CHAPTER 27: MAN MADE GOD, PART 2

The terms 'Spiritual Journey' or 'Soul-Searching' have been seen as mere cliche statements of discovering one's true self, but such is not the case for its use here.

For the three named Danny Fenton, Jazz Fenton, and Danielle Phantom, they are on a mission which is a very literal interpretation of both phrases. Having his soul stolen from him, and all his powers with it, the group is on a journey to meet someone who may be able to get it back to him and give him his powers back...

...but, along the way, there has been an argument for the more metaphysical meaning of the terms to be applied here as well. Making their first acquaintance during the journey ahead of them, Jazz and Danielle have both carried their own differing opinions of religion, one holding her beliefs in the realms of facts and knowledge, and the other in the realm of contemplation and philosophy.

There has been many dialogues going back and forth between the two on the subject, whether purely by curiosity or by boredom (as, without a soul Danny has no means to hold up any meaningful conversation, and does not make the best travelling company), and it has no means of stopping just yet without finding resolve.

It has only found a temporary pause of silence with the trip, and it begins once again with an act of concern made from Danielle to Jazz's quiet demeanor.

"Hey, Jazz. You okay?" Danielle asked.

"Huh? Yeah, sure, why?" Jazz asked.

"You were getting awfully quiet for a minute there."

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking, I guess."

"Yeah, you'll do a lot of that when you're a ghost. Anything particular you were thinking about?"

"Well, for starters, why those peace-loving Muslim assholes had to throw us out for saving their lives. 'Oh, you saved us from getting killed by a bunch of crazy cow-worshiping nutjobs? I'm sorry, but we're gonna have to kick you out, even though we were more than willing to feed you guys minutes ago'. Real Christ-like, if that even was what they believed in."

"It's more complex than that. They don't believe in violence under any circumstances, not even to defend themselves. You know that old saying, 'turn the other cheek'? That doesn't mean 'Turn and walk away'. It means 'If you hit me on this cheek, here's the other one so you can hit it, too'. That's their belief."

"But not even to save their own lives? That's idiotic and suicidal."

"They don't believe so. They believe that they'll just go straight to heaven if they die. Why bother trying to defend yourself against an enemy if they're only really just sending you somewhere you want to be more?"

"That's still suicidal. We know what happens after you die, we know it for a fact. How can all these people overlook emprical reality for false promises?"

"If you have to ask that, then you haven't been paying attention to our previous conversations, have you?"

"I haven't forgotten. I just still can't comprehend it. Like, how do they even believe that they're going to heaven after they die if they literally have ghosts living with them, who could actually verify for them whether their promised land is even there or not? Seems like it's debunk the whole thing for at least one person."

"You get a different answer depending on who you ask. Most of them say that they did something wrong to not go to heaven or hell, and they have to make up for it here on Earth before they can finally go. Some would say that they didn't believe 'hard enough' and were damned to stay there. The cynical ones tend to answer the latter."

"Oh, 'didn't believe hard enough'. That's gold. How do they buy this?"

"When you already have the answer you want, you'll do anything to work backwards from your conclusion and justify it. How long have you seen people trying to present evidence for the story of the exodus of slavery from Egypt or the global flood even with all the real evidence stacked up against it? Sometimes, people don't let facts get in the way of a good story."

"Whose side are you on, anyway? First, you're blasting away at religious militias and telling them off, the next, you're apologizing for people with death wishes. Do you like the idea of religion or not?"

"Like I said, if you have to ask that, you haven't been paying attention enough during our talks. Everything's a religion in some way. I just want people to stop steering towards the ones that lead them to do bad things and make ones for themselves that make them do good things. And I wished you would've done more to help people on that when you were still alive."

"How exactly? Look, I get that we were the richest and most powerful people on Earth, yeah, we could pull a few strings. But exactly how many people do you think would actually listen to us? You think most people give a damn what billionaires do with their lives or look to them for life advice?"

"People look up to anybody who has success in their lives or some kind of personal well-being to see how they can accomplish it themselves. We build influence off of each other whether we realize it or not. Kids do it to their parents and their family, and, as they grow up, they'll look to others like writers, filmmakers, rock stars, or anybody that can capture their imagination in some way. For a lot of kids, that also includes scientists and other brilliant thinkers. Like you were."

The comparison seemed to give Jazz further pause to contemplate the point, trying to fully grasp how she would have implemented it in her life.

"And what if it still didn't work? What if we tried everything you said, and it still didn't pay off?" Jazz asked.

"Then you could at least go home and say you tried your best to help people. Maybe it did help someone and you didn't know it yet. Maybe it would be awhile before what you said actually took effect in people's minds and you made a difference later on. You'll never know unless you try." Danielle said.

"Then let me take that one step further: Let's say that it does work to some degree, but the message gets blurred or changed somewhere down the line. Maybe someone completely rewrites the message we tried to send and makes it into the total opposite of what we really said. You see it with billionaires trying to say they're rich because Jesus wanted them to be rich, even though he literally said in the bible that rich people can't get into heaven."

"All this coming from a person who was a billionaire."

"Yeah, but we never said any religious bullshit to justify it."

"...Fair enough. But, again, you'll never know if you make a difference or not unless you try. Maybe the worst possible outcome could come about from you trying to do the right thing. Maybe it gives some people the wrong idea. That doesn't give you an excuse not to try to make the world a better place. If everybody just gave up on trying to make the world better, then nothing better would ever come at all. You'd be doing nothing but be letting the bad last and perpetuate. Even if only a few people tried to make a positive difference, that's still a little bit that could go a long ways. With that little bit of faith, you just might move a mountain."

"But what if your idea of 'good' doesn't align with somebody else's idea of 'good'? How do you account for that in your little scenario? What if two people both have different solutions for a problem, and both sides have equal points, but just can't agree? How are you supposed to make a positive difference then?"

"Nobody agrees with everybody on 100% of everything. That'll never be the case. We're all different people with different opinions, and that's okay. We're supposed to be different. If everybody was all the same, then the world would be a whole lot more boring, wouldn't it?"

"But, in your theoretical world, it would be a lot better for human life and a lot more efficient. Homogeneity leading to the same ideals being held by everyone is the only way you would have no more arguments or dissent; no more fights or conflict. So why would diversity of thought be desirable in that instance?"

"You're talking about having people conform under one system. That's something I don't agree with, and it's the reason I fight against the groups of people that spread their faith by force. People do and should have the right to dissent and disagree, otherwise, what's the point of being human if you can't be different?"

"I never said people shouldn't have the right to think differently. I'm just saying that, according to your logic, the world would be better off if everyone held the same exact ideals. That's what would lead to less wars and conflict. You might not have your freedom of belief, but you would also have no more pain."

"Freedom vs. security. Is that what you're saying this boils down to?"

"Isn't that what so many human experiences boil down to? We're hardwired to be around one another, but we're always afraid that we'll mess something up and stop belonging to a group. So we can either face being alone and stick to our own principles, or we can shed them just so we can have a sense of belonging."

"Now you're starting to sound like me."

Danielle's comment was intended as something of a mere joke for the two to snicker at, and they did just so in response, but a fundamental connection laid itself out as an undertone to the humor. The statement additionally provided a sense of common ground for the two to stand and agree on; something that the two had not yet accomplished until now.

There was only a subtle and subconscious realization of this fact, and it was acknowledged only by a silence after their laughter.

"You know something? I think you guys just might be able to learn something after all." Danielle said.

"Yeah? How's that?" Jazz asked.

"You've been spending so much time studying ghosts and the afterlife, that you never stopped to think about humans and the present life that we all have. You spend all your time in a lab all day, you never get a chance to really see the beauty of life for what it is."

"And you're saying I wasted all of my life in a lab? Hey, I admit I could've gotten out a little more often, but I was happy with how I spent my life. I learned a lot and I advanced the science behind ghosts further than even my parents did."

"But you missed out on the bigger questions of life. But, hey, that's the beauty of having an afterlife. You get a second chance around to learn something new."

Feeling the aftermath of her meal from the Abrahamic Pascifists make its way through her body, Danielle felt a familiar discomfort urging her to relieve herself.

"Ugh... but at least you don't have to worry about spicy foods anymore. I gotta go to the bathroom. You mind sticking with me? This isn't the best of neighborhoods." Danielle asked.

"Sure." Jazz said.

The girls took a detour to their trip and stopped by a public restroom, walking into the ladies' room. Lacking his fundamental understanding of basic human decorum and decencies, the hardware of his brain lacking the software of his soul to process it, Danny attempted to follow them inside.

For obvious reasons, the two withheld him from entering as well, making him stand outside the door.

"Uh, no, Danny. This is the part where you stay here and wait." Jazz said.

Though unable to understand the reason why he was to remain in place, Danny nonetheless remained stationary as asked of him, standing outside the ladies' room to patiently await his sisters' return. Lacking in his soul, there is no room in his mind for contemplation or even imagination, and none for even boredom, leaving him to stand in place outside the restroom in a state of complete disinterest.

Until, however, after a few minutes of waiting, a shot of noise in the form of the English language was put into his ears, stimulating his brain to attention once more.

"Business?" A voice asked.

Hearing the voice speak to him, Danny turned to its source, finding it belonging to a young boy accompanied by a young girl, and neither appearing to be any older than 10.

"Well, c'mon, man, you here for business or what?" The boy repeated.

The implications of what the child was asking were vague as they were originally stated, but, to the empty mind of Danny Fenton, they were unintelligible as questions.

"C'mon, man, you don't hang out outside a bathroom unless you're here for business. It's 10 for a handjob, 20 for a blowjob, 40 for my thighs, and 50 all the way. My sister's got the same rates, except it's 100 for the cooch. What's it gonna be?" The boy asked.

Danny still had no answer for the boy's question, but, with the opening of a door, there was no need for him to do so. Departing from the ladies' room with all business finished, Danielle and Jazz stepped out to find the two children talking to Danny with offers of underage prostitution.

The context of the scene was lost on Jazz, but it was immediately recognized by Danielle, bringing her to great distress to see the children.

"What are you kids doing? Isn't this a school night?" Danielle asked.

"Hey, buzz off, bitch. We saw him first. Go find another client." The boy said.

"Uh, Danielle? Who are these kids? Friends of yours?" Jazz asked.

"No. Child prostitutes." Danielle said.

Separated from reality in her life in Fenton City, the very concept of a youth resorting to illegal sexual activities for profit brought disgust and shock all to Jazz, leaving her too stunned to even give a gasp in response. Taking immediate sympathy on the children, Jazz knelt down to the two, trying to act as a comforting shoulder to confide in.

"Guys, what's going on here? You're out here selling yourselves? How old are you guys?" Jazz asked.

"16." The boy lied.

"Yeah, right. I've had colds older than you two. Why don't you tell her the truth?" Danielle asked.

"What difference does it make? Nobody lives forever, you know. Not everybody even makes it to 18. Might as well live it up while you can, right?"

"Hey, hey, no, guys, this isn't right. You two should be at home, playing with toys and video games and doing schoolwork and stuff. Why don't you guys just come with us and we'll take you home to your mommy and daddy?" Jazz asked.

Despite her best efforts to reach the youths, neither of the children took to the kindly approach, swatting off her sympathetic hands.

"We don't have a home, you dumb spook. We ran away from it years ago. And why the hell are you talking to us like we're some little kids or something? We're young and full of cum, but we sure as hell ain't dumb. Now, are you or are he gonna do business with us or not? We ain't got all night." The boy asked.

Reaching into her wallet, Danielle pulled out a sum of 200 dollars, displaying it to the children to catch their full attention.

"Yeah, how's this for business? You come have some dinner with us, and you talk with us for a little bit. Then, we take you somewhere where you just might be able to live decent lives. You don't like any of what we're selling, you take 200 dollars home. Sound good?" Danielle asked.

A disaffected youth as the boy and his sister would surely have no part in any such outreach, dismissing it as pure condescension made by one who has no understanding of who they were or what kind of people they were, not truly knowing the kinds of hardships and struggles they have dealt with...

...but the promise of money has swept away all such concerns, as money does with all other matters in life.

"Okay. But I'm counting the food as expenses for you to cover. And if we do have to do anything, 50 bucks extra if the spook watches." The boy said.

"You won't. All you gotta do is pick what food you want." Danielle said.

"Really? Well, that's a good start. I want some Nasty Burger, you want some Nasty Burger?"

The boy nudged his sister to gain an answer, to which she timidly responded with a meek...

"Sure." The girl mumbled.

"Okay, Nasty Burger it is." Danielle said.

With the group making yet another detour in their journey, Jazz does not make any objections due to the nature of this stop, but instead has more questions for Danielle.

"Danielle, what happened to these kids? Children prostituting themselves?" Jazz asked,

"I told you this was a bad neighborhood. People do ugly things to try to survive." Danielle said.

"But children? Did things really get this bad because of us?"

"Not all because of you. This is just another side-effect of what happens when the world knows what happens after you die."

"But how? I don't get it. I thought that kind of discovery would lead to more wonder for people, make them more curious about their own lives and the world."

"For some, maybe. But when you know what happens after you die... it becomes easier to stop caring about the life you've got. Especially if you just got it."


The world has been subject to the whim of Dark Danny for many years, leading to the destruction of practically every sign of civilization on Earth since his conception.

Beginning with a few specific bones to pick with those who had bullied him long ago during the days of his life as a young human being, his first vengeance was exacted on the school bully named Dash Baxter, as well as his most immediate accomplices and love interest.

The next display of his power was made on the island city of Hong Kong, then the eternal war zone of Israel and Palestine, and several more cities of holy significance before destroying the United Nations and all the leaders of the world. The pattern of destruction would continue throughout all corners of the Earth, and showing no end in sight, just as the destructor of the world has no end to his existence.

But, surprisingly, there is one piece of Earth that has not yet been scorched by his touch, despite it being the place of his physical birth:

Amity Park.

It has been left mostly untouched by the touch of Dark Danny, for reasons which none are all too sure. Some argue that perhaps the trauma of the death of his family has kept him from the city, and some argue that perhaps he has chosen to spare it until it is the last city for him to destroy, like dessert to a fine dinner...

...but, overall, despite a lack of consensus on the real reason, none can truly question ti further, knowing when to count their blessings.

And one of their blessings has come in the form of their new leader, Damon Gray, a former employee of both Axiom Labs and VladCo, as well as the father of the famed ghost hunter Valerie Gray. Having the most expertise on ghosts since the late Jack and Maddie Fenton, he has been appointed by the city to see it be protected against any future attemps to attack by Dark Danny.

And after many years of research and development, he has found a way.

By immensely studying the technology left behind by Fenton Works, as well as reverse-engineering many of their inventions, his knowledge of ghosts has greatly improved and expanded, allowing for more ideas and concepts to come to his mind and find ways to defend the people of Amity Park.

One of the new creations he has come up with is an ectoplasmic shield to be placed around the entire perimeter of the city, protecting it against any threats of ghosts, whether they be Dark Danny or anyone else, making it completely safe against all undead threats.

Now, after several years of development and labor, the barrier has been completed, and he stands before the people of Amity Park to announce his success.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Amity Park, it is my great pleasure and my great honor to announce to you... our salvation! For years, we have been under the constant threat of Danny Phantom, fearing his return and his destruction of our home. I have led the best minds that Amity Park has to offer to find a way to guarantee that he shall never be able to threaten us again, and, together, we have found it! Amity Park, I give you..." Damon Gray began.

Behind the lone man of Damon Gray was a tall tower covered by a large tarp, soon pulled down to reveal the device underneath. When revealed, the tower resembled something akin to a windmill, one in a series of others laid all across the perimeter of Amity Park, all revealed by their removed shrouds.

"...the Jericho Wall! By reverse-engineering the inventions left over by the late, great Fentons, we have managed to successfully construct a perimeter wall that will completely keep out any and all ghosts from entering the city, including even Danny Phantom himself! Behold!" Damon Gray shouted.

At the call of the wall's creator, the crew behind it activated the shielding, sending electricity through the many devices around the city to be converted to pure ectoplasmic energy. The first of the towers standing before the people of Amity Park had begun the process, with the towers to its sides joining it in sequence.

Soon, all the towers had activated, completing the Jericho Wall and completely enclosing the entire city in a dome-like shield of ectoplasm. The sight was one that gained wonder and awe from all those inside, instilling in them a strong sense of hope in the people of Amity Park...

...but the sentiment was not shared by those who were still living outside the city, unable to make their way inside. Those who observed the shield come down felt an emotion of finality as well as those inside, but theirs was a definite, crushing sense of despair in place for what hopes they had left in life.

Many had made vain attempts to step through the portal to come inside, believing the technology would have no such effect on human flesh, only to have theirs receiving burns from the very touch of the portal. The glimmer of doubt and hope still in their minds were swatted away by reality the instant it came to them, bringing them all back to their state of fear.

Their fear is shared by a great many inside Amity Park for their well-being, including Valerie Gray, but, when she sought to confront her father about it...

"Dad? What's going on? They can come in, too, right?" Valerie asked.

...he cannot respond to his daughter with anything else but a visible display of shame to show his ineptitude to give a positive answer to her question.

"We... The shield wouldn't work against Danny unless it was at the highest output of power we could achieve. At a certain level, ectoplasm becomes dangerous not only to ghosts, but to humans as well. We had to carefully plan out the population to ensure stability for as long as possible." Damon Gray said.

Unable to believe she could hear such impartial and calculating words come out from her father, even given in his sympathetic voice, Valerie responded in anger.

"What?! 'Stability'?! Dad, what are you talking about?! Those are human beings on the other side!" Valerie said.

"And we're the last piece of human civilization that can survive. We have an entire species to think about now. If we don't do this, then there won't be any life on Earth left to save." Damon Gray said.

The news brought a look of betrayal and defeat on Valerie's face, and angered cries of the same emotions out from those sitting outside the shield. Being damned to destruction at the hands of a megalomaniacal being that was once a man, their shouts were curses meant upon the people of Amity Park to suffer as they soon would.

"Murderers! You murderers!" One person shouted.

"Goddamn bastards! I hope you burn in hell, you pieces of shit!" Another person shouted.

"You call yourselves heroes?! You're no better than that psycho out there! You're just like Danny!" A different person shouted.

As if summoning a demon by invoking its name, Dark Danny appeared directly behind the man who shouted out his name; an action that was taken notice by all the protesters, bringing their rage and cries to a stop, but not to the one particular protester as of yet.

Feeling a hand grab his head, his realization had come far too late.

Taking the man by the head, Dark Danny forced it against the Jericho Wall, pushing it through the ectoplasmic energy shield and destroying all the flesh from it in the process. Having his head pushed against the wall, it would not budge through the strength of the shield, leaving it only to burn against the surface; an action that nonetheless caused him to scream in agony.

The resistance put up by the portal, however, was not strong enough to keep his head from breaching through. With enough force, the top of his head began to make its way through to Amity Park, but, in the journey across the energy field, had all of the skin and hair burned off, leaving nothing but smoking, burnt bone.

Soon, the screaming of pain put up by the man came to an end as his head made its way fully through to Amity Park, leaving the rest of the flesh and organs burned away from his head, leaving nothing but a skull sitting atop what still remained as a fully intact human body.

Pulling out the man's head, Dark Danny tossed the dead body aside, stepping up to the Jericho Wall. The moment of truth had been presented for the efficacy of the shield, leaving all citizens of Amity Park watching and waiting for the tool of their salvation to prove itself.

After laying his bare hand against the shield, Dark Danny retracted it in an instant sooner, letting out a brief wince of pain, as if he were a still-living human touching a hot stove. The display of pain clearly displayed to the people of Amity Park that their shield did indeed do its job of keeping out ghosts...

. ...but they also still remembered that it kept out other humans as well, and it prevented those outside the city from coming into Amity Park to make any safe exodus from Dark Danny. Those outside the shield were also well aware of this, and all kept their eyes fixated sharply on Dark Danny, watching and waiting for their fate to come to them.

Rather than attack any of the people right away, however, Dark Danny instead carefully scanned the area and took notice of how many were present, taking a head-count of everyone for a specific purpose, but keeping said purpose known only to himself for the moment.

Facing Damon Gray through the portal, Dark Danny made his first inquiry to reveal the purpose.

"Choose seven." Dark Danny said.

The question brought deep and dire implications from how vague it was worded, leading Damon Gray to ask for clarification in hopes that it would not be so.

"What?" Damon Gray asked.

Dark Danny clarified by pointing to the people outside the Jericho Wall, repeating his question once more.

"Choose seven." Dark Danny said.

Now, there was no question as to what the question could mean, leading Damon Gray to panic and attempt to reason, hoping that it would save more lives...

"What?! There's got to be hundreds of people here, you can't expect me to-" Damon Gray tried to say.

...but Dark Danny would not accept anything less than his way, repeating himself a final time.

"Choose... seven." Dark Danny commanded.

Unable to escape the responsibility any further, Damon Gray looked back to the people of Amity Park, seeming to seek forgiveness for the terrible choice that he would soon make. None could take a look at him in any sense of pride or support, instead looking on in shame and pity for the decision he was forced to bear.

Looking back to the people outside, he saw many people step forward and beg for hopes to be chosen to survive, falling to their hands and knees and whispering out begs and other pathetic pleas in hopes that they might survive. There are many, men and women alike, that seek life, putting themselves before him.

But they are not who Damon Gray looks to. Instead, his eyes go to the parents who stepped forward with their children, begging for them to be spared instead of themselves. As a father himself, it is all too obvious that these are the lives he must choose to save, and the people of Amity Park can surely agree on that.

But there is once again another problem. He can only choose seven... and there are far more than just seven children to choose. The decision, once seeming to be easy with the least amount of guilt possible, had now become even far more damning of a choice than before.

Taking out a deep breath, Damon Gray began making his selections.

Seeking out the ones who seemed to be the youngest of the group, he selected 5 girls and 2 boys, making no discrimination on race.

"Her, her, him, her, him, her... and her." Damon Gray lamented.

The instant that the children were chose, Dark Danny let out a content smile, along with a small chuckle.

"Very well." Dark Danny said.

First generating his own shield over the seven selected children, Dark Danny then fired out a blast of energy from his hand towards all the others, vaporizing many in a beam of ectoplasmic energy. The dead silence that one befell the city now turned into screams of both pain from those outside, and horror from those inside.

Continuing his destructive blast, the energy soon became large enough to surround the entirety of the shield, providing yet another test to its limits. The light had turned to a brightness so high and so blinding that no one could open their eyes to look on it; everyone closing their eyes in response.

When the blast had come to an end, the light had dissipated with it, the people of Amity Park opened their eyes once again to witness the outside world.

But when doing so, they had immediately regretted their decision. What was once the city and area outside of Amity Park, a small surrounding of populace and buildings and homes, now was merely a barren wasteland of ash and waste that showed no signs of life whatsoever.

Except, of course, for the seven children chosen to be spared. Deactivating his ectoplasmic shield around the children, Dark Danny revealed them to be safe and unharmed as promised, but not without their own senses of horror over what had happened to their families and town.

Once again, Dark Danny and Damon Gray faced each other, with Dark Danny sharing the final word.

"Seven lives out of seven billion. That's what you've done for yourself by creating this little dome of yours. That's what it feels like to be god." Dark Danny said.

The statement brought Damon Gray to lower his head and hold back tears, bringing out yet another snicker from Dark Danny.

"You haven't done anything but delay the inevitable. Eventually, I will run out of lives to end on Earth, and I'll be back here. Until then, I'll leave these seven here as a reminder for what will come for you. You could try to save them, shut off the portal and let them in... but do you really want to take that chance with me? When you could give me a clear chance to fly right in and kill you all now? I'll leave that decision up to you. You've been making a good track for yourself of doing that so far." Dark Danny said.

Concluded with his business with Amity Park for the moment, Dark Danny flew off into the sky, presumably off to destroy another city. The seven children, spared by the decision of Damon Gray, now left at the goodwill of the people of Amity Park, stepped up to the Jericho Wall to plead to come inside the city.

There was an undying urge within all the hearts of Amity Park to open the shield and let the children in, deeming it as undoubtedly the most moral thing to do...

...but the threat of Dark Danny returning to end their lives as well was a threat that none could afford to risk, and a decision to do so would spell the end of the human race.

It is the second and worst of the two damning decisions that Damon Gray is forced to make, and he is forced to take back the mercy he has shown to the children.

"The show's over, everyone. Go back to your homes, go about your day, whatever have you. There's nothing to see here." Damon Gray said.

The people of Amity Park all lowered their heads and let out sad murmurs over the tragic events that had come from today, hoping that they could move on and find some solace by simply moving on as normal. The hope that they clung onto was not shared by Valerie, who chose to try to reason with her father.

"Dad, c'mon, we gotta let the kids back in. This isn't a choice." Valerie said.

"No, it isn't. You heard what he said. He could swoop right in and kill us all if we shut that portal down." Damon Gray said.

"He could've come in and killed us any time he wanted. He knew we were making that portal and he was letting us do it. He's toying with us."

"So do you want to give him an excuse to play with us more? Are you willing to gamble the last of the human race on these kids?"

Human instinct to protect and save one another made the temptation to answer 'yes' all too easy to say in defiance of of all logic and reason, but, for even someone like Valeire Gray, she knows that the risk is not worth the reward, and that what she desires cannot be accomplished.

Damon Gray cannot do anything else but walk away in shame like the rest of Amity Park does, but Valerie does not follow her father's example. Instead, she stepped up to the shield and sat down in front of it, placing herself as far close to the children as she could get.

The children, having one shred of hope come from Valerie choosing to stay with them, immediately took to her, all bringing their desperation and hope to them.

"Miss? You're gonna let us in, right? You won't leave us out here, right?" One girl asked.

The truth would warrant the answer of 'no', but Valerie cannot bring herself to say this to a child. Instead, she chose to stay friendly to youths, trying to keep their hopes up.

"We'll... see what we can do. Listen, I'm not going anywhere right now, okay? I'm gonna stay here and make sure you're okay." Valerie said.

"Okay." The children said.

"Do you guys know any songs we can sing together? How about 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'?"

"Sure!"

The children sat down on the ground just as Valerie did, making themselves comfortable for the time that they would spend together as friends. The moment of joy and fun that would be shared together would be but a fleeting moment of pleasure in the face of certain doom and death awaiting these young lives...

...but what else can be made of life but a few fleeting moments of pleasure before the end?

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are,

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky..." The group sang.


And so the events eventually led on for years until the final confrontation between Dark Danny and his past counterpart, leading to the imprisonment of the former in a prison outside of time and space where he could do no harm. Until, for reasons inexplicable, he was set loose by his captor to bring terror to the present day once again, and end the lives of the Fenton family as he once tried to do.

All of which (save for the deliberate actions of Clockwork) were explained to Vlad in his inquiry for answers regarding Dark Danny, now calling himself Demon Phantom, to explain who and what he was. The long explanation of events has taken much time out of the agendas of both parties, but it was ultimately deemed necessary by the two in the end.

"And, so, in the other timeline, I sought to have my fa- Danny's family, Sam, and Tucker killed in the explosion at the Nasty Burger, something that would have been 10 years ago. This would've closed the time paradox and ensured my existence."

Idle and receptive to all that which Demon Phantom shared with him, Vlad had still not expected such a huge revelation of his new master, leaving him shocked and surprised at the news. Learning that he was responsible in part for the creation of a being which brought about the end to all life on Earth, even when such events no longer occurred, is a weight on his soul that even a Machiavellian man like him cannot bear.

The only words that he can say are all that he can describe the emotions currently in himself now.

"I think I'm going to throw up." Vlad said.

Demon Phantom rested his hand on Vlad's shoulder, giving a surprisingly warm smile to accompany it.

"Now, now. Why such a glib reaction? It's because of you that I'm here." Demon Phantom said.

Uninterested in his sympathy, Vlad swatted his hand away in anger.

"Don't touch me! I was trying to help you, and you repaid me by destroying the entire world? I had taken you under my wing! I wanted to give you a home! I would never have raised you to be the... thing you are now!" Vlad shouted.

"Oh, but it's not you that did it, Vlad. It's not you that has all those feelings. It's me. Remember, I'm the combination of your ghost half and Danny's. I'm both of you. I've got all your thoughts and feelings and drive all in one. If you really never had any such thoughts, then I surely wouldn't have done any of the things I've done in the first place." Demon Phantom said.

"It was Danny doing it to you! It was him at the steering wheel! He was the one who tried to destroy everything!"

"And you were the one who helped him do it! You helped him accomplish what he was always meant to do! What did I tell you when I recalled my birth? Danny survived that explosion, and he was left to stay with you. Not able to withstand the pain of losing his family, he begged you to remove his human side, and you complied to help him. You wanted what was best for him."

Unable to escape the guilt that still laid on his hands, Vlad lowered his face into his hands, trying to hide away his shame and despair.

"You... You're right. I did it. That was all my fault." Vlad said.

"Oh, come now, don't look down on what you did. You set me free. You successfully separated me from my human half. Then, separated from that baggage of flesh, I separated your ghost half from your human half and I merged with your ghost half. I am the offspring of your ghost half and Danny's; your greatest creation. Limitless power flows through me, stemming from both yours and his. You have successfully taken away all my pain. I am no longer human. I'm the most powerful ghost in existence. Just like you always wanted to become." Demon Phantom said.

Demon Phantom then took Vlad's chin and raised it up, allowing the two to face each other once again.

"Isn't it the dream of all fathers for their sons to fulfill their dreams?" Demon Phantom asked.

"'Father'?" Vlad asked.

"Like I said, you created me and made me what I was. I'm even literally made of you. What else would you call that but a son? And how long has it been since you tried to make Danny Fenton your son? Don't be so modest, now, I already know your hopes and dreams. You'd only be lying to yourself."

The next comment brought further contemplation from Vlad, making him further question his actions and the causations of his actions, as well as the aforementioned hopes and dreams he once held many years ago. To see what his desires had brought about in a bizarre, macrabe way is not something he can easily wrap his mind around, or come up with an easy resolution for himself for.

For now, all he can think to do is play along with Demon Phantom's arguments.

"I... I had tried for so long to make Danny my ward, to make him like a son, I... I never thought I'd... actually accomplish it in some way." Vlad said.

"And you did. You finally made me your son. Thank you..." Demon Phantom began to say.

Demon Phantom then laid a kiss on Vlad's forehead, gracing him with the rare and perhaps only show of affection he had ever made.

"...father." Demon Phantom finished.

Vlad felt a small reassurance from Demon Phantom's show of affection, but it was still not enough to shake the uneasiness or any of his internal struggles. While he still could not look at Demon Phantom in any way except disgust, to see one of his dreams, to have Danny as a son figure, fulfilled, as bizarre as the outcome was, ultimately was still something that resonated with him.

That uncertain conflict had led him to stand up and once again shake off Demon Phantom's affections, trying to keep his mind cleared.

"I... I need some time to think to myself. This is all a bit much to take in." Vlad said.

"But you won't be changing your mind on all this, I hope? All that we've striven for, all that we've sought to build together, to see the world ruled by our hands, wouldn't you like anything more than that?" Demon Phantom asked.

Even with his uncertain stance against Demon Phantom, there was still a survival instinct to keep him at a certain distance, urging Vlad to play further to keep him in check.

"Son... I wouldn't miss what we've built for the world. But I need to sort things out for the moment. Everything you've told me... I just need time to make sense of it. I'll return, I promise." Vlad replied.

Being referred to as 'son', an action which both flattered and brought joy to him, led Demon Phantom to smile at his reply, feeling more secure to respect his decision.

"Y-Yes, of course. Take all the time you need, father." Demon Phantom replied.

Stepping back into the dead body of Maddie Fenton, Vlad departed in the mortal shell to seek a place to himself, departing away from the rest of the ghosts.

Passing by different rooms like Technus testing more machines and creating more gods, the Fright Knight practicing with his sword, and Skulker and Ember engaging in carnal knowledge, he soon found a place where he could be away from the rest of the group, finding the bedroom of Jack and Maddie Fenton.

Exiting the mortal shell of Maddie Fenton, Vlad caught the body before it hit the floor, sparing it from a disgraceful landing. Instead, he carefully laid the body on the bed, folding up its arms and closing its eyes and mouth. Then, laying the bedsheet over her body, he laid a final kiss on her head.

"Goodbye, Maddie." Vlad said.

Laying the bedsheet over her face, Vlad stepped away from the bed, taking a brief stop before the nightstand of the bed. What caught his eye out of the many photographs placed throughout the nightstand, many of which were consisted mainly of Jack and Maddie, there was still one that he recognized and held fond memories of.

The photograph was that of the three in their youth in college; Jack, Vlad, and Maddie as best friends like they once were. The image is one that conjured many memories of both good and bad alike to Vlad, and brought him further regrets over what the life he has led has thrown away.

To even know that the people he had once sworn off and made enemies of had even gone so far as to keep one final photograph of him behind, even after all the wrong that he has done to them and their family, is a level of connection and friendship that even he cannot deny, and brings tears that come to his eyes.

Taking one last look to Maddie's body, he knows that the goodbyes that he has given her are not truly final, and that out in the universe her ghost still exists.

And he cannot give her or the Fentons up until he has made amends for what he has done.

"No. Not goodbye. Not yet. I will find you, Maddie. You and Jack, and the rest of them. I'll fix this. I'll make it right. If Danny could fix his mistakes, then so can I." Vlad said.

Setting the photograph back down, his next mission is made to the room carrying the instrument vital to his own mission:

The Ghost Portal.

Taking to its console, activating the machine like he has done with his own model many times before, his activation of the portal opened a rift to the other side of the universe, to the life beyond life, giving him the gateway he needed to make his way to find those lives that he once lost.

With one dash through the portal, the gateway subsequently shut behind him, leaving no trace of the spectral being named Vlad Plasmius. Now, he exists only in the extradimensional void known as the Ghost Zone, a place where those who live might have a place to be after their deaths.

He only hopes that the lives he is searching for are out there.