Danny stood in front of a shabby-looking door. The feeling it radiated, or, rather, what something behind it did, got him at the tips of his toes. He held his hand on the handle, but was soon interrupted by a cough. Phantom looked back and saw Ram eyeing him with that same stone expression.

"I never saw someone so hesitant to go to the toilet."

Danny sweat dropped. "What?"

"A toilet. You never encountered one?" Ram asked. "That would explain a lot."

"That's not..." Danny's eye ticked, "I just felt something behind this door."

He swung the wooden obstacle open, and what he saw was not a place to "ease the burden". It was, in fact, a library, a huge two-story space with a spiral staircase in the centre of the spacious room. The second floor consisted of a large balcony which was filled to the brim with bookshelves. Phantom raised an eyebrow and looked at the maid, who, for once, widened her eyes just a bit.

"Huh. You found the library. I hope you don't upset Beatrice. Just pick any free bedroom when you are done. We don't need distractions."

Without any elaboration, the maid turned to leave. Danny had a striking impression that the maid was not sincere in her desire. But he quickly brushed this off, quickly mustering the courage to trespass in the room where this Beatrice person resided. There was a question of how a toilet turned out to be a library and how the maid, who was supposed to know ins and outs of the mansion, didn't know that the storage of so many books was located here. Phantom quickly put this issue at the back of his head, more concerned about a spirit that was currently sitting in front of him. In an armchair Danny saw a tiny girl that was around ten years old. She was probably the most adorable child Phantom had ever seen. The baby fat was still there, and her tiny face, even if wearing a scowl, made the teen smile slightly. Her blue eyes with irises in the shape of pink butterflies was certainly a unique feature. Her long creamy blonde hair were tied in drill-shaped twin tails, and on top of her tiny head was a petite crown. She was wearing a pink frilly dress with white trimmings, which exposed her striped leggings. And her pink shoes had butterfly straps on them.

"You are Beatrice, I take it."

The girl put the cup of tea back on the table. "And you are a brute breaking into the library, I suppose."

"Oh, don't be like that," Danny kept smiling, "I just opened a door that supposedly led to a toilet. Then again, my intention was to find a spirit sitting here."

"I am not here to indulge you, in fact."

Phantom sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. He glanced at the covers of the books lining the shelves, but there were no letters to read. The glare of the tiny girl became harder, which didn't go unnoticed by the visitor. Apparently, he wasn't meant to read or see those. So, he demonstratively looked away and faced the spirit, who only now paid attention to the other part of his sentence.

"You know that I am a spirit."

Danny smirked, "Yep. I can sense them when they get close. If they don't have some artefacts to hide their nature, that is."

And as if on cue, a single gust of air escaped from his mouth. "See? I told you when we first met, Puck, it is pointless to try and sneak up on me."

The tiny cat popped up in the air, grinning, "I get it, you are paranoid."

Phantom rolled his ice blue eyes and crossed his hands. What he did not expect was how Beatrice brightened up, showing that she was actually capable of smiling.

"Puckie!" She called him excitedly and clasped her hands.

"Hello, Betty!" Puck waved his paw and floated up to the girl, who immediately hugged him to her puffy cheek. Danny felt like he was an extra person here, but he made no effort to hide how funny the situation was for him.

"A girl and her kitten. How cute."

"Get out, you," she demanded, and Danny saw gusts of wind gathering around her tiny palm. He immediately raised his hands.

"Alright, alright. I am going to look behind those shelves without bothering you."

"No, you cannot. Nobody can use the library without Master Roswaal's permission."

"Why? Does he have Necronomicon here?" Danny huffed.

"Not sure what it is," Puck responded, gesturing around, "but this library might just be the greatest depository of knowledge in the world."

Phantom blinked and took a look around. The place didn't seem all that big if he was honest. And he voiced his confusion, getting a vehement reaction from the girl.

"You can stuff the entire mansion with guidelines for cleaning dung. It will just take up space, in fact, but there is no use for that knowledge. The library holding said information is useless as well."

"So the 'greatest' in this case means quality, not quantity. Alrighty, then... I cannot hide certain interest, but I guess I can live with that for a while."

"You being so vocal about your thoughts does not give me certainty."

"Well, that was not my intention," Danny grinned, backtracking to the door. "We will talk later. Although... do you have at least a basic encyclopaedia available?"

"Just leave already, you buffoon," a wind blast soon was launched his way. And Phantom, laughing, escaped the room before the torrent hit him.

Phantom made a mental note in his mind to check that place later. It could give him some insight into the workings of this world, help him in his future travels. His next objective was to find a room to settle in. Just like Ram had said, he soon found a simple room that nobody occupied, it seemed. There was nothing special about it: a bed, a wardrobe, a table. It was more like a room in an average hotel, the one that had a very nice view at the surrounding forest. It's not the worst arrangement, and Danny could live with that. He jumped on the bed, arms wide, a wide grin on his face. Life was good. He had a bed, warm food and a roof above his head, even if it all was temporary. It was at that moment when a tiny voice in the back of his head began to whisper if he truly deserved what he got. And the response to that was a thunderous mental 'YES'.

Phantom had no doubts about this. He deserved a good life. Not in spite of, but because of what happened. Danny was not at fault for anything that had happened. Those idiots saw a burning furnace, all they had to do was to step away, maybe even enjoy the warmth. But no, they wanted to extinguish the flame and in the end, due to their own stupidity, their house was burned to the ground. Is Danny, the flame that wanted to keep living, really at fault? His hand was forced. In their eyes he was a monster that needed to be killed, so he gave them the monster. Phantom felt no guilt for burning the house. And, after all, his arrangement made everyone happy, was it not? He now lived in this world, unbothered by his past, and said past existed without him, so unwanted and loathed. Danny only hoped that his sister could forgive him for killing their common parents. She loved them. And she quite possibly hated him now. That was probably the only semblance of conscience he had. Maybe he really was a monster for dismissing pains of others and probably leaving many children orphaned.

But no. Again, he was not the one to blame for their stupidity.

"That turned depressing real quick," Danny commented, getting back up. "Guess I need to keep my mind busy."

That's how it always worked for him — just sweep it all under the rug. Pretend it never was there to begin with.

There was only one problem, however. He didn't know what to do. If he had some books, he would have entertained himself. But now it was kind of gone in the dumpster. Perhaps he should have continued looking around to get to know the place better. He didn't feel like coming and asking Roswaal right after parting. It felt awkward and could have come across as being ungrateful. And calling in a favour like this was also a bad plan, Danny had to think about more distant future. Phantom got up and began his journey. He needed to be rational with his self-conducted excursion, so he started from the first floor, drawing an approximate scheme of the place in his mind.

So, having learned one of the first lessons about being a ghost, he decided against just walking through the walls, lest he stumbled upon something inappropriate. He had had his fair share of girls' locker rooms. He had had his accidents. And not so accidents. The point was, he now knocked each time. Even if it did seem pointless at first, when all he saw were storage rooms and empty bedrooms. Danny was once again reminded that there weren't many people in that large building. How the hell did those two manage, Danny asked himself again. Even Vlad used to utilise many more ghosts for that task. And they were already dead. Hard work would not have done anything for them. When Phantom saw a couple of rooms in dire need of cleaning, he got somewhat reassured. So they apparently didn't have to care for each and every room. Still, the building sparked with cleanliness for the most part.

On his way, he saw an enormous bathroom, with a huge bath that looked more like a shallow pool. The place in general looked very luxurious. Danny wondered just how rich and important the margrave was. And if Roswaal was not, then he couldn't imagine how the more well to do nobles lived. Speaking of, Danny could use a bath after a couple of days on the road. The half ghost didn't have any spare clothes, however, so he couldn't just jump in. Instead Phantom continued exploring the mansion.

He never understood the need for such enormous palaces. It was somewhat hypocritical for him to say this, he lived in a castle much bigger than this place. But, for starters, he inherited the place, not built it. Secondly, Pariah had been rather ascetic. The king had been a tyrant who only thought of wars and conquests, he had rarely been in his residence in the first place, too busy putting his enemies on spikes. Danny was lucky in that regard. He conquered the world without leaving his home. So, he tried to make his place liveable. And even then, he only bounced between his room, the library, and the bathroom. The food was brought by the servants. Danny also made sure that nobody interrupted his peaceful solitude. He put some special signs, the meaning of which could be compressed into two words.

'Keep out', the corpses basically said. Phantom had learned that trying to appeal to those people was pointless, as the wool over their eyes could be turned into a full-fledged sweater. So, the next possible solution would be to embrace his role and use it to the fullest. And that worked, Danny hadn't seen any visitors. However, he was intent on having totally different reputation in this new world. On being who he really was.

Eventually Danny reached one of the rooms that looked similar to others. For once, when he knocked, he received an invitation to enter. It was Emilia's voice. When Danny entered, he realised that his room was indeed a hostel compared to what the half elf had. A king-sized bed, multiple elaborately carved wardrobes, and it was very well-lit, thanks to large windows. Emilia herself was sitting at the desk, almost buried in books. Her expression was that of curiosity.

"Do you need, something, Danny?" She asked.

Phantom rubbed the back of his neck, "I was just looking around and happened to stumble upon this room. Yours?"

Emilia nodded, "Yes. Have you settled in already?"

"It's not like I have a lot of clothes or figurines. I just crumpled the covers in the room I chose. Hope the message got across."

She chuckled just a bit, "I think you can pick some. You and Roswaal are about the same size."

"I'm still not comfortable with asking the guy. I am a guest, they don't usually ask for the contents of your wardrobe. AND he and I do not share sense of taste."

"I'm certain it will be fine. You should hurry, because Roswaal will be leaving soon, and you won't have a proper chance."

"He is leaving?"

"Yes, he has some business to attend to, he should be back in a couple of days."

Phantom shook his head. So he would definitely stay for those 'couple of days'.

"What are you doing?" asked Danny, pointing at the stacks of books.

"I am studying," responded Emilia with a slight embarrassment seeping through.

"Studying?" Danny tilted his head, "We've just arrived, though."

"I slept plenty on the road. And I had time to take a bath. This is also not much of a studying at the moment, I just refresh the memory."

"What do you even study?"

"In the event that I do become a queen, I have to be ready. I need to know the laws, the history, and many other things. And I am, admittedly, miles behind my opponents."

Danny smiled and leaned against the table. "Certainly you underestimate yourself."

"Thank you for the compliment, but I wish it were so. But I am determined to narrow the gap between us."

"Well, education is not everything. My teacher never excused my constant tardiness, and my grades were barely above average at the best of times."

"Forgive me, but you don't make the best case...with your situation."

"Hey, I became a noble. And, given resources, I can make devices that the local peasantry will deem magical. Due to their ignorance."

"Still, I cannot neglect this. I really am not that well taught."

"I'm not telling to neglect studying."

Even though he still thought that Emilia should not have gone after this goal.

"I'm saying that you shouldn't worry that much. Of course, you are free to dismiss the guy you met a couple of days ago. So," he clasped his hands, "What's all this stuff,about?"

"Surely you have...other things to do rather than to sit here..."

"On the contrary, I am bored as hell and have nothing else to do. Besides, if you try to tell me the contents, it may help you memorise them and understand what else you should learn in greater detail."

Emilia was looking at him in surprise as the teen put a chair near her. Danny seemed really invested in his idea.

"Danny, I appreciate your encouragement, but I'm not sure if this is a good idea."

Phantom could see her red face. She was just too embarrassed to do this. Yes, he could have come across as someone too prying. Still, it didn't feel nice being pushed away like this. And despite it all, he kept smiling.

"Well, you know, I am here if you need anything, princess. Should you need advice for some miraculous reason, I am knowledgeable in the fields of chemistry and physics. I know of several extremely potent poisons. People in this day and age seem to have a need for those. So, polonium or cyanid, your choice?"

"Wh-why would I need them?"

"Depends. Being a royal is not about daily pageants, you know," Danny shrugged. "I know for a fact that one would get their hands dirty. And I was just kidding. Still, don't hesitate to ask. We can talk about atoms and molecules."

Like that, Danny left the room. Emilia knew that what she did was not the most virtuous move, but she couldn't help herself. The half elf just could not understand him. He was so eager to help without always getting something out of it. It was like he was obsessed with this idea. Maybe Emilia would ask him, as he was eager to shine, but not right now, with how preoccupied she was. Danny was a nice person, but he was clearly overdoing it.

Had Danny been able to hear her thoughts, he would have gone back and looked at his behaviour in this light. It wasn't done because his core hurt him until he did it. More like, he was trying to prove himself to everyone he met, for he himself felt insecure about how the people around viewed him. It wasn't enough to use the monstrous power to destroy threats, that alone only scared the people. Not to mention that it was dangerous and barely gratifying. Those day-to-day, little good deeds were another thing. Gratitude tended to be more genuine this way. And from little things often came a bigger image of a person. The other question was whether or not these little things were truthful, with how determined Danny was for all the wrong reasons.

Still, he chose to ignore how people around brushed him off. It was better than them running away. And he was optimistic, believing that there would come the time when everyone understood what he did. Or he would eventually find someone who appreciated what he was trying to do.

And speaking of appreciation. Danny happened to encounter a person who had given him none. At least, Rem was not voicing it. She was too busy doing laundry when he happened to come across her in the garden. With how small the list of inhabitants was, the pile of clothes was not particularly big. However, there was no washing machine for obvious reason. The blue-haired maid was sitting on her knees in front of a metal washtub, scrubbing the dirt off the linen shirt. Danny sat nearby and silently watched her. Rem did not react to his presence, fully absorbed in her work.

From the seems, it really was hard. People take washing machines for granted. You just take a bunch of clothes and stuff them there for a cleanup. Rem had to use her hands to do something for which such a contraption took a while. She didn't even have a washing board, scrubbing everything with a hard brush and her own hands. How she managed to make them look so smooth and seemingly soft was a mystery — he was thinking the wrong things. Stupid hormones. The point was, Danny decided to do what he did best.

"Do you want help?" Asked Phantom, getting in response only a brief look, "Again, it is not pity. I just want to."

Rem stopped her work and sighed, the shirt diving under the soapy water. "You are a guest, sir. Master said so. You shouldn't bother yourself with this."

"I don't have anything else to do."

"You could wash yourself, sir."

"Meanie," Danny rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't have any clothes to change into."

Rem was quiet for a moment. "If you so desire. Do you have any experience with washing clothes?"

"It is a bit unorthodox for me, I admit. Although power shortages back home did force me to rely on traditional means occasionally."

In fact, his household was notorious for leaving the entire district without electricity. The power lines didn't take kindly to an otherworldly source of power in the basement. Now that Phantom thought about it, why were they even connected to those lines if they were technically autonomous?

"Yes or no?" Rem asked.

"Yes. I have the experience."

The maid nodded towards the pile of dirty clothes. "Master expects nothing but perfection. I expect this from you as well."

Danny nodded, and a pair of pants flew into his hands. At that, he got to work. It was true that he had had to wash his clothes himself in a bath. With his parents busy trying to repair what they themselves had broken, he was stuck doing chores by hand, along with his sister. Still, he came to learn how to make the most of his powers in such a situation. He should have been careful with his strength, so as not to tear the clothes apart, but he could use it to reduce dirt to dust. Danny also suggested warming the water up to make it better for the task. Rem responded by saying that they didn't have the time, so the half ghost just continued until the pants were clean. The maid examined them closely with a serious face.

"Not done," her verdict was. Danny hunched, but said nothing.

He brushed the pants again. In the meantime, Rem began cleaning another delicate uniform of hers. After several minutes, Phantom decided that he was done with that thing. There wasn't a spot of dirt on them. He showed it to the maid again.

"Not terrible, but not impressive either. Next, you should sink them in a tub with clean water and go over again. Then hang them, along with other clothes in that pile. Don't forget to..."

"Twist them inside out," Danny smirked, "I got you."

The teen took his new role with pride. The clothes flew closer to him, hung in the air and formed a line, waiting for their turn to be put on ropes. Rem briefly glanced at him from time to time, but it was probably because she didn't want him to ruin anything. Her concern was justified, but as she saw him doing it all delicately enough, Rem went back to her cleanup.

"So," Danny tried to begin a conversation, "How old are you exactly?"

"Seventeen. Could you please refrain from talking?"

Phantom saw her excessively clean the uniform. Yeah, she was already busy with this. It was an exhausting work. The teen waved his hands, and the clothes flew to the ropes themselves, along with clothespins. In the meantime, Danny smiled and went back to washing. They might have not talked, but the half ghost still felt better, despite Rem being very critical of his work. By the time they were done, it was already the time for lunch. The girl wiped her forehead from sweat.

"Well, what now?" Danny smiled and put his hands on his belt. Rem sized him up again and stood straight.

"You should take those shirt and pants to finally take a bath. Master said that you can use them. Please, wait for lunch, either me or my sister will come and call for you, sir. Thank you for your help."

She may have sounded calm, apathetic even, but Danny's smile still shone like the sun above them.

"Anytime, Rem."

Yes, small deeds brought gratitude.

The lunch was just as delicious as the breakfast. Danny happily munched on the piece of fried chicken. Emilia and Puck arrived around that time, when Phantom put another piece of meat in his mouth.

"Wow, someone here is not losing time," Puck commented.

Danny gulped his food, "Hey, these two make me forget my manners. It's really good."

Emilia smiled and nodded, sitting on the opposite side of him. The maids were quick to set the food from the tray before her, receiving a quick thank you.

"I don't think that's enough a reason to do this," commented Ram.

"Oh, you degrade yourself. My Mom cooked radioactive waste and the only joint around served the same food over the years. And you were supposed to eat there with your hands," he muttered, sounding almost shocked himself, "Their main sauce is also highly... combustible. A little spark and BANG! The whole place would go sky-high. I wonder if you jumped into the fire right after eating the stuff, would you burst?"

"Just what was put there?" Puck tilted his head.

"They kept it a secret, but I sneaked in and learned that it contained one or more of the following: Kerosene, Propylene Glycol, Artificial Sweeteners, Sulfuric Acid, Acetone, Battery Acid, red dye#2, SCUMM, Axle grease and/or pepperoni sausage."

"This doesn't sound healthy," Emilia muttered.

"It isn't. In fact, diabetes will seem like a minor side effect, and I am shocked how this stuff even mixed. Stopped eating there shortly after learning it all."

The complicated components of the sauce made Emilia remember why she wanted to talk with the talkative teen.

"Danny, I wanted, to apologise for coming across as..."

"Emilia..."

"I know, you don't want my constant apologies, but I still felt bad. I will be glad to listen to your sciences later."

"Are you sure?"

The half-elf nodded, "Yes. It does sound interesting. In exchange, I can tell you about what I know about the world."

"Sounds like a plan, princess," Danny raised a glass and made a dramatic face, "A toast to the alliance of future scholars!"

The plan was really rather convenient. He really felt uncomfortable asking anyone about how everything around worked, it made him look like a moron. Now at least he would share his misery and not look so bad. Phantom was once again reassured that he just needed to be patient. The conversation they had briefly touched upon the topics of what atoms were and how they affected the properties of each element, what countries were around Lugnica and the closest cities, and many others. The discussion was lively, and Danny often was doubted by everyone around. It was difficult to prove such things without any tools. Without proofs, it would look like he exchanged his own figments of imagination for actual knowledge. In the end, the two decided to continue around eight, after the dinner. Danny could think of a couple of ways to prove his claims.

"Do the clothes fit?"

Rem asking Danny about this did not come as any surprise. The latter examined the white shirt and dark blue pants and shrugged. Those were nice. The two young people were carrying the baskets with clean clothes that needed ironing. Since he had started helping with the process, Danny figured he could help Rem finish it.

"As long as I don't have to wear what your Master did the first time we met. To each his own, you know."

"You ought to be more grateful, sir."

"I am grateful, and he is really nice for doing that. But still, his choice of attire is something unique compared to everyone else. You have to admit that at least."

Rem did not respond. Phantom made sure to remember that the maids really adored their master. He must have been a nice guy. The teens stopped near the room Danny had picked.

"Did you stay here?" Rem figured it out.

"Yep. I am not a fan of spacious rooms. It feels comfy that way."

The maid hummed, "Let me check it."

"Why?"

The maid put the basket on the floor and opened the door. Swiftly getting in, Rem began to examine the place.

"Master won't be happy if you settle into a dirty old room. I shall clean it at once."

Phantom blinked and chuckled, "Don't worry, Rem. I am fine. If anything, I'll clean it up myself, I don't mean to be a bother..."

"Sir," she said firmly, "You are a guest of our manor. Cleaning and tending to your needs is our responsibility."

"Your sister doesn't seem to agree with you about it," Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

"You have to forgive her, sir. Despite what is said by both me and her, we take our duties in regards to you seriously. And since you never minded jests thrown your way and even enjoyed responding, we never assumed that it bothered you."

"Oh."

Danny felt somewhat embarrassed now. Was his attitude something which had brought such treatment? Wait a minute.

"When you insulted me the first time, we hadn't even spoken to each other before."

"That was genuine. And back then you were nobody who happened to come across our home and Lady Emilia."

"You are doing it again," Danny's eye twitched. He then sighed. "What's there to clean, anyway?"

"You will see. Could I please ask you to carry the laundry to Ram in the meantime?"

Phantom sighed and nodded. He stacked two baskets atop of each other, walking in the general direction of the pink-haired maid. She was somewhere below, so Danny turned intangible and sunk through the floor. With an edge of his eye Phantom could see Rem's surprised expression, and he winked at her. However, when he was coming back after bringing the clothes to the less favouring sister who looked at him funnily, Danny opted to use the orthodox way. Phantom quickly ascended by jumping over every other stair. He returned after having spent around five minutes, and Rem was already scrubbing the desk from any leftover dust with a piece of wet cloth. Danny coughed to announce his presence, and Rem gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment.

Not sure about what to do, Phantom just sat on the bed. There was only one piece of cloth, so he wasn't sure how to help. Then, something unexpected happened. Danny let out a gasp of cold air. His eyes went wide as saucers. He recognised the one who gave him that feeling. And from surprise, he went to fury. His expression turned dark as he looked out of the window that was in front of him.

"Hey, Rem," he called in a strangely calm voice. The maid looked at him and immediately noticed a change in his mood. "Could you open the window, please?"

Rem could not understand what caused this shift, but she obeyed, noticing in the meantime how dirty the glass was. She would need to wash it too.

"Now step a little to the left," Phantom continued, his eyes filling with neon green like a glass with wine. "Thank you."

Immediately, a burst of green light emerged from his eye sockets, shockingly, hitting something invisible that was right outside. The unknown object was launched far away, snapping the treetops, flying far away into the forest from the force of impact. Danny stood up and stretched his neck.

"Stay here."

In a sudden burst of speed, Phantom launched himself forward, and the stunned blue-haired maid saw only a blur. The furniture shook, and the remaining dust floated in the air.

Skulker was, to be frank, frightened. He had barely entered Phantom's zone, which was covered by the teen's ghost sense. And he already was pummelled into an ancient oak, several miles away from the initial point, with his black shirt burned away and his armour partially melted at the place of impact. Damn it all. Before he could even get to his feet, something lighting fast struck him right into the chest. When his green, pupiless eyes finally focused, he saw Phantom standing right atop of him. Skulker received a punch to the head that almost broke his neck, Phantom's second arm dived deep under the armour, emerging with a glowing orb in his grasp. The ghost nearly fainted upon seeing the look his king was giving him. Phantom's eyes blazed with fury upon merely seeing the hunter, and in them there was no mercy. The thing the king was holding was the main source of power for his enemy's suit, he already won.

"The hell. Are you doing here," The teen hissed, lowering his head and nearing the man's. Skulker could swear that his canines were sharper. The hunter gulped.

"P-please... I d-didn't come here to attack you!"

"BULLSHIT!" Phantom crushed the artificial energy core in his fist and lifted the giant man like he was a feather. "When have you ever come for talks? Maybe I should ask the maids to make you some tea, you vertically-challenged lilliputian?!"

"S-stop! Please! I speak the truth. Hear me out, I beg you, ghost child!"

Phantom glared at him for several seconds that felt more like hours.

"I'm all ears," he said as he lowered the motionless, powered-down armour. Still, Skulker was able to talk.

"Thank you for not shooting the messenger. The... Observants sent me."

Skulker knew about how strained the relations between the king and the supposed enactors of his will were. So he half-expected Phantom to change his mind at that instant and finally finish him off. But his fears turned out to be misplaced, as Danny, even if he was still looking terrifying, looked less tense.

"Oh, is that right?"

If Skulker could nod, he would have, "Yes. Your sudden departure caused the entire Zone to go ballistic. Why?"

"Because you are all headless chickens, chaotic creatures that neither can think two steps ahead, nor stop and think in the first place."

Skulker realised that the teen really hated other ghosts. And he couldn't help but think now that he was stopped. All they ever did was attack him, and for a good reason.

"You left because of that?"

"No, that's why you reacted in this way," Phantom sat on a rock. "Why, for the love of god, did you come here? To ask me these pointless questions?"

"The Observants... want you to come back, Phantom."

There were thousands of ways in which Danny could possibly react. He could get angry, he could laugh triumphantly, declare his victory and still kill him. But no, his look turned distant and... sad. Skulker could not foresee such rapid change. The ghost reasoned that he was clearly still human. His own kind could not have so many conflicting thoughts and emotions.

"Is that so?" He spoke quietly, as his eyes reverted back to their usual icy blue. "This is so ridiculous that I want to laugh... but I, for some reason, can't. My answer is quite simple, Skulker. No. I am not coming back. I do not wish to see your ugly mugs for a single day more."

"Not all of us retained our pretty faces upon death," Skulker grumbled.

"You retained nothing, tin can. But if you have the ability to joke, then not all is lost. You know what I mean. You should all be happy! The White Devil left you!"

"Who in tarnation called you that?"

"Many humans did. They have a habit of naming things superstitiously," Phantom grumbled. "Well?"

"How do we know that you won't come back and repeat everything that happened?"

"Why repeat if nothing changed? Skulker, if I wanted to be in charge, I would have been. And you would have been my errand boy."

"I'd rather die," Skulker mumbled.

And then he saw an ice shard pointing at his eye.

"I can arrange that," Phantom responded, before the blade vanished. He got up and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Don't forget, Skulker. I am still your King. Even here, even now. I don't need to prove anything if I return. But ruling over the ungrateful pigs is the last thing I need."

"We did what we had to. Because you are a monster."

Phantom sighed. "I can't believe you people. What do you even get from me coming back? And you really aren't trying to convince me."

"Because I do not want that. You want to live here? Fine. As long as you stay here."

"Oh," Danny said, tilting his head, "and you'll even give up on having my pelt?"

"Yes. However, the Observants might keep sending messages your way, in all sorts of ways. They see the future, I don't know what they have in minds."

"They don't see the future, Skulker. They know how everything MIGHT turn out. And they MIGHT have seen my response."

"They are ready to review your contract."

"Contract? That's one way of putting it. The only change I'll make is that my exile shall be here. Although, if they want me back..."

He chuckled, and Skulker feared that it wasn't for good, "Oh, I see how it is. Now I am once again convinced that I'm not going back."

The teen leaned against a tree, hands folded behind his head. Danny was confident as for why he was called back. His assumption wasn't far from the truth, the Observants needed their scarecrow. They needed the protection his name granted. By themselves, they were easy to pick up and kill. They were weak. And if prior to the king's ascension, there had been Clockwork, now the monarch's name defended them, since they were allowed to run things. The Observants feared for their safety, and oh boy, was he going to watch it burn and laugh while they were at it.

"What? What is it?"

"I'll leave you guys to figure it all yourself. Since you were apparently so smart before."

"Then renounce the throne, since you don't need it."

"Oh, I do need it, mind you. It brought a wagon of shit into my life, but there are still good things about the crown. It makes sure you knuckleheads think twice before coming after me. And it might come in handy when I contact spirits."

"You don't realise how the throne works, Phantom. You can not stay away from the Zone forever. You are its overlord, you are a part of it."

"I know," Danny smiled, "And I don't care. I am half human, remember? For once, it feels good to be a mistake of nature. How do you imagine things turning out if I did come back?"

"I... didn't think that far. It would have been better for the things to be as they were."

"See? My feelings are not being taken into account yet again."

"You lost that privilege on the day of slaughter, if I am being honest."

Phantom swung his palm and severed a metallic arm. Skulker closed his eyes, fearing that the strike might have come on his head.

"Privilege? Watch your fucking tongue you piece of rust!" He yelled.

"S-sorry! It's just..."

"Just what?! My laid-back attitude untied your tongue?!"

"I..."

Danny took a deep breath. "You attacked me. And deep inside, I still hate you all. And even deeper, lies the desire to make that 'prophecy' real. If you catch the meaning. When I come back, I will not be hiding in my castle, Skulker. I will come to finish the job. I will go after those who have dared to oppose me. I will make you all obey my every whim..."

With each word, his voice became more and more quiet, more and more threatening. Everything human about him was slowly fading into nothing. Skulker had no doubt in his mind about not seeing the past whelp anymore, for he had fully changed. Phantom was igniting terror, he held the image befitting of the spectre, succeeding Pariah Dark himself.

"...And I will make you all beg that the next dawn will come for you," Phantom finished. "Now ask yourself, Skulker. Do you really want me back?"

"I...I told you that it wasn't my own intention."

"I heard you well," Danny smiled, "But you will deliver this message, correct?"

"I'll be glad to do it... but you broke my suit. I can't go back just now..."

Skulker flinched when he met Phantom's gaze. He was obviously pissed, but it was more about his stupidity.

"Observants need you," Danny turned around and waved his hand, "You guys better take him back before the local animals get him! I know you watch us!"

Skulker's eyes widened in horror. "Phantom! Please, don't leave me here!"

Danny looked over his shoulder, grinning. His eyes sparked wicked green again, "Asking a monster for help? You are an interesting one."

With a laughter Phantom left the ghost completely alone.

That was already more courtesy than what the spectres gave him.