Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom.

Note: Phew, it took a long time to get it right but I finally did it! Sorry about the long delay, life's been hectic as usual. And I kid you not, every time I sat down to work on this chapter I got interrupted by something or another and kept getting stuck otherwise. That's when I realized that part of my problem is that I had unconsciously tried to follow the events of the old story a bit too closely when what I really needed to do was let it flow at its own pace and progress naturally. So now that I've found a way to get past all that I hope you guys enjoy the fruits of my labor! And don't worry, we'll get to the big showdown with Azrael soon enough too!

Chapter 31: Through Mist and Shadow

(Chapter inspired by "I Am The Storm" by Ad Infinium)

Vlad's POV

I had to applaud Eris for being quite sensible despite her best friend Owen being in grave danger. She wasn't trying to pretend that her powers would be enough to stop Azrael's magic from effecting us outright, but Eris did have the foresight to try and provide us with some protection as her way to contribute in the rescue effort. And her sincerity had banished any lingering doubts I might have had that she planned to report back to the council once this was all over too because when I asked Eris what she planned to do next her response was-

"At this point, it's probably better if I stay missing." She shrugged, wiping some sweat from her brow after casting the final ward and smiling to herself at a job well done.

"But don't worry your pretty little head off about it Vlad. I'm used to hiding in the shadows so I'll manage on my own. It's not like Eris Wright is my real name anyway. Besides, I don't want to get caught up in the council's lies again before I can figure out a way to make it up to Owen for lying to him for so long. Anyways, for now let's just focus on bringing him back in one piece. I'm counting on you." Then Eris left the room to distract herself from our impending departure, an all too familiar loneliness hidden behind her confident facade and a slight crack in her voice at the very end that betrayed how anxious she was.

Turning to Daniel and his friends after Eris left I began evenly. "Alright, before we go is everyone clear on the plan?"

Turning his PDA to face us which had a digital map displayed on the screen Tucker nodded and replied earnestly. "Yep, we're supposed to split up into two groups and follow the signal from Owen's tracking device by heading to the same spot from a completely different direction. Meanwhile, while you and Danny are keeping Azrael busy, Sam and I will sneak past him, rescue Owen, then use the Infimap to get him out of there before that loser knows what hit him. And wah-bam, mission accomplished!"

Just as I opened my mouth to point out that it's not going to be that easy, Daniel beat me to the punch and sighed. "I wouldn't be too sure about that Tucker. The only thing we really know about Azrael for sure at this point is that he's not going to do anything to hurt Owen, but if he starts considering any of us a serious threat to his plans for him then all bets are off so be careful, ok?"

"That goes double for you two then." Samantha added, giving each of us a pointed look. "That means no arguing in the middle of the fight or doing anything stupid and getting hurt, got it?"

"Got it." Daniel nodded and that was that.

Soon after, Samantha and Tucker set out to follow the route we mapped out to help them reach Owen's current location from the ground while Daniel and I flew above it to draw Azrael's attention. At first glance it seemed as though Owen was in the middle of nowhere somewhere deep in the forest, but we knew better because its obvious Azrael brought him there for a reason. According to Eris that area wasn't too far from where he had held her captive and during that time Azrael hinted at having a deep connection to Owen's family and his past. Which means one way or another we might just get the answers we've been looking for after all...

Answers that I am all too willing to take from Azrael by force.

Owen's POV

It should have been a relief when the Blood Blossoms slowly uncoiled themselves from my body and began forming a sort of canopy of roses above me, but it wasn't. If anything, I felt worse. Everything hurt and the glowing in my veins had seeped down into my bones to the point where even if I could move, I didn't want to because it hurt too much. Last time I tried to the pain was so intense that for a second I genuinely thought I was having some kind of seizure.

The only thing that made the whole thing bearable was knowing that Vlad, Danny, Eris, and the others were on their way to get me out of this nightmare. Dazed, I watched as Azrael systematically lit the shafts of dozens of glowing black feathers like candles after dipping them in my blood that then floated over to the altar and formed a perfect circle. Reacting to the soft blue flames, the Blood Blossom buds closest to them unfurled their petals in full bloom as their natural red hue slowly faded to a stunningly pure white that was almost blinding.

Then again maybe that's why this ritual chamber was built somewhere deep underground since this pounding in my head was almost identical to having a migraine. I should know, I used to get them a lot whenever I saw anything metallic for a while because it gave me horrible flashbacks to my mother stabbing me with a kitchen knife while possessed by that Wraith I banished at Vlad's mansion. But after what Azrael told me, you know, about the whole being murdered in my past life it made me wonder if that's another reason why I-

Just then, both Azrael's head and mine lifted at the same time when we sensed the presence of two familiar ghosts somewhere above us. Well, half-ghosts at least since I could tell exactly who those aura's belonged to. I knew they'd get here in time. I thought to myself, grinning smugly at Azrael -who definitely looked annoyed by the unexpected new development- before my face twisted into a grimace when a fresh wave of pain hit me.

"Now isn't this a surprise? I thought for sure that Vlad would have gotten the message by now that his services as your protector are no longer required. He's a stubborn one, isn't he?" Azrael frowned, closing the distance between us and reaching a hand through a small gap in the vines. "This shouldn't take long but just in case, why don't you be a good boy and go back to sleep for a little while? It will be less painful for both of us that way."

Glaring at him I hissed through my teeth. "No. Why don't YOU be a 'good boy' and let me go before things get ugly?"

"Do you honestly expect me to hand you over to him that easily? Don't be naive. Now lay still and stop resisting." Azrael threatened darkly, his hand now clenched in a claw-like posture over my face as he tried to exert his power over me to knock me unconscious. My eyes widened in shock though when all of a sudden his aura began to darken to the point where it almost looked...

Black.

Shouting in frustration when the Blood Blossoms directly in front of him reacted to it, flashed red, and sent a searing pain shooting through his arm, that forced him to retreat from the altar. Taken aback, Azrael tried reaching toward me again but when that failed he looked down at me coldly -as if blaming me for it- and responded. "Enough games. I've tried to be nice about this, but since you refuse to let me put you to sleep to spare you a great deal of suffering during the ritual I'm left with no choice but to proceed with the next step a little ahead of schedule..."

Trailing off and lifting his uninjured hand, Azrael uttered a spell and the robed statues lining the room I hadn't noticed until now opened their mouths and began singing the words of the rite together like a Gregorian choir which translated into something like this:

We invoke the power of air to breathe new life into you and give wing to our voices from across the veil.

We invoke the power of fire to cleanse your soul and temper it into a blade against evil.

We invoke the power of water, which like the passage of time carries our memories from birth onto the very end when we return to Death's side.

We invoke the power of the earth to strengthen your mortal flesh so that you may better safeguard the innocent.

We invoke the holy light of heaven to guide you and the weary dead who have lost their way in darkness.

We invoke the power of the heart, so that you may better understand their sorrow and free them from their pain.

Life, death, and rebirth, let us now complete the cycle.

I can't even begin to describe the excruciating pain I felt after they completed the first round of singing those verses. Leaving my body behind willingly is one thing, but this time it was like some unseen power was trying to tear my soul out of my body entirely. Instinctively I struggled to keep that from happening by unleashing a torrent of blue flame from within but all it did was hit the invisible barrier created by those feather candles and wash over the circle of Blood Blossoms, turning all of the flowers pure white with dark blue leaves. From the outside, it probably looked like I was being burned alive but the flames themselves didn't hurt me at all. Whatever was happening inside of me however, changing me, is another story...

When the second wave subsided I turned my head towards Azrael, breathing heavily, but when our eyes met I think we both knew there was no turning back. Floating up into the air, Azrael at least told me what was about to happen next before he left to confront them. "Once the sentinels have completed the seventh chorus, the rite will be complete. But during the process I'm afraid you will have to pass through the Veil once more. At any rate, by your leave my lord, I will return shortly to take you home once I'm certain there won't be any more...unwelcome interruptions."

I wanted to tell him to shut the hell up about all that 'lord' nonsense but when the next wave of pain hit me I lost focus and he vanished for the second time. Vlad and Danny were in for a difficult fight so now it was my turn to do the same; and this was a fight I had to win if I wanted to stop Azrael. Vlad told me this many times before, but now I had to believe with every fiber of my being that this power is mine to control because it's a part of who I am.

Azrael was right about one thing, I can't deny who I am anymore, but that's ok. I don't have to deny it as long as I remember the most important thing which is that I am NO ONE'S pawn. My power -the power of all Necromancers- exists for one purpose which is to protect people and help lost souls find their way. And Azrael definitely has lost his way but deep down I can tell he knows what he's trying to do is wrong. I just hope it's not too late to stop him from losing himself too if that black aura means what I think it means.

The next thing I knew, I could faintly make out the sound of a swishing blade and two familiar voices shouting something to each other above the other voices still chanting. Glancing in their direction I realized Tucker must have taken the silver dagger off the table from earlier to use as a crude weed whacker in order to slice through the canopy of Blood Blossoms that thankfully weren't on fire anymore. But for every layer of vines he cut away, another grew back in its place. Forcing myself to sit up I weakly gripped the vines to stop them from growing thorns to impede their progress and pulled myself over to the edge of the altar where I could just barely make out a pair of worried eyes staring back at me.

"Hang on Owen, we'll get you out of there somehow!" Sam growled, tugging at the vines with her bare hands now that the thorns had receded. "Come on Tucker, if cutting them won't work lets try pulling on them again."

Nodding, Tucker started pulling on the vines too with all his might after tossing the dagger aside with a loud clatter. I would have helped push on them from my side too but just dragging myself over to where they were had taken a lot out of me, not to mention there had to be at least three or four more verses left so it was only a matter of time before I passed through the Veil again which I had a bad feeling meant I was going to come close to dying again.

Whenever I astral project I don't actually die, my body just enters a sort of stasis that mimics death according to Vlad but this was different. And unfortunately, I could already feel myself slipping away much faster than before when I was forced to return to my body. However, instead of everything going dark, it actually became brighter and there was a strange yet beautiful light calling to me. It beckoned to me with the gentle promise of finally putting an end to my pain too and honestly, I was so tired by that point that I couldn't help but feel tempted to accept that offer...

But then I remembered there's someone new in my life who needs me now more than ever. In fact, there are a lot of people here with me doing their best to protect and support me even though I barely know what I'm doing anymore and have put them through so much crap recently. For the first time since I lost my family, I've made real friends who accept me for who I am just like Vlad did when not even my parents could do that. I know he'll never be able to replace my mom and dad, he's the first adult I've met so far who hasn't given up on me or tried to change me into something I'm not.

Unfortunately, I don't think anything could have prepared us for what happened next though. Remember the circle of feathers? Well, without warning every single one of them launched themselves towards the canopy of Blood Blossoms like arrows, which instantly reignited them and forced Sam and Tucker to jump back before the blue flames could scorch them. Then the flames engulfed me all over again and I screamed because this time it felt like my bones were burning me from the inside out like molten metal.

And throughout the entire agonizing process I couldn't help but be reminded of that night in the forest after Azrael abducted me the first time. Back then he told me to unleash my power so it wouldn't consume me from the inside just like what was happening to me right now. So now I understand why Azrael made me do that. It wasn't just to get a new power under control, it was to prepare me for this moment. And according to the words used in this coming of age ritual this whole thing is meant to strengthen and purify my soul, reforging it into a holy weapon to be used against Wraiths, evil spirits, and other forces of darkness.

That said, as far as I know, other Necromancers aren't supposed to literally be reborn during this ritual. For them its more like a trial by fire; a spiritual fire in this case rather than a standard one. So if I could come out of this stronger than Azrael then just maybe I'll be able to break the magical bond between us instead of reinforce it or at least change it enough so that he can't control me anymore. He may not want me to do that, but if that's what it takes to put an end to his stupid vendetta against the council then-?!

To tell you the truth I'm not entirely sure what happened after that. The last thing I saw was a bright flash of light as the petals of the purified Blood Blossoms transformed into a swarm of blue butterflies that rose high into the air and then everything went dead silent. I couldn't hear anything anymore. No singing, no crackling flames, no fluttering wing beats, nothing. To make matters worse, Sam and Tucker were gone too and I was left all alone...

Something about this unnatural stillness seemed oddly familiar to me along with the thick fog I noticed cascading down the stairs where Sam and Tucker must have rushed down to find me from somewhere above. And standing at the top was a robed figure who slowly began gliding towards me through the mist. Obviously it wasn't Azrael since the cloak he wears is the vibrant color of blood while the one this stranger was wearing was such a dark blue it was almost black and looked more like, ironically, a veil that obscured most of their features.

Once they came close enough I could make out a few long strands of silvery white hair peeking out from beneath their hood as a pair of pale blue eyes met mine. It wasn't until the stranger reached the bottom step that I noticed the black skeleton underneath their semi-translucent skin which I originally thought was just some kind of face paint until they smiled sadly at me.

Even though I had a feeling I already knew who this was, I cautiously stepped down from the altar, looked up at them, and asked unsurely. "Are you...Death?"

"Not quite." The spirit or whatever they were answered in a gentle but regal tone. "I am a mere echo of Death that lives on inside of you. Do not be afraid, for this is not truly your time, it is merely a glimpse of the end but soon enough your soul will return to the real world just as it has countless times before. But you know this already, do you not?"

"Well yeah, we found out I'm a Revenant or whatever ages ago." I answered before hastily blurting out. "Listen, I know this whole coming of age thing is important to Necromancers and all but you have to send me back right away. Someone I knew in my past life became a ghost and now he's planning to do something horrible so I have to-!"

Placing their bony hand on my head and brushing back my hair just like Vlad likes to, the Shadow of Death as I've decided to call them hushed. "I know, but I'm afraid it's too dangerous. As it stands, you stand on the brink between life and death where normally all Necromancers who have come of age are given a choice. The choice to either return to Earth forever changed after accepting their duty as one of Death's servants or to sacrifice their gifts to enjoy a carefree mortal life. However, just as your power is greater than the rest of your kin, so too is the burden you carry. And it is a burden that no one else but you CAN carry."

"Even if that's true you can't expect me to just-" I started to argue but stopped mid-sentence when they removed their hand just as the fog beneath our feet thickened and washed over us like a huge wave, obscuring my vision.

Thanks to the dense fog I lost sight of them along with everything else in the room for that matter but I could hear their voice in my head as the Shadow of Death whispered to me. "I understand your need is dire, however, I must warn you that an ancient evil is stirring that you will soon have to face regardless of whether you are ready to or not. This may be the only time I'll be able to show you the truth while the seal that was placed upon your memory in your previous life is temporarily weakened. And if that does not convince you to heed my words then know this..."

Lowering their voice even more, a chill ran up my spine as the Shadow of Death said. "The reason your power is so coveted by the living and the dead alike is because you, Owen Ravenheart, are the reincarnation of the very first Necromancer."