Epilogue

Vlad Masters stormed into his study, a furious rage burning in his chest. He slammed his fist down on his redwood desk, rattling the emerald lamp and sending a few of his gold-studded pens rolling. He grit his teeth, fighting not to tear the desk in two.

Damn that imp of a boy! Damn him to the deepest pits of hell for smiting yet another of his plans. And so foolishly simple was the manner in which he had done it! Yet again the child had managed to pull a trump card out of his sleeve!

True, he hadn’t expected the dragon, and that in and of itself was the greatest flaw. There were many flaws that had manifested in Dakota, most of which were because of that damn boy’s ingenuity. But a few of them had been his own error in expecting him not to have any ingenuity.

He sat himself down in the crimson velvet of his desk chair, his eyes glaring at something unseen within the room. Something that would for now have to suffice for Daniel until they were face to face yet again.

The only remotely calming aspect of this failure was that it was not the only revenue he had set up to finally be rid of Daniel. There was far much more ahead of him that would surely cause his permanent end.

He sighed angrily, pushing the call button on his office phone.

“Yes Mr. Masters?” his secretary answered dutifully.

“Reece, call Malcolm Janice and forward the call to my study. He and I have some things to discuss,” he said darkly. Only after he had closed the line did he let himself smile, a shadowy, fox-like grin that would have scared any grown man into a cowering state of fear.

All he needed was a few minutes with the man, to plant the thoughts that would spur the powerful him into doing what Vlad Masters wanted.

Especially with his beloved politician’s campaign on the line, he wouldn't dare deny some "donations".

Sitting back a bit more comfortably in his chair, he smiled to himself, looking down at a drawer in his desk. He opened it, taking out a feather light box, metal plated, with a small screen on the top. It was only about the size of a shoe box, though not as long, and not nearly as easily accessible.

With contents far more important that any shoe box would ever carry.

He activated the screen on the front idly, smiling as if he were watching a comedy. Or rather, watching a comedy and actually enjoying it. As the small screen booted up, it brought up the image of a black swirling mass that masked the contents of the inside of the container.

But he of all people knew better than to believe that was all that the box contained.

He tapped the side of the box, hearing it echo inside. It was like tapping on the glass of a fish tank, only with far more pleasing results.

He watched intently as a single orange eye opened, the slitted pupil casting him a sidelong glance. He knew the boy wouldn’t bother looking at him fully, it would require too much energy for the already stretched rations he could use, confined in the box and blocked from obtaining any outside energy.

He saw the eye narrow, recognizing the narrowing of the pupil as a hateful glare.

He smirked down at the screen, knowing the being inside could see him. He thrummed his fingers against the side again, seeking some sort of miserable reaction that would help further disperse his anger.

Much to his immediate dismay the eye only closed, the screen flicking off before he could move to jostle it further.

Vlad only shook his head, putting the box back in his desk drawer and locking it securely. He would let the boy fester, until he was ravenous for the sun and for the air. Until he was so desperate to be free that he would agree to do anything, so starved of reality that his once proud views would be skewed into submission.

Until he was desperate enough to agree to kill Danny Phantom.