of what kind?"

"Tomorrow I have a meeting with some spirits arranged. Not the most powerful ones, but it's the first milestone for established relations."

"So you haven't changed your mind on this?" Azula raised an eyebrow, "Just making friends?"

"I won't try to subjugate them with brute force. It was Pariah's way. If they get some sort of representative in our Council, which would grant them certain power...but would also put them under my control, as the Council responds to me. And, as the time would have it, both parts of my world will be united."

"A very sound plan," Azula responded, sounding genuinely impressed.

Danny chuckled, wrapping one hand around her neck, "I learned from the best."

As the conversation went, Phantom couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised at the princess's shift in behavior. She was still harsh occasionally, but it wasn't of malicious kind, more like of the remaining traces of ignorance. It was a step in the right direction, albeit a slow one. Azula suddenly came up with a plan to assist Phantom in his goal. How delightfully devilish of her.

The scheme was quite intriguing. Basically, Phantom could track down the avatar and tell of the two boys' whereabouts, because the latter had not bothered themselves to warn the others. Also, he could strike a deal with the boy. Aang would help maintain order during the negotiations, as the spirits would be more reluctant to try to kill the Ghost King, some would listen. But the plan would have to wait, Danny needed some sleep.

The following day was going to be interesting. Phantom had ordered his spies to find the gaang, while making final arrangements with the more lenient spirits. With the ghostly speed of flight, it wouldn't have taken long. And it paid off, by the time Danny woke up, the avatar's little team was found in the most obvious of places. Phantom was somewhat nervous. After convincing the avatar they would go straight to the arranged place. And he had never done such important negotiations, with the people who were his equals in a sense.

"Calm down already," Azula snapped him out of his musings, "You are the one in charge, just show them that. Be strict and unrelenting, catch every word their tongues spill. And you will be fine."

Danny chuckled at her advice, "We will see if I would need it. Thanks for the word of confidence."

The princess snorted and crossed her hands, "If you die I would lose a roof above my head. Try not to do that."

Clearly that was not all, Danny smirked, before going through the portal. Stepping out right at the grounds of the Air Temple. He was interested in the upside down buildings, but there was a more important issue. It was the middle of the camp, and everyone around was sleeping. The campfire had long since died off, only a thin trail of smoke was going upwards. Smirking at what he was about to do, Phantom coughed.

"Good morning, living world!" He exclaimed loudly.

The chaos he had caused made Danny double over in laughter. Everyone stared in surprise at him, before Phantom saw the rock flying his way. Casually phasing through, Danny rolled his eyes.

"Hello to you too..."

A splash of water into his face interrupted him. Phantom's eyes glowed brighter.

"Enough!" He shouted, "I'm not here to fight."

"Then for what?" Katara asked, holding the water in the air.

"I know where your friends are," Danny grinned.

Aang jumped in front of the entire crowd, "Where are they?" He asked in concern.

"Tut-tut," Danny wiggled his finger, "I'm here to make a deal with you, kiddo."

"What deal?"

"Simple," Phantom made a step forward, but the tensed positions of the rest made him stop, "I'll not only tell you where they are held, I'll bail them out. Shouldn't be hard for me, right?"

Aang seemed thoughtful. It was a very appealing offer, "What do you want from me?" He asked.

"Alright, here is the deal. My world is on the very thin edge. Spirits do not like me, as I am the Ghost King, my own subjects hate the spirits. The situation is tense and the last time the war happened, many millions of souls faded into oblivion. Today I want to establish at least some sort of agreement with them. I want you, the avatar, to try and make them more willing to sign this node."

"To help you get more power?" Katara was suspicious of him as always.

Danny shrugged. "Does including them into the governing body mean that I strengthen my own authority?" He asked innocently, knowing the implications more than anyone, "Yes, if they accept my rule, my power over the world will be absolute. But I have no intention of interfering with the spiritual affairs," Danny looked at Aang.

"It is your job, isn't it?" Phantom asked, "You keep order in this world. Help me get my job done and I will assist you," he tapped on the ground and the portal appeared. Danny made an inviting gesture.

"Why would he go wherever you are planning to?" Toph tilted her head, "We are coming too."

"Not up for debate," responded Phantom, "And if I wanted to kill you...I would have done so already, don't you think? I didn't procrastinate beating the Fire Lord. Keep this in mind."

Rather soon Aang agreed. He was ready to go off with the most powerful being they had ever encountered. Danny was glad that there was some degree of trust. Or maybe the kid was ready to take the risks, who knows. The main point was that the two of them immediately got transported into the mirroring realm of existence.

Aang was taken aback by the landscape, so vast and so empty. The dark sky above was split in two by a thin line. One half being green, black and lifeless, while other was made up from other, bright and lively colors, even if just as unnatural. The neutral ground on the merged parts of the world. It was the perfect place for meeting, the place where neither the King nor the powerful spirits had any sort of power.

"So...ehm..." Aang began, "What now?"

"We wait," Danny shrugged, "I think I should tell you who exactly is coming."

The Air Nomad nodded, sitting on the nearest rock. Phantom summoned the list and read it aloud. The boy was concerned that many of them were unknown to him. How was he supposed to settle them, the spirits of unknown nature, down? It was a new experience, and honestly, it was a good opportunity to learn. Once Danny finished, he looked at the avatar and chuckled. He didn't mention one particular spirit, wanting it to be a surprise.

"First time?" He asked, receiving a nod, "Same for me. But you are at least respected here to a degree," Danny crossed his hands.

"So they hate you? What have you done to them?"

"I am a ghost. That is a proper justification, at least from where they stand."

"Why do they hate your kind then?"

"There is a long history. To them we are the mutineers, the most powerful spirits had split our world by the time of the rebellion. And just between us, Koh, for instance, was not the best master. There were also benevolent ones, but they still could not rule us, because our nature differed so much. They follow their spiritual ideals for the most part, but we used to be humans, our beliefs and motives are the same."

Phantom made the chairs out of green energy, on which they sat.

"Imagine if you needed food and water to sustain yourself, but your rulers told you to simply meditate all the time without any consideration. So, of course my kind couldn't stand this for long. The First Ghost king pushed the spirits to their corner. Pariah subjugated them all with brute force. And technically I do rule both parts, since the spirits broke away after Pariah was sealed away for the first time."

"I see," Aang mumbled, rubbing his hands. It was chill near the half ghost, "And what if the spirits wouldn't agree?"

Danny's look turned grim, "Then the thread of peace will get very thin. I won't go and declare war, but I need to be sure of their own intentions."

Soon the spirits started appearing out of nowhere, big and small, and many were obviously uninvited, judging from Danny's curious look. He seemed calm however, as if he had expected this. But no one was attacking, so it was fine. Everyone just sat on the grassy ground. There were enormous spirits, there were those who were tinier than a pinky finger. It would be complicated to talk with everyone, even if many were simple observants.

All the guests followed almost the same pattern. They would see the Ghost king, show a surprise at his age and appearance, then some would scoff and sit without saying a word, others would even bow with respect, and Danny would nod deeply in response. Then they all would be stunned at seeing the Avatar near the monarch, and it was the impression Phantom was going for. When the king looked at his pocket watch, Danny stood up, took a deep breath and coughed loudly. The silence fell.

"First of all," he began, his voice so loud that it reached the heads of the biggest spirits, "I would like to thank you all for accepting my invitation. This gesture of yours gives me optimism, that the path to reconciliation is somewhere out there. You don't know me, but I know many of you. You have made names for yourselves: Great Harvest Spirit, the Mother of Faces...I seek to make mine known as well. I am Daniel Phantom, the first of my name, the current Ghost King and Pariah's Bane. I know I am not quite what you had expected...but here we are."

"Stop with quaint pleasantries," someone grumbled, "What's the point of coming here? And what's the avatar doing here?"

"You all have agreed to come," Phantom noted, putting a hand on his hip, "Please, don't try to seem insulted. As for the avatar, we have agreed on one matter — there shall be no conflict between our kinds."

"Y-yes!" Aang got up, "And please, there is no need to act hastily only because you dislike each other. I just want to make sure that everyone will be satisfied with this...arrangement. I just ask you to at least listen to what he has to say. If you don't take his word, take mine."

Danny smiled at him, seeing as many spirits shuffled. He took another breath.

"Very well," said the tall, tree like lady with several blank white masks for a face, "What do you have to say aside from pleasantries, boy-king?" She obviously spoke everyone's mind.

"I understand that there was a lot of blood spilled between our people. And that you are the ones worthy of representing the entire spiritual denizens of our shared world. That's why I wanted to agree with you on the matters political. I realized that you would want an assurance that I have no intention of stripping your acquired freedom from you."

"How do we know it is truth?"

"We are free to sign the papers and whatnot, my secretary is here," he pointed at Demiurge, who had appeared out of nowhere, writing on the scroll with impossible speed, "But I know how you treat such bureaucracy, so better leave it be. I'm being genuine in my desire to avoid any conflict. Not a single soldier of mine would ever set their feet here on my behalf."

"What do we have to be sure of your claims?"

"Because you will take part in making decisions concerning your part. Choose the one who will speak on behalf of you all, and the Council will have a new addition. Its role is advisory for the most part, so I would be aware of the will of my subjects, but you may join even without accepting my rule per say."

"Awfully sugarcoated, it is."

"What's the catch, boy?"

"It comes with a price, yes. It is a double edged sword. In the same manner how your decisions affect the Council, you will be affected by the verdicts made by it. As much as I am willing to satisfy you as well, my subjects are of the greatest priority to me, I hope you understand."

"This won't be fair," Aang noted, much to Danny's displeasure. But the kid had to be just, after all. The avatar got up, still holding his staff, "There will be one spirit and many, many ghosts."

A murmur of agreement sounded across the crowd. Danny nodded.

"A fair enough point," he said, "I am ready to listen for the proposals. But I doubt that everyone here will be able to send a representative. Ghost Lords have a lot of subjects, capable of such job. We are not talking about antisocial elements who live in seclusion. You, however, are free, without any governing force. So it is either one representative, or none, for it will not be inclusive enough."

"So we should make this one person powerful enough in the Council," someone suggested, earning agreement.

"He himself said that the Council had no power. What even is the point of having authority there?"

"You don't say," Phantom responded, "Wars, interventions, all are decided there and without their agreement we shall not do something so drastic. There is also the list that can be given out if you desire. The point is, the Council is not powerless. What you cannot make up in numbers, you will compensate with the fact that the spokesman will represent half of the entire world."

In actuality, Danny didn't want to give them too much power. They would prove to be a bother otherwise. A huge bother to his plans concerning the world Azula belonged to. Better just have an informal power than the one on paper. He did not want to be a Polish king, powerless against omnipotent nobility. Luckily the spirits weren't the most advanced in the fields of politics.

"What is important is the rest of your part of the world," Phantom put hands behind his back, hiding them under the white cape, "You are not the majority of the spirits. Can I be assured that the rest of your people will follow our current agreement?"

"Don't hurry," an ironically slowly talking spirit said, "We haven't agreed yet."

Danny groaned internally, rubbing his temples, "Very well. But I am yet to hear objections. Go on."

All of that was getting on his nerves, they were complaining, yet not suggesting anything of value. Phantom could suggest quite a few things instead, but why help them now, as they are convinced that his offer is the most just there is to make. That's what made spirits so unfit for politics of any sorts, they had little understanding of how the governments worked. Even in times of Pariah they weren't very active.

It took a lot of consideration on the spirits' part. Phantom did not want to give them any concessions, but had to keep the appearance of the considering and caring leader. With nothing more to add, the spirits finally agreed with the king, assured that their shared voice will be heard and always be kept in mind.

The king was rejoiced at his splendid victory on diplomatic front. It was a marvelous moment for the entire world, when two of its major parts, at least partially, reunited. Yes, they still spewed at his face, yes, it was only a tiny amount of spirits who accepted the offer, but it was the broken iceberg that had been growing for decades.

Demiurge dealt with all the formalities, he wrote down every word, in official style, so to say. Each name was mentioned, so no one would back down later. Once they were alone, Danny patted Aang's shoulder.

"You did well, kid. Thanks a lot."

"I'm glad to be of help," Aang smiled, "The spirits seemed content with the deal. Speaking of which..."

Danny rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes. I will take it from here. Your buddies are in the Boiling Rock. Don't go anywhere from the temple you were in when I found you. Because when Zuko and Sokka will be freed, they need some place to go to...may I ask you a question?"

"Uhm...sure?"

"You intend to fight the Fire Lord. Let's suggest you win, what next?"

"I never thought about it...you had something in mind?"

Danny grinned.