A.N. The issue that should be addressed is whether or not Danny will utilise the main ability Subaru had. The answer is not really. He doesn't have the power to rewind time, so he gets only one go at everything. Except maybe a couple of cases when there will be something a tad bit different.

"To order! To order!"

The uproar lording over the spacious halls of the colossal arena never seemed to cease, and the demands to calm down were only a droplet added to the ocean of noise. The reason behind the ruckus was as simple as that. The Observants were charged with maintaining order within the realm of the dead by the authorities long gone. The green-skinned, one-eyed creatures were old, ancient, all but lacking personalities in order to present a united front on every issue. And yet, in spite of their very nature, they often argued and reacted vehemently to every major issue. Some would say that the Observants were nothing but raging, petulant children. But it had been working out. The people upsetting the balance were punished. The major crisis they now faced, however, was caused by the absence of one major figure of that world.

Lord Phantom was the figure that everyone present feared. It was they who had summoned an army to fight the newly-fledged ruler, and it was they who begged for his mercy upon suffering defeat. He had been the first one to have a chance of annihilating them, the creatures backed by the Time Master himself. The conditions Phantom set, however, were far more condescending than they could have ever dreamed. The king all of a sudden accepted being a ceremonial figure not at all involved in the dealings of the world. They almost began to believe that he wanted nothing to do with his power. They feared the man who slaughtered Clockwork himself. Without the Time Master, nobody respected the Observants; nobody feared them, as they were weak ghosts, as if the power of one powerful spectre was split among a thousand of these meagre creatures. Then came Phantom, presenting an opportunity for them to act 'on his behalf'. He was a metaphorical scarecrow, a boogeyman for every ghost around, as they didn't want to incur the wrath of the half ghost. But now he straight up vanished.

And the vacuum had to be filled soon.

"What are we supposed to do? You tell us!"

"We cannot let the news about this leak out!"

"Then stop shouting it for all the Realms to hear! Now calm down!"

Everyone was going to eventually tire themselves. The brighter a candle burns, the faster it dies. The louder the person, the sooner they shut up.

"This matter cannot be ignored, and your anger is felt by each one of us," one of the Observants, the advocate for silence, spoke up, "Phantom assured us that he has no intention of leaving his domain without notifying us. This agreement has lasted for barely a month, and he has already violated it."

"But is this really that much of a problem? We do not detect him in his own world, nor do we in ours. For all he is worth, it might be a good thing that this sword of Damocles does not hang over us anymore."

"You are being awfully naive. He is the Lord of the Infinite Realms, the most dangerous creature to ever roam its surface. He cannot be left out of our sight for even a minute, lest he decides to finally make his move."

"Make his move?! He's been rotting away in his self-imposed imprisonment, and it was after the Ancients died by his hand! He could have done it back then!"

"It was one month ago. We must remember that he is still half human. They are the creatures of inconsistencies and change. And no matter how powerful a person is, he might want to minimise the risks by striking the weakest spots of a chain. We MUST find him before anything happens! We will find him through our Sight! That is what we all are here for!"

"And what do you propose to do next? To actually force the one who used our comrades as a fertiliser for his backyard?"

"By any means necessary. We have to know what this monster is up to."

"Whelp. This is taking forever, "declared Danny, and he sighed, scratching his hands. "How big is this city, even? We've been at it for a whole hour."

His complaints were majorly affected by having to actually walk all this distance. While Lugnica was far from New York, it was still far too large for a mediaeval settlement. Or even those that lived into the 17th century. Also, taking into account that their common journey started at the place opposite from the ghettos, the trip was going to take some time. Phantom wasn't exactly used to this, and frankly, now when he thought of it, when was the last time he actually walked? In his mind flashed the images of how he flew up the staircase instead of using it, floated while reading in the library, and many other cases when, instead of using his legs, he opted to hang in the air like Puck did. It was a miracle that Danny's legs hadn't decided to take a leave and abandon him after months of underuse. Funny how, despite everything, he came across as a no-lifer who never left his room and his PC. He was a shut-in, if you were to apply the word frivolously.

The idea of simplifying the myriad of issues he had to a rudimentary 'I stay at home all day long' was both hilarious and terrifying. Danny wasn't sure if he wanted to go there, and he did not intend to pick a side on this one.

"It shouldn't be long," his companion pointed out.

"For not being a local, you know your surroundings quite well," Danny said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"What do you mean? I've been following you."

They both stopped in their tracks. That would explain why that one yellow building kept coming up again and again.

"Are you shitting me?" Danny mumbled, "We have been walking in circles this whole time?!"

The girl took a step back at his sudden outburst. "That would explain a lot," she responded thoughtfully.

"Princess, I don't know why you were under the impression that I know how this place is laid out, but here is that. I too am not from around here."

"C-could you stop calling me that in public?" She stuttered again.

"Not as long as I find it hilarious," Danny said off-handedly, "I don't recall us exchanging names, actually. Mind giving me yours? Or will it reveal that you are an actual princess?" He whispered and smirked even wider. If that was true, his interest would only skyrocket.

"He is right, you know?" Puck asked, still sitting on the girl's shoulders, hidden under her long hair. "It will get uncomfortable very quick."

Seeing hesitation on her face, Danny decided to take the initiative and set an example. He gave her an exaggerated bow.

"I am Daniel James Phantom. Danny for short."

"Oh, are you a noble? That's a lot of names," the girl pointed out.

:And you can't just learn magic without access to knowledge, " Puck decided to be too inquisitive.

"Well, I am in a way, but three names are kind of a staple where I am from, so it wouldn't say much. You can omit the middle one. People usually do."

He carefully avoided talking about magic. If he was to use this excuse, he needed to know more about it first. He could pass his control over ice as sorcery, since he had seen the girl use it. Otherwise, his 'yet unseen' spells would only cause more problems than outright admission of his otherworldly power.

"So, I guess it's your turn, princess," Danny leaned closer again, but as he did, something caught his eye — the shape of her ears. They were way too pointy for a human.

His interest did not go unnoticed. The girl immediately hid her ears from his sight with her palms.

"Cute ears," Danny commented, "Are you an elf or something?"

"I...I'm a half-elf, actually..."

She looked like she was expecting some sort of reaction from him. Danny recognised that look all too well. And to see that expression on her face was surprising to him. Phantom wondered what the cause for that was, but he did feel sympathy for someone who had similar issues as him.

"Does this place hate half-elves or something? In any case," he laughed, "I've seen much scarier things than your ears, trust me. I once had a breakfast when the sausages gained consciousness and tried to eat me instead!"

"And then what? You fought them with a knife?" Puck laughed.

Danny made a dramatic pose and began to speak in a dramatic manner. "I am not that good with blades. But sadly, yes. Their juices were on my hands...I had to take a paper towel to wipe the floor of what remained!"

Something shone in the girl's eyes. She definitely appreciated his tolerance, and whether or not she believed his story, she let out a chuckle. Before she could say anything, however, Puck floated right into Danny's face and made a weak punch with a tiny 'kya'. Danny barely felt it.

"You have a strange way of showing sympathy, Puck," the teen commented, lightly pushing the floating cat away.

"What makes you think it was that?" The cat winked.

"Because I am just so charming," Danny smirked.

"Who told you that? You stink!" The spirit put the paws on his nose.

They both shared a small laugh. The mood seemed to become much jollier. But there was still a question that hadn't been answered.

"Go on, princess. Don't tell me that all this hearty talk was for nothing."

The silver-haired girl seemed thoughtful for yet another moment, before responding. "Satella."

Puck didn't seem happy with the answer for some reason. He floated right to her and whispered something in her ear.

"Well, Satella, now you have a name. Still calling you a princess, though."

"You said it was until you got the name!" The girl said.

"I said that I was doing it as long as the joke was not stale," Danny shrugged. "And I'm having too much fun with this. Now that we got this out of the way, I say that we continue. Wow, it is a great view from up here."

Only now did he notice that they could see the entire city from their spot. It really was huge, reaching almost as far as an eye could see. Phantom whistled, leaning against the stone railing. He immediately began the search for his target, and then, far away, near the walls, the colourful tile roofs were absent. Even the houses were smaller. The district had a generally depressing look about it, so it did seem like their ultimate destination.

"It's really far," Danny said, his lips thinning. "Alright, the more time we waste, the more your treasure distances itself from us."

He jumped on the railing, glancing at the ground that was about twenty metres away, and spun around on one foot to look at his companions, "So we better hurry."

"Careful! The wind is strong here!"

"Aw, she is worrying about me. I'm touched. Alright, off we go."

"What a show-off," Puck mumbled.

The group continued their way through the streets. Danny actually had a good sense of direction, when he wasn't led astray by misconceptions, that is. It had something to do with his past occupation. Being the resident hero forced him to know the town and its locations like the back of his hand. He needed to know every alleyway in which to change form, and he needed to know where each important building was. His ghost sense didn't reach for tens of miles, it needed proximity. So he sometimes relied on radio, TV and live broadcasts. In short, he learned how to reach his destination through the tricky, slithering streets by keeping in mind a straight line to which he should stick. Of course, it was always easier to fly over everything. This way he didn't need to wriggle around, going straight to his goal. But he was unsure if he should use this power now. Satella and Puck did seem like nice people, but if he couldn't even trust his parents with this secret, what was there to say about the people he had just met?

They were passing the marketplace. Nothing out of ordinary would have happened, had it not been for Satella eyeing one of the stalls for too long. One of the loaders was just passing nearby, and due to the boxes in his hands, his line of sight was maybe too narrow. Thus, he crashed into the half-elf. He dropped his boxes of apples and fell on his butt. Satella fell on the ground, too, red fruits scattered all around her. Hearing her yelp, Danny turned around and saw the aftermath of the impact. One apple even reached his boot. Grabbing the fruit, he was half-tempted to eat it, but decided to just hand it back as he would handle everything. He came up to Satella and helped her to her feet.

The man rubbed his face, as during the impact the box hit him between the eyes. But what happened next came as a total surprise for the half ghost.

"You alright there, man?" Danny asked.

"Oh, shit. Watch where you are going."

He opened his eyes, and then he noticed both Phantom and Satella. It was the latter who made his whole face several shades paler.

"Fuck! You...you are..."

"N-no, it's just a coincidence!" Satella seemed to understand why exactly he was reacting like this. Danny, however, was at a loss.

The man did not listen. He screamed and ran off, leaving the confused half-ghost and the mysterious half-elf inhaling the dust. Phantom didn't know how to act after such an outburst. But he also came to a conclusion. That whatever it was which made the people fearful, it was not Satella's race. Or, at least, it didn't end there. It was linked to her more directly. On one hand, he was tempted to ask Satella more about her situation, but on the other, seeing her disappointed face, he ultimately decided that it was not his business. She didn't pry into his own history. Still, there was nothing stopping him from feeling sympathy for the half-elf. It didn't look like she was really at fault for this brand. Deciding to just take her mind off the depressing things, he patted the girl on the shoulder, causing her to look at him.

"Come on. We can't just stop each time we see an idiot. We won't make a single step then."

"Thank you, Danny," she smiled, before seeing him take a bite of an apple, "Shouldn't we pay for it?"

He chewed the bite thoroughly and wiped the generous amount of juices from his mouth."You are free to chase him," Danny said, "but I believe he is already crying on his mother's lap miles away."

"The last part was unnecessary, you know."

"That's how I deal with things. Don't mind me."

She was quiet after that. Danny was too, but for an entirely different reason. This whole situation seemed somewhat strange. There was some contradiction in the girl's actions. She was facing either prejudice or public scorn. Both cases made her openness towards him look unreasonable. Unless...yes, that made sense. From the start, she didn't want to bring him into this whole problem. She had expected him to back off eventually, and the mention of her name was supposed to push him away for certain. Danny could understand this to some extent. People who were used to loneliness did not seek company. It was somewhat redundant to think this, obvious as the idea was.

Danny didn't want to play psychologist. It was what his sister used to do. She pried into his personal life in an attempt to help, only to come across as a nagging worrywart. People didn't like when someone lectured them, himself included. And all this overanalysing made his head hurt. There was no need to mentally dissect everyone he came across. But it was, to some extent, his defence mechanism. His subconsciousness did it automatically. He tried to understand people and their motives, seeking the tiniest hint that the other people would try and slit his throat. Satella was obviously not like this, and she didn't know anything about him on top of everything. He should calm down. Yes, just yesterday he was busying himself with concerns about intruders, and all the stress hadn't left him yet. But it was different now, was it not? He was just helping out a girl to find her stolen things. It might involve some fighting, should the thieves choose to be difficult, but they had nothing on the princess or him. It was supposed to go smoothly.

How he wished it to be the case.

When they reached the slums, it had already been some time past noon. There are only so many ways one could describe the shabbiest parts of any city. The lack of proper roads, for starters. The mushy dirt smelled like sewers, and there was probably some explanation to that — an explanation Danny would rather not voice even in his mind. And he had just bought new shoes, too. The houses here were not built out of shit and sticks put together, like nowadays. However, the brick construction seemed shaky at best, with many of the said bricks scattered out of their initial pockets. The window frames lacked glass, more resembling a rhombus and not a square or a rectangle. It was hard to believe someone would actually live here, apart from the rats and roaches who contested for food on a daily basis. And their future food was currently up and about, ogling the visitors with looks that didn't hold anything good.

Phantom eyed the beggars in response. And much like their rodent neighbours, they immediately hide upon being spotted. The teen was prepared to deal with whatever vagabond decided to jump on them. Satella, however, seemed oblivious to their intentions, which were far from noble. She regarded them with a look of pity. She shouldn't drop her guard just because there were starving children, Phantom reasoned in his mind. Still, nobody chose to attack them for thirty minutes straight. One of the beggars was even so kind to divulge information about where the closest pawn shop was. Through some urging of his silver-haired companion and his own half-willingness to repay the man, Danny dropped a couple of coins in the man's palm. Showering them with words of gratitude, the beggar ran off, happily holding the silver coins like his life depended on them. It probably was, in all honesty.

"He seems very happy," Satella smiled.

"Let's just hope that he isn't going to get killed on his way home."

She looked at him with wide eyes, "Why do you sound so sure?"

"Because, princess, the people around here are starving themselves, "he pointed at one of the houses, where he was confident a family of five lived. The houses had so many holes, it wasn't so hard to see it, "And they might just value their lives more than that of this guy."

"That's…awful."

"Don't be so pessimistic, you two," Puck poked his head out, "We helped the guy and he helped us. We did a good thing."

"I merely voiced my hopes," Danny shrugged. "We should really get moving. After the sun sets, we will just be inviting the less likeable elements of society to try and rob us. I wouldn't want to beat them and make them regurgitate what's left in their stomachs."

"Yes, and I won't be able to help, either," Puck responded.

Phantom shot him a questioning look, "How come?"

"Well, I have to rest inside that crystal to maintain my form."

Danny nodded. It sounded reasonable. Ghosts were not different in this regard, as they too needed to maintain shapes when out of their world. They could do it in a variety of ways. They could remain in locations rich in ectoplasm or feed off emotions. That's why they chose to frighten the people of his town. It gave them the chance to stay out of the world of the dead. Phantom could do that too. But as he was also a half-human, he could simply eat, and his core would produce energy on its own - a thing unheard of amongst the ghosts.

"So in other words, you replenish your supply of energy there…I wonder if it is filled with ectoplasm. Then again, you won't be able to last for long this way…" Phantom rambled, only later noticing the half-amused and half-curious looks. He coughed, "I was just curious."

"Wow. You almost sounded enthusiastic," Puck laughed.

Danny threw him a light glare, "I am intrigued by the things that generations of my family have dedicated their efforts towards, kitty-cat, that's all."

He started to walk faster, a small blush briefly flashing across his face. That was embarrassing. Satella followed behind him, a small smile forming.

Eventually they reached what looked like an ordinary house. It was suspicious enough, for the sole reason of it actually looking like a normal building in the area of crooked and ruined houses. The windows were, however, barred with planks, and it didn't seem like anyone lived there. Except the tiny rays of light managed to get through the tiny holes between the pieces of wood, and if there had been a house comfortable for living here, it was this one. Thus, there must have been a reason as to why nobody went there. For instance, the major obstacle would be the presence of an owner. Crossing the tiny bridge over a river of filth, the companions stopped near the doors. Danny was about to knock, but then stopped himself.

"Do we actually have a plan?" He asked.

"Are you asking this now? I thought you had one!"

Danny made a deadpan expression, "I am glad that you still have so much faith in me after the 'walking in circles' incident.

Phantom sighed and knocked on the door with his fist. He heard some rumble inside, the sounds of furniture moving, the steady and loud footsteps that could be made by someone heavy. Then, a voice spoke from behind the piece of wood separating two speakers.

"Say the password."

"We've been trying to reach you concerning your vehicle's extended warranty. You should've received a notice in the mail, sir," Phantom responded calmly.

"What…I don't even have a vehicle! And what even is a warranty?"

"Would you like to arrange one?" The teen smirked.

"Get lost, brat. I don't have time for this."

"Listen, sir," Satella approached the door. "We've been told we could buy some goods here. Is this the right place?"

"Why didn't you just say so from the start?"

The door soon opened, barely letting the light of candles through. This was due to the enormous, more than two-meters-tall, muscular old man that stood there. He had dark skin, a lot of wrinkles and grey, extremely bushy eyebrows. But, for his age, he had a ton of muscles. He generally had something Neanderthal about him, in a positively ferocious sort of way. Danny whistled.

"No wonder you don't have a vehicle," he said.

"If this joke is funny, kid, then I am a dwarf. Come in, already."

The visitors examined the interior of the place. It seemed like a mix between a bar and a shop, what with tables all around, along with all sorts of weapons and trinkets lining the walls. Phantom's eyes landed on a suit of dented armour. He wondered, if that was a pawn shop for stolen goods, then how in hell did someone steal a suit of armour that must have weighed no less than fifty kilos? Then his initial impression changed. The place must have been a tavern before this gorilla man came into possession of it. There were no visitors, and the atmosphere was very pressing and gloomy. He couldn't have closed already, it wasn't even five in the evening. But Danny had no time to ponder that, as the owner dropped behind the bar and gulped down his enormous mug of beer. As he set it down, the liquid spilled all over the piece of wood.

"So, what did ya and your jester want?" He looked at Satella. Phantom turned to look at him.

"Excuse me?"

"We were looking for some item and wondered if we could get it here," Satella explained.

"Well, that's obvious. You probably have not come for the drinks. What exactly did you hope to find?"

Danny picked up a sword and flayed it around lazily, "She had her item stolen this very day. The line of deduction led us here."

The giant raised one of his enormous silver eyebrows, "And you just came here for this?"

"Be happy that we didn't come with the guards," Danny put in, "It would have been too much hustle. Are you still selling it?"

Satella's eyes widened. "Are we going to buy my own insignia?" She asked in genuine surprise.

"Well, yes. That has been our plan from the start. Of course, if the princess wishes, I'll skewer someone who has no appreciation for my humour. But I'd still recommend avoiding that."

"Ha!" The old man barked with a laugh, "Even when drunk, I'll beat ya sorry ass."

"Oh, will you?" Danny grinned, a glimmer of green sparkling in his eyes as he raised the sword.

"Stop!" Satella exclaimed. "Well, I…I don't actually have any money on me."

Both Danny and the old man shot her incredulous looks.

"How even…" Danny mumbled.

"Aren't ya with her?" The old man asked, "You ought to have known that your mistress has no money."

"She isn't my mistress. I just met her and decided to help…" Danny rubbed his temples. "Guess an armed robbery it is."

"It won't do ya any good in any case, kid. I don't have any insignias."

"Oh?"

"Indeed, but if you manage to find the money…I'll tell you how to buy it."

Danny looked at Satella, who didn't know what she should do in this situation. Phantom had an idea, a risky one, and he was going to bet his savings on it. He reached for his belt and dropped the purse with coins on the bar table. The girl looked at him in shock.

"Is this enough?" He asked.

"Danny, I can't possibly ask of you…"

"Don't worry. I trust that I will be reimbursed during better times," Danny smiled.

'And those times had better come sooner,' he added, slightly irritated.Honestly, that girl was naive beyond comprehension.

"Aren't ya a white knight. Well, let's see…"

The old man emptied the contents of the purse and began counting the coins. "Hmm. Yes, this is quite a bunch. Very well. I don't have the insignia now, but one of the thieves is going to come here soon. She said she had a buyer for one extremely good catch. It's probably the thing you are looking for."

"She wouldn't happen to be a blonde girl?"

"Yeah, that's Felt, alright."

"Then it is what we want. Wait…" Danny looked at Satella, "Why would someone pay to get your insignia?"

"I have no idea," she shrugged, "and it's a surprise to me, too. Maybe…"

"What?"

"No, it's nothing!" She quickly took her words back.

Phantom sat behind the bar without saying anything else. She still didn't trust him with vital information. Besides, his mood was soured by the perspective of buying something expensive to help a girl who didn't want to tell him what the thing was until the last moment. Was he really going to risk it all for a pretty face? Phantom prayed that she actually had money back home, because otherwise they all would be broke and he would ironically find himself as that gorilla's supplier. It was funny how he eagerly ran away from the concept only to ponder it again. Danny looked at the ceiling, beginning to count the cracks on the wood to pass the time. A futile endeavor: how does one count the amount of something that was essentially one long line?He found himself bored again, before getting up. Danny once again picked up a sword he had ditched. It was old and worn out, with too many dents for it to be of any use in a fight. Not that he would pick a sword over everything else.

He could wave it around without cutting himself apart. He could parry some strikes due to his inhuman reaction and predict where they would land. But in a fair sword fight, he would lose to someone at least slightly proficient with the weapon. He preferred the long range. His powers were largely about this. If it came to close combat, he fought more with his fists than anything else. However, despite everything, there was some elegance and grace in the swordsmanship Danny sought to achieve. There was also one very neat style he had been practising in his castle and was dying to try out. There were some ghosts who used it, and Phantom found it extremely impressive and awesome. He wasn't going to get rusty even if there was nothing to threaten his peaceful existence in this world. Speaking of abilities…

Danny looked at the drunk bartender, a decision made in his mind. Alcohol would not harm him. That's the aforementioned ability.

"Hey, pal. Do you serve something here, or are those bottles just for show?"

"Aren't ya too young for that?"

"Do you care?"

"Not really. But what I care about is whether or not you will be able to pay for them."

Phantom groaned, "You people are merciless to my wallet."

"What? Hard times for you nobles?" The man asked with a note of scorn.

"Nope. Still having a time of my life. I don't regret coming here. So far it's been nice."

"Even if a pretty lady extorts all your money?" He pointed at Satella, who looked at the floor in shame.

"Hey, I've had my share of ladies who had some ulterior motives."

Unnoticed by the talking men, Satella quietly got up.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I will know one when I see her. This Princess here is not one of those."

"Hey, you spoke of the 'ladies', as in plural."

"Well, one time may not be enough to learn your lesson, alright?" Phantom pointed a finger at the laughing giant. "One time it was a bitch who used me to get revenge on her true love. Another time, the lady tried to kill me by getting too close…" Danny mumbled, before shaking his head. "Point is, I know when someone is shamelessly using me. So you shouldn't worry, prin…where is she?"

Only now did he notice the absence of said girl. He immediately bolted to his feet, the chair beneath him almost falling over.

"Don't tell me she heard only the most offensive part taken out of context."

"What?"

"That's the most basic and stupid cliche there is…" Danny growled, "If that's the reason she left, I swear, I will drag this girl here by her pretty, sharp ears."

As if on cue, the door opened. Phantom was about to demand an answer, but the person who entered through the unlocked door was not Satella. It was, in fact, the very thieving girl he had seen earlier that day. It also seemed that Felt remembered his face as well. Danny cursed his luck. Why did she have to run away minutes before their target appeared? Fine, he would get that stupid insignia and bring it to her. After that, she could stuff that stupid money where sun doesn't shine. He didn't even care anymore.

"You?" Felt asked, a bit scared at the angry look on Danny's face. He attempted to look calmer, but it only made things worse, as he now looked downright evil. And when he put his hands on her shoulders, she got shaky in her legs.

"Yes. Now, when you are finally here, we can get this over with."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"The insignia, Felt," The old man said, "He came here to buy it."

"Really?" Some confidence returned to the girl who barely reached Danny's chest. "Well, and how much do you offer? I was initially offered around ten silvers for it," she announced proudly.

"I give you fifteen. I'll take the thing, thank you."

"Wait, I have the buyer already. It's not how things are done."

"The buyer who gives you less, you greedy thief," Danny tapped on the ground with his leg impatiently.

"I value my reputation. I can't just abandon the one who gave me this task. You can bargain with her. Like an auction."

A sigh escaped his lips as he announced his verdict. "Noble, insightful, moronic. And I am even more moronic for not walking out with this thing outright."

He raised his palm and showed a pentagon-shaped piece of metal. An oddly familiar image of two dragons was carved on it with gold. In the centre of the insignia was a beautiful crimson jewel. Both Felt and the old man stared at him with eyes wide as saucers, the former immediately digging in her pockets, and finding no treasure there. How, when did he even get it? It happened in a blink, and she didn't know that Phantom could make things fly, including insignia, including making it fly right out of her back pocket while his hands were near, while his angry face and tone attracted all the attention. The latter was a tried-and-true conman's strategy.

"Hey! Give it back!" She jumped and tried to reach for the insignia, but Phantom sidestepped the girl.

"Hm…Well, you refused to sell it to me, so I took the next possible solution. How do you like someone bargaining for something you deem as yours?"

"Urgh! You are annoying!"

"Tell me something I don't know, kid. Well? I'm not out of the door yet for only one reason. I am a hopeless do-gooder, I guess."

"Wait," the old man said, "You actually want to pay?"

"Well, the girl does seem like she could use some food."

"I think that that would be better," the old man put in.

"Rom! Don't take his side!" Felt pouted.

"Serves ya right for letting him steal the thing so easily."

The girl lowered her head, mumbled something inaudible and most certainly offensive, plopping on a chair near the bar. Rom, as Felt called him, snorted and put a cup of something on the table. The girl drank the contents in one gulp and took some breaths after finishing.

"You haven't been adding water to my milk, have you?" She asked suspiciously, getting a head-pat by the giant.

There must have been some sort of connection the two shared, Danny reasoned. Now when he thought about it, wasn't she a bit too young to be doing this?

"Certainly not. Take it as a consolation, " responded Rom and laughed.

Danny put fifteen coins on the table, taking the rest with him, "Now, if you don't mind, I will be going. I still have to find my bashful companion."

There was a knock on the door and Felt got up from her seat to open it. Phantom expected that it was Satella who had returned from her self-imposed exile. And he mentally ran over a lecture he was going to give her. His mental rant was going to turn into a voiced one. But then, his expectations were once again proved wrong, as they always did. The only exit was blocked when a woman went inside. It was ironic how Danny had engaged in a conversation about the concept of femme fatale only to be greeted by a textbook definition of said concept, at least physically. She was stunning, and his teenage hormones ignored the fact of her looking in her twenties. He didn't even know he had those still. He was nearly eighteen, for goodness sake. The woman was not as tall as Danny, but the heels compensated for this difference. Her purple eyes looked gentle and kind, but it probably had something to do with their shape, how they angled down. A single tiny beauty mark was a cherry on top. Atop of everything, her long raven hair was tied in a braid that reached her belt.

Every move she made towards the counter was like a straightforward invitation to bed. Her clothes, revealing her back, her thighs, bellybutton, half of her chest, only added to the impression. Then she looked at the one who was sizing her up.

"And who might you be?" She asked softly and with a tiny smile.

"I can ask the same thing," responded Danny with a faux smile of his own. "But, I was just on my way out, so if you excuse me. Have fun, you guys."

"She is actually the buyer I told you about," Felt said.

"Oh my, you talked about me? For what reason?"

Phantom almost shuddered at how familiar the woman was. The memories of his misery-feeding school counsellor came back. It was the same here, the same sugary phrases that made him distrust her even more.

"He…"

"I bought her catch before you arrived, ma'am. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Whatever that woman was thinking, she managed to hide everything with incredible skill. Danny could not understand what he was to expect. And that automatically put him on guard. Satella had been an open book. This one was another question entirely. And if she could do that, then she had had experience. Furthermore, that would mean that she had to learn how to hide. Would you look at that? His paranoidal examinations actually came in handy.

"How much did he pay?" She asked Rom.

"Fifteen silvers."

"Well," the woman took a purse and put it on the table. "I think I will have to up my game just a bit," she gave a hearty chuckle.

Danny kept himself from simply bolting for the door. His stupid pride and stubbornness would not let him. Once again, Rom began the count, his giant fingers making small columns by putting the coins atop of each other. That simplified the process.

"Hm…There are twenty silvers. She beats ya, lad."

Phantom sighed, before digging in his own purse. Then he put another ten coins of his own. "Make it twenty five."

The silence in the room was deafening. Everyone simply wondered how the woman would react. Then, all of a sudden, she got up from her seat and chuckled.

"Oh, how unfortunate. I don't have any more on me."

"Then it's settled," Danny sighed contently, "Once again, sorry."

"Don't be, it's my employer's fault for being a cheapskate. You don't sound sincere, though," she chuckled.

"Not really, I'd like nothing more than to end this charade."

Again with a chuckle. Honestly, it was becoming unsettling. Danny turned for the door and was about to exit.

"Just out of curiosity, though," A question came from behind him, "What need do you have for this little thing?"

"I am returning it to its ungrateful owner. At this, I bid "auf wiedersehen.""

"Is that right…"

What happened next was not exactly expected, but Phantom was not caught off guard either. A single dagger missed him by inches, cutting off a couple of his raven hairs, diving into the wooden door halfway. His reflexes were his only saving grace.

"So you are with her, huh?" The lady asked, dark and sinister undertones appearing in her voice.

Phantom turned around, seeing her brandishing another curved and sharp dagger. "Murphy, I hate your sorry ass."

She lunged forward, at a speed Danny had never seen a human reach before. The second dagger flew out of the door, surrounded by a faint green glow, and blocked the strike. Phantom used the chance to get away from the corner and get some space.

"You should just lie still as I do my job, boy," she chuckled.

"I am not your mother last night!"

The flying dagger followed the slight motions of his palm. Telekinesis, as he had been told, had properties no swordsman could easily achieve. The weapon could move in ways your hands simply did not allow for, such as a full 180-degree turn and swing in a fraction of a second. But still, the lady managed to avoid the strikes from her own weapon. She was too agile for someone walking on heels. She jumped at him, yet Phantom kicked the table between them upwards. The assassin used it as a platform to jump off from, but the shield of green energy blocked her attack again, before exploding. The force launched her away, and yet the assassin landed on her feet.

"You are clearly more than you let through, boy," she laughed, "With how wimpy you are, I wouldn't expect anything of the sort."

"Lady, there are muscles under this shirt. What's your name, by the way?"

"Does it matter? You are going to die."

"It does. What else am I supposed to write your epitaph?" Danny asked, seeing her stance shift. She was going to jump at any minute.

"I am Elsa Granhiert. You might have heard about me."

Elsa lunged forward, hopping across the tables. As soon as she was close, Phantom swiped his hand, and the invisible force launched her into the wall.

"Not at all."

Turning away from the assassin in the heat of a moment was not the greatest idea. She brandished her daggers again, ran at the half ghost, but then there was a shout.

"El Huma!"

A barrage of ice spears flew her way. Elsa had to stop her assault and duck under the flipped table. The shards of ice hit the walls and shattered into a million pieces. Phantom looked in the direction of the shout, and right at the doorway stood Satella, her hand outstretched and glistening with icy mist.

"Hey there, princess, a bit busy right here."

She looked at Danny with a slight panic. "I'm really sorry, Danny! I swear, I didn't want to…"

Not the time, Phantom mentally yelled, turning to look at Elsa. She had already begun her assault, and Danny began dodging swings. The old sword was flying around like a mosquito, over and over, diving for the opponent. Satella cast another spell, and this time, the ice was springing from the ground, trying to graze the agile assassin. The shop was being reduced to nothing, bit by bit. And the only one caring was Rom, who, nonetheless, stood in front of the stunned blonde thief, who was still coming to terms with what was happening at the moment. And as they were fighting, Phantom came to notice an odd pattern: Elsa seemed to aim only for his stomach. No matter what he did, no matter where they were in relation to each other, she still targeted that part of his body. And as if she could read his thoughts, she spoke.

"You are so persistent!" She gasped happily, "It makes me so curious to know what your bowels look like!"

"Well, you…wait…" Danny saw her laughing in a wicked manner and said, "It wasn't a joke."

"They call me a Bowel Hunter for a reason."

She lifted another table to block the attack from Satella, and now it was Phantom's turn to laugh.

"And here I thought that people calling me Inviso-Bill was awful. Fate hasn't been kind to you either."

Elsa grinned and went for another attack. She jumped on the windowsill, and from there made a graceful backflip, flying over the teen, landing behind him. With the same maniacal grin, she made a stab.

However, to her shock, her weapon went right through, not like a butchering knife, no, it didn't even leave a scratch. Elsa found her dagger yanked out of her hand, with the same force threatening to rip off her entire arm had she not let go.

"Well, the cat seems to be out of the bag," Danny commented, looking over his shoulder. "Time to wrap this up."

He grabbed her hand once again, spun around in a waltzing motion to now stand in front of her. And as she had easily slipped inside his body, she was just as simply ejected. With even further surprise, she saw ice slowly crawling up to her shoulders.

"Notice my point, Elsa? You can not even touch me just like that. So I suggest letting it go."

'Yes, I got her,' he mentally added. The irony of someone named Elsa freezing over was just too amusing to him.

She kicked his leg, and Danny released her with no further resistance. With her arm frozen, she could not even wield a weapon with it. Elsa hit the wall, and released the limb with a lot of pain. She only grunted, but Phantom was already near her. Elsa ducked under the strike, just in time to see a hole he made in the wall. Everyone stared at the display in surprise, but there was little time for that. With her leg, the assassin kicked the nearest dagger upwards, grabbing it and preparing to fight. Satella casted even more spells, raining down the barrage of ice shards, which Elsa dodged over and over again. Danny was trying to come up with a strategy for a fight. He looked to his side and saw the old dented sword floating in the air, pointed right at the assassin. Phantom waved his hand and ran up to Elsa. She noticed this, parried the hit with a dagger and kicked the teen in his side. He grunted, barely turning intangible before the dagger could hit and then immediately kneeing the opponent. His fist glowed with green flames, before he punched her with all he had. Elsa could not stand her ground. She flew right through the window, having snapped the planks apart.

Danny smirked and looked at the old giant.

"Still think you are stronger?" He asked, before checking up on his companion. "You alright, princess?"

"I…yes. I am alright. But, Danny, are you?"

"Well, she did make a couple of cuts on my clothes. When did this even happen?" He mumbled, before approaching the window. "Wow. She is gone now."

"She is?" Satella asked in surprise.

"I don't see her body anywhere."

"Are you not going after her?!" Felt suddenly jumped over the counter and approached the two. "Look at what she was trying to do!"

"Well, go on, then, kiddo. I most certainly broke a couple of her bones, so you have an advantage. Since none of you opted to help."

"You seemed fine on your own," Rom shrugged, pulling a bottle from under the counter."She is not coming back, is she?"

"Certainly not until someone patches her up. Unless she is even more crazy than she looks."

"That I am," a whisper came.

In a split second, Danny felt something cold in his stomach. Then, something dripped down on his shoes, glistening in the light of the moon. It was his blood. Everyone gasped in horror as the blade was pulled back out. Phantom froze and looked at the fresh, bleeding wound in his chest, stumbled, and fell on the floor.

"Danny!" Satella exclaimed, but was cut short, when through the window jumped Elsa, hunched from the pain, but still in a better condition.

"Not only the clothes now, ku-ku," she said and chuckled. And then she chose to lick her blade, smeared in crimson liquid, "My, you do taste strange. So acidic."

Phantom rolled over, glaring at the woman. "Drink too much and you won't handle it," he chuckled and coughed.

"You are awfully cheerful for someone whose beautiful intestines are about to be seen," she cooed.

"Get in line. I just realised something, actually."

"Danny, you are bleeding!"

"Astute observation," Danny supported himself with his hands and somehow managed to first sit and then, leaning over the wall, to stand up. "But no, that's not the one I meant. I realised that maybe my life away from home is not going to be as peaceful as I thought."

"Oh, dear, you still are so hopeful. And yet you are about to die."

"Got that part…" Danny grinned and let everyone see the glowing green eyes, "…exactly right."

Everyone was blinded by the flash of light, by the two rings that travelled up and down his body, revealing his another, silver-haired persona. He was now dressed in a black suit and pants, with white gloves, white boots and belt. On his chest, a single flaming letter 'D' was drawn, although the people present were oblivious to the fact. The whole outfit surprised him too, and made him feel almost nostalgic. He grinned cockily, and let go of the wall, now standing on his own.

"What is this?!" Elsa demanded to know.

"Oh, that. Just a little trick up my sleeve that I saved for later and hoped that I wouldn't have to use. You see," he lifted the edge of his suit, revealing the ravaged part of his chest. Then, the entire wound seemed to heal in a matter of seconds. "This one has a good healing factor. And now, I am going to make you regret not hiding when you had the chance."

He cracked his fists, and the light in his eyes was almost as wicked as the one Elsa used to hold.