Danny stood in front of the lazily swirling Ghost Portal, uncertain of what to make of the emotions that roiled through him. It was a bittersweet anniversary of sorts, being the day of the second, final defeat of Phantom. While it was good that that particular horror was no longer existent, it was also the day Daniel's Vlad had died, and, in a way, also marked the day when he himself had lost someone he could have once called an older brother. From Danny's admittedly limited understanding, Daniel had underwent a psychotic break as a result of losing his 'father,' Vlad's involvement had only served to push him deeper into madness.

Daniel's illness manifested in wild swings between erratic behavior and intense periods where he did little more than simply exist, in delusions and hallucinations that Danny couldn't hope to follow and which almost always resulted in self-harm, never violence against others. Danny's Vlad had taken Daniel in and cared for him, eventually gotten him properly medicated and employed the best doctors in an effort to bring him back around to reality. It had been….slightly bewildering to Danny, if he was being honest. Seeing Vlad genuinely care about another person was simultaneously super creepy and weirdly humanizing. It made him wonder, when his mind started to drift when struggling through math homework, what the man might have been like if he hadn't been quarantined and denied visitors during his stint with ecto-acne and allowed to grow bitter.

Because of Daniel's care, Danny and Vlad had been in touch more than ever, and due to all the truths that came to light as a result of the battle with Phantom and the ensuing fall-out, a tentative reconciliation had begun between Vlad and his parents. Overall, it looked like things were on the upswing—and they were, until Daniel vanished.

The battle with Phantom was now two years in the past, and Daniel's disappearance had occurred about a year afterwards. Vlad had turned the human world upside down looking for him, and Danny had gone through all of the Ghost Zone that he could, to no avail. Daniel had simply seemed to vanish, and some part of Danny had feared that it was just the universe erasing the final remnants of a dead world.

However, the letter–announcement, really–in his hand indicated that, maybe, Daniel was just exceedingly good at not allowing himself to be found.

It was seemingly high-quality paper stock, and in gold lettering, the invitation read:

'You are cordially invited to the coronation of his Eternal Imperial Highness Daniel Masters on 10/31/20XX at 9PM at Pariah's Keep. Resistance is encouraged and expected. Please indicate your attendance below.'

Below the flowing golden writing were a series of words next to boxes: Participant, Assailant, Observer, Supporter.

I suppose…Supporter? Halloween tends to be busy in terms of ghost activity, but the portal has been quiet for months now. I'm sure Mom and Dad'd love the chance to get some hunting in anyway, Danny thought and marked the Supporter box. The entire paper went up in flames only to reform with an entirely new message.

Congratulations on being the first to mark Supporter! I knew it would be you, Danny. I apologize for vanishing, but it was for the best. I'm sure you're curious as to what I've been up to for this past year, so do please show up to the Keep a bit earlier than the assigned time and I will attempt to explain to you why I felt compelled to vanish. I look forward to seeing you.

With that, the invitation morphed again until it formed a bracelet around Danny's left wrist that glowed ever so faintly with ghostly energy, the letter 's' clearly visible in the middle of an ornate crest that looked like a stylized combination of the letters D and M.

Danny shook his head, took a breath, texted Sam, Jazz, Tucker, and–after a moment's consideration–Vlad about where he was going and to expect him back late, then transformed into his ghost form. Before he could enter the Ghost Zone, his phone pinged with rapid-fire responses:

Jazz telling him to be careful.

Sam and Tucker asking if he wanted back-up.

Vlad saying he would see him there and had plenty of questions for Daniel himself.

It was still weird, being in casual contact with Vlad. It seemed almost as if the arrival and revelation of who Daniel was and how they were 'related' had given him someone new to fixate on. Him showing an almost paternal side had also served to thaw his relationship with Maddie, which was…uncomfortable, but certainly no less uncomfortable than explaining what little of his past Daniel had deigned to share with him (Danny) while trying to help figure out the appropriate treatment.

Danny put away his Fenton Fone and ducked into the Ghost Zone.

For the most part, very little seemed to have changed on the surface–it was still rife with uncomfortable color combinations, although now the doors had keyholes, and more than a few were chained up tight. There were many fewer free-floating ghosts–in fact, Danny didn't see any of the more generic ectoplasmic afterlifeforms. It wasn't until he came close to Pariah's Keep that he began to see ghosts again. A whole swarm was pressed up to the edges of the island that held the Keep, but all were being repelled by what seemed to be a ghost shield that was holding up in spite of the onslaught.

"Danny Phantom, his Excellency awaits you."

Danny whirled, bright green energy gathering around his fists, and he looked up to see the Fright Knight looming large over him. His scabbard was, however, empty, and around his neck was a collar eerily similar to the one that Daniel's Walker had worn before his demise, although it looked significantly less painful.

"Alright," Danny said, the energy around his hands dissipating. "Take me to Daniel."

The Fright Knight nodded and turned on air, flying towards the entrance to the castle. With a sweep of his hand, the crowd of lesser-ghosts parted before them, and a touch from the Fright Knight opened a temporary hole in the shield.

"Go straight to the Throne Room. You will find him there. I will wait here to escort Vlad Plasmius in when he arrives."

"Sure thing," Danny said with more confidence than he felt. Pariah's Keep was still intimidating, although it was clear that Daniel had imparted his own touch to the place. In fact, it looked eerily similar to Vlad's original Wisconsin Dairy King castle pre-destruction.

The doors opened soundlessly before Danny, allowing him entrance. Where there had once been decay and disrepair, the Keep appeared pristine and well-kempt. The color scheme was subdued, dark, and brooding still, but there were creature comforts that were out-of-place–like plush carpet, copious amounts of chairs to sit in, and actual candlelight. The only thing that left Danny feeling ill-at-ease were the paintings that decorated the walls as he flew down them. From what he could tell, they were a chronicle of sorts, laying out a story of conquest long before Danny could hear it from Daniel himself. Each painting had a title–The Fall of Phantom, The Subjugation of Skulker, The Jailer Jailed, A Prince Deposed, Nature Tamed, The Observants Blinded, to name a few among many. However, Danny was brought up short before reaching the doors that would lead to where the 'throne room' was by the person standing in front of those doors and looking at a painting that was covered in appeared to be velvet.

It was Daniel; however, his appearance was not that of the broken shell of a recovering man, but the form he had worn when giving Phantom the beatdown that ended in his defeat.

He stood stroking the fabric of drapery, although Danny doubted he could feel it through the armored gauntlets. He wore a chest piece, arm guards, pauldrons, and shin guards all of a metallic material that was darker than black, seeming to absorb the light. His skin was ashen pale while his eyes glowed, one iris bright green, the other blood red. His black hair flickered like flame in a non-existent wind, and a voluminous cape was held in place by a pin of the familiar D symbol. On his finger was the Ring of Rage, and perched atop his head was the Crown of Fire. However, he didn't let off the same suffocating sense of power as when Danny last encountered him, and the energy of both artifacts wasn't nearly as bright. Perhaps it was because they were dormant?

Did it really matter? Daniel was, at least to all appearances, alive and sane.

"Daniel?" Danny asked, his voice more tentative than he would have liked; but, after searching for him and finding nothing, it was painful to hope.

Daniel blinked and looked over to him, a familiar half-smile twisting across his lips.

"Danny," he responded. His voice was rougher, deeper, but also…warm. There wasn't the sense of jaggedness to him as when they had talked while he was psychotic.

"How are you feeling?" Danny asked, landing on the carpet and approaching the person whom he desperately hoped was Daniel Masters, his broken and battered self from the Worst Timeline.

"I told you, didn't I? Ghosts aren't made of the same stuff as humans. They are simply will and energy, no chemicals involved. So, when I'm in ghost form, I am….immune to my psychosis," Daniel replied, his tone carrying the same fond exasperation as when they had gone over homework together. "I suppose I clung to being half-human strongly enough that it was never really an option before I lose everything."

"You didn't separate your ghost and human halves, did you?" Danny exclaimed, anxiety sweeping through him.

Daniel laughed, the sound low and bitter, devoid of mirth. "No, I am still half-and-half. But, come. This isn't a place to hold a conversation and I am sure you have plenty of questions. Once Vlad arrives, I will tell you and he about my ascension. But, first…what do you think of my royal portrait?"

With an almost absent-minded tug, Daniel pulled away the velvet cloth that had been covering the painting, and it fell to the floor in a soft susurrus. Daniel looked back at them from the painting, gore-spattered and battered, but triumphant. Around him were the major players in the Ghost Zone 'kneeling' in defeat and supplication as he stood proudly in the center, an arm raised in victory, clasping a flag that was emblazoned with the same symbol that was on the bracelet that still encircled Danny's wrist. The only ghost that didn't bend a metaphorical knee to the painted version of Daniel was Clockwork, who floated in the far background, his inscrutable smile ever present. Daniel's expression was haughty and resolute, the mein of a man who had fought for his power and finally succeeded in grasping it. One foot was planted firmly in the chest of a broken and defeated Phantom, while his other pierced the skull of Pariah Dark, proclaiming that he had been involved in the defeat of the two formerly most-feared ghosts in the entire Ghost Zone.

"It's…uh…evocative," Danny eventually offered.

"What a delightful SAT word," Daniel said. "I'm glad to hear you've kept up your schoolwork. You will be attending University of Wisconsin-Madison, as your parents and godfather did, no?"

"Got in early decision, yeah," Danny said. "How'd you know that?"

Daniel pointed down the hall to a particular picture. "I control the Observants' Council," he said in way of explanation. "Ah, Vlad has arrived and will be here shortly. Come, Danny."

Daniel turned away from the hallway and strode up to the doors to the throne room, throwing them open with an idle gesture. Inside was a study in contrasts, black marble floors shot through with veins of gold, silver, and red, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and sparkling in the steady ectoplasmic light between white marble pillars that supported a ceiling of arches. Paintings, again depictions of Major Events in the Ghost Zone's history, decorated the space between, and Danny saw himself more than a few times portrayed therein. There was a single seat in the room–well, it was a bona fide throne, made of what seemed to be solid gold, but with plush looking cushions aplenty. Daniel snapped his fingers and out of the marble two more seats appeared, and the throne came down from the dias as a table slowly spun itself up out of the floor and solidified. Lower-powered ghosts swept in out of nowhere and set up cushions on the new chairs and spread a tablecloth on the table, setting up what looked to be like an actual teapot and three sets of teacups. Daniel murmured something Danny didn't quite catch and the ghosts vanished as quickly as they had appeared; Daniel took his seat on the throne and gestured for Danny to choose a seat for himself.

Danny hesitated for a moment, the sat down on Daniel's right; the seat shifted a little and conformed to his body so that it felt like a gentle embrace more than sitting on stone that was once flooring.

"The tea and water are both from Earth, don't worry," Daniel assured him as he poured a cup for himself, Danny, and Vlad. "You won't get sick from drinking this tea."

Just as the last drop fell into the teacup set before the empty seat, Vlad came flying in. Energy and anger crackled around him as he circled, and Danny tensed; he knew that Vlad had taken Daniel's disappearance hard, seeing it as another betrayal, so the hostility wasn't unexpected.

What was unexpected was how calm Daniel was in comparison.

"Sit, Vlad," Daniel commanded–and it was a command. His tone of voice had frozen over and carried authority and the expectation of absolute obedience. Vlad nevertheless circled the table three more times before settling into his seat; from the surprise that briefly flashed across his face, Danny knew that he had been startled by the seat conforming to his comfort.

"Allow me to lead with an apology to the both of you," Daniel said after taking a sip of his tea. "It was unkind of me to simply vanish."

"We thought you dead," Vlad said, his tone acerbic.

"And I am, more or less," Daniel responded mildly. "I do spend more time as a ghost than as a human; I have even figured out how to remain in my ghost form even when unconscious. Vlad…thank you for your kindness and for the money you spent on my treatment. My departure was not a repudiation of your efforts, even if it may seem that way."

"Then why did you leave?" Vlad demanded, hurt clearly lurking beneath his anger.

Daniel smiled, but the expression didn't reach his eyes. "Then settle comfortably and let me know if you need more tea, for the story of my ascent is a long one, and I hope you will hear it to its conclusion."