"Danny? Danny!" Jazz cried as she shook her brother.

The teen's head lolled back and forth, but his eyes remained shut. Jazz checks for a pulse and sighs in relief at the slight vibration she was feeling. Her brother was still alive. That didn't answer the question of what happened to him. She gently placed him on the floor and slowly stood up. She points the hand cannon of the Fenton Suit at Monty's face in an instant. The redhead had a scowl on her face; she wasn't playing around with this doctor.

"What. Did. You. Do."

"Do you want the long or short version?" Monty shoots back.

The cannon starts to charge up with green energy.

"I am NOT fucking around!"

"Okay okay! You've made your point, just point that thing somewhere else."

Jazz hesitates for a moment before letting her hand drop to her side. She still had a visible expression of fury planted on her face.

"Short it is."

Monty took a deep breath and began his story. He started with Pariah Dark's ancient warpath across several Ghost Zones. Pariah, not satisfied with the small region he controlled, went on a conquest for more zones. Normally you're not able to travel between Ghost Zones; Pariah Dark saw his opportunity to do so by slaying the high priestess, Adriel. A guardian over the portal to the End-World, a bridge to other Ghost Zones. The first battle resulted in a disastrous loss for the dark king.

"That old man was crazy strong; I can't imagine how powerful he was when he was younger. And to think that he lost? Against some nun?" Johnny exclaimed.

Monty chuckled, "Oh he was strong indeed; undefeated actually, until that fateful battle. If it wasn't for his lineage then he might've been able to claw his way up to the top brass and there would be no need for a war. A ghost truly feared for his strength." "Even so, do not underestimate Adriel- considered to be an angel class ghost, the miracles she performs are nothing short of god-like," Monty praised. "She was the one who sent Pariah Dark crawling home with his first defeat."

Pariah's pride was wounded the most. He had spent decades creating an immense and unbeatable army that had upwards of 250,000 ghosts. All that hard work was erased in mere moments, even losing his first Fright Knight to the guardian. Pariah Dark had neglected his kingdom whilst building his military, which sent the citizens into a dark age. He had come back to a broken kingdom and no men to protect it. Though the king had experienced tremendous loss, he still seeked to expand his kingdom. So Pariah fostered another goal; gain the power to kill Adriel. The king sought out a blacksmith capable of unbelievable feats in his craft, and demanded that he create weapons to kill the priestess. The smith agreed, not wanting to feel the wrath of Pariah Dark; 30 days and 30 nights later two pieces of legendary armor graced the Ghost Zone. The ring of rage and the crown of fire; though powerful by themselves, became unstoppable together. The king was pleased and donned the ring and crown proudly. Immense power flowed through Pariah's veins, granting the ghost near limitless power and a legion of undying skeletons for him to command.

With this he stood a chance against the high priestess. Not wasting a single moment; he marched up to the portal and faced Adriel again with his new power. It was a close and gruesome battle, but the king came out on top. The only remaining step was to command his undead army into every accessible Ghost Zone to spread his reign. The blacksmith didn't warn Pariah of the terrible price for wearing the ring and crown; a hefty price of one's mind was the trade for such power. Pariah Dark went mad and laid waste to his own kingdom, even turning on his own advisers. This Ghost Zone was tormented by the malicious actions of their once sane king. And with his mind went his wit and battle intelligence; reducing the prior warrior to nothing but a frenzied beast.

A group of powerful ghosts that had once hid their faces rose up against the mad king. They strong-armed him into a corner, their plan was to entrap him within a sarcophagus that would put him into an eternal slumber. And that's where he laid for the next thousand or so years. Fright Knight, during the rebellion, was on a journey to search for a cure for his master's madness. After years of scouring the zone, he found the doctor rumored to cure any illness. The servant captured him and returned back to the castle; where he found that his king had been beaten and locked away. So Fright Knight locked the doctor in a sealed room and awaited his master's return.

"And I've been here ever since," Doctor Monty finished.

"What exactly does this have to do with my little brother?"

"Everything! I believe your brother has some type of connection with Pariah Dark!"

"What the hell are you going on about?" Johnny jumped in.

"The seal to this room is unbreakable by any ghost but since you were the first one to see me, I imagine you were the one to open the door as well. And from the looks of it, you're most definitely a human girl. BUT, the same incantation was on my shackles as well and the boy broke them with ease! I have been trying to escape my prison for decades and he breaks it with a little ghost-ray? This can not be a coincidence."

"What are you trying to say?" Jazz asks.

"Fright Knight put a powerful seal on my restraints, that only answered Pariah Dark's touch. The only ghost able to open that door and take these chains off is him. The boy must have some sort of spiritual bond to the Ghost King; something that is tying him to Pariah."

"You're not making any sense," Johnny exclaims.

Monty looks at Jazz, "Anything at all?" he asks.

"They've fought before."

"A battle? Between him and the Ghost King? How is the-"

"Danny won by the skin of his teeth," she interjected.

Jazz remembers how miserable she felt waiting for her brother to come back. She didn't know IF he was going to return. Like a wife who got the call that her husband has been in an accident. Jazz didn't know what to think. It was a fearful day for everyone involved. Doctor Monty gazed down at the sleeping boy with new-found respect. So he was the one who stopped Pariah the second time. He really saved my ass. The doctor knew it would take more than a couple punches to tie the two together, so he kept prodding for what the answer could be.

"Did anything unusual happen during the fight? Like Danny gaining a new power or being a part of a ritual?"

"He mentioned trying to pull the ring off Pariah's finger but it had some type of defense mechanism and shocked him."

Hmm… I wonder.

"Are you going to tell me what you did to my brother?"

"I fixed the connection," Monty admits.

Jazz stood there with a confused look on her face. She had no clue what the doctor was talking about.

"Connection between what?"

**PAGE BREAK**

Danny was plummeting into an abyss of darkness. He was surrounded by the void on all sides and couldn't see where he was cascading into; the extreme sensation of falling flooded his mind. Phantom's descent lasted for what felt like years, he thought he'd drop for eternity. Danny doesn't remember how he got here or where he was before.

Is this death? The teen asks himself. He couldn't imagine what would warrant such a mind-numbing punishment. Or maybe this wasn't damnation at all, and this is the end of life experience Sam often talked about. Sam? Who's Sam? The name had slipped off his tongue, yet he had no recollection of such a person. He cursed his poor memory and wondered what type of person he was before. Danny had all the time in the world to ponder this question as he fell into limbo. A sharp pain stabbed his brain and the boy recoiled, clutching his head in anguish. It was a result of trying to remember a life before this.

A flash of white burned the boy's corneas as he rushed to cover his eyes. What is happening? The midnight void suddenly transforms into a sun of white light. Danny gasps for air, not a problem before, but now choking on the lack of it. Heat like that of a blazing fire surrounded him on all sides; he felt like he was in an oven. Danny peeked through his fingers to see what sort of hell he ended up in.

Phantom widens his eyes in awe at the sight before him. A massive ring of fire sat in front of Danny. The golden flames whipped violently in every direction; the raging inferno had an aura of vitality. The teen was lost for words at the reverence of the anomaly. How could something like this exist? The ring emitted a presence of ultimate authority, like he was standing before a god. Danny couldn't tear his eyes away from the object; it was so captivating. He extended his hand out to touch the ring.

Next came the screams. It started as whispering at first. Danny couldn't put together what they were saying. The voices were speaking in a language completely foreign to the teenager. He attempts to get closer in hopes the audio becomes clearer. No such luck. The voices, angry that Danny couldn't hear them, began to ragefully shout. The ear-piercing screams of the damned came from the flames of the ring. Now Danny could make out vengeful spirits trapped within the ring, calling out in anguish of their eternal punishment. Right when he thought the noise would infinitely increase in volume; it halted completely and filled the white space with eerily silence.

Danny glances up at the ring, which was now a solid glowing red in color. Even though it resembled a hot piece of metal, the object never lost its luster. Phantom also noticed it was pulsating with a red aura. He didn't know whether to be scared or awestruck. And when Danny thought things couldn't get any crazier; another booming voice spoke up with one statement.

"Find the ring."

Everything went black for a moment before Danny shot up gasping for air. He was back in the castle basement. A hint of red flashed in his eyes before returning to the normal blue. Jazz was currently yelling at the sketchy doctor about something. Johnny sat back cradling his traumatized girlfriend in silence. The recent events rollercoaster into his mind and left the boy with a small migraine. Danny rubs his head slowly; Jazz's screaming wasn't helping his headache.

"Can you lower your voice?" Danny groaned.

Jazz spun around with small tears in her eyes and engulfed her brother in a tight hug.

"Are you okay?"

"I got a pounding headache but other than that I'm fine."

"What did you see, boy?" Monty questions sternly.

Jazz shoots him a dirty look but the doctor didn't seem to care.

"...I saw nothing," the teen lied.

Danny didn't know why he didn't just tell the truth, but something was telling him not to trust the doctor.

"Is that so?" Monty pries, not convinced of the lie.

"I didn't see jack-shit. How about you tell me what the hell you did to me, was I supposed to see something?" Danny interrogated.

Doctor Monty ignores the boy's questions and begins to pace back and forth in his cell, deep in thought.

"Maybe I was mistaken."

Jazz quickly explains to Danny the conversation she had with Monty. Hearing that this guy was decades old and looked like his grandpa gave him the chills. Phantom hadn't a clue about the paranormal oddies outside of ghosts. Now he's hearing of angels and large scale battles; it was straight out of a fantasy book to him. Danny has never heard of the portal she mentioned either. Where could such things reside in the Ghost Zone? Great… Right when I think I got things figured out about this place. Danny sighed and rubbed his temples. He was tired. The teen just wanted to go home and crash on his bed.

"It seems I was indeed wrong. But look on the bright side, your wound is healed," Monty pointed out.

Danny glances down and pulls up his shirt. The doctor was right. A grotesque scar replaced the once festering wound. Phantom didn't understand the physics behind it, but boy was he glad that his injury healed. No more overwhelming pain. A flash of white signaled Daniel's transformation into Danny Phantom. No tingles or stings. He was healed.

"Thanks Doc!" the teen exclaimed.

"Don't mention it, kiddo," Monty responded as he stuffed his hands in his coat pockets.

Jazz smiled at her brother's joyful expression. She'd never get tired of seeing him happy. The redhead wished the best for him after all. Jazz also knew that this meant he was eager to jump right back into a fight. It was in his impulsive nature.

"Great! Now that everyone has gotten what they wanted; can we focus on getting my girlfriend out of here!" Johnny hisses.

Danny snapped out of his happy day-dream and realized the ghost was right. They needed to focus on escaping this horrid place. He didn't hear any noise coming from upstairs; which is strange because Malucard doesn't seem like the type to give up. Was it a trap? Or had the large beast truly given up? Danny wasn't going to wait around for an answer. The new plan is to get as far away as possible from this castle. Phantom glances over at Johnny holding Kitty and the old doctor. We can't exactly hightail it out of here, the teen thought briefly. They're going to need a distraction.

"Don't worry about me. I won't be accompanying you out of the castle."

Danny turned to Monty with a raised eyebrow.

"You're gonna stay here?"

"Oh heavens no! I'll take my own way out of course."

Danny scans the dusty, dim basement and shoots the doctor another look.

"I'm not some helpless old man. You did me the service of undoing the seal placed on this room and my shackles, so now I'm free to do things MY way."

Before Danny could ask the doctor what he meant, a red door appeared on the wall closest to Monty. It was a simple entryway that you'd find on most modern houses. The blood red color scheme screamed power and authority, and yet the red door was so mysterious. Doctor Monty grabs the knob and pulls the door open, to reveal a swirling blue portal on the other side. The sudden light covered the room in a blue hue.

"Wait! You can just portal us out of here?" Danny yells.

Monty chuckles, "Trust me. You're not ready for where I'm going," as he steps through the portal.

The door closes immediately behind him and disappears, returning the trio to a dim candle-lit room. Danny was speechless, he couldn't believe the old dude was holding that in his back pocket all this time.

"What a fucking prick," Johnny states nonchalantly.

For once Danny agreed with the biker. Anywhere was better than the place they were in now, especially with the bad shape Kitty was in. But the group couldn't waste time whining about it either.

"You guys find a way out of here- I'll keep ole fanglip busy," Danny said.

Jazz shook her head wildly.

"Absolutely not-"

"You remember the way out of here?" Danny turns to Johnny, ignoring the redhead.

"Kinda. Shadow had left earlier, I can track him back to his current location."

"Perfect. Jazz is going to escort you."

"I'm not leaving you, Danny!" Jazz snapped.

"You're not leaving me! We can't leave this place with this douchebag breathing down our necks, so someone has to keep him occupied."

"Danny, I don't think this is a good idea-" Jazz mutters softly.

"You said that it's my job as a hero to help people, right? So let me be a hero."

Jazz lowered her gaze to the floor. She wasn't convinced but the arguing stopped. That was fine with Danny. He kissed her head and ruffled her hair.

"I won't be far away so don't dilly-dally," Danny told the two.

The group made their way back to the cellar doors that they came in through, after Danny had quickly scoured the place for another exit. Phantom used his X-ray vision to see into the other side for any potential enemies. The walls were warped and distorted preventing the teen from properly seeing through them. He cursed the ever-changing castle before glancing at the others.

"We're gonna have to make a run for it. Don't stop for anything, are we clear?" ordered the boy.

Johnny and Jazz nod their heads. Danny turns back to the set of doors and slowly pushes them open. He jumps out and scans the corridor, ready for anything. A hue of blue puffs from his lips and he glares toward the end of the corridor. Jazz tried to peek into the darkness; the hud of her suit trying to catch any sign of enemies. It was dark. Darker than dark. A midnight shadow that swallowed all light around it. This was what you saw in your nightmares as a child. A pair of red eyes appear underneath the cloak of blackness. Though seemingly far away, you could feel the malice radiating off of them.

Johnny could sense his other half somewhere in the distance like an internal GPS. The biker was certain he could find Shadow's trail. He moves over to the wall, where a part shifts and reveals another small hallway. Jazz takes one look at Danny before following the ghost into the passage. The wall slips back into place as if nothing ever happened.

Malucard watches the two escape into the secret passageway then returns his gaze to Danny. They glared at each other for what felt like eons, neither opponent moving a muscle. The beast let out a deep breath and stood up from his sitting position.

"It seems that I was wrong about you being a maggot. You're more along the lines of a roach- equally as disgusting, but infinitely more annoying. I want a magnificent wedding day with my bride, but first I'll have to crush you into tiny bits."

Danny's muscles tensed as he stepped into his fighting stance. The teen usually didn't enjoy fighting, but this is definitely going to be a very joyful ass kicking.

"Then let's get to it… doggy."

Malucard growled at the disgraceful insult before releasing a rageful roar. Danny lets out a similar battle-cry and charges the massive werewolf. Phantom shoots off several green orbs at the monster's face. Malucard slaps away the balls of energy like flies; then he takes a downward swipe at Danny. The teen expertly dodges the attack with a spin move, and counters with an uppercut of his own. His fist collides with the beast's solid underjaw, causing Malucard's head to snap back. Danny winds back for a devastatingly fast jab aimed at the monster's snout, only for his flank to be sideswiped by Malucard's paw. The teen crashed into the concrete wall with a groan, trying to shake off the stars he was seeing. Danny, thankfully, stumbled backwards and unknowingly dodged the hammer punch thrown by Malucard.

The beast's maw closes in to take a chunk out of the hero. Danny grabs a hold of the two larger canine fangs and steps on the outer lips of Malucard's mouth to avoid being swallowed whole. It took all of his strength to prevent the werewolf from snapping him in two. He could feel, and smell, the slimy drool running down his arms. Danny inhales deeply and lets out the arctic wind built up in his lungs into Malucard's mouth. The moisture begins to freeze causing frost to cover his esophagus; Malucard's eyes widen as the uncomfortable sensation makes its way down his throat. He's forced to spit the teen out. The saliva within his throat had frozen over, almost entirely covering his airway. The shards of cracking ice cutting his sensitive throat made the beast retch in pain.

Danny watches the monster cough up bloody icicles with a smirk; it reminded him of a dog throwing up a toy it accidentally swallowed, and for a short moment the fight seemed a lot less intense.

"Aww… Did the doggy eat something that upset his tummy?" Danny mocked in a baby voice.

Malucard gives him a menacing snarl in return; he wanted nothing more than to gobble up this irritating pest. He was supposed to be a prince, and here he was being mocked by a rodent, a child no less. It was unbecoming of royalty to waste time on such trivial things, but this had turned personal the moment he interfered with his newly wed ceremony.

Danny got slight chills from the glare being thrown in his direction. He had to stay focused though. Phantom had an escape plan. It wasn't a well-thought out plan, but it was a plan nonetheless. If he was able to pull this off then he could regroup with his sister; who he assumed was outside already for the sake of the plan. Danny would bait Malucard into releasing another ghostly beam through the roof again. The boy remembers that the previous beam was powerful enough to cut straight through the ceiling to the Ghost Zone. Danny figures there is a 50/50 chance of this going out like he planned and that was with all the factors working out perfectly. It's either now or never.

Danny floats into the air with his arms waving around, "Who taught you how to fight? Your grandma?" he taunted.

Malucard growls at the insult towards his lineage, and stands from his kneeling position. He bares his fangs and takes a swing at the levitating ghost boy. The wickedly sharp claws slice through concrete as they narrowly miss Danny.

"Oouuu! A swing and a miss! That's strike one!"

Danny cuts right to dodge a lightning fast punch. The concrete crumbling as Malucard yanks his arm out of the wall. The halfa floats away nonchalantly.

"Strike twoooo!" he sang.

The beast was quickly becoming frustrated by the teen. Malucard was extremely fast, but his overwhelming strength is what stands on top. He had nothing on the ghost boy when it came to speed and reaction time. Now that Danny didn't have his sister or own injury to worry about; he could go as fast as he wanted. Phantom was a buzzing bee and no one could slow him down.

"And strike THREE! YOU'RE OUT!" Danny shouted, imitating the movements of a catcher.

Malucard saw red. A flurry of swipes and slashes were aimed at the halfa's body. His arms and the teen moved in a blurry game of cat and mouse. The beast was foaming at the mouth, hungry to slaughter the maggot.

"Would you hold still, you insufferable RAT!" he boomed.

"Rat? I was a roach and now I'm a rat? I'm moving up in the world! Say buddy, we'll be here all day if you just flail your arms around like a kid throwing a tantrum. How about we kick it up a notch? Or is that all the big bad wolf has to offer? I can't imagine how your brides must feel about your LACK of performance; sorely disappointed I would think."

Malucard had enough. Enough with the playing around, and enough of this maggot running his mouth. He'll pay dearly for his mistakes. A ball of unstable energy began to form in his mouth. Malucard didn't care if he took the whole damn castle down. As long as this child dies. The white and black orb crackled with intense energy, popping like a firework about to blast off. The werewolf prince opened his muzzle to reveal the attack; it radiated such a fierce pressure that objects began to orbit around the room. It was like an invisible arc of electricity was snaking its way through the air. The orb grew to an extraordinary size taking up a chunk of the massive throne room.

Danny gazed at what seemed to be a malicious thunderstorm brewing inside of the ball; it hissed and sputtered ready to explode at any moment. The once pitch dark room was now lit up by the whiteness. He slowly floats backwards with his eyes wide open. The teen might've bitten off more than he could chew. He didn't expect the attack to be so large, it was easily twice the size of his previous beam. This had a chance of engulfing the entire damn castle. All he wanted was a hole to escape from, not to be blown to kingdom come. Danny was starting to panic a little. What if Jazz got caught up in the attack? The ghost wasn't as smart as he previously thought he was, it would seem.

"Die."

The size of the ball was close to half the throne room when Malucard finally released it. Danny could only watch as the explosive white light engulfed the room and him instantaneously. The last thought on his mind was a prayer that his sister had already made it out of the castle and was now far far away.