DannyMay Day 9 Glow and Day 16 Bones
Note: My prompts are way out of order but this part had to come before the next and last one, so I'm doing what I want. And I couldn't not use the Bones prompt here, when that's literally what I named one of the other clones. I hope you enjoyed it.
Daniel did as he planned. Training and reading. Drawing and playing games. He learned card games and how to play chess (that was boring by himself). He did sudoku and crossword puzzles. He exercised his body and learned to expand the lair, working with his strange guardian to make another bedroom, a restroom, a kitchen, and a living room.
His powers and his abilities grew. He smiled, noticing the strong healthy glow of his aura in the mirror after a satisfying training session.
"I feel well. I believe I look well too." He grinned, glancing at the ceiling. "What do you think?"
The lair hummed in agreement and manifested a bowl of pasta and some kind of juice. "Ahh." The boy whined. "I was going to prepare some food in the kitchen for once."
An almost humored trill, then an insistent buzz as the lair nagged him to just eat and stop complaining. Taking the bowl, Daniel floated to his room and sat at his desk. He ate and then hummed thoughtfully. "So….I believe I am strong enough to leave now."
The liar hummed, sadly with a hint of panic. Daniel shook his head. "I promise, I will not wander far. And I will come back immediately if I come across anything dangerous."
The laird buzzed, a clear no. Daniel frowned, pleading. "I know that you are scared of losing me, but if I am to find my sister, you must let me explore the Realm outside." Another no. The boy gripped his hair. "I will be cautious, I promise. And I will not abandon you after leaving but I know I am ready."
The lair almost sighed, sounding defeated but the boy could feel it's tentative, though definite agreement.
Daniel raised a brow. "So you will let me go?"
With a pop, a bottle of shampoo and a pillow appeared on his desk and the boy shook his head. "I should take a shower and sleep first, I suppose?" He sighed. "I'll do it. But I expect you to keep your promise in the morning." He waggled a finger at the lair which almost….laughed at him.
Rolling his eyes (and never feeling more like the teenager he appeared to be), the boy stood up and took a shower. Soon after, he went to bed. When Daniel woke up, there was a new door on his wall.
The Infinite Realms were big, beautiful, and dangerous. Ectoplasmic nebulae, stellar nurseries of forming ghost cores glowing like stars (Daniel's sure he manifested in that cloud before his lair took him in). Swirling and shifting islands and rivers. Seas, lakes, oceans without shores. Great beasts and monsters that roam the vast space between the islands. Lairs that were beings themselves, pocket dimension behind purple doors.
With the dark purple and black sky, everything, absolutely everything, glowed almost magically.
Daniel learned all of this quickly, when a thrashing serpent snapped at him as he was marveling over the ectoplasmic nursery. Twist himself, his legs morphed into a curling tail, the boy darted away. Luckily he's much faster than he once was.
Passively noticing the stylized D on the door, the boy returned to the lair which hummed happily as he passed the threshold. "See. I survived." The boy quipped.
The lair gave him a fond though slightly exacerbated buzz. Again, Daniel was very happy his ability to understand the lair's moods was improving.
The door closed behind him and the boy headed to the kitchen to make himself some food.
From there, Daniel took daily excursions outside the lair, exploring the nearby islands. Most were just bare rock. Boring though he took samples back to his lair if they were an interesting shape or color. He found one island of round blue rocks….which he later found out were eggs, when they hatched into tiny blue double-headed lizards. Some quick research and he found they weren't poisonous and would only grow to the length of his pinkie. The book said they were easy to take care of so the boy kept them. It was nice to have some pets around, not as lonely. And they were absolutely adorable, cheeping and wrapping their tails around his fingers. It oddly reminded Daniel of Tiny, who would do very much the same to Danielle and to him in his dreams. The thought of his littlest brother made him sad.
On one island, Daniel found ghostly flowers and trees. Though possessing purple bark and glowing red and green leaves, the trees looked like those in the living realm. Daniel gently touched one leaf; it felt nice too. He studied the flowers growing around the tree as well. Long neon green petal with a jet black center. It was oddly beautiful. And strongly sweet smelling.
Then suddenly, something rustled behind him. Core pulsing with fear, the boy whipped around and raised his hands, lighting them with ectoblasts.
"Ghost child." A large robotic ghost floated behind him, hefting some kind of gun.
Daniel swallowed; how did something that large sneak up behind him? He eyed the ghost warily. "I don't want any trouble."
"Of course not whelp." The ghost replied, the tone oddly sarcastic. The ghost's mechanical eyes narrowed (how did that work?) "You are far from your usual haunt, Phantom."
Daniel raised a brow. "I don't know…"
The ghost lunged towards him, cutting the smaller ghost off as he drafted backwards panickedly. Then the metallic ghost froze, studying something beeping on its (his?) arm. He tapped what looked like a scene on his arm. "Something is wrong with my scanner. What did you do, whelp?"
Daniel held up his shaking, but now unlit, hands. "Me? I've done nothing to you."
The ghost's green eyes narrowed, glancing between him and the scanner. Then he dropped the arm. "I will retreat. Consider yourself lucky this time, Phantom."
With a skeptical glance, the ghost flew away and Daniel let out a sigh of relief. That looked like a ghost he did not want to run into again, though he wondered who exactly the ghost was and why he called him Phantom. A ghost calling him another word for ghost? Was that a strange kind of insult? He cautiously watched the ghost as he disappeared in the distance. Then the boy turned his attention back to the plants. He should come back with his ghost botany book and figure out what these are.
After taking time to appreciate some pitch black roses (Bones would have loved them), Daniel returned to the lair.
The next day, Daniel sat down on the same island, a book in his lab and a flower at his side.
"Let's see. Neon blue veins in the steam. Fleshly black fruit. And the flowers….orange and black stripes." His brow rose as he studied the picture. "Huh. Tiger shrub." And according to the book, it was edible and grew very well in lairs.
Still flipping through the book and identifying the plants around him, the boy glanced at the tree. Apparently, the leaves were very tender and delicious. And the vine beside him yielded long spiral fruits that were very savery when cooked.
He floated to his feet, drifting a little higher to get a better view of the island. It really was magnificent, the sight of ghostly life (for lack of a better word) surrounding him making his core hum pleasantly. He floated forward, intending to examine a bush bearing some kind of berries, when the branches in front of him gently shook.
Daniel paused for a moment, brow raised. Then a dull green mass with red eyes floated through the leaves before freezing. The blob ghost fixed wide slightly fearful eyes on the boy. Noticing the reaction, Daniel lowered himself to the ground crouching slightly. His palm faced towards the ground and free of ectoplasmic energy.
"Shuuu. It's okay." The boy spoke calmly. "I won't hurt you."
The ghost studied him, trilling anxiously.
The boy lowered himself more, giving his best closed-mouth smile. "I am just going to remain here and you can leave. I will not mess with you."
Instead of darting off like Daniel expected, the blob ghost slowly floated forward. It made several low chirps and blinked at him. When the boy remained still, the ghost continued until it was inches from his hand.
"What are you…" Daniel started, before the small ghost tentatively brushed against his hand. Then the ghost rubbed against his hand more insistently. The boy's brow raised higher; it was acting like it wanted to be petted, much like the cat in his dreams. Cautiously, he scratched the blob's….head (?)...body(?)...whaterever. And the being started purring.
The boy laughed quietly. "You are a strange little creature, aren't you?" Its purres increased in volume as Daniel continued scratching. "That feels good, doesn't it?"
The boy gently petted and talked to the blob ghost, smiling before his face fell. It really was acting a lot like a cat. His core churned with sadness, remembering. Danielle told him excited stories about how Muscles loved to chase the black cat around the garden. He would follow it for hours, his face lighting up with joy whenever it approached him. He would probably have loved this little purring ghost. The blob chirped sadly, noticing his distraction and the boy resumed his petting. Though he feared it wasn't so, Daniel hoped Muscles was still around somewhere.
Shaking his head to dislodge the thoughts, the boy looked down. He offered the blob a half smile. "I am going to keep looking around but you can stay with me, if you wish."
The blob blinked twice and hummed, seeming to understand. It stayed floated by the boy's side as he looked over the rest of the plants. He drew and took notes, recording what plants were where and how many on this and the surrounding islands.
The boy looked side to side. Actually, most of the plants were docile and if not edible, they were beautiful and easy to take care of as ornamental plants. And they could be transplanted into a lair. Daniel smiled, heading back to the lair with the blob ghost still following him. He had a wonderful idea.
Daniel floated through the door of the lair, the little blob ghost still following. It trilled, landing on his shoulder and the boy smirked. It looked like he had another pet. He then glanced at the ceiling, addressing the lair.
"How do you feel about forming a garden?"
The lair hummed enthusiastically.
"I believe that is a yes." Daniel said, glancing at the blob ghost which purred again in agreement. The boy glanced up again, talking to the lair. "I will gather some cuttings and seeds tomorrow and you can set up an area to plant them."
The lair buzzed, agreeing. And soon (after practicing with his powers, eating, and feeding his lizards), Daniel went to bed, falling asleep with the blob ghost laying on his chest.
The next day, Daniel returned to his favorite, well explored islands with Blobby (his not very creatively chosen name for his new companion) in tow. He carefully started putting seeds, leaves, and cuttings in a bag.
"It will be wonderful to have some life in the lair, other than me and the lizards." Daniel addressed Blobby, who hummed annoyedly. The boy shook his head, patting the blob's head. "And you of course. But I think a garden will be nice."
And it was. After several trips to gather plants, Daniel found himself surrounded by cuttings in a bare, dirt covered room. It took awhile but he planted everything, leaving freshly tilled earth with small cuttings and seeds buried in the dirt. It was rather sad looking but with care by his own hands and the lair coaxing the plants along, the garden would grow.
In the meantime, Daniel continued exploring, ventering a little farther everyday. He discovered a small, safe, and comfortable pool where blob ghosts and wisps loved to congregate. It was a great place to swim and to rest and relax. From the weak ghosts that gathered, he gained several smaller ghostly pets/ friends that took up residues in the lair, clearly enjoying the growing garden and small pond that sprung up after that trip. And with the additions, Daniel could feel the lair grow stronger and larger, the plants inside growing quickly as the lair could provide more energy.
Though he dearly missed his sister and brothers, Daniel was happy the lair was growing into a wonderful home for them once he found them.
"You will not escape the Zone's greatest Hunter!" Daniel whipped around as a marginally familiar voice yelled behind him.
His eyes widened as he suddenly crouched down, hiding behind the bush he was picking berries from. It was that metallic ghost again!
The boy cringed as whatever the hunter was chasing (a multi-headed beast with two snake-heads for tails) flew past him. Then he heard a creak as the hunter stopped in front of him.
"I can see you, Ghost Child." The other ghost said flatly.
Daniel silently cursed; of course he didn't think to turn invisible. The boy looked up, swallowing. "What do you…..?"
He trailed off, noticing the confused look on the hunter's face. The ghost was studying his scanner again, quickly glancing between Daniel and the device. The hunter's frown deepened as he glanced at the boy one more time.
"You are not the Phantom I seek." His brows furrowed as he glanced at the now far away beast. "And now I have lost my prey."
"Sorry." Daniel looked down. "You are not going to….hunt me now, are you?"
"Of course not." The hunter blurted out, as if it was painfully obvious. "You're just a full ghost."
The ghost turned without another word to Daniel, muttering as he flew away. Something about look-alikes, copies, mistaken identity. He grumbled loudly about something...or someone….called Plasmius.
Daniel straightened, sitting up. Something in the name, Plasmius, sent a chill through him, an oddly familiar chill. Had he heard that name before he died? And what did it mean? And questions creeped in. The hunter seemed oddly familiar with him, yet confused. Had the ghost...mistaken him for someone? Someone who the ghost had a quarrel with? Subtle dread balled in the boy's gut. If he was mistaken for someone, was it...one of his brothers? Daniel swallowed. Had the hunter met one of the other….clones, one who looked like him? Or…..(his hands shook) maybe even his…. original, the person he was cloned from?
The last thought especially sent fear through the boy. He had deliberately tried not to think about it but he was a clone. Meaning he'd been cloned from someone, likely meant to be….a replacement. A copy. He was created to be a copy of another boy but he knew nothing about this person, other than a guess at what he looked like. But was this person the same physical age as him? Where did he live? Who were his friends and family? Did he have the same interests and hobbies as Daniel? Was he good, a nice person? If Daniel was to meet him, would his original despise him for something he had no control over (It wasn't Daniel's fault that he was a clone) or would he at least tolerate him?
Daniel tried to push those thoughts away. There was no point worrying about his original unless he met him. And maybe not knowing was better. It meant Daniel knew he was himself; he wasn't trying to emulate anyone, just living his afterlife like he had been before he knew. He still wanted, no needed, to find his sister and brothers if they were out there.
And he hadn't been doing enough. He'd grown strong enough to leave the lair but had made little progress since he had no idea where they were. Though he figured, his father's house had been on Earth, not in the Infinite Realms. But he had no idea where. Maybe he needed to find a portal to the material realm and explore there. Or he could risk asking the hunter or going to one of the large ghostly civilizations and ask if anyone knew his siblings or his original. Or even his father. If he could figure out who created him (maybe that was who Plasmius was?) he could figure out where he'd been made and he could avoid the man at least.
More questions lead to more research. He found out that Plasmius was a rather infamous half ghost, known for forming alliances with powerful ghosts in search of power. He pursued ghostly artifacts and was rumored to be involved in the freeing of one Pariah Dark, a tyrannical former ghost king. He found one illustration of a blue skin, vampiric ghost. The boy swallowed. That was almost certainly his father. Or creater would be a better word, as the man did not appear to be a good person to be involved with, much less someone he would want as a parent.
Daniel found more information on the other half ghost, one called Phantom. Hand shaking, his thumb brushed the picture. A white haired ghost in a black and white suit, pushing a sarcophagus closed. The boy swallowed, standing up. That was a very familiar looking suit. Still holding the book, Daniel floated to his set of draws. His eyes fell on a set of folded clothes on top, slightly glowing black fabric with a white collar and waist, white boots and gloves to the side. And on the front, a now familiar symbol, the same bright white letter as on the door. The boy glanced at the book again; it was the same symbol as on Phantom's suit.
Frowning, Daniel put the book down and grabbed the suit. He turned to stand in front of the mirror, holding the suit in front of him. The boy glanced between his reflection and the fabric in his hands and before he could question it, he decided to put the suit on. Stripping to his boxers, he unzipped the suit before putting his legs through the pants of the one piece. Avoiding his reflection, he fixed his arms in the sleeves and pulled up the zipper. The suit fit perfectly, like it was made for him, though considering he'd re-formed in it and had been wearing one for as long as he could remember while he was still in the chamber, it was probably literally made for him. As in, this version of the suit was literally made from his ectoplasm, less an outfit and more an extension of himself. Like a shed snake-skin, a part of his body but one that could be removed, although he could still take it on and off, like normal clothing.
Then the boy slid his feet in the boots and the gloves over his fingers. He clenched and unclenched his hands, feeling how the material flexed with him. It felt very nice and comfortable. He'd have to wear it more often.
Despite how good the suit felt, unease still swirled in Daniel's gut. And it spiked as the boy finally looked at himself in the mirror. His frown deepened. Though the illustration in the book was not the most detailed, it was obvious he liked very similar to Phantom, maybe identical. Huh, that would explain why the hunter ghost called him Phantom, confusing him with his original. According to the book, a real half-alive legend. The boy that defeated the ghost king.
Core pulsing sadly, Daniel put his hand on the mirror. "I can't even imagine being that brave."
A huge feeling of inadequacy hit the boy, coupled with new confusion and new questions. Why had Plasmius even made him in the first place? The man had called him, his 'perfect son' but what did that mean? What did the man really want?
Daniel turned away, his core clenching. It, all of these questions and doubts, it was all too much. The boy had no idea how to handle all these emotions, feeling his knees start to shake. The lair hummed, sensing his distress and the boy sat down on the bed, putting his head in his hands. Part of him screamed for answers. If he had more information, he could figure all this out. If he learned who Plasmius really was and who Phantom really was, above the basic information in books. If he could figure out why Plasmius was so interested in Phantom, to the point of cloning him. If he could figure out Plasmius's plans for him and his siblings, he would know who he really was and where he belonged.
But another part argued, he was being ridiculous. He was himself. He was Daniel and he'd always been. What did the opinion of his maker matter if he wanted nothing to do with that man? And yes, Phantom was noble and brave but Daniel didn't want to be a hero like him. All he wanted, all he had ever wanted was to be with his siblings and to live. That's where he belonged.
The boy sat there, torn between the two for a while. But eventually his logic won out as he turned back to his original goal- finding his sister and brothers. If he found out about Plasmius and Phantom or even ran into either of them, he would deal with whatever he found. But finding Danielle was paramount.
Daniel started planning. First, he would increase the radius he searched around his lair, while he started researching (and maybe procrastinating a little) for a longer journey to a ghostly civilization where he could find information about Phantom, Plasmius, or his siblings.
He found nothing on any of the closer islands for a while, although he quickly learned to stay away from the Hunter Ghost's island. He ran into some other humanoid ghosts who looked at him strangely before flying off, all refusing to talk to him.
Daniel crossed his arms, pouting. It would be wonderful if someone would actually talk to him. Or he could find something useful. He was starting to think he would have no choice but to leave to lair for bigger islands. One that appeared welcoming to outsiders would be best so the Far Frozen and the Acropolis of Greece seemed like the best options, especially since they were strong proponents of Phantom. But there was still so much he did not know. How would he ever begin to approach asking for information? Should he bring gifts to show his good intentions? And how would ghosts react to his resemblance to Phantom? He very well could be accused of being an impersonator and reviled by his hosts before he gets a chance. The thought made his stomach churn.
Shaking his head to dislodge the troubling thoughts, Daniel floated down, studying the seemingly abandoned island below him. He had not explored down there yet and might as well before he bits the metaphorical bullet.
White booted feet softly landed on the island, a mostly bare patch of dirt with some leafless trees, bushes, and…..tombstones. The boy swallows; that's slightly foreboding. Slowly the boy padded forward, inching towards those graves until something rattled behind him. The boy whipped around (he really needed to get better at watching his back), his eyes falling on a bush with dark purple leaves and pitch black, wilting roses. The leaves rustled again and Daniel tilted his head. Had Blobby followed him, or maybe one of the other blob ghosts that liked hiding out in bushes?
Suddenly a skeletal head popped out of the bush. Startled, the boy jumped back for a second before his jaw dropped. His core pulsed; there was something...familiar about the pitch black figure. At Daniel's small gasp, the boney head whipped around. Ruby red eyes bore into his.
If Daniel had a heart, it would have stopped. It was so unlikely but could it be…. "Bones?"
He quietly asked, hardly daring to ask but he wanted it so bad. Desperately hoped that this was his skeletal brother. And the appearance was so right; the eyes were exactly the correct color. And if he was to find Bones, it would just make sense for the flower-loving ghost to be creeping in a rose bush.
As the skeleton continued staring unblinkingly, Daniel slowly floated forward, his palms facing down. "Bones." He whispered again. "Please show me it's you."
The ghost remained nearly frozen, clawed fingers barely brushing one of the flowers. And Daniel's hope and confidence rose. "Bones. It's me, Daniel. Do you remember me?" He took a step forward. "I am so happy to see you."
He took another step and the skeleton shuffled backwards ever so slightly, hissing.
"It's okay. It's okay, buddy. I'm not going to hurt you." Daniel took another step forward and the ghost hissed again. The boy frowned. "I bet you're confused. But it's okay. I'm here now."
Daniel took another step and the skeleton pounced on him. With a shriek, the boy felt onto his back, his hands coming up to protect his face. The ghost hissed again, before rolling off of him and tearing his suit in the process. It laid on the ground five feet from him, empty red eyes pinned on him.
Empty.
Daniel's core trembled sadly. Those eyes held none of the spark, the life, the personality of his brother. They were empty, unremembering. His heart would have broken if he still had one. That wasn't Bones, wasn't his brother. And if it ever had been, the ghost didn't remember him.
Still staring at him, the boney figure crawled away, hissing while it disappeared behind the bush again.
Now alone, Daniel cried, not caring how dangerous letting his guard down was. He'd...he'd thought for a few seconds….he'd thought he found one of his siblings. But….but that was just a random skeleton ghost. Just some mindless thing, an animal. And not even a nice playful one like the blobs. It wasn't fair. Where were they? How was he supposed to find his sister and brothers? How?
The boy sobbed, feeling his hope dangling. Hanging on by a thread. He couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't keep going. Why was the very Realm against him? Why couldn't he just have his siblings? Why wasn't he allowed to be happy?
A meeping sound broke through his despair and the boy glanced up. The skeleton was back, lying below the bush and studying him. Its head tilted and it made another low curious noise.
Daniel's brows furrowed. "What are you…."
Something flickered briefly in the ghost's eyes.
Daniel reached forward. "Bones?"
Whatever Daniel saw on the ghost's face, whatever changed, disappeared. The skeleton hissed again.
The boy trembled. Maybe it was false hope, maybe he was seeing what he wanted. But.."I think….I think you are him, but you don't remember."
Despite his instincts, the boy slowly stood. The boney ghost hissed, shuffling away and Daniel back up, frowning. "It's okay. I'll help you remember."
The ghost curled up on itself (himself?), trembling. And Daniel finally realized, the skelton was scared of him, terrified even. He backed up farther, face falling. "It's okay. I'll….I'll come back later. We'll figure this out."
The ghost (Bones?) glanced at the boy curiously before curling in tighter. Face still falling, Daniel raised above the ground and floated up, watching the boney ghost as he left. Looking up, the ghost meeped again, watching the boy until he was too far away to see him.
Still trying to hold back the tears, Daniel returned to the lair.
The boy cried for a while after returning. Coming so close for things to come crashing down really hurt. And the uncertainty, he had no idea if that had been his brother who didn't remember him or if it was another random ghost. And he couldn't know for sure. That hurt the most. He didn't want to pursue a false hope but….if that really was Bones, Daniel couldn't abandon him. But….what should he do?
After a while, when his tears dried, Daniel floated out of the lair again, still in his black and white suit. He stayed near the door, studying the swirling ectoplasmic nebula above the lair. The place he'd been re-formed as a full ghost. Where he'd been re-born really.
It glowed so beautifully and he wondered how the stars of the human world compared. Another thing he wanted to see. The boy crossed his arms. He would see them, eventually but not without his sister.
Floating there the boy made up his mind about something else. Tomorrow he would start journeying towards the Acropolis. He'd find other ghosts to help him find his siblings. And they would. He would find Danielle and with her, try to help Bones and find Tiny and Muscles. They would finally be a family and would do all the things they planned.
Still looking up, Daniel felt his core pulse with real hope for the first time in a while. He was not sure why but he knows things will turn around soon. Everything will be as it should be. And he'd hug Danielle like he always wanted.
Something startled the boy out of his thoughts.
"You will not escape me whelp!" In the distance, the hunter ghost chased a small figure.
The boy stiffened. Were his eyes deceiving him? A thin black and white clad figure darted in front of him, the white hair- a very rare color in the Realms- glowing brightly against the dark sky.
His core pulsed singing for joy. It couldn't be. But...but it was! He felt in his metaphysical bones. His eyes shined with happiness.
"Danielle!"
To be continued in Moon and Second Chance