Note: I don't own any of the characters mentioned, just my own OC. Credit for the GrimmFall Universe goes to Lord Maximus. :3 Enjoy! :)

Opening Files: The Sacred Stone

The Sacred Stone is a powerful artifact in the possession of the Brisbane Family.

It was forged sometime in the Forgotten Age by an unknown means and maker for a purpose that only the Brisbane Family knows. It has been within their possession ever since its creation, and it has been used to turn the tide in many a battle during the conflict with the Grimm and Fallen. Sammael himself has even said that the Stone presents an obstacle to his quest for power.

Due to its ancient age, some have even claimed it to be a thirteenth Spiral Gem. But radiometric testing has proven that theory to be a hoax, as it would be much older than it truly is. In fact, a few scientists, among them Dr. Minovsky, have said that it's possible the Sacred Stone was forged using the Spiral Gems as a base, giving it great power, but as a safety measure and limitation, it can only be used by those who have a courageous heart, and even then it can only use one power at a time per wielder; in short, one wielder gets one power.

Close Files

"When it comes to great power, it has to be used responsibly," TOM explained as he closed down the file. He turned to look out the window at the world below him, his gaze fixed on a silvery ship with a red robotic face on it. "Many artifacts of great power are often used in such a way, but then there are those that are used irresponsibly, leading to great disasters."

He tapped a button on his console and up came an image of a crystalline orb contained in a circular container of bronze with two silver handles on its sides. "Like this one. The legendary Matrix of Leadership. It contains the wisdom of the Primes in one universe, and in others it possesses other abilities." Another screen flashed and up came a silvery missile flying towards a colony descending on another world. "Or in one world, intercontinental ballistic missiles are such a weapon, given the nuclear power they can hurl at a given target. And yet they were still used to defend the world, and the colonies above from genocidal maniacs, and those who wished to impose a global caste system on the world." He shut down the video and leaned back in his chair. "After all, as a great comic legend once said, with great power comes great responsibility. So, how will you use your power?"

(Scene shows a small shape huddling in terror as light sweeps over the screen, revealing the title of the series.)

START ANGELS FALL (BREAKING BENJAMIN)

I try to face the fight within (The light fades before the camera pans in on a figure huddled into a ball)

But it's over (The figure breaks down into dust as wind blows leaves past to show an old estate covered in vines)

I'm ready for the riot to begin (The vines creep over the camera before fire burns them down, showing Londoners in an uproar)

And surrender (Several of the individuals surrender to a cloaked figure as it steps out of the flames)

I walked the path that led me to the end (The figure lowers its hood to reveal Dracon as he turns, the shadow of Denver in the background)

Remember (Images of his family are shown in the background of Denver)

I'm caught beneath with nothing left to give (Embers swirl before it shows a fight raging as Agunimon stands in front of a burning home, his teeth bared and his sword held at the ready)

Forever (The Warrior of Flame lunges for the camera, fractal coding surrounding his form)

When angels fall with broken wings (The coding engulfs the screen before vanishing, showing Major Glory as he flies overhead, the city of GrimmFall in the background)

I can't give up, I can't give in (The symbol of peace dives down, his fists outstretched to smash them into something, tears running down his masked face)

When all is lost and daylight ends (The hero flashes past Scotty Blake as he wields his claymore, swinging it at a Grimm that threatens to destroy a small community)

I'll carry you and we will live forever (The shockwave generated from his claymore shifts to show a blue energy wave released by the Royal Knight, Omnimon)

Forever (The Digimon lands, his cape fluttering about his frame as he turns to look back at the sky as light begins to dawn beyond the horizon)

Gray skies will chase the light away (Rain is shown lashing at the windows of a hotel as Dracon stands before it, staring at his reflection)

No longer (The Gundam turns away from the window, walking down a street with rain falling around him)

I fought the fight, now only dark remains (Ruins of an estate are shown in the background)

Forever (Two figures in shadow stand before it, a third looming behind them)

Divided, I will stand (The camera pans away to show two women - one blonde and one with a brown braid - standing in front of a shadowy emblem)

And I will let this end (The women turn to face the emblem as it glows, engulfing the screen)

When angels fall with broken wings (The light fades to show Dracon charging out of the sun, wings flared as he fires his beam magnum)

I can't give up, I can't give in (The camera follows the shot to show it impacting a hulking structure)

When all is lost and daylight ends (His psychoframe glows and encompasses his frame as Scotty dashes past, his own Aura shimmering around him)

I'll carry you and we will live forever (Scotty's sword slams into the ground, causing a crack to form as Omnimon scoops up one of the two women)

Forever (The camera pans out to show Denver, then London)

The sun begins to rise (The sun is shown coming up over the Rocky Mountains)

And wash away the sky (Darkness fades in London as the light creeps over the buildings)

The turning of the tide (The old estate is shown as it starts to shake and shudder)

Don't leave it all behind (Dracon stands before a crate in a warehouse, a sick look in his optics)

I will never say goodbye (One of the women aims a gun at a man in a truck with the same contents as in the warehouse)

When angels fall with broken wings (BurningGreymon is shown slide evolving to Aldamon)

I can't give up, I can't give in (Dracon deploys his fin funnels despite damage to his frame)

When all is lost and daylight ends (Scotty hefts his sword as he flares his Aura)

I'll carry you and we will live forever (Major Glory clenches his fists as Omnimon summons his weapons)

Forever (The five stand before a huge shape, two shadowy humanoid shapes behind them, the two women in front of those as the series name appears below them)

GRIMMFALL: DRAGON'S SURGE

ARC I

FEAR OF FURS

CHAPTER IV - SUPERNATURAL SURPRISES

"The ghost... it... took Timmy!"

Those words were enough to make me jerk back in surprise. I looked up at the house, and then I mentally gritted my teeth.

Ignoring the protests of some of the other party goers, I ran for the doors as they began to creak closed. "Wait! Don't do it!" a female voice cried. "You don't know what's happening in there!"

I ignored the cries, however, and barged in as the thick doors slammed shut behind me. I landed on my hands and knees, panting as I slowly stood up, my optics and psychoframe being the only sources of light in the darkened house. Well, aside from the lightning as it tore open the night sky. Thunder crashed harshly and I staggered as it made the whole building shake. I managed to remain standing though as I finally straightened up. I cast my gaze around the darkness as I hefted my beam magnum for combat.

The shadows seemed to creep closer, and I shuddered hard.

In all honesty, I was beginning to regret having accepted the invitation to the ball to begin with. But at the same time, I just couldn't allow another Green River Resort style crime to happen again. That was enough to spur me into action. I gripped my beam magnum in my hands as I aimed it in front of me, flicking on the light mounted to the barrel. I settled into the same stance that infantrymen used when sweeping abandoned buildings during wartime, and I slowly began to make my way down the hallway.

I could feel my reactor humming loudly beneath my chest armor, but I ignored it as best I could.

All around me, the darkness seemed to press in, as if it were living.

At least, that was the impression it was giving off.

I knew better. It was the lightning that gave it that sensation.

I continued to walk, my optics narrowing as I held my magnum a bit higher. My wings twitched as I crept along as silently and quickly as I dared. The heavy metallic thuds of my footsteps on the wooden flooring was enough racket to wake the dead. It was that loud. At least to me, anyway.

The interior of the house was still as death.

And all around me, I could barely hear the rain lashing at the structure. I made my way back into the antechamber of the estate, coming to a stop at the very spot where the ball had been going on. I remained in a semi-crouched stance before I slowly straightened up. I kept my beam magnum aimed in front of me as I started to turn, sweeping its light around the chamber. I could see a few chairs had been overturned, the pot, the painting, and the piano lay scattered around still, and off to the side lay the heavy chair that Omni had deflected with his Aura.

No one else was present, save for me.

I slowly lifted a foot...

And then I heard it.

That loud, eerie, sinister moan as the specter launched itself out of nowhere at me. I reacted by diving to the side and aiming my gun at it. The ghost swooped around and dove towards me. I mentally gritted my teeth as I pulled the trigger of my magnum. The gun barked once, sending a shot right for the thing. The ghost looped around the shot, much to my surprise, and flew towards the shadows, vanishing out of view. I lowered my gun and ran after.

I came to a stop in the middle of the next room, which turned out to be the study. I raised my magnum again and peered down the sights as I made my way through the room. I pivoted around as I walked, scanning for any sign of the ghost, but there was nothing. It was like it had just vanished...

The mere thought was enough to make me shudder against my will. My armor clattered loudly in the deafening silence, and I winced. 'Yeah, not a good idea,' I thought. I forced myself to focus though. The ghost had to be close by, right? I scanned all around me, using both my sensors and psychoframe. But nothing was detected via the strange energies of my psychoframe. At least nothing in the deceased category. And that bothered me. Usually I was able to detect a deceased individual and even see them as they had been when they were alive. But now...

There was nothing.

And that seriously worried me to no end.

I narrowed my optics as I crept through the study, looking around as I aimed my gun at any potential hiding spots for the specter. The light swept around the room, casting its pale yellow beam into the shadows, sending them scattering at its mere touch. Thunder rumbled outside ominously and I shivered a bit. The rain began to increase its pattering on the house and I gulped.

Lightning suddenly flashed, throwing the whole room into illumination, and then I saw it. Right there, hovering near the ceiling. I aimed my beam magnum at the ghost, preparing to fire a shot. Then just as quickly as the room lit up, it went dark again. And my beam magnum's light caught nothing. I gaped in shock. There was no way... And then lightning lit up the room again, and the ghost was gone. I lowered my beam magnum, astonishment filling my optics.

"Get... out..."

I perked up at the sound of the whisper close to my left audio receptor. I spun around to face the direction I had heard it coming from, but as I feared, there was nothing there. I began to back up, my beam magnum raising itself back up to chest level. I slowly spun around as I walked, aiming my gun in all directions. This reminded me all too much of the underground parking garage instance back in the Darklands when I was first starting out. But now I was more experienced, wiser, and stronger. I could handle myself, and I had fought Sammael and lived. I had even fought Badaxtra and helped the Shinkalions win. So there was no way I was just a mere human or newbie Huntsman anymore.

I was the Dragon of Denver.

And I had earned my reputation.

But even that thought was not enough to calm me fully.

The mere fact a ghost was immune to detection by my psychoframe was what really rattled me.

Slowly, I exited the study and into a massive dining room.

The whole place was laid out for dinner, as the whole table was filled with fine delicacies and foreign dishes as well. I could even see a plate of sushi laid out nicely. I swept my gun up at the ceiling, half-expecting the specter to be there. But my gun's barrel-mounted light didn't reveal anything. I shifted my stance, inching around the table as I lowered the gun's barrel. I couldn't sense the ghost via my psychoframe, but I could detect its presence with my standard sensors.

And that sent off warning buzzers in my processor.

My radar suddenly blared as I whirled around. And just in time, too, as one of the chairs was levitating off the ground. The furniture suddenly launched itself across the room, forcing me to duck as I aimed my beam magnum and fired off a single shot. The shot hit the chair, shattering it into splinters. I threw my shield up in front of my face as the splinters tinged off it harmlessly. In reality, I didn't even need to use my shield to defend myself, but due to how sensitive my optics are, it made sense at the time. I slowly lowered my shield, and my optics widened as I saw several knives floating off the table. The cutlery flew in my direction, and I ducked two of them. I removed one hand from my beam magnum and I whipped it in front of my face, catching a knife neatly between two of my fingers. I adjusted my hand to catch two more before I tossed them aside. A final knife came at me, aiming right for my neck. I tensed my frame and spun to the side, the knife barely missing my faceplate. Then it embedded itself in the wooden baseboard, becoming stuck.

I turned back, half expecting something more to come flying my way.

But nothing else did.

That didn't mean I could let my guard down though.

I hefted my gun and started to make my way out of the dining room.

And into the kitchen itself.

The room was deserted, but there were pots and pans lying around.

Memory files of the Green River Resort came back to me unbidden, and I shoved them back into the depths of my processor. Well, more like the text describing what happened. The visual and audio files were long gone by this point. I shook my helm and forced myself to focus.

My psychoframe wasn't reacting, which was a good sign in my book. I slowly slid into the room, my beam magnum held at the ready.

And then I heard it.

A low scraping sound. I whirled around, and my optics landed on a huge pot as it scraped along the floor. The way it moved gave off the impression that someone was lugging it. I immediately began to get a feeling like someone else was in the room with me.

And not a ghost.

But then the pot began to levitate, and my optics widened. "O...kay... Not good!" I whispered.

The large metal pot suddenly launched itself at me with enough force to knock a human being unconscious. I was so shocked I couldn't even move, so the thing hit me full force and knocked me flat on my back. But while I was stunned briefly, I was not out.

I groaned as I sat up, rubbing my faceplate with one hand. I could feel a small dent and scrape, but that was it. Somehow I managed to keep a firm grip on my weapon, so that was a small measure of relief. I staggered to my feet and cast a glance back at where the pot had landed. It lay on its side, dented from hitting me full force. I shook my helm and gazed back in the direction it had flown from.

I slowly inched over to its former location.

The place was as silent as a tomb.

I glanced around, my sensors and radar scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

But despite my efforts, there was no sign of the ghost.

At least until lightning flashed again.

The entire kitchen was thrown into illumination and right then I saw it. Once more it was hovering overhead, and it moaned as it swooped towards me, its handless sleeves extended right for me! I yelped and dove to the side, thinking that it was about to possess me. I remembered the last time I had been possessed by that tiny ghost, and it made me shiver. There was no way in hell I was letting that happen again!

I rolled to the side and got to one knee, aiming my beam magnum at the thing again. I fired off a pair of shots, but the specter dodged them both, moving with a fluidity that made my systems crawl.

A growl escaped my vocalizer as I turned and scrambled to my feet before running back the way I had come. I could sense the specter following me, its faceless void locking onto my back. I tensed and, as it flew towards me, I dove forward, landing on my knees and sliding right underneath it. Sparks flew from my knees as I slid across the marble flooring, leaving skid marks behind me. I came to a stop and got to my feet, spinning around to face the specter in the middle of the main hall again. This time, I was the one calling the shots. I had my beam magnum held tightly in my left hand and my beam burst gun swung forward to rest over my right hand. I kept my optics locked onto this thing as my wings flexed.

The ghost seemed to jerk back in surprise before its shoulders shook, as if it were laughing. Then, much to my surprise, it hovered down, touching down on the floor. It got into a crouching stance, and its sleeves moved as if hands were flexing.

Like a showdown Old West style.

However, that was not the case. We both stood facing one another, and then the ghost thrust one sleeve forward, and the next thing I knew several paintings detached from the wall, spinning like buzz saws as they flew my way. I tensed my frame and eyed each of the spinning paintings. I dodged the first one by sidestepping it. The second one I was forced to leap to the side to avoid. The third one came right at me at head height. But I merely leaned back, allowing it to pass right over me. Time seemed to slow down, and I could see the air currents it generated as it swept over my face. Then the moment was over and I placed my right hand on the ground as I flipped around, landing on my feet in a crouching position, my beam magnum held off to the side in my left hand. The final painting spun right for me but I tensed the hydraulics and systems in my legs. With a grunt, I sprang off the ground, the painting landing on the floor and sliding right into the front doors. I landed as the ghost lowered its sleeve.

The specter then held out its other sleeve and the sword on one of the knight armors lining the great hall shuddered.

I was instantly on guard. I hefted my beam magnum and stowed my beam burst gun. Not like I even needed it right now, anyway, I mused. I held my beam magnum at an angle across my chest and I ignited the beam jutte in the revolving launcher. That proved to be just what I needed as the swords slid themselves free from the hands of the suit of armor. But it wasn't just that.

A few more medieval weapons floated up as well.

I tensed as the sword came at me first, the ghost swinging its arm before the sword came down at my head. I spun, my beam magnum's short beam saber coming up to block the blade. A flash of metal and plasma met, sparks flying from the impact point. Some small part of me was confused as to how the sword was not in half; plasma was heated energy hot enough to melt through most metals with ease. So how was it that this sword was still intact? I watched the weapon come to a hover, moving as it to say 'bring it on!' I growled before I lunged.

Only to see something metallic and heavy coming my way.

The next thing I knew, I was skidding face first across the marble floor as a stinging sensation came from the back of my helm. Well, not so much a stinging sensation as it was an intense throbbing. But it sure felt like a sting, judging from how hard it was.

I slid to a stop and I lay there for a few minutes, groaning. The throbbing in my helm began to die down and I pushed myself into a sitting position, shaking my head. "Dammit... That smarts!" I grunted.

I staggered to my feet, swaying a little as my processors struggled to recalibrate my balancing systems. It didn't take long to fully recalibrate; it was all instinct by this point. I shook my head to dispel any remaining dizziness and looked around to see what had slammed into me.

The culprit came at me a few seconds later, and this time I reacted in time. I brought my shield up as the flail slammed into the defensive equipment, making my entire arm shudder from the impact alone. And when coupled with a sword and an axe, I was going to be hard-pressed to stay alive. Well, considering how my frame is made of Gundanium alloy, it was a surprise I even considered that I could be killed. Still, I brushed that aside for the moment.

I had a kid to save.

(General Allen's 3rd POV)

To say she was worried was an understatement.

She was downright furious. Why? Because the Dragon just charged in on sheer reflex.

General Allen gritted her teeth as she glanced to Cagalli.

The two women looked to one another and nodded.

They ran off towards the woods further down. The bad news was that they had left their backpacks containing their flight suits inside the mansion. So they had to find another way inside.

Thankfully they were able to creep back past the gates as Agent 999 continued to work at picking the lock. Allen had to suppress a snort as she and the Orb Queen ran past him. Zero Squad was not the best of the best for nothing. Cagalli glanced back at the former President and she gave a signal with her hand.

General Allen came to a stop and nodded as they ducked closer to the house, right near one of the windows. She peered inside, spotting the Dragon as he clashed with the same specter they had seen at the opening of the ball. The female general narrowed her eyes as she slowly reached for the window and slowly inched her fingers along the seams. She fiddled with the screen a few times before she found the latches and slowly inched them into the unlocked position. It didn't take her long to remove the screen. She lay it down on the grass as Cagalli came in and started to inch the window open enough to allow them to slip in.

The queen was the first one inside. Although she was wearing a dress more suited for nobility, the young ruler was able to slip in with the ease that came with being a pilot for the best unit in their world. Once she was inside, Allen was the next one to slip over to the window. She slid her upper body in before she slipped one leg onto the edge and perched there briefly, long enough to gauge the fight. She could see that the Dragon was holding his own, but it was bound to be a matter of time before even he was taken by surprise. She tore her gaze from the swiftness of his dodges and ran after Cagalli as she ducked down another side hallway - the same one they had come out of after sneaking in.

That was also where the changing room they had used was.

The two women ran down the hallway, trying to ignore the clashing of arms in the main hall. Cagalli came to a stop at the door. "C'mon!" she muttered.

The Orb Queen grabbed the door and threw it open so both could enter. They ran inside and closed the door.

Once inside, General Allen plunged her hand behind a nearby chair and pulled out the grey backpack with her flight suit inside. Cagalli, on the other hand, pulled her backpack out from behind a nearby shoe rack. Allen unzipped her backpack and pulled out her flight suit. She proceeded to strip her dress off, leaving her with just her undergarments on. But she didn't linger. She whipped out the underclothing for her flight suit and put that on. On her other side, the young queen was doing the same thing. She slid on the lower half of the suit, followed by checking each component to make sure it was in its proper place. Then both donned the tops of their suits, followed by the Snoopy caps.

The two looked at one another, nodding before they put their helmets on, effectively hiding their faces from sight.

Allen did a quick check of her equipment. Her sidearm rested in its holster while on her left leg rested the explosives pouch. On her right leg was the pouch holding all her tools for sabotage, which she hoped she wouldn't need. Satisfied that she was ready, she glanced to Cagalli, and both nodded before running back out into the hall.

She could only hope the Dragon was able to hold that ghost off...

(Dracon's 1st POV)

"...okay! This is getting ridiculous!" I muttered as I backed up towards the door.

The ghost was by now advancing on me, using its handless sleeves to direct the floating weapons like they were instruments and it was the conductor of this band. I flexed my wings as I held my beam magnum across my chest, the short beam saber humming hungrily.

The axe came at me, its blade whistling through the air as it made to cleave me in two. I reacted by swinging my weapon, catching the blade with the beam saber. My hydraulics hissed as I put more power into them, a grunt escaping my vocalizer. I spotted the sword as it came at me from another angle, but I whipped my left leg up and kicked the blade away with enough force to send it flying. The sword flew end over end and jammed itself into the wall as I shoved my beam magnum down at an angle. I lashed out with a punch, smashing my fist into the axe enough to disrupt its flight path. I uncurled my fist and grabbed the axe handle before spinning around and whipping it through the air to catch the flail in its path. I tossed that axe right for it, causing both weapons to collide and crash to the ground. The ghost held out its sleeves and the two began to float off the ground again. The sword shuddered within the wall, but it didn't come loose. I smirked to myself in my thoughts, my optics flaring smugly. "Nice try," I purred.

But my smug attitude evaporated as I saw the sword finally tear itself free, dislodging two wood panels as a result. "Oh... crap...!" I whispered.

The ghost let out an eerie moan, as if it were laughing at me.

The three weapons came at me again.

I ducked a strike from the axe and smashed my helm into it before I flipped over the sword as it tried to cut my legs off. The flail slammed into my shield as I brought my left arm up to block a second swing at my head. I completed my flip and, with a burst from my thrusters, I pulled back to give myself some breathing room.

Now that I had accomplished that, I needed to try and take down those weapons. I knew my frame was tough, but there were still weak points, such as my joints and the armor seams. Still, I wasn't about to risk taking on the ghost and its little armory like this.

At least, not alone, anyway.

I didn't even notice the two white figures emerging from a nearby hallway. In fact, I only noticed them when they launched a surprise attack on the ghost, but it was a little bit before that even happened. I was so busy focusing on trying to keep the specter's weapons from attacking my frame's weak points at the moment. The sword was now moving to intercept me every time I tried to move, and the axe was getting closer to chopping off either a wing, an arm, or even a leg. The flail only attacked once or twice, trying to lure me towards the other two weapons. I kept backing up until I felt the cool wood of the door against my back. I glanced over my shoulder and I growled. "Shit!"

I was trapped.

There was no way for me to get out of this.

Or so I thought.

I braced for the inevitable attack.

The ghost seemed to laugh at me as it swung one arm down, the sword coming right for my left arm.

Only for a gunshot to cut through the air.

The shot clanged off the blade, ricocheting towards the specter, forcing it to lose control of its weapons as it tried to dodge. They clattered and thunked onto the floor, leaving some nice dents and scratches on the marble flooring.

Confused, I slowly lowered my arms from in front of my face, and I looked around, trying to find out where the shot had come from.

Then, I saw it.

A flash of white... and grey.

My helm snapped up to look at the source of the white, and my reactor hitched in my chest at the sight of a white, humanoid figure. It appeared to be clad in some kind of suit with armor and some kind of breathing tank on the back. On the chest plate was a symbol I had seen only once before: a golden Z with a golden four-pointed star behind it, and a golden v-chevron in front of the Z while metallic wings were extending out from behind the pointed star. On the right side of the chest plate were the letters UEN, and the left shoulder had a flag on it while the right shoulder had a rank of some kind on it. The right and left legs each held a pouch on them, obviously for storage of something important. The gloves and shoulder guards were both grey in color along with the boots. The boots also had black heels, but I couldn't figure out what purpose they served. The head on the other hand was white, and a dark grey void gazed back at me. There was no way I could see through it, which made me wonder if it was really... Wait...

Memory files of the news reports of the strange Faceless Ones came back to me and I gasped to myself.

The Faceless Ones I had heard several rumors about, mostly in that they could run up the sides of buildings with ease, and cling to the ceilings of structures as well, much like how this one was. And it was said they spoke an unknown language that no one could decipher. Rumor also said that they could blend in with humans, Faunus, and Mobians using unknown technology or special powers. (Personally, I doubted the rumors about the special powers. If they were capable of blending in, then it would have to be advanced technology.)

But to see one of them here?!

In London?!

That was totally unexpected for me.

I stared in shock.

Then, it turned its head towards me, and it made direct optic contact with me. If it even had eyes. Then it tore its gaze from my optics and directed its faceless void at the specter in front of me. The Faceless One aimed the gun it held at the specter, firing a couple more shots directly at it. The ghost flitted to the left, thrusting its left arm out. The sword floated off the floor before it flew towards the Faceless One.

The Faceless One didn't even hesitate. It crouched and pushed off the ceiling, flipping before it landed on the ground. It proceeded to get into a kneeling stance as it aimed its gun once more, firing off the last few rounds in its clip before it ejected it and reached for another clip on its waist. It grabbed the clip and slammed it home in the gun before it got to its feet and charged at the phantom. The Faceless One drew back a fist to punch the specter, which made me pale a bit. "Oh, Glob...!" I whispered.

But I needn't have worried. The Faceless One punched just as the phantom flew to the left.

Only to wind up right in the firing sights of a second Faceless One.

My optics landed on that second one, and it glanced to its fellow before giving a firm nod. Then the first Faceless One reached for its waist and pulled off a device I recognized as a smoke canister. The Faceless One pressed the button and tossed it right for the ghost. A flash of light and then a loud bang echoed, discharging thick smoke into the room. On instinct I threw my arm in up front of my face. However, I shifted my optics to thermal to see through the smoke.

And it was then that I saw something odd.

See, thermal vision is perfect for seeing in very dark spaces that even night vision can't penetrate. It allows one to see the body heat others give off, making it very effective where standard night vision is useless. And in these circumstances, it was perfect to see through the smoke.

And it also gave me a surprising revelation.

There was something underneath that sheet. But it was a bit smudgy. I narrowed my optics at it, trying to make it out. It did look vaguely humanoid, so that was something I recognized. But as to what it truly was, it was too blurry to make out. I directed my attention back to the Faceless Ones, and I was surprised to see them retreating deeper into the mansion.

And just as well, too.

The door behind me shuddered and I whirled around, noticing it starting to slide open. I bolted forward and into the thick smoke, but the ghost had also retreated. I shifted my vision back to normal as I looked around.

I narrowed my optics as the huge doors finally swung open and Agent 999 leapt in, gun drawn and ready.

Pongo and Perdita ran in after him, followed by the rest of the party goers.

"Oh my... Pongo, look!" Perdita whispered, seeing the devastation of their home.

Pongo narrowed his eyes as he looked at me and I paled. Well, figuratively, of course.

"That ghost came back," I said, feeling embarrassed.

Pongo finally glanced around. "Hm." He closed his eyes as he raised his nose and gave a sniff. I knew he was a dog Mobian, but to see him actually sniffing out the scent of a ghost was something I had not expected. He finally lowered his head and opened his eyes. "There is a strange scent in the air," he muttered. "And it is not from any ghost. Ghosts lack a smell to them."

Actually, now that I thought about it, he did have a point.

Ghosts didn't have a smell on them at all.

And come to think of it, there had been something else off about the ghost too. While I hadn't detected it via my psychoframe, the fact that I had even sensed it via my radar and other sensors was a giveaway that something was amiss here. I looked around, trying to spot any sign of where it had gone.

The familiar footsteps of Tina and Agunimon caught my attention.

"Dracon!"

I whirled around at Tina's exclamation as she wrapped her arms around me, holding me tight as she planted a kiss on my faceplate. I wrapped my own arms around her and returned the kiss, sensing her relief through my psychoframe. She finally pulled back. "I was so worried..." she whispered.

"Hey. I'm fine," I reassured her. "But that ghost..." I turned to look back at where it had been. "That was no specter."

"Huh?" Agunimon tilted his head to the side. "You mean it's not a ghost?"

I nodded. "Yeah. My psychoframe, as you know, lets me see and communicate with the deceased. So if that thing was dead, it wouldn't be showing on my sensors or radar."

"It would just be invisible to that," Tina mused, knowing a bit more about how my psychoframe worked than Agunimon did, anyway.

"Exactly. And ghosts tend to give off cold spots, right? Well, this one did not." I pointed to my optics. "I was using thermal vision when I saw something underneath that sheet it wore." I lowered my hand. "It was humanoid in its shape under there."

Tina and Agunimon glanced at one another in surprise before turning back to look at me. "Then that means it wasn't a ghost at all!" Agunimon remarked.

I gave a single nod.

I finally turned to look back in the direction the so-called specter had gone. I couldn't see any footprints, which made me suspect it was a sort of invisibility Semblance. There were quite a variety of those about, some of which were notable, like the Candy Elemental's Semblance. (Yeah, I knew about them because of my frequent correspondence with Mayor Sebben. But being the man he was, he refused to say much else about how or what they were doing. Another reminder of the price that the Gem of Sight imposed on him...) A few others relied solely on using illusions or manipulating the light to hide themselves. It was a crude imitation to what the Candy Elemental could do, but it did do the job. But this one... this Semblance clearly had a weakness in that it caused the user's body temperature to increase the longer it was used.

But then there was the whole telekinesis that threw me off.

There was no way a person could have more than one Semblance. A person always had one Semblance, much like Tina had her Enhancement. But with the right training, one could discover new abilities with their Semblance. Or in rare cases, like with Omnimon, a person could have a variable Semblance, or a Semblance with a variety of abilities. But those almost never happened. And even then people had to use weapons or other devices to augment their abilities. I was an exception as I had no real Aura but because of my psychoframe I had what could be considered a pseudo-Aura, so to speak.

So to have someone with two Semblances was unexpected...

Or maybe... Maybe they hadn't been alone.

That was just a guess, but judging from the way the so-called ghost had lugged that pot indicated that perhaps someone else was close by and helping them make the house seem haunted. And perhaps this other helper had a telekinetic Semblance.

It did seem possible, but since the 'ghost' had fled, there was no way to prove or disprove my theory.

Still, the fact that the one behind this had escaped was enough to make me frustrated. And it apparently showed in my optics because Tina placed a hand on my shoulder guard. "We'll get to the bottom of this," she said gently.

I nodded, still feeling angered. "Yeah. I know."

I turned back to look at the scene before us. Party goers were coming back in, surprised by the fight that had taken place there. Already people were starting to swarm around me, intent on asking questions. I was not interested in answering them at the moment, so I turned and headed back towards where the 'specter' had stood. There had to be some clues as to who it was somewhere here.

I finally knelt down at the very spot I had seen the sheet standing, and I narrowed my optics as I scanned the marble flooring with my sensors.

And then I saw it.

Or rather I picked it up.

It was faint, but it was there.

A footprint. Specifically the footprint to a men's work boot, size eight, I guessed. It looked fresh, too. I snapped a still photo with my built-in cameras and saved it to my memory banks. I'd go over it with Tina later on, I figured. I shot a glance to where Agunimon was talking to Scotty who had his massive arms folded across broad chest, a scowl on his face. He clearly was not impressed by what had gone down here. And actually, neither was I, for that matter. I had done by best to prevent much damage to the place, but the 'ghost' had not done so. That was a bad sign, like the perpetrator had no regard for high society or even the lives around them.

And it was then that my radar blared inside my head.

"Oh, crap!" I moaned. "Not again!"

That same eerie moan came floating out from behind the left-hand corridor of the upstairs and I glanced up, all of us looking up actually, as the 'specter' came floating out, its faceless void gazing down from its higher position.

And then it spoke to us.

"Leave this plaaaaace..." it moaned, an eerie rasping coming from deep within its chest. "This place rests on sacred grounds... Leave now, or ye be doomed... Forrrreeveeeerrrr...!"

With that last word, the 'specter' launched itself at us.

Name: ?

Species: ?

Aura: Dark brown

Semblance: Visioncloak

Description: Their Semblance makes them invisible to many forms of sensor and vision. However it is not very effective against infrared or thermal sensors or cameras in the case of Dracon. Enough time spent invisible also means their body temperature increases, making them easier to spot via thermal cameras.

Weapon: N/A