Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom, I'm a big fan and was feeling nostalgic.

~Chapter 3~

A Living Nightmare

Owen, though still disoriented and very much asleep found himself examining each of the memories that floated towards him with an idle curiosity. Because that's what these small flames were, they were echos of his past lives. Deeply buried memories at that that Nocturne was currently using to collect information about Owen and dream energy from. Truth be told, the dreams Nocturne found that were the most powerful were usually one of two kinds: either a dream born of the heart's true desire or of a particularly memorable moment, or the final dream acting as a prelude to someone's death.

While Nocturne played some part in creating dreams it was the person or ghost's own subconscious that did most of the work for him. He simply gave them direction and used his powers to put the mind and heart at ease to optimize the dream energy he could absorb from them before they woke. Seeing as most people tend to be easily startled awake if haunted by nightmares, Nocturne realized early on that utilizing nightmares was hardly the best way to harvest dream energy...

Besides, absorbing the more nightmarish energy born from fear was the Fright Knight's foray not Nocturne's. He didn't have much of a taste for fear despite obviously being a ghost. If anything Nocturne was more like the mythical sandman who aided in the making of good dreams with his dream dust and in exchange absorbed the dream energy produced by the dreamer. However, desperate times come for desperate measures. For too long Nocturne was content just getting by absorbing the energy he needed here from other ghosts, but now it was time to reclaim his dominance over the dreams of the mortal world. And this child would be the catalyst marking his return as the ruler of all dreams.

No doubt the elder halfa was going to be in no mood to talk so persuasion was out of the question according to the memories Owen had regarding this Vlad Plasmius. The man was quite devious and a ruthless fighter so Nocturne would have to be careful. Still, he would be no match for him once Owen began his true dream which was only moments away from completion. This was certainly some of his finest work indeed. It was almost a shame to give it away so easily.

If only Nocturne realized sooner that what awaited him was not a dream to be fulfilled, but a living nightmare once Vlad got his hands on him. Clearly the rumors downplayed just how dangerous Vlad could be when he was enraged. So just because Nocturne was old it seems, it did not make him as wise as he thought...

If the ghosts thought whatever unknown force that was stirring was frightening, then clearly they hadn't seen what Vlad had done to the ghosts that had been foolish enough to impede his progress delving deeper into the Ghost Zone. The very air around him seemed electrified as Vlad exerted his power to show everyone he wasn't messing around today. Vlad was DONE playing the good guy. This Nocturne was going to pay dearly for stealing what was rightfully his!

As for Owen, he better pray that he caught Vlad in a better mood once this was over because he was seething inside. Did Owen STILL have so little faith in his intentions that he felt the need to do this behind his back? Was his approval worth risking everything over just to prove himself worthy of Vlad's love? That idiot. Vlad was the one who needed to prove himself, not Owen. Owen was perfect, though still clearly suffering from many of his old fears and doubts.

Despite his anger Vlad had to admit that the fact that Owen created a working portal like it was nothing was nothing short of astonishing. It reminded him that yet again, Owen was a very old and powerful being despite now only being a 15 year old teenager. And an emotionally scarred one at that. It was a miracle he kept himself together for the last two years completely alone...

Now Vlad understood the reason why Clockwork was asked by one of Owen's previous lives to play such an important role in pushing him and Owen together, knowing some of the challenges the next owner of his soul would doubtlessly have to face. Or really, anyone who was equipped to handle his supernatural gifts would have sufficed but luckily for Vlad, there were none. And there was also no one better suited to making sure that Owen would meet the person that could help him through all this only when his true awakening as a necromancer started then Clockwork.

There was no way Owen would have been able to deal with all of this on his own. If it wasn't for his encounter with Vlad Owen would most likely be out on the streets right about now hiding from the rest of the world in a misguided attempt make sure he didn't hurt anyone as the raw power within him slowly overwhelmed his frail human body and eventually burned him out. Vlad could only imagine how his birth parents would have taken the revelation that their son, while human in body, carried an unnatural soul capable of such things. Needless to say they probably wouldn't have been able to do much of anything even if they did accept how different Owen was from everyone else.

Pausing only for a moment, Vlad surveyed his surroundings and noticed that unlike most of the Ghost Zone, it was much darker here and there was less ectoenergy in the air. That was to be expected though, given how ghosts naturally produce ectoenergy and there would be less excess energy wherever there were fewer ghosts. Not to mention Nocturne thrived in the dark and silence where no one could disturb him or his dreamers. That's what Skulker told him at least when Vlad took a small detour to gather some more insider information on his target...

"Plasmius? What are you doing here?" Skulker asked in surprise when his security cameras spotted the halfa at his doorstep, energy still crackling off his skin that made it obvious that this was no business trip. He was on the hunt. And Skulker did not envy the one who was his prey.

Reigning in some of his energy to put Skulker a little more at ease, Vlad growled, "Someone dared to steal something of mine and I will not rest until it is back in my possession. Now tell me Skulker, what do you know about a ghost by the name of Nocturne? Specifically in what sad little hole here in the Ghost Zone he's trying to hide in."

Crossing his arms, Skulker replied, "Nocturne eh? Now there's a name I haven't heard in ages. On occasion I go to him for sleeping gas and such to help in the hunt but for the most part he's harmless. In fact many ghosts have gone to see him since things have been restless around here lately. I'm still searching for the reason behind that. But what in the world would he want to steal from YOU of all people?"

"That is none of your concern," Vlad said in a low voice, keeping his tone civil but no less serious. "Just give me the information I need so I can be on my way. I'll even pay you double the usual fee."

Skulker couldn't help but chuckle at how quickly Vlad just up and offered him so much money and commented, "Well well well, whatever he stole from you must be valuable indeed. Very well, I'll help you." Uncrossing his large metallic arms, Skulker turned away from Vlad and began heading towards his base up in the skull-shaped cave that acted as the landmark of his island, then he motioned Vlad to follow. "This way, I should still have a copy of the map I originally used to find his domain. I don't need it anymore since I have the location programmed into my exosuit but I always keep my old maps on hand just in case. By the way," allowing himself a knowing smirk, Skulker also offered, "If Nocturne is your prey might I suggest a few precautions you might want to take? Acquaintance or no, I try to keep a few weapons that work against them for...insurance. One never knows when an ally can turn on you. Not that I suspect YOU ever would but I would be a fool not to be prepared for that eventuality."

For once, Vlad agreed and despite his impatience to get back on the trail smirked, "I would expect nothing less from the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter. I also have the same precautions in place. Thankfully though our interactions were mutually beneficial so I see no point in turning on one another. Because trust me when I say-" his aura flared again so that Skulker got the message and judging by how he recoiled from Vlad and took a step back, he got it loud and clear, but Vlad continued darkly, "-you would not want ME as your enemy Skulker. Unlike Danny Phantom, I'm not afraid to put you six feet under a second time. I may very well have found a way to do just that. So Nocturne better pray that he is sensible enough to know when he is beaten...and when he is facing a fate WORSE then death."

"Whoa...so this is what it looks like in here. Creepy..." Dani commented, making sure to fly close to Danny as they made their way through the Ghost Zone the normal-to-them way through Vlad's portal.

He'd been right about one thing. Dani was looking much better now and her arm had even healed once they entered the Ghost Zone. She was still a bit sore but if push came to shove Dani would at least be able to defend herself now. Not that Danny was planning on putting her anywhere near danger so their first stop was going to be the home of whichever ally of his was closest. Danny wouldn't be able to focus on helping Owen if he was constantly worrying about his clone-cousin. Hopefully she would understand where he was coming from and could stay put for a few hours.

"Yeah, I know," Danny chuckled, trying to keep his cool as they flew while still scanning the area for threats. "The first time I came in here I was thrown in Walker's jail and had to bust out by teaming up with most of my enemies. It was NOT a fun experience. Thankfully I have more allies here now that I actually like to visit from time to time. Especially Clockwork. I think you'll be safest if you stay with him for a bit."

Colliding with his back, Dani complained, "Aw! You're not taking me with you? But I can help you now. See!" she waved her arms and then summoned some ectoenergy to her hands, "All better!"

Turning around, Danny took her by the wrists and shook his head, "No Dani. The best way you can help me right now is by staying safe, ok? I haven't seen you in months but when Vlad called me I wasn't sure what to expect. I hoped you were fine but you're not Dani. The only reason your arm healed is because Owen helped give your powers a much needed boost. I'm not going to lie to you Dani but you're pretty sick. You know that already, don't you?" When Dani averted her gaze, Danny took that as a yes then let go of her wrists then placed his hands on her shoulders. "Dani, I'm not saying I don't believe in you, far from it. But I need to be able to focus if we're gonna beat the ghost that took Owen. And also, even though we were both wrong about him being a clone I know your heart was in the right place. If anything goes wrong then Clockwork will point you in the right direction. So if it helps, think of yourself as our trump card. Think you can manage that?"

Happy to hear that he still thought she could be useful, Dani smiled and hugged him, nodding, "Save the best clone for last. Got it."

It was amazing the sheer amount of memories Nocturne's spell had called forth from the depths and even more amazing was how unfazed Owen was seeing them. At least at first. After awhile Owen started getting bored and it dawned on him that he didn't know where the heck he was. That only served to remind him dimly of his last kidnapping and almost immediately, Owen realized that something was very wrong here. But what? He couldn't remember anything after going back to his room and reading The Grimoire for some reason. Had he been looking for something in there? And if so, what...?

Straightening himself up, Owen tried feeling for the presence of a memory he hadn't already seen in search of answers. There was this sudden intense tightness in his chest telling him something was wrong about all of this. This place itself was wrong. Sure Owen was in his own mind but since when was it so...blissfully blank? Usually his dreams were full of self-doubt or he woke up in a cold sweat stifling a strangled cry of pain or fear so having his dreams feel so calm all of a sudden was unnerving.

"Show me...when did I start dreaming?" Owen asked, willing his memories to gather closer and solidify into a single pillar of flame in the darkness. And once all of the flames had gathered, a strange glittering black flame was all that remained.

Cupping his hands together like he had with the other small flames, Owen waited for the memory to float to him and show him a vision of that hidden moment. While Nocturne's influence over dreams and the subconscious was formidable indeed he'd forgotten who exactly he was dealing with. And more importantly, WHAT. Nocturne managed to catch him during a moment of weakness, but now that he was rested and was starting to think more clearly, his spell was weakening which is what allowed the memory Owen asked for to return to him.

He remembered everything.

Watching the flame go out once the vision faded, Owen ran his hands through his hair and grimaced. This was bad in so many ways. Vlad was going to kill him for doing this behind his back and getting himself caught by such a conniving ghost! There had to be some way to fix this. But first, he had to figure out a way to wake up before Nocturne cast another sleeping spell over him. Hopefully Owen would be strong enough to resist now that he was in his right mind again but either way, Owen had a feeling that no matter what happened next, it was going to be a living nightmare!