"Now, kid, you are in deep shit."
Danny couldn't have imagined his situation getting any worse, but it somehow deteriorated at a rapid pace. Now the King of Ghosts, Lord of the Undead, was sitting in an interrogation room. He hadn't even known the locals had those, even if it was largely a glorified cell with the added luxury of a table. It didn't matter at all, because they also didn't have any toilets. And he sure as hell was not approaching that rancid bucket. The place smelled, his bed was a couple of planks hanging by two flimsy chains, and the only food he had gotten since yesterday was a mouldy piece of bread and a glass of water. The guards told him to blame the financial situation in the country, but Phantom did not buy it. And of course, he wasn't going to kill off his human half in a miserable way of indigestion. All in all, he was in a nasty predicament with no easy way out, because just bursting through that wall near him was only going to make matters worse. Danny mentally cursed his luck and the local judicial officials who had chosen to be particularly picky this one time.
"Is it because of the smell?" Phantom tilted his head, "I assure you, that's not me."
"Don't play cocky with me, brat," the scruffy man in armour continued. And despite the obvious disdain for the kid, he was still composed. "You know better than anyone what you did."
He had a short beard that didn't go beyond his chin, and his hair was done in a style Danny had long since dubbed 'an aircraft', due to how flat its top was. Everything about him screamed 'I'm a stereotypical war-hardened veteran', except maybe the fact that the aforementioned hair was green in colour. It might have been normal here, but Danny just couldn't resist the impression. He had introduced himself as Marcos Gildark. Apparently, the man was in charge of the Royal Guard.
"It was all self-defence," Danny said, raising his hands lightly.
"Self-defence," repeated Marcos.
"That's what I've been telling you from the start, didn't you hear?"
His jabs did not seem to faze the obviously important figure, "Then tell me, how is blowing up a city wall a 'self-defence?'"
Danny sighed. "Alright, I...might have gone a little bit overboard."
His hands glowed with poisonous green light, his hair flew all around from the mystical wind gathered round. The bitch would not run anymore from what was coming. The light around his hands became blinding, the thunderous sound they made was enough to wake up the dead. And then, finally, he released a blast of light and it burst forward, each metre the ray passed it created even more noises of minor explosions. It crashed everything on its path with little to no effort, leaving some houses without their upper halves, and once the beam hit the aforementioned walls, another explosion resonated across the city, as the stone structure was blown to bits. And once the beam subsided, only the scorched earth remained.
"Yeah," Danny mumbled slowly, "Overkill."
"Overkill?" Marcos snapped the teen out of his flashback, "Do you realise the damage you have done?"
"It could have been worse," Danny shrugged as he rested his head on his hand. "I mean, nobody but that murderous witch died, right?"
"No thanks to you. The point is, you have destroyed a part of a centuries old wall. An object of extreme importance. You have caused panic across the entire city with your little performance, so we, as the royal guards, had to calm people down and apprehend you. Not to mention that some people have lost roofs above their heads. And that doesn't even cut the rest."
"What is the point of this interrogation, exactly? I mean, you have already decided that I am guilty. And this is no court."
"You are under suspicion of being a spy from Vollachia."
"Okay, first, I am as knowledgeable about the world as that maggot squirming in my breakfast. Scrumptious, by the way. Two, I am a damn awful spy, am I not? I mean, I even went here peacefully instead of blasting you guys into oblivion."
"One of our men was found unconscious and beaten."
"Hey, that idiot asked for it. And between us," Danny leaned forward and began to whisper, "I have a distinct feeling that he is grooming children. That face he made was suspicious."
The man's face was that of disgust, "How dare you?! The royal guard is no place for such individuals."
"Have it your way. But I suggest checking his wardrobe for tiny shoes."
The green-haired guard sighed. The boy was turning out to be annoying. And that stupid grin he held was the most vexing feature. Phantom leaned back in his seat and looked at the lonely hole for a window. The iron bars were not in their best condition.
"Point is, I am no spy, I fought to defend myself, my companion, and probably two witnesses caught in the crossfire. My problem is that my control has been shaky as of late, I suspect. Like...a dam that has been opened not so long ago because the lands below needed plenty of water. But due to how wide it was opened, I can't properly shut it. That, and I got too frustrated."
Now he was using metaphors to describe a genocide. Nice going.
"So you are saying that your gate is damaged."
"I'll risk it and agree with your assumption."
"You sound like you don't even know what it is."
"We use different terms where I am from. And before you ask, no, it is not Vollachia. It is a small village in a middle of nowhere. And so, I don't know anything about what's going on in the world. I left it not so long ago to enjoy the wonders this and many other places have to offer."
The man sighed, "Your lack of control is not something that can pardon what you have done. It will simply change the nature of your offence. However, it might help to ease your punishment. I will look for a healer that might confirm your testimony. They will see if your words are truthful. If this is the case, you will be fined for using destructive magic in the middle of the city whilst knowing about your condition. But it still is better than an attempted sabotage."
Phantom shook his head and saw the guard get up and walk out of the cell, locking it behind him. Danny had led himself down this hole. He didn't know if there really was something wrong with the sexual innuendo for a butthole, but if he turned out to be lying about the gate, it wouldn't do him any good. His situation was worse for the wear. Phantom was behind bars, he didn't have any money anymore, and Satella was god knows where. Well, she got her insignia, so there was no reason for her to stay behind. Princess probably had more important things to do. He wasn't stupid. If she owned an insignia that had the royal coat of arms, she was a really major figure, someone worthy of an attempted murder. After all, he had seen the symbol on the gates before he even met the girl, who was probably a legit princess. Danny wasn't prideful, nor was he offended by the fact. They had their own lives. But it would still be nice to receive at least a thank you. That would be a pleasant change from what he used to have.
Despite everything, he was still enjoying it all to a degree. This whole sense of adventure was still there, miserable as it could be. But the fact of him showing too much on his first day still hung over him, and in order to punish himself for shown stupidity, he began slowly hitting his head on the table. Who was he kidding? He was a moron who spent his first night in a new world on a cell bunk. Furthermore, everyone and their mother now possibly knew about his ability to shift between the forms of a human and an unkillable beast who could level a city shall he so desire. One didn't need to know what he was in order to fear the teen now. The point was, he was extremely dangerous. All because Phantom didn't think twice. He was pretty pissed.
In a blink, Phantom approached the assassin and grabbed her neck. The moment she saw his sharper canines, Danny hurled her through the wall. The hard way. The damage done to her would have been far more severe, had the bricks not been so decrepit. And even still, as she was sprawled on the ground, the woman coughed and smeared her face with her own blood. Phantom jumped outside and whilst in air he hurled two blasts forward. Elsa barely dodged both by rolling and jumping to her feet, saw the scorched earth and small craters that were left.
"So you know two elements," she commented.
"You haven't seen half of it," Danny grinned, and the ground around two fighters set on green fire. The earth was largely composed of turf, and thus, the fire began to burn brighter, its hungry tongues reached higher. Phantom snapped his fingers, and a sword made of ice materialised near him, hanging in the air and waiting for command. They were still in an enclosed space, as the flames cut off all the ways of safe escape. For Elsa, at least, Phantom could fly.
Elsa realised this, among other things. Her opponent was dangerous and unpredictable with his unheard magic. And on top of all that, stabbing him was no longer an obvious option. Whatever his new white-haired form was, it recovered from its mortal wound at incredible speeds. With him being able to just become intangible as well, she needed to attack quickly or unnoticeably, like when she had managed to hit him in the back. And this time she would have to betray her passion. To go for his head for an instant kill. Bowels would come eventually.
Phantom's look turned from gleeful to serious as Elsa went for an attack, lighting fast as ever. She jumped from one end of the circle to another, but the flying sword deflected each hit coming in direction of its master, with Phantom himself observing the situation. All of a sudden the sword let her pass, and in the last moment Phantom took off the ground. He was only a centimetre above, but without ground friction he moved several metres away in a blink, firing another blast like one would swat a fly. Elsa parried the hit of the sword, moved behind and pushed it in direction of the blast. The impact caused a small explosion that reduced the weapon to steam. From that steam and smoke of the explosion came another blast. And then another, and each time he missed, a blast was hitting the buildings around. Elsa slid under one of them, running in Phantom's direction. Danny's look turned bored as he now held what looked like a snowball, his second hand continuing to send the now blue blasts that covered the earth in a layer of ice. He didn't aim for her, she failed to realise. Finally, as she got close enough, Phantom threw the snowball up and snapped his fingers.
In the next second he was in the centre of the circle, watching how the assassin got caught in the explosion. Elsa was caught unaware by this deceptive combination. To combine several spells at the same time...
She was tossed right into the fire. Her skin immediately felt not the heat, but the harshest of frostbites upon contact, and the pain made her scream, before she pushed herself back into the circle.
"I hope you understand that you have no chance," Danny sat on a green glowing chair that had come out of nowhere, "I would suggest your surrender, but...I think we are quite past that phase in our relationship, don't you think?"
Elsa panted, clutching her dagger. No matter how agile you were, big enough explosions were going to get you. And the magic of light was hard to avoid.
"You little pest..."
"I get that a lot. By the way, are you aware of one important property of water?"
Elsa only now noticed that the ice that used to cover the ground had melted after the explosion of heat. But the most concerning thing right now were the wicked, gleeful gaze of two poisonous green eyes and a wide smirk on Phantom's face. And then she noticed green sparks jumping between the fingers of his raised hand.
"As my ever-nagging teacher of physics said, it happens to conduct lighting."
And just on cue, a bolt of electricity erupted from his hand, hitting the surface of water. Upon the impact lighting jumped all across the field. Elsa barely managed to make two jumps and save herself by getting on the dry ground. Phantom stood up as he saw her go for another round. Everything turned into a blur of two fighters moving at incredible speeds, with Danny dodging every strike. Then, he vanished, filling the air with his laughter. Elsa came to a stop, looking around, trying to hear his approach. Then one second, she turned around and made a slice. Phantom materialised in front of her, grabbing the blade with his fingers.
"Impressive. You heard the wind move and found me."
In a scissor-like motion, he broke the blade in half. "But that just doesn't cut it."
Elsa punched him in the face, but Danny's head didn't bulge. Then she used what was left in her other hand to make a stab, but only managed to leave a minor wound on his hand. In response, as if to prove a point, Phantom punched her in the gut. Elsa was pushed backwards, blood poured out of her mouth, the heels of her shoes snapped, forcing her to drop them and continue with bare feet.
"I almost felt that," he said as his scratch began to heal, "Surely you can do more without your toothpicks."
"The ones that cut you, darling."
"The embarrassing moments are going in memoirs, don't you worry. I'll give you a mention. In the section 'town-crazies I happened to meet'. It is concerning how big the section is, actually."
Danny's eyes turned blue again, and Elsa had learned that this way he telegraphed the upcoming ice magic in advance. With him not even pronouncing spells, it was a huge aid. This time, the magic came not from his hands. Two beams of icy colour erupted from his eye sockets, with Elsa barely dodging. He was actually using ice magic like that of light. Those bizarre combinations of different elements were as strange as they were dangerous. She couldn't foresee what else he was going to do. For now, Elsa kept dodging the ice blasts, until she grabbed one of the icicles from a formed glacier and went at him. She had to be on the offensive, Phantom reasoned. She did not have anything for long range combat, so as long as he kept her away, she was going to be at a disadvantage. But her speed was so annoying and huge, that he couldn't catch her at all. And slowly, with each missed hit, he was growing more and more angry. The mental restraints he had put in place were slowly fading. He wanted to squish that bothersome ant.
His hand glowed with blue light again. This time, he held it longer, making the temperature around deteriorate. Upon turning intangible, he directed the shot right underneath. The explosion of ice and snow resonated across the area, the strong, powerful wind was blowing away his hair and edges of clothes. He radiated otherworldly power, Elsa was trapped between the storm and emerald flames. The assassin cried in anguish as the shards of ice ravaged her skin, cutting it and burning with cold. Phantom stood in the middle, satisfied smirk on his face. The small storm soon subsided, leaving the land frozen and covered in glaciers. Elsa, however, only had her feet covered in translucent prison. She tried to get out, she hit the ice with her fist and remnant of the dagger, desperately carving out small pieces.
"Now you finally hold still. And you won't be getting out of this alive!"
And the rest was history. He decided to shoot at a pigeon with a cannon. Just to make sure she was not going to get away. Then soon after the guards arrived, and with the main perpetrator probably reduced to ashes, he was the sole destroyer there. And that brought him here. He should have given credit where it was due — Satella tried to speak up for him, but the guards largely ignored her. It seemed that no matter how important she was, the soldiers had to take the teen into custody first. The local judicial system made his head hurt. Phantom sighed and got up. He began making circles around his cell to pass the time, trying to come up with a further plan of action. Once again, he could always exit this building, he could go through the walls, for Christ's sake, and nobody bothered to somehow block his abilities. Either because they couldn't, or it all was due to his exemplary behaviour.
But it was still better to wait until they found a healer. Then, if his sentence was to be harsh and undeserved, he was going to just leave the place and look for a place to settle elsewhere. It wouldn't be the first time he escaped.
Meanwhile, Marcos Gildark went through the bustling streets of the capital, making his way towards his destination. As he passed the people, Marcos could hear them talking. They all talked about the same thing — one particular rogue magician who decided to wake up half of the city with his light show. The last night had been hectic for the captain. He had been in his house when it all happened, and when the entire room was basked in green light, he knew that something was wrong. And as he quickly put on his armour, herculean task that was, one of the guards came to his home to report about an accident involving magic taking place in the beggars district as they spoke. Marcos gathered the guards he could find on his way, ready to apprehend the criminal. But the situation turned out to be more complex than one would ever think.
And now, Marcos had to tell about his findings to his superiors. In his thoughts the captain hadn't noticed how he entered the palace, and how the lively chatter of the crowd was replaced by the solemn silence within the large white halls. After years of service he knew the layout of the place better than anyone, so it didn't take him long to reach the room he needed. He lightly knocked on the thick wooden door, and upon receiving a permission to enter, Marcos did just that. Inside he was greeted by a well-furnished room, filled to the brim with strange devices and contraptions only the occupant of this office knew how to use. The glass shelves were filled to the brim with all sorts of books and tools for, presumably, alchemy. In the middle of the room was an oak desk stacked with papers, and behind it sat one of the most powerful figures of the tumultuous kingdom.
It was prime minister Miklotov McMahon, a sage who was in charge of the kingdom with no king. He indeed looked like a fairytale sage. He had long silvery beard and moustache that covered a large part of his wrinkly face. He had a hawk nose and extremely intelligent eyes. The sage looked up from the papers and nodded to the captain respectfully.
"Captain Gildark. Have you looked into the matter as I asked?"
"Yes, sir. But if I am being all of this is confusing to me. What kind of magic was that, even? I hoped that you might know the answer."
"Hm... yes, I've read the report you made in the middle of the night. You ought to have some sleep," Miklotov chuckled. "Green Light magic, water magic. Witnesses testified to fire and lighting, and all of them were of the same tint. This boy is quite proficient for his age. And you said that he combined the elements?"
"AND casted several at once. Of course, it can be passed off as the ramblings of drunkards and beggars."
"We shouldn't dismiss the chance. But allow me to clarify what you wrote: that he had white hair, green eyes and was glowing."
"Yes. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that he is a spirit."
"Hm...spirits do have a natural affinity for magic. And he just agreed to come with you?"
"Yes. I questioned him just now. I opted not to bring him in the prison tower. He seemed lenient enough. There is another thing, however. When I came this morning, this 'Phantom' child looked like an average human. Without all that glow. How do you explain that?"
"Fascinating," the sage mumbled, "What is he like?"
"At the first glance, he is an insolent child. This arrogance is to be expected from someone like him. He knows nothing about the world or is just good at lying. This does add up to the impression that he is a spirit or..."
"You imply possession, don't you, Marcos?"
The green-haired soldier nodded, "Yes. As someone more knowledgeable, I ask you to tell if my theory has any merit to it."
"Let's not jump to conclusions. Your only clue is rather shaky. Spirits don't usually change appearance of their host body like that. He is a mystery."
"A dangerous mystery, Prime Minister."
"Perhaps. What about his belongings?"
"Nothing special. Just a bit higher than average clothes. Although, when he was spirit-like, Phantom wore something strange, that outfit is unlike anything I've seen. But there was one thing consistent with him. There was a ring."
"A ring?"
Marcos nodded. "Green, almost glowing. Maybe it was a conduit for his power, now that I think about it."
"Can you describe what it looked like?"
"I didn't get a good look at it, I am afraid."
"Well, no matter. Why was he so angry with our walls?"
"He said that he fought against an assassin. And that he didn't intend for the damage."
"And you believe it?"
"Despite the perpetration of law and the damage done to multiple households, I believe his words. Empty destruction seems pointless to me. Besides, Lady Emilia vouched for him and explained what happened. She was the one attacked."
"Yes, I know," Miklotov shook his head, "Is she still in the capital?"
"She left for the Roswaal mansion as per my advice. As I said, I believe what the boy said, and she confirmed it. In case there are other assassins, she'd better stay under protection of Lord Mathers. Until she reached the mansion, we assigned a knight to her. She was hard to convince."
"Of course she was, the boy did help her. I sense a huge 'but' about to be said."
Marcos nodded. "Despite being unsure about what is what, he seems to be able to catch on quickly. He claimed that there is something wrong with his gate."
"And you want to request a healer," finished the sage. "Funnily enough, I sent one not so long ago. I thought you would have crossed the paths."
"As a matter of fact, we have not. I will keep this in mind. What are your orders, Prime Minister?"
"I think it is unjust to keep the boy locked up. He did a good thing and shouldn't be held responsible for this. Especially since the death of Lady Emilia would have caused so many problems."
"But sir..."
"You yourself would like to free him, Marcos. Because you know that he did nothing wrong. How many times have our knights caused collateral damage? It will be hypocritical for us to arrest him over this. Besides, I am quite certain where he will go first."
"To the mansion, yes. I think he will want to exchange a couple of words with Lady Emilia...wait...you don't suggest..."
"Well, Lady Hoshin has Julius, Lady Karsten has young Argyle. It is only natural that Emilia has found her own knight, even if he is not one of the royal ones. Is this not the case?"
"No, Lady Emilia said that she met him on that very day, and he vouched to help her find stolen property."
Miklotov chuckled, "Well, if he was, the knight would be just as outlandish as his mistress. Who knows how it will turn out. Speaking of candidates, Reinhard visited me shortly before you did and brought up something interesting..."
When the newcomer entered the room where Danny's cell was located, the dull, repetitive sound resonated between the walls of wet, cold stone. There Phantom was, in his cell, holding an iron mug and rattling it against the bars. He himself leaned against rods of metal, looking half-bored, half-amused at his own inner joke.
"What are you doing?" The guest asked.
Phantom looked up and saw a girl in a blue dress, a blue collar, with two ribbons on each side of her small head. Probably the most striking feature about her were fluffy cat ears that stuck out from the flax-colored hair.
"Dunno. I just saw other people do this," Danny shrugged, "thought it would have some deeper meaning."
The girl snickered. "Well, that explains what the guards are so annoyed about. So," she clapped her hands, "I was asked to check up on your health."
"I am not harmed," Danny rolled his eyes, "Are you here about this 'gate' thing Mr. Anvil-head asked about?"
The girl blinked, before realisation dawned upon her. "Oh, you mean Marcos?"
"Yeah, the captain, alright."
Phantom was actually surprised that she understood his description. His jests were more for himself.
"No, I was told to come by the Prime Minister."
Now it was Danny's turn to act confused, "Wait...it went that high?"
"You did blow up a lot of stuff."
"It was an accident!" Danny shouted in exasperation, tossing away the dirty mug. "Great. Now I am that nasty of a criminal for the guys in charge to take notice. And without Walker this time, on my first day here, no less."
The girl once again grinned, "Don't worry. Miklotov sounded rather sympathetic. He sent me to heal you, after all."
"And you agreed to that?"
"Hey, I'm the best healer around and I happened to be nearby," she responded proudly. "Besides, healing is my second job. Now, you said you have problems with your gate?"
"When a girl says this to me, I feel odd."
"But I am not a girl."
Danny froze, comprehension of the situation hitting him maybe too hard. "Not to offend anyone, but I'm feeling even less enthusiastic."
The what now turned out to be a boy smirked once again, "Oh, hush now, it will be fine. I am Felix Argyle, everyone calls me Ferris."
The cat boy unlocked the door and entered, followed closely by Danny's attentive gaze. The following ordeal was quite embarrassing, as Phantom was quite stubborn about physical treatment. He kept saying that he was fine, he could survive being ran over in his ghost form. And if he was fine while transforming, no wounds would remain while he came back to life. Point is, he didn't like doctors much. The fear wasn't irrational, like his friend Tucker's. He went between life and death whenever he pleased, but it did not mean that two of his parts were independent from each other. Like his ghost part had actual bones to break, so did his human heart beat extremely slowly, hell, he was lucky to get two beats in a minute. His heart was basically dead, it kept pumping only because his core, unseen in human form, discharged ectoplasm-enhanced electricity and worked as a sort of defibrillator. That's how ectoplasm got in his human blood. As a result of a slow heartbeat, his body temperature was extremely low, he bled very slowly. And the entire breathing process was largely a force of habit, because, yet again, his human body was kept intact by a core, and said core was supplied by outside ectoplasm and food.
Point was, a single visit to a doctor could give away his secret to the entire world.
Ferris finally gave up and decided to just go along with what Danny had agreed on. His loss for refusing a chance. So they finally came to a point where they sat on the bunk, ready to proceed with the whole magical conundrum.
"Alright, now close your eyes. It will feel tingly all over. I won't be able to heal your problem here on the spot, but I can at least determine if you need treatment."
Danny wondered if it would actually work. After all, he didn't actually use magic. And if he somehow detected what he wasn't supposed to...
"You know, I actually realised that it could wait," he said as he stood up quickly.
Ferris narrowed his yellow eyes and said, "You are in a cell. If anything, it is the best time to do a checkup. So stop being this stubborn. I'm just trying to help you."
"Sorry," Danny sighed.
"Are you afraid of healers or something?" Ferris asked half-jokingly.
"I, most certainly, am not!" Danny blushed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I just...didn't have the best experience with those, okay? The last doctor I met was that narcissistic, redheaded witch. And she wanted to chop me into pieces to get fresh...genetic material...brr." He shuddered.
Ferris blinked, "Well, I'm not even redheaded, much less a witch."
"I think you missed the part when Spectra tried to cut me apart. That, too, is important... you don't believe me, do you?"
The healer sighed, "I am just trying to help... Danny, right? I am a healer, I've heard a fair share of excuses. And you too have to understand that I have other important things to do. Yet I am here to help you, someone who is behind bars."
Danny made a heavy sigh himself. That guy sure did have an experience convincing unwilling pricks like him.
"Look, I appreciate what you do. But I just happened to realise not so long ago that sometimes people do not want any help. I am not in that damn castle anymore, so I am still optimistic. Sure, the food here could be improved. Maybe I'll get a roach instead of a maggot for lunch. You know, for that extra crunch. And maybe the water won't have cholera in it. And my bed is not king-size, but we all have our little pleasures."
Ferris was wondering just what made the teen before him so accepting of his imprisonment. He shook his head, "Ferris here has to repeat: you are in a cell. Therefore you were deemed dangerous to people around, probably because of a condition I don't know about yet. But," he smiled slightly and popped out his tongue, "We can change that. Let me do it, alright? What's the worst that could happen?"
"You, cat boy, just jinxed it," Phantom pointed an accusatory finger at him, but in his expression was no anger. "Fine. But if my heart suddenly blows up, I will come back from the dead and haunt you till the day you jump off a cliff."
Danny was still reluctant to do so. But they had come to a shaky agreement. Ferris found the teen in front of him to be a strange one, stubborn and at the same time lenient. And he obviously didn't have his priorities straight. But, solving life problems was not his forte, so Ferris decided to let this go. They sat near each, other, closed their eyes as the healer touched the spot where Danny's heart was. Instinctively he had searched for the spot, seeking the pulse. Even if he healed with magic, Ferris knew proper medicine as well. And he knew that the heart was located there. And the fact that he felt no response was concerning. Ferris decided to postpone the issue, as Danny was obviously alive and kicking. He didn't need the teen to freak out and stop the examination. The healer continued, as the light glow came from Danny's chest, slipping under the closed eyelids. What Ferris found was something extremely odd.
Phantom's gate was wide open. Under normal circumstances, a person would be exhausted to the point of death if mana just poured from a person's body like that. And still, Danny seemed fine, even using destructive and consuming magic. His reserves must have been enormous.
"This is bad…" Ferris mumbled.
"What is bad?" asked Danny with concern, still not opening his eyes.
"How long have you been like that?"
"Like…that?" Danny became silent. There was only one thing that had been consistent with him. He was half dead. "Well, nothing has changed for me since I was fourteen. So, three years."
"Are you sure? It's been a long time."
"Well, I am sure. I've been the same. No magical shenanigans to speak of."
Well, except for that ring he was wearing on his finger. It did increase his power with the crown, but it wasn't supposed to make him expel energy. Suddenly Danny realised what was happening. His ecto-energy could be detected even in human form, so it wasn't a surprise. What he was surprised about was that Ferris could actually spot something. Back home people needed a special device to notice it. Phantom was, however, reassured that somehow his energy passed as mana. Wait, did it mean that mana was actually ectoplasm-related? No, that couldn't be. Maybe he did have an affinity for magic, and his ghost half affected it. He needed to look deeper into the question, but first he needed to be done with this examination. Finally, Ferris finished, and the two looked at each other.
"This can't be it. How do you replenish mana that you waste so much?"
Danny rubbed the back of his neck. As had already been mentioned, he ate when not in the Ghost Zone. But it's not like he could tell this.
"You're not the first to wonder," he sighed, "but I'm not sure. I've been alright during these years physically wise, so I just rolled with it."
"Your barely beating heart is not something considered 'alright'."
"I am alive, I walk around and that's enough. I don't care about hows and whys. Neither should you. I told the captain that my gate lets out more than it should, spells included. You just confirmed it."
And was he glad that this justification turned out to be not so contrived.
"Very well," Ferris nodded begrudgingly, "I'll be going now and tell about my findings."
"Yeah, about that. I have to ask you for a favour."
The healer's cat ears wriggled in curiosity.
"Could you omit the part about the heart? I am worried about pitchforks and torches, if you get my meaning."
"You are concerned that people will hate you because of that," Ferris finished unenthusiastically. "You can pass as an undead. If you didn't look this lively. Alright, have it your way. We will consider it a patient's secret."
He jumped from the bunkbed and strolled out of the cell in a very girlish manner. Afterwards, he made sure to lock the cell behind him, earning a deadpan look.
"I can escape even with the door locked, you know."
"Sorry," Ferris smirked and shrugged, "I don't make the rules. It's not that I don't trust you or your abilities."
He turned to leave, "And don't worry! I'm sure they will let you out eventually!"
"They better," muttered Danny.
"Wow. You guys actually did this."
Phantom closed his eyes and took a breath of fresh air. He was free again the day after. It was surprising how quickly Danny was released, but he decided not to think too much about it. The half ghost was just happy to be a free man again. They didn't even fine him, gentle souls as they were. His mood was greatly improved by that. Even if they probably regarded him with looks of antipathy, Danny chose to ignore it as he descended the large stone staircase. The morning wind blew into his face as he jumped down the final couple of stairs, about to continue his journey across this new world. However, there remained one thing that he had to do. He was once again in a position when even the church mouse was a magnate compared to him. All his money were left in Rom's half destroyed house.
His plan of action was clear. First, he was going to get his money back. Then, he was going to look for an information about Satella. As was said, she had her own life, but it didn't mean that he wasn't going to intrude and get reimbursed for all the trouble he faced for her. He would have asked the captain, he was probably quite knowledgeable about her. But sadly, Marcos didn't visit him afterwards. Neither did Ferris. Once again, people lived their lives, this stuff stopped bothering him long ago. As long as they let him carry on with his miserable existence. Still, Danny wondered just what he was supposed to do. How was he to figure it out?
Nevertheless, one step at a time. Phantom disappeared within the nearest dark and empty corner. There, he let the shining white rings engulf his form. And as he was again in his ghost form, Danny turned invisible and leaped in the air. At a huge speed he ascended in the air, filled with his excited laughter. He adored flying, he loved the breeze he was facing miles above the ground, he loved the sense of freedom it granted. Before Phantom could begin to fool around, unseen by anyone, he stopped himself. The entertainment could wait. Now unchained and unburdened by companions, he could fly over the entire city and get to his destination in less than five minutes.
Hanging in the air, Phantom saw the familiar building that no longer had half of its roof. And through said hole he noticed the familiar dark-skinned giant. His current activity was to absent-mindedly put the survived furniture back where it used to be. Danny landed silently behind him, turning visible. He had one guilty pleasure.
"You must be really depressed."
Rom jumped, yelped, and turned around, understanding who it was before him only moments later. That's what Phantom liked to do occasionally. To startle. He was partially a ghost. After all, scaring is what they did.
"What the? I thought ya got arrested!"
"Pardoned for exemplary behaviour," Danny shrugged, turning back into a human.
"The hell is this light show, kid?"
"Not telling," Phantom clicked his tongue. "So, people pointlessly move furniture when they are depressed. Did something happen while I was gone?"
Rom looked at the ground, his expression grave. He sighed and abandoned his task, instead going for the bar. Surprisingly enough, the storage of drinks had survived. Out of kindness and because he was in a good mood, Phantom patiently waited for a response.
"Shortly after you and that silver-haired lady were gone, one of the royal knights arrived. Hell…never thought I would get to meet the Sword Saint himself."
"Sword... Saint?" Danny blinked.
Rom sighed, grasping the first bottle he got, "Yeah. Ye are not from around here. Reinhard von Astrea is the strongest warrior of the kingdom. A Royal Knight."
"What was the guy like that doing here?" Phantom scratched his temple.
"He came to check up on those who weren't killed by yer flashy lights."
Phantom hunched, "Could have said a couple of thanks."
"Yer getting a free cup of my booze, which ya wanted so much. That's the gratitude ya get. Ya still ruined my shop. And plenty of other things," Rom poured yellow liquid in a respectably-sized cup.
Phantom sat at the table and took a gulp. The back of his throat burned as his tongue felt the sweet flavour. It was some good tasting stuff. Pariah's endless wine supply was too sour for him, and he had been half-temped to drink himself into oblivion with wine that did affect him, but this was actually perfect. Rom continued his explanation.
"And then Reinhard saw something in Felt and asked her to come with him. Well, I'm not sure if ya can call it a request if he didn't take no for an answer."
"Wait... the guy just straight out kidnapped her?" Phantom asked in surprise.
Rom nodded, "Well, everyone seemed fine. And everyone knows that he is not the type to do something nasty... but I am still confused. He didn't even explain why he was taking her; he just said that it wasn't an arrest of any sort. I am worried."
Danny looked at him sympathetically, "She is important to you, isn't she?"
Rom made a gulp from his enormous mug, "I first found her when she was the size of my palm. She was a shivering, terrified and lost little girl. I brought her in, fed her and decided to keep around. I even gave her name. I taught Felt how to steal in order to survive in this place. She is…like a granddaughter to me."
"Sounds unlikely that you could teach her, I mean…"
"Yeah, yeah, I figured yer a smartass," Rom grumbled. "One does not need the fingers of a toddler to teach the methods."
Danny raised his hands, "I sympathise with you, but…"
"Ya need yer money. Of course ya do. I told ya, the drink is all ya get. These money will go to repairing this place."
Phantom's eyes glowed, "Are you trying to rip me off?" He asked slowly.
Rom inadvertently moved back. Maybe it was alcohol speaking, but those eyes were terrifying even to him. It was like an instinctive need to get away from the very definition of the word "horrific".
"L-look. I just…need yer help."
"And you are asking for help by taking my money and forcing me to be a part of the mess. Need I remind you, old man, that all of this," he gestured around, "Is because your granddaughter tried to do the same thing and I was stupid to comply then."
"So you are just going to abandon her?"
Danny bit his tongue. Those people just had to push that particular button. The button he abhorred with all passion, and the sentiment concerned those who pressed it.
"What if I am?" He responded, giving him a pointed look, "I am not one of them knights. And why do you even ask me?"
"Ye did go out of yer way for that lady. And yer the strongest guy I know, apart from Reinhard himself."
"Because, genius, she could pay handsomely afterwards. And now you offer me to work for my own money, for which I sold my last piece of clothes."
"Is that what ya want? Fine! I will give you more, just do it."
Phantom couldn't help but sigh, as a headache was growing in his head. His jolly mood was about to be ruined.
"This is not about money. It is the fact that I am being forced into something against my will. I just want to live a quiet life, damn it!" he shouted and got up. "You have no idea how many hopes I have for this stupid world. I won't have people forcing me into this pseudo-heroic shit again! I was given a chance for a new life. I won't have you ruin it all."
"Yer one egoistic piece of work," Rom spat.
Phantom's eyes blazed, "That's why I hate people sometimes. Nobody believes in genuine good will until they need it. Shall they not get it, they begin to throw the condescending accusations like you did. And just like that your drunk ass has completely killed any sort of interest I had. Keep this stupid money."
He stormed out of the house, anger and frustration permeating through his entire being. He was not wearing a stupid cape anymore. He was a free bird, he kept telling himself on the path away from the pawn shop. He was no longer bound by any obligations. He was the master of his own fate. And he was NOT going to go down the tried road again. Danny remembered that it all started just like this. Children in need of rescue. Back then he acted completely different from now. Without thinking, without restraint he jumped into action, his mind poisoned by the idea of being a world-renowned superhero. He turned out to be the world-renowned threat, worthy of a proud title 'The enemy of mankind'.
Danny stopped at the crossroads, and with his initial rage subsiding, he took a shaky breath. He just couldn't. What was he supposed to do? Break into the house of a prominent figure minutes after release? On the assumption that said figure would have done something with a child? Phantom knew that people with perfect reputations just had bigger closets for skeletons, so he couldn't just dismiss Rom's worries because of that Reinhard person's reputation. And it, admittedly, made him feel like a jackass. It was a battle between passion and rationality. He felt something literally tugging at his heart. His core was not pleased with such a development. Danny hissed and leaned against the stone fence. His breathing became ragged, and the blacks in his pupils grew in size. He bit his lip until the blood leaked, and the pain soon subsided.
"I do what I want. I am still a human," he whispered angrily at his own organ.
Phantom shookily stood up on his own. It wasn't going to do any good. Either Reinhard actually did something bad or not, there were two ways. If he really was strong, direct confrontation was not an option. Danny might have been the King, but he didn't know the limits of power here. He didn't want to risk it. He could steal Felt back, but then what? The guy would just come back to Rom's home and eventually find her. No matter how you looked at it, this situation was not going to be resolved by gloriously barging in and starting a fight or sneaking in. The only thing he would succeed in doing would be ruining his new life. Unless…
"Daniel Phantom, you are officially insane," he chuckled.