Author's note: I modified Chapter 1 a bit.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The sound of a ticking clock echoed through the room, its rhythmic beat filling the silence. The seconds seemed to crawl by, each tick and tock a reminder of the passage of time.

But time was not always so predictable. Sometimes it slowed, dragging out each second as if reluctant to let it go. Other times it accelerated, racing forward with dizzying speed. And on rare occasions, it even reversed, turning back the clock and undoing what had already been done.

Yet, no matter how time flowed, one thing was certain: it all led to the same end. A single, inevitable conclusion that hung over everything like a dark cloud. Danny Phantom would die.

Despite the gravity of the situation, a soft chuckle escaped my lips. With a flick of my wrist, an hourglass appeared in my hand, the sand within shimmering in the dim light. The sand starts to trickle down, marking each moment, each millisecond.

"Everything's the way it's supposed to be, Phantom," I murmured, my voice low and ominous.

My gaze drifted over the countless screens that surrounded me, each one displaying a different world, a different possibility.

But my eyes settled on one in particular, an old screen with a small crack in the corner.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

So much has happened since the 1st of March. A giant asteroid, originally from within the rings of Saturn, was pushed out of its orbit by the explosion of Amity Park's former mayor Vlad Masters' satellite and sent on a collision course with Earth. Its impact would have resulted in an extinction-level event. Several countries attempted to destroy the asteroid by launching missiles into it but with no success.

When all hope seemed lost, Danny Fenton saved the day by transforming into his ghostly alter ego, Phantom.

Since then, the entire world has labeled that day as the Disasteroid incident, and Phantom has become a beloved hero, with fans, paparazzi, and reporters following his every move.

Danny, despite being a C student, was happy he had the sense not to disclose his secret to the world that day. He only shared it with his parents. It was the best decision he ever made.

Moreover, that incident resulted in Amity Park becoming a town without a mayor. Nobody knew where the mayor had gone, but no one cared. They believed Vlad failed in his attempt after making several bold claims of knowing how to save Earth from the asteroid. In their hearts, Vlad was a coward, a heartless mayor, and a fruitloop.

When an emergency election was held that same day, people didn't expect much from politicians, let alone from a young one. However, when Tucker Foley - Danny's best friend - became the youngest mayor in the world, he surprised everyone with his exemplary leadership skills.

He has been actively listening to the complaints of the people and has been making genuine efforts to solve most of their problems. His actions have proven that he deeply cares about the welfare of the citizens and is willing to go the extra mile to ensure their well-being. Danny was amazed at how his best friend had been able to turn the town around in such a short time.

In one of their conversations, Tucker expressed his desire to turn Amity Park into a high-tech city, to make life easier for everyone.

Being the best friend he was, Danny naturally believed in his friend's abilities, and he was confident that Tucker would do everything in his power to make it a reality.

After everything that had happened, and although the ghost attacks continued, everything got better for Danny in the end.

However, little did he know that everything would change on a Friday afternoon, the 29th of March, and his world would soon turn upside-down.

(4:10 PM, FRIDAY, MARCH 29)

RIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!!!!

As the final bell reverberated through the halls of Casper High, it signaled the end of the school week for Danny and his fellow students, releasing them into the anticipation of the weekend ahead.

Twang!

Danny slammed his locker shut with more force than he intended.

He looked utterly exhausted, dark circles etched beneath his eyes, and a telltale redness indicating a night of fitful sleep. Sam approached him from behind, arching an eyebrow. "Well, if there was a 'Be-Goth' contest, you'd clinch first place. That's something, right?"

Danny emitted a frustrated sigh at her jest, muttering something under his breath too low for Sam to catch. Before she could press further, another voice interjected, disrupting their conversation.

"Man, you're looking rougher than usual, Danny. What's the deal?" It was Tucker, whose appearance mirrored Danny's, if not worse. Dark circles adorned his eyes, and a weariness seemed to cloak him, repelling others – students, in their case – from engaging with him.

"Oh, look who's finally emerged from his office cave," Sam teased, a playful glint in her eye.

Tucker huffed, feeling the weight of exhaustion on his shoulders. "Real comedian, aren't you, Sam?" He rubbed his temples, trying to shake off the stress. "Thank the stars for Mr. Bladkins granting me a brief reprieve from the office. Now, could someone fill me in on what's going on with Danny?"

Sam let out a sigh, feeling a pang of sympathy for her best friend's situation. "I was just about to ask him when you swooped in."

Danny took a moment to gather his thoughts before explaining the troubling issue to his friends. Sam caught on quickly, but Tucker appeared lost. His mind was already overwhelmed by the deluge of paperwork and digital tasks; any additional load might just cause it to combust.

It took several repetitions before Tucker finally connected the dots. "So, let me get this straight. For the past four nights, you've been plagued by nightmares involving Danielle being tortured by either Vlad or the Guys In White?"

"If not them, it's her, a homeless young girl with no food, clothes, or shelter," Danny said.

Sam glanced at Danny, a pensive expression crossing her face. "This reminds me. You went through something similar last time. It was a couple of days after you helped stabilize Danielle from her powers, or something like that."

A wave of memories washed over Danny. The first was Dani, strapped into Vlad's machine, her cries for help echoing in his mind. The second image burned into his memory was Danielle's transformation into a mass of ectoplasm. He closed his eyes, taking a moment to steady himself. "I did. I still dream about it. But ever since I saw Danielle a month ago, the nightmares have lessened somehow."

Sam placed a comforting hand on Danny's shoulder. "Because you saw that she was okay."

Danny sighed and shook his head. "She seemed fine, but I don't know. I couldn't even have a proper conversation with her. I mean, asking for help hardly counts as one. And just when I thought I had a chance, after saving everyone from that asteroid, Frostbite swoops in and tells me Danielle took off!"

He rubbed his face wearily. "It's maddening. She pops in and out like a ghost... Well, technically, she is a half-ghost, but you get me, right?"

Danny glanced at his friends. "It's weird, isn't it? I'm so concerned about her that I'm starting to blame Nocturn for my nightmares."

Tucker and Sam exchanged puzzled glances before Sam spoke up. "I'm lost. Nocturn's whole gig is dreams, right? Why the sudden self-blame?"

Danny then elaborated, "It couldn't have been him. Ever since Mom and Dad discovered my secret, they went into overdrive by 'babyproofing' our house to ensure it was safe for me to transform into Phantom. It took them three weeks to finish it. The defense systems are now made to react only to unregistered ghosts emerging from the ghost portal. The moment a ghost crosses, it would immediately blast apart them-"

"Molecule by molecule," Sam and Tucker chimed in unison, mimicking his dad's catchphrase.

"Thanks, guys. Anyway, the ghosts haven't dared to bother me since then and the comments about Nocturn were just me being cranky." Danny sighed heavily, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Look, I have to cut this short. The more we dwell on this, the more exhausted I feel. I want to go home."

Tucker nodded eagerly in agreement, and Sam shrugged assent.

The trio walked through the hallways without encountering any obstacles (aka Dash and Kwan), to the relief of all three, though Danny couldn't help but feel a tinge of suspicion lingering in the back of his mind.

"Let's just hope nothing disrupts my sleep tonight," he muttered to himself, a hint of apprehension in his voice.

He'd spoken too soon.