"Katou?" Danny raised an eyebrow. The presence of Clockwork's medallion convinced him to change back into Danny Fenton, but his curiosity was aroused. Why would Clockwork send him a broken old man?
"That's right," Katou nodded, his sad smile becoming benign. "Thanks to Clockwork, I know your name to be Danny. The last name seems to change from Fenton to Phantom." Danny couldn't help but smile at that.
"And your two friends there," Katou nodded over to Sam and Tucker, "are Tucker and Samantha, who would rather go by 'Sam' if I'm not mistaken."
"Pleased to…meet you?" Tucker stammered out. Sam just stood there, her mouth slightly open. This was certainly shaping up to be a rather unusual ghost encounter.
"OK…" Danny said as he crossed his arms. "You've got my attention. So, your name's Katou, and you know who all of us are. Who are you and why did Clockwork send you to see me?"
"Very well," Katou sighed. With ghost-telekinesis, he summoned a lab chair and sat down. "Most obviously, I am a ghost. In life, I was a samurai…"
"Wait," Sam said, her eyes lighting up in excitement. She jumped off the steps and ran over to Katou. "You were actually a samurai? Did you know Miyamoto Musashi? Were you part of the Tokugawa shogunate? Did you…"
"Uh, Sam?" Danny interrupted. "We're kind of in the middle of something here."
"Oh, right." Sam said, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry."
"Very well…" Katou said with an awkward side-glance. "As I said, in life I was a samurai. In afterlife I was one of seven founding members of a governing body known as the Order of Afterlife. I doubt you have heard of us because…" he let out a mournful sigh, "because the Order ceased to exist eight years ago, and had been waning for some time before that."
Despite her excitement at meeting a true samurai, Sam could not help but notice something in Katou's eyes as he mentioned this lost Order. Sadness was most prominent, but something else came through. Was it…guilt? Hidden knowledge of this past?
"'Ceased to exist…'" Danny repeated. "You guys split up or something?"
"Myself aside, the Order was destroyed."
"Whoa," Danny's eyes grew wide, and he suddenly felt guilty for pressing matter. "Dude, I'm sorry."
"…It's in the past," Katou sighed after a pause – a pause that seemed a bit long to Sam.
"So, why'd Clockwork send you here?" Danny asked again.
"That is a more complicated matter." Katou said. "In truth, he didn't entirely explain it to me. He said he would send for us once we had met, and I hope he does so soon, as I don't consider myself much of a storyteller."
---
"…as I don't consider myself much of a storyteller."
In his private lair, Clockwork had watched in his mirror as Katou had escaped from Walker's prison, returned to his home to heal and cleanse himself, and met up with Danny.
Now was the time.
He raised his left hand and adjusted the crown on his second watch. Katou, Danny, and his two friends vanished from the mirror, which soon became just a reflective surface. In an instant, the four figures materialised behind Clockwork, who turned to face them with a smile.
"Katou, Danny…welcome."
"Hey!" Tucker said indignantly. "Aren't we good enough to get our names mentioned?" he pointed to himself and Sam, who rolled her eyes.
"Very well…" Clockwork sighed. "Sam, welcome. Tucker…don't interrupt." Tucker crossed his arms and skulked, but didn't press the matter.
"You called us here just in time," Katou bowed respectfully. "I was about to try and explain what this is all about."
"I'll begin in a moment. We're about to have another visitor." Clockwork pointed his staff up at the ceiling, and the gears and pendulums parted to reveal the black and green sky of The Ghost Zone. Soon, a bright blue dragon with green horns and fins and an amulet around its neck flew overhead and began descending towards the floor of the building.
Sam and Tucker gave slight smile at the sight of the beast, while Clockwork maintained a stoic expression. Danny and Katou grew tense.
"Dragon ghost!" Danny yelled, transforming into Danny Phantom.
"An Aragon!" Katou muttered, drawing his sword. Both prepared to strike.
"Time out!" Clockwork said, hitting the crown of his staff. Danny and Katou froze where they stood as Dora reverted back to her human form and landed in the Lair of Time.
"Hey, Dora," Sam said, giving a slight wave to the princess.
"Welcome, Dora," Clockwork smiled. He then turned his attention back to Katou and Danny. "Time in!" he hit his staff's crown again, and the two became unfrozen. Katou recovered and re-sheathed his blade; Danny fell on his face.
"You," Clockwork said as he pointed to Katou, "have never met Dora. You," he pulled Danny to his feet, "have not only met her, but recently helped save her realm from her brother." The Master of Time took Katou by the shoulder and led him aside.
"I suggest," he whispered in the samurai's ear, "that you work on his abilities at paying attention. And his abilities at math."
"Clockwork, please," Dora gasped, out of breath from flying. "I can see you're busy, but my brother and I…our amulets…Pariah's Mark appeared! I haven't seen that mark in at least eight hundred years! It didn't appear the last time he came out and…"
"Unfortunately, Dora," Clockwork sighed, "Tá eagla orm is about to take place."
"Uh, guys…" Danny started.
Dora gasped, cutting Danny off. "Tá eagla orm?"
" Clockwork, who is this girl?" Katou asked.
"Guys…" Danny said again, annoyance now lining his voice.
"This, Katou," Clockwork said, ignoring Danny, "is…"
"Hold it!" Danny yelled. All eyes in the room turned to him.
"OK," he sighed. "First, this samurai shows up at my house with a medallion. Then, we all get pulled out of my parents' lab. Now people don't know each other, some mark from The Ghost King shows up, and there's this 'ta eagle or' thing. What's going on?"
"Rude, but to the point," Clockwork said wryly after a pause. "Very well. I will start from the very beginning. That should answer everyone's questions. But you may want to sit down. This will take time." Everybody but the Master of Time sat and settled on the floor of the building in an arc around Clockwork, listening intently.
"One thing you all know," Clockwork began, "is that, long ago, Pariah Dark ruled The Ghost Zone. He had control of the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage. And he had an heir. The Aragon family was one of several that enjoyed how things were under Pariah and sided with him. Prince Aragon was particularly devoted. His armies conquered in Pariah's name, and The Ghost King could take anything he wished from Aragon's assets. Eventually, Pariah named Aragon as successor to the throne. Dora was against supporting Pariah, but was oppressed into servitude.
"Then, as you all know, the Ancients banded together and defeated Pariah. They locked him within the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, placed in the heart of Pariah's Keep. The Skeleton Key, the only key in existence that could unlock the tomb, was sent off into the bowels of The Ghost Zone. But Pariah's Crown and Ring were kept within the Keep. For, as the only ghost who could control the relics, he developed a strange attachment to them, and if one was ever taken away from him, their power would call back."
He paused in his narrative, and turned to face Danny and his friends. "Why do you think he knew the Ring of Rage was hidden in Amity Park?" He let the trio exchange only a brief glance among them before resuming.
"At the end of Danny's last confrontation with Pariah, Vlad Plasmius stole the Crown of Fire and made a pact with the Fright Knight. He and the Knight both knew of this attachment Pariah had with the Crown, but they underestimated how powerful it was. Pariah has not been woken from the Forever Sleep, but he has conscious thought, he can communicate telepathically, and he was able to use the Crown to call the Knight back to him – and enlist Plasmius to his cause."
"Wait a minute," Danny interrupted. "Plasmius is working for The Ghost King?" he couldn't suppress a laugh. "Are you sure you've got the right Vlad?"
Sam gave a slight roll of her eyes as Danny had his fun, and as she did so, she caught sight of Katou. He seemed to regard the idea of Plasmius following another as absurd as Danny did – he seemed ready to laugh at the notion himself. Sam's face slipped into one of suspicion. There was no sign that she had noticed that Katou had ever heard of Vlad. Now that Sam thought about it, for someone trying to answer everyone's questions, Clockwork had avoided any explanation of who Plasmius was.
The Master of Time had resumed his story, however, so Sam turned her attention back to the tale.
"Pariah has…powerful methods of persuasion," Clockwork was saying.
"So what does this have to do with the eagles or something?" Tucker asked.
"When Pariah was first defeated," Clockwork said, "and the Ancients first sealed him away, they turned to me for advice. I received a vision of the future – not in my usual manner, but in a verse prophecy. Tá eagla orm. Pariah was to return once, and be defeated. He would return again, and with the aid of three ghosts, return to his full power. He would again rule over The Ghost Zone, and this time, conquer all of the Earth – only to be replaced by an even worse threat.
"Pariah has escaped once before, and has been defeated by Danny. He has two of his ghosts at his side. He is moving to obtain his full power again. All signs point to Tá eagla orm moving from prophecy to reality."
Danny looked around the room. Clockwork, as always, seemed aloof, his expression betraying no sign of whatever thoughts he may have had about this prophecy. Katou and Dora had obviously heard of this prophecy before, and they didn't take it lightly. Dora's hands were clasped over her mouth, and her eyes were gleaming with dread. Katou's face was grim. Tucker and Sam's eyes were wide, both clearly shocked at what they had just heard.
Danny himself wasn't sure what to think. His fight against Pariah had been one of his most difficult. He had told Sam and Tucker that he would survive, and he had fought to keep that promise. But Pariah had certainly earned the fear that his name inspired among ghosts. Every blow The Ghost King landed, Danny felt the full force of it. Even with his father's Ecto-Skeleton, Danny had not really been able to win the fight. He had just managed to ensure that Pariah lost – and in the process, the suit and The Ghost King had both nearly done him in.
Now, this prophecy made it out that he had gotten off easy.
But some things did not add up.
"Wait," he said. "So, The Ghost King's trying to escape again, and he's supposed to have three ghosts working for him. All he's got so far are Plasmius and the Fright Knight…"
"The Fright Knight is not one of the ghosts referred to in the prophecy," Clockwork cut him off. "The two ghosts he has at his side are Plasmius and Aragon. The third…will be revealed."
Danny thought for a second that Clockwork was staring at him in an odd way, but after a blink, he was sure he had imagined it.
"Aragon's the second ghost?" Tucker said. "Didn't he destroy Dora's home last time? She was with all those other ghosts running away."
"I fled of my own accord," Dora took over. "You see, when the Ancients started to fight back against The Ghost King, they couldn't get to him immediately. They had to fight through all of his forces. By the time they were ready to strike, Pariah could see that they were a real threat. So he told my brother to take his kingdom and break away from Pariah's rule. That way, our lands wouldn't be taken away if Pariah was defeated. He told my brother to keep the Realm of Aragon as it was. If Pariah was defeated, he could start anew from our land when he returned. The first time he escaped, he never came…"
"He was preoccupied, focused on retrieving the Ring of Rage," Clockwork explained.
"…But I fled anyway," Dora finished. "This time, he called us with Pariah's Mark, and my brother flew off. I came to Clockwork for help."
"…But, Pariah was at full power when I fought him," Danny cut in. "He had the Crown and the Ring."
"The fact that he was wearing the relics does not mean he was at his full power," Clockwork answered. "You see, the Ancients took some precautions against Pariah returning. Along with taking the Ring off his person, leaving the power of the Crown without a key, they drew some of Pariah's own natural power out of his body. They distributed it among six of Pariah's belongings and scattered them throughout The Ghost Zone. Pariah and his three ghosts will first move to find all six artefacts. Then, when they have them, Pariah will be unlocked from the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, at his full power. According to Tá eagla orm, when he moves to conquer the Earth, he will come after Danny first."
All eyes came to rest on the ghost-boy, and Danny felt a chill run down his spine. He could find no other ways to argue Clockwork's words. This was really happening. This Tá eagla orm seemed to be happening, and Danny found himself wishing it wasn't.
"So…what can we do?" he asked.
Clockwork sighed. "You and your fourteen-year old mind. While I take this matter seriously, I know that signs do not mean anything is certain. But this matter is dire enough to bear intervention. Danny, I am entrusting you with this matter."
"Me?" Danny yelled. Had Clockwork completely lost his mind?
The Master of Time smiled. "You have defeated Plasmius many times. You have defeated Aragon. You have even defeated Pariah. And I know from experience that I can count on you."
"Yeah, but…but…you're the Master of Time! Why can't you do it?"
A haunted look crossed Clockwork's face. "Have none of you noticed something different about me? I haven't changed age once the entire time you've been here."
Lights seemed to come to the eyes of his audience. Now that Clockwork had mentioned it, he hadn't changed age.
"I am the Master of Time," Clockwork resumed. "As the Master of Time, I am bound to time's endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Since time began, I have died and been reborn six times. Soon, I will face my seventh death."
"But you're the Master of Time!" Tucker cut in. "If you die, wouldn't the fabric of the universe fall apart or something?"
"Time does not need me to continue on. I am not time incarnate. I'm just an omnipotent ghost with the power to alter and move through the time stream, is all," Clockwork answered, allowing himself a sly grin. "The fact that horrible events have occurred in history during the times between my deaths and rebirths is nothing but coincidence," he ignored the incredulous glares he was getting. "I hardly enjoy death. But it is one thing that I cannot avoid. By this time tomorrow, I will be dead, and I will cease to exist for two months. In death, I am truly gone. I cannot observe. I cannot intervene. I cannot think. I can't do anything. I need you to carry on in my place."
"Are you nuts?" Danny shouted. "I can't stop the end of the world…I can't! I mean…yeah, I beat all those guys, but I've never fought them all at once! And you just told us that Pariah wasn't at full power! All those guys have more experience than me, and…I can't!"
"True. You lack experience. In fact, you also lack technique, a sense of your surroundings, and often, common sense."
Hey!" Danny yelled, his face blushing slightly at the insult.
Clockwork ignored the comment. "That is why I sent Katou to you. He is to train you in my absence and help you face Tá eagla orm."
Danny looked over at Katou. The samurai was shifting uncomfortably, seeming uncomfortable with the notion of training Danny, and the ghost-boy noticed again how gaunt and scarred he was.
"Uh…" he started. "No offence, Katou, but you seem kind of…um…"
"Do not judge a book by its cover," Clockwork interrupted. "You don't look like much either."
"Hey!" Danny shouted again. "Why can't you have the Observants deal with this?"
Clockwork gave Danny a look, and it took only a few moments for everyone to understand why the snippy pair weren't the ones for the job.
"Clockwork," Katou finally spoke, "are you sure about this?"
"I am very sure."
"What are the lines to Tá eagla orm anyway?" Sam asked, crossing her arms. "You said it was a verse prophecy."
"The ruins of the Order of Afterlife's sanctuary still exist," Clockwork said. "Katou can take you there. He knows where the records are kept."
Sam raised an eyebrow. Something strange was going on here. "Why can't you just tell us what the…"
"While you train Danny, Katou," Clockwork said, cutting Sam off, "you can also help to minimise the threat he will face. Pariah's artefacts can be found, with a little work. I repeat – there are six relics: a sceptre, a chest of gold, a balance, a throne, a pendant, and a bow. Plasmius has the throne. I have the pendant."
The aged ghost reached into his violet cloak and drew out the relic. It was a black marble stone, with Pariah's Mark set in ruby on both sides. A slender gold chain held the pendant. With a light toss from Clockwork's hand, it landed in Katou's lap.
"I'm afraid I can't help any more than that. The Observants are letting me handle this my way for once, and my way involves minimal interference. I have probably done too much as it is."
Clockwork suddenly lurched forward, clutching at where a heart would be on another being. His staff fell to the ground.
"You OK, Clockwork?" Danny asked, rising to his feet.
"I have less than twenty-four hours to live, Danny," Clockwork gasped. "I think it's time we finished this meeting. Katou, you know how to find the balance and the sceptre. Vlad knows how to find the bow and the chest – and the balance, too. It would be wise to move quickly to get what you can of the relics, hide them away, and think of a way to steal whatever artefacts Pariah has gained. I would start training Danny right away."
"Clockwork, are you sure about this?" Danny asked. He knew he wasn't. "I mean…I'm fourteen. And, by the way, the jokes about me being a teenager are really getting old."
"True," Clockwork smiled. "You are a fourteen-year old child. And I have a great deal of fun at your expense. But I have faith in you. Ever since the little incident about your future, the Observants have labelled you as my responsibility. I trust you, Danny." He placed a fatherly hand on the half-ghost's shoulder. "And I trust Katou. I expect you to do the same."
"Clockwork, I'm flattered," Katou said as he stood up. "But I'm still not sure about…"
"I am," Clockwork said. He wasn't harsh, but his tone conveyed the message: the subject was closed.
"Dora, you may stay here until my seventh death comes. The rest of you…"
Clockwork adjusted the crown of the second watch on his right hand, and Danny, his friends, and Katou all vanished.