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

Note (02/16/2018): Geez, the past four days have been extremely hard because my stepfather passed away unexpectedly so I am in desperate need of a distraction that doesn't involve talking to people, as much as I love my friends and family who have been supporting me through this whole thing. The previous chapter was posted the day it happened if only because I had already written it and wanted to give "frozenightmare" their birthday request of a new chapter. Needless to say...any further updates are going to be slow for awhile since I have to cope with the real-life death of a loved one. I really hope writing about a bunch of ghost characters doesn't bother me since I'm pretty sensitive about a lot of things right now. Sorry if this is tmi or too personal but it's an update nevertheless...

P.S. Sorry there's no action yet like planned but I guess we're lucky I'm writing anything at all atm. Especially since I do have an important revelation about my own idea to portray to the rest of you concerning Owen's recent ghostly chills as it were that I came up with today out of the blue, I mean I've been thinking about how to explain it for awhile but after reading another chapter of "Checkmate" it suddenly hit me.

~Chapter 24~

The Soul's Pulse

If nothing else, Vlad could see that Owen was at least content knowing that his spell had done some good. Though, granted, the built up miasma that Vlad's darker feelings unknowingly created over the years was now serving as his shadow's main energy source. Even so, the laboratory and even the rest of the castle itself didn't carry the same...heaviness as before. To Owen, it was definitely noticeable and helped him relax a bit despite their current predicament. In fact Vlad smiled a secretly to himself when he saw Owen exhale a relieved sigh the moment the two of them entered the laboratory since of all the places in his castle this place was obviously the most corrupt...at least until his spell gathered it all in one place so Owen could purify it. That was the original plan at any rate.

Admittedly the proximity of Vlad's ghost portal still made the room much colder then unusual -at least to Owen- but hey if he had to choose between being cold and feeling such an oppressive dark aura, he'd take feeling cold any day. Then again, since those ghostly injections were causing an unfortunate side effect of giving him chills in his human body, Owen's sensitivity to anything of a ghostly nature was almost tenfold.

He didn't tell Vlad that though since they had bigger problems to deal with then figuring out why these side effects were so intense. Not that it stopped the elder half-ghost from noticing his son-to-be's discomfort which was beginning to become a cause for concern for the billionaire.

Surely they should have subsided by now, the side effects...

As for Vlad himself, since he was far more concerned about conserving the precious necroenergy Owen basically lent to him through his spell Vlad decided to remain in his human form during this...introduction. Vlad of course had every confidence that his first offer would intrigue the Fright Knight enough on its own so as to not require the need to remind the ghost knight to whom he served under. After their most recent encounter with Nocturne, Owen's role as a necromancer and Vlad Plasmius's new protege was more then likely already known throughout the vast reaches of the Ghost Zone. Especially by any of the the Ancient-class spirits that knew how Owen in particular is probably THE rarest type of necromancer there is who has tasted death yet is alive.

On top of that Owen was the last survivor of the oldest necromancer clan in the world, which as it turns out is also the source of all necromancers, the Ravenheart clan. Most ghosts probably also knew by now or at least hear the rumors that Owen's...unique powers -powers that set him apart from even among necromancers- make him an extremely valuable commodity especially to those who understood his true worth. Apart from the fact that pure form of ectoenergy that Owen naturally possessed could enhance ghostly powers to unimaginable levels and he could do what very few ghosts could, which is to completely destroy a ghost by crushing or absorbing their core, his soul, though it has been reincarnated many many times, still belongs to the one true heir to the Ghost King's throne...

It was amusing now to think that originally Vlad was only intrigued by Owen's immunity to being overshadowed when he was clearly human only to discover that that 'worth' Vlad was searching for not only exceeded his expectations...but it paled in comparison to his true prize. The prize that this boy, this clever, kind, extraordinary boy, WANTED to be his son now. Owen cared about him and from the start told him through his sensitivity to the aura's or hidden intentions he could sense in most ghosts that Vlad wasn't 'evil.' That's what he kept trying to tell Daniel all along, Vlad wasn't the villain, he just wanted someone to care about him because of who, not what, he was in all of its entirety.

Owen admitted of course that Vlad did scare him at first, but that was because this darkness reminded him of those wraiths killed his parents and in a sick way reveled in their darkness. Because yes, Vlad did know there was a darkness in him but it was justified after the way he was supposedly betrayed and abandoned by the few people he trusted. When he almost lost Owen though because his body was rejecting anything even remotely dark or negative, for the first time in his life Vlad regreted feeling so hateful. Especially if it was about to cost him the life of the one person who gave him a chance to prove what kind of man he was at heart and give Vlad a chance to become what he always wanted to be before he was turned into a half-ghost hybrid.

Namely, a father.

Vlad...? Owen thought unsurely, watching Vlad's expression change a little after awhile when they began waiting for this Fright Knight to arrive. Vlad could see and feel that Owen was starting to have second thoughts and more importantly he was shivering again, even in his necromancer form.

Giving the portal a thoughtful glance, Vlad sighed and strode over to the box which contained Owen's unused cape and took it out, draping it over the boy's shoulders. It really did look quite dashing and it wasn't even at full length like his own. It barely reached Owen's elbows. Even so, Owen smiled appreciatively and held the fabric close, crossing his arms over his chest, thankful that Vlad designed it to absorb heat and regulate it like his own powers did usually.

"Owen, I'm starting to worry. Your body should not be reacting this way," Vlad frowned, pulling the shivering boy close to share his human warmth. "If there was time I'd start creating some sort of antidote to at least delude the effects since it is healing you faster as intended. Are you sure you're alright?"

Owen shook his head, frowning now too, I don't understand it either. Like you said, if it worked on you then it should have worked on me too right? After all, at the end of the day I'm still a ghost too right? I'm someone who has died and come back from the dead as someone new. And when I change forms I look different just like you and Danny so why do I feel like this...?

He trailed off, wondering about that when his eyes wandered to one of the other undamaged benches were the vial of Skulker's ghostly hair, or rather the flames that served as his hair was still flickering wildly as if reflecting the untamed nature of it's owner. Transfixed by it for some reason Owen walked over to it and picked up the seemingly harmless vial. Without really thinking too much about it, Owen opened it and willed the flame into his other hand.

A gasp escaped his lips when Owen sensed the echoes of Skulker's memories and his mannerisms which gave him a better impression of the ghost he'd been too afraid to catch a glimpse of before. As if trying to distract himself Owen probed the sample of Skulker's flame for awhile, unaware that Vlad was watching him intently and felt what he was feeling through their temporary link. Fascinated by Owen's discovery regarding the ghost hunter's past, Vlad smirked and peered down at the small green flame in Owen's hand.

"You see my boy? I told you from the beginning he was nothing to fear. Skulker is many things, but he's loyal to those whom he respects and knows the folly of turning against me. In fact I went to him when I went searching for you in the Ghost Zone since he is one of the most knowledgeable ghosts I know in regards to the location of some of the older ghostly lairs and who resides there. Which reminds me that I still need to help you build up a better immunity to Nocturne's sleep induction powers in case he attempts to- what are you doing?" Vlad asked suddenly, noticing that Owen's fingers were now clenched around the flame as if it were a living thing desperately struggling to escape his grasp.

Driven by instinct to replace his depleted necroenergy, Owen found himself willing this energy in his hand to submit to his will and become a part of him. It terrified him and he tried to stop himself but the sudden need to purify this energy became too strong. And finally, his fingers snapped outwards again and there was an audible fwoosh as the toxic green flames became blue at the center with green edges before it wavered wildly for a moment more, struggling to turn green again until it gave in and turned completely blue. Once it looked no different then Owen's own flames, he curled his fingers to extinguish the flame and it went out. However, the energy of that flame made Owen glow a bit brighter for a moment before it resumed it's normal hue.

As if realizing what he'd just done,Owen staggered back and Vlad grasped him gently by the shoulders, feeling him trembling again but not because of the cold. Out of fear. It was roiling off of Owen like a thin black miss and for a moment Vlad was concerned it was the shadow messing with Owen again, intent on manipulating him even though it now had stolen a piece of Vlad's shadow instead.

"Well now, that was interesting," Vlad smiled as he spoke in a light tone hoping to defuse Owen's rising panic. "What possessed you do to that?"

Closing his eyes, Owen took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves before opening them again and replying out loud in a weak voice, "I don't know, it's just I've been feeling so...exposed ever since I created the other you with my powers. On top of that, those injections...they...yes they're helping me heal faster but...it feels like I'm surrounded by ghosts just like when I was in the Ghost Zone. But I can't escape the unknown 'presence' because it's in my own body-" he blinked, staring at his hand that he had used to 'convert' Skulker's ectoenergy into his necroenergy and remembering what he told Vlad earlier when he began performing the cleansing ritual...

"...I figured out something when I was reading about how to perform this type of cleansing. The reason I looked like Nocturne before when he poured his power into me, it's because I was trying to cleanse his spirit with my necroenergy. The only reason I couldn't to it then is because my own spirit and body were too weak. The same goes for Venom's poison which invaded my necromancer form when I left my body behind..."

Then Owen suddenly remembered how felt both times he Astral Projected he felt so...raw and exposed. It was like he could sense anything and everything even remotely ghost-like in nature without any filters, excluding himself. There was a thin thread that tied him to his body but, when they were separated Owen could do everything a ghost can do, including flight and probably other things. In his necromancer form, it felt different. Sure his body would change accordingly but it didn't feel so much like he changed, but rather...allowed his inner-self, his necroenergy, to bleed out and convert his body into something else. Something...not human...

Vlad was about to reprimand Owen for straining his voice again when Owen unexpectedly burst out laughing which unnerved him to say the least and he whirled around, running a hand through his glowing hair. That's when Owen put the pieces together for Vlad and scoffed, "How could I have been so blind? Of course YOUR ghost remedies wouldn't work the same on me as they do on you, Vlad. Remember, unlike you and Danny I'm not HALF-GHOST, I'm..."

Trailing off Owen dropped his hand from his hair and looked directly into Vlad's eyes, wondering how he was going to the man something that neither of them could have guessed was the reason why Owen reacted so badly to both of the ghostly injections...until now. That's when Owen's troubled gaze drifted to the closed portal, already sensing something familiar and strong approaching but Vlad needed to understand this, because it was going to finally solve yet another mystery they've been wondering about for a long time. Something so simple and obvious it was totally unfathomable.

"Owen, it's alright," Vlad assured him with another smile, placing his hands behind his back as he too glanced at the portal, understanding that Owen was sensing something he couldn't yet at this range which meant whatever he was about to tell him it had to be either now or at a later date. "Nothing you say will make think any less of you. If you have figured out what went wrong then by all means, enlighten me. After all, I realize now that it was a mistake for me to assume that I understand everything regarding your necromancer form or that it works the same as my own interchangeable form as proven by my other self that you created. Just spit it out dear boy. Especially before I change my mind about punishing you for disobeying me and speaking when I specifically told you not to."

Nodding soberly, Owen lifted his hand again and said slowly, "We should have realized this sooner. This is why I can't do all of the same things you and Danny can do unless I Astral Project OUT of my body. It's because, like I said before, I'm not half-ghost. You already know that I've died before, Vlad, many times as many different people. And even though I'm alive right now and I was born human like everyone else...because of who I am I never stopped being a ghost, Vlad..." shakily, he placed a hand over his heart, which was glowing beneath his rib-cage for some reason the closer the Fright Knight came, and said in an eerily calm voice that bordered on some kind of somber resignation, "The Grimoire calls people like me 'Living Ghosts' for a reason. A reason I only just now finally understand. When I change, even just a small part of my body, it's actually the power inside of my soul taking it over. My powers may work together symbiotically, but they're not the same. Vlad, it turns out that...I'm my own ghost. "