Disclaimer: I own nothing from Danny Phantom

(Updated 1/18/2025)

Chapter 24: A "Living" Nightmare

(Chapter inspired by Neverland by Crywolf)

Vlad's POV

Shortly after confirming Daniel had returned to her room in eager anticipation for our first day of training, I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought then decided to do a bit of preparation myself. Teleporting to the lab, I started compiling everything I had learned about Danielle's powers into a single file. This would help me determine what we should concentrate on during our initial training session. Fortunately, Danielle had already mastered all of her basic ghost powers, so as you can imagine, compartmentalizing the information I already had about her took hardly any time at all.

"I suppose I could continue reading the book I've been working on since there's nothing too pressing left on today's agenda," I mused, checking the clock and noting that it was still early evening. However, I suddenly remembered that there was one last thing I needed to take care of regarding the training room. I highly doubt Danielle would appreciate shooting targets that resembling her father, so those will have to be replaced with generic ones at once. But I'm sure she won't mind if I hold onto a few for my personal use later down the line.

I was on the verge of shutting down the lab and heading to the training room when my ghost sense activated. And though my first instinct was to look at my ghost portal, I was startled when the new voice I had created to replace the Maddie program declared, "Intruder alert: unidentified ghost signature detected in the East Wing. Activating anti-ghost shield—"

"East Wing, but that's where—!" I shouted, spinning around. "Danielle!"

After issuing a command to hold off on activating the ghost shield—fearing that Danielle might end up trapped inside the castle with a dangerous enemy, just as she had been with Skulker in this very lab—I teleported straight to her room. There, I found a tall shadowy figure looming over Danielle's unconscious body, where I could clearly see she was still in her ghost form. My aura flared with intensity as I charged my hands with ecto-energy, but I knew I had to wait for the right moment because she was almost fully enveloped up to her shoulders by these long black tendrils that resembled the void between stars, the complete absence of light. In fact, there was a faint star-like pattern within this ghost's form, but the only other detail I could discern at that moment was a pair of sleepy, pale violet eyes and a scar running across one of them.

Following that, the mysterious silhouette of the unknown ghost slowly turned to face me, delicately cradling Danielle's chin with one clawed hand as he calmly admonished, "Careful, Vladimir. You wouldn't want to accidentally harm your darling Dani Phantom now would you?"

His voice sounded tranquil and confident suggesting he was likely more dangerous than I had initially believed. He was fully aware that I was powerless to retaliate as long as Danielle remained vulnerable and defenseless within his grasp. Despite my intense hatred for allowing this fiend to keep holding my little badger captive, I reluctantly lowered my hands and allowed my ecto-energy attack dissipate for the moment. However, I didn't let that stop me from conjuring a few invisible duplicates to encircle him, biding my time until I could rush forward to save Danielle.

Adopting a professional tone laced with an unmistakable venomous edge, I remarked, "It's quite presumptuous of you to use my full first name when I don't even know yours. Care to rectify that so I know exactly whom I'm supposed to speaking to?" Not to mention I want to know who I'll be making an example out of as a warning to anyone who dares to underestimate the lengths I'll go to protect her, I added darkly to myself.

With an amused chuckle as he slowly glided off the bed to face me directly, still holding Danielle close to his chest wrapped in shadowy tendrils almost like a twisted mockery of a mother carrying their sleeping child, the intruder bowed eloquently and introduced himself. "Where are my manners? I am Nocturne, the Ghost of Sleep. You may not be familiar with me yet, but I have been watching you both for quite some time, just as I oversee the dreams of countless others. Until recently, I was content to simply observe, but then I noticed something...disconcerting about this child and the future path that lies ahead of her."

Slowly stroking Danielle's cheek with the back of his index finger, he continued with a contemplative tone, "You see, dreams serve as portals to our subconscious, sometimes even offering glimpses into our past and future. In a dream, time becomes irrelevant, as it unfolds all at once. The past holds both cherished memories and the scars left by other more painful experiences; the present is filled with questions about our choices and concerns for what may come tomorrow; and then there's the future, brimming with endless possibilities just out of reach. Yet, we can't help but reach for them, hoping to draw closer to our waking aspirations or, conversely, to become someone else's living nightmare due to a perceived injustice suffered in the past."

"If that's the case, then Danielle's future should be no concern of yours since you obviously aren't one of her usual enemies," I began harshly, crossing my arms and bluffing, "As far as I'm concerned, she's already moved on from her previous life as a ghost hunter in Amity Park. So if you have intentions for that town and only came here to keep her out of the way while you seize control, then by all means please be my guest. However, if you want to avoid making an enemy of me, I strongly advise you to leave Danielle out of your plans as she's no longer its protector. If you're willing to let her go right now though then I MIGHT let you off with a warning just this once and you may leave with all your limbs still attached. The only reason I bothered to provide those people with another capable ghost hunter to take Danielle's place was to prevent her from rushing back to solve these ghost problems that have nothing to do with her anymore. That boy is just human, though, and shouldn't pose much of a threat to whatever scheme you have in mind..."

Slightly unnerved by how much personal information Nocturne seemed to have about us—especially since I had never even heard of him until today—I sent a telepathic message to the nearest duplicate, hoping he could sneak in and phase Danielle out of Nocturne's grasp from behind. Meanwhile, to keep Nocturne occupied I raised eyebrow and asked, "You claim that it's her future that concerns you, but what exactly do you mean by that? And why do you care about the future of one child when you already have access to the dreams of plenty of others to keep you entertained?"

His purple eyes blazed with an angry red as his shadowy form flickered, expanding as more tendrils emerged from his body, slithering menacingly through the empty space around him. Nocturne's voice dripped with menace as he warned, "Do not insult me, Vlad Plasmius! Lest we forget, I hold the ghost child within my grasp, and I could easily transform the lovely dream I've crafted for her into a nightmare that would push her to the brink of madness. Has she not suffered enough Vladimir? Or is it that you actually wish to see her become corrupted and turn into the cold, dark, yet beautiful creature that threatens both our worlds, as I have foreseen? The one who will determine the fate of us all...?"

Taking a moment to recompose himself and retract a few of his longer tendrils at the base of his form—since he lacked anything resembling feet—Nocturne leaned back and proclaimed in a commanding voice that demanded respect, "One way or another, I WILL have my answers no matter how deeply I must delve into this child's heart and mind to find them. You will not interfere again, nor will you insult me, for I do NOT observe the dreams of your kind purely out of idle curiosity. No, I exist for a far grander purpose than you can possibly comprehend. Once I have thoroughly explored her dreams and memories at my leisure and am satisfied with the answers I uncover, I will return Dani Phantom to you safely, with no recollection of what has occurred. However, if the answers are unsatisfactory... it may be a kindness to let this troubled soul rest forever in the safety of her dreams, where no one can betray her trust again."

My eyes widened in horror as more shadows slithered up Danielle's neck and enveloped her head, pulling her completely into his body. It was clear that I had to act quickly, so I charged forward, determined to stop Nocturne from abducting her right before my eyes. I was ready to tear her away from him with my bare hands if necessary. But the moment his hands were free, Nocturne raised his long talons and summoned his minions, otherwise known as 'Dreamweavers,' who swiftly positioned themselves in front of their master to obstruct my way. They appeared in the form of several otherworldly female spirits, possessing long, dark purple hair, solid glowing white eyes, and onyx-hued skin, all adorned in flowing gowns that transitioned from deep black to a gentle pale lavender. Regardless, by the time I fought my way through enough of them to confront Nocturne, bringing my duplicates along—except for the one I had sent to rescue Danielle's cat—he dispersed himself into a swirling purple mist, similar to my own, and teleported just beyond my grasp with Danielle now trapped inside of him.

Nocturne assured me that she would be kept safe for now, but for obvious reasons, I'm not about to trust the word of a ghost who broke into my home. I was determined to find him before Nocturne acted on his threats to turn Danielle's dreams into a nightmare as revenge for my earlier insults, regardless of whether his claims hold any truth. He's right about one thing: she has endured enough. But what does Nocturne mean when he says that the fate of both worlds rests in Danielle's hands? True, I want to offer her everything she desires and more, but that hardly means I literally plan to 'give her the entire world!'

Snarling, I left my duplicates to engage with Nocturne's remaining Dreamweavers while I pursued his ghost signature, still detectable nearby, indicating he hadn't teleported very far. I realized he might be counting on the fact that I had every intention to follow him, but at that point I was beyond caring. Nocturne had taken something precious from me, and I had no interest in his reasons—I just wanted back what was rightfully MINE!

Suddenly, I blinked and veered slightly off course as a wave of dizziness hit me. The Dreamweavers launched a coordinated attack on my duplicates, singing a haunting lullaby that left them dazed and drained of energy, causing them to return to me shortly after. I should have anticipated that they possessed the same ability as their master to weaken foes and induce sleep. But I couldn't let his underlings distract me, not when Danielle needed me...

With that thought in mind, I soared toward the spot where Nocturne's presence felt the strongest, racing against the clock before his Dreamweavers could catch up to me. I flew as fast as I could until I spotted the familiar glow of a ghost portal hovering just above the treetops, where his shadowy figure merged with the starry sky surrounding us. I muttered a curse under my breath upon realizing that he must have created this portal just recently; my security system was only set to scan the area directly outside the castle, ensuring no one could trespass that way, especially since I kept my own ghost portal securely locked when not in use. I also deeply regretted not activating the outer shield, which might have stopped Nocturne from opening a portal altogether. Regardless, his ability to blend into the night sky made it difficult to see him; I only caught a glimpse of his silhouette slipping into the portal before it vanished behind him. And so just as suddenly as he had appeared, Nocturne was gone-

But sadly, he had taken Danielle with him.

Just as I feared, upon my return to the castle, there was no sign of Nocturne's Dreamweavers. This meant I couldn't restrain one on a lab table and extract information about where their master had taken my little badger. Frustrated, I slammed my fist into the nearest wall, seething with anger at Nocturne for abducting Danielle. More importantly, I was infuriated with myself for not anticipating this. Nocturne had mentioned he was watching us, but for how long? And why target Danielle now...? There had to be a way to stop him from invading our dreams if that's how he gathered so much information about us, but I needed more evidence to substantiate his claims first...

I remained rooted in that spot for several minutes, even as Cedric and Isla phased up through the floor to join me. They both looked quite disheveled, having witnessed at least some of the chaos that unfolded after I sent a duplicate to instruct them to seek shelter until the fight was over, for which I was grateful. While I would have welcomed their help, I knew they weren't well-suited for combat. Normally, I don't concern myself much with the well-being of my subordinates, but these two have served me long enough that I've grown quite fond of them. In truth, they are valued members of my team, and I felt a sense of relief to see them unharmed, despite how the intense rage fueling my ghost powers was clearly making them uneasy.

"My Lord, are...you alright? We noticed intruders in the castle, and one of your duplicates instructed us to hide and safeguard the young mistress's new pet." Cedric asked hesitantly, glancing at Isla, who floated closer to me, revealing Leo...

With tears welling in her eyes, she began to plead shakily. "Yes, that's right! Oh, please, sir, you must help the wee lad! I-I think something's wrong with him. Even with all the noise from upstairs when we heard you fighting the intruder in the young mistress's room, the little darling just won't wake up. It's as if he's under some dark magic, which would explain this—" Isla explain, gently running her hand through Leo's soft, pale orange fur. She showed it to me, revealing that it was now lightly dusted with a fine, shimmering blue powder that resembled stardust.

Forcing myself to regain my composure, knowing that staying agitated wouldn't help Danielle escape any faster, I took Leo from Isla's arms and placed a reassuring hand on her trembling shoulder. Then, I calmly said, "Let's get straight to the point. Danielle has been taken by a ghost named Nocturne, and I need to find her before something terrible happens. I want both of you to search the castle thoroughly for any signs of something out of place that this ghost could have used to spy on us. I refuse to believe he has gathered that much information about Danielle and me through our dreams alone; and we should have sensed his presence if he was in fact invading our minds.

"In the meantime, I will try to help Leo before I head into the Ghost Zone to find Danielle. You know what to do from there. I'll need you to follow the standard protocol for this situation, as we can't predict how long the search will take, and I can't afford to be caught off guard again. First, I need to find a way to prevent him from putting me to sleep like he did with Danielle, and I must also counter the spell he's cast on her. Is that clear? Until I return, ensure that NO ONE enters or leaves the castle, whether they're human or ghost, especially Danielle's parents and her friends. I can't have them informing Jason that his sister has been taken."

Exchanging anxious glances, the two of them nodded and bowed to me before transforming back into their ghost forms, abandoning their human disguises that they typically maintained out of habit. They began their search, a task I would usually delegate to my vultures, but they were preoccupied with monitoring Danielle's parents back in Amity Park to prevent any further complications for us. Nevertheless, the shimmering powder on Leo's fur, which Isla had shown me, along with the name Nocturne, provided crucial clues that gave me a starting point to untangle this entire situation. Without hesitation, I teleported to the lab and carefully placed the sleeping cat on the nearest table. I reactivated my supercomputer to analyze the powder and search for any information I had on Nocturne, as now that I had calmed down, the name seemed oddly familiar.

I couldn't quite remember where I had heard that name before, and my mind was racing like a supercomputer, trying to figure out how I had let this happen. I couldn't believe I had failed to protect Danielle in my own home—again. The mix of rage and guilt made me want to scream at the top of my lungs to release some of this pent-up emotion, but I knew that would be a waste of time. Right now, I needed to gather as much information as possible about Nocturne so I could effectively counter his sleep-inducing powers and those of his Dreamweavers. I couldn't afford to face him unprepared again. The longer he kept Danielle captive, the greater the risk that he would go back on his word or, worse, plunge her into a sleep so deep it would feel like a living death, and that thought terrified me.

Few things truly frighten me, but the idea of losing Danielle definitely does. From the start, I was aware that we both had our share of enemies, so there would be risks involved. However, this new ghost... all I can say for sure is that neither of us have encountered him directly before now. What puzzles me is Nocturne's sudden obsession with Danielle. What could he have possibly foreseen that would lead him to believe she could transform into someone as dark and formidable as he suggests, for reasons that remain a mystery?

While I certainly don't plan to allow Danielle to return to her role as a hero, I also don't believe she would ever use her powers solely for selfish gain, seeking fame, power, and glory as I have. That's simply not who she is. Her primary concern is the safety of those she loves, and unless she finds herself in a truly desperate situation, I can't imagine Danielle ever abandoning her principles in a quest for enough power to obliterate everything.

My thoughts were interrupted when the automated female voice of my supercomputer told me, "Analysis complete. Systems indicate that the powder is a highly effective ghost sleeping agent estimated to wear off in precisely 2 hours and 34 minutes. Ghost signature search results confirm a match with Nocturne, and the details are as follows..."

Pulling up several display screens for me, I reviewed the information which read:

Class: Ancient

Overall Power Level: Base level 7. However, as noted in the book "Ghost Lore" by an unidentified ghost or spirit, Nocturne's power increases based on the amount of dream energy he absorbs from the human realm, as he requires a specific type of ecto-energy to maintain his abilities.

Lair: His current whereabouts are unknown, but he is believed to reside within the Forbidden Sector of the Ghost Zone.

Ghost Status: A naturally occurring entity of the Ghost Zone, no documented human existence.

Special Abilities: Dream manipulation, absorption of dream energy, teleportation, accelerated regeneration, omniscience within dreams, inducing sleep, summoning lesser spirits, creating dream constructs that manifest in reality, divination, telepathy, and altering memories or delivering subliminal messages.

Additional Information: According to ancient legends, this ghost is believed to be one of the seven most formidable ancient spirits of the Ghost Zone, serving as a guardian alongside the other six, whose identities remain largely unknown, except for one: Clockwork, the Master of Time. No further details are available at this time.

As I processed everything, the situation grew increasingly complicated and troubling. I clenched my fists, glaring at Nocturne's image on the screen. How DARE he view Danielle as a threat to the world? No one's future is predetermined, and the notion that she is destined to turn evil is utterly absurd. He is making a grave mistake, and whether he is ancient or not, I will ensure he pays for it with his afterlife if Nocturne so much as harms a SINGLE hair on my little badger's head.

"Just hang in there a bit longer, Danielle. I swear I'll find you," I vowed, immediately diving into the task of devising a counter-formula to Nocturne's sleep dust. It seemed his Dreamweavers could use their voices to lull their victims into slumber, much like how Ember McLain captivates her audience with her enchanting melodies. But the only tune Nocturne should be concerned about is the one I'll be playing for him—

His final dirge.