Danny Phantom has been fighting Ghosts for a long time now. He was in college and still struggling to keep his town safe from spirits.
It was a busy Sunday as he came home to his dorm after a tough battle. He collapsed onto the couch, covered in cuts, bruises, and slime. He depowered and sighed.
Danny Fenton said tiredly, "I need a shower and to bandage these injuries."
He went about these tasks on his own, but there was a strange feeling slowly creeping over him. He didn't quite feel alone; in fact, he felt a warm comfort when he was bandaging his body, and the sting of dressing his wounds hurt much less than usual. When he was done and put on a fresh set of clothes, there was a knock on his dorm room door.
Danny quipped, "That was oddly perfect timing."
Danny answered the door, and standing there was an older man in a pizza parlor uniform.
The guy asked, "I got a stuffed crust pepperoni pizza here for (He looked at the receipt) Danny?"
Danny said, "That's me, but I didn't order a pizza."
The guy said, "Hey man, I don't know what to tell you, but it's already been paid for."
Danny took the box with a puzzled expression and said, "Well, I guess I can't refuse it."
The guy left, and Danny closed the door.
Danny put the box on the table and gave it a once-over. It looked like a regular pizza box, alright. He opened it and braced for a ghost to pop out, but nothing. He looked at the contents of the box; sure enough, it was just a regular pizza.
Danny sighed, "Man, I guess all this fighting has gotten me paranoid. I need a vacation."
He enjoyed a bit of his meal and began to think over his current situation.
Danny asked himself, "Who sent this pizza anyway?"
He looked at the receipt and saw the order was from someone named Azriel.
Danny began to think back to what he'd learned about different cultures and the various spirits of death. He made it his business to root out what kind of supernatural entities he might face next. He remembered reading about Azirel, who was described as the angel of death. Danny was confused.
Danny gave it some thought and asked, "Why would a psychopomp want me to refuel after a harsh battle?"
Danny shrugged it for now and said, "Maybe Sam or Tucker is playing some practical joke."
He put the rest of the pizza away.
The next day, he sat with Sam and Tucker at a cafe.
Danny said, "Hey, thanks for sending me that pizza. It was just what I needed after my fight with Undergrowth."
Sam and Tucker exchanged a confused glance.
Sam asked, "Danny, what are you talking about?"
Danny said, "Oh, come on, you can drop the act. I know you sent me a pizza, and I thought it was funny that you put it as been from Azirel!"
Tucker bluntly said, "I didn't send that."
Sam said, "Neither did I."
Danny was surprised, then gave it some thought and said as if realizing, "Oh my gosh, I really did receive a pizza from a psychopomp."
Tucker said, "At least he's on your side."
Sam asked, "Why would an angel of death prolong your life?"
Danny shrugged and said, "I sincerely can't even imagine."
A week passed, and like clockwork, Danny received a small package from Azirel. Inside was a black box lined with green velvet, and inside was a rosary made of obsidian and peridot beads and a silver cross. Danny wasn't religious but chalked it up to Azirel being an angel.
Danny said, "Azirel probably just wants to make sure I'm protected by the big guy upstairs somehow. That was very thoughtful of them."
Danny put the box containing the rosary in his pocket for the time being.
Later, Danny's regular college class was interrupted by Walker flying onto campus and having his gang of ghost goons destroy buildings left and right. Danny fled his class, putting on the rosary before transforming.
Danny closed his eyes and assumed a wide pose. Two rings of bright white surrounded him horizontally. They moved away from each other, coming from his middle. One going down to the soles of his shoes and the other going the other way, sweeping past the top of his head. As they passed his body, his appearance changed, his loose clothes replaced by a tight black jumpsuit with a white belt and a 'D' emblem. His sneakers were substituted with white boots, and long white gloves appeared on his arms and hands. His hair was instantly bleached a paper white. Danny opened his eyes, and they were not a muddy brown anymore but a bright lime green. The rosary vanished, and a halo of silver appeared over his head.
Danny went to confront Walker by snapping, "Hey, Walker!"
Walker then turned to Danny, saw the halo, and snapped, "What the? Phantom?! Why do you have a halo? That's not fair! I've been keeping The Ghost Zone in check for eons longer than you!"
Danny asked, "What are you yapping on about?"
Walker pointed to the silver halo floating over Danny's head and said, "Azirel gave you, of all ghosts, his blessing! You don't deserve that!"
Danny snapped, "Well, obviously, you're not doing a good job!"
Walker hissed, "You're not even all ghost; you're a lowly Halfa!"
Danny was insulted and asked, "Oh yeah, and what are you going to do about it?"
Walker clenched his fist and threw a punch at Danny. And it did not connect! Instead, he hit a shield, and Danny threw a punch right back. Walker couldn't land a hit on Danny Phantom. Walker was receiving plenty of Danny's hits, and the Phantom drove him and the rest of his army back to the Ghost Zone. Danny then stopped once they all fled away.
Danny Fenton depowered in hiding, the halo vanished, and the rosary reappeared.
Danny said, "Wow, that was cool!"
He put the rosary away in its box for safekeeping.
The next day, Danny excitedly told his friends about his experience.
Danny said, "It was incredible! Walker couldn't even touch me. I've truly been given a gift!"
Sam warned, "Be careful, Danny; Azirel might just be doing nice things to earn your trust so that you would be down to do his bidding later."
Danny is quick to note, "Azirel answers to someone even more powerful being above all spirits."
Tucker was surprised and asked, "Who would that be?"
Danny answered, "Well, you know, the big guy upstairs."
Sam asked, "What? Do you mean God?"
Danny said, "Yeah, Azirel is an angel, and they yield to God's will! God will always have my best interest in mind."
Tucker pointedly asked, "Then why in the world would God curse you to become Danny Phantom?"
Danny thought for a moment and answered, "Maybe this isn't a curse. Perhaps God had planned for me to become Danny Phantom so I could protect Amity Park from the increasing threat of the Ghost Zone because of Vlad!"
There was a moment of awkward silence as the group let what Danny just said sink in.
Danny quipped, "Now that I say that out loud, it sounds more like I'm cleaning up a mess God made for himself, considering the Ghost Zone was his doing."
Sam said, "Yet another reason that your powers are a curse."
Danny was quick to say, "Well, I wouldn't say that, Sam; I'm sure that there's just something we're not seeing yet."
Tucker said, "Well, maybe you should ask God directly what exactly his plan is for you."
Sam snapped, "You can't just ask God something like that! Especially with such little respect! Didn't your parents ever teach you about how to pray?"
Tucker said, "My parents were hardcore atheists, and I was too before all this ghost fighting opened my eyes to the fact that we literally live in a world of extraordinary supernatural phenomenon."
Danny said, "Well then, Sam, maybe you should lead us in a prayer to see if God will at least consider giving us a clue as to what he has in store next."
Sam said, "Fine! Everyone, fold your hands, bow your head, and close your eyes."
The group did so.
Sam prayed, "Father God in Heaven, the Lord of Lords. We come to you seeking some of your infinite wisdom as to the nature of the Ghost Zone and Danny's incredible power now that he has been blessed by your servant Azirel. We hope you will forgive the intrusion of your intentions, as we are still grappling with just how this wild world we live in works. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen."
Danny and Tucker said, "Amen."
They opened their eyes and unfolded their hands.
Sam said, "There, you see, that is how you address God."
Tucker said, typing something on his tablet, "Noted."
Later, Danny was getting ready to catch up on some sleep in his dorm. He pulled the rosary box from his pocket and took out the rosary to admire it.
Danny said, "You know, I don't think I mind being a servant of God. Even if the reasons why are hidden from me."
Danny put the rosary on before kicking off his sneakers, getting under the covers, and turning off the light. Danny quickly fell asleep, and a strange change overwhelmed his body. Two rings of bright white surrounded him horizontally. They moved away from each other, coming from his middle. One going down to the soles of his shoes and the other going the other way, sweeping past the top of his head. As they passed his body, his appearance changed, his loose clothes replaced by a tight black jumpsuit with a white belt and a 'D' emblem. His sneakers were substituted with white boots, and long white gloves appeared on his arms and hands. His hair was instantly bleached a paper white. Danny opened his eyes, and they were not a muddy brown anymore but a bright lime green. The rosary vanished, and a halo of silver appeared over his head.
Danny was caught off guard as his body was still stiff as if it were falling asleep, and yet he was awake. He floated up above the dorm house and to the sky. He could see a cluster of gold-glowing clouds above him. He watched as a crow flew up to the glowing cloud and transformed under the light. It expanded into a more human-like being, and two more wings sprouted from its back, and a gold halo floated up above its head. Somehow, Danny instinctively knew this being was Azirel.
Azirel kneeled on a regular cloud in front of the gold-glowing clouds, extending a scroll to the glow, and said, "My Lord, I humbly bring you a message from the humans."
The scroll floated up from Azirel's hand and into the glow. A chuckle shook the sky, and then a throat clearing.
The Lord cooed, "Perhaps our newly minted Angel in training needs a little sign."
Azirel asked, "What sort of sign, my Lord?"
A harmonious hum filled the air, and Danny felt his body float upright. Then, he finally felt able to move. He floated up next to Azirel, not daring to look into the gold glow but kneeling next to Azirel.
Azirel looked at Danny and gasped in excitement, "Danny Phantom! Welcome!"
Danny said, "Thank you, Azirel, thank you, my Lord God. I am truly humbled to be in your presence."
The Lord shook the sky with his laugh. Azirel snickered right alongside him.
Danny asked, "What's so funny?"
The Lord said, "You, Halfa! Be not afraid; you're home now."
Danny glanced around him and noticed that the whole sky was now populated with more humans and other creatures with bird wings in all kinds of shapes and colors in a sparkling sky. Danny stood up, amazed at them all.
Danny asked, "What is this place?"
Azirel smiled and said, "Welcome to the Angelic Realm, Danny Phantom!"
Danny looked back at The Lord's gold glow and felt a comforting warmth hug his body. Danny asked, "Did you really choose me to be a part of all this?"
The Lord cooed, "Of course, Danny. Why else would I give you incredible powers if not for the greater good? You may feel overwhelmed at times by your grand purpose to help herd those who escape the Ghost Zone to terrorize the living, but you will always have a home here in the High Heaven."
Azirel said, "And I will be with you every step of the way, my little Phantom fighter."
They took Danny's hand in his. Danny felt ready to cry and said, "I would like that."
Azirel then said, letting him go, "Close your eyes, rest a bit. You have a big day tomorrow."
Danny lay down on the clouds and fell asleep.