Oh boy, I wanted to do this from the beginning!

I'm not 100% happy with this, but I did set a deadline for myself and now I have to follow it. The rest of the chapter are almost done so expect an update relatively soon!

In the same universe as my other DP fanfics: Race ya! and Remedy. But can be read alone.

Pamela

When a ghost suddenly hijacked the TV signal, they expected a lot of things. Many things entailed crimes against humanity, and a big fight against Phantom and/or even another mass abduction to the Ghost Zone. Look, being the most haunted city in America meant that panic and screams didn't come easily for the people of the place.

What they didn't expect, though, was to be looking at the youthful face of the town hero wearing a nervous smile and looking at something behind the camera.

"Is this on? Yes? Ok, ok." Someone far away said something, making him turn. "Yes, I remember my lines, ugh!"

He took a deep breath and looked back at the camera.

"Okay," a heavy sigh. "People of Amity Park, you all have been cordially invited to Phantom's Keep in the Ghost zone the next friday for the first ghost-human diplomatic event. A complete ceasefire will be guaranteed and whoever breaks it, human or ghost, will be removed from the vicinity. And uh…."

"'Food and refreshments'" a voice said from outside the frame.

"Yes! Thanks, Tuck. Ahem, food and refreshments will be provided and transport will fetch those that wish to come in front of the Town Hall at eight o'clock sharp. See you around."

Pamela Manson blinked slowly when her cooking program came back on the screen.

Huh, what a weird thing. Sammy hadn't mentioned anything about this, and she knew the girl had been working with Phantom for a while. I mean, at first she had suspected a secret boyfriend or something, and that was plain unacceptable - who would she even date in this stupid town? The geek? The Fenton kid? Ugh! -; but some time at the beginning of Sammy's last year of highschool Phantom did an interview explaining some things about ghosts and who he was (about time, in her opinion) and that there has been a change in management around the Ghost Zone and that he had been crowned king. And that he had chosen Sam, Tucker and Danny as his human liaisons.

Why those? Well, he answered that the three of them had helped him since he came through the portal and that they kind of stuck as his help.

Pamela had been ecstatic! Her Sammy being the equivalent of a diplomat in another country? And having a good relationship with a king? There was some hope for the girl after all!

And well, maybe all it took for her daughter to step up to a more glorious purpose was to be associated with specters and dead people. But Pamela was not accepting her goth phase as anything else than that.

Whatever the reason, now she has to buy dresses and suits fit for a king for the whole family. Stat!

Damon

Damon Gray adjusted his tie, somehow feeling stuffy in the suit even if he had to wear suits to work anyway. No, that was a disservice. This suit had been something tailored, something he had decided to treat himself to now that things were starting to look up for him and his daughter.

One would say that the promotion he got was a miracle from God, but he preferred to think that his hard work and his history as a chief of security granted him a quicker trip up the ladder. Valerie had been happy about the changes, of course, but somehow she behaved muted, collected, and not that much surprised. That had been weird until an incident in Axion Labs forced her to explain that she wasn't just the Red Huntress - she was friends with Phantom, who apparently was the superhero alter ego of one Daniel James Fenton. The son of the resident ghost hunters.

That had been a whole reality-breaking discovery, and for a moment he considered forbidding his daughter to keep being Red. But, uh… Well, at least things in the end turned out to be alright.

He looked at her as she frowned at the sheer amount of people that had decided to join the party, muttering under her breath. He thought he heard her say "tighter security" and "stupid Danny".

The whole town was there. Except people physically unable to go and some emergency workers that had to keep an eye on everything, everyone had way too much curiosity to see the Ghost Zone, and most importantly, Phantom in his castle. A freaking castle!

He once asked Valerie how it was to be friends with a real king and she made a disgusted face, gagging. He never asked again.

Suddenly an enormous portal opened in the middle of the plain they were in, just when the clock in the Town Hall clicked eight o'clock. Ghosts were punctual, it seems. Huh.

"It's fucking showtime," Valerie murmured.

He elbowed her. "Language."

His daughter rolled her eyes.

A gasp from up front, where it was closer to the portal, broke the tense silence. Damon stood on his toes, trying to look above the multitude of people, but he didn't have to look hard to notice the bulking figure of one of the resident ghost hunters.

"Jack?" he said. He didn't see him come with the rest of the town. In fact, he thought the elder Fentons would not come to the gathering at all, given their opinion on ghosts.

"Hello, everyone!" The cheery voice of Maddie was amplified by a megaphone. "Thanks for coming! If you please follow us through the portal we will take you all to the castle!"

"It is perfectly safe, as you may have noticed!" Jack's booming laugh did the trick in calming some people down.

Ah yes. Neither of the humans present had ever been to the Ghost Zone. He looked at his daughter. Neither except one.

Wait. His mind registered the two Fenton's words. Were they implying…? Did they come from the portal? How? And if they were here to fetch everyone from town, then Phantom must have sent them.

Did- did they know? Know, know? Since when did they know?

Well, apparently he still had some things to learn about the whole situation.

Dash

Crossing the portal was… an experience. At least that's how Dash could manage to describe the feeling of getting his guts twisted inside his body, like a really extreme rollercoaster. It would have made him puke in his borrowed suit (the same baby blue suit he had used on senior prom); but the feeling lasted no more than a few seconds.

After that, he felt a light breeze on his face and exposed arms, which he purposely showed with the rolled up sleeves, as if it was a calm spring night. When he opened his eyes, they weren't definitely in Amity anymore.

He remembered vaguely the Ghost Zone from when that crazy dude kidnapped the whole town, Prissy Dark or whatever, so the swirling green sky didn't surprise him. What did was the absurdly enormous castle, or palace, or fortress, - whatever! It was super big - that received them on the other side.

"Welcome to Phantom's Keep!"

He jumped at the sweet voice of the only Fenton that wasn't a nutcase, and his highschool crush. Jasmine looked ravishing in her deep navy dress, a slit on one side letting her long legs showing to the world. The deep neckline almost showed her breasts, but she had on an intricate necklace that resembled a chainmail more than actual jewelry, green stones shining in contrast with the blue on the dress.

Oh yes. Coming here was starting to be worth it.

"Thank you everyone who chose to come here," the young woman continued, looking at all the people gathered like idiots in front of two gigantic wooden doors. Everything in this place was absurdly big.

Huh. Compensating much?

"Before we continue, a few rules and tips you need to know," Maddie called for attention as she stepped next to her daughter, her voice projecting in the Ghost Zone like it didn't in the human world. "Don't go outside the castle grounds, the air here is toxic for humans. We can breathe in here because of the barrier." She pointed up and effectively, there was a green dome over the whole floating island they were in.

"Are we trapped in here?" someone asked. Dash thought that was Paulina's dad, but he wasn't sure.

"Not at all! At any moment you wish to leave, please find either of us and we'll open the portal for you." 'Us' being the Fentons.

Not all the Fentons. The wimp wasn't with them. Weird.

"Next thing: never, and I mean never ask a ghost how they died. Is taboo around here," Jazz moved on, frowning. "Some ghosts might tell you, but they have to be the ones telling the story."

It seemed logical, so Dash nodded along with everyone else. He didn't like to be asked how he got a scar on the upper lip because it was an embarrassing story with a stapler. It could be something like that.

"Lastly, unnecessary violence is not allowed inside the castle. Any person, human or ghost, that breaks the cease fire will be asked to leave." That it was Jack Fenton who said this made the statement heavier than it should be. The man was known for shooting a bazooka first and asking questions later.

"Any questions?" Maddie said. There was silence. Duh, people wanted to get inside and see some ghosts! And Phantom! "Ok, perfect. Please follow us."

Inside things were as big as outside, but at least the decoration was more palatable. Dash was vaguely reminded of this period drama Paulina forced him to watch with her when they were together, with marble halls and statues and shit. He hadn't been that much interested in the backgrounds, preferring at first to gawk at the sexy protagonist and then getting hooked with the plot. Damn that thing was good. They watched the first two seasons together, but he finished the rest in private when Paulina dumped him for another guy.

Even if he didn't know about architecture and interior design, he thought the whole thing was pretty, albeit confusing. The doors led to more corridors that had more doors. The thing went on forever! He was positive that if left alone he wouldn't be able to find the exit.

Dash elbowed his buddy Kwan as they passed by some tapestries showing some kind of story in order. They identified their hero, of course, and some of the villains that attacked the city; but not all of them, like the Big Plant Guy and Buff Guy with Flaming Hair. The last tapestry showed Phantom taking the crown from the Prissy Dark dude and putting it on his head.

Hell yeah. Go Phantom! He would give everything to have seen that epic battle and maybe, just maybe, aid his hero in his victory.

Well, maybe not everything. He had worked hard and studied harder to get that sports scholarship. His pops wouldn't be able to afford the University in Elmerton he wanted to go with that sick football league program and this was his only shot. Not that he let the effort show, of course, he still was Casper High Senior Prom King and he couldn't show weakness. He hid all the stress and anxiety with football and bullying, letting his hands and his body work through the extra energy.

He still remembers the last time he stuffed that nerd, Mikey, into a locker. Fenturd was there, now that he thinks about it, and the look he gave him… his eyes were-

"And remember, have fun!" Jazz's voice and the rumbling of another gigantic set of wooden doors opening brought him back from his thoughts. Oh, she had been talking about something. He missed it.

He stole one last look at her cleavage and looked up at a big, big room full of, well, ghosts.

And on the other end of the hall, there he was. His hero. Phantom.

Paulina

"I'm a princess," Paulina was whispering to herself as the humans entered the ballroom where the party was being held. "I'm a motherfucking princess."

She didn't acknowledge Star glaring at her. They were fighting now because Paulina wanted to match dresses with her with the princess theme and the girl had the audacity to laugh at her idea and go with a more modern black sleek dress that showed off her boobs more than it should. Maybe if the blonde had listened to her, maybe if the stupid satellite had considered that they were going to be partying in an actual real castle, Star wouldn't look so out of place now.

And she, Paulina, was looking like a real life princess.

Oh yeah, Phantom's castle. What a dream! She looked around and tried to ignore the ghosts roaming around, imagining how this would look emptier and more somber, like the movies she loved watching.

And… woah! Right on a raised dais was the ghost boy she loved so much - well, not a boy anymore, she giggled. Since a while back people of Amity had noticed how the ghost seemed to grow; getting taller and building muscle, hair longer (tied into a half ponytail or a trendy man-bun), and losing the roundness of young age. Also he became more ghostly - even the strongest supporters, like her, couldn't deny how Phantom had morphed into a creature bordering the stuff of nightmares. Fangs, pointed ears, claws, the whole package.

Weird enough, he did his best to hide it or minimize the impact. Paulina remembers with clarity one time a few months ago, where Phantom saved her from a really close call, not that she purposely stood back to get a glimpse of her future boyfriend, nah, not at all; and the ghost had told her "don't be afraid, everything's going to be okay" as if that was his first rodeo in the hero business.

But now he couldn't look more princely. Or, well, kingly, which was much better, in her honest opinion.

She had seen enough movies about King Arthur to not feel put out by the full set of armor he was wearing. Armored boots, knee guards, hip guards, chest piece, shoulder guards, gauntlets… you name it. He had a theme, which she could appreciate, because why would you dress extra if not to be a piece of moving art? Everything about him was shiny and sparkly, the dark metal full of tiny inlaid diamonds (were those diamonds?) reflecting the light and making constellations. His cape (oh my God! A real cape!) was like a dark moonless night, making a nice backdrop to the shiny stars all over his body and helping in sombering the overall look.

From this far she couldn't appreciate it well, but it seemed like he was wearing mascara and eyeliner, which was a look he totally rocked, by the way.

"I have to get a closer look," she grabbed Star by the hand and started pushing her way to the other side of the room, not paying attention if the body she moved out of her path was warm, cold, ghostly, or human. She was on a mission.

"Hey!" her former (was it 'former' when both were going to go to the same college?) satellite complained.

She shushed the other girl, pushing the last person, ghost?, that was on her way, some blond dude in a black trenchcoat that was sooo last century.

"Ghost boy!"

Phantom flinched at the name, but looked at her. Oh, those beautiful green eyes!

"Paulina." He sighed from his place on the very tall throne. Oh, this must be his throne room! "How are you doing?"

She smiled brighter, taking a step up the raised dais (did he see how high her heels were? Did he see the glitter body cream she put on her legs to sparkle like his stars?), but a hand stopped her in her tracks.

She followed the gloved hand up a muscled arm and right into-

"Please, step back down the dais." Samantha Manson was looking at her with a shit eating grin.

"Goth bitch," she saluted her. If Paulina was paying attention, she would have seen the smile melt from her dear Phantom's face. But she was only glaring daggers at the bitch that Phantom had apparently chosen, instead of her!, to be his contact with the living.

"Plastic Barbie."

"Thanks!"

Sam smirked with full purple lips. "It wasn't a compliment."

"Sam," Phantom broke the stand off, gesturing with his chin at everyone staring at them.

Paulina turned back to see some angry faces, probably the losers she had removed from her path to get here, glaring at her and shaking their heads. All of them were ghosts, since the humans were still huddled together near the doors, watching her with big eyes like saucers.

"Paulina, please, step down from the platform. His Majesty will not be disturbed." Sam said with a detached tone, but the slut was curving her lips a little.

Since she wasn't stupid and didn't want to be kicked from the party and make a fool of herself, Paulina chose her battles and stepped back down with a loud click of her heels. She glared at the other as she resumed her position at the right armrest of the throne, legs slightly apart and both hands resting over a big mace with pointy spikes all over it.

Of course, because the goth bitch wouldn't do it another way, she was wearing another armor, but one simpler than Phantom's. The knee guards she wore looked used and scratched, her fingerless gloves creased as she gripped the handle of her weapon, her chest plate dented in some places.

This armor wasn't flashy or ceremonial, like the King's. Samantha Manson was a trained warrior.

It didn't matter that she wore more make-up than usual, or that her hair was made up (her usual little ponytail gone and the longer locks of hair at the front had been braided back and bundled into a half up-do); it didn't matter that the pants she wore under the armor pieces had a few artistic rips on them, or that her fucking nails were painted.

She wasn't here to party. She wasn't Phantom's human liaison or whatever bullshit they had told the town. She was his motherfucker bodyguard, even if the thought that a ghost needed a (human) bodyguard was absurd to her.

Somehow that made Paulina angrier, because that was something she could never be. She would never be that close to Phantom like Sam seemed to be, he wouldn't look at her like he looked at the other woman, he wouldn't suddenly break into giggles and relax on the throne, he wouldn't smile showing fangs like he wasn't even aware he was moving his lips.

Sam said something Paulina couldn't hear with the chatter and the noise in the hall, and Phantom leaned in, one arm on the armrest and the other over it, with the hand tucked under his chin. His smile turned cheeky.

Were they… No. No, it can't be. The mere thought that she and her Phantom were sleeping together... Paulina started to feel nauseous.

That homewrecker had wormed her way into Phantom's castle and was trying to steal his heart! Or whatever counted as a heart for ghosts.

Fury flowed in her veins. Whatever. Whatever! It didn't matter that Phantom was into butch women. It didn't matter that her hero, her crush, her Phantom preferred a fucking loser before the Queen of Senior Prom! Ugh! She was already a Queen! And he was missing it!

Paulina looked around and took a sharp turn, making a beeline towards the "refreshments" table. Now, let's see if there was any alcohol she could steal...

And then. And then she would expose that bitch. That two timing whore.

Because Samantha Manson was known around school for going out with that other loser Fenton, and she will show everyone. She will show them. Nobody liked cheaters.

Wes

The younger Weston sibling scoffed as he watched the ridiculousness that was going on. Paulina was surprisingly as obsessed as he was with Phantom, for completely different reasons, but he had to commend her passion at still believing she was ever going to date her hero.

So silly.

Early in Junior year Manson and Fenton started going out, no surprises there, and while they were the talk of the school for a few weeks, and the butt of the jokes of the A-listers, they fell into oblivion soon enough.

Wes had to admit, it was super funny watching the two make faces every time Paulina or anyone else began thirsting for Phantom or talking about going out with the hero, among other… less noble things. Samantha looked like she wanted to punch the Queen Bee of the school more than once, and he could see how this situation could be payback for her.

His eyes went immediately to Daniel Fenton, or also known now as the Ghost King. That fucker had everyone fooled under the usual "hero" spell, the awe, the flashy armor and the grandiose castle. There was no way this King was a regular normal human man. It was impossible!

Fools. If they had listened to him, if they had respected him, they would have followed how Fenton and Phantom had grown in similar fashion, at the same time. Fenton thought he could fool everyone with baggy clothes and bullshit excuses, but oh boy, Wes had noticed the changes. And not just those coming from regular puberty, he was not that kind of stalker - arguably, he was not a stalker, just a pursuer of truth, thank you very much -; and he had noticed the same sudden growth spurt, the same hairstyle, the same shadows in his eyes, as if he would get lost in some kind of heavy thought.

Suddenly those same eyes locked on his from across the room, flashing for a moment as Danny smiled at him. It wasn't a kind smile, but it wasn't a threatening smile either. Wes glared at the ghost, arching an eyebrow. You fucking did it, stupid. He tried to say with his eyes, projecting his thoughts just as hard. Now that he was an overpowered sonofabitch could he read thoughts? He didn't know! He didn't know anymore about anything!

Stupid graduation. Now he couldn't (stalk) follow and investigate the other without raising suspicion.

Danny stood from the seat and the room fell to a hushed silence. Ghosts that were conversing with others turned to look at him, like they were somehow compelled to look (could he do that, too?). He took Sam's hand as support while he descended the stairs of the dais, his clinking armor echoing on the silent walls with each movement; his steps, while careful, were amplified by the heavy looking boots he wore. Wes had to admit he looked every ounce of the King he was supposed to be, at least in that moment. In his mind, he had to actually remind himself of the clumsy idiot who couldn't lie to save his life, who for some magical reason hadn't been discovered in four years, who Wes had seen trip with his own feet when running to hide and transform into his superhero alter ego.

Maybe holding Sam's hand had more to do with that and less about being majestic.

The masses parted when he started walking through them, Sam and another ghost Wes identified as the Fright Knight one step behind him, his cape waving like there was an invisible breeze trying to make him stand out more, as if it was even possible. Danny greeted and made small comments to the ghosts he passed by, sometimes just a nod in acknowledgement, sometimes a full on smile and pat on the shoulder.

And he was coming towards the humans. Towards him.

"Wes Weston," he said in his inhuman echo-y voice.

"Danny," he glared up, because of fucking course the bastard was now a head taller than him. The stupid boots added more height, not like he needed it. "Nice outfit."

"Right back at you," he smiled at the animosity. "How do you like the party? Better than prom?"

"Goddammit, Danny. What are you trying to do?" he growled, fisting his hands. Was he mocking him? Was he blatantly saying things that would make the connection between this ghost and the human Danny? Just to watch him squirm in front of everyone!?

Some people in the crowd gasped.

"Watch your language, human!" The Knight took a step and made a move to unsheathe his sword, but the King stopped him.

"Is okay, Fright. We're cool."

The knight didn't seem convinced, but Sam was doing her best to hide her chuckles with a cough.

"I just wanted to tell you, all of you," he looked up to the rest of the humans. Wes didn't quit his glare. "This party is to celebrate. To celebrate the end of an era and the beginning of another. Nothing will ever be the same. I won't ever be the same," the last part was less confident, but sounded honest. "Wes, you were right. All along. And I'm sorry for messing with you. Especially this last year."

"Why tell me this now? Here?" In front of everybody? Went unsaid.

"Take this as the sweet sweet validation you craved all these years. And maybe just find another conspiracy theory to be obsessed with. Please?"

"And stop following you around."

"And stop following me, yes. It's kind of annoying."

"Danny? Honey, what are you talking about?" Maddie appeared right next to Wes, one of her hands making a move like she wanted to reach for the King's arm, but she seemed to think better of it as she let it fall back down.

The Ghost King shook his head. "Nothing. It's just a game we were playing," his smile showed plenty of unnerving white teeth and sharp fangs.

"Games! Maybe that's what we need here! It's like somebody died or somethin'!" Jack slapped Danny's back in front of an audience of ghosts and humans that were honestly looking at the verge of a stroke. "Ow!" the elder Fenton withdrew the hand, suddenly realizing that slapping heavy armor like that was not advisable with your bare hands.

Danny blinked a few times. Then, he broke into a booming laughter, the type of laugh that came from deep in the belly, a sound that the ex-students of Casper High were once upon a time used to. Wes caught a few eyes sparkling with recognition.

Finally!

"You are right, Dad." He said once he recovered. He turned, opening his arms, snickering a little bit under his breath. "C'mon guys, let's party like there's no tomorrow!"

As if on cue, an EDM rendition of "Heads Will Roll" started blasting from hidden speakers around the hall. The ghost crowd went wild, some throwing their hats to the air, and a space was being cleared to dance in the middle of the place. Fright and Sam gave the stinky eye to anyone that tried to approach the entourage, but in general the ghosts gave a wide berth to the monarch, making a bubble of space centered on where he stood in front of the humans.

"What's the matter, guys? Dance till you're dead!" He made a move to grab Wes by the arm, probably to pull him into the dance floor.

"I will fucking kill you." He withdrew his hand like it was on fire.

"Too late for that!" Danny crackled like a madman.

"Danny?"

Both turned at the unusual soft voice coming from the alive-crowd. Kwan, in a blue suit matching the one that Dash wore right beside him, said as he looked at them like… well, like he had seen a ghost.

"Yeah?"

Dash took a step towards the monarch. Samantha and Fright Knight tensed.

"Fenton?" he said, like it was a curse, frowning.

"Ah, yeah, finally." He made a vague gesture with his hand. "Your brain managed to make the connection, Dash. Congrats."

He smiled, and the music transitioned to "Another one bites the dust". The fucker had to be doing this on purpose, he was sure. Everything was on purpose.

Wes looked at Jasmine, the older sister, and when she facepalmed at the confrontation, he knew. This was a coming out party, not a celebration of an era or some other bullshit. Danny organized this to tell the whole fucking town what they apparently weren't able to figure out on their own.

The younger Weston chuckled, feeling calm for the first time since the TV hijacking. At least Danny wasn't trying to mess with him on purpose anymore. He was right, he had to find another conspiracy theory.

Just when the thought crossed his mind, he noticed something out of place. Literally out of place. Where the hell was Foley? The three were inseparable and if Manson was here then the geek couldn't be too far-

His eyes widened when he found the missing piece of the trio, babbling away with some ghosts back at the refreshments table. The ghosts weren't that remarkable - yeah, they were looking like some kind of Anubis cosplayers, with white shendyt, the skirt thingies, and bare chests. That wacky look wasn't weird for ghosts -; no, the weird thing was that the techno-geek was wearing something similar, but more intricate. Kohl make-up, a scepter with a blue beetle on the top, a freaking chest piece, golden of course, with more gems and precious stones than what Wes had ever seen in his life...

Was that a headpiece!? With the whole red and white parts, the asp on the front… Why? Why in the nine circles of Hell would he wear the crown of the pharaohs¿?

This required further investigation.

Mr. Lancer

William Lancer had his suspicions, especially at the end of last school year, when Danny was so distracted and so out of everything that he stopped caring about the boy and left him alone. If he couldn't fix him and re conduct him towards the better path in four years, he wasn't going to do it in the few months that were left. Now that he thinks about it, both Manson and Fenton had looked grateful when Lancer didn't ask for Danny's homework anymore, or didn't question his absences.

It made sense now. When did Daniel find time to do, well, everything? Since when was he King? Since when was he Phantom? The first sighting of the ghost had been early in freshman year, but it didn't mean…

Daniel was a ghost. The more he looked at him now, the less human he realized Phantom was. Gone was the tan skin and the boyish face, features that honestly linked him more to his human self than what he looked like now; and now he showed the more otherworldly ones, his blue-ish skin that glowed with a softly white aura, his fangs and pointed ears, hair that flowed like under an invisible breeze.

Daniel was a ghost. Daniel had died, and no one had noticed.

The realization hit him like a stab in the chest.

While he thought the boy was maybe doing drugs, or maybe addicted to videogames, or maybe hanging out with his friends all day, or maybe, when he and the Manson girl started being an item, fooling around with her… His student had died, and he hadn't noticed. He punished him, lectured him, told him how disappointed he was in his behaviour.

How could this happen? How could he not see a child that needed help? How could he not notice how the wonder and child-like dreams were gone from his eyes so fast?

He must have been fourteen when he died. Maybe even less.

The man he looked at now may look around seventeen, but his eyes had seen too much. His body had seen too much, too, going by the Phantom fights he had seen in person or in the news. That's not something a kid should have endured.

He may look like a kid, but he had the responsibility of a whole species on his shoulders. A whole dimension.

Daniel Fenton had been forced to mature beyond what should be asked of a child, of anyone, and no one noticed.

"Fenton?" Baxter's voice broke him from his maddening thoughts, finding himself watching at a not that unusual stand off between Dash and Daniel. He took a step, ready to intercede, but was too slow, since his guards jumped in between their king and the human.

"I would not recommend going further down that road, human boy." The Knight in black a black armor said.

"Calm down," Samantha put a hand on Baxter's shoulder. The boy shrugged it away.

"How?" He narrowed his eyes at Fenton. Phantom? He waspresenting as Phantom now.

"How what?"

"How are you… Phantom? How could a wimp like you…?" his question went unfinished, like he didn't know how to end it. What to really say.

"I died, Dash. I died almost four years ago," Lancer noticed the elder Fentons flinch and Jasmine looked down in shame. So they really knew the truth, huh.

Baxter opened his mouth to ask the next question, but a gloved hand was slapped over his mouth. "Think carefully before you say your next words, Baxter." Samantha's voice was unrecognizable at how low she growled the name. She wasn't that much shorter than the boy and she took advantage of it to glare at him directly in the eyes. They flashed with something dangerous, looking so out of place in the raging party outside their little bubble full of tension. "While it would be my pleasure to kill you, I don't think Danny would be happy about it."

William blinked at the realization. Baxter was going to ask how he died. "Never ask a ghost how they died. Is taboo around here," were Jasmine's exact words. And Dash was going to ask that to their King.

Danny didn't seem that bothered about this. He took a step closer to the boy, their chests almost touching. His smile was a threat without words, his eyes two cold green stones.

"I touched something I shouldn't have, and I was killed by a gazillion bolts of electricity. Then, the whole Ghost Zone opened through my body. I was remadefrom the inside out." William flinched, and he saw he wasn't the only one. "Does that answer your question?" Phantom tilted his head, the movement breaking some kind of spell everyone was under, letting them breathe at last.

In the background, "Die Young" (William knew this song like the back of his hand) bled into the room. The ghost crowd cheered, some laughing at their king's dark sense of humor; but none of the humans shared the sentiment, too trapped inside their tense bubble.

The Fentons surrounded the young man touching him where they could reach, trying to give support. "I'm okay guys, I got better," Daniel threw a smile at his parents, grabbing his sister's hand to give it a little squeeze. "Okay… So! Leave the questions to my PR team and let's just party!"

He made a move to go back to the thick of the rest of the crowd, obviously done with the conversation, when a voice stopped him.

"Ghost Boy!"

Oh, Miss Sanchez. She hadn't been here for the revelation and the girl was head over heels for Phantom. William glanced at his former students now part of ghost society, tensing with them at the approaching steps of the girl.

Oh no.