I find myself floating alone in the Ghost Zone, still human. The voice. It speaks to me in it's deep, silky, familiar tone. "Dannnnn-yyy. Daaannnn-y."

I listen to it curiously as I sniffle and wipe some tears from my eye. "What? What do you want?"

The voice speaks. "Sam will never forgive you! You might as well make yourself cozy in here because you have no one left in the human realm that really loves you!"

"No! You're lying! My family loves me! My friends love me!"

"Oh? Do they? Do they really? I think they were just faking smiles because they were scared of you! None of them ever loved you to begin with! They just didn't want you to kill them."

I curl in on myself and hold myself tight as he speaks. The tears begin to return. "No! It's not possible! You're wrong!"

"No one loves you! No one wants you! You're better off hiding here than suffering out there!"

As a defense mechanism, I go ghost and hold myself tighter. It's as if I'm trying to avoid a bully's kick to the gut. For the first time in forever, Phantom and Fenton are thinking one in the same. We're thinking "Run. Hide. Don't burden others with your existence."

I did just that. I found an unoccupied island and built my new home. A small castle. Fit for me, myself, and the voices in my head.

I thought doing this would quiet or at least calm the voice. It didn't. The voice has been stronger; more demanding. It makes my head ache painfully as I sit on my throne.

"You can fix everything. All the mistrust. All the hatred! All of this pain can go away! Just do one simple task!" I listen silently. My sanity... I think it's slipping. "Do it! Do it! Do! It! DO IT! DO! IT! DO IT, YOU PATHETIC FOOL!"

This persists for days, perhaps weeks. I lost track of time as I sat alone in my castle.

The louder and angrier the voice got, the more my head hurt and my ghost instincts tried to take over. I finally give up the fight when the pain became beyond unbearable.

The voice continued to chant one word after the other, "REALITY! GAUNTLET!"

I let out a raging growl. "NO! I REFUSE!"

As I stand hectically from my throne, I catch a glance of myself in the mirror… No! It's not me! The face! It's too bitter! Too angry at me to possibly be me!

My theory is proven when it begins moving independent of my will. The reflection looks me deep in the eyes and raises a hand. It forces my own hand up. It smirks! It smirks at this as if it is realizing how much control it has over me! My hand moves to my throat, joined by my other hand as they squeeze tight and choke me.

I find a way to resist it with the last of my sanity. I remove my hands from my throat and run to the mirror, blasting it out of existence! "I refuse. I REFUSE TO LISTEN TO YOU! I WON'T FIX ANYTHING!"

"Terrible choice! You need to find the Reality Gauntlet! NOW!"

I whimper from how loud the shout was. "O-okay"

"Excuse me? What is that? Is that weakness?! YOU WON'T GET ANYWHERE WITH WEAKNESS!"

I growl once more. It almost turns into a wail. "I'LL DO IT! I'LL FIND THE GODDAMN GAUNTLET! JUST TELL ME WHERE I CAN FIND IT!"

That seemed to have shut up the voice. It didn't tell me how at all. "I guess I'm on my own once again..." I look at my reflection in the broken glass and begin to laugh. I don't even know why I'm laughing! But, it just feels so good to laugh!

Once my laughing fit subsides, I head out. Out to the human realm once more.