Reviews:
BarrettSlayer: A ghost of religion/spiritualism. Sounds interesting enough but I'm not sure. Though I'll seriously consider it.
BoredKing: Fair. But most people voted for him to prove himself during extermination day anyway. That being said, Causality makes a bit of sense considering what Clockwork and Kosm represent. Though, Nature sort of covers beasts (animals) already so that's already Natura's thing. Note she mentioned seeing through the eyes of insects. Insects are technically just a different type of animal.
Chaosh.H.A.O.S: There are ghosts I've forgotten? What? I'm looking at the wiki now and I am pretty sure I remember all of them.
Adrianfilex622: I suppose that would be an interesting idea. Though the way I saw it was that Danny effectively shredded the souls. Note how whenever he destroyed a soul I said it seemed to rip itself apart. Though considering how his ghostly barrier can absorb different types of ecto energy I suppose it might be possible that destroying souls causes him to absorb a small amount of divine, infernal, or ecto-energy depending on what type of entity the soul belonged to. I'll think about it.
redkitsune01: Given what happens in this chapter, I'm inclined to agree with you. I guess I could always write two separate versions. One with the harem and one without. I'm still undecided honestly.
3DJoker: Excellent timing. I recieved the email notification for your review right as I was writing my responses to the other reviews. And it's fine. I don't expect everyone to review all of my chapters all the time. As for your suggestions in regards to the angels, considering that this is the Christian Heaven we are talking about I don't think they would approve of any male on male relationships, considering how against gay relationships most branches of Christianity are. So of the ones you listed I think only Uriel might fit. And in regards to the Ancients, I was also considering creation and destruction so that could certainly work. Infinity sounds a bit too much like God himself. Void sounds okay but I think Kosm, being the Ghost of Space, sort of already fits that description. As for hope, that sounds more like an Angelic thing. That being said, thank you for the suggestions.
Danny blocked a bolt of lightning that Natura fired at him through her finger tips with an ecto-barrier and grit his teeth at the uncomfortable tingling sensation that coursed through his body. "I am never going to get used to that…" He grumbled as he let the barrier fall. Natura had been doing this pretty much every day at both the beginning and end of their practice. Right now they had just finished up their training for the day.
"Sorry, I know it's uncomfortable but it's the only way for your core to adapt and for the abilities to become permanent." Natura apologized.
"It's fine… As long as you can teach me how to control these powers so I can stop making thunderstorms and tornadoes every time I get a bit angry I don't mind." Danny responded.
"You mean like the storm that you made on our last date because some idiot tried hitting on me?" Octavia inquired, crossing her arms and glaring at him.
Danny winced at that. "Yeah, like that… You're still angry about the rain, aren't you?"
Octavia shrugged and shook her head. "No, I'm pretty much over it. But I'm not planning on letting you live it down any time soon."
"Great…" Danny sighed. He was already embarrassed about causing a storm on their second real date, but Octavia was never going to let him live it down. On the bright side, he had managed to stop the storm relatively quickly after thoroughly electrocuting the demon who hit on Octavia in front of him. However by the time he had the damage was already done and the two of them were thoroughly drenched from the heavy rain he caused.
The sky became overcast due to Danny's humiliation over what had happened.
"Calm yourself, Danny. You're changing the weather again." Natura told him.
Looking up Danny saw the clouds filling the previously clear skies. So he took a deep breath and tried to suppress his humiliation. Moments later the sky cleared again.
"Good! We still need to work on your conscious control so your abilities aren't completely tied to your emotions, but you are making decent progress. Admittedly you don't take to manipulating the weather as naturally as my son, Vortex, but that is his main power which is not the case for you so I'm not really surprised. That being said, Vortex's powers were tied to his emotions when he was young as well but he got control over them eventually so you should be able to as well given time." Natura said, smiling at Danny.
"Thanks, I'm trying my best. And thanks for essentially giving me these abilities in the first place. I probably never would have gotten weather powers without your help." Danny responded.
"Think nothing of it. Now, I should probably go tend to Plasmius. His nurse does well enough but she has nothing on my herbal remedies. Good day, you two." Natura told them before flying away.
"So, want to go get lunch?" Octavia asked since they were now alone, minus the three knights that were serving as Danny's personal bodyguards.
Danny took out his phone and looked at the time. It was almost noon. He then sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I'd love to but I have a meeting with Lucifer today. Fortunately the summons had a specific time on it this time around instead of requiring me to leave immediately, but I'm gonna have to be there in like fifteen minutes."
"Really? What does he want with you this time?" Octavia inquired.
Danny shrugged. "Beats me. The thing I'm most worried about is the fact he terrifies me every time I see him. That's not a problem normally but with these weather powers being tied to my emotions… Yeah, I'm not looking forward to this in the least." The temperature instantly dropped below freezing, the sky filled with clouds, and it began snowing lightly in response to the nervousness, fear, and anxiety Danny was feeling at the moment. In this instance he could feel his weather powers were mixing with his cryokinesis thus making the drop in temperature more extreme than it otherwise would have been.
Octavia wrapped her arms around him. "Just calm down, Danny. Everything's going to be fine."
Danny returned the embrace and the temperature began to return to normal as the clouds in the sky began to part. "Thanks, I needed that…" He told her before releasing her.
"Well, I'll say one thing. These weather powers are very convenient when it comes to gauging your emotions. That being said, if you are so scared of him maybe it would be better if I came with you to help keep you calm." Octavia suggested.
"Uh… Can you do that? I don't want you to get in trouble on my account…" Danny said in a wary tone.
"It should be fine as long as I don't do anything to offend him or make him angry. Though I'm probably going to have to change into something more appropriate for political crap like this…" She said the last part in a slightly annoyed tone. She clearly didn't like having to change what she was wearing but being the daughter of a Prince of Hell, she knew she had to.
"Okay, I guess. But if that's the case then you're going to have to hurry. Like I said, we only have like fifteen minutes and I can't exactly phase you through the wall into your room since your dad put up anti-ghost wards on all of the walls of your mansion." Danny stated.
"That's fine, I can be quick… Though, maybe I should start leaving my bedroom window unlocked. Well that's something for me to consider later." Octavia stated.
"Alright then. I gotta go put my exterminator sword away, since I can't bring it to this meeting. So I guess I'll meet you back at your place in a few minutes." Danny said before floating up into the air.
Octavia nodded and wings sprouted from her back before she flapped up into the air and flew off back towards her home.
Danny flew back to his pent-house and removed the scabbard from his belt before setting the sword down in his room. He then flew through a wall towards Octavia's mansion. Arriving within a matter of seconds he landed outside and waited for her. About fifteen minutes later she came out dressed in more formal attire.
"This is the third time I'm wearing clothes like this just in the last few months… Usually I only have to dress up like this once, maybe twice a year. Why is it that ever since you showed up, I've been having to change the way I dress more often?" Octavia inquired as she walked towards him.
Danny shrugged. "Well, one of those times was at the ball your family had a while ago and the second time was on our first date. I really don't mind if you wear your normal clothes on our dates, you know. And now, it's because of politics which is completely out of my control. So, it's not my fault."
"Hm… Well, I suppose we should be going now, right?" Octavia asked.
Danny nodded, "Yeah, probably. Wanna fly there together?"
"Sure." Octavia said as wings sprouted from her back again.
The two of them then flew off together before ending up in front of Lucifer's castle.
The process of entry was pretty much the same as when Danny and Fright Knight came by last time except two of the knights serving as Danny's body guards were required to stay outside. Only one was allowed to go in with them.
As they reached the throne room and walked inside, the temperature dropped drastically from the sheer terror Danny felt upon seeing Lucifer. Octavia quickly grasped Danny's hand to help him calm down and the temperature began rising to above freezing again though it remained quite a bit colder than it should have been.
If Lucifer noticed the rapid fluctuation in temperature, which he most likely had, then he gave no indication of it. Instead, as they walked in he said, "What is this? Stolas' daughter? Interesting… So you and Plasmius refused my offer for an arranged marriage with my daughter, yet you settle for this? I'm almost offended…"
Suddenly an overwhelming sense of fear and dread began flooding through Danny thus causing the temperature to drop to the temperature of the arctic in the coldest part of winter. A blizzard started forming outside the castle. Octavia tried to calm him down but it wasn't working.
Eventually Lucifer said, "But I suppose I'll let it go this once. Especially considering the circumstances."
Suddenly the temperature began returning to normal as the fear and dread began to return to the levels it had been at previously. "What circumstances?" Danny asked, trying his best to not just hide but completely suppress his fear with little success.
"I am aware that bumbling fool Plasmius has lost the Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage to Heaven. And not only that, but he is currently dying from a ghostly disease. I've essentially already won my wager with him. Heaven is now guaranteed to attack on Extermination Day and six Knights of Purgatory are not going to be able to protect you. Nor would the Ancients, assuming I let you replace the Knights with them and they all agreed to help you, which most of them wouldn't anyway. I know one is teaching you how to use powers similar to hers but that won't save you. So, since I've already won you may as well start packing your things as you will be moving in within the week." Lucifer told him.
"No. You haven't won yet…" Danny said, trying his best to ignore his fear.
Lucifer arched an eyebrow at that. "Oh really? So, tell me, how exactly do you plan to win this now that your best and only deterrent against the angels attacking is gone?"
"He has a weapon. The armor Vlad used to invade Heaven to try to get his crown and ring back. It's damaged from the invasion but he's working on learning how it works and fixing it." Octavia stated as Danny struggled to find the words.
"Fine then. We can continue this farce of a wager a bit longer. However, do not expect me to pretend as though you have any chance of winning. Though I must say, I honestly have no idea why you want to win so badly anyway. I know you do not truly care for Plasmius, you do not view him as a father or anything of the sort. You can't get over the fact you were enemies in the past. And it's not as though your life would be any worse. In fact, if anything, it would only improve. You would have your prison and city. You could have everything you have now and more. You would be losing nothing and would be gaining quite a bit. Is it that you are still so worried about turning evil like that one future version of yourself? Why? Have you so little confidence in your own force of will? Or is it, perhaps, that you are simply afraid of me?" Lucifer inquired.
Suddenly the fear Danny had been feeling vanished as if it had never existed to begin with, much to his surprise. Had that been an ability of Lucifer's that he had simply deactivated? He supposed that didn't matter right now, he could think about it later. "I know you would be actively trying to turn me against Heaven so you could have me help you go to war with them. I already caused the apocalypse in one timeline, I don't want to do it again even if I could do so and somehow keep my sense of morals and ethics this time."
Lucifer chuckled at that. "Oh, Daniel, I don't need to do anything to turn you against Heaven. After all, they are already doing it for me." He then held up an index finger and a glowing green dagger suddenly appeared balancing from the point of the blade on the tip of his finger. "I assume you are familiar with the metal this dagger is made from as so many anti-ghost weapons require it. Ecto-ranium, a metal with strong anti-ghost properties commonly found in space in the Human world in the form of asteroids. Well, Heaven has been making quite a few weapons out of this metal lately. Both advanced guns and things such as swords, spears, and rather hilariously even arrows and crossbow bolts primitive as they are."
Suddenly the dagger vanished and Lucifer held out a hand. A flower with a black stem and leaves and blood red petals appeared in his hand. "And this is what is known as a Blood Blossom. A flower with similarly potent anti-ghost properties. Just getting close enough to one can cause a ghost excruciating pain and severely weaken them. They are growing and harvesting these in bulk and are using them to create anti-ghost poisons, perfumes, chemical sprays, and I can only assume they will be sewing them onto their clothes before Extermination Day." Suddenly the Blood Blossom caught fire and was almost instantly reduced to ashes.
"You have no idea what you are in for, boy. They are not treating this as a mere assassination attempt. No. They are treating this as if they are already at war with you specifically. And it's a war they have every intention of winning by any means necessary. And if that means hurting those closest to you…" Lucifer motioned to Octavia. "By all means, they will do it. Yes indeed, they consider you that much of a threat that absolutely nothing is off the table for them. And perhaps that even means holding your previous friends and family hostage to force you to surrender and let them execute you. Now tell me, does it sound like I need to do anything to make you want to destroy them? Or does it sound like they will do just that all on their own?"
"Y-you're lying…" Danny said nervously. The unnatural fear hadn't returned but Lucifer's words alone had shaken him to his core.
"No, I'm not. What reason would I have to do that when the truth is so much more convenient in this situation? Besides which, my father has cursed me to never be able to lie both as part of my punishment for rebelling against him and as a preventative measure so I can't lie to mortals to lead them astray. It is quite inconvenient at times, but in situations such as this the truth can be just as damning if not more so than any lie could ever be." Lucifer told him.
Everything instantly dropped to below arctic temperatures as ice began forming all over the castle, fist sized chunks of solid ice began falling from the sky like hail instead of snow, lightning began crackling furiously in the clouds, and the wind outside began howling furiously blowing the chunks of ice around at high speeds causing quite a bit of damage to buildings, vehicles,a and anyone who was caught outside while it was happening. A bubble of crimson energy appeared around Lucifer's castle, protecting it from the falling ice, lightning, and near hurricane force wind.
Meanwhile Danny began trembling and hyperventilating with tears streaming down his face that quickly froze into tracks of ice as he imagined a bunch of angels holding guns to the heads of his mother, father, sister, and his old friends all of whom he had already lost once. Images of watching them be blown to bits flashed through his mind so vividly it was almost like he was back in Amity Park fighting his future self again. He could almost hear the cruel voice of his future self in his mind, laughing at him, mocking him. Images of them torturing Octavia just to force him to submit and killing her if he didn't flashed through his mind as well.
"Nononono! They won't! They can't! I won't let them! Not again! I can't lose everything again! I can't! I can't!" Danny exclaimed, falling to his knees and clutching the sides of his head. He was trying his best to hold back but he was on the verge of unleashing a full on ghostly wail in response to the emotions and images flooding his mind.
Octavia immediately wrapped her arms around Danny. "It's alright, Danny, I'm right here. Just calm down. It's not going to come to that. Everything's going to be alright. Just relax…" She muttered to him comfortingly. She wasn't used to talking like this but considering Danny was on the verge of a full on mental breakdown and the ice storm that was happening outside as a result, she knew she had to try to help him calm down.
Lucifer stood up from his throne, walked over to the two of them and placed a hand on Danny's head. "Calm down." He ordered.
Suddenly the emotions were muted significantly. They were still there raging inside of him, but it was like they were trapped behind a wall being actively restrained by something. As a result the temperature began returning to normal and the storm outside began to calm down.
"I'm suppressing your emotions now but it will take some time for you to actually calm down. In the meantime, tell me, given what just happened from me simply telling you the truth, can you honestly tell me you think I need to try to convince you to hate Heaven?" Lucifer inquired, removing his hand from Danny's head and crossing his arms behind his back.
"No, I can't… If… If that's actually what they are going to do then… Then I'm not sure what I'll do…" Danny muttered, looking down at the ground and returning Octavia's embrace.
"Then that begs the question. Are you willing to give up on trying to win this wager? Or are you willing to risk everything for it? Do you have too much pride to admit defeat?" Lucifer asked, his seemingly permanent smile widening slightly.
"I… I don't know… Can you give me a few days to think about it?" Danny requested.
"Why, of course. Well, I believe that is all we need to discuss at the moment. So, why don't the two of you go have tea with Charlie and Lilith while you truly calm down? I believe it would help you relax." Lucifer suggested.
Danny released Octavia, wiped the frozen tears from his face, and stood back up. "Octavia, what do you think? Do you want to stay and have tea with them?" He asked, looking at her.
"That sounds fine, I guess. But, are you okay? That seemed pretty intense…" Octavia asked.
"No. No I'm not. If he wasn't suppressing my emotions I'd still be freaking out… I can tell I would… Like he said, I think I just need to take a while to calm down…" Danny muttered.
"Is there anything I can do to help you feel any better?" She asked.
Danny shook his head. "I don't think so… I just need time I think… Though you being here for me and me knowing you're safe does help a little."
"Alright then…" She said. She then turned and bowed to Lucifer. "Good day, Lord Lucifer."
Lucifer didn't respond.
Danny and Octavia then left the throne room and a servant was waiting for them just outside the doors.
Danny looked at the Knight that was guarding him and asked, "Hey, can you go out and explain the situation to the other Knights? I'm sort of worried about what they might think is happening here because of the storm I caused…"
"Do you want me to bring them in?" The Knight inquired, adjusting his grip on his halberd slightly.
"No, no… Just tell them what happened and let them know we'll be staying to have tea for a while." Danny requested.
"As you wish, Prince Daniel." The Knight stated before floating away.
The servant then led him and Octavia to the same room he and Charlie talked last time. Both Charlie and Lilith were already there waiting for them.
Their conversation was a lot nicer and more casual than Danny and Octavia's conversation with Lucifer. The conversation and the tea did help Danny calm down a bit.
Well that was intense... Uh... I'll be honest, I have no idea where the concept for this chapter came from. It just sort of happened. I didn't plan this out before hand. It just seemed like a natural progression of things, I guess. That being said, I'm confident I can still work with this. Though I might have to reactivate the Lucifer vs Vlad poll in light of this.
So the votes on the harem poll are 8 for "Yes, but only if I can make it make sense", 3 for "No he shouldn't", and 1 for "Yes, he should." I think its pretty obvious what's winning. However, this doesn't make the harem an absolute certainty. All it means is that I'm going to have to seriously consider it as an option and determine if it's the best path for the story to take.
Oh, and please tell me if I handled Danny's breakdown okay. If it seems in appropriate or in any way disrespectful, let me know and maybe give me some advice on what I could do better. I don't intend anything in this story to be disrespectful to anyone with PTSD or any sort of trauma related issues.