Dawning of a Sun

by pearl84

A twist in destiny makes the month old Danny F. half-ghost and places him in the hands of the ghost king: Plasmius. Stuck in between a Human and Ghost war, will this young prince find his true self? And most importantly, who will he fight for?AU DxS VD-FS

68. Chapter 66 A Change in Seasons

I AM BACK! And you know I come bearing the gift of a LONG chapter! Happy New Years, my dear readers! Enjoy!

Summary: Six months have gone by since Danny was forced to remain in the Human World at his father's command. With Aragon's threat to the Kingdom, and the discovery of ghosts, like Gregor and now Juukka working with the Guys-in-White, Vlad felt it was too dangerous to keep his son home. But much to his surprise, Danny adapted well to his life as Daniel Masters in the past months. It seemed the time away allowed his son to mature in more ways than one.

Meanwhile, things seem to be taking a turn for the better with an end to the War in sight. With no sign of Gregor being alive and the sudden silence of Thomas Chrome and his other enemies, the Ghost King has been able to advance with his takeover of the Human World.

Danny, on the other hand, has discovered a new reason to help his father end this war: Sam. Having met her as Daniel Masters has only convinced him further that she, like many like her, simply need to be shown the truth of who the real enemy is.

With new plans forming on all sides, Vlad temporarily brings home his son with more than one purpose in mind

But there is someone else coming out of hiding—or more like stirring from a six-month long coma. What will Gregor do now that he is behind enemy lines?

---

Chapter 66: A Change in Seasons

---

"Danny!" Ember exclaimed when she opened her uncle's door and saw the teen and his father on the other side.

The Ghost Prince grinned as his best friend flew into his arms, and he held her back just as tightly. "Ember! You have no idea how much I've missed you!"

"I should punch you for leaving like you did!" she said shakily, still not letting him go. She had been so worried about him. It felt like he had been gone for years instead of several months.

"I'm sorry I wanted to tell you, but..."

"I know," she said with a deep sigh before she finally let go and smiled at him. "Hey, what happened to your princely white locks, baby pop?"

Danny blushed as he touched his short hair before he replied, "Long story."

"And that will have to wait," Skulker interjected as he suddenly appeared behind Ember, yanked Danny away from her and pulled the boy into a hug of his own within moments.

"Do not think you can come into my abode without a proper greeting, whelp."

"Awww, Uncky Skulker, I didn't know you cared," Danny teased though he hugged the hunter back.

"Looks like your time away has done nothing to tamper your annoying personality."

Danny smirked as he pulled away. "Not in the slightest."

Plasmius, who had been watching the reunion with amusement, finally chuckled, "Aww... Isn't this touching?"

"Yeah, and don't think you're getting away from the mushy moment!" Ember said with a grin before she lunged at Vlad and hugged him.

"Good to see you, too, Uncle Vlad!" she said.

Vlad smiled warmly. "Likewise, my dear."

"Well, come in!" Skulker said happily as he wrapped his arm around Vlad's shoulder. "No sense in standing at the doorway when there's much to talk about!"

"Indeed," Vlad agreed. While he had not been away as long as his son, it had been several weeks that he had not seen his friend due to being in the Human World, specifically completing his takeover of the remaining regions in Russia and then France.

"Daniel. Ember. I am sure you both have much to catch up on as well..."

Danny knew his father's tone all too well. And he was fine with 'letting the adults talk' since he did have a lot to privately discuss with his friend anyways.

"Do you mind if we head to the Forest of Emotion?" Danny asked.

Vlad frowned. "I am not sure if..."

"We'll take Safear!" Ember jumped in.

"Let them go, Plasmius. Your son has been away from his friends and home long enough."

"Alright... Just be careful. Keep vigilant. Be back in an hour, hmm?"

Danny nodded before he and Ember flew off towards Skulker's backyard.

"I see not much has changed," Skulker remarked before he gestured to his sofa.

"What do you mean?" Vlad asked in confusion as he sat down.

"I mean, you... I thought spending so much time away from your son would have curbed your worry over him."

"I will always worry about my son," Vlad replied with a frown. "Why would you think that would change?"

Skulker just shrugged as he decided not to get into the topic of his friend's paranoia. He knew it was justified but at other times...

"How is he, by the way? I know it's been hard to keep him away."

"Well, he's certainly much happier to be home," Vlad answered more calmly. "But I think overall, he's fine. Better than I had imagined actually... He's growing up."

Vlad smiled wistfully. "My son is growing up, Skulker."

Skulker raised an eyebrow at that. That was a curious thing for Vlad to say! True, the young half-ghost appeared... different after being gone for months, but that didn't mean that he had suddenly 'grown up'. In fact, Skulker had been very worried during all that time when the Prince had been in the Human World whether the boy would have been able to even begin to manage things on his own, much less do anything mature. After all, he had not forgotten that stunt the boy had pulled some time back that could have gotten them all captured and killed! He might not be angry over it any more and he did feel bad for striking Danny and saying all he had… But that had not made the child's actions any less troubling. Not to mention that Vlad had always overprotected him and inadvertently stunted the boy. He paused, suddenly unsure. Could the teen have changed that drastically in such a short time like Vlad believed? He privately frowned in thought before he quickly concluded: it was very unlikely.

Still, not really knowing how to 'express his thoughts' without offending his friend, Skulker decided to just change the subject.

"Have you told him about the High Council's decision?"

"Not yet," Vlad answered thoughtfully as he leaned back and spread his arms over the back of the sofa. "I have my reservations about their decision."

"I do not see why. He's about to turn sixteen. In what? A month?"

When his friend nodded, Skulker continued, "By law, he will be old enough to join the High Council then. What's a month earlier? It isn't all that surprising the High Council decided to grant him entrance before his formation day."

"If only I was not so untrusting of their true motives, specifically of Serenity's motives," Plasmius answered with a frown.

"She probably wants to carve out answers from your son that you will not give," Skulker replied with a small smile. "But she is not as clever as she thinks. And your son, while impulsive, is not as naïve."

"No He's not," Vlad muttered as he thought back to his conversation with his son about the human rebels. His son's ability to devise such a clever plan truly had impressed him.

"Not that I am against it, but why have you brought him home?" Skulker suddenly asked curiously. "I know it's not because of the High Council's decision to grant him a chair before his sixteenth formation day."

"I wish I could say I have brought him home just to make him happy," the King answered with a sigh as he moved his arms off the couch and sat forward. "The Red Huntress is in Wisconsin. Apparently, she has been there for some months now... But mostly, I am concerned about Chrome. He's been too quiet. I know he is planning something, but I have not been able to get close to him to find out what... He has not been returning my calls as Vladmir... Last I heard, he was in D.C—that is where the main Guys-in-White headquarter is... And if he is there, it is because those hunters are getting ready to fight back Or try, at least."

"Are you worried they could take back Amity Park?" Skulker asked. "Technus told us about the rebellion there..."

"The rebellion... I had initially thought the Fentons had returned, but it is not the Fentons...," he answered, annoyed.

Skulker nodded knowingly. "They are human whelps... No older than your son, apparently. It might not be the Fentons, but they could be working for them..."

Plasmius' lips pursed. "I have no doubt. But I had hoped with the removal of the Guys-in-White and the Fentons, those children would not be a problem anymore... As you know, Amity Park has some of the most advanced anti-ghost weaponry in the states. It has always been a threat to our world; and more than ever, I need complete control of that city, Skulker. I cannot have children getting in the way of my plans..."

"Then, you know what we must do."

The King narrowed his eyes, and muttered darkly, "And believe me, I would have by now, except I do not know who these little hunters are... Like Chrome, the Fentons have also gone quiet—though I have a suspicion of where they hide. All the same, even if Vladimir asked, I know Maddie and Jack would never reveal any of their little helpers whereabouts, not even to their 'old friend'... It's infuriating that I have no real way of infiltrating, let alone, stopping those brats!"

"Well, you don't have a way to get to them... But maybe someone their age could...," Skulker replied with a smirk.

Vlad sighed sharply. "You do not think I have thought of that?"

"Honestly? I am surprised you have at all," Skulker replied, raising an eyebrow. It just now sunk in. The hunter hadn't taken Vlad seriously about all his earlier talk about Danny. But now, after hearing his friend just admit that he had already been thinking about getting Danny involved only meant that Vlad truly believed his son had matured over the past six months.

"Are you considering it?" Skulker quickly asked, shocked.

"Not at first," the older hybrid answered hesitantly. "But if you saw Daniel out there, Skulker... If you could hear him speak and act... You would hardly recognize him. I barely recognize him..."

Vlad paused after saying that. Of course, he believed his son capable of so much. But the truth was he had been very worried about Daniel being out in the Human World just six months ago. Not just because of the dangers, but because he had had doubts his son could handle being human. And while it was still clear his son hated it, it was astonishing how... easily the boy could now play the part

And yet this also scared the older hybrid. The way his son had glared at him on that boat after his quarrel with Samantha... The easy way he had devised that plan to manipulate the humans into submitting with their own free will... It was impressive, but so unlike his son.

"I have no doubt he could be of great help to me in Amity Park," Vlad finally admitted quietly. "I almost think it would be all too easy for him to accomplish what we need... But I would be putting him right in the middle of a dangerous situation. What if the Guys-in-White return, or the Fentons?"

"They would have to risk stepping into human territory claimed by you," Skulker countered. "I do not think he would be in as much danger as you think. And if it worries you so, add more of your sentinels there. In fact, you could assign the territory to Walker. He has been insisting to help out in the Human World for some time... The warden is extreme in his duties, but maybe that is a good thing when it comes to dealing with the humans... Personally, I think having your son infiltrate the rebel group in Amity Park is a great idea. Besides, he will be 'Daniel Masters'. No one will suspect a thing. They have not thus far... It would be perfect."

Vlad fell quiet. As king, the choice was obvious. He really shouldn't be hesitating. But as a father... the thought of his son in Amity Park...

"I will have to give it more thought," he finally said. "However, I do like your idea of getting Walker involved. If anyone can keep Amity Park under control, it would be him..."

Skulker nodded. "In the meantime, you did not really answer why you brought your son back home; or what it has to do with that huntress in Wisconsin?"

"As I mentioned, Chrome has been too quiet, and now the Red Huntress has made herself known in Wisconsin. While I am suspicious of this, it also gives me the opportunity to get their attention And possibly even the attention of the third member of their group..."

"Aragon's son? You really think he is still alive?" Skulker asked, astonished.

"I have not completely discarded it just yet," Vlad admitted. "But if he is, I am sure Gregory will not be far from the Red Huntress... I need a sure way of drawing them all out and hopefully laying my suspicions of that child to rest..."

"A sure way...? And what would that be?"

Vlad didn't respond right away. "Well I'm not sure."

Skulker scoffed. "How long have we known each other Plasmius? You have something in mind. Just say it."

Vlad shook his head. "I did not come up with it... Daniel did. He wants me to use him as bait. Of course, I said 'no'. He suddenly sighed in aggravation. "I hate that I have to dangle my son to force my enemies out. There must be another way."

Skulker stared in disbelief, and yet, he was now starting to understand why Vlad had said his son was growing up.

"That's why you brought him back," Skulker suddenly realized.

"I brought him back because he looked miserable in the Human World," Vlad replied. "And I needed to distract him from this absurd idea."

"Or, you needed him back to gather your warriors to discuss how we will be doing this...," Skulker said with a smirk.

Vlad jolted. "What are you talking about? I told you I already said 'no'."

"I'm sure you did. But we both know—and your son knows—he is absolutely right. If you want to really draw out Aragon's son—IF he is out there, you will not have a better chance; and your son is the only one who can lure him out That is why you have brought your son back whether you want to admit it or not. Subconsciously you know this is a good plan and we need to set it in motion as soon as possible."

Vlad quieted in thought; and he realized, his friend was right. On some subconscious level he knew that while he had said 'no' out loud, he had thought it was a brilliant idea.

"I'm a terrible father," he muttered quietly.

"Don't say that," Skulker answered with a frown. "When you said you thought your son was growing up, I did not really understand that... But I am starting to see it. Plasmius, your son is both showing you and telling you he is ready. Let him help you, Plasmius. You limit yourself and you limit him because of your fear of losing him. But you said it yourself... He's growing up. And he will help you end this war once and for all If you let him."

Vlad said nothing. After all... His friend was right.

---

Danny smiled as they landed on the Forest of Emotion. He looked around at his old childhood playground. It had felt like forever since he had been here. It was one of the few places that brought him happy memories of his life, of his mother and father, and when things had been peaceful.

No matter how much he changed or the world around him changed, this place stayed constant. As if frozen in time. It would always be his haven.

Danny suddenly grinned at Ember as she got off Safear and said, "Come on!"

"Danny, wait!" Ember called as he took off at full flight. She quickly looked at her companion and said, "We'll be back!"

Ember flew off after Danny, and though she could not see him, she had a guess on where he went... Then again, it wasn't much of a guess when the Novas above them had easily illuminated the bright green trail her friend left behind in his wake.

As gloomy as her friend could get, he still had that special ability to brighten any place around him—and in the literal sense when they were in the Forest of Emotions.

It took just a few minutes, but she soon caught up and found her friend on the ground getting licked and 'attacked' by ghost griffins and certain butterfly fairies.

"Okay! Okay! I missed you all too!" Danny laughed. "Stop, that tickles!"

"Some things just don't change," Ember thought, amused.

"Yo, Ghost Prince!" she called as she landed and walked closer. "You done being doted on by your loyal subjects?"

Danny lifted his head, ignoring Lu curled on his head as she nuzzled against his short white locks like a cat pawing at their next napping place.

"What? You want to join them?" he teased. "As a Prince I do require daily doses of doting loyal subjects!"

Ember rolled her eyes though she was still smiling. "I would except you chopped off the only interesting thing about you..."

Danny stuck out his tongue at her before he grinned with his next idea. He quickly focused his energy and suddenly his hair 'grew out' into what looked like cold white flames.

Lu yelped as she flew out of his hair with a shudder and an annoyed growl.

"Heh, sorry, Lu," Danny said as he passed a hand through his hair and suddenly molded it into what looked like tied white hair, though his ponytail still moved like white flames.

Ember sat down next to him and touched the icy energy before she nodded. "Better."

She dropped her hand when Lu suddenly got in her face and bared her small fangs at her for daring to touch 'her Danny'.

But all too use to the jealous little fairy, she waved her away and looked at Danny sitting back on his elbows and smiling at her.

"What?" she asked, amused. "Hope you weren't serious about the 'doting' thing..."

Danny shook his head. "Just really glad to see you. I missed you."

"Yeah, me, too," she answered back with a small sad smile.

But he suddenly smirked, and said, "Like I said, I wasn't serious about the 'doting' thing... But... if you would like to you know, give me a foot massage, I wouldn't hate it either..."

Danny laughed and easily avoided her hitting him on his head when he slumped to the grass. But he quickly pushed back up on his elbows and smirked. "Okay, geesh, a simple 'maybe another time' would have been enough."

"You sure think you're clever, dipstick. Keep pushing your luck... I'm not beneath clunking you with my guitar," she said before reaching forward again and yanking at one of his white locks over his eyes.

"Ow," he complained as he sat up fully and rubbed his head. "I thought you said you missed me."

"I did," she replied with a grin. "It's called 'tough love'."

Danny rolled his eyes before looking up at his surroundings, "I also missed this place... It's nice to be home again..." He smiled wistfully.

It was also nice to feel like himself again...

Danny turned when he caught sight of a griffin cub coming his way and then quickly pawing at his leg. With a smile, he picked it up, placed it on his lap and began to scratch between the feathers on its head. The little creature purred its approval.

"Seriously, though," Ember added, sobering up. "I know once the news spreads of your return, everyone will be relieved to see you again. These past months... It's been surreal without you. Not just for me, but the kingdom. At school. The marketplaces. Everywhere. Ghosts talked about your absence. It was like a piece of our world was missing..."

"I'm not that important..," Danny answered, shaking his head.

"You might not think so, but you are. You mean a lot to your Kingdom, Danny. Not just because you're its Prince, but You're part of this place. You belong here."

Danny stared at her for a long moment before he lowered his gaze to the cub on his lap again. "I... I am sorry I left the way that I did...," he said with remorse.

"I know it wasn't your fault," Ember replied, though she also was looking away. "I know you were just following your dad's wishes."

"I-I don't mean that. Not just that," he answered seriously, looking back at her. "The last time we spoke..."

"Danny," Ember cut him off with a sigh. "Look, you don't have to explain anything. I mean, you can't help how you feel or don't feel about me. We gave it a try It didn't work. Doesn't mean we're not still friends..."

Danny turned, and then reached over to grab her chin to get her to look at him. "We are friends," he assured her. "But my father was right. I should have never..."

He sighed deeply as he lowered his hand. He was quiet for a moment while Ember just watched him.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," he muttered. "I'm sorry for not trusting you..."

Danny met her gaze. "I have been keeping something from you. Something I should have told you years ago."

Ember's eyes widened. "What is it?"

Danny closed his eyes in distress. He was still afraid of losing his best friend; but after six months of being away, of thinking of all he left back home and not sure if or when he would return, the young hybrid had thought much about certain things—especially about his secret.

He was still scared to tell her, but he had decided it was time to tell her.

"Remember when I got mad at you after learning my dad had allowed you to participate in the human war as long as you kept it from me...? And then, you and Elliot kept hidden the existence of Gregory...?"

"I told you why I did," she replied with a frown, unsure about the change of subject.

"But you shouldn't have...," he said seriously. "Just like I shouldn't keep this secret from you anymore. Just like I shouldn't have gotten mad at you when I made the same mistake... You're my best friend, Ember. We have known each other since we were babies; and while I might not be able to love you romantically, I do love you. I love you so much that I think it's why I can't love you like you would have wanted... You deserve someone better."

"Stop," Ember said, suddenly annoyed. "Please don't go down that cliché reason of 'Ember, you're too good for me.'"

"No," Danny said, shaking his head. He sighed sharply. "I don't mean it like that. I mean, I do, but..." He grabbed her hands before guiding one against his core. "I'm not normal, Ember. I-I mean, you can feel it, can't you?"

"What? Because of your damaged core? So what?"

"It's not just that. My core has never been normal because..."

"Because why, Danny?" she urged, worried and confused.

Danny closed his eyes. "I can't tell you... You wouldn't believe it."

Ember opened her mouth to protest.

But Danny opened his eyes and said firmly. "I need to show you instead. I just I can't here. But I will show you."

Ember hesitated. "When?"

Danny looked out into the distance, towards his palace home. It was already evening, and he knew they would not be going home today and instead would be spending the night at Skulker's home. The only place he could show her his human side was the simulation room...

"Tomorrow. When we return to the castle... I am not sure when that will be since my father hasn't announced our return yet; but as soon as he does, I know at least the council will want to see him. And we will probably also have to make a few trips... Probably go to the prison... I don't know yet, but as soon as we get a moment and get back to the caste I will show you."

Ember lowered her hand from his symbol though she stared down at her other hand being held in her friend's own.

"Can I just ask you something?"

Danny hesitated but nodded.

"This secret... Does it have to do with you being in the Human World? That is where you've been all this time, isn't it?"

Danny's eyes widened in surprise; but then sighed yet again. No, he shouldn't be surprised that his friend had figured that out. And he knew eventually she would be sure to figure out the rest. It was better he told her once and for all.

Like Elliot, she deserved the truth from him a long time ago. And while his other friend did not want to know his secret, Ember did. And even if he lost her, it was time to tell her.

"Yes...," Danny admitted quietly. "It has everything to do with that."

Ember swallowed before she nodded and pulled her hand back. She was quiet for a long moment before she said, "Johnny and the others keep asking about you."

Danny smiled weakly. "I'm sure. I miss them, too. I even miss school..."

Ember laughed half-heartedly. "You won't be saying that for long when Young Blood starts pestering you again."

"Ugh, that little brat," Danny replied before the two looked at each other and laughed.

The two finally got comfortable on the ground as they started talking about their friends and what everyone had been up to in Danny's absence.

They did their best to act like nothing had changed. But the reality was, everything had changed. And Danny knew before tomorrow was over so would his friendship with Ember...

---

A pair of hazy eyes opened for the first time in months. Of course, Gregor had no idea he had been unconscious for that long. But what he did know was that he had been hurt, and now, he felt much better than he had for a while.

His core felt strong and steady. And while his physical body and mind felt like mush, he was at least thankful he wasn't in agony.

The boy groaned softly as he turned to his side and felt the soft pillow beneath his head beckoning him to go back to sleep. This bed was comfortable. In fact, it was more comfortable than what he recalled his bed ever being; and it was definitely more comfortable than sleeping in a cage or cot at the circus. But if he wasn't in his own bed or at the circus, then...?

Wait...

When Gregor's eyes finally focused, he instinctively inspected his surroundings. If he didn't feel the panic growing in his chest at seeing the unfamiliar room actually glowing, he would have been impressed by the sheer size of it... But then, Gregor suddenly remembered what had happened and where he was...

"I need you to let them take you... I need you to pretend."

Gregor tried to jolt out of bed; but he was suddenly paralyzed with pain and all he could do was grip the bedsheet. And then his chest began to heave as if he needed air. This place... He was in the...

Ghost World!

Gregor's gaze darted to the glowing bedsheets over the lower half of his body. And when he managed to lift the blanket enough to see his legs, he saw he was wearing loose-fitting, black, glowing pants; and his upper arms and torso were wrapped in glowing white gauze.

But the worst of it all was that HE was glowing in his human disguise! Except that, he barely looked human at the moment—not when his skin was currently a deathly blue!

Gregor squeezed his eyes shut, unaware that they were currently a dull red. There was no denying he was in the Ghost World.

"It's okay... I'm okay," he breathed out. "I just have to... I-I have to find a portal home and... No, I can call Tom! He'll come get me!"

Gregor brought up his left wrist only to find his communicator was gone; and with a gasp, he further realized his energy suppressing ring was gone, too. That explained why he was glowing and why he looked so ghostly!

He suddenly was hyper-aware of the fangs in his mouth and his fork-like tongue; and as he raised a hand to touch his ears, he felt their abnormally pointed shape. This was not his normal 'human' disguise... This was something else Someone had turned him into some... some monster!

Gregor began to hyperventilate for real this time.

"You truly do not belong here."

The boy startled even more; and this time he found the strength to just pull himself up on his elbows. He then looked towards the voice that had spoken to him in Ghost Speech. It was so sudden and his mind so foggy and panicked that Gregor didn't understand what it had said.

All he could do was stare at the other, older ghost, sitting on a chair beside a small dining table.

Gregor had no idea the ghost in the room with him was Taur.

The older ghost—though maybe not by much—watched him with a mixture of distrust and curiosity. "You might look like a ghost... but your behavior, your movements, and way of speaking is completely human... Can you even speak our language?"

Gregor's eyes darted around the room as he tried to figure out what to do. Should he try to escape? Or, fight?

But either option required physical effort. And as he pushed himself to fully sit up and then felt like he was about to be sick from the effort, he knew for a fact he was so weak that he would not get more than two feet from the bed before collapsing.

Damn. Okay, new plan...

Crossing his arms to hide his shaking hands, Gregor scoffed, though mostly to mask his nervousness. "I can speak your damn language just fine...," he answered in Ghost Speech, yet his voice cracked and shook.

The older male raised an eyebrow. "Barely...," Taur answered. "Your pronunciation is abysmal... And more importantly ghosts do not breathe like a human... Unless you are pretending on purpose..."

Gregor suddenly exhaled when he instantly realized he was indeed 'breathing'. Had he always done that? If he had, he had never even noticed until this ghost pointed it out... He obviously did not need oxygen like a human would, but he must have adapted the behavior without realizing it.

But not wanting to let on that this ghost was making him more and more uncomfortable, Gregor raised an eyebrow back in challenge, and steading his voice the best he could, answered, "You want to know what I'm wondering...? I'm wondering who keeps a damn table inside a bedroom? Or, is this even a bedroom? I'm on a bed yet there's a table and a sofa... And is that a small library on the far end? And what's with all the black and purple? It's so freaking depressing! I'm all for goth; but seriously, you weirdos need an interior decorator in here! Didn't you know white is the new black?"

Taur just narrowed his eyes in confusion this time. He obviously was thrown off guard by the younger ghost's random outburst.

Gregor almost smirked when he realized he had just accomplished his goal... Ghosts' minds were easier to invade when they were mentally confused or distracted...

Gregor leaned forward to meet the older ghost's gaze. His eyes turned a brighter red as he said, "...Maybe you need time to think about it..."

But much to Gregor's surprise, he was not able to get into the older ghost's mind at all...

Taur smirked this time and asked, "Did you just try to invade my mind? My, you are bold..."

Gregor scowled back at him. But it was clear he was afraid now.

Taur shook his head and stood but did not approach the other male. Instead, he said calmly, "Allow me to enlighten you, Gregory. After all, you must be very confused right now. My name is Taur, son of your father's most trusted confidant and warrior. You are in the Ghost World. You almost died, but your father saved you. You have been unconscious for nearly six months now. We have been wondering by now if you would ever wake at all... Yet here you are... A glorious miracle... I am sure at least your parents will be pleased with this newest development."

Gregor could only gawk at hearing how long he had been out.

Taur's eyes slightly narrowed as he continued, "On a personal note, you should know I do not like you. I had hoped you would never wake up; but fortunately for you, we do not always get what we desire... Nevertheless, you have nothing to fear. I will not harm you if you give me no reason to. And you cannot harm me because... One: Aragon's home has a spell over it that keeps anyone from using most powers here. I suppose he does not like to risk his home being ruined. Two: you are weakened; and telepathic powers like yours require a sound body and mind to function to their full potential. And three: I have experience with ghosts like you."

"Yeah?" Gregor finally muttered before he suddenly attempted another mental attack at full force.

And this time, while it was clear the older ghost felt the attack, Gregor felt it more. The younger dragon ghost hissed in pain as he gripped at his spinning and now pounding head.

"Oh, you are a little fool, are you not?" Taur growled, annoyed. "You are lucky you are Aragon's son! But push me enough, and I will teach you to respect your elders!"

"Give me another day and I'll meet you outside to show you how I respect my elders," Gregor answered boldly through clenched teeth; yet his voice was now raspy again from sudden fatigue.

Taur scoffed. "Enough of your childishness... We both know your boldness is a ruse to hide how afraid you are right now... But fear not, I will take my leave. I am sure your parents will be eager to hear the 'good news' of your being awake at last..."

But as the other male turned away, Gregor suddenly spoke up, "You know my brother..."

Instantly, Taur tensed, narrowed his eyes, and turned back to the younger ghost.

Gregor smirked at finally getting the reaction he wanted. "I might not be able to get into your mind for now. But I've seen you in his mind before. Is that why you're here? Did he send you to keep an eye on me? He's that afraid of me, huh?"

Taur frowned deeply. "Perhaps you would do wise to be afraid of him. Perhaps you should consider yourself lucky he has let you live."

"Big mistake," Gregor replied darkly.

Taur stared soberly at the other ghost before he moved closer.

Gregor tensed on the bed. He knew he was pushing his luck riling up a ghost much older, and right now, much stronger than him.

"Gregory... You are either a true fool who tempts his fate or your mind has yet to truly understand your predicament...," Taur said as he stopped right next to the other ghost's bed.

But he then leaned forward, and Gregor was forced to lean back as the ghost's face moved inches from his own. "You see... In this world, you are not the only one with powers. And in this world, you have no human sentry behind you. Your brother, however... This is his world. His home. He is protected by his allies... by me. Come near him or even think of harming our kin, and you will wish you had stayed in the Human World, traitor."

Gregor narrowed his eyes and answered, "You got two seconds to get the hell away from me before I rip out your core and eat it!"

The older male's eyes widened in surprise at hearing such a crude threat. But before he could think of how to respond, they were interrupted.

"Taur."

The male dragon ghost tensed as he looked back towards the door and saw Aragon standing there.

"What are you doing here?" the dragon leader demanded with narrowed eyes as he strolled into the room.

Taur quickly moved away from Gregor, and answered, "Forgive me, Aragon. I was about to come get you to notify you of the good news! Your son has woken at last."

Aragon had noticed Gregory was awake. And although he wanted nothing more than to rejoice with the news and get to his son, he had not missed how the other ghost had been towering over his son in such a threatening manner just now.

"I asked you a question."

"Your mate, Aragon. I asked her to permit me to see Gregory."

"Why?" Aragon demanded.

Taur frowned with uncertainty. "...Elliot asked me to come. To see how his brother was doing... I meant no harm."

Aragon stared coldly at the younger male ghost before he finally said, "Leave. And tell my other son if he wishes to see his brother, he needs to come himself."

"Yes, Aragon, pardon me," Taur replied, bowing his head in submission before he headed towards the door.

But as he moved past Aragon, the older ghost suddenly grabbed his arm. Taur winced at the powerful energy that surged through him. Aragon did not need to say a word to make his threat clear.

"Before you go, find Altiĝis and tell her to come to Gregory's room, would you?"

Taur quickly nodded. And the moment Aragon released him, he did not hesitate to leave.

Aragon glared after the younger male ghost. Although he did not believe Taur would dare do anything that would be considered treason against his kin, Aragon knew if Elliot had asked him to come, it was not out of 'concern for his brother'.

Gregor had silently watched the interaction the whole time. And it was more than obvious who the head-honcho was around here. This 'Aragon' might not be a human, but this new 'wanna-be-dad' was definitely the sentry he needed by his side right now.

Too bad his fear of this same ghost could not be quelled by this fact.

"Gregory you are finally awake," Aragon said with a relieved smile.

But the moment the older male approached him, Gregor's expression filled with horror, and he tensed in preparation to fight or flee.

Aragon paused in his steps and frowned in worry. "Gregory... You do not need to fear me. I will not harm you."

"Like hell you won't!" Gregor shouted in his mind; but on the outside, he was frozen.

"There is much to tell you," Aragon said softly and dared to take a few more steps closer. "And I will explain everything; but right now, I want to make sure you are well... If you would just allow me to touch your core, I could—"

"No," Gregor whispered out, shaking his head. No, No! He didn't want this ghost near him!

"Alright," Aragon quickly said, raising his hands to assure he meant no harm. "That can wait then... Do you... Do you remember anything? What happened?"

Gregor whimpered with renewed panic. Where was Tom? He said he wouldn't leave him here! But he supposedly had been here six damn months!

"Oh, heavens! Gregory!" another voice abruptly exclaimed.

This time, the boy jolted so violently he accidently moved too close to the edge of the bed and fell off with a yelp.

"Gregory!" Aragon exclaimed and rushed over to aid his son.

"No, stay away! Stay away from me!" Gregor shouted back in a panic as he pressed himself against the lamp table behind him.

Aragon froze just as Altiĝis came up beside him. But he immediately grabbed his mate by the arm to stop her from moving any closer to their son like she wanted to.

Aragon had known it would be very hard when Gregor finally stirred. But it still troubled him to see his son so terrified. He just wanted to help his child. Make him understand no one was going to harm him.

"Gregory... Son...," Aragon called softly.

But Gregor shook his head and attempted to get to his feet to do... something! But he didn't know what!

"You're not... I'm not..."

But Gregor couldn't finish his words. He felt like his whole world was closing in on him. There was no way he was staying here! Tom had made him come here because he was dying; but he was fine now! There was no need to stay any longer!

But no matter how much he tried he could not pull himself to his feet. It felt like his limbs were all jelly and his core was now burning painfully inside him.

He vaguely heard his 'supposed parents' trying to reassure him; but his head was spinning. He was about to pass out again.

And just when he was sure he would, he felt a presence invade his mind. It was soothing. Oddly foreign; yet with it, there was a familiarity... It fogged his mind with his master's power... Oh, how he missed it!

"It's alright, pup... I will not let them harm you..." a voice purred in his mind.

Gregor had been in such a state of shock that he did not even realize that Aragon had picked him up and placed him back on the bed.

"Gregory, look at me," Aragon muttered as he placed a hand against his son's forehead. His eyes were glazed over. And for a moment, he could have sworn he saw his dull red eyes flash a brighter red.

As the boy's mind and focus slowly returned, Gregor finally realized Aragon was next to him and touching him.

"No," Gregor whimpered, wanting to get away but unable to. He squeezed his eyes close as he opened up his telepathic abilities and pleaded in his mind, "Tom... Tom, please come get me! Get me away from this ghost! You promised you wouldn't leave me here!"

But the boy knew Tom wouldn't come because he couldn't hear him. Not when they were in separate worlds.

Unable to even try to keep up a bold façade like he had with Taur, Gregor broke down. He couldn't handle this. This was his worst fear, more than drowning or being frozen alive.

When he had been younger, he would have nightmares of being sucked inside a dark swirling portal and being trapped in this monstrous world alone without his master or Tom. And now it had come true!

"Gregory, please," Aragon urged. "You are alright. We will not harm you. Please, do not be afraid."

"Let me try, Aragon," Altiĝis asked.

The older male frowned in worry at his terrified son but stood and allowed his mate to move closer.

"Be careful, Altiĝis. His mind is not all there."

"He is frightened," Altiĝis answered. "It is understandable."

She sat beside her crying son who was now turned away from them, curled into a ball and gripping his head. She had felt him attempt to use his telepathic powers. It had to be painful. His mate's powers over the castle suppressed most ghost powers. Not to mention, her son was weak.

"Gregory... My little one. Do you know who I am?" she asked gently but made no attempt to touch him.

At the sound of a different voice, Gregor remained just as tensed;but he got enough control of his emotions to listen to what she was saying.

Gregor released his hair and glanced over his shoulder at the female ghost. Her eyes were warm and understanding. Her energy was not as intimidating as the male ghost. Yet he didn't know who she was.

Gregor shook his head.

"My name is Altiĝis . I am your mother, my love."

Gregor just stared back before his eyes darted up to Aragon.

"He is your father, Aragon," she explained when she noticed his gaze.

Gregor quickly looked away and muttered, "You're lying... I-I don't have parents."

Altiĝis' eyebrows furrowed. "Of course, you do, my child. You simply do not remember."

Gregor's teeth clenched in his mouth this time. They were lying! His parents abandoned him as a baby! He didn't have parents!

"They are strangers, my pup. They mean nothing to you."

At hearing that voice again, Gregor quickly looked at Altiĝis. No, it had not been her who spoke into his mind just now... And the voice in his mind was too soft to belong to the strong male ghost in the room.

So... who was saying that?

Gregor slowly sat up and began to look around. It seemed like he was merely looking around the room. But in reality he was trying to locate that voice It kept speaking in his mind. It kept invading him without any effort. And the oddest thing was...

Gregor didn't feel threatened by it.

It is truly a relief to see you awake," Aragon spoke up again in hopes of getting his son's attention. He looked so confused; but at least he had stopped crying and his eyes were no longer glazed with panic.

"You were gravely injured," the dragon leader continued. "For a moment, we feared you would not survive. But you have And now that you are home, we can help you heal from what those terrible humans have done to you."

"Humans...," Gregor repeated, finally focusing on Aragon. This ghost... This ghost had taken him from his real home... from Tom and his master.

If he didn't hate him before he hated him now.

Anger now overriding his fear, Gregor scowled at Aragon and said in Human Speech, "Humans didn't do this to me... Ghosts did."

Altiĝis looked over at Aragon because she could not understand what her son was saying.

But Gregor didn't care if they understood or not. He refused to speak in any language but his own any longer! He didn't belong here! He wasn't one of them! And these ghosts were nothing of his!

"Son...," Aragon began with a troubled frown.

"I am not your son!" Gregor cut him off coldly before glancing at Altiĝis. She was too close. He wanted her to move away. Now.

And as if reading his thoughts, Aragon extended a hand towards his mate, and beckoned her, "Altiĝis."

The female ghost stared anxiously between her tense son and her tense mate.

But as much as she hated to admit it, Altiĝis knew Gregor was not in a good frame of mind. They had pushed him enough. And it was more than clear by his sudden change of attitude that any further probing would lead to disaster.

Reluctantly, she stood up off the bed, but stayed next to it.

Aragon sighed before he spoke again. "I know there is much you do not remember... Altiĝis and I might appear as strangers to you. But I am your father. Your true father. And Altiĝis is your mother."

"Where is my ring and communicator?" Gregor asked instead. He was done with the lies. He didn't believe their fake concern for a second.

This time, Aragon's eyes darkened as he answered, "They were destroyed along with anything human. They do not belong here."

"I do not belong here!" Gregor answered back angrily.

Altiĝis was having a hard time understanding what Gregor was saying since she did not know Human Speech fluently; but she did understand his last statement.

"Oh, my dear, Gregory," she replied in Ghost Speech. "I know it seems that way. You were taken so young from us. But this is your home. And while I know it will take time for us to rekindle our lost bond, we will be patient with you. We will help you remember who you truly are. And who we are... We love you so much and have missed you so!"

Gregor frowned with uncertainty this time. Maybe he did know this female ghost... He vaguely remembered her in another of his dreams... But it was those dreams which made no sense. It was those dreams that seemed part of those memories that always evaded him... Memories and dreams that meant little to him anymore...

"Such a soft tongue, she has... Do not let her deceive you, my pup."

Gregor tensed and quickly looked up. And that is when he saw it. There, on the small table where Taur had been sitting was another ghost. It was small, like a dog. His 'supposed parents' didn't see the creature since they were focused on him...

Was it their pet or something?

The creature chirped in amusement in his mind before it disappeared again.

"You must be famished," Aragon suddenly said, and Gregor looked back at him.

But Aragon turned his attention to his wife, and asked, "Altiĝis, why do you not alert our servants to prepare Gregory's dinner?"

Altiĝis frowned, not wanting to leave so soon. She just wanted to hold her son. But she also knew she needed to be patient. Gregory's road to recovery would certainly be a long one. But just having him here at last gave her hope. She would give him all the time in the world as long as he was here. Safe with them.

"Of course. I will return shortly."

Gregor watched his 'mother' leave the room before he looked back at Aragon.

He was still waiting for the ghost to start interrogating him. Naturally, this ghost would want information from him, right? And that meant if he didn't get it... How long would it take him to drop his smile, and show his true colors? Gregor knew he wouldn't stand a chance against this ghost even on his best day!

But much to his surprise, Aragon said, "You will have to forgive your brother's absence. Elliot has gone through quite a lot since you left us He needs time to come around much like you."

Gregor didn't reply. The last thing on his mind right now was his annoying brother. And he definitely didn't want to see him anyways.

"Can you at least tell me how you feel? Are you hurting in any way, Gregory?"

"Gregor," he corrected him, annoyed.

Aragon paused before he sighed and dared to move just a bit closer. The boy tensed again but the older male was not deterred. He felt more at ease now that Altiĝis was gone. He knew if Gregory tried to attack, he could handle him.

"...You do not realize how close you came to perishing," Aragon muttered. "Even now, your condition is still delicate. I know you do not trust me and this world is foreign to you. But believe me, no one will harm you here. You are safe. I will protect you."

Gregor looked away. He did not know why this male ghost's presence troubled him so. There were so many conflicting emotions going through him and it scared him.

He didn't like it. And he didn't understand it. He had faced off against hundreds of ghosts—ghost even much larger than this one in his dragon form. Yet, this single male ghost—even in his human appearance right now—left him paralyzed with fear.

He felt anything but safe right now.

"Son "

"I said you're not my dad," Gregor whispered back, bitterly yet clearly still scared.

Aragon paused. But instead of acknowledging the comment, he continued, "There is a lot you do not know... But we can discuss that at another time. For now, it is important you continue healing. I can help with that. If you just let me share some of my energy..."

"No," Gregor replied.

Aragon just nodded. "Alright... Perhaps later. After you have eaten something. Or, perhaps tomorrow. Now that you are here, we can—"

"And what if I do not want to stay here?" Gregor suddenly challenged, narrowing his eyes. "What if I want to go back to my real home?"

"The Human World is not your home," Aragon answered soberly. "I know you do not remember—"

"Are you going to force me to stay here? Lock me up?" Gregor cut him off again with a scowl on his face this time.

Aragon took another step closer; and he saw the boy's glare falter. Gregory tried to hide it, but Aragon saw the truth from the moment he had found him at the forest: his son was terrified of him.

But not just of him, but of everything and everyone. Gregor lived in constant fear... and by the looks of it, he had lived like this for a long time...

And his poor child didn't even seem to realize it.

What had those monsters been doing to him all these years?

"No, of course not," Aragon finally answered, keeping his voice low in hopes of calming the younger ghost.

Gregor swallowed. Why wasn't this ghost reacting like he was supposed to? Why... Why wasn't he attacking him? Or getting angry at least? Even after challenging his command to remain here, he just... he just stayed calm. Was the older male ghost trying to trick him? Waiting for him to lower his guard?

"Gregory... Gregor," Aragon spoke up again. "I am not going to force you to do anything you do not want. And as hard as it might be for you to believe, I mean you no harm. But I need you to at least understand the significance of why you must remain here. Aside from still needing time to recover, the Ghost King would not hesitate to slay you if he learns you survived his initial attempt."

Gregor frowned as he suddenly remembered Skulker running him through. While it did not surprise him it was on the King's order, he knew that robotic bastard didn't need an order. He had been out to get him for years now...

"Right now, he has no reason to believe you survived his last attack," Aragon continued, "But if he knows the truth... he will come after you again unless you remain here. This is the only place you are safe from him. So please... Let us help you... At least until you are better. At least until you realize the truth about who you really are..."

Gregor just stared back, uncertain. But while the male ghost's words were heartfelt, all the boy could think about was his master and Tom. But unfortunately, Aragon was right about one thing: he wasn't safe being back home right now. Even Tom had said so. And for Tom to have allowed him to be taken away by this ghost, the hunter had to have really been worried about him. Besides, if what Aragon was saying was true, the King and Skulker believed him dead. And that was definitely to his advantage right now...

"I need you to pretend for as long as needed. Can you do that, Gregor?"

Gregor quietly sighed as he remembered what Tom had said to him...

"That's right, my pup... The hunter said to pretend It will be fun. It will be easy."

Gregor listened to the voice, and he took comfort and strength from the familiar energy around the unknown creature also in the room. Alright... He could do this. If it meant getting back home sooner... He would play this game.

"Okay," Gregor replied softly. "I don't really remember my life outside of the Human World... But maybe I can remember again?"

Aragon smiled warmly. "Yes, that is my hope, too."

At that moment, Altiĝis walked in rolling a food cart in front of her. "How fortunate dinner was ready when I arrived at the kitchen. I hope you are hungry, my child."

Gregor stared at the female ghost as she placed the cart right next to him on the bed.

Altiĝis didn't hesitate to reach over to the trays' covers and hadn't noticed that Gregor's entire body had tensed as she drew nearer to him. The teen obviously did not like her proximity.

"Altiĝis, why do we not let Gregory eat in peace? He just regained awareness and all this is very new to him," Aragon said, extending his hand towards his mate to get her to move away.

As much as he wanted to help his son, Aragon was not foolish. He knew the boy was as dangerous as a caged earthly beast. They had to tread carefully but patiently with him. And he knew that was hard for his wife to understand.

Altiĝis glanced back at Gregor who was watching her with distrust.

She frowned sadly. She wanted so much to just be near him and hold him; but clearly that would take some time.

She smiled weakly. "Yes, you are right, my mate..." But focusing back on her son, she asked, "Will you be okay on your own, my child?"

Gregor quickly nodded. He wanted them to leave... Leave so he could figure out what he was going to do . And find out who the other ghost in the room was.

Aragon nodded. "Alright... We will return to check on you in an hour or so. Ring the servant bell on the wall there next to your bed if you need anything."

Gregor said nothing as, finally, Aragon and Altiĝis stepped out of the room, leaving him alone. Gregor let out a sigh of relief as he pressed his head back on his pillow and closed his eyes.

But then, suddenly, his eyes snapped open again and he sat up to look at where that ghost had been. That wolf-like ghost... He knew that creature. He had seen him once before... when Tom and his men had captured it and others of the King's warriors!

"Come out," Gregor muttered nervously while searching for the invisible ghost.

Yeah, he definitely knew this ghost. Gregor remembered even subjecting him to his telepathic powers. But hadn't it escaped the GiW when Phantom busted them out? So why had it been here just now? What if... What if the wolf-ghost was working with the Ghost King?! What if it was here to finish the job!

Crap!

Feeling panicked again, Gregor turned to his side to try to get off the bed. But again, his body felt like lead. If he wasn't so weak, he knew he could defend himself from the relatively small but hardy ghost. But right now... He was a sitting duck! He needed to get out of here before...

"Mmrp?"

Gregor jolted with the strange chirp; but then he gasped at seeing that wolf ghost sitting at the end of his bed, just staring at him with its red eyes.

Gregor raised a hand to blast the creature away with his ghost powers; but his energy just fizzled out. His core jolted painfully, and he cried out softly as he leaned forward a bit while gripping his chest.

He really wasn't recovered!

The ghost wolf barked softly and began to move closer.

"Hey, no! Stay away!" Gregor shouted, turning to reach for that bell—or anything that could save him! He did not want to get run through again!

"It's alright, young one... My name is Juukka. And I am not here to harm you..."

Gregor tensed as he heard the creature's voice in his head again. He was still amazed at how easily the ghost was able to invade his mind.

If Gregor wasn't so alarmed, he would have been a bit jealous of this creature for slipping into his mind without any effort. After all, it had never come easy to him in all the time he had invaded the minds of all those other ghosts—unless it was his twin..

"What do you want?" Gregor asked nervously. This ghost was weird. It had a helmet and some kind of half-body armor. It was like a dog and a robot got merged together.

It was still creepy as hell... It reminded him too much of Skulker for his liking, too.

"I come to you with a message... I have been waiting for you to wake to give it to you..."

Gregor frowned, but still asked, "Message from who?"

Juukka's claws quickly typed a command on the device on his wrist.

To Gregor's surprise, the creature pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper from a compartment and placed it down on the bed for him to take.

Gregor frowned even more but still tentatively reached forward and grabbed the note.

He unrolled it and was surprised by the very short message that read:

'Meet your new pet Make sure to make him your pet. We will talk soon.'

This time, Gregor stared back in surprise at Juukka. "...Tom sent you?"

It had to be Tom. No one else would tell him to make a ghost 'his' by mentally controlling them. Not even his master would order him such a thing; but then again, his master didn't know about the extent of his telepathic abilities.

Only Tom knew.

But Gregor almost instantly relaxed at the fact that this ghost was somehow sent by Tom and not by the Ghost King. But now that he was really looking at Juukka, Gregor noticed and felt something else about the ghost... It was the reason why his energy felt so familiar and comforting...

"You are under my master's power...," Gregor muttered with realization, and he suddenly felt the tension in his shoulders melt.

The teen was so relieved that he had finally calmed down enough to notice that the aura and feel of his master's staff was all over this creature. And its red eyes did have that odd yet familiar glow to them. Gregor sighed in understanding at his next thought. He had been more than frightened when he had awoken. He had also been anxious because he had been apart from his master for too long. And now, he felt strangely...happier with Juukka's being here because he now felt closer to his master.

Was it possible this creature was acting as a conduit or open channel between him and his master?

"Yes, we have the same master. But my orders have come from the hunter... Our master has asked me to follow his orders and come to you."

Gregor just stared back at the ghost. He knew what Tom had meant by making Juukka his pet. But right now, he was too weak to do that. But even if he wasn't, he knew he did not want to sever his connection to Freakshow completely. He liked feeling his master's presence through this creature. So, disrupting that anytime soon was out of the question—even if Tom had order it.

"Maybe... Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought," Gregor muttered. He darkly narrowed his eyes as he added to himself, "I just gotta pretend to be the 'lost son' that idiot ghost thinks I am; and as soon as Tom says it's safe, I can go back home... But not before killing every single ghost in this place, including my brother. They won't see it coming..."

Dark glee suddenly swirled in his core; and he just as suddenly felt more like himself again. Yeah, he could do this. It would just be another performance like the ones he did at the circus. And these ghosts would buy the whole thing. It was going to be hilarious.

"Juukka, come here...," Gregor commanded with a smirk.

The wolf-ghost approached without hesitation and sat like an obedient mutt beside him. Its vacant eyes only expected to obey...

"I've never had a pet dog before...," the boy said thoughtfully, reaching forward to place a hand on Juukka's slightly lowered head. He felt the ghost's power. And boy was this creature powerful! How did Tom even manage to trap him a second time?

"...I think I might like this... We could help each other out," Gregor continued, a dark glint in his eyes.

"I am here to help that is my command," Juukka answered him mentally.

"Well, I definitely need help. Hey, you hungry? Want some weird ghost food?" Gregor suddenly asked, removing his hand from Juukka and turning to pull the food cart a little closer to the bed. "What's good on here? Eww... It's glowing. And why the hell is it purple and green?"

"It is good, young one. Juukka is hungry. Have not eaten for days..."

Gregor smirked as he grabbed some kind of bread by the looks of it and handed it to the ghost.

The creature moved even closer and took the food with a soft happy chirp.

"Yeah... This will definitely work," Gregor said as he watched the ghost eat. "I feed you and... You feed me "

Gregor reached forward again and placed his hand on Juukka's helmet. The creature whined when he begin to glow bright green and could feel his energy being drained by the dragon ghost.

But Juukka let him. He knew the young ghost was weak. He was here to help. He had to obey. And besides, the young ghost was kind enough to offer him food.

Gregor closed his eyes as he felt some of his strength return. It was not enough to feel completely better... but at least he didn't feel like every movement was a chore. He was definitely fortunate the energy-suppressing power around this place had not impeded him from using his absorption power. And he wasn't about to wonder why.

What he really wanted to do was to reach into this ghost's chest, take his core and eat it. That would definitely put him on the road to recovery...

But then Tom might not be too happy with him if he killed his first pet dog.

Gregor frowned in annoyance before he finally removed his hand from the wolf ghost and focused back on the trays of food. He grabbed one with some kind of green mush.

"Is everything here green and purple?" Gregor asked, grossed out.

"That is terpoma krambo [1]. Very nutritious! And yes, quite a lot of green or purple! Everything is energy-dense here. Everything good for ghosts. Eat, my pup. It will make you strong."

Gregor sniffed the plate of food and gagged. "Oh, hell no!"

He put the plate on the bed in front of the other ghost, and said, "Here, you eat this crap. I'm not!"

Juukka wagged his tail and he began to devour the food.

Gregor whined as he watched the ghost. Did he really need a ghost dog? Tom had to understand if he ate him, right? He wouldn't want him to starve!

"No, pup. Juukka is not food. Ghosts do not eat flesh of the living," Juukka suddenly said.

Gregor tensed. "Wait... How did you know what I was thinking?"

"We are connected... I have connected us. It allows me to know how you are... If you need me," the ghost answered as it stopped eating to look at him.

Gregor narrowed his eyes. "I don't want another ghost in my head. My idiot brother is enough!"

"Juukka can only connect when I am close to you or nearby I have been staying close to you since you came here... Watching you. Protecting you. Helping you heal."

"I can't heal if I starve to death," Gregor muttered, looking at the last food tray on the cart, and putting it on his lap. This one looked like a colorful salad.

Gregor smiled in spite himself. "Sam would love watching me eat this garbage..."

But his smile fell as he felt his core pang with sadness. How was Sam doing? And... And Valerie? Did she know he was stuck here?

No... No, Valerie wouldn't know. So, did that mean she thought he was dead? He cringed at the very likely possibility. He wanted to see her. To tell her he was okay. But also, to make sure she was okay.

"Did Tom say when I can go back?" Gregor asked softly, still staring at his plate of food.

"Not yet, pup," Juukka answered. "Not safe. You still need to heal."

"I've been asleep for six damn months! Do you know how insane that is?!"

"Juukka kept you asleep. It was best. You were very hurt. And this place... Ghosts cannot be trusted."

"You're a ghost," Gregor muttered.

"Juukka is loyal to his master and pup. Juukka is here to help."

"Yeah, you told me ," Gregor answered a bit annoyed as he looked back at his food. He finally picked up the fork, stabbed some of the salad, and put it in his mouth.

Only to spit it back out.

"Oh my God! It's worse than I thought! Do ghosts have no taste buds?!"

Juukka chirped in amusement. "Pups always hate their legomoj.[2]"

Gregor wanted to cry. He was sooo hungry! And he just wanted a steak with mashed potatoes and buttery rolls! Hell, he'd even take a Nasty Burger right now! Tom always added the energy supplements and it was just divine!

Gregor looked back at Juukka and asked half-seriously, "Are you sure I can't eat you...? How about that other ghost? Taur...? Damn... I should have kept my threat... Hide his core under my pillow so my fake ghost dad doesn't see it..."

Juukka tilted his head. "You have a strange imagination, young one... Ghost should not eat other ghosts because it makes the core unstable. Too many contaminants. Most core energies are not compatible with other ghosts with the exception of Life Energy used to procreate... But the flora here and Novas... They contain pure energy. That is the energy that you want. It yields a healthy core. A strong and always stable core."

Gregor stared at the ghost wolf for a moment before he said, "You can't even hunt down a small ghost for me? Come on, I need to eat something!"

Juukka tilted his head again. "Pup is hungry?"

"Yeah!" Gregor exclaimed. Had this ghost not been listening to him? Maybe he should eat his core for being so stupid.

But to his surprise, Juukka abruptly created a portal and leapt into it.

Gregor groaned as he laid back on the bed. "Great... There goes my dinner."

But literally two minutes later, Juukka appeared again from another portal.

He plopped a bag on the bed, and by the scent alone, Gregor knew exactly what it was.

"No way! You got me burger and fries!" Gregor exclaimed and reached for the bag with utter happiness.

But Juukka snatched it away.

"Hey, the hell...?"

"No, pup," the creature replied. "Human food must be supplemented first..." Juukka put the bag back on the bed and raised his arm to open a compartment on his suit.

Meanwhile, Gregor scowled at the other ghost. He was hungry, damn it!

But as soon as Juukka took out some capsule with a glowing green liquid, the teen quickly snatched it away, and then also took the bag. He quickly unwrapped the burger and took the fries out. He hurriedly placed part of the capsule between his teeth, yanked its top off and then dumped its entire contents all over the food. He didn't even bother to wait for it to absorb fully before he started devouring the food.

God, he was starving! And this tasted like the best burger and fries he ever had in his life!

Juukka watched him curiously. The child was definitely hungry. But he then said, "You like?"

"Uh, yeah!" Gregor answered between bites of his food. He paused only a second and asked, "How did you get this anyways?"

"I made a portal to the Human World. There is human food everywhere there. It is from 'Mi.k-e'."

He pointed at the name written on the bag in black marker.

Gregor grinned. And while the fact that the ghost had stolen someone's to-go order was funny as hell, he was more excited by his other revelation. "You mean you can open a portal for me to go back home?!"

"Yes, but you have to stay here for now."

"Yeah, right, but that's freaking cool! That means, I have a way out in case things become too much here! Dog, you gotta teach me how to do that The portal thing..."

"I can teach when you are well," Juukka answered with a wagging tail. "And I am not this 'Dog'. My name is 'Juukka'."

Gregor's grin widened; but suddenly, he realized he was smiling at a ghost...And he quickly scoffed. "Yeah, whatever... And I mean, I'm just asking since we gotta work together for a while I guess you could make yourself useful by showing me stuff and feeding me."

Juukka laughed. "Juukka will teach; but as for food, this is temporary. You will need to learn to eat ghost food... Supplements and human food is not enough... Not good enough."

Gregor rolled his eyes. "What the hell do you think I've been eating all my life? This and ghosts."

Juukka's ears pressed back. "It might have kept you alive... But it has affected your core."

Gregor frowned in confusion.

"You absorb other ghost energy... It is not a natural ability for dragon ghosts You have developed it out of necessity."

"So?"

"Well, unnatural abilities always stress the core... Weakens it. Destabilizes it. You might think you feel better, but in the long term, it will shorten your life span. There are other ways to recharge a ghost core without needing to use unnatural ways Juukka can teach."

Gregor thought about that as he munched on the last of his fries before he shrugged. "Sure... Might as well make this hellish vacation worthwhile..."

Gregor suddenly grinned at Juukka and added, "I got a good puppy!"

Juukka just tilted his head, confused.

---

Clockwork smiled as he looked into his viewing glass and saw his protégé was back home. It had been too long since he had physically seen him. Almost a year now. He knew it was for the best; but that did not mean he did not miss the young Prince.

And after Horris' death, the time ghost was lonelier than ever.

But he had already accepted his fate. His punishment was knowing Time. And he would always be cursed by it.

Nevertheless, he knew even he had a purpose in the grand scheme of things. So, until then, he would continue to bear his powers.

And help where he could.

Currently, he was still aiding a certain dragon ghost, even if his help was not always welcomed. But with Gregory finally awake, Elliot was going to need all the help he could get...

He needed to see him today. Perhaps Elliot would be more receptive once he learned of Gregory's recovery...

Clockwork's musings were interrupted by a sudden knock on his door.

"A visitor...? It's been months...," he muttered.

He briefly considered ignoring it; but with a sigh, he floated over to the door.

He quickly regretted his decision.

"Serenity..."

The head Ancient smiled. "My dear Clockwork. It has been so long. May I come in?"

"Do I have a choice?"

She chuckled. "There is always a choice... Isn't that your motto?"

Clockwork didn't answer and just opened the door wider to allow her in. He then led them to his living room.

"Can I get you anything to drink?"

"My, how hospitable!" she teased. "Last time I was here you all but kicked me out of your home."

"I could do that again, if you prefer," Clockwork replied dryly.

She chuckled again before sitting down. And when he did the same, she said, "I wanted to see how you are doing."

"I am well. Anything else?"

"Hmm... Alright, no small talk then. I need your help."

"My help? The head Ancient? The second most powerful ghost in the Ghost Kingdom needs the help of an exiled male ghost? ...That is a surprise." He smiled at his own sarcasm.

"I hardly care about the power. I see it as a great responsibility."

Clockwork nodded. "A great responsibility indeed... with the power to enthrone kings and dethrone them, too."

Serenity didn't react.

But Clockwork knew that indifferent, calm look all too well.

He suddenly narrowed his eyes. "I will not help you dethrone Plasmius."

"But you would help me enthrone Prince Phantom."

Clockwork scoffed. "You do not want either of them as a ruler. You decided that the moment you learned what they were... Abominations, I believe is your word of choice!"

Serenity sighed impatiently. "Dear Clockwork I would think you of all ghosts would understand. Why do you all make me out to be the enemy?"

"You are not the enemy. But you are a threat."

"Why?" she challenged. "Because I want what is best for this world? This Kingdom? Because I do not hold 'love' for rulers? Believe me, Clockwork, I have seen the rise and fall of many kings, and one thing I learned is that it is a mistake to 'get attached'. They are fickle. Sooner or later, they all are. It is not Kings that keep this world stable and this Kingdom grounded. It is those beside the King. The High Council. The Ancients. The head Ancient: me. And when we lose sight of that, it only spells disaster. Just look at what happened to Horris!"

"Do not speak to me of Horris! Do not!" Clockwork hissed angrily.

"Why not?" she replied with her own glare. "He is dead because of our wonderful King."

"Vlad did not murder him."

"No, Horris' love for the King did. He chose to keep Plasmius on the throne despite of his treason to the Ancients."

Clockwork angrily stood up. "You know exactly why Horris kept that secret from the Ancients—why he made the Ancients vow to keep it from the rest of the High Council!"

Serenity remained seated, unbothered by the clearly agitated male. "Yes as I said, it is his love for the King that killed him. It is that same love that allows the real enemies to continue to move and plot against us all. Well, I hold no such love."

"Your words are treason," Clockwork muttered, displeased.

"I am not required to love my King. I am required to be loyal to him. And I am. As long as he is King, I will keep my vow. But in the meantime, I am looking towards the future: The Ghost Prince. In his absence, I have considered a few things. But mostly I realized how young he is..."

Clockwork glared at her as he sat back down before he answered condescendingly, "Quite a realization..."

Serenity just smiled patiently. "'Young' means impressionable. Malleable. As much as I try to council the Ghost King, he is stuck in his ways. His son, however... Perhaps there is hope for him. I will admit his condition is less than desirable. But who knows, maybe in time there will be a solution to that."

"You want to 'fix' his humanity? I am starting to question your sanity... More than usual."

"Careful, Clockwork. I might enjoy your company, but do not forget who you speak to.." she suddenly warned.

Clockwork just scoffed.

"My point is, our Prince so far follows in his father's footsteps because he has no one else to lead him. But if there was someone else to mold him. To help him see things our way, perhaps there is hope for him and his rule."

"And you, of course, would be who would 'mold' him into this 'great king'?" Clockwork asked, rolling his eyes.

"No, dear Clockwork. You."

Clockwork immediately frowned.

"It cannot be of a surprise to you," Serenity replied with a raised eyebrow. "If there is anyone in the Kingdom who our Prince looks up to more than his own father, it is you. After all, he has disobeyed his father's wishes just to come see you in the past. That says enough for me to know you are the perfect ghost for the job... And really, it is your responsibility... You are his guardian. Named so by the King and Queen at his presentation."

"I was until I was exiled."

"Dear Clockwork... What do you think will happen once Prince Phantom is King? Do you really think he would uphold his father's decree over you?" Her smile widened. "I do not think so."

"I will not help you manipulate him."

Serenity tsked. "Such a harsh word… I am simply looking to do what is best for the Kingdom. In fact, to prove to you I speak honestly, I will make a vow to you. Help me mold the Prince, and once he is King, I will step down as Head Ancient and have him offer the position to you. Your exile will not only end, but you will become the second most powerful ghost in the Kingdom. All you have to do is help me."

"And if I do not? If I say no, and just kick you out now?" Clockwork challenged.

Serenity smiled. "You said it yourself. I have the power to dethrone kings even future Kings."

She suddenly stood. "Think about it, dear Clockwork. Ultimately, we all want the same thing... Prince Phantom on the throne... I would just like it to happen sooner rather than later. If he has you at his side, he will no longer need his father..."

"You want Danny to dethrone his own father? That will never happen."

Serenity walked towards the door, and after opening it, she smiled back and replied, "Of course he will. He is his father's son, and our King knows all about dethroning family members. It is already in motion. The High Council has agreed to allow the Prince to join the council before his sixteenth birthday. And sure, it is just a few weeks earlier; but as I said, we all want the same thing. Danny will dethrone his father because Vlad loves him too much to stop it from happening "

Clockwork's teeth clenched as he watched the female finally leave his abode.

He really should not have answered the door.

---

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Qwan muttered to himself as he headed deeper down a dark tunnel behind Star.

It was still surreal how his life had been flipped upside down in a matter of months. From going to barely believing in ghosts, to no ghost could take down Amity Park, to joining the Fenton's rebel group... It was insane!

Yet, here he was.

But, what else could he do? Everything changed after Star had told him about her secret life just weeks before the Ghost King attacked Amity Park and successfully took over. Now, his choice was to either accept having his life controlled like Dash and Paulina were doing; or, he could follow in his girlfriend's footsteps and fight against it.

Honestly, he probably would have kept his head down if it wasn't for Star. He did care about her;and so he naturally worried about her safety. But also seeing her risking her life like this was kind of inspiring. Just fighting for the greater good almost felt like it gave his life meaning beyond himself.

And after hearing how all this started, after learning all the Fentons had lost and how they were still trying to fight to save humanity from a monster, Qwan had gained the courage and motivation to become Team Fenton's latest member.

Still, it was insane!

He still had lots of doubts. Like, he couldn't understand why he couldn't share with his friends like Dash about the Fentons. Who knows? Maybe he would join. Heck, a lot more people would join if the Fentons were not so secretive about their rebel team! Qwan was sure there were plenty of people who wanted to fight against the Ghost King's control!

But Star had insisted he couldn't tell anyone. So, at least for now, he would respect that.

"Are you sure we're not lost?" Qwan whispered to his girlfriend.

Star glanced back at him and shrugged. "I never said I was sure. All I know is I have no idea where we're going just stay close. At least we'll all be lost together."

Qwan's eyebrows furrowed before he glanced further past his girlfriend and saw the silhouette of more of Team Fenton ahead of them.

Everyone knew that Amity Park had underground shelters. They were built at least ninteen years ago soon after the last Ghost King, Pariah, had tried to take control of Amity Park. What he had not known was that these shelters were connected by a series of underground tunnels. It was like a whole other Amity Park underneath the actual city, except it was cold and dark. And very little management of the underground shelters meant these tunnels had seen better days...

"What if we run into ghosts?" Qwan whispered back. "These tunnels are so small we would be easy picking!"

"Relax, man," Mikey suddenly said from behind him, having heard his question. He was taking up the tail of their little group. "Ghosts have no idea these tunnels exist; and if they did, they couldn't get in anyways. There are ghost-proof shields around all the shelters and tunnels. They run on their own battery, much like each individual shelter does. It's pretty amazing, actually. The power source was created to last up to twenty years. But it also has the ability to be recharged, which the GiW did yearly to assure the city's emergency protocol was always ready in case of an invasion."

"Hate to break it to you, Mikey," Star jumped in, "but the Guys-in-White stopped annual maintenance on the shelters for almost five years now. Agent Chrome did not think it was as important to keep the shelters 'up-to-date', and since our wonderful Mayor Gomez was in his pocket, no one said anything about it."

"Um, but the battery is supposed to last twenty years, right?" Qwan quickly asked, now even more nervous. "So, that means we still at least have fifteen more years before this whole system fails, right?"

Star shrugged. "In theory It's never been tested. But even if it was true, don't forget ghosts have gotten through shields before. Obviously. Or we wouldn't have been taken over by evil ghosts and currently forced to walk through dangerous underground tunnels because it's more dangerous to walk topside."

"That's reassuring," Qwan muttered, glancing around as he gripped his flashlight harder.

"Hey! Are we almost there?!" Mikey suddenly yelled towards those in front. "I don't do fieldwork! And Star is starting to freak us out back here!"

A few feet ahead, Tucker and his parents heard Mikey's shout.

"Yeah!" Tucker yelled back. "We're almost there!"

Tucker then quickly looked at his parents and asked worriedly, "We're almost there, right?"

Maurice and his wife smiled in amusement, but only his father replied, "According to this map, the tunnel will be opening up to a larger area a few yards ahead...And after we get into that larger section, we should see the entrance we're looking for somewhere to the left."

But the twins Lester and Nester, who were in the middle of the line, heard the interaction of both parties.

The brothers smirked at each other before Nester, who was the closest to Star, Qwan and Mikey, asked, "What do you guys think? If we actually get lost down here, or these tunnels suddenly collapse, what will take us first? Lack of air, or the cold?"

"Ugh, you two are such freaks!" Star snapped.

"But, babe, he's right," Qwan muttered nervously. "We'd either die of hyperthermia or suffocate! Neither end is very reassuring!"

"Whatever! I can't put up with you guys anymore! Move!" Star snapped as she pushed past the twins to get closer to Tucker and his parents.

Now, she had to admit that she was a bit worried; and once she reached Tucker from behind, she nervously whispered, "We're not lost, right?"

But at hearing the nervous girl's question, Tucker's parents smiled back at her, and Angela replied, "Don't worry, hun. We'll be just fine."

Star just nodded, though she wasn't sure if she felt any better.

Right then, Maurice spoke up. "Look! I think it's up ahead!"

There was a dim light in the distance, and it wasn't from any of their own flashlights. The team moved just a bit faster, and everyone let out a sigh of relief when they finally saw the tunnel open up and then found a sealed metal door on the left.

Maurice glanced at his wife, and she answered his unspoken question. "They said to knock."

Maurice shrugged before he turned and knocked on the heavy door.

The team instantly jumped when the frame around the door lit up just like the ghost portal did back at FentonWorks.

And soon, the door opened on its own and Jazz was standing on the other side!

"Took you guys long enough."

"Jazz!" the teens, except Quan, exclaimed as they lunged forward and almost knocked her over with their group hug.

"Oh, wow! Ekk! I've missed you guys, too!"

"We're also glad we're not dead!" Lester quipped.

"But yeah, seeing you again is just as great!" his brother added.

Jazz just shook her head at the twins before focusing on Maurice and Angela. She quickly walked over and hugged them.

"We're so glad you are okay," Angela said warmly.

Maurice nodded. "Where are your parents?"

"Come on. They—" Jazz stopped when she finally noticed there was a new person in the group.

Jazz quickly looked back at the two adults for an explanation.

"We'll tell you all about it," Maurice reassured her.

Jazz nodded before looking back at the boy. "Qwan," she quickly acknowledged before she turned and walked away without waiting for his response.

They all followed Jazz down the new tunnel; and at least this one was lit.

"We wanted to reach out sooner," Jazz spoke up, "But it was really hard to get back inside Amity with all the ghost surveillance. Even with things' having settled, the Ghost King is clearly not dropping his guard."

"It's because he knows if anyone has the resources to challenge his rule, it is this town," Angela replied. "The Guys-in-White might have fled, but there is still plenty of anti-ghost technology left if you know where to find it."

"Not that we need it when we have the world's best ghost hunters and inventors on our side!" Maurice added with a smirk. "I mean, look at this! How long did it take your parents to build these hidden tunnels?"

"Well, the tunnels connecting the shelters were built by the government," Jazz replied. "But the additional tunnels that lead to the outskirts of Amity and this one... Well, my parents have always liked being prepared, especially my mom."

"How come we never used these when we were trying to move around the town without ghosts seeing us?" Lester asked curiously.

"Pfft," his brother jumped in. "What part of 'these being emergency tunnels' did you not get, bro?"

"Well, that, and because we never really needed to until the shield got taken down by the Ghost Prince and then the invasion happened," Jazz added. "It was a lot easier and faster to move around topside."

"And safer," Mikey added, still slightly freaked out with the idea of the tunnels caving in on them.

"Says the loser who never left the Fenton's lab," Star mocked.

"Hey, I'm the brains around here! I do the hardest parts of the job!" the small boy complained.

"Hey, Mikey, my man," Lester intervened, "Chilax! We've all got our role to play. It's what makes Team Fenton so awesome!"

"It's just some roles are more important than others," Nester added with a grin. "Like Lester's and mine..."

"I guess being dorks is pretty important," Star teased with a grin.

"But we're your dorks, baby girl," Lester whispered back.

"Hey!" Qwan immediately protested.

But Nester quickly caught up with the jock, wrapped an arm around his shoulder without slowing down and replied, "Shhh Sharing is caring, bro."

"Get off, you—!"

"We're here!" Jazz suddenly announced, cutting off the squabbling teenagers. But she couldn't be that annoyed with their antics. She had missed their little team

Finally, at the end of the tunnel, Jazz pressed something on the black panel on the wall.

Immediately, another door opened, and everyone gasped.

It was an underground lab!

Jack and Maddie were inside, and at seeing their team after so long, they both came rushing over.

"Angela! Maurice! Kids!" Maddie beamed before hugging each one of them. Even Qwan got a hug, much to his surprise.

But the boy soon choked when Jack followed that with one of his own bear hugs! "I'm so glad to see all you rugrats! And look, Mads! We got a new one! He looks like a keeper!"

"Sir! Sir! I can't breathe!" Qwan gasped out.

"Oh, right! Ha! Lester! Nester! Bring it in fellas!" Jack then beamed as he went over to the twins.

"Mr. F!" they exclaimed.

"Yeah, man!"

"Bro hugs!"

The three roughhoused for a bit and Qwan just watched in awe as everyone greeted each other. Clearly, they all cared about each other like family. And he couldn't help but smile as he realized maybe he also could be part of this great team.

"Hey, you okay?" Star asked as she came up to him and grabbed his shoulder. "Sorry, Mr. F is... Well, he's a great guy once you get to know him."

Qwan nodded. "I get it now..."

"What?"

"Why you joined them" Qwan elaborated with a smile. "I get it."

Star looked at everyone and smiled herself. "Yeah... They can be annoying sometimes, but I can't imagine my life without them anymore."

"We have so much to show you! Come on!" Jack exclaimed as he excitedly ushered everyone in.

"Wow...," Maurice said as he looked around the lab. "Is this what you guys have been up to?"

"Oh, this? No," Maddie replied with a chuckle. "We built this years ago. Soon after we rebuilt the portal. We didn't want to risk what happened with..." She paused. "Well, what happened with the first portal."

"Yeah, so we made an underground lab right under FentonWorks. The Spectral Speeder has dual functionality in that it can travel both in air and underground. It became easy to create more tunnels with that baby!"

"Sorry, we could not reach out sooner," Maddie then said. "We needed to make sure the Ghost King or any of his spooks were not suspicious of any of you. Plus, we needed to make sure the tunnels were still undiscovered by them."

"We're just glad you are all safe," Maurice replied, and his wife nodded. "We were worried the Ghost King would target you three... You know, since he knows of you all."

Maddie answered, "We're fortunate my sister has always lived off the grid. She said she always knew the world would be overrun by ghosts eventually. So, she started preparing even during Dark's rule."

"She wasn't wrong," Jack said with a shrug.

The four adults stopped chatting when they tuned into the teenagers' conversations, which were mostly about how impressed they were by the lab. Of course, Mikey had already taken a seat and was checking out their mainframe computer, while Jazz and Tucker watched him.

Qwan, Star, Lester, and Nester were much more interested in the weapons on the shelves.

"Careful with those," Maddie called out. "We don't want any of those going off in here."

"Don't worry, Mrs. F!" Lester replied as he picked up a new-and-improved ghost bazooka.

"Sick!" the twins gasped.

"So, what have you two been up to?" Angela asked the Fentons with a smile.

"As we said, we tried to keep low for most of these past months," Maddie answered, "If the Ghost King would discover any of this, then we'd be done for. So, we waited, and finally, we found an opening to getting back in without getting caught."

"Actually, we timed it with that last anti-ghost bomb you guys set off last month," Jack added with a grin.

"Oh, yes... We took out at least twenty of the Ghost King's guards," Maurice replied proudly.

"I would have preferred if you all had continued to keep a low profile. That was a risky move," Maddie replied with a frown.

"We could only stand by and do nothing for so long," Maurice replied with a sigh.

"And, of course, we were careful to use long range attacks, so no one was seen," Angela added. "Those ecto-bombs you created, Maddie, sure have come in handy. We might not have been able to do much these past months; but you can bet we have not made the Ghost King's takeover of the town easy."

"He's going to realize very soon his victory is short-lived," Maddie replied with a glare. But then she smirked, and said, "Come on. Let me show you what we've really been working on..."

"Yeah, we're taking back our home!" Jack exclaimed.

Maurice and his wife were immediately all that more interested.

---

The next day just before noon, the King and Prince flew towards the council island. By now, the High Council members and most of his warriors were informed of their return. So, of course, a meeting was called.

After the meeting, they would need to also go to the prison, and make a few stops to see some of the King's warriors. And so, it would still be quite awhile before they could return to their castle.

During their flight to the council, Danny and Vlad spoke about things they had yet the opportunity to catch up on. Eventually, the topic of 'Ember' came about...

Plasmius immediately slowed down his flight upon hearing what his son had just told him.

"You are going to tell her? Are you sure?"

Danny's eyebrows drew in. "Shouldn't I? She is going to figure it out sooner or later, Father. We are too close, and Skulker already knows... I just..." Danny sighed and stopped flying all together.

His father also halted.

"I am tired of this secret..."

The older hybrid shook his head. "Daniel, I am not disagreeing with you. I am just merely surprised, that's all. Then again, as I have told you before, I am more surprised you have not told Ember sooner."

"She means so much to me, Father. If I lose her...," he answered fearfully. He shook his head, not wanting even to imagine the thought. "You know I once asked her if she thought a ghost and a human could ever be friends if it wasn't for the circumstances... She would not even consider it, Father."

"Of course she would not," Vlad answered soberly. "And it's an unfair question, Daniel. This enmity between humans and ghosts has been around even before I was formed. And asking someone to imagine anything different is, well unimaginable... Do you think Skulker would be my friend if I had been born human? If he and—even your mother—were ever to have accepted my human-half, it was because they knew me. And because we had a bond before what happened to me, what I became did not matter. You have a similar bond with Ember, and I can assure you, it is stronger than anything else. She will accept you as you are. And if you have finally chosen to tell her, I think you have realized this now, too."

"It doesn't make it any easier...," Danny muttered. He paused before adding, "And ending things with her romantically has already put a strain on our friendship."

"Did you, really?" Vlad replied hesitantly.

Danny nodded. "I did it before I left to the Human World... You were right. It's not fair to her for me to give her false hopes of us ever..."

The teen looked at his father in the eye as he confessed, "I'm not in love with her, Father... I don't think I ever can be." He frowned further. "She deserves someone normal."

"Daniel, there is nothing wrong with you," Vlad began seriously. "Just because your core is damaged and you cannot sire offspring does not mean you cannot have a family someday. Anyone who loves you will understand that. There are many orphaned children who..."

"I do not want to fall in love with her... or anyone. Ever," Danny cut him off.

Plasmius paused. Did his son really think his human-half made him unworthy of anyone ? It was all he could think of for his son to just close himself off so completely.

Vlad sighed. "If that is how you feel I will not try to sway you otherwise. You are still young, and my hope is you will eventually see things differently. But in the meantime, whatever you do... do not tell anyone of how you feel, especially anyone from the High Council."

A small smile crept on Danny's face. "Speaking from experience...?"

Vlad sighed with a mixture of amusement and aggravation before he took flight again.

And when his son caught up to his side, the King replied, "They were unbearable before you were formed... The Ancients have always been sticklers about the continuance of 'the royal energy line'."

"Maybe that needs to change," Danny answered with a raised eyebrow. "After all, having a specific energy line doesn't make you a good King... Just look at King Dark."

Vlad frowned deeply at the mention of his uncle. "Indeed." He glanced at his son as he briefly remembered Danny's origins. No... Energy lines hardly made kings. Cores did. Strong ones. Good ones. And while lately the thought of his son taking the burden of the crown felt less and less desirable to him, Vlad also felt if his son decided to sit on the thrown someday, he would make a great King... Far better than Dark.

And far better than himself...

"So, did the High Council say why they wanted me to start attending their meetings? If they are so big on tradition, why not wait another month for my formation day?" Danny suddenly asked.

Vlad smiled at his son as he replied with some amusement. "I think they—Serenity especially—were just worried I would hide you forever; and giving you a seat on the council sooner rather than later assures them the kingdom will not lose their future King."

"And what do you think of that decision?"

"Of you joining the High Council?" Vlad asked, but still replied, "While their decision was surprising, I wholeheartedly agree with it. You are more than ready to be part of the council, my boy. I think they will be as impressed by you as I have been as of late."

The Prince blushed a bit. "I hope so. I don't even know what I'm supposed to say or do..."

"Do not worry," Plasmius answered, "You will not need to do anything except listen and learn for now."

Danny did not reply; and they were quiet for a long moment before Vlad spoke up again.

"When will you be telling her?"

Danny hesitated with his father's question. Not because he did not understand it, but because saying out loud only made it more real.

"Tonight... When we return home," he muttered. "I... I am going to show her."

And when his father immediately looked at him, he added, "In the simulation room, of course..."

Vlad's eyebrows creased. "Show her? Have you finally learned to turn human?"

Danny just shook his head.

"We should probably work on that," Vlad answered with a frown. It wasn't normal that after all this time his son still could not turn human at will and had to rely on depleting his core energy or the Maximus.

"Why does it matter?" Danny questioned. "I do not have a need to turn human outside of when I go to the Human World. This would just be an exception."

"Daniel " Vlad began, worried.

Suddenly pointing at the large building in the distance, Danny cut him off and said, "We're almost there."

The King hesitated; but he decided to let this conversation go for now. It wasn't one they could have in a few minutes anyways.

"So we are...," he said instead. "Best hurry along."

The two picked up speed, and soon arrived at the High Council.

Danny did not pay much attention to their surroundings since he had been here to the island plenty of times. But as soon as he and his father entered the main building, he spotted many of the High Council members waiting for the main doors of the tribunal room to open. And then, they immediately looked at him.

"Prince Phantom! It does my core well to see you again after so long!" Nocturn exclaimed.

"Prince, you have returned to us!" an Observant said happily. "And it's such a privilege for you to join us here at last!"

"Prince Phantom! What a wonderful surprise!" Technus said

Danny smiled and thanked the ghosts as he went. Some, like Fright Knight, even hugged him. And he smiled even more. He definitely missed being around those he knew. It had been a long six months in the Human World...

As the grand doors finally opened, he felt a hand grab his right shoulder.

Danny turned around and saw that it was none other than Walker.

"Hello, Prince... It feels like each time I see you, you are growing in leaps and bounds... I hear you are finally joining us at the High Council. Quite the achievement."

"Hello, Warden. Yes, and thank you," Danny answered.

"Walker, good to see you," Vlad interrupted as he stood on the opposite side of Danny. "Come see me after this meeting. There is something I wish to discuss with you, and the Prince and I will also be heading back to the prison with you."

"Of course, my King."

As they entered the room, Danny's eyes widened slightly. The council room was huge! Or at least bigger than he had expected it to be. He had only come in here once as a kid, and he had gotten into big trouble for interrupting a meeting. But even as a kid, he did not recall the room being so big.

"Walker, do you mind finding Prince Phantom a seat next to you and Skulker?" Vlad asked.

"Certainly. Follow me, Prince Phantom," Walker said.

Danny only glanced at his father before he followed after the warden.

"You know... We have all been curious as to where exactly you have been all these months," Walker commented casually.

"One of my father's many secret 'safe houses', you could say," Danny answered without hesitation.

"And that is where...?"

Danny smiled at the warden. "Warden Walker... If I told you, it would stop being a secret, wouldn't it?"

"But..."

"What is important is that I have returned. Do you not think so?"

But not waiting for a response, Danny said, "Oh, look. There is Skulker and Anĝela. Excuse me."

Walker resisted the urge to glare. "Still the same smart-mouth punk," he thought, annoyed.

"Ghost Prince," Skulker greeted him with a smirk that said a lot more to the teenager than others around him could know.

"My Prince... How grand you can join us at last," Anĝela then added with a small bow.

Unlike others, Anĝela —and Dora—had seen the Prince not too long ago, being that they had been going into the Human World themselves to check on him during Vlad's extended absences. Still, the female advisor was glad to see the young hybrid home again.

"Thanks, Anĝela. Always good to see you," Danny answered with a small smile. He then looked back at the hunter, and with a smirk, he politely asked, "...Is this seat taken?"

"Not at all," Skulker gestured to the chair on his left.

When they sat down, Skulker leaned over to whisper at the teenager, "Try not to fall asleep, whelp."

"If I do, I'll be sure to use you as my pillow, Unkie Skulker," Danny answered back with a snicker.

But hearing Walker clear his throat when he arrived and sat next to the Prince, Danny pulled away from Skulker, sat upright, and his face became calmer.. He then discreetly glanced sideways, and noticed that most of the ghosts in the room were all staring at him.

"Hard to fall asleep with so many eyes on me," Danny thought nervously.

When a sudden flash of red light briefly engulfed the room, Danny immediately turned his attention to the center of the room where Serenity and the King stood.

The light had come from his father, but it was Serenity who spoke up.

"Greetings, High Council members. Thank you once more for joining us. Before we begin with today's discussions, I would like us all to welcome our Ghost Prince, Prince Phantom..."

Danny swallowed as everyone clapped.

"It is indeed a great day," the Head Ancient continued. "Our Prince will soon be celebrating his sixteenth birthday. Yet, he has shown courage and discipline through many trials in the past years. It is why the Ancients, like the rest of this council, are more than happy to welcome him into this next rite of passage. We hope we can all be of great guidance to you, Prince Phantom. And in turn, we will rejoice in watching you dawn into our next great Sun."

"T-Thank you," the teenager replied even when he knew that he couldn't suppress the blush on his face in spite of all that practice he had at controlling his emotions.

Serenity smiled before she glanced at the King. "My King would you like to bring forward the first topic for today's gathering?"

"Certainly," Vlad answered as he stepped forward. "And, of course, I would also like to welcome our Prince. It brings me great pride and joy to see you take this next step. I know you will continue to make me and this kingdom proud."

Danny nodded. "I will try my best, my King."

Vlad's smile grew before he turned his attention to everyone else. "I would like to discuss our progression with the takeover of the Human World. It has certainly been many years of hardship, sacrifice, and effort. However, I can confidently say at last, I see an end to this. We will win this war. And we will see peace again—and soon. There are now very few areas of the Human World that have not bended to my rule. And those that remain are not strong or abundant enough to pose any real threat. It is why obtaining these remaining areas has become a secondary goal."

"My main focus is fully securing the major areas of interest in the Human World," Plasmius continued. "Places known for their anti-ghost technology need to remain firmly in our grasp. It is why I will begin to assign specific areas to not just my guards and warriors, but to those here that hold leadership over a group of trained ghosts. Nocturne, Frostbite. Walker Hotep-Ra. I will need your help for this final part of my plan; but we can discuss that at a separate gathering."

The ghosts nodded.

Vlad then said, "We have also lost a few of our kin in our latest takeover in France. And, it has been brought to my attention two more of my guards have been recently killed in Wisconsin. This is also why I would like to bring in more reinforcements into the Human World. I will not tolerate anymore of our kin losing their lives without severe punishment for the humans responsible. While I plan to try a new tactic with the humans already under my rule, this will not change my decree: Any human who proclaims themselves as a ghost hunter or takes the life of any ghost will be executed on the spot."

The King then filled the council in with the rest of his news.

It really was the first time Danny heard the full details of his father's actions and plans. The Prince found it of great interest and listened attentively.

Still, he remained silent as the King eventually finished and opened the floor to questions and comments. The High Council certainly had quite a few of them. Mostly, though, there were comments about how glad they were to hear of the successful progression of the war against the humans.

Soon, the council moved onto a new topic. The King took a seat on one of the chairs closest to the council room's podium when Walker actually took the stand.

He spoke about the kingdom's security, and the continuing heightened vigilance ever since Aragon threatened the kingdom. With the help of Frostbite and his people, they had not had any further breaches of the Kingdom's boarders since the Ghost Prince had left.

Then, much to Danny's surprise, the Fenton portal he had discovered before he left came up as a subject of discussion. Apparently, it had been sealed shut. And while there had been no change in that, it was still being patrolled. This then sparked a mild debate, with the King remaining firm on not destroying it while others' arguing that it should be destroyed.

His father had easily won that argument. Then again, Danny had to wonder who would really dare go against the Ghost King.

But then again, the Prince soon learned that there were those on the Council who couldn't wait to dare...

"I am greatly concerned with our inability to locate Juukka," Vlad spoke up when they turned to the topic of the telepathic wolf-ghost. "It has been months. He almost killed Skulker and myself! How is it possible we cannot track a single ghost—a ghost that we know so well?!"

"Forgive me," Walker was the one to reply. "I have had Bullet personally searching for traces of him, but Juukka's unique ability of creating portals makes it very difficult to find him."

"Indeed, my King," Nocturne added. "Myself and Frostbite have had some of our own kin searching. After finding no trace of him, we suspect he is hiding in the Human World. It is why last week we sent scouts out to the known areas inhabited by those Hunters-in-White, which we know Juukka holds ties with. Unfortunately, without any real sighting of him, it is all but impossible to find him."

Vlad sighed but nodded. "Forgive my frustration. I do not like the threat of having a treacherous ghost on the loose. Juukka was too close to this council, to our inner workings! He lived with the former Head Ancient for almost a century! He has too much knowledge of this Kingdom—knowledge that, for all we know, he could have already shared with those hunters! We must find him! We must eliminate this threat!"

Danny frowned at how dark his father sounded when he had said that. He understood his father's reasoning. But how could he speak so harshly about a ghost he had known all his life? Juukka had been Horris'—his guardian's—companion!

Danny still felt his core clench at hearing that Juukka was now considered a threat and a traitor to the kingdom.

"Sire," Fright Knight spoke up as he stood. "Perhaps, we should consider having another of your warriors join the search for Juukka... Specifically, Wulf, my King. He is not of the council, but he has similar abilities to Juukka and is an excellent tracker."

"I like the idea," Walker quickly added. "He could join forces with Bullet and search the Human World."

Vlad paused but then nodded. "Fine. I just want him found, dead or alive. I don't care what it takes."

"You know...," Serenity then said, sounding thoughtful. "There is another ghost that could help us. Of course, he might not be so willing; but it would not hurt to ask. After all, we would not be asking him to reveal the future. Just let us use his viewing orb... We could also give him some incentive to cooperate..."

Danny almost gasped when the room temperature instantly went up at least twenty degrees with the burning rage that suddenly came from his own father's core.

"Absolutely not!" the Ghost King hissed at Serenity. "Clockwork was banished! You are asking me—this council—to use a traitor to track another traitor! How dare you even suggest it?!"

Everyone in the council tensed with their King's obvious fury. Everyone except the Head Ancient.

"With all due respect, your highness," Serenity calmly replied. "Juukka is more of a threat to us than Clockwork ever was. I would dare say Juukka is more of a threat than Aragon and the humans. Do you not think we should set aside any personal conflicts and utilize a primary resource that could help us capture Juukka?"

"Personal?" Vlad all but growled. "He allowed the Queen to be killed! He allowed my—our Prince to almost be killed! He is lucky I did not sentence him to death!"

"My King...," the head Observant, Justeco, hesitantly intervened.

"No!" Plasmius cut him off. "My decree was final. We will not be discussing this any further!"

Justeco immediately sat back down.

"I have spoken with Clockwork..." Serenity replied. Clearly, she did not know when to back down. "I think he is willing to help."

"I cannot stop you from seeing him," Plasmius muttered, "but as I said, this discussion is over."

"What if the Ghost Prince vouched for him?" the Head Ancient asked calmly.

Danny tensed even more when everyone turned and looked at him.

"You pardoned the Observants, my King," Serenity reminded the older hybrid. "Why not Clockwork? After all, our Ghost Prince trusts him. And I fully trust Prince Phantom's judgement. And I would say everyone in this council does, too."

Serenity focused fully on Danny and began, "My Prince, what do you—?"

"Enough!" the Ghost King demanded angrily. "Prince Phantom has no say in this. And he is here only to observe. Serenity, if you speak another word on this subject, I will take it as direct insubordination. We are done with the topic."

The Head Ancient just stared back at the King for another moment before she slightly bowed her head, and turned back to the council. "Very well. We have one more topic to discuss... The Council room is due for much needed renovations..."

Danny felt his face glowing from the stress of almost having to speak, especially about Clockwork. And while he was partly relieved his father prevented his say on this, he was also left with a troubled feeling in his core.

What if he had been allowed to speak? What was he going to say? The truth was he agreed with Serenity. What she had said made sense. And, of course, he trusted Clockwork.

But his father...

Danny glanced over at his father, only to see that he was staring back at him. His eyebrows creased when he could tell that his father was still seething. But then, the King broke their gaze, turned and then pretended to focus on the new topic on hand.

"Do not worry," Walker suddenly whispered to him. "The Ghost King's word is law. Not even Serenity and her insistence can change that Clockwork will remain a traitor as long as your father is King... and Juukka will soon meet the same fate. Although, I hope that traitor does resist arrest so I can execute him!"

"Shh!" Skulker suddenly hissed with a glare before turning to the Prince and scolding, "Ghost Prince, pay attention!"

Walker just chuckled before he moved away and went back to listening to Serenity.

Danny didn't say anything. He just stared ahead as if he were looking at and listening to the Head Ancient, but not really.

The Ghost Prince realized at that moment that being part of the High Council was going to be harder than he had thought..

The meeting finally ended after three hours. It didn't matter to Danny that there was still unfinished business which would have to be presented at the next meeting because he was definitely ready to go.

He had a headache.

Danny stood once they were dismissed. He watched Walker head over to his father who was speaking to another council member. He then saw that almost everyone was lingering to talk with others. Even Skulker and Fright Knight weren't isolating themselves as they usually did.

"Do not worry, my Prince," Serenity suddenly said as she came up to the teen and placed a hand against his back. "You will get use to it... I am glad to see you again."

Danny tensed a bit but still smiled at the Head Ancient. "Thank you. It is good to be back. And it's a privilege to join the High Council."

Her smile widened. As usual, though, it never reached her eyes.

"I also must apologize. It must have been disconcerting to see your father so upset. But I do not take it to core. And you should not, either. We all want what's best for the Kingdom, and so disagreements are natural."

Danny nodded.

"Although I wish he would have allowed you to speak. After all, you and I know Clockwork is undeserving of his banishment; but the Ghost King is set in his decision..." She sighed before adding with a small smile. "Perhaps when you become King, you can correct that injustice... Do you not agree?"

The Ghost Prince opened his mouth to speak, but then, he suddenly heard his father call to him.

"Prince Phantom."

The teenager took the opportunity to flee.

"I must go. It is good to see you, Head Ancient," the Prince replied before he left and headed over to where his father, Skulker, and Walker were.

"Come, we are heading to the prison."

Danny nodded.

Once they headed out of the council room, Vlad suddenly grabbed his son by an arm and slowed them down enough to ask quietly, "What was Serenity saying to you?"

Danny hesitated but still smiled weakly and replied, "Just greeting me, Father."

The King looked at him for another moment before he let go of his arm, and they continued to their next destination with Walker and Skulker.

Danny knew that he had learned a lot in the past months. He was good at deceiving others and coming up with convincing lies...And yet, he knew at this moment that no matter how good he could be, it wasn't enough to deceive his father.

He was fortunate the King didn't call him out on it.

Ultimately, Serenity's words or opinion did not matter... So, why did her last words keep repeating in his mind?

"Perhaps when you become King, you can correct that injustice..."

---

"Your father was not pleased."

Elliot's ears were pressed back and his upper lip curled enough for his fangs to show as Taur had just finished telling him about his visit to his old home.

"Naturally, my father would try to defend that murderer," he continued to glower. "And to dare suggest I would have any desire to see my brother? Ridiculous! If I ever see Gregory again it would be too soon! The only reason I asked you to go there is because I had been feeling his core stirring. And I wanted to know for sure if he had truly woken up!"

"If I may be honest," Taur answered, his own ears pressed back. "When you told me of all the things your brother had done and how dangerous he was, a part of me did not believe it. I thought, how can your twin be so different to you? How could he possibly hold so much darkness when you...?"

Elliot glanced away, and Taur paused. The older male frowned heavily as he then continued, "He is nothing like you, Elliot. I see that now. The way he looked at me... the way he speaks... You were right. He does not belong here. He is a danger to everyone."

Elliot finally looked back at his friend and sighed. "If only my father would see it, too."

"He must. Eventually," Taur replied. "Surely he cannot ignore Gregory's darkness and aggression as it gets worse. I doubt your brother will try to 'behave' for anyone's sake."

"I do not know what he will do. And this troubles me more," Elliot answered. "When we found Gregor out there on the brink of death, the human hunter he associates with was there, too... Watching... Taur, he allowed us to take Gregor back. Why would he do that except for an evil purpose? For all we know, he gave Gregor orders to do something awful, and by bringing him into this Ghost World, we have fallen for that hunter's trap."

"But Gregory was at Death's door. How would that hunter communicate with Gregory, let alone be sure he could do anything? He could have very well died."

Elliot shook his head before looking away towards his nest. He was quiet for a moment before answering, "Regardless, now that my brother is awake, he poses a serious threat to everyone." He looked back with distress at the older male dragon ghost and asked, "What do I do, Taur? What if he comes after Ruĝa and..." He hesitated. He had not told anyone yet of his offspring. "...and me," he said instead.

"We will tear him to pieces," Taur growled back. "You no longer have to face him alone. You have me now. And here we have the upper hand."

"As much as I appreciate your support," Elliot answered, "You forget, my brother has my father behind him. If we attack Gregor, he will get involved. He would at the least banish you from dragon territory and at the worst... Kill you. He might even kill me."

"Your father would never kill you, Elliot. We both know he loves you," Taur answered, worried.

"He also loves my brother." Elliot sighed again. "He will have to choose... Much like I have. While I fear what Gregor could do to my parents and our kin, I fear more what he could try to do to Ruĝa. I can hope to protect her by staying away from dragon territory and defending this home if Gregor dares to intrude. But I have no hope of protecting my parents or anyone else by staying here."

"Your father is strong. Even if Gregory tried to attack him, your father has battle experience and a handful of warriors to protect him and our kin. And you know while I am there, I will also keep vigilant."

"Thank you, Taur. It gives me some ease to at least know I have you," Elliot answered with a small smile.

"Of course. You are a stubborn child, Elliot... But, I have grown fond of you," Taur teased.

Elliot rolled his eyes; but still, his smile widened.

"Speaking of which, where is my little cousin? I have rarely seen her in the past months. Is she well?" Taur asked curiously.

Elliot slowly nodded. "She is well... She is just occupied."

"With?"

Elliot hesitated. It's not that he did not trust Taur. His fear of telling him was the risk of Gregor finding out about the existence of his offspring. He was already on alert with worry that Gregor might try to invade his mind as he often did in the past. But Elliot knew under the right circumstances, he could do it with other ghosts, too. What if Gregor accidently learned the truth from Taur? But then again, he needed all the help he could get now that Gregor was awake.

"Elliot? You are keeping something from me," Taur concluded with the younger dragon's silence.

"I am...," he finally admitted. "You see the truth is that Ruĝa and I..."

"So sorry to interrupt."

The two male dragons jolted with the sudden, unexpected voice and they turned just in time to see another ghost.

"Clockwork," Elliot said, slightly annoyed.

"You!" Taur exclaimed furiously, his wings spreading in threat. "Oracle! How dare you intrude here! I will—"

"It is alright, Taur. Leave him be."

The older dragon gaped at his young kin. "You associate with this Orcale?! Are you associating yet again with ghosts of the Kingdom, Elliot?!"

"I am technically not a 'ghost of the Kingdom," Clockwork calmly interrupted. "I was banished years ago."

Taur growled darkly back at the time ghost and smoke began to whisp out of his sneer.

"Enough," Elliot demanded, growing more annoyed. "I will explain later, Taur. For now, please leave us."

Taur glared at the other dragon ghost. "You will explain this among other things...," he answered angrily before he glared at Clockwork one last time; then he left with a growl in his throat.

Elliot watched him head towards an empty field before he flew off the island.

"For an oracle, you have terrible timing," Elliot remarked with his own glare at Clockwork.

This time the Time Master smirked. "Ironic, isn't it? But, I do apologize for interrupting. However, it is important I speak with you."

"What about?" Elliot asked.

"Your offspring, of course," Clockwork replied.

Elliot immediately sneered. "How do you even know...?" He stopped as he remembered the time ghost's ability; and instead growled out, "That is not of your concern!"

"Your brother is awake and almost fully-healed," Clockwork replied seriously. "I think you should want your children to be my concern."

Elliot's eyes narrowed further but then he huffed. He didn't fully trust this ghost. Perhaps, it was just his upbringing that made him suspicious of any ghosts of the Kingdom—except for Phantom—even if they were banished, like this one.

But he trusted his brother less.

"As much as I appreciate your help in the past months," Elliot finally said more calmly, "I rather keep my children away from any prying eyes. As you can understand, I cannot risk their safety."

"They are already at risk. You knew this from the moment you formed them with your mate," Clockwork replied. "You are their greatest threat, Elliot."

This time, Elliot hissed at the time ghost. "How dare you! Do not abuse my tolerance of you!"

"Elliot, you forget who I am," Clockwork replied with a slight frown on his face. "We both know it is the truth. Your connection with your brother makes you a danger to them and others. I am not telling you anything you are not already aware of. Tell me, how long do you think it will take for Gregor's mind to be clear enough to reopen his mental connection with you? How long do you think it will take him to find the images and memories you now hold so dear within your mind, and learn of their existence?"

Elliot's anger faltered and his ears pressed back again.

"What have you come to suggest?" Elliot whispered. "That I abandon my mate and my offspring in order to protect them from myself and Gregor? Leave them to fend for themselves?"

"Even if you did that, it will not prevent Gregor from learning the truth from your own mind," Clockwork answered. "But there is a way to delay this."

"How?"

Clockwork brought his staff forward as he replied, "You and your kin like to call me 'oracle' because of my ability to see the future. However, I cannot see everything; and the things I do see can change and have different outcomes based on how other's decisions and actions change. In other words, nothing is truly set in stone. However, on rare occasions I can see sure glimpses of the future. And while I usually avoid interfering because doing so could bring about terrible outcomes, in those special instances, interfering proves to bring about the best outcome. It is why the High Council, especially the Observants, found me so useful. The Observants have a similar gift to my own, except they can only see things as they happen or mere moments before they happen. And while I can glimpse into the future, I can also hide those same events."

"I do not understand."

"No, I do not expect you to, in all honestly," Clockwork answered with a smile. "However, what you will be interested to know is that my ability to block the view of things in the time stream is of benefit to you... You see, I can put a time spell over this island that hides it from view—not in the tangible sense but rather in the intangible sense. The happenings of this island are hidden from anyone trying to 'find it' using intangible powers. Think of it as if your new home will temporarily exist outside of time. And it can only be found by those who already know where it is."

"But how will that stop my connection with my brother...?"

"Because telepathic powers also exist within the intangible plane. As long as you remain on this island and your brother remains on Aragon's territory, it will block the connection, or at the least disrupt it. So, you will still need to be vigilant but this spell will at least buy you time."

Elliot nodded. "I cannot leave this island... And no one outside of this island can know of my offspring."

"Correct."

The dragon ghost sighed. He realized now why Clockwork had interrupted his conversation with Taur. As much as he wanted to tell him or even his own parents, he would risk Gregor getting into their minds and discovering their existence.

But if he agreed to stay hidden here, that meant he would have to turn a blind eye to everything else happening outside this island, no matter how awful. If Gregor chose to hurt their parents or attack his kin... If his brother went after Phantom again... He couldn't get involved. He sighed. As much as he reassured himself that he would be doing this to protect the most important things in his life–his mate and offspring–a twinge of guilt and angst nevertheless shot through his core as he faced the truth: he would really have to sit by while his evil twin brother threatened everyone else he cared about.

"It is never easy to hide," Clockwork suddenly said. "Of course, you always have a choice."

This time, Elliot glared at the time ghost. He never liked his choice of words or little cryptic messages. He had no tolerance for them.

"I am not Phantom," he snapped. "Do not talk to me as if I am a child. I know what you are trying to do. I know what my choices are! I am not hiding from my brother because I want to! My father made a choice to bring him home; so, I made a choice, too!"

"I do not fault, let alone, reproach you, Elliot," Clockwork answered calmly. "You are facing a difficult challenge. Your brother might have been the one taken and corrupted, but you have also suffered just as much, in my opinion. I wish I could do more to help you; unfortunately, I also know what it is like to feel helpless as you watch those you care about suffer. As hard as it might be to believe, I understand you, Elliot."

The dragon ghost sighed as he looked away. He hesitated as he said, "Perhaps there is another way you can help me." His eyes softened slightly as he muttered, "My young's cores have matured enough where they are starting to spark... I believe this is the time to... Well, I do not know how that is done; but Phantom told me you were his guardian; so that means you defined his core as a child. Would you be willing to to do the same for my offspring? I am not asking you to be their guardians; just simply assist me with their cores...?"

"As long as Ruĝa agrees, too," the time ghost answered with a smile. "I would be honored."

Elliot smiled. "Thank you... I have spoken about it to Ruĝa. We knew you would be the best choice."

"Your only choice," Clockwork replied teasingly.

The dragon ghost's ears pressed back shyly. "Yes, that, too," he admitted with some embarrassment.

Unfortunately, they really had no one else. Dragon ghosts reared their younglings together; and yet, they also depended on their parents and kin to help them with understanding the details of parenting unique to dragon ghosts. And so unlike the dragons ghosts around their age who they knew so well, Elliot and Ruĝa were now estranged from their parents and kin; and so their task to parent their offspring would be particularly difficult… Unfortunately, as experienced as Taur was in many other things, he had not gone through having children of his own yet either; so, he was as clueless as they were.

That really left only Clockwork.

"It has been quite a long time since I have had a chance to see a baby dragon," Clockwork remarked when Elliot got quiet. "I believe your father was the last one I saw..."

Elliot immediately looked at the elder ghost. With his ability to change forms, he sometimes forgot how old the time ghost really was. But that wasn't the most surprising thing.

"You were around for my father's formation?"

"Yes," Clockwork answered. "Back then, things were different. There was still a union between the kingdom and dragon ghosts. Pariah's madness is what disrupted that union... until your father broke it entirely, alongside his friendship with King Plasmius. But it has always been our hope that the bond Aragon and Vlad held would have repaired that unity instead of destroying it. It is unfortunate."

Elliot lowered his gaze. "Indeed," he whispered. He could only imagine a life where there had been friendship between the Kingdom and dragon ghosts. That had to have been wonderful. Perhaps, things would have been different for him and even Gregory.

"Fortunately, hope still exists with you and Danny."

Elliot immediately shook his head and scoffed. "You hope in vain, Oracle. While I love Phantom like a brother, you must have forgotten I gave up my leadership after my choice to aid him—which I do not regret. And Phantom even when he becomes King, my father will not bend. And even if he did, Phantom trusts him less than his own father trust him or my kin. This union which you remember, I am sorry to say, it is in the past. It will never be again."

"Nothing is written in stone," Clockwork replied with a small smirk.

Elliot just rolled his eyes before turning away. "Follow me. I will take you to my nest now."

They walked in silence until they made it to the mouth of the underground cave.

"I will return shortly," Elliot said, glancing at the time ghost before he crawled down into the cave. He then headed further in until he found Ruĝa in the larger area of the cave. She was stripping leaves off several branches and placing them in a basket before she noticed her mate's presence.

"My Elliot? You have returned sooner than I expected. Did Taur depart?"

The male ghost nodded. "He will return soon. However, we have another guest... Clockwork."

"The oracle," Ruĝa sighed. "Why is he here?"

Elliot replied, "I will tell you later. But right now, well, I told him about our young... He is willing to help us with their cores."

Ruĝa's ears pressed back and she glanced at the opening leading to their nest. "I am still unsure, Elliot... We hardly know him and he is a banished male of the kingdom."

"I know. But I am also an exiled male. And we have no one else, Ruĝa. We have discussed this."

"Yes," she replied, looking back at him. But then she glanced warily towards the cave's entrance.

"It will be alright, my mate. I promise," Elliot reassured her, stepping closer and pressing his face against her own.

She smiled at him. "I believe you, my Elliot. Alright."

He smiled back before he walked back over to the caves entrance, looked up and sent a puff of blue smoke up the mouth of the cave.

It only took a moment before Clockwork suddenly materialized in front of him.

As he did, Ruĝa walked up to Elliot and stared down at the time ghost. She frowned slightly before she said, "You will be the first to see them."

"And I am honored," Clockwork replied. "I will use the upmost care."

Ruĝa studied the male ghost for just another moment before she turned away.

"Come," Elliot said as he also turned and followed his wife towards their nest.

Clockwork only briefly glanced at his surroundings as he followed the young couple. But he soon lost interest when they entered into the deepest part of the cave.

There in the center of the room were four little dragons soundly napping. They were a lot bigger after six months, and their wings and claws were now fully formed.

Ruĝa approached them and gently stirred them with her snout. "Wake, my treasures. It is I...," she whispered lovingly.

The baby dragons squeaked softly as they woke up and looked at their mother. She smiled back at them. They only got more beautiful with each day that passed.

They began to chirp and whine at her, clearly wanting food now that they were awake.

She chuckled. "Always hungry. But that will have to wait..."

She glanced over at her husband and the other male ghost and nodded at them.

They finally moved further inside, and Elliot grinned as he lowered his neck to press his face against the wiggling little dragons. They were only just learning to stand and walk around. But their eyes were fully open and alert. They chirped up happily as they recognized their father.

"Hello, my young. I want to introduce you to a friend...," he told them before he grabbed the closest one to him with one of his clawed hands, which happened to be the little purple dragon. He then turned and offered her to Clockwork.

"This is little Ruĝa. We call her 'Ru'," Elliot said.

Clockwork let go of his staff, which levitated on its own, before he took the baby dragon in his arms. She was no bigger than the size of a small house cat. The little ghost, who was on her back in the time ghost's arms, whined curiously. She stared back with the same bright pink eyes as her mother's.

The time ghost smiled. "You are beautiful, little one," he told her. "May I?" he then asked the child as he raised his hand towards her core. Of course, the child did not answer or understand, but the time ghost then glanced at the parents.

Elliot and Ruĝa nodded.

Clockwork finally touched the little dragon's core and it stilled at feeling the touch of a new ghost. The time ghost smiled almost sadly. The last time he did this, it was with Danny... He still remembered that day so well.

"You will be alright," Clockwork whispered before he began to subject the little dragon with jolts of different types of energy so her core could define itself.

The youngling whined unhappily with the discomfort; but then it's core finally reacted with the pink energy that soon surged into her core.

Clockwork knew that most dragon ghosts had fire cores. But the energies, like other ghosts, did vary. In this case, Ru obviously favored pink energy, just like her mother.

"I know that is unpleasant, I apologize, little one," Clockwork said to the unhappy child once he was done. He then handed her to Ruĝa who instantly pulled her into her embrace as she shushed the upset little dragon.

"She will be alright," Elliot reassured his mate, glancing at Ru. They both knew that this was a necessary thing for all ghost children. In fact, Elliot and Ruĝa had seen it done with many of their kin's offspring.

Yet, somehow, now that the offspring were their own, it was harder to bear.

Elliot's ears pressed back as he looked down at his other young. One down Three more to go.

He sighed before he grabbed one of the two pink dragons.

This one was much more alert; and she even wiggled to escape her father's hold, clearly not wanting to be held right now.

"Calm yourself, Rozo," he urged, pressing his snout against her little body. And hearing her purr in response, he purred back before handing her over to the other male ghost.

"Rozo, is it?" Clockwork asked with a smile as the little ghost looked up at him with bright ruby eyes.

Not recognizing the stranger, the little ghost instinctively hissed and began to wiggle. But Clockwork just bounced her closer to his chest before saying, "I will be quick. If I may..." And he then pressed his hand against her little chest and proceeded to define her core.

Like her sibling, the process was not welcomed at all. But her hue and core soon flared with red energy.

"There we go, all done," Clockwork said warmly before he handed her over to her mother.

Elliot already had the other little pink dragon in his hold. Unlike her sibling, Rozo, she had some silver scales freckling her otherwise pink body. But her eyes were just as red as Rozo's.

Elliot introduced his third little girl, "This is Ākala."

She was certainly a lot calmer then her previous sibling and she just stared wide-eyed at the strange male now holding her.

"It's so nice to meet you, little one. May I?" Clockwork asked warmly. She just stared in awe at him as he pressed his hand against her core.

Like Rozo, Ākala's core also defined with red energy. And unlike her previous two siblings, aside from briefly whining at first with the experience, she soon calmed down and just continued to stare in wonder at Clockwork.

The time master chuckled before handing her back to her mother.

Clockwork looked back over at Elliot, who picked up his final daughter.

The male dragon seemed to hesitate even more this time as he pulled the little ghost against him. He frowned as he muttered, "This is Alba. She... She has not been growing as fast as her siblings. She often struggles to keep her core temperature stable; so Ruĝa and I have to take turns keeping her warm. We worry there might be something wrong with her core."

Clockwork moved closer and slowly touched the little dragon still pressed against her father. She was as white as snow except for the silver scales running down her back down to the tip of her tail. And she also had some freckles on her face. She had her father's yellow eyes, but they were much paler. In the dim light of the cave, they almost looked an off-white. She was definitely a lot smaller than the rest of her siblings, and she was shivering.

The little dragon whined as she pressed her head against her father's body, trying to hide from the new ghost touching her.

"Her temperature does feel colder than any of her other siblings... May I?"

Elliot nodded and allowed Clockwork to finally take the silvery white dragon.

"What is her name?"

Ruĝa spoke up and answered with a smile. "Alba."

"Hello, Alba... I am Clockwork," the time ghost said gently as he coaxed the little dragon to look at him. It whined and shivered even more.

Clockwork gently pressed his hand against her chest to fill her core. Immediately, the little ghost whined unhappily and tried to struggle to get away.

"It's alright," Clockwork soothed. "You certainly feel different..."

"Different?" Elliot asked, worried.

Clockwork didn't reply. He couldn't be sure of his hunch until he defined the little dragon's core. With brief hesitation, he began to do just that.

Alba began to cry; and Elliot's and Ruĝa's cores instantly lit up at the same time their daughter's core lit up in distress.

It was the first time any of their offspring had called to them, and the feeling alarmed the new parents greatly.

"Clockwork, stop! You are hurting her!" Elliot exclaimed as he stepped closer to grab his daughter away.

"Wait, Elliot," Clockwork instantly answered.

"Elliot," Ruĝa moaned. She was already in tears now that she could actually feel how distressed their daughter was.

Clockwork took a step back to keep either parent from interfering. But to his surprise, the little ghost's core was not reacting to any of the different energies. It was possible that the child's being too distressed could affect what he was doing; but he had felt a core like this before, and he was sure that...

He returned to blue energy but lowered his own temperature as low as it would go... Almost immediately, Alba reacted to the colder blue energy and her pulsing core and hue turned bright blue.

"Well, what do you know...," Clockwork said with a relieved smile.

Alba seemed to calm significantly as her core defined and her shivering lessened.

"Her core is different," Clockwork said, finally looking at the distressed parents. "It has still to fully awaken, but I am almost certain she will have a cold core."

"What?" Elliot asked, and Ruĝa gasped. "No, that is impossible! Dragon ghost do not—"

"It's rare, but they can," Clockwork calmly interrupted the father. "Ruĝa, I believe your parents are also of a rare race of dragons. And, Elliot, blue energy in dragons, like yours and your father's, is more uncommon than pink and red energy. While you may have a hot core, blue energy is more often associated with ghosts with cold cores. In other words, under the right conditions and genetics, dragon ghosts with cold cores are possible..." He paused as he added more slowly, "But it is not ideal..."

Elliot and Ruĝa were both amazed and frightened. They both knew it wasn't ideal. Cold cores were so unheard of in the dragon race that not much was known on cold-core development. But what Elliot did know from interacting with Phantom, who had a cold core, was that they were less heat-tolerant.

"Oh, no... Have we been hurting our child by...?" Elliot began in alarm.

"No, not at all," Clockwork cut him off. "Cold cores develop much slower than hot cores. Young cold cores actually need a lot more warmth than hot cores because their core is unable to create as much warmth. It isn't until a cold core fully awakens that they have a much easier time regulating their body temperatures and start becoming less tolerant of extreme heat. Keep doing what you are. She will be fine as long as you keep her body temperature stable until she is able to do it on her own."

Elliot and Ruĝa frowned in worry, but still nodded. Elliot then took back Alba, who had calmed down enough to stop calling to her parents and was now looking quite tired.

"It will be alright, my Elliot. It will be yet another thing we will learn together. Our little ones, including our Alba, will be just fine," Ruĝa reassured her mate.

"Always so full of hope, my mate," Elliot replied with a sigh of relief as he moved closer to her. "And I am thankful for it."

Ruĝa touched Alba, who was still being held by Elliot. The now sleeping little white dragon quietly purred at feeling her parents so close.

"I will leave you now," Clockwork interrupted the couple.

Elliot gave his daughter over to Ruĝa before saying, "Thank you, Clockwork... We are forever in your debt. I hope you can forgive my distrust. I assure you; from now on, you have my full trust."

"As mine. After all, our little ones, now know your touch," Ruĝa replied warmly. "Perhaps, there are still good ghosts like you in the kingdom."

"I am no longer part of that kingdom," Clockwork reminded her. "But, thank you."

"They do not know what they have lost," Ruĝa answered before she turned and went to tend to all her children, who after their recent ordeal, were ready for a meal and another nap.

They were still so young.

"Come, I will see you out," Elliot said before he led the other male ghost back out of the cave.

Once outside, Elliot looked back at Clockwork and asked, "May I ask you a question?"

"Yes," the time ghost answered.

Elliot lowered his gaze as he sat with his wings slightly lowered. "As I said, I am forever in your debt. But I must know Why are you helping us?"

Clockwork smiled empathetically when he could tell how worried Elliot was. Even if the young dragon had vowed to no longer distrust him, Elliot had already seen so much evil that he was naturally afraid or suspicious of the motives of others—or even when something good happened to him.

It would explain how the young male was more afraid than happy now that he had his offspring.

"For all my abilities, there is very little I can do in the grand scheme of things," Clockwork answered almost sadly. "I have had to watch good-cored ghosts murdered. I have watched innocent beings hurt in irreparable ways. And I have to bear the sight of evil continue to get away with causing death and destruction... Who is the greater monster? The one who slays goodness, or the one who sits by and allows it to happen?"

Elliot frowned sadly. "My father always hated oracles. He would say they are evil."

"He is right ," Clockwork answered soberly. "As I said, there is little I can do in the grand scheme of things... So, that little that I can do I gladly do it. Until next time, Elliot. Keep in mind what I said..."

Elliot nodded. "I will heed your advice. Thank you again, Clockwork."

He watched the ghost vanish in a swirl of blue smoke before he looked out into the distance and noticed a barely visible blue hue extending further than he could see.

Clockwork had bought them some time; but Elliot knew the time spell would not last forever. He could already feel it. Even with the barrier between them, Elliot could feel the slight tug in his mind. That itch that eventually would get too hard to ignore or dismiss.

His connection with his brother was simply too strong.

There was no escaping it. He had learned that a long time ago.

---

Now close to dinner time, Danny and Vlad had finally made it back to their castle. Skulker had also accompanied them; and they had stopped to pick up Ember on the way.

To the two hybrids' surprise, the hunter and his niece were not their only guests tonight.

It seemed news traveled fast in the Ghost World of the King and Prince's return; and many ghosts, most especially those closest to them, had eagerly arrived at the castle. In fact, Dora, along with the castle staff, had taken the liberty of organizing a small surprise reunion dinner for the two hybrids.

But, of course, there was a single ghost who had to be the first to greet the King and Prince...

"Oh, Danny!" Spectra exclaimed as she pulled her nephew into a hug.

Danny hugged his aunt as he said, "Good to see you, too, Aunt Spectra!"

"We were all so worried! I'm so relieved to have you back home, safe and sound!" she continued.

"I'm alright, Aunt Spectra. Really," Danny answered as he managed to finally pull away from her. But as overbearing as his aunt could be, he was glad to see her again.

Spectra then didn't waste time to go over to Vlad and hug him, too, just as Dora, Anĝela, Wulf and Fright Knight arrived ro meet them.

"My King! Pup!" Wulf happily greeted.

Fright knight smiled. "My liege, I did not get to properly welcome you home at the High Council terrain!"

"Indeed, and then you both left so quickly with Walker…," Anĝela added.

Danny and Vlad's smiles widened at their warm reunion with their close friends.

"Sire, the others are waiting in the dining room," Dora said, gesturing for them to head inside.

"Others?" the King asked, confused, after he had pulled away from hugging Anĝela.

"Well... So many ghosts wanted to greet you both after your travels, we thought it best to have a small feast to celebrate yours and the Prince Phantom's return."

Vlad chuckled, amused. "Oh, really?" He looked at Skulker, Anĝela and Fright Knight, who had been at the High Council with him, and asked, "Are you three included in this 'we'?"

Anĝela smirked. "Well, Dora and your staff prepared everything. But we might have spread the word a bit at the High Council meeting."

"I am sure more are on their way," Skulker continued. "Everyone is happy to have you both home, after all."

"Thank you. Daniel and I appreciate the gesture," Plasmius answered before saying, "Come, then! Let's go eat!"

As everyone present headed inside, Ember glanced at his friend and noticed he looked worried.

"What's wrong?"

Danny quietly sighed and purposely slowed down so they were not too close to other ghosts before he said, "As much as I am happy to see everyone, I had hoped we could you know."

Ember placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We will. Don't worry. For now, just enjoy being home, Danny."

He smiled a bit. "Yes, you're right..." His smile widened just a bit more as he further asked, "Are our friends here, too?"

"They wanted to, but Kitty and Johnny were staying late at school today; and you know Amorpho lives pretty far to travel so late in the day. So, I told them to come tomorrow morning. That way we can all hang out without any interruptions."

"Oh, okay; that makes sense," Danny replied with a nod.

It was true. If their friends had come, they probably would have barely gotten time to talk with each other with so many ghosts wanting his and his father's attention tonight. He already was a bit troubled that his plans with Ember would have to wait...

When they finally arrived at the large dining room, they were greeted with joyous cheers. And it was indeed a moment of celebration for the ghosts of the kingdom to have both their King and Prince home at last. There was no shortage of ghosts who had come to welcome them back.

The hours ticked by as everyone ate and chatted, while Vlad shared stories about his conquests in the Human World with some of his closest allies and friends.

Everyone seemed happy, and for a moment, the castle felt content. But while at first Danny had been enjoying the affair, as time passed, he began to grow anxious again.

As much as he wanted to not think about what he promised to show Ember tonight, he could not.

He kept glancing at his friend who sat beside him at the table. And he found himself doubting his decision all over again. Maybe he should wait. It did not have to be tonight, after all... But, then again, he would be leaving for the Human World again the day after tomorrow since his father had said they would not be able to stay for too long. And he was sure tomorrow would be just as busy as today as they tried to catch up with their 'royal' responsibilities.

No. If he didn't do this now, he might lose the courage to do it later. Ember deserved to know... Even if it meant losing her.

"Man, George makes the best food!" Ember suddenly commented as she took a bite of her dessert and sighed contently. But when she realized that Danny hadn't responded, she turned to him and saw that he was staring blankly at his untouched dessert.

"Danny?"

The boy blinked as he looked up at her. "Oh... What?" But when he saw his friend frown at him, he smiled weakly. "Sorry... I guess I'm just tired. It's been non-stop today. Not that I mind too much. I am glad to see everyone after so long. And I got to join the High Council meeting for the first time. That was interesting."

"Oh, yeah?" Ember asked curiously.

"I didn't know so many old ghosts could argue over the smallest of details," he whispered jokingly. "At one point, they argued over what color the council hall should be painted with the upcoming remodeling."

Ember snickered. "That inspires so much confidence! Glad the future of our Kingdom rest in the hands of ghosts who know how to make good paint color choices!"

Danny laughed, but then, pretended to be serious as he replied, "Don't laugh. It is a very serious matter."

But then, the two burst out laughing again.

"I'm just joking. Well, sort of," Danny said. "They did argue over the remodeling; but, you know, they do talk about important things, too... But, apparently, I am not allowed to discuss any of it outside the council."

"So, if you told me the color they went with...?"

"I could be exiled for life," Danny replied with a growing smile again.

"Pftt... as if they would ever exile the Ghost Prince."

Danny chuckled but it sounded forced this time. "No... I guess they wouldn't." He then looked towards the clock on the wall, and muttered, "It's getting late..."

Ember glanced at the clock, too, before replying, "I'm sure your father will dismiss everyone as soon as dinner's done. After all, he is against anyone flying too far once the temporary portals start to form."

"There's still two hours until then..." Danny said with a worried frowned.

This time, Ember frowned herself before she leaned closer and whispered, "Whatever you want to show me, Danny, I can handle it. It's going to be fine, alright? It's not like I haven't kept secrets; and we might have argued over it at first, but we figured it out, right?"

Danny glanced at the ghosts closest to them to make sure no one was paying attention to their conversation. But even after confirming no one heard anything, he muttered, "Let's go to my room. I don't think it's a good idea to talk about this here."

"You think your dad will let you leave right now?"

"I can ask," Danny replied as he stood up. And being that his father was seated far from him, he headed down towards the opposite end of the long dining table and moved behind his father, who had been conversing with Nocturne.

"Excuse me, my King," Danny whispered as he placed a hand on Vlad's shoulder. He bent closer and said, "Do you mind if I take my leave with Ember?"

Vlad glanced towards Skulker who, as if sensing his friend's gaze, quickly turned his attention to him. And while they said nothing to each other, they clearly had a brief conversation with their eyes.

"Of course. Just do not head anywhere for now. Skulker and I will join you once our guests are all gone, hmm?" he whispered back.

Danny hesitated. He wasn't sure if he wanted his father and Skulker to be present when he...

"I would rather be alone, Father," he answered back. It was hard to say what he wanted when there were so many other ghosts nearby.

"That's fine, but... It's important you wait for me." And not giving his son time to say anymore, he turned back to Nocture, and said, "I apologize, where were we?"

Danny resisted the urge to frown and just glanced at Skulker, who just looked at him but said nothing.

Finally, the Prince turned and quietly said his 'goodbyes' to some of the ghosts who had noticed his departure as he headed back down towards the opposite end of the dining room.

Ember was already waiting for him at the room's exit.

"Do you mind if we go to the gardens for a bit? I haven't seen Cujo yet," Danny said with a weak smile.

"Sure," Ember replied with a small shrug.

Ember noticed that her friend was even more troubled after speaking with the King, and she wondered why that was. Still, she decided not to ask; but now, even she was starting to worry what this secret was at seeing her friend grow more and more troubled..

They eventually made it to the gardens and Ember was glad because as Cujo ran up to them to greet them, Danny's mood immediately lifted.

"Cujo! I'm so happy to see you, too!" Danny exclaimed when the puppy jumped into his arms and proceeded to lick his face. "I'm sorry they made you stay in the gardens because of the party. I wanted to come see you sooner, but there were so many ghosts here!"

The puppy just whined and yapped back excitedly, clearly not taken it personally.

"Did they at least feed you?"

Cujo yapped back.

Danny chuckled. "Still hungry, huh?"

The boy glanced back towards the doors they had entered.

"Danny...," Ember warned. "Dora is going to get mad if you bring in Cujo. Remember what happened last time there were so many ghosts at the palace and he was inside?"

"He's not going to turn big and eat all the food," Danny answered with a smirk. "That was one time, and it was my fault. I didn't feed him enough, and you know how excited he gets around so many ghosts and food."

"Uh, exactly."

"Pfft," Danny answered before he suddenly took off down the garden with Cujo in his arms.

Ember just shook her head and followed.

They eventually made it to the veranda connected to the Prince's room. And his window happened to be open.

"Oh, you planned this," Ember huffed in amusement.

Danny smiled at her. "Of course. I'm not leaving my companion alone in the gardens just because of a one-time mishap. Besides, I can just keep him locked in my room until the coast is clear."

They landed in his room before Danny placed Cujo down on the ground. He grinned as he retrieved the covered tray of food he had snuck in earlier just for his pal.

He uncovered it before he placed it down on the ground.

"Enjoy, buddy," he said to Cujo, who quickly began to happily devour his second dinner.

He smiled at Ember, who just shook her head at him again. Never losing his grin, the teen then walked over to his bed and threw himself on top of it. He proceeded to grab and hug one of his pillows. Ah... Nothing beat one's own bed!

He never realized how tired he was until this moment... After all, the time he had already spent since returning to the Ghost Kingdom had been so chaotic that it was a bit overwhelming that this was the first time he had a chance to be in his room, let alone lay on his bed after six months of being away!

"Ah, is it time for your nap, little Phantom?"

Danny's face scrunched as he looked over at his friend. "Ew, don't call me that."

Ember chuckled as she sat next to him on the bed. "Why not? Your dad calls you that all the time."

Danny rolled his eyes. "He's my dad. It just sounds weird when you say it."

"Alright, Baby Pop. I won't ruin your daddy's term of endearment," she answered with a grin.

Danny glowered before he suddenly reached towards her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, and then began poking her sides with his fingers.

Ember yelped as she quickly grabbed his hands and laughed as she exclaimed, "Oh, my God! Don't you dare tickle me! Stop! You know I hate that!"

Danny grinned, but soon let go, and his friend quickly leapt off the bed to get away from him.

"You jerk!" Ember exclaimed, though she was trying not to laugh.

Danny smirked back. "Keep teasing me. I got more where that came from." And he emphasized his threat by wiggling his fingers.

Ember tried to glare; but then, she burst out laughing some more before she walked back over, sat back on the bed, and punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" The boy rubbed his arm.

"Don't tickle me anymore!" she warned.

"Oh, fine. You're so testy," he answered before he fell back on his bed and closed his eyes with a smile.

"Not going to sleep, are you?" Ember asked with a raised eyebrow.

Danny didn't reply at first since he kept his eyes closed. But then, he asked, "Remember when you would spend the night and my mother would put us to bed? We would pretend to be asleep until she was gone. Then, we would get under the bed and pretend we were the King and Queen of an underground kingdom. We'd come up with the funniest rules and laws for our subjects..."

Ember laughed. "Like, no bedtime curfews; and everyone had to wear funny costumes?"

Though he still kept his eyes closed, Danny's smile widened as he continued, "We would only have one minute of school, and the rest would be recess..."

"Mrs. Pandora would not be allowed to give out homework. Instead, she had to give out candy!"

"And when we found out that humans existed, we would pretend humans were not bad and we would let them come into our kingdom as long as they wanted to play with us."

Ember's smile fell.

Danny finally opened his eyes and looked at her. But seeing her frown, he sat up, and added with an almost pleading voice, "You were just as fascinated as I was about the humans and their world. We would spend each day after school playing with those toys my aunt got me. We would pretend together to go on a journey into the Human World and find new toys to play with.."

Ember shook her head and soberly replied, "We were kids."

Danny lowered his gaze to his hands as he began to fiddle with his fingers. "When I went out there for the first time I told you I met two human kids. They were like us, Ember..." He looked at her. "Curious about a world outside of their own. They were not evil. They did not hate us. They wanted to be friends with a ghost... with me."

"Danny... they were kids. We were kids," she stressed. "We didn't know better."

"I've been out there for the past six months. I have been out there before then, too," he confessed. "I still watch them: the humans. And as much as I want to hate them fully, I... I can't. I wish I could at times, but I can't... I am still curious."

Ember's eyebrows furrowed even more. "Danny... I don't understand. How can you even ? After your mom was murdered? After my parents were, too?"

Danny lowered his gaze. "Not all humans are evil, Ember."

"Danny, they hate us. They have been trying to destroy us before even your father's rule! All they cause is pain and destruction! Why are you so set on this? Because of two human kids you met once? They didn't know any better! You told me yourself... you saw them again, and they were now hunters! Isn't that proof enough that your belief in some humans' being good is wrong?"

Danny shook his head. "They cannot be all evil."

"Why? Why do you keep insisting on that?" Ember demanded, now growing angry.

He looked at her and whispered sadly, "Because it would then mean I am evil, too."

Ember tensed. "What?" She shook her head. "You're not making any sense."

Danny looked away towards Cujo who was by now licking his empty bowl. He knew his father told him to wait for him. He probably wanted to make sure everyone was gone, and Danny could understand why. But he didn't want his father or Skulker present. And he couldn't wait any longer to do this.

The simulation room was secure enough where he knew no one would be able to find it or enter it unless they had the access to it. And only he, his father, and Skulker had access.

No, he couldn't wait anymore.

"Come on," Danny whispered as he got off his bed, and headed towards his door. "Cujo, stay here."

Ember didn't move at first until Danny turned to look at her from the door. "Come with me, please?" he asked.

The girl looked confused and troubled, but finally got up and headed after him.

"I need you to follow me. And keep quiet, okay? It's important no one sees us or knows where I'm taking you..."

"You're starting to freak me out," Ember muttered back, but still continued to follow.

"Just trust me."

Ember quietly sighed and kept going.

He led them down several corridors, so deep into the castle that Ember realized she had no idea where they were or where they were going even after she had practically lived here for many years.

She wanted to ask what was really going on. She wanted to question him so badly. But she also wanted to trust him.

Eventually, they made it down an unlit hall that came to a dead end. She couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"Danny? Where are we...?"

The boy placed a finger to his lips before grabbing one of her hands. He then turned back to the dead end and suddenly turned them both intangible.

She barely had time to gasp before he phased them through the wall. She couldn't believe it! Phasing through walls shouldn't be possible! They could only phase through solid structures, like walls and doors, in the Human World!

"How did you do that?" she gasped out.

But instead of answering, he kept a firm hold of her hand and led them down this new hall. There was at least light here. But the passage looked so strange. It was empty except for the lamps. No decoration, no rugs. Just a plain white hall.

They passed a few doors on the way down until they got to the end of the hall, where there was another door. But this door... it looked strange. She just couldn't figure out why.

There was a strange black box on the wall, and Danny let go of her hand to open it. He then put his hand in. There was a beep and the door clicked open.

Danny turned to reach for her hand again. But this time, she took a step back.

She couldn't see inside the pitch-black room, but she could feel it... And the feeling was unnatural.

Danny's eyebrows creased. "I promise it's okay."

Ember locked eyes with him for a moment before she finally accepted his extended hand.

He pulled her in with him, and immediately the door locked behind them. It sent a tingle of fear down her spine, especially when she realized she could not see a thing. And that was not normal for them. Ghosts had excellent night vision. So, for them to be completely in the dark meant this room was utterly devoid of any light.

"Activate simulation room," Danny suddenly spoke up. "Initiate complete spectral decontamination."

"Detecting two core readings... One is an unregistered core energy reading," a robotic voice said back.

"Ignore only unregistered core energy reading," Danny answered.

At that moment, the room whirled to life, and Ember's eyes widened when she could see at last and then blinked in astonishment at the entirely white room.

"Danny, what is this place?" Ember asked, barely suppressing her rising panic. No, this place was not normal! And... And it kept feeling less and less normal by the second!

"It's okay. It's a simulation room. It can simulate the human world and its atmosphere. My father and... your uncle built it."

Ember stared back at him in shock. "Why would they...?"

But she trailed off because she realized why the room was feeling weirder and weirder: any spectral energy was being sucked out of the room.

"It feels weird, I know. But I told it to ignore your core energy. You will be fine ," Danny assuredly said before he stepped away and went to a control panel at the end of the room.

Ember watched in utter confusion and wariness as he opened a compartment and pulled out some white pants.

He blushed a bit as he said, "Going to need these..."

Ember watched as he struggled to put the second pair of pants right over the ones he was currently wearing; and afterwards, his pants looked bulky. But he then proceeded to somehow phase his other pants off—which is yet another thing no ghost should be able to do—and now just kept on the new pants.

As she continued to watch him, Ember was more alarmed when he then started to take off his armlets. She knew that his father had made them for him to help keep his core stable, and he only took them off to sleep. Without them, he might have a fainting spell or wouldn't be able to use his powers if he used too much energy for too long.

She finally found her voice. "Danny, what are you doing? You are really freaking me out; and this place... Why would my uncle and your dad make a place like this?!"

"We mostly use it for practice," he answered as he looked down at the armlets now in his hands before he turned and put them inside the compartment.

He walked over to her and took her hands again. She opened her mouth to protest, but he interrupted her.

"Mind if we sit for a bit. I'll explain "

The two sat down at the opposite end of the room, and she finally noticed the door they had come in from was gone. She had never been claustrophobic, but this sure was starting to make her feel like she was. The only reason she was not panicking and getting the heck out of here was because she was with Danny. And she did trust him.

As they sat against the white wall, Danny let go of her hands, and passed his own hand anxiously through his flaming white locks. But she now noticed they were receding, and his hair was shortening.

"My father wasn't sure I would survive after that hunter damaged my core as a kid...," Danny suddenly spoke up. "I... I should have died with my mother that day."

"Don't say that," Ember quickly countered. Was he blaming himself again?

Danny shook his head. "I should have died with my mother that day... But I didn't because of my core."

"What?"

"My core can self-generate spectral energy. I... I inherited the trait from my father," Danny said soberly. "We are the only two ghosts in existence that can do such a thing. It is how my father is so powerful. How he doesn't weaken as easily as others at his power level... But when my core was damaged, I all but lost the ability. While I can regenerate energy, it is not fast enough to keep my core stable. It wouldn't be a problem if I was like other ghosts. If I had a complete core like other ghosts... While ghosts have the ability to absorb energy in their surroundings, for my father and I, it's a secondary biological process. In other words, we can't do it as efficiently as other ghosts. We rely mainly on our core's own ability to create the energy we need. See, our cores are overly sensitive to outside energies... It's why as a kid I couldn't take certain medications or accept external energies; and Anĝela would have to create a dose low enough to not affect my core... It's why Nova energy is too overwhelming for me..."

"Is this your secret?" Ember asked, confused. If it was, why would he keep it a secret? As surprising as it was, it wasn't well, a big deal. She had already known his core was different. But so what? And what that hunter did to him wasn't his fault.

"Not exactly," he muttered before he closed his eyes and placed a hand on his chest. She didn't miss the grimace on his face even when he tried to hide it.

"What are you doing?" she immediately asked.

"Showing you...," he answered with a shaky sigh as he opened his eyes. "But I need to deplete my core energy first. Only way to do it..."

"What?!" Ember exclaimed, eyes widening. Last time he had depleted his core, he almost died! Anĝela had said it was dangerous for him to do that!

"Okay, you need to stop, Danny! Why would you...?!"

"Please, just let me show you," Danny begged, now looking desperate. "I will be okay. I... I promise."

"Danny ," Ember said fearfully. "Please, Anĝela said...,"

Danny gripped his chest tighter and couldn't prevent his groaning in pain.

Ember fell quiet. But she then placed a hand on his chest above his own fisted hand. Still, she felt it... She felt his core weakening.

"Don't do this, Danny."

"I was in a coma in the Human World for four months...," he whispered, closing his eyes again. "And even after that, I couldn't come home because my core was still asleep... I was awake but it was like my core stayed in that coma for almost a year..."

"That's not possible... You would have died... And why would your dad keep you in the Human World?"

"I told you... I-I am not normal, Ember. I never was even before my core got damaged. I didn't know until that happened... When I woke up and learned what I was... that I was like like them. Even as a kid, I couldn't accept it. I didn't want to be like those that murdered my mother and indirectly murdered your parents..."

"Danny, you are nothing like them," she said seriously. "Please, just stop this, and whatever you need to show me, you can just tell me. I swear I will believe you."

Danny began to shiver as his hue dimmed.

"You won't," he whimpered before tightly squeezing his eyes and clamping down on his chest. This was worse than using the Maximus. At least with it the pain was quick.

"R-Remember Pariah's crown and ring... It... It cursed my.. my father. Made him... ahhh... something more than a ghost. And it... it passed on to me that... that curse... I am..."

He looked at her as his hue dimmed completely. "I'm human, Ember... I'm... I'm like them..."

Ember's eyes widened; but then she gasped and pulled her hand away when a set of white rings appeared around her friend's body. He doubled over and let out a noise as if he was choking, as if he... he couldn't breathe.

But her alarm instantly melded to horror when those rings disappeared and his ghost clothing fell away except for those white pants which had turned black... black...just like his hair was now!

White luminescent skin turned to pink flesh... fed by what she knew was no longer green but red blood... He began to pant because.. because he needed air.

And when he finally opened his eyes, they were not the green she knew. They were blue like the human sky...

Her friend was was human. How was he human?

"Please don't be scared," he rasped out. "It's me. I... I am still me."

Ember was in utter shock. This wasn't real. This was a nightmare. It...

He reached for her, and she jumped back to her feet when she had barely felt his touch and it had been hot—like a human. She could now hear his heart racing, and she internally cringed as he took another shaky breath.

"No...," Ember whispered as she covered her mouth and her eyes swelled with tears.

Danny wanted to get up, to somehow convince her it was okay, that he was still 'Danny'; but he was too weak. His human body was feeling the effects of his core's forced depletion by the simulation room.

"Ember " he called—begged. He knew it had been a possibility, but he still couldn't stand the sight of her fear of her soon-to-be hate...

"It's still me."

"You... You can't be human," she whimpered.

"I am both."

"No... No, no, you can't be !" She took another step away.

Danny's eyes widened; and this time, he pulled himself up with the help of the wall. "Don't go. Please, don't go. It... I'm not evil. I'm not... I'm still your friend! You're still my, my friend!"

Ember began to sob; but when he tried to take a step towards her, she thrust her hand out for him to stop while taking another step back.

"This is my secret...," he whispered. "I didn't know how to tell you, how you would react, but, I promise... It's still me. Still Danny. We can figure it out, remember? I... Please. I need you to understand."

Ember just stared at him, shaking. But she then shook her head. "I'm sorry... I just... I-I can't. Let me out. I can't!"

Danny released a shaky breath. "I..."

"Please let me out."

Danny anxiously stared at his friend when she tightly wrapped her arms around herself as if she were trying to keep herself together even when she was quickly coming apart.

Danny blinked rapidly before he lowered his eyes and quietly said, "Unlock room."

The moment the door reappeared, Ember began to sob loudly before she all but ran out of the room.

The girl flew down the same human-like corridor, barely seeing through her tears; but when she made it to the end, she panicked when she couldn't phase through.

"No...," she whimpered and turned intangible and began to pound on the wall. She couldn't be here! This couldn't be real! Her best friend! The person she loved more than more than anything! He was... he was human! He was... No!

"Let me out! Let me out of here!" she screeched.

Right then, Plasmius and Skulker phased through the wall.

But at seeing them, Ember dropped to her knees and began to wail.

The two friends looked at one another before Skulker immediately fell to his knees beside his niece.

But Ember suddenly punched him in the chest, and screamed, "How could you! How could you keep this from me?! How could you!"

And yet, the girl fell into her uncle's arms and gripped him tightly as she continued to weep loudly.

Not really finding any words to say, Skulker frowned sadly as he held the girl. But then, he looked up and wasn't surprised that his friend had already vanished in search of his son.

Plasmius indeed did not hesitate to enter the simulation room.

"Daniel," he called as he immediately spotted his son sitting against the room's white wall.

Although a part of him had been upset that his son didn't wait for him like he had asked, he also knew reproaching him for it was the last thing the teen needed right now.

"She hates me...," he whispered, not looking up at his father. "I can't blame her... I also..."

But he didn't finish. Still, the 'I also hate me, too.' seemed to echo loudly in the room.

The man walked up to his son before he sat beside him.

"She just needs time. Everything will be alright."

Danny didn't reply.

Vlad moved to touch his son's shoulder, but the boy tensed enough to make it clear he didn't want to be touched right now.

"Can you turn back?" the older hybrid asked instead as he lowered his hand.

Danny shook his head.

Vlad's eyebrows creased. "Little badger..."

"Dad," he instantly cut him off, but said nothing else as he shakily sighed and pulled his knees into himself.

The man sadly nodded. "Alright, Daniel. Just... I'm here... If you need me."

Danny didn't answer again.

Plasmius hesitated another second before he finally stood. He only glanced back at his distraught son one more time before he left him alone.

Finally alone, Danny just hugged his knees closer to himself. His heart and core felt like they had shattered into a million pieces. He wanted to weep from the pain, yet he found himself unable to. Not when his anger at the unfairness of his life was greater.

And yet, he couldn't be upset with his friend. He didn't blame her for not understanding. Maybe it was for the best Elliot had never let him tell him his secret. He had been younger then, and maybe he would have reacted differently if Elliot had rejected him like Ember had.

But regardless, he couldn't blame Ember.

"It's okay...," he whispered to the empty room as he pressed his cheek against one of his arms wrapped around his legs. "I hate what I am, too…"

---

Gregor stood on the veranda of his new room and stared down over the railing at the fifteen-foot drop to the ground.

After Juukka left, he had quickly fallen asleep again. He knew he was not fully recovered and the stress of waking up to a completely new world did not help.

Eventually, though, he had stirred. But when he realized his so-called-parents kept checking up on him, he decided to pretend to still be asleep. It wasn't until the green glow filtering into his room from the outside had dimmed to a dark purple that he had dared to move off the bed.

He was also hungry again, but he hadn't any luck in connecting with Juukka to bring him some more food.

It was fine, though. He had gone longer without food before.

Still, he was relieved that his core no longer hurt and he could finally get on his feet. True, all his muscles were still stiff, but at least he had managed to make his way out onto the veranda.

Gregor knew he needed to stay here; but he still could not help but seek a way out. Right now, the easiest way out meant risking a very high fall. Not that he was afraid of heights. He just needed to find a safe way down.

Gregor turned around and immediately scanned the craggy, weathered stone walls of this impressive building. There were a lot of vines gripping the walls, but he couldn't be sure how sturdy they were. But then, there were these... winged statues a few feet above him. Those would be sturdy. He just needed a way to tie a rope or something to it and make it long enough to reach the ground.

"Maybe," he muttered.

He walked over to the left side of the veranda and looked out at the multiple other terraces. Probably different bedrooms.

They were far enough from each other that you couldn't exactly jump to the other. But they did descend down to lower levels of the castle or whatever this place was.

No, he couldn't jump, but he could swing across or if he could just secure a tight rope...

Gregor sighed sharply. Any way he looked at it, he really did not have an immediate way of escape. He would have to create a way out. But it would take some planning.

Unfortunately, he couldn't go anywhere tonight.

He groaned before walking back over to the edge of the veranda. He climbed over the railing, sat down on the ledge and stared down with discontent at his swinging legs.

"I want to go home," he muttered. "Why am I even here? I don't belong here! I... I can't stay here."

Tom couldn't keep him here for much longer. Once Juukka told him he was awake and better, the guy would want him back, right? And what about his Master? His Master wouldn't want him to stay here. He was needed back home! He had shows to do!

Gregor tensed when he suddenly heard an odd sound, much like ripping fabric above him. He immediately looked up in time to see a portal formed. His eyes widened, but before he could really be worried, the portal disappeared and then, another formed, and another.

Each time they did, they never stayed open longer than thirty seconds.

For a moment, Gregor just watched the sky. Was it even a sky? If he could relate it to anything, it was like the pictures or videos you would see of space. Except purple and green were the main colors. But like space, it was vast and you could see these sparkles of green in the distance that twinkled like stars. And he could make out some darker purple and green masses swirling slowly in the sky that reminded him of clouds.

Like the sky back home, it made him feel small.

Gregor scanned the rest of his surroundings. He had already guessed it was what they called 'night' here, and yet, things were slightly more visible than they would be at home. Perhaps it was because everything glowed here for some reason...

Besides the sky, he had next noticed a bunch of smaller buildings nearby. Maybe these were other...homes...Yet, when he looked beyond those buildings, there was suddenly none at all. In fact, that area was so vast that he couldn't see where the horizon ended. Gregor then wondered why everyone would live so clustered together when they could spread out over all that land.

Still, he could also see that there were many trees as well as darkened hills among the odd colors of the land and sky...He paused... Maybe this place even had valleys and caves. He even could make out some green smoke wafting up into the atmosphere in the distance.

"Geysers," Gregor muttered. In that same area, there were hot springs. They were pretty deep, too.

The teen suddenly tensed again. Wait, how did he even know that?

Gregor frowned deeply before he suddenly shook his head. Well, of course there were hot springs! If there were geysers, then it was obvious...

Gregor suddenly grew irritated about all of this. He swung his legs back over the ledge and slid down to the floor of the veranda. He winced when his muscles cramped a bit right after...Perhaps walking could help that.

He slowly walked over to the other side of the veranda. His eyebrows creased when he caught site of a ravine just a few yards from this side of the castle. But it was still far enough that there were no homes nearby. The ravine climbed up into a large open grassy space with a creek running down its middle...

"Run, Elliot! It's chasing us! We have to fly! Fly, Elliot!"

Gregor's eyes flashed a brighter red before he closed them and looked away from the ravine. And yet... He couldn't help but think about his brother...

"Elliot," he muttered in a mixture of hate and confusion.

"Help me! Elliot, help!"

Gregor's eyes flashed red again before they narrowed darkly. What was his brother up to now-a-days? He had sent his little spy earlier today; so obviously he was watching him. And yet since his core got sick, Gregor had not been able to connect with Elliot.

"Where are you anyways?" Gregor wondered out loud before he closed his eyes and focused. He felt the instant restraint from whatever power-restricting spell was over the castle; but Gregor realized the spell did not really block his telepathic abilities. It just made it harder to use. His physical powers were another matter entirely; but he definitely could access his telepathic abilities to some extent.

So, then why couldn't he connect with Elliot?

Were his telepathic powers not working? But he could feel them! He just he couldn't reach his brother. He couldn't feel that connection!

Gregor opened his eyes and frowned. He didn't know how to feel about that. Sure, a part of him was glad to not have his annoying brother in his head, but another part of him didn't like the thought of not knowing what Elliot was up to.

Not like he missed him! He just... Elliot couldn't be trusted!

Gregor growled in annoyance but did not attempt to connect to his brother's mind again. He could figure that out later. Right now He had to figure out how he was going to survive here.

And more importantly, he needed to figure out the fastest way home.

He continued to stare at his strange surroundings; and as amazing as it was, he knew he did not care for it.

No, this was not his home.

---

Danny woke up upon feeling something stroking his hair. He groaned softly as he opened his eyes and saw his father sitting next to him on the bed, smiling apologetically.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but you have guests."

Danny sat up and rubbed his face. He was exhausted. He didn't even remember what time it was when he had finally managed to change back to Phantom and head to his room. Last night felt like a bad dream...

"Who's here?" he asked groggily.

"Your friends."

Danny immediately looked at his father.

The King frowned a bit. "Well... except for Ember."

Danny looked away as he frowned at nothing in particular. "No, I wouldn't expect her to be here "

But he had hoped.

Looking worriedly at his father, he then asked, "Do you know if she's okay?"

Vlad nodded. "Skulker took her home. She was very upset, but it's to be expected. She just needs time to process this, Daniel. You know that, right?"

"I know," he replied; but it still had hurt to see her flee from him.

"I wish you would have waited for me like I asked," Vlad then said hesitantly.

Danny sighed. "I know... I just I couldn't wait any longer. And, it wouldn't have made a difference. She would have reacted the same way. Maybe even worse if you and Skulker had been there."

"I meant, your forcing your transformation by depleting your core. You know that it is dangerous. I could have helped you to avoid doing that. Honestly... You should be able to change at will by now, Daniel. Do you know why you cannot? Does it hurt when you try, or...?"

"No, it doesn't hurt when I try," he answered. "I just... I don't feel my human side, like I do when I change back to my true ghost form."

"What do you think about when you try to turn human?"

"I guess I think about how it feels to breathe. My heart... But when I'm ghost it's like I don't really remember those feelings well. I know they are there, but... I just can't really reach them unless I'm forced to like when I use the Maximus or I drain my core energy."

"The Maximus temporarily stuns your core; it does not deplete it. I do not want you doing that again, understand?" Vlad said soberly. "We will work on teaching you to turn human; but in the meantime, if you need to force the transformation, the best method is to stun your core."

Danny just nodded.

"Here," his father then said as he turned to the table and grabbed the energy armlets. "You left these in the simulation room."

"Oh, thanks," Danny replied grabbing them and proceeding to put them on. He suddenly realized how awful he felt. His core still ached.

"May I?" Vlad then said, lifting his hand and letting it glow blue.

Danny just nodded before his father placed that hand on his symbol. It immediately lit up with his father's blue energy. And the teen immediately felt the ache leave his core as his father gave him some of his energy.

"Make sure to take your energy supplements today," his father said when he finally pulled away at seeing his son's hue return to normal.

Danny nodded again. "Thanks."

They fell quiet for a moment before Vlad spoke up again. "I have been thinking about what you said... In regards to luring out the Red Huntress, and possibly the White Hunter... I will let you do that."

Danny's eyes widened a bit. "Really?"

The King sighed. "I am not any fonder of the idea, but you are right. If we want to know for certain if Gregory is still alive, this is the best way. But you cannot go alone."

"You are going with me?"

"Not as the Ghost King. As I said before we left Wisconsin, the Ghost King cannot be seen in Wisconsin right now. And Gregory might not show if he sees me, too; so I will be watching... As Vladimir. And... I will let you go with your friends. You seem to work well with them, and it will draw less attention than getting my own warriors involved."

Danny smiled. "If my friends are good at anything, it is at sneaking around and not getting caught."

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Oh, I know... Skulker and I will be monitoring from the lab. We will not get involved unless we have to. Other than that, you can decide how you want to do this."

"Thank you, my King. I won't let you down," Danny answered, still smiling. But it soon fell away as he added, "I will talk with my friends today, but I doubt Ember will be joining me."

"I will have Skulker speak with her. Regardless of what has happened, we all have a duty to this Kingdom. I want her out there with you; so you will both need to push your emotions aside enough to work together on this mission."

Danny nodded but fell quiet.

Vlad patted his son's hand comfortably. "Everything will be alright, my son. Come," he then added while standing up. "As I said your friends are here, and then we have other things we need to do before tonight. I would like us to return to Wisconsin by tonight if possible."

Danny looked up at him. "Tonight? I thought we were returning tomorrow."

"Well, as you know, I have a few business items to wrap up in Wisconsin as Vladimir. I plan to push those ahead of schedule because I need to then travel to France with Fright Knight and see how things are progressing there."

"How long are you leaving this time?" Danny asked with a frown.

"I won't be staying in France. I will be leaving Fright Knight in charge. I plan to return in a day or two because there is something else you and I must do... We need to travel to Amity Park."

Danny's eyes widened. "What for?"

Vlad paused, but then said, "I will explain it all later. In the meantime, how soon do you think you can get your team ready to go to Wisconsin?"

Danny's eyebrows creased. He really wanted to know what this sudden trip to Amity Park was about; but he knew his father was only going to tell him until he was sure of whatever he had in mind.

Danny crossed his arms as he tapped his lip in thought. "Well I can discuss it with them today since they are already here... We need to get Ember on board, too. And then make sure my friends have an entry point to Wisconsin..."

"Skulker can take care of the latter two," Vlad answered.

"I want to use the same spot the Red Huntress was last sighted," Danny continued. "I need to get their attention..." The boy narrowed his eyes before looking at his father. "I know you want to keep your warriors out of this one, but do you think I could borrow Technus ? I know exactly how we can get this huntress and everyone else's attention."

Vlad smirked. "Alright. I will call for him today."

Danny finally got out of bed and headed to his closet to grab his clothes for the day. When he returned, his father was still waiting for him.

"Tomorrow night," Danny finally said. "Everything will be in place by tomorrow night." He smiled at his father as he added daringly, "Not only will we find out if Gregor is still alive in the Human World... But you have also been wanting to get Chrome's attention. So I will send him a message on your behalf."

Vlad's eyes widened in surprise. "Daniel..."

"Just trust me, my King," Prince Phantom answered with a smirk.

"Alright...," the King replied. He then chuckled. "Hurry down. Breakfast is ready..." He then added with an eye roll. "That is, if your little friends haven't devoured it all already..."

Danny laughed. "They probably did."

Vlad laughed as well before he finally left.

The Prince watched him leave before he frowned. He really hoped Ember came around. He didn't know what he would do if... But he then shook his head. He couldn't keep thinking about it, especially not when his father had finally shown him some trust and was allowing him this chance to show him he could help him win this war.

Besides... As much as he wanted to know if Gregor was alive or not, he wanted to send that message to Chrome. Not just on his father's behalf. But on his behalf...

He was done hiding from that monster.

---

[1] terpoma krambo—Potato wedges

[2] legomoj—Vegetables

Note: New one shots available relating to CM series under 'Secret Writings of Vlad Muse'.

Hope you liked the chapter!