Chapter 18: Demons

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell." Buddha

Chapter 18: "Demons"

(Saturday-October 23, 2010)

The past week had been very long for Danny. It was not that things became any worse…like that was possible now…It was more that things never got better. The memories were still fresh in his mind. Not only that, they seemed to bring up the older painful memories. Every single second was filled with constantly thinking about what happened and the choices that Danny had made up to this point.

He couldn't concentrate on anything else. Conversations sounded like buzzing in his ears. His inventions seemed to become pointless in his mind. Even flying…the single thing that always brought Danny a sense of freedom and joy…did nothing to take his mind off things.

The halfa felt like he was wallowing in his own misery, and there was no way out. There was no light at the end of this very long and dark tunnel…

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Danny looked at his phone and sighed. He had to answer this. "Hello."

"Phantom, this is Red Tornado." The android's voice spoke over the phone.

"Yes, I know. Is there something you need?" Danny continued to stare forward at the piece of stone in front of him. He hadn't been here…since he first Dani, but this was the only place that he could be truly alone anymore…

"You were informed of your session with Black Canary today, correct?" Red Tornado questioned.

"Yep."

"Then you realize that you're late?"

"Yep."

"…You are not coming, are you?" Red Tornado inquired.

"Right on the nose. I don't need therapy." Danny muttered. He had enough of that crap with Jazz…

"The other members of the League believe differently." Red Tornado rationalized. "I can't force you to come, but it might help the other members of Young Justice to see you again. You haven't been in for anything other than practices."

"Don't feel like it." Danny knelt down and put a hand on the stone…on the grave.

"I see…Then I shall inform-"

"Daniel, this is Dr. Fate. You need to come talk to Black Canary." The wizard stated.

"Need? There's a lot of things that I need, but talking isn't one of them." Danny snorted. "Talking about my problems won't make them go away."

"Don't act that way with me. I have been one with you multiple times before. I know how your mind works. I know how this is affecting you." Nabu noted. "You need help, and I doubt that you've spoken to anyone about what really happened."

"My family did ask, but I kept the details to a minimum." Danny mentioned. "They aren't pushing, so why are you, Nabu? Or is this Dora speaking? Because this sounds more like her than you."

"Because I have seen your memories and you state of mind. A tragedy like this…you can't take it. Come in and talk to Black Canary. It will help." Nabu spoke calmly.

"Ah…no." Danny was tracing the words on the grave.

"Please, Danny." Black Canary spoke this time. "If you don't want to do it for you, at least do it for your friends. What kind of example are you setting?"

"Example? You act like I make all their decisions. They're big boys and girls. They can make their own decisions." Danny grimaced. "So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be hanging up on you mid-sentence now."

"Danny, don't hang up the pho-"

Beep!

"Told ya…" Danny mumbled and sat down in front of the grave. Beside the one grave were two others. They were all family related and had been buried next to eachother.

Jack Fenton

Madeline Fenton

Jasmine Fenton

"Everything's all gone to hell…" Danny groaned. "It happens…every single time, you know…Every time things seem to get better, something happens to make it worse, and I don't think I can handle anything else…In fact, I'm sure that I can't handle anything more. The fight's been beaten out of me."

He received no answer from the graves.

"…What am I going to do? Who can I tell about what's really happening?" Danny questioned. "I know I can't hide it forever, and soon people will begin to notice. Vision probably already knows, even though I've been careful…I mean, come on…what will talking about my problem do? I want to get my mind off of this crap. Talking about it will only make it worse."

Danny looked to Jazz's grave. "I know what you would say. I need to let it all out, right? Bottling it all up won't fix anything. But…that's the problem. I'm not bottling anything up. What you see is what you get right now. And I looked in a mirror. I look pretty broken and uncaring…So, what the hell do you do when you know what you're problem is, and know that no words can fix it?"

Silence.

"Yeah…That's what I thought you would say…"

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Rachel!" Dani shouted at the door to her friend's apartment. "You there?"

The door opened to reveal Rachel Roth's mother Angela Roth. The woman looked like an older version of her daughter with the dark hair, pale skin, and violet eyes. "Hello, Danielle."

"Hey, Miss Roth." Dani smiled. "Is Rachel here?"

"No, I'm sorry. She left already." Angela Roth seemed to be confused. "I thought she was going to meet you…"

"Really? That's weird…" Dani paused. "I thought she was sick."

"What would make you say that?" Angela questioned.

"Well, yesterday she was acting all weird. She looked super cold because she had her hood up the whole day and was pulling the sleeves over her hands." Dani explained.

"I see…"

"Plus, she seemed super pale…well, paler…and sweaty." Dani noted. "I told her that she should go home early, but she didn't want to go to the nurse for some reason…Are you okay? You're giving me this weird look…"

"What? Er…No, everything's fine…I'm fine." Angela tried to wave her off.

"Then why are you lying to me?" Dani glared.

"Huh?"

"Your left eyebrow twitches slightly when you lie." Dani stated. "I noticed it a while ago, but never mentioned it. But now, you're lying about my friend. Why?"

Vision had taught Dani a great many of things. To add onto the strategy and battle tactics Dani had learned, Vision also made a great effort to teach Dani how to read people. Dani learned to predict their actions without her Premonition, to read what emotions they were feeling, and even different ways to tell if they're lying. She wasn't perfect at this yet, but she could easily tell when a worried mother was lying.

"I…" Angela actually felt uncomfortable under the girl's glare. The child's eyes seemed to stare into her soul. The blue eyes temporarily flashed green. "Er…I'm just worried because if Rachel's sick and is running around. She might get even worse…"

Angela's left eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.

Dani smiled. "Oh, okay! Sorry, I think my Dad's just getting to me."

"It's okay. I think we're both worried." Angela smiled slightly.

"Well…if Rachel's not here, I should be going. I have to meet my other friends. Maybe Rachel's there." Dani stated.

"Maybe…"

"Bye Miss Roth."

"Goodbye Danielle…"

Dani dropped her smile as she began to walk away. Angela Roth obviously didn't want to tell her the truth. It would be dumb to push the matter and get on Angela's bad side. At the same time, though, something was up with one of Dani's closest friends. She couldn't just ignore this. Especially because this was the second time in a week that someone close to her was hiding something important from her. Danny refused to speak to anyone about what happened during the training exercise. Despite his complete breakdown, he was completely tightlipped.

Perhaps the only person Danny spoke to was Fright Knight, and that didn't help. The ancient ghost would rather cut off his own tongue than tell one of Danny's secrets if the halfa didn't want them told. It must be bad, though, because even the Fright Knight looked deeply troubled. This wasn't even close to as bad as Danny was acting, though. He was completely closed off. The half-ghost often refused to speak with others and didn't do much than wander around town and hide in his room.

Needless to say, this did not please Dani. She did not enjoy being out of the loop. Yet it was happening again, but she refused to accept it. If she couldn't find out what was wrong with Danny, then she would just have to settle with Rachel.

So, to get away from the worried mother, Dani decided to copy Angela. She lied. None of her friends were waiting to meet her. Victor was having a family day. Youngblood decided to play ninja and was in the Ghost Zone training in stealth…something in retrospect Dani might need, but Youngblood wanted to do this alone. Plus Nyx was grounded for putting cherry bombs in the school's toilets…

'Wish she told me about it.' Dani grumbled mentally. 'I would have helped…'

It was not the time to dwell on this, though. Her instincts were telling her that something was wrong with Rachel. The magic user needed the halfa's help with something. Dani knew this. She could feel it in her gut. The only problem was that she didn't know where Rachel was…

For now.

Dani pulled out her phone and called Wulf.

"…Hello?..."

"Wulf, it's Dani." Dani spoke as she exited the apartment building and headed into a nearby alley. "I need you to get Cujo and come meet me at Fenton Works."

"Okay…but…why?" Wulf grunted out.

"I need your help finding someone." Dani stated. "You think you can track Rachel?"

"Of course."

"Good…"

"I think we almost got everything planned…" Joel mention to Agent Z who was a few cages away.

"Maybe…" Agent Z muttered. "But I still don't know. I would feel better if we could take out the control center immediately after we begin. I have the feeling that they will notice if we both escape our cages at the same time."

"Then I will go ahead and give you the signal when I get there." Joel shrugged.

"No…There's still a chance that won't work." Agent Z noted.

"There's always a chance this won't work." Joel mentioned.

"Perhaps, but I want our chances to be as high as they can get." Agent Z sighed.

"What do you suggest?" Joel questioned.

"…Sabotaging the control center before the day of our plan would work." Agent Z realized.

"And risk getting caught?" Joel questioned. "If that happens, then we'll be locked up completely like Grundy."

"Not if we do it when security is lightest." Agent Z noted. "I noticed that when one of us fight, most of the security migrates around the arena. They want to keep an eye on the only two active ghouls. My next fight is in an hour. When that happens, you can sneak into the control room and upload a virus."

"A virus, huh?...Well, my training did require me to learn the basics of computer programming to get close to assassination targets, but I'm not very skilled at it." Joel frowned.

"It won't be all that complicated. I had a virus code hidden in my files that I encrypted on my online files…you know, in case someone tried to hack them." Agent Z smirked. "If you upload that using my passwords and instructions, you can actually delay it so that it will remain undetected and inactive until the day of our plan."

"…You actually thought all that through?" Joel questioned.

"I'm a paranoid SOB, kid." Agent Z snorted. "I think of every possibility with the information that I have. Trust me, if I just had a little more information in the GIW war, then we would have won…"

"But you didn't." Joel reasoned.

"That was because of the ghosts Vision and Danny Phantom." Agent Z growled. "From what I saw of the news reports, Vision's the leader of the ghosts and Phantom is the motivational speaker. If they didn't team up, I would have won."

"…I can't argue with that. Your plan was solid, and their victory almost cost Danny Phantom his life." Joel reasoned. "But…The Master…Ra's Al Ghul is a genius strategist in his own right. Not to mention his companions…"

"We'll have the element of surprise, though." Agent Z chuckled. "If there is one thing I know about attacks, plans, and fighting is that the element of surprise can defeat anyone if used correctly. If you don't see the attack coming, then you can't stop it. Catch a man off guard, and he'll crumple to the ground like a wounded dog."

"…Good point." Joel nodded to himself. "The only people who know about this plan are you, me, and Grundy. That will make it so no one could stop us if we do this right."

"We could be the cause of failure if we don't do this right." Agent Z retorted.

"Fine. Tell me what I need to do."

"What do you mean that you're giving up on the project!?" Dr. Roquette hissed through their video chat.

Danny glanced tiredly at the computer screen in his room. "I'm not giving up on it totally. I'm just leaving the rest to you. I've done my part of the work."

"Do you think this is a game?! Do you realize what our work could mean for this world?! If you don't add your assistance to this project, the progress could be pushed back by a decade!" Dr. Roquette glared.

"I'm sure you're exaggerating my importance." Danny sighed.

"And I think you're undermining yourself!"

"Sorry, but this isn't up for debate." Danny shrugged. "I'll send the rest of my notes and research, but after that I'm done."

"You can't-"

"But I am. Goodbye, Doctor." Danny ended the video conference.

The halfa sighed. That didn't go well. His call to Dr. Strange had been a lot cheerier. Granted, almost all the progress in their joint study in Zeta radiation was done, but Strange was more respectful in their discussion. He was a rather cheery person, though. Under different circumstances, Danny would have enjoyed to continue his work with the other scientist…

"What are you doing?" Harriet's voice sounded from his doorway.

"Making some video calls." Danny mentioned. "I was just about to call Mr. Fox."

"Okay…Better question. What the hell are you thinking!?" Harriet frowned as she stormed into his room.

"I didn't invite you in…" Danny sighed.

"You think that matters to me?" Harriet spun Danny's chair around and glared at him. "Now answer me."

"…I'm thinking that I'm done with this crap." Danny mentioned. "I don't want to be the inventor phoenix guy anymore. It's stupid…"

"Stupid…" Harriet scowled. "What's exactly so stupid about all the work you've been doing to make live's better."

"The fact that it's coming from some wanna be kid who's actually a C student." Danny stated.

"I…have seen you do a lot of things that no C student could even dream of." Harriet explained. "You have made some amazing things. You have a talent that very few have, and you're just going to give that up?"

"Yep."

"Why?" She hissed.

"Because I don't feel like doing this anymore. I don't have the passion for it." Danny noted simply.

"Don't have the…passion…" Harriet seemed confused. She took a few steps back and sat on his bed. "Okay…What happened?"

"Nothing." Danny answered simply.

"That's a bunch of bull. Something happened. You haven't been talking to people in a week! Silas is worried. Mr. Masters is worried. Hell, I've even gotten messages from Valerie Grey saying that she's worried. She says you're avoiding her like the plague." Harriet starred at him. "Now, tell me, what the hell happened?"

"…You really don't want to know." Danny sighed.

"Oh, come on, kid. I've been a reporter for years. I've reported on some of the worst things you can possibly think of." Harriet stated. "You can tell me about this."

"No…I can't…" Danny looked away.

"…Damn, you're stubborn like your old man…" Harriet sighed. "And like your mom too…Fine, you don't want to talk, I'll stop asking about it. But you can't just drop everything and everyone like this."

"I'm fifteen. I think I can." Danny shrugged. "Isn't like I got to work for a living, and I want some time to myself…"

"Fine, I get it." Harriet conceded. "But don't close the door on the energy project yet. You'll regret it."

"I really don't think I will." Danny stated. After all, he just closed the door on the artificial limbs project, and his loss of an arm during the simulation was still fresh in his mind. This just showed how much he stopped caring anymore.

"Fine then. As your publicist, manager, assistant…and whatever else I am for you, I forbid you to drop the clean energy project with Wayne Industries."

"You forbid me?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "People don't get to forbid me anymore. Not even Vlad or Vision do that to me."

"Yes…" Harriet looked away for a moment. "But…while I don't know what's going on, I know that eventually you'll get over it. And when you do, you'll wish you didn't act like such a little dumbass. I owe it to your parents to at least try and help you."

"…Fine…" Danny conceded. "I'll keep working on the energy thing. Can't say I'll make a whole lot of progress, though."

"…Are you sure this is where Rachel's at?" Spirit blinked.

"Yep…" Wulf stared forward.

"Bark!" Cujo responded.

"…Okay then." Spirit looked up at the large old building. It was something you would see in horror movies. The bricks were old and cracking. Cobwebs lined the walls. The roof looked close to caving in. Not only that… "This is my history teacher's house…"

"What?" Wulf questioned.

"This is the address of Jason Blood, my history teacher." Spirit stated.

"…Why know that?" Wulf questioned.

"I looked it up in case of I ever wanted to learn kung fu."

"Kung fu?"

"Well, he said that he didn't know any martial arts, but I think he was lying. So I looked up his address just in case I ever wanted to do some old fashioned training like in the Karate Kid…You know, the good one. Not the one with Jaiden Smith in it…" Spirit frowned. "I didn't like that remake…"

"…Okay…" Wulf had no idea what she was talking about.

"Bark!" Cujo growled at the house.

"What is it, Cujo?" Spirit questioned.

"Bark!"

"Wulf, do you smell something?" Spirit questioned the warewolf ghost.

"No, but…something wrong…" Wulf snarled. "Air… heavy and dark…"

"Huh…" Spirit looked at the building. "It can't be a ghost. My Ghost Sense would have gone off…"

"Bark! Woof! Snarl!" Cujo changed into his large battle mode.

"Not ghosts!" Wulf barred his teeth. "Worse!"

"What? Is the Shadows again? Freakshow? Zombies?!" Spirit questioned. "Please let it be zombies!"

"No…Demons…" Wulf's claws extended.

"Demons?" Spirit snorted. "What do you mean by demons?"

'Jump on girl's head. Bite ear. Tear off.' Spirit's Premonition rang through her head.

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"What the hell?!" Spirit swatted at the pink furless monkey that had tried to jump on her. She grabbed the thing and flung it to the building. The pink monkey thing with wide eyes and large ears went tumbling away.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" The thing jumped to its feet. It was taller than Spirit, but not up to Wulf's height. It was slouching, though, so Spirit couldn't get an accurate guess. "She's good. Better that I anticipated!"

"BARK!" Cujo looked ready to attack.

"Wait, I need answers first." Spirit commanded.

"There's more…" Wulf grunted.

"Very good…" Another pink being appeared. This one was crawling on the roof. It seemed to have circle…or ring tattoos all around its body, even on its pointed ears. "This one is very perceptive, Ghast."

"Perhaps too perceptive…" One more pink creature jumped out of the shadows. It had a flat face, pointed ears, and green hair like a mohawk. "To realize that we're here…They must have excellent instincts, Abnegazer…"

"Then what do you suppose we do, Rath?" The being…demon…called Ghast questioned.

"Same thing we always do…" Rath smirked evilly.

"We tear off their limbs and cram them down their throats!" Abnegazer cackled.

"Oh, you can try!" Spirit's hands began to glow green. "But you'll only get hurt!"

"Bark!" Cujo slobbered.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHh!" Rath's eyes went wide. "I finally notice it…They're ghosts!"

"Ghosts? I thought they all stayed in the Ghost Zone?" Ghast questioned.

"Things must have changed while we were trapped by that foolish Etrigan…" Abnegazer realized.

"You know what?! I don't even care what you wierdos are talking about!" Spirit glared. "But I do care about Rachel! Where is she! The girl with pale skin and purple clothing!"

"…The girl…The Gem…the portal…" Ghast mumbled.

"They know of her?" Abnegazer questioned.

"Not for long…" Rath noted. "Soon, these ghosts will be put to rest and the Gem will be subdued…After all, Etrigan is now under the control of the almighty Trigon!"

"RAW!" Wulf roared. "I sick of them! Tear apart!"

"Wait!" Spirit called. "I get that you don't like their vibe, but we still need to make sure that Rachel is-"

BOOM!

A wall at the side of the house exploded out. Out of the wall came a blurs of yellow and black. Like a rocket, both blurs of energy went flying into the sky. Despite how fast this happened, Spirit still recognized the energy of her friend. Part of that rocket was Raven…

"Rachel!" Spirit called out to her friend. The blur was flying away towards the city…

"Don't turn away!" Wulf warned.

'Stab hand forward. Hand pierces chest. Blood splatters.' Spirit's Premonition warned.

Spirit spun around the attack with complete grace. In response, she jumped up and rammed a foot into the demon's head. It was sent flying into a nearby tree which dented with a crack.

That attack has been surprisingly fast. These guys weren't pushovers. They had to be dealt with first before the ghosts could go after Rachel and the other blur. Spirit's group realized this immediately. This was a fight that they couldn't ignore.

"Fine! You want to fight!" Spirit glared as she activated her Spectral Claws. "We'll fight!"

"Okay…" Joel blinked as he stared at the various computers in front of him. "So…this is complicated."

After Agent Z had been taken for his fight, Joel put their plan into motion. Like the last time he escaped his cage, Joel created a double to fool any passing guards. He then created a key and sneaked out of his cage. It took a bit more work this time to move around because the guards were still somewhat heavy. Luckily, his time with the Shadows paid off, and he stealthily made it to the control room.

Most of the scientists and guards were gone to either watch Agent Z fight, or to take a break. There was still one guard in the corner with a computer, but he seemed completed focused on it and was wearing headphones. He might be playing World of Warcraft. As long as Joel was somewhat quiet and didn't make any sudden moves to draw attention, then he would be fine.

Approaching the nearest computer, Joel got to work. He immediately followed Agent Z's instructions on how to get to his encrypted files online. Fortunately, everything worked like Agent Z said it would. It took little effort to download the virus to their system. While it was loading, though, Joel took a quick moment to examine some of the files in the Ghoul Project's systems while he had the chance.

This both out of curiosity and necessity. After they escaped, Joel knew that all he, Agent Z, and Solomon Grundy would need help. Both Joel and Agent Z wouldn't stay stable forever, and Solomon Grundy would need medical attention. Joel's first instinct was to go to Amity Park and find Daniel Fenton. He might be able to help the stability, and Grundy might be able to find refuge in the Ghost Zone from there.

Agent Z wouldn't want that, though. While he had no personal grudge against Fenton, the ex-leader of the GIW might not give up the chance to attack Danny Phantom. So, either Joel would have to find a new solution, or they would have to part ways after they escaped. It didn't matter to Joel either way, but…ghouls have to stick together…maybe…possibly.

"…What?" Joel's eyes narrowed. What was this? This wasn't files one possible ways into the Ghost Zone or things that could help the ghouls…these were links to separate files.

Possible prospects of the Ghoul Project

Daniel Fenton- age 15, status: active, summary: expertise in ghosts and ghosts weaponry could help further the Ghoul Project

Danny Phantom- aged unknown but appears teenage, status: active, summary: powerful ghost with unusual body chemistry could possibly be used to help stable ghosts and keep ghouls in line

Red X- aged unknown, status: unknown, summary: mercenary with great skills in hand to hand combat and ectoplasmic weaponry could possibly be hired to control and enforce ghouls

Spirit- age unknown but appears child age, status: active, summary: moderately powerful ghost with great potential and connection to Danny Phantom

…This went on for a while. Joel had heard of a lot of these people. They were quiet famous. Not only that, there were files on him, Agent Z, and Grundy. Many of these files went to great lengths in describing the knowledge acquired on the subjects. It would take time to go through all these notes and files.

They might be useful after their escape. All of these people were possible sources for help after they left the Ghoul Project. Not only that…the files on the ghouls themselves might be necessary considering their statuses as unstable beings. These might be a clue on how much time they had to come up with a plan after the escape.

They needed these files…

Joel frowned. He decided then and there that he would print as many of these out as he could. The ghoul would have to hurry, though. Agent Z couldn't stall forever.

Crash! Bang! Smash!

"…" Phantom looked up. He was lying on his back with a sword pointed to his throat. "Well…that didn't go well…"

"No, it did not, my Liege." Fright Knight muttered sadly. He moved his sword away and sheathed it. The knight then extended his hand to help his lord up.

"Gah…thanks…" Phantom state as he was brought to his feet. He peered at the broken sword in his hand. "This ice broad sword thing rarely seems to work anymore, you know. It keeps getting broken."

"It has nothing to do with the sword." Fright Knight answered.

"True…" Phantom sighed. "A sword is only as good as its wielder."

"…And does this have anything to do with…your training exercise?" Fright Knight questioned.

"Yeah…I think it does…" Phantom sighed and dropped his broken sword.

"…You don't wish to speak of it anymore, though." Fright Knight stated. "I can tell that."

"And you're not going to push this?" Phantom asked.

"Of course not." Fright Knight shook his head. "I trust your judgement. If you don't wish to speak of this, then I will respect that. The servant should never question his master in such personal matters. I will wait until you are ready."

"…But you do think I should about this." Phantom realized. "Because others think so as well. I got a message about a meeting with Black Canary a few hours ago…"

"Of course, I believe you should speak about it. But no one can force you, my liege." Fright Knight explained. "Although…Black Canary might be a good option for you. An objective listener wouldn't be as emotional as some of your family and close friends."

"You make an excellent point, but…"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Phantom pulled out his phone. "Somethings going on…"

"Ghost attack?" Fright Knight questioned.

"Nope."

"Supervillian attack?"

"Not according to this report…"

"Then what is it?" Fright Knight asked.

"Apparently a giant yellow fish man is fighting Raven downtown." Phantom raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't seem to be a ghost, though, and I have no memory of this guy being in the Leagues data base."

"He could be new…" Fright Knight noted.

"True, but…something seems off about this." Phantom frowned. "Either way, contact Red Huntress for backup…I think that should be enough for this guy. No need to bring in too many big guns for one guy."

"As you wish, my Liege."

"Holy crap!" Spirit cried as she moved to avoid Rath's clawed swipe at her head.

"Gahahahahaha!" Rath chuckled as he continued his assault. "Surprised!?"

Spirit actually was surprised. These three may appeared to be weak, but the truth was that they were a force to be reasoned with. Despite their skinny, almost bone-like, frames, these demons were both fast and incredibly strong. If it wasn't for Spirit's Premonition, she might have been hit by now.

"Raw!" Wulf clawed at Abnegazer. He was a lot stronger than the demon, but Abnegazer was faster than him. The demon managed to get a few small cuts on Wulf's body, but Wulf managed to get one large swipe at Abnegazer's chest. Black blood was flowing down the demon's chest.

"Gack!" Agnegazer stumbled back. "No! How-AH!"

Wulf tackled the demon to the ground. From there, he began to beat Abnegazer with his right arm as he held the demon down with his left arm. It looked like Wulf's suprerior weight and strength would make it so that the demon couldn't escape. It would soon be knocked out if no on interfered.

Luckily for Abnegazer, someone did interfere.

Ghast jumped on Wulf's back. It began to choke and claw at Wulf's face. This caused the werewolf ghost to let go of the demon below him. Wulf howled in pain and began to claw at the demon behind him. He wasn't given the chance, though. Abnegazer grabbed Wulf's massive arms and began to kick at the ghost's chest.

Seeing that his friend and fellow canine was being double teamed, Cujo forced himself to his feet. The poor ghost dog was cut and bleeding because of his battle with Ghast. The demon had proven himself to be more cunning then what the dog originally thought. Despite his pain, Cujo forced himself to jump back into the fight.

"WOOF!" Cujo barked as he lunged at Ghast. The huge dog floated up and attacked the demon. Cujo's large teeth sunk around Ghast's torso. Black blood flied out from the new bite wounds. Ghast cried out in pain and let go of the werewolf ghost.

Pulling Ghast away from Wulf, Cujo slammed the demon onto the ground. He didn't let go, though. Cujo continued to lift the demon up and slam Ghast into the ground. Through all this, the demon could do nothing as the ghost dog slammed into the ground and then flung him around like a rag doll.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ghast cried. He was then flung away by Cujo. With a crack and a crash, the demon smashed through a tree and caused it to fall over.

While this was happening, Wulf managed to gain the edge on Abnegazer. Because the demon was holding onto the werewolf ghost, it was quickly caught before it could escape. Wulf punched Abnegazer vertically into the air. It flung up high and came crashing down. Before it hit the floor, Wulf grabbed the demon. He held Abnegazer's arms in his right hand and Abnegazer's legs in his left hand. He then began to pull.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Abnegazer groaned. It was then that the Wulf stopped pulling and rammed the demon downward. The demon landed with his back straight into Wulf's knee.

"Damn…" Rath hissed. "My brothers aren't doing well. Best kill you now and help them."

"Funny…I thinking something similar…without the killing thing, though." Spirit smirked.

"Stupid ghost!" Rath sent several attacks at Spirit. She dodged each of them. "You've been forced to dodge all this time! You can do nothing against."

"Not entirely true…" Spirit snorted. "There may have been some close calls, but there's a reason I haven't attacked yet. I wanted to learn your attack pattern."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Oh…nothing…" Spirit closed her eyes and stopped her Premonition. "Right kick. Claw at my head. Tries to bite my right shoulder. Left kick."

Just like Spirit said, Rath did exactly what Spirit said as she said it. Of course, Spirit dodged each blow. The demon was shocked. "What?!"

"You're too predictable. I may not be able to predict what my teachers will do. But you aren't that refined." Spirit opened her eyes and activated her right Spectral claw. "Like right now, you're going to over extend your arm."

Just like Spirit predicted, Rath overextended his right arm. It was momentarily left open and weak. Spirit quickly took advantage. Like a whip, Sprit swung her Spectral Claw at an angle.

"GAH!" Rath cried out in pain. He jumped back and clutched his bleeding right shoulder.

"And now you lose…" Spirit smirked.

"Foolish ghost, you think a single scratch…What?!" Rath couldn't move his right arm.

"Figure it out? I cut through the tendon in your shoulder." Spirit explained. "You won't be able to move that arm for a while."

"Gah! You bit-Ah!"

"Language!" Spirit chided as she kicked Rath in the face. "I'm just a little girl after all."

"Like hell…" It hissed. "And they call us demons…"

"Sorry, but…what is that?" Spirit's eyes widened as grey skinned gargole like creatures began to fly from the mansion and into the sky. "More demons…I need to stop them before they get to the city. Who knows what they can cause."

"Don't turn your back on me!" Rath lunged at Spirit his left claw was extended and ready to strike.

Slash!

"GAH!" Rath cried in pain. Spirit had ducked under his attack and cut his other shoulder.

"Fine." Spirit frowned. "I'll deal with your ugly mug first…"

"So…how the hell did you hide all those papers?" Agent Z asked from his cage.

"One of my powers is that I have a pocket dimension where I can keep anything I want." Joel answered seriously.

"…Really?"

"Of course not, what are you stupid?" Joel raised an eyebrow.

"…Shut up, kid…" Agent Z grumbled.

"To answer your question, though, I'm just really talented at hiding stuff." Joel looked through the files. "Hid them under my prison jumpsuit and used duct tape that I created to hold them to my body."

"…You could have just made a special vest or something…" Agent Z reasoned.

"Well I'm sorry I didn't use my powers correctly." Joel shrugged nonchalantly. "I had something else on my mind than just designing fashion."

"I can never tell if you're serious or making fun of me, you know that?" Agent Z muttered.

"Yes, but I assure you that I'm always serious." Joel stated. "You would know if I'm making fun of you, baldy."

"…What was that last thing?" Agent Z questioned.

"I said, you would know if I'm making fun oy you, buddy." Joel resaid.

"…Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"…Stupid brat…" Agent Z sighed. "So did you download the virus?"

"Yes, and I set it to October 31 like we planned." Joel paused in his reading. "Are you sure that the whole Halloween thing will really help?"

"Trust me, that Hallow's Eve thing actually works. Ghosts tend to be stronger and more impulsive on that day." Agent Z explained. "I've done my research."

"Fair enough." Joel continued to read.

"So…anything good in those files?" Agent Z questioned.

"There are some things, yes." Joel nodded. "It seems that the Great One and his associates are greatly interested in to Phantom, Spirit, Daniel Fenton, and anyone associated with them."

"Really?" Agent Z was interested in that.

"Yes, it appears that a lot has happened since I have been locked up. Even more than that staged prison break at Belle Reve…" Joel frowned. "The young partners of the Justice League have formed a team with Phantom, Red X interfered with the Rhelasia conference, and Fenton seems to have bunkered himself in Amity Park…"

"Those last two aren't big news now, but the Phantom thing…" Agent Z grunted.

"Other things…" Joel muttered. "They're investigating who Red X is…They're interested in Spirit's massive leaps in combat experience…Apparantly, there's a ghost named Nyx that they are extremely interested in...And they're making plans to get Daniel Fenton to work with them by using bribes, promises, and continued seduction…Continued, eh?"

"Hmm…" Agent Z stroked his chin. "What about us?"

"…Nothing on Grundy that I didn't know already." Joel stated. "They're trying to duplicate my Matter Maker ability, without success…Oh, and I apparently have a year to live before I dissolve."

"What?" Agent Z's head snapped to Joel.

"Yep. In one year, I'll be dead by their data." Joel noted.

"…And you aren't feaking out?" Agent Z questioned.

"No. Why would I be?" Joel questioned.

"…Because you're going to die…" Agent Z reasoned.

"I have time to find a solution. Panicing won't do anything to help." Joel responed calmly.

"Ha! You're such a weird brat…" Agent Z chuckled. "What about me?"

"…You…have until December…" Joel read solemnly.

"Of course I do…Well, I can't freak out if you didn't. It'd make me look sad." Agent Z gritted his teeth. "That gives us a month after we escape."

"That is does…" Joel nodded. "We will have to make the most of it."

"Right…make sure to get rid of those papers, by the way." Agent Z noted. "We don't want to be caught."

"I'm already on it. I decided to eat them." Joel mentioned.

"What? Why?" Agent Z gave him an odd look.

"Because I'm hungry and these papers taste a lot better than the crap that they're serving us…" Joel said with his mouth full.

"…Good point. Hand me some of them, would you?"

(Play: This is Gonna Hurt by Sixx A.M.)

Crash! Crack!

"Ahhhhhhhhkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy…" Phantom pushed himself out of the concrete. "This is not going like I planned."

After arriving at the scene where Raven and the thing were fighting, the Fright Knight instantly recognized the creature. According to the ancient knight, the yellow being with horns, fish-like gills, and sharp teeth was named Etrigan. The red spandex, black cape wearing being was a demon of old that apparently appeared around the time King Arthur and Merlin. Apparently, it used to fight for the side of justice and was extremely powerful, so no ghost bothered to try and kill it.

Not only this, the demon tended to disappear for long periods of time. It was rare to see it for more than a few days, then it disappeared. This is the first time that it went so berserk like this and attacked innocents like this. This meant that something was really wrong.

Despite Etrigan's power, Phantom was sure that if he, Fright Knight, Red Huntress, and Raven worked together, then they could easily subdue this demon…if that was what it was. Phantom was still somewhat skeptical, though. He had never met a demon before and wasn't sure if they really existed. This guy could just be a powerful sorcerer for all he knew.

Either way, though, he knew that this guy would a challenge for ghosts. Unfortunately, they couldn't all fight together. Several other…demon gargoyles…they weren't ghosts, that's all Phantom knew…appeared and began attacking the town. He sent Red Huntress and Fright Knight to stop them. Phantom figured that they would easily dispatch the gargoyles and rejoin him, so he didn't call for help.

That was his mistake.

Etrigan proved himself to be more of a match for Phantom. He beat Phantom around like the halfa was a punching bag. Sufice to say, it wasn't a fun experience.

"Raw!" Etrigan flew down and tried to punch the downed halfa.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven used her magic to make a shield to protect Phantom. It held up against the demon's strength for a time, but Etrigan soon began to beat his way through the shield.

Luckily, Phantom had recoverd and was ready to attack. When the shield broke, Phantom sent a massive uppercut at the scaled being's chin. It made contact with a blast of green light.

"Ha!" Etrgan shook it off and batted Phantom away. The halfa tumbled away and down the street.

"Crap…Should have known that wouldn't happen…" Phantom muttered as Etrigan launched himself at the ghost. Phantom was prepared and used a move that Black Canary showed him to throw Etrigan into a nearby car.

Crash!

"That won't stop him for long…" Raven rationalized.

"I know…" Phantom muttured.

"What's wrong with you? You should be doing a lot better than this." Raven mentioned.

"I'm having a bad week…" Phantom sighed.

"Well, you better get it together, or call for help, because I don't think he cares anymore." Raven stated emotionlessly.

"I know…"

"Raw!" Entrigan rushed out of the dented car and crashed into Phantom. He slammed him into the wall of a building. He began to punch Phantom in the face.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven sent blasts of magic to Etrigan's back. They didn't seem to do anything, though.

"Gah!" Phantom tried to blast Etrigan away with his own ectoplasmic blasts. This proved to be ineffective, though. The blasts didn't even cause the demon to pause.

"Use your freezing ectoplasm!" Raven shouted.

"I…" Phantom's hands glowed blue lightly for a moment, but then it fade. "I can't…"

"Fine!" Raven used every bit of concentration she had. She lifted the car that Entrigan had crashed into and sent it flying at the yellow scaled demon. It managed to hit the demon and sent him crashing away under the force of the car.

"Gack…" Phantom slid to his knees. "I…I can't."

"Get a hold of yourself." Raven ordered. "I'm too young to use extremely powerful magic. I can't fight him on my own. I need your power."

"But I don't have…" Phantom paused. "Magic…you use magic."

"Duh, that's not the point."

"Yes it is." Phantom looked up to the girl. "Use your magic on me. Enhance my strength, and I'll fight him one on one."

"That won't work. We haven't practiced, and ghosts are too emotionally to use magic without hurting themselves." Raven rationalized.

"I've been one with Dr. Fate. I have experience." Phantom noted.

"This is different. Your emotions-"

"Won't be a problem, just do it."

"But…"

"Raw!" Etrigan managed to pick up the car and was about to throw it.

"Now!"

"Fine, you idiot! Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Etrigan threw the car. It was sent flying to them. It would have easily crushed them if it landed on them. Luckily it didn't because…

Phantom caught it with a single hand.

"Okay…" Phantom placed the car down. Black and white magic danced around his body. It empowered him like an adrenaline rush. "Round two."

"GRAW!" Etrigan flew at Phantom at dizzying speeds. Phantom matched his speed and met him hallway down. Both beings sent a punch forward and crashed their fists together with a crack. Their fists met and completely canceled each other out.

Etrigan seemed shocked by this. Phantom was grateful for this. Using the shock to his advantage, the halfa brought his knee up and crashed it into Etrigan's stomach. Of course, Etrigan's reaction was to bend over and clutch his bruised torso. Seeing this opening, Phantom sent a magic empowered ectoplasmic blast at the demons face.

Boom!

"AH!" The yellow scaled being grabbed at his burnt and bruised face. Phantom used this moment to send a spinning back kick at Etrigan's torso. The leg hit once again and sent the demon sliding back.

"Graw…" Etrigan groaned in pain.

"…Yeah, I remember this feeling…" Phantom breathed in at the memory. "This that power…except weaker and I'm in control. Still, it feels great. Come on, fish face, let's end this."

"RAW!" Etrigan did exactly that. He and Phantom were once again locked in combat. They both sent dozens of blows at each other. Both fighters managed to land a few blows, but neither were willing to back down.

The demon sent a wild hook at Phantom's head. The halfa quickly ducked under the blow. In one fluid motion, Phantom landed an uppercut at the demon's ribs. Etrigan spit out black blood and keeled over in pain. Phantom then swept out the demon's legs and sent him crashing into the concrete.

Etrigan tried to push himself up, but was a little slow in the process. When he managed to get to his hands and knees, the yellowed scaled being saw Phantom standing in front of him. Looking up, the demon saw that Phantom had his arms raised and his hands clamped together. Ectoplasmic and magical energy flowed to his arms and caused them glow brightly.

"Stay down!" Phantom sent his arms crashing down. They landed on the back of Etrigan's head.

Boom!

The explosion caused Etrigan's face to be sent into the concrete with literal concrete breaking force. This was proven when the ground beneath quickly gave way to the combined force of Raven and Phantom. As the dust settled, the demon could easily be seen lying motionlessly in a crater. Black blood trickled out of his nose and mouth and onto the ground.

Phantom let out a sigh as Raven's power faded. "Well…that went better than expected."

"How…" Raven floated to him. "How did you do that? You used the magic like it was natural. That shouldn't be possible even with experience. From what I've seen you're too emotional to control my magic."

"Yeah…emotional…" Phantom closed his eyes. "It's a long story…something I'm sure you have since you seem to have red glowing tattoos on your hands and forehead."

"No!" Raven flinched as she covered her hands and head with her cloak. "Please no. They shouldn't be there…not yet…I have more time…"

Phantom eyed his sister's friend. "…It's okay. If you don't want to tell me that's fine."

"No…no it's my fault that you're even involved in this…" Raven trembled and looked away. "I'll tell you once we get Mr. Blood back to his home."

"Okay. That sounds fair. But…who's Mr. Blood? That sounds like a crappy horror movie name."

"Hey, guys!" Spirit waved to the group that was approaching her, Wulf, and Cujo. "You're late to the party, but thanks for bringing the extra guests!"

"Yeah…party…" Red Huntress frowned. She used a net from her hover board to carry the gargoyle demons to this house. According to Raven, this was they needed to be. She seemed like she knew what she was talking about, so no one questioned her. "I think we had enough of a party with these guys."

"These three…" Fright Knight frowned as he examined the downed demons that Spirit, Cujo, and Wulf fought. "They are the Demon Three. Where did they come from?"

"House…" Wulf grunted as he licked his wounds.

"Yeah…" Spirit pointed to Jason Blood's home. "They came from my history teacher's house."

"Why from there, though?" Phantom grunted as he placed Etrigan on the ground.

"It's because Jason Blood is the sorcerer that keeps all these demons locked up." Raven answered.

Everyone looked at her. "What?"

"I'm sorry I never mentioned it before, but…It wasn't my story to tell before. But considering what happened, you deserve an answer." Raven sighed. "Not from me, though, from Mr. Blood…"

Raven waved a hand at Etrigan. Her magic pulsed around him. Because he was unconscious, the magic managed to do what it was intended from. The scaled form of Etrigan slowly transformed into the simple form of Jason Blood.

"Okay…" Spirit frowned. "That doesn't make much sense, but I'm willing to go with this. Just tell me that this doesn't get any crazier."

"…I can't do that…"

"Good." Spirit smiled. "I was lying. I love when things get crazier."

"I must thank you for all your help in this matter." Jason Blood sat down in a cushioned chair in his library. Phantom, Spirit, and Raven followed his example.

After they woke Jason Blood up, he quickly sealed all the demons back to where they came from. They were surprised to see that the demons were sealed into simple things like books and a sword. It was weird to think that demons would be contained by such things; but considering that Jason Blood himself was a demon, it wasn't so weird.

Fright Knight and Red Huntress decided to help Cujo and Wulf back to Masters Mansion in order to get medical attention for their wounds. They didn't seem too worried about missing any details. After all, Phantom, Spirit, and even Raven could fill them in later. Besides, their friends' health and well-being came first.

"I would say that it was not problem, but…it was." Phantom frowned. "People could have gotten hurt. In fact, some of my friends did."

"Yes, I know." Blood sighed. "This is all my fault. I never predicted that this would happen. You have my deepest apologies for all the trouble. This was something I could have prevented if I thought more ahead, but I thought that Amity Park's natural affinity with the supernatural would keep everything tame…"

"You lost me." Spirit interjected.

"Yes, I believe I did, Miss Masters." Jason Blood nodded. "What's with those looks? Oh, right…I know your secret. My apologies, but I have been at this for a long time. Plus, I figured out Miss Roth's identity, so figuring out the rest wasn't too difficult. Don't worry, though, I can't reveal your secrets without revealing mine so you're safe."

"Still…Vision might want to talk to you." Phantom frowned.

"That's fair enough, Mr. Fenton." Jason Blood agreed. "But that can wait. I believe that you deserve some answers."

"Yes, please." Spirit nodded.

"Okay, I will start at the beginning." Jason Blood began. "I was once a knight under service for King Arthur of Camelot."

"Really?" Spirit's eyes widened. "That means that you're ancient, huh?"

"Yes…" Jason chuckled. "I believe it does. But please, don't interrupt, Miss Masters."

"Oh, right…Sorry, Mr. Blood." Spirit blushed.

"Right…Anyway, I was once a knight, but in an error of judgment based on lust and desire, I betrayed my king and country." Jason frowned. "As punishment, Merlin sealed a demon to my soul. That demon was Etrigan, as you probably guessed. Thus, I was forever cursed to walk this world as a container for Etrigan, and to try and find redemption for my terrible crimes."

"I see…" Phantom frowned.

"To do this, I dedicated myself to protecting this world from supernatural threats." Jason Blood explained. "At first, I was dedicated solely to stopping the reason for my betrayal in the first place. I constantly battled with the sorceress Morgaine La Fey. That woman…she tempted me with my greatest desires and her incredible beauty…And like many men, I fell for her charms. Thus, I knew that I had to do my best to stop her from ever succeeding ever again.

"But…eventually, I realized that she wasn't the only threat I had to face. Many demons walked this plain of existence many centuries ago because of the dark magic used to summon them. I knew that I had to stop them. So, using Etrigan's power, I subdued them. Then, I used my magical talents to seal them away into items. Usually, it was books." Blood gestured all around him. "But for special demons, I had to come up with different ways. Like with the Demon Three. I sealed them into a sword so I could contain them all together."

"So all these books…" Spirit looked around at his massive library.

"Many of them, yes, but not all of them." Jason Blood smiled.

"I see why you wanted to seal them up, but…why come here?" Phantom questioned. "Was it because of the ghosts?"

"Yes, originally I was based in Gotham." Blood nodded. "Butt many years ago, I noticed the incredible ectoplasmic energy that this city seems to emit. The air is so rich with energy, that it is almost impossible to sense other types of energy in this city. I thought that this would be the perfect place to guard the demons without anyone ever being able to find me."

"So…you were here through everything?" Spirit questioned. "Every ghost attack and catastrophe...

"Yes, but I could not risk blowing my cover. Even when the Ghost King rose again…I could do nothing without alerting the presence of these beings." Jason Blood shook his head. "If people get their hands on these demons…"

"I get it." Phantom shrugged. "It wasn't your responsibility to fight the ghosts. You had other problems. Besides, I think your demon side would only bring more panic."

"Thank you for understanding…" Jason nodded. "So, for a while, everything was good. Even with the ghost problems, I was content to stay here and guard these demons, but then…a demon appeared in this city. It was hard to notice, in fact, I didn't notice until a few months after the demon arrived."

"A demon was here?" Phantom raised an eyebrow. "How come I didn't notice this? The demons seem really distinct."

"It's because this demon has the appearance of a human." Jason frowned.

"Who is it?" Spirit questioned.

"It's me." Raven finally spoke up.

"…What?" Spirit questioned in shock.

"I…am a demon." Raven looked away awkwardly. "Or…Half-demon to be more specific."

"So… your mom…" Phantom let that hang out there.

"No, she's human. It's my father that is a demon. That's why he's never around." Raven scowled. "Didn't you ever noticed that?"

"Well, yeah, but I always assumed that you just had a deadbeat dad who was never around and never paid child support." Spirit stated bluntly. "Er...sorry..."

"Yeah, it's alright…I wish that was the problem…"

"From the way you're acting…I'm guessing that your mother doesn't exactly like your father…" Phantom suggested.

"That's putting it lightly. Let's just say that people shouldn't be involved with cults that worship demons and evil entities. It never ends well…" Raven sighed. "Sometimes, they actually accept your offers such as a young woman being a bride and child bearer…"

"I see…"

"People…" Jason sighed and shook his head. "The fools never learn…No offence, Miss Roth."

"None taken." Raven gained a look of despair. "I know that I never should have been born…"

"Don't say that!" Spirit sprung to her feet. "You're my friend! Of course you should have been born! Even if you are the seed of the devil, that doesn't matter to me! A friend is a friend no matter what."

"You don't understand…" Rachel sighed. "My father…He's not a normal demon. He puts every demon you saw today to complete and utter shame. He is an incredibly powerful being capable of destroying worlds."

"Yes…" Jason looked really troubled. "That is true."

"His name…is Trigon." Raven shuddered. "And he plans to destroy the Earth."

"What?!" Phantom's eyes widened.

"Yes, in a few years, he's going to try and destroy this world…and he's going to use me to do it." Raven noted. "I am his connection to this world. I am the link…the Gem…When I turn sixteen, he will use me as a portal to come to this world and destroy it."

"Woah…That's messed up." Spirit paled.

"I…I want to prevent it. I tried to hide from his sight and keep him from using me." Raven frowned. "And I couldn't hide in Azarath…an alternate dimension whose people agreed to protect me and my mother. All my life, I was led to believe that I was meant to be used as an object of destruction…I hated it, and I knew eventually, I would be sent away from Azarath because of the danger I pose."

"They would just throw you out like that?" Phantom frowned.

"Yes…And that was what I thought would happen, but then…I learned about Amity Park." Raven explained. "I thought that I could hide here. That my father's forces would never find me in this ball of energy. I never thought that another demon would be living here…"

"The feeling is mutual." Jason reasoned. "Which is why I took a job as a teacher to keep an eye on you. I never thought it would cause all this, though. My demonic energy seemed to activate your latent blood…hence the tattoos, although, they have mostly faded now."

"Tattoos?" Spirit questioned.

"The symbol of my father…" Raven muttered. "They appeared all over me. That's why I was acting strange, and why I came to confront Mr. Blood and get him to help me. But…a similar thing happened to him. My demonic energy from my father made Etrigan go nuts. And with him out of control, Mr. Blood couldn't keep the demons sealed and they began to escape."

"So that's what happened…" Spirit nodded. "Okay, that makes sense. Then I guess all we have to do is to prevent this from happening again is to figure out how to get you not react to each other's energies."

"I can arrange a few seals that will help." Jason nodded.

"Good! Problem solved." Spirit nodded to herself.

"No, it's not. We have threat to the entire planet right here." Phantom noted.

"…I though you might say that." Raven sighed. "You want me to leave…"

"I never said that." Phantom sighed. "You came to Amity Park for a reason, right? I know it wasn't for the same reason as Blood. You told me something a while ago that suggests that you know something about me and my family."

"…Crap…I should have known that would come back to bite me…" Raven sighed.

"You called me the Fate Changer. The man who would deny death three times. The person that would absolve the sins and rise to absolute power. You said that I was the reason you came to this city." Phantom eyed the girl.

"…Yes…That's true. I came because of the First Prophecy." Raven explained.

"First Prophecy?" Spirit raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"It's…It's a prediction of the future. It says that the Phantom that denies death three times will ascend to absolute power and have the ability to change fate." Raven frowned. "I thought that if I came here and got close to you then I could have my fate changed. That's why I befriended Dani in the first place."

"What?!" Spirit gained a sad look.

"It was different back then." Raven gave the smallest of smiles. "Back then I didn't like you like I do now…Like I said once before, I'm stuck with you guys."

"Oh…Okay then."

"But…how did you know that I was this Fate Changer?" Phantom finally asked after the girls' exchange.

"…Sometimes, I can see the future. I can't control how it happens, but one day…I saw what happened to you on May 25, 2010. When I saw that, I knew that you were the Fate Changer, so I begged my mom to take me here."

"Look…" Phantom sighed. "I can try to help you, but…I don't believe in destiny or fate. I believe that life is shaped by the choices we all make."

"You may not believe in fate, but what is meant to happen will happen" Raven stated.

"…I've heard that before…except it involved death…" Phantom mumbled. "But if you truly believed that, then you wouldn't have even tried to change your fate."

"…Maybe you're right." Raven nodded. "Maybe I am doomed to my fate, and maybe I'm just fooling myself into thinking that you can help me."

"No!" Spirit shook her head and yelled. "You're not! We can help you! We'll totally going to stop you're father from destroying the world!"

"Are you sure?" Jason Blood interjected.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…that the only way to completely prevent Trigon from coming is to kill Miss Roth." Blood noted. "Are you willing to do that?"

"Of course not!" Spirit exclaimed.

"Well…Those are your two options. Either Miss Roth dies, or Trigon destroys the world." Blood closed his eyes painfully. "Those... are you only two terrible options we have."

"No…They're not…" Phantom scowled. "There has to be a better option…"

"There isn't." Jason sighed.

"There has to be!" Phantom hissed.

"…He's right, Danny." Raven clenched her fists. "I always knew that it would come down to that."

"You think that I'm just going to let people die?" Phantom questioned. "No. I'll find a way. I'll save you and the world. I don't know about this prophecy or Fate Changer B.S., but I do know that I'm not going to let my sister's best friend die just because you say that those are my only options."

"You know that isn't realistic." Jason noted. "People die, and sometimes there is nothing you can do to prevent it. No matter how strong you are, it doesn't matter. You can't save everyone. I'm sure that you've seen this more than once."

"…It doesn't matter if it's realistic or not." Phantom gave them a determined look. "I'll fight for my ideals either way. I'll fight for what matters…I won't lose everything again."

"Then what will you do?"

"…I'll do some research. I'll make a plan. I'll prevent Trigon from coming because…I can't lose my obsession again. No…not again…" Phantom paused for a moment then stood. "I-I'm sorry, but I need to go do something…"

"Danny?" Spirit questioned.

"I'll be back. I just need to go talk to someone."

"Okay…" Phantom sighed as he sat down in the chair across from Black Canary. "You want to talk? Then let's talk."

"That good." Black Canary smiled. "You'll find that letting your emotions out will be better for you in the long run."

"Letting my emotions out…" Phantom chuckled dryly. "Man, I wish that was my problem."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you really want to know what I'm feeling?" Phantom questioned. "I know that you won't like it. It's a bit whelming after everything that happened."

"Please, I'm just here to help you."

"Alright then. What I'm feeling is…nothing."

"What?"

"I don't feel anything." Phantom gave her a hollow smile. "After the shock of the simulation died down, I didn't feel anything. I sacrifice all my friends, comrades, and family, and I feel absolutely nothing."

"I-I don't…"

"Even after…." Phantom paused. "After Spirit died…There's nothing there anymore. It's like after there was one huge storm, it was extremely powerfully, but it took everything. I'm completely numb. And that's the problem. I wish I was feeling something. I wish there was something like anger, sadness, desperation, or anything really. But there's not, and that's why I have avoided Young Justice."

"Because you think you don't care about them?" Black Canary questioned.

Phantom just shook his head. "I knew you wouldn't understand. No, I care about them. I care about them a lot."

"Then…why are you-"

"Do you know where a ghost's powers come from?" Phantom cut her off. "A ghost gets its powers from the emotions he or she feels based on the ghost's obsession. The thing that gives a ghost its purpose."

Black Canary was silent.

"If a ghost…goes against its obsession, then it will weaken. Lose the will to live. Begin to fade…" Phantom closed his eyes. "And my obsession is…to protect what matters."

"I see. And because you failed to save the world, you went against your obsession." Black Canary tried to comfort him. "But the trial was meant to be impossible. You should know now that there was a no chance of saving everyone."

Phantom sighed. "Humans…You never really understand. I said that my obsession is to protect what matters. While protecting the planet is important, it's not what truly matters to me. What really matters to me is my family, my friends, my city, and…Young Justice."

"Oh…Oh!" Black Canary's eyes widened.

"Exactly." Phantom frowned and looked down at his hands. "I lost…everything I care about for the greater good. In the end, I didn't protect what matters most to me. No, I did the exact opposite, and now I'm paying for it."

Phantom stood and began to pace. "I went against my obsession. I abandoned everything I stand for. And…now there's nothing. It was the same problem I originally had after the GIW war. I felt numb because I sacrificed friends…rivals…all for the sake of saving the greatest number of people. But it got better when I joined this team.

"I've grown to care about every one of them. They matter to me. And I sacrificed them without a second thought because it was the right thing to do." Phantom placed his face in his hands. "Before the war, I would have felt…violently angry, despair, hopelessness. Heck that would be better than now. But I don't feel like that anymore. I gave up those emotions when I forgave Agent Z and let him live."

"And without those emotions…" Black Canary frowned. "You don't feel anything. That…explains a lot. But don't worry. I'm sure in time, you'll gain the positive emotions back and-"

"No…I won't." Phantom looked at her hopelessly. "It took…a lot to make me even a little better before. Now I'm worse, and there's no new hope to help me get over it. So…that leads to my real problem. The real reason I've avoided Young Justice this past week."

"Yes?"

"Like I said before, ghosts that abandon their obsessions lose the will to live. It's a subconscious thing. Even if…I know that they're all live, my subconscious realizes that I sacrificed…everything, and it's acting accordingly." Phantom closed his eyes and sighed. "I can already feel the effects. My strongest powers are gone. My base powers have weakened to the point that I wouldn't be able to fight off most regular ghosts. I no longer have the power in order to have this lifestyle."

"But…there are other options. Robin and Artemis don't have powers after all." Black Canary argued.

"But they have years of training that I don't. And I don't have the time to get up to that level. Besides…things are only going to get worse for me." Phantom opened his eyes and showed her his dull eyes. "Ghosts that give up their obsession will eventually begin to fade away…"

"You mean…"

"I will continue to grow weaker as time goes by." Phantom nodded. "And eventually, I'll fade away like a memory. Danny Phantom will cease to exist."