Phantom looked down at his white gloved hands, torn between a mixture of emotions that he didn't really understand. There was happiness, but sadness, as well. And, fainter, was the anger that confused him the most. It was strange, but he didn't actually remember transforming when he used his powers earlier. He thought he should be bothered, but he wasn't. He had other things to worry about, anyway.

With Kat distracting the Opera Ghost, he had been free to figure things out. So far, he had discovered that anyone not being focused on directly had a tendency to forget whom they were supposed to be. Any and all attempts to use that to his advantage had been met with the same lack of response. Although a few people had blinked confusedly in his general direction, no one actually saw him.

The Opera Ghost did not notice Kat's deception during the graveyard scene, which led Phantom to another realization. As long as they were in character, they didn't notice anything that wasn't part of the musical. That also meant that they could switch between their roles and their true identities, which further meant that the Phantom of the Opera still knew who he really was, at least on some level.

A low humming grabbed his attention a few seconds before Kat actually spoke. "I'm going to kill my dad!" she announced happily, completely out of the blue.

The boy grinned at the apparent randomness of her statement. "Why?"

"Remember back when he and Ember got together and caused all those blackouts?" Although it took some thought, Phantom found that he did remember and said as much. "Now, remember how I said that was bad luck?" She resumed quietly singing "Superstition" while her friend laughed at her weirdness.

"How can you claim to be such a genius and still believe in luck that much?"

"Hey! I don't claim anything! I am the smartest person…ever!"

Phantom raised an eyebrow at that. "Kat. Your dad is Technus."

She nodded triumphantly. "Yes! And even he is of less intelligence than I, for I am-"

"Definitely your father's daughter," he interrupted, trying not to laugh too hard at the girl's ego trip. He didn't want her to start pouting, after all. It made the histrionics worse.

She sniffed arrogantly and turned back to stare at herself in the barely-visible mirror. "I think my cue's coming up," she said, choosing not to pursue the potential argument. "Are you ready?"

Phantom hovered quietly for a few moments. "What happens if this doesn't work?"

Kat shrugged. "I'd rather not find out. Now, let us bring this blasted debacle to an end." Summoning her most egotistical posture, she swept from the room with an accompanying eye roll from the ghost boy.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," he muttered, following.

If he was going to be completely honest with himself, the plan had been his idea. At least, it had been in the beginning. Force the Opera Ghost to confront his true identity, and maybe it would break apart the illusion. Of course, that left the question of how they could interact with each other, which, in turn, led to Kat's "Plan." It had seemed like a fine idea until the boy remembered who Technus was and how his plans usually turned out.

The thing about the Phantom of the Opera was that it was not simply a hit Broadway musical. It was two or three musicals, several movies, and the original novel. Tucker's PDA had provided some very interesting details about the book and the boy who had once fallen out of the catwalks.

It really was the most fascinating coincidence. Perhaps it was even the reason he had been drawn to the character in the first place.

He took a breath, still unsure whether or not it would work, and went intangible. After another moment's hesitation, he flew out onto the stage and through Rick. At first, he thought they had failed. His name may have been Phantom, but surely just putting on a mask and cape wasn't enough to give him the specific classification necessary to interaction. Then he felt his quarry struggle in his arms; Rick dropped to the floor in a dead faint.

"No!" the ghost wailed. "That's not possible! How?"

"There's more than one Phantom, Erik," Kat said smugly while she checked that the formerly possessed actor was alright. "Or did you forget about the book?"

"And all the times it's been remade?" Phantom added, tossing his costume to the floor where it vanished in Kat's signature blue smoke. "The spell was about names, wasn't it? My name is Phantom, too."

For just a moment, Erik the Opera Ghost looked like he was about to throw a temper tantrum. Then he smiled. "You think you have beaten me? Look around! As long as I have a single soul in thrall, my influence can only grow stronger. By dawn, I have will the whole of the city in my grasp, including you deviants! I will remake Paris in my image, and you, my dear Christine, will be mine."

Phantom lifted his eyebrow. "Um…This is Amity Park."

He barely managed dodge Erik's ectoplasmic lasso. "Don't talk to me about that!" he yelled. "It is what I say it is!"

"You're not the real Phantom! You're just a kid with the same name!"

Kat laughed from somewhere beyond the fight. "Yeah, a friendless geek with the same name!" she added.

"SHUT UP!" Erik roared.

"Hounded down by everyone! Met with hatred everywhere!" the girl pressed on, recklessly mocking him. "No kind words from anyone! No compassion anywhere!"

Phantom found himself praying that she knew what she was doing, and was afraid she did not. Erik had fallen in the process of trying of to push one of the boys who made fun of him, the one who had been playing Joseph Bouquet back then. If he hadn't broken his neck, he probably would have been responsible for a bad school shooting.

And Kat had decided to mock him.

Apparently forgetting that his preferred weapon was a noose, he began firing energy blasts at both of them. Phantom ducked and returned with one of his own; Kat simply vanished to reappear elsewhere, perfectly content to let her friend handle the work. "Betrayed by everyone!" she laughed. "It's your fate to be hated, Erik!"

Erik gave a choked cry that was more despair than anger and blasted his tormentor with enough power to break apart her form. Suddenly realizing what he had done, he fell to his knees. "Christine…" he whispered, almost on the verge of tears.

Phantom knew she'd be fine in a hour or two, once she collected the scattered bits of her consciousness again. "Her name is Katrina," he informed the ghost.

"No!" Erik exclaimed; he jumped to his feet and whirled around in almost the same motion. "You took her from me! It was you! Well, I'll show you! I'll show you all!" He threw a blast and lunged toward the audience. "I'll take your Christine away, just like you took mine!"

Phantom, unable to dodge in time, struggled back to his feet. He may have yelled, but he was never quite sure. He watched Erik gather up an unconscious Sam and dive through the floor, and then reality shattered.