also if anyone is curious the title means 'rare heart' or 'rare spirit' when translated from Latin
^..^
Rara Animis
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Clockwork lets out a tired sigh as he stares up at his many screens. It seemed this timeline was heading towards an inevitability, much like the others he had glimpsed. The spectre closed his eyes for a moment as he looked through the eyes of his clones, his brethren, the other Clockworks' across other timelines.
Timelines whirred behind his eyes, he saw so many. Some flickered out, some flourished, while others... Well, he'd rather not think about those. He was infinite. He was powerful. And, in this way, he was able to see all. When one controls time, it is hard not to explore.
So, he took it upon himself to poke and prod in different ways. He could see down the line how such things can affect the world around him, and that of the living, before returning back to only milliseconds after he had done so. In this way, he was the constant. The splitting and reconnecting of the timelines meant nothing to him, as there was always a handful of 'Clockworks' that had not gone to prod, watching dutifully as his other splits explored what did what. It was the ability to explore and reset that gave him a 'legendary' status among the ghosts.
Doing nothing of course, seemed to be preferred for most outcomes, however on occasion, things would need a simple nudge, a gentle tweak... When a light shone out, a beacon for a 'best way' things may go, a static version of himself would act, and older running timelines would merge. Some humans may notice this as deja-vu. His interference was sometimes something small, sometimes something big, but always necessary for the good of all...
Or at least that's how he saw it.
Some things, however, are impossible to avoid. No matter how you fight, no matter what you change, certain events will always end up in some way shape or form coming to pass. While these events were rare, it seems as though they shaped the future in more ways then even he could comprehend.
This just happened to be one of those things. It was still a long while into the future, almost a thousand years to be exact, but it would be a nightmare for many that will come to pass...
This is when prophecies were born. From an inevitability that even Clockwork can't work around, but can only warn of or advise, and watch as things come to pass.
Yes, that was one of the best ways to make this outcome reach it's most positive end.
And so, he moved from his screens, mirrored shimmering viewing portals that allowed him to see through the eyes of the many other Clockworks that were following his timeline the most closely. With parchment in hand and inked feather at the ready, the ancient time ghost began to write his warning.
On the day that carbon land shifts realms and rivers tremble within
A challenge of marked depravity will bring about a reunion
If slumbering Darkness is woken by one who has reach of realms in twain
Only one of same blood can quell the rage and harsh flames
When red turns green with an unfortunate accident, the Darksbane will form
It is them, the inverted hybrid who shall bring forth an end to the God of war
Clockwork read it over once, twice, and a third to be sure. A smile crept its way onto his lips. Cryptic enough that one could be left to interpretation, while precise enough that one astute in his amusements could easily find the hidden meanings. He did hate the fact that some ghosts were so perceptive with his words.
They took the fun out of it, honestly.
With an amused smirk and a wave of his staff this timeline was put on hold as a clone was made to drop off the rolled parchment, with his seal stamped onto the page. The meeting of elders had just begun a mere seven minutes, thirty-nine seconds ago, and at precisely eight minutes, three seconds, the prophecy would be left for the elders to find.
After all, his star player within the vision would be first noticed on August, third...
"Yes, I'm sure in no time, they will come to appreciate the joke," Clockwork mused to himself with a knowing smirk. He continues watching on his screen, enjoying how the elders reacted to his gift. "And now the future is in your hands," he hums.
With a flick of his wrist, the screen goes to a different set of eyes, a different him along a different path, once more. A view of Pariah Dark grins evilly back at him.
"Yes, All is as it should be."
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Danny Fenton smiled happily up at his parents as they moved about the giant thing they were making. They looked excited and happy, and that made him happy too. He shifted his focus to the papers, crayons and markers that were strewn about the floor.
"Jassey look! Look! I want dat one! Give?" Danny cried, tugging on his sister's sleeve.
"No! Stop! You're gunna stretch it!" Jazz whined, pulling her arm out of her little brothers grasp.
"But ya gotsta share!" he whined right back, his lower lip coming out into a pout as he gave his sister the most begging look he could muster.
"No! Stop it!" Jazz huffed angrily. "Mom! He's doing it again!"
"Honestly you two, figure it out for yourselves." Maddie sighed, pushing up her face shield to look over to her kids. "Jazz, I asked you to keep an eye on your brother, andmake sure he doesn't play with any tools. We don't need to come running to help you when Danny just wants to use your markers.
"But they're mine! He always ruins them!" She complained. As proof, she produces a marker that had had its tip frayed into something more akin to a mop than a marker tip from the abundance of pressure applied to it.
"Aw, don't worry Jazzy-pants, we can always get new ones later. Just make do for now okay princess?" Jack offers as he pulls himself out of the portal, pulling off a pair of soiled nitrite gloves. "Besides, it'll only be a little longer before we can turn this puppy on! And you two will be the first to see it!" Jack boomed brightly.
"Fine..." Jazz huffed, before returning to her colouring.
Danny, of course, had stolen the bright blue marker he wanted in order to finish his spaceship picture. "Look! It's us!" He grinned.
The picture was not really anything spectacular for the child, truly, but Jazz feigned excitement anyway, wanting to make her parents proud of her. Sure enough, the picture was of them, sorta... The messily drawn bubbly humanoid figures were sticking out of an opened rocket, one with a scribble of black hair and one with orange. Danny had even dutifully labelled the characters he drew as 'me' beneath that was 'Danny' written messily across the shirt, and 'jazs' was labelled under the orange-haired figure.
"Looks good," she said somewhat dryly. "You spelt' my name wrong. How ya gunna do when you start school if you dunno your alphabets?"
"I know how to sing 'em..." Danny pouted hugging the drawing to his chest, as though to hide it from her, having been deemed unworthy.
"So? You can't write em right..." Jazz said smugly. "Kinder-garden is the first step! You gotta be ready!" she insists.
"I dun' wanna go 'ta school," the youngest grumbled through his pout. "I dun' wanna turn four anymore."
"You can't stop your birthday from happening, sweetie. Come on. We're ready to turn this on!" Maddie said as she comes over to her kids, ruffling her boy's hair as she walks past.
"Yeah, they never stop!" Jack smirks sending a teasing grin to his wife. "But never mind that... You kids excited?" he boomed.
"Yeah!" Danny cheered, while Jazz just stares worryingly towards the hole in the wall.
"Yeah!" Jack echoed, grinning brightly hyping up his boy all the more. "And guess what? We made you kids something special for the occasion!"
"Birthday gifts?" Danny inquired.
"Nope. Gift for this." Maddie cooed, nodding to the portal as she comes back into view with two tiny jumpsuits styled after theirs, just in white and black only for their kids. Both the children frown at their 'gifts' before looking back to their parents. After an encouraging smile from the adults, the young Fentons start putting on their suits.
"Aw, don't look so upset about it! Look, it's even got my face on it!" Jack beams, an unwavering smile taking over to match the sticker. As Danny zipped up his suit he noticed said sticker. He promptly ripped it off and stuck it onto his sisters back.
"Mom! Dad!" Jazz calls as she whirs about, upon realizing what her younger sibling had done. She let out a whining tone upon realizing that she was being ignored.
Danny carefully folded his drawing in half and stuffed it into one ofthe jumpsuit's pockets. Happy his masterpiece was now safe, he moved to stand beside his mother, who was now grasping Jazz's hand in excitement. Jack moved around doing a final check before finally connecting the thick (water-cooled) power cables, and beginning to charge the capacitors.
A loud hum and a trill of electricity filled the air, along with the scent of static. Danny felt his hair stand slightly on end as he shook in excitement. Maddie released Jazz from her hold and moves to grab a small portable tape recorder that she would record her logs with.
"I nearly forgot in the excitement," she mused to her husband. Turning her attention back to the recorder she begins her log, "August third. We just finished our preparations and are about to make our first test..."
Danny tuned his mother out and instead focused on his father. The man was bouncing in excitement, and the child mimicked the movements eagerly. Though he had no idea why he was excited, he was just happy that his parents were happy.
Maddie finished her log before nodding to Jack, who eagerly threw the large switch at the front of the portal into the 'on' position. A loud cracking sounded through the lab with an accompanying flash that reminded Danny strongly of green lightning causing him to flinch slightly, much to his sister's amusement.
A few more loud cracks and a small green spiral flickered in and out in the centre of the hole. Danny's eyes went wide. It was pretty! And glowed a similar colour to the stars that were on the ceiling in his bedroom! The young black haired child was immediately enamoured.
Unfortunately, it seemed that's all the hole in the wall was destined to do. Shortly after it had started to spring to life it fizzled and died. A deep frown took over Jack's face, one that looked so unnatural on the man that it made Danny rush forward to hug him.
"Well, it's certainly progress," Maddie sighed out. "Honestly it performed better then I would have thought..."
"Your right, Mads." Jack agreed with a sigh of his own, pressing Danny into his leg as he gives in to the requested hug.
"What do you say we break for lunch? Maybe we'll do an early dinner and barbecue up some burgers?" Maddie offered with a half-hearted grin. She knew that building a portal to another dimension wouldn't be easy, but it still hadn't stopped her from hoping it would work on the first try.
"That would really hit the spot" Jack agreed, ruffling his boy's hair before moving to head up the stairs. "You kids clean that up before you come up okay?" he said with a gesture to the markers and paper just beside the stairs, as he headed up to help his wife.
The children nod, but as soon as the parents were out of site, Jazz rounds on her little brother. "Not it!" she calls before immediately turning and bolting up the stairs, laughing maniacally all the way.
"No fair!" Danny whined, pouting as his sister disappears up the stairs. He kicked at the markers in anger. He scowled down at them as though it was their fault he had to clean them up. It was as he was wondering if it would be a viable option to kick everything under the nearby work desk, that he heard a low 'bzzt' noise.
Danny turned towards the sound to stare at the large hole his parents had been working on for as long as he could remember. It was like a third kid to his parents, and it made them really upset when it failed to work. Curiosity overtook him and he approached the large gaping maw of the metallic doorway. His footfalls seemed to echo about as he entered the chamber, a sudden temperature drop ran a chill down his spine and made the child shiver as he ventured deeper.
To him, in his mind, this metal doorway that had, for a few seconds, glowed brighter than the stars, was simply asleep, exactly like the stars.
"They sleep during the day but are awake all night!" That revelation spurred him on, further and further to the back of the den. There was a small light back there and he felt it was his duty to investigate it.
The glowing light was that same colour as the swirl from before, the bright green of his stars! Did his parents stick one in here for good luck? As he got closer he realized it was a glowing button. Danny blinked in confusion before reaching out to touch the firefly like light, almost as though he was entranced.
His tiny fingers pushed into the light, and it easily gave way under his touch. With a bright smile he pulled it back, except it didn't come off, and slipped free from his gloved hand. The click it made when it popped up fully was loud and echoy in the tunnel.
It was then the soft humming, that he had ignored until now, became a loud cacophony in his ears as metal parts swirled around, spinning every-which-way above and beside him. Mesmerized, the child didn't realize the sleeping dragon had finally been awoken.
The hum built up, getting ever louder, until a crack of lightning near the mouth of the opening crackled in the buzzing crescendo, snapping Danny out of his awe. It was only about a metre away from where he stood, so close he could feel the heat, and his hair stood on end from the static that had been discharged.
The child backed towards the wall, hoping to escape the lighting. This proved to be a fruitless effort however, as when his back press into the cold metal he was suddenly hit with a sharp pins and needles sensation, causing him to yelp and jump forward, narrowly missing another lightning strike.
"Mommy! Daddy!" he calls his voice crackling in fear, drowned out by the hum and lightning strikes.
Danny's eyes began to water in fright and he let out a high pitched keening whimper as the lightning seemed to strike faster and faster, moving further and further into the contraption he had trapped himself within. He couldn't move back any further, the wall now sparking noticeably with the green electricity. One hand brushed too close to the back wall, and the other was struck immediately as the lightning finally reached him. He couldn't do much more than let out a scream.
Bright blinding light, first green then white, fills his vision as sharp, coarse pulsing pain surges through him. He can feel it jumping from his fingers to the floor, through the bottom of his feet up through his arm to the wall and coming down on him from above. The volts using him to bridge a gap had little issue racing through the child, using his body as an easy bridge to jump from place to place in the portal. The protection his parents had given him was quickly proving to be useless for power of this magnitude.
Danny found after a few seconds, although the agony seemed to stretch for hours, he could no longer scream. He couldn't breathe. Nothing responded to his will and his mind only registered the pain. Numbing yet sharp, running in zigzags over every inch of his skin, colouring it, tinting it. When he finally started to feel sleepy he grabbed at the sensation desperately, eager for anything to make this end. As the blackness edged his vision he heard the frantic cry of his parents calling his name, then, nothing.
The Fenton parents raced down and threw off the main power switch, only to find Danny no longer there. They were justifiably more then a little upset. Their son had just been more or less incinerated in their invention. Upon investigation, they found exactly what had happened. A kill switch, placed at the back of the portal, one they had apparently left engaged, their son had turned off, and thus started up the portal... with him inside it.
Suddenly, the term kill switch took on a whole new connotation.
Jazz was inconsolable. "It's my fault! I got him killed!" she wailed. "If I'd just cleaned like a good girl Danny would still be here!"
Nothing the parents did would calm her down, though if they were to be honest, their fretting daughter wasn't the thing heir minds were on. "Danny..." Maddie sobbed out into her husband's chest.
Jack through watering eyes held the girls close. He had to be strong. He had to be the rock for his family, he knew he had to let his wife let her have her time now, so he could have his later. Now, however, he simply opted to hide his face in the auburn and fiery hair of the two, the only ones left of his family. He never wanted to let them go... No matter how much he knew he would eventually have to.
The memorial service was held some time later, as there was no body to bury. While the parents grieve at an empty tomb, an ancient ghost watches with a sad, but knowing smile on his face. "All is as it should be," the clone muses before dissipating into smoke.
From within the confines of his lair Clockwork opens his eyes with a sigh, and stares at a lone white haired child on passed out on a rock in the depths of the realm. "It won't be too long now," he mused.