Chapter Nineteen: Breaking The Chains
Disclaimer: See Chapter One
Hey, everyone. Welcome to the Phantom Saga. We are about to begin some serious stuff. I won't say much more. All I will say is that I have been sitting on this and next chapter for a bit and originally they were one chapter, until I felt that they should be broken up.
On with the Show:
It began as a normal Saturday in April for Danny, he was relaxing at home, planning to go out with Sam, Tuck, Jazz and Danielle later. However, fate had other plans for this day. A time portal opened up into Danny's room, and Clockwork came through. Danny, though happy to see the time master, was confused. Then again, Clockwork almost never did announce that he would drop in on anyone. "To what do I owe this visit from you?" he asked the Lord of Time.
Clockwork shifted to his older form before speaking. This time, Danny could see there was an extra weariness to the ghost, then he had ever seen before. "The Time Sleep is coming, Daniel. Soon, I must rest for a week. I fear that Dan will use this opportunity to slip from the tower and come for you."
"I will be ready, he is still weakened, yes?" Danny said, clenching a fist at the mention of his dark self.
"Yes, but I fear he has found a way to break the spells I laid upon him," Clockwork said wearily.
"I will be careful. I fought him once and I beat him, and I have only grown stronger since I have faced him," Danny was confident in his ability to face his evil self. Clockwork smiled a sad smile, and was glad Danny didn't know of what he knew was a possible future event. Then, a strong wave of exhaustion washed over the Lord of Time, and he struggled to stay floating. "What's wrong, Clockwork?" Danny asked.
"I need to return to the tower, and get in my bed. The Time Sleep is upon me. Be careful Daniel, dark days are ahead, for us all." Clockwork warned Danny and then opened a time portal and was gone from the human world. Now, Danny was a bit concerned. Not only does he have to worry about Dan being on the loose, but Clockwork's warning about darker days laying ahead.
In the Ghost Zone
Clockwork barely had enough time to reach his chambers. He set his scepter next to his bed and crawled under the covers. As he laid his head on his pillow, he collapsed into deep sleep.
Dan knew his moment had come, as he felt the realm anoint him as its temporary master, he walked into the bed chambers of the time master. "You old fool, I knew your age would be the downfall of you." He sneered at the old ghost. Something caught his eye, a chain around the Time master's neck. Curious, he gingerly removed it from the other ghost to find a key on the chain. Confused, he took a moment to try to recall if he knew what this was. After a moment, he remembered, it was the Skeleton Key. Grinning evilly, he stowed the key away on his person. He went to the front door, and commanded it to open for him and it did. He grinned evilly, one block down, one to go. He sped across the Ghost Zone away from the Clocktower. He did have a realization as he fled from the tower, "No doubt that the old fool has set a guard or has spies in his service." Realizing that he had to be more careful in traveling around the Zone, especially after seeing the Rogues that one day and that he seemed to have scared them. It took him days to cross the Zone, as he had to avoid the Rogues, the Observants and basically everyone else.
He kept his eyes peeled for his target or targets, he had to find a trio of ancient ghosts that could help him. It seemed that luck was finally favoring him that day. In the distance, he saw the trio he needed.
He approached the three of them and called them by name, "Undergrowth, Nocturn, Vortex, I come seeking your aid." He hated the fact that he even needed someone's help with his issue.
"Why would you think that we have any interest in," Vortex gasped, "helping the one that defeated us?"
"Wait, he is the ghost boy, but something is different about him," Undergrowth said, suspicious of the new ghost.
Nocturn took a closer look at the dark ghost, "You are not the one we know, are you?"
"No, I am not. I was once, but things changed. I am Dan Phantom, some say I am his evil counterpart. I was his future self, but I am my own being now. Removed from that timeline before it ceased to exist," Dan told them.
"What do you want?" Nocturn asked, cautiously.
"I want the leash of my neck, and the spell of extremely slow recovery dispelled," the dark ghost said. The trio of nature ghosts looked between each other, uneasy. "I know you can do it. I read Clockwork's own words on the matter, and he admitted that he taught you how to undo his spell work.
The other three primordials looked between themselves, and sighed, Nocturn, speaking for the group, asked "those are not easy to break, we can do it, but what do you offer in exchange?" They would not do this without adequate compensation.
"Revenge, united together, we will kill Danny Phantom," Dan said, his fangs showing as he spoke. "With him out of the way, the path will be clear for us to carve up the earth into our own domains," he told them, closing a fist, in a sign of their dominance.
The three primordials looked between each other, they seemed satisfied with this offer. "Very well, Dan Phantom. We will help you. Prepare yourself, this may hurt a little," Nocturn said. They took up places equal distance from the dark one, raised their arms, and began to chant in an ancient tongue. The same tongue that Clockwork used to bind him. He could feel it working, the bonds getting weaker as their chant grew louder and louder. At the apex of their chant, they raised their arms above their heads and their hands glowed with ecto-energy. When the chant ended, they shot beams of energy at the dark spirit, breaking the spells.
Elsewhere In the Zone
As the spells were broken, Clockwork's eyes snapped open, "No, it can't be," the time master said to himself. He struggled to sit up, he had been out for a few days, but was not completely recharged. "He broke the spells, he found them, damn it." He got out of bed, grabbed his scepter and used it as a cane to help stabilize himself, and slowly made his way across the tower cursing himself. "He must have found the book that I tried to hide. Clearly, I didn't hide it well enough."
He made his way to his observation room, he brought up Daniel on the time viewer, if he could not see Dan, he could at least keep a close eye on Danny as Clockwork knew that the dark spirit would make his move soon. He also checked on the Fright Knight, who he saw sitting peaceably on Pariah Dark's throne. "Good," he said to himself. He reached to his neck to make sure that the Skeleton Key was still there, only to his horror that it was gone.
Now the Lord of Time was worried for his ward, he himself was still too weak to do much on his own. "Dark days are ahead, Daniel, prepare for the worst."
Elsewhere in the Zone
With the lease off his neck, Dan and the nature trio planned their revenge on Danny Phantom. "I think we should recruit the Fright Knight to aid us." Dan put the idea forward to which the others raised an eyebrow.
"Why him?" Nocturn asked.
"In the timeline where I am from, I had managed to get the Fright Knight to be my herald of fear. As well as the fact that Clockwork no doubt has turned my counterpart's rogue gallery into his spy network. I also scared the heck out of them, so they can not be trusted to aid us." Dan explained the reason.
"Go then, convince the Knight to aid us, and return to us," Undergrowth said.
"Then vengeance can begin," Vortex gasped, "in earnest." Dan took off toward Pariah's keep, his strength already returning to him.
When he reached the keep, he found the Knight sleeping on the throne. "Fright Knight!" Dan shouted.
The Knight awoke with a start, grabbing Soul Shredder as he did so. "Who goes there?" He asked the uninvited visitor, pointing the sharp end of his blade toward the dark spirit.
"One who would command your allegiance," Dan said with force to his voice.
"None but the Lord of Time may command me any more, not even King Pariah may command me. Now you will suffer for your transgression here." The Knight charged at Dan, Soul Shredder ready to send him to a realm of fear. He took a swing, and missed. Dan had dodged at the last second, and continued the motion to deliver an ecto-charged uppercut punch that connected with the Knight's chin and sent the other ghost backward a few feet.
The Fright Knight shook his head clear of the fog, raised Soul Shredder to be level with Dan's chest, and fired ecto-blasts from its tip, all of which Dan dodged by teleporting side to side as he advanced on the Knight. This time the Knight charged the blade with energy and swiped at the air in front of him which let the energy loose in the form of a wave. This blast connected with the dark spirit and sent him back across the room. Dan had to take a moment to get to his feet, as his full strength had yet to return to him.
The Fright Knight lowered his sword to point at the ground, with a bit looser grip, thinking his opponent had had enough. Dan fired an ecto-ray from his closed fist and the Knight deflected the blast with his blade. Getting to his feet, Dan duplicated three times and all four of him fired ecto-blasts from both hands.
The Knight managed to block the blasts with Soul Shredder, but doing so had knocked it out of the Knight's grip and sent it skittering across the room. Far enough that Knight knew that he would not be able to summon it to him in time as the four Dans flew at the Lord of Fear. He charged a ball of purple ecto-energy in his hands into a large sphere, and launched it at the dark spirits. It connected and broke Dan's concentration, reducing him back to one ghost. He looked at the Knight with a confused look, he didn't know that the Knight could do that already. It was his flaming crystal meteor move. Dan traded ecto-rays with the Knight, as they drew closer to each other, until they were in fist fighting range.
They grappled with each other, trading gut punches with each other. When one tried to go for a punch to the face, the other would catch it with an arm block and countered with their own punch to the face. Both of them grabbed the other and both tried to headbutt the other, but that left both dazed for a second. Both fired ecto-rays from their eyes and had a beam battle, both the energy exploded in both of their faces.
Dan comes to first and grabs the Knight's arm and uses his ghost stinger to shock the Knight. He delivered a swift kick to the back of the Knight's left knee, which staggered his foe to one knee. Dan took a breath and unleashed his ghost wail, which knocked the Knight onto his back. Dan stopped the assault, and pinned the Knight under his boot. Fright Knight looked up at his foe, a bit bewildered, there were very few who could match him power to power.
Dan took a moment to catch his breath, looking down at his former herald. "Do you yield to me?" The Fright Knight's response was a blast of pink energy from his eyes. Dan leaned his head away to avoid the blast. Dan charged energy into his foot and delivered a strong kick to the Knight's head. As the Knight clutched his head in pain, Dan walked over to where Soul shredder lay, picked it up and advanced on the Knight with it.
The Knight had gotten up to one knee, and raised his hand to signal Dan to stop. "What do you want?"
"Your service in getting revenge on my goodie-good counterpart," Dan said, a fang showing in his scowl.
"Alright, I see I cannot best you, return my sword to me, and I will aid you." Fright Knight agreed to help in the name of self-preservation. Dan stuck the sword into the floor before its master, signifying that Dan wanted the Knight to swear his allegiance to Dan. The Knight did so, but in his mind, 'Lord Clockwork, forgive me.' The Knight got to his feet, and sheathed Soul Shredder. "Do we have other allies?"
"Yes, the Nature trio," Dan answered the question.
'Oh boy, what did I get myself into?' The Knight asked himself. He then noticed that Dan was climbing the steps to the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. "What are you doing?"
"Getting our last ally," Dan said as he pulled out the Skeleton Key and unlocked the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. As the sleep prison opened, as Pariah opened his eye, Dan immediately socked the King in the face with an ecto-charged fist to keep him off guard as he stumbled out of his tomb trap.
"Who dares?" Pariah Dark asked.
"I, Dan Phantom, evil incarnate, and I have a proposition for you," Dan said.
"I am listening," Dark said, curious as to who this being was that woke him up, and punched him in the face immediately.
"Join my cabal of evil, and together we will kill Danny Phantom. Need I remind you, he defeated you in single combat. Afterward, we will carve his world into dominions for us all to rule or destroy at our leisure." Dan gave his proposition. "I have already subdued your herald to my cause." Pariah turned to look at the Fright Knight.
"Where were you when that child came to fight me?" Dark asked.
"Busy fighting Vlad Plasmius and the cavalry of ghosts that came to fight your army," The Knight lied to his liege. Dark accepted the explanation, but a note of suspicion entered his mind.
"Where are my Crown and Ring?" Dark asked.
"Gone, my lord, taken I know not where." Another lie, the Knight knew exactly where they were, deep within the Keep, where Dark was not likely to look. This one Dark seemed to buy more than his last one. However, Dan was suspicious of this lie as he remembered fighting the King as his good self before becoming what he was and knew the Knight sided with Vlad and that Vlad had the crown in his possession last he knew. He didn't mention it to Dark though. Something to explore later.
"When do we move against this child?" Dark asked.
"Give me a day, I need to recover from both fighting the Knight and that the Lord of Time had placed a time slowing spell on me to keep me from regaining my strength at the normal rate. I just got that spell off on me thanks to the nature trio, who will aid us." Dan explained.
"Very well, I accept your terms. Go, rest, the castle has rooms for such." Turning to the Fright Knight, "I assume you will need to rest as well."
"Yes, my liege, he managed to defeat me in combat. He is powerful, very powerful." The Knight answered his liege.
"Go then," Pariah dismissed them. They went further into the castle, while Pariah Dark sat on his throne and waited for tomorrow.
Well, crap. Dan is free and is building a cabal of evil to take out Danny. However, hope is not lost, for Danny may have an ally yet. We'll see. You don't want to miss the next chapter. It has big consequences. See you there.