Well, what can I say? I had to post something for my Birthday today! And 'Dawning of the Sun' was ready first! Not that I mind! I really like this chapter. 'Calm before the storm' sort of thing.

But since it’s been a while, I’ll give you guys a quick reminder. Vlad has returned from his trip, and now he is going with Desiree to Frostbite’s to see if they can solve the problem with the overactive ghost portals. Danny still has the idea of making his father and Elliot’s father friends again, and he will be staying at Ember’s house during his parents trip to the Far Frozen. As for the others, Spectra still hasn’t been able to touch Danny’s Ectoplasmic Signature—aka his symbol--- in order to record his energy signature into Tom’s device. Speaking of the evil guy, he now has Gregor with him and Freakshow is allowing the young dragon full use of his mind at the moment. Hmm… I think that highlights the main points. Yup! Okay, on with the show---er, story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But this AU plot is my own.

Chapter 21: Taking chances

“Now, Daniel,” Vlad said as he lowered his son back down. “Mind everything that Lydia, Ghostwriter, and Wulf tells you, alright? Your mother and I will return for you in the evening.”

Danny nodded. “Okay,” he agreed, not minding at all that his parents were not taking him with them to Frostbite. After all, he was staying at his best friend’s house, and he very frequently went to Frostbite for training anyways. So, this meant he could play all day with Ember; but also, it gave him time to carry out his latest idea... And he so happened to be just where he needed to be to do that and where he had hoped to be for several days now…

The King ruffled his son’s hair just before the Queen reached for the Prince to give him her own good-bye. Meanwhile, Vlad turned his attention to the ghost werewolf, and said, “Thank you once more, Wulf, for staying with Daniel.”

“And with Ember,” Lydia added.

“Yes,” Ghostwriter agreed. “I did not expect to be asked to come to the Library of Time today. And since Lydia and I are in charge of it; and we were told the matter was urgent, we could not decline. So, we really do appreciate that you can watch over the kids in the time that we are gone.”

The large werewolf-like ghost nodded at the parents and smiled. “You know it’s a pleasure for me to watch over them. So, take all the time you need.”

Vlad placed his hand on Wulf’s shoulder in a grateful gesture, before he turned to his wife. “We best be off, my dear.”

Desiree nodded and lowered Danny down. “Have fun, little Phantom.”

The Prince looked over at Ember and the two friends grinned at each other. Danny then happily said, “We will! And tell Frostbite I said ‘Hi’ and that I am practicing what he showed me!”

His parents chuckled, but they nodded. The royal couple said their last good-byes and headed over to the snow falcon the King always used for long distance travel. They both mounted Falco; and looking back at Fright Knight and Skulker, who both were on Nightmare, they gestured that they were ready. And since the knight and hunter ghosts would be accompanying the Queen and King to Frostbite’s, they returned the royal couples’ gesture. Their help was needed for what Desiree planned to do, being that they could make temporary portals through their own methods. Usually, Wulf also helped them with these sorts of matters; but with Lydia and Ghostwriter’s unexpected trip, the ghost werewolf would be staying behind this time.

As Vlad and Desiree left their son and flew into the glowing atmosphere, the male ghost turned his attention to his wife. “Des, are you sure you are well enough to do this?” he asked.

Desiree smiled reassuringly. “I really am feeling a lot better now, love. I know Kuracisto advised that I not use my powers until fully recuperated, but I do want to attempt to do this. It’s very important that I do.”

Vlad nodded. He did have to admit that she looked a lot better than when he had left, but he could feel and see she was still weak. And what troubled him more was that they did not really know why. Like his wife, the King had found it strange that her core would suddenly become unbalanced. And why would her body need more energy to the point that it was depleting her of her reserves? It was strange.

“Just promise me that if you feel you cannot do it, you will not push yourself. We can always find another solution to this problem, Desiree,” Vlad told her seriously.

“Like what, Love? The truth is that it’s just unnatural to force the portals to stay closed. And I know we must do it for the safety of our kind; but, sometimes, I wonder how long my spellbinding can keep such natural forces under control? Have you thought that perhaps the increase of temporary portals is because the permanent portals are being contained and, therefore, are manifesting their energy in another way?”

Vlad frowned. “I have. But as you said, we have to keep our home safe. We cannot permit the humans access to the Ghost World. It would be the end of our race. And I will not allow that. And I know you will not either. I also know you will do what you can, my dear. But there is always another way, Desiree. And if that other way has to be that I have to, once more, use that accursed Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire to contain the portals, then so be it.”

Desiree’s eyes quickly widened. “Vlad, no! You cannot do that! It’s too dangerous!”

But the King furrowed his eyebrows as he asked, “What more could Pariah’s relics do to me, Des?”

“They could do what they were meant to do the first time, Vlad. They could kill you,” the Queen said gravely. “If you want me to promise you that I will not push myself more than it’s physically healthy, then, you must promise me that if I fail, you will not resort to using the crown and ring. Promise me, Vlad. Promise me that you will never use those evil relics again!” she pleaded fearfully as she clutched his hands.

Vlad frowned when he noticed that tears had now sprung from his wife’s eyes and they were falling down her cheeks. He never thought the idea would upset her so much. He figured it would make her angry, actually. But she looked distraught.

“Don’t cry, my dear,” the King gently begged, placing a hand against her face and wiping her tears with his thumb. “I did not mean to upset you so much. You know it tears my soul to see you cry. I promise I won’t use them, alright?”

“No matter what happens?” she pleaded in earnest.

Vlad smiled and nodded. “Yes, no matter what happens. There is always another way. So, don’t worry.”

Desiree suddenly hugged him tightly and just buried her head in his chest. The action wasn’t unwelcomed by any means, but it did take the Ghost King by surprise. His wife was just acting so strange…

“Oh, Vlad, I cannot lose you!” she suddenly exclaimed, surprising her husband even more. “I would die of sorrow! I would! I could not bear it! Sometimes I fear you will not return to me when you leave, that I will never see you again! And I feel like my core and soul is being ripped out of me with just the thought!”

Vlad quickly grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her away enough to look at her. “Desiree…,” he began, though he seemed at a loss of what to say. “You…Where is all this coming from? You are acting so odd…” He sighed as he loosened his grip on her, but now gazed worriedly at her. “My dear, my love, do not trouble yourself over the ‘what ifs’. Do you not think that I hold the same fear as you? Of losing you? But we cannot allow that to cloud our judgment, Desiree. You know I always do what I must; even if it brings certain dangers with it. Ultimately, you and Daniel, and our entire race are my responsibility. The truth is that everyone’s safety comes before my own. You have always understood that; so, why not now?”

Desiree bit her lip to keep her emotions at bay. She had always known that. And she had always admired her husband’s determination to protect their kind, to do what was right. She was proud of him for choosing to put an end to their war against the humans instead of choosing the easier and darker choice of continuing it. But, lately, she was having trouble keeping her inner fears at bay…

The ghost mage suddenly felt ashamed for putting such a burden on her husband. He didn’t need her emotional outbursts; he needed her support. He needed her strength. He needed to know that she would always be at his side, helping him in any way she could. After all, she was not just his wife, she was also his Queen. And it was her responsibility to aid him in protecting their kind. She, too, had to remember that her own desires could not deter them from the right choices.

Desiree closed her eyes for a moment. But when she opened them, her calm and determination had returned. “You’re right,” she said seriously, drying her face. “I am truly sorry, Vlad.”

Her husband smiled warmly as he replied, “Sorry? For what, my dear? For caring? Don’t be silly. Actually, I should apologize to you. I suppose my comment about using the crown and ring was a bit too rash on my part.”

Desiree smiled back. “Well, since your mentioning it, then, yes, it was rash. But that’s fine. As long as it was a passing thought and nothing more…right?”

The King’s grin widened when he saw his wife pin him with a stern, though playful look. That was more like her.

“Right,” he replied.

“And speaking of passing thoughts, I just remembered something I have been meaning to ask you,” Desiree said, sobering up significantly. “Tell me, Vlad, what exactly is going on between you and Spectra?”

Vlad instantly tensed, and he knew his wife noticed he had. Although the main reason he did not want to tell his wife about her sibling’s inappropriate actions was because he did not want to hurt his wife with such news, there was a small part of him that was afraid for another reason. He feared what she would say to him if she knew. As much as he did not want to think it, there was a small pang of doubt in him…

Would Desiree believe her sister over him? He knew he shouldn’t even question it. It was ridiculous to think his wife would not believe him. But ever since Spectra had brought it up, he could not get the doubt out of his head! And maybe his doubt was not really about his wife, but about himself… Ultimately, it had been his choice to go to Spectra’s home; and his own decisions had led to the situation he found himself in that day. He should have known better. But he had been foolish and naïve. Instead of accepting the truth flashing before his eyes, he had just told himself several times that Spectra would never do what her actions had indicated all that time. He really should have just teleported out of her blasted home!

“Whatever it is, Vlad. You know I will understand,” Desiree said, her eyebrows creasing when her husband did not reply.

The King lowered his gaze as he quietly said, “I found her at Walker’s, Desiree. Her and Bertrand. It was the same day when I last left.”

“She did mention that she had run into you and that you also told her I was sick,” Desiree added, watching her husband carefully. She was now sure something had happened between them that had her husband upset. She wasn’t so oblivious as to not notice how tense Vlad had been this morning when he ran into Spectra in her room. And she also did not miss his restrained anger when Spectra asked him if ‘he had not told her yet…’

Vlad looked up at her, and asked seriously, “What else did she tell you?”

The Queen raised an eyebrow. “Nothing you do not already know. After all, you were there when she mentioned that you went to her abode to take care of the human item she had found… Is there more?”

Vlad hesitated in his reply again. Hadn’t he already taken care of the problem with Spectra? Plus, his wife was not completely recuperated. She didn’t need any more grief. Not to mention, they had more important things to worry about…

The King sighed. “Desiree, do you trust me?”

“You know that I do,” his wife replied right away, though the question confused her.

“Then, believe me when I tell you that I have already taken care of the problem with your sister,” Vlad said seriously. “You know Spectra’s…personality can try my patience sometimes. But she is your sister. And I know you love her deeply. That’s why I prefer to just forget about this all together.”

Desiree wasn’t very satisfied with his reply; but she did want to respect his decision. “Very well. As you wish.”

Vlad smiled gratefully, before pulling her closer; and wrapping his arms around her, he lightly rested his chin on one of her shoulders. Instantly, he felt his being relax and he softly smiled. It seemed that whenever he held his wife, time itself stopped. In that moment nothing mattered but her. He did not have responsibilities or duties. He was not even the Ghost King. He was just… Vlad. He was just a simple ghost with his beloved at his side. Even his soul felt at peace, for he knew that its soul-mate was in his arms.

But right now, his wife called to his being even more. And it was at that moment that he realized that Desiree felt different. It was hard to explain. She still felt like herself; she still felt as alluring and wonderful as she had always felt. But there was something more now. And although he did not know what it was, it made him feel even more connected to her…

“And I’m acting odd?” Desiree suddenly teased, having noticed her husband’s… intensity?

Plasmius suddenly snapped out of his overwhelming thoughts, though he still kept his secure hold on his wife. “Desiree…You…,” But he did not finish. He did not know how to explain what he felt, how wonderful she felt and how it made him feel… Overwhelmed again with his unknown emotion, he didn’t bother trying to figure it out; and instead he just silently buried his face against her neck and held her tighter.

The Queen gave him a curious look; but it quickly melded into a smile as she finally relaxed against her husband. They were so lost in themselves that neither realized that they were both softly glowing with Vlad’s red energy…

The King and Queen were just arriving at Frostbite’s by the time Ghostwriter and Lydia finally took their own leave. The couple knew their trip would not take them more than an hour and they also knew Wulf was a very good ‘babysitter’. The ghost loved their daughter and even more so the young Prince. But as caring as he was, Wulf was also fiercely protective of the two ghost children. It was why that, like Vlad and Desiree, Lydia and Ghostwriter had no second thoughts about leaving their child under the ghost werewolf’s care…

Danny, who was lying on his back on Ember’s bed, was holding up one of two parchment-like papers on which he had wrote ‘I am Sorry’ in class. He silently smiled at it. However, his emerald gaze turned to the door when he suddenly heard it open, and he then saw Ember walked in.

“They are gone?” he asked, not moving from his current position on the bed.

Ember nodded. “Yeah…,” she said quietly. She then walked over to Danny and climbed on the bed beside him. She still said nothing as she picked up the second parchment, identical to the one Danny was holding, from the bed. The ghost girl recalled how her best friend had made both of them during school and how very hard he had worked on them. And although she thought it was nice of him to do this, she was as unsure about his idea as she had been the first time he had told her about it...

“Danny, are you sure about this?” she finally spoke up. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

The Prince lowered the paper on the bed, before rolling off his back and sitting up to look at his best friend, “It’s okay, Ember. I won’t get in trouble. You will see, everything will be really good after this.”

The ghost boy grabbed the other paper from her hand and quickly rolled it up, before doing the same to the one on the bed. He then flew off the bed and headed to Ember’s closet, looking for some string to tie the papers together. And as he searched, he added as an afterthought. “Plus, it will be fast. I’ll definitely be home before my parents and your parents come back… It’s perfect!” he suddenly exclaimed with a grin, though it was hard to know if his last comment was meant for his idea or for the fact that he had just found a glowing green ribbon with which to tie the papers. He quickly tied the ribbon around both parchments, before making a nice bow with the remaining ends.

Ember got off the bed and walked over to him, before she asked, “Well, what about Wulf? He’s not goin’ to let you go to the Dragon Realm.”

Danny instantly tensed, turning to look at his friend with a worried frown. “Oh-o. I forgot about him…”

The little ghost girl furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to decide whether or not it would be a good idea to tell the Prince about her idea, for she had not forgotten about Wulf… Ember was scared of what her friend wanted to do; but she did want to help him…

“You know how I can hypnotize the fishes with my voice?” Ember asked quietly, looking at him.

Danny slowly nodded; though by the smile that slowly spread on his lips it was clear he had figured out where his friend was going with her question. And in a hopeful voice, he replied, “Do you think you can put Wulf to sleep, just like the fishes?”

Knowing her powers were not strong enough to affect such a powerful ghost yet, Ember shook her head. “No… But…”

However, the Prince already knew what the ‘but’ was, and he gave her a mischievous smile as he asked, “But what if I help?”

“Maybe,” Ember said, smiling a bit in spite that she was still unsure. “Do you remember how to do it?”

Danny quickly nodded. “Yes! I’ve even been practicing! I tried it on Lu one time, and it almost worked. She got very sleepy… But then she found out what I was doing, and she got mad at me… Heh, I stopped trying it on her after that,” he mumbled, his cheeks glowing a brighter white with his embarrassment.

Ember giggled at his story. “I tried it on Amorpho before and it did work! He does not know I did it, though…” She grinned mischievously with her last comment, before continuing, “But then one time my dad let me try it on him, but it did not work. But he said I sounded nice… That’s why I know I can’t do it on Wulf. I still haven’t learned it good enough to do it on grown-ups. But maybe together we can make it work…?”

“Well, we’re going to try!” Danny said, suddenly grabbing his friend’s hand with his free hand and pulling her out of the room.

She squeaked in surprise, but otherwise did not protest and allowed him to pull her to where he wanted to take her. As they got to the living room, Danny paused and let go of her hand as he spotted Wulf sitting on a rug, cleaning his large claws with his tongue.

The Prince giggled a bit, the large ghost’s actions reminding him of Cujo. But then recalling his plans, Danny gestured to the girl ghost beside him, before flying over to the ghost werewolf.

“Hi, Wulf,” Danny said with a grin.

Wulf had been about to lap at one of his claws with his tongue, but stopped in mid-action at the abrupt appearance of the Prince. The large ghost’s green claws quickly vanished; and then without any warning, he captured the child right out of the air with one of his large hands.

Danny yelped in surprise when he found himself bound by large furry arms. And to his further alarm, a big tongue then suddenly slid up his face and into his hair, leaving him all covered in slobber.

“Ew! Stop, Wulf!” the Prince cried out, but the ghost just kept licking at him, much like a dog did a bone.

“Just saying ‘hi’ back, my Prince,” Wulf replied, giving him a playful grin, before resuming his actions. But when he heard giggling coming from close by, the ghost werewolf looked up and finally noticed Ember.

Seeing that she had been noticed, the blue-haired young ghost flew over to Wulf and the trapped Danny. “You missed a spot, Wulf,” she said, before laughing some more at her friend.

The other young ghost grumbled at her; but the ghost werewolf smirked, and replied, “Well, I’m not finished with him yet. But now I also have to groom you…”

Ember gasped when Wulf suddenly tried to grab her as well; but she went intangible, effectively avoiding ending up like Danny. She then grinned and triumphantly said, “Ha! You missed me!”

Danny narrowed his eyes at his friend; and turning intangible, he escaped Wulf’s grip and suddenly lunged at Ember, quickly tackling her to the ground. “But I didn’t!” the Prince said with a triumphant grin, momentarily forgetting what he had come to do in favor of paying his friend back for laughing at him just now.

Wulf quickly took advantage of the Prince’s sudden actions and quickly grabbed Ember and wrapped his arms securely around her. He grinned at her when she tried to turn intangible again; but because he had been ready for it, it failed this time.

Danny laughed as his friend began to receive the same treatment that he had a moment ago. And the ghost boy laughed even more when Wulf’s slobbering tongue managed to snuff out Ember’s flaming blue pigtails, revealing that they were naturally shorter than they appeared with the blue fire.

But the Prince’s victory did not last long when he was once more caught off-guard by Wulf. All too quickly, he found himself restrained by the large ghost once more.

“Was this part of your plan, dipstick?” Ember muttered, annoyed, some of her wet hair plastered on her face.

Danny cringed as a heavy tongue passed through his white hair again, before grumbling, “No. But I know how to make him stop.” The ghost boy quickly looked up at Wulf and then began to scratch at his fur.

The ghost werewolf immediately paused in his own ministrations as a content smile lit his face; and he reclined back to give Danny more access to him.

Danny smirked at Ember, who quickly caught on and began to help Danny give the big ghost a full body scratch.

“Hey, Wulf?” the Prince asked when he had managed to reduce one of his father’s best warriors into a puddle of happy goo.

“Yes?” the werewolf replied with half-lidded eyes, his tongue hanging out of his mouth when the child reached a particular spot on his neck that made his leg go crazy.

“Ember and me have been practicing a song? You want to hear it?” Danny asked, before smiling over at his best friend.

The girl ghost smiled back at her clever friend, but said nothing and just continued to scratch Wulf.

“That would be nice,” Wulf replied, sitting up enough to grab Danny; and laying back down on his back, the large ghost placed the Prince on his abdomen and waited for him to start.

And seeing her friend give her a meaningful glance, Ember also quickly climbed on top of the large ghost and took a seat beside the Prince. Danny resumed scratching Wulf, though he was now rubbing him more than anything else.

Danny then silently gestured to Ember to make the first move. And the ghost girl nodded her agreement, before she began to sing. Her voice was as sweet as always, and it carried its usual echo. For a moment, she just sang like she normally would and just waited for Wulf to relax some more. And when she saw him close his eyes a moment later, though it was not in a tired way, but rather, in a blissful way, she began to deepen the echo in her voice, gradually tapping into her core to bring out her hypnotic power through her voice.

It took a few minutes, but Wulf began to relax even more under her soothing voice. However, he was far from being completely out. And that gave Danny his cue. He slowly joined his friend, his own young voice slipping in with Ember’s in perfect harmony.

“That’s very… pretty,” Wulf slurred, relaxing even more as his eyes grew too heavy to even open them anymore.

Ember began to rub the large werewolf herself when she realized that even with their combined voices, Wulf was not succumbing to them completely. Danny glanced at his friend, clearly realizing the same thing. But determined to make this work, he slowly flew a bit higher, and then placed his hands against Wulf’s symbol. Then, he even went as far as getting closer to Wulf’s ears as he and Ember continued to sing their hypnotic melody to him.

A couple of more minutes passed. And Ember was the first to notice when Wulf’s once softly waving tail and hands stilled. “Danny?” she whispered, ending her singing.

The Prince quickly stopped vocalizing himself when he heard his friend call to him. And when he finally looked at Wulf’s sleeping face, he grinned. “We did it!” he whispered excitedly, but tensed when Wulf suddenly shifted to his side a bit.

Ember just stared at the large ghost, now feeling unsure again. “How do we know he will stay asleep until you come back?”

Danny, who was checking Wulf out to make sure he was completely out, paused and turned to look at her. “That’s okay. If he wakes up early, he will probably just think we went to play outside and he’ll look around for us. Plus, you are staying here, so you can keep him distracted while I come back!”

Ember opened her mouth to say something, but Danny suddenly spoke up again before she could. “Oh! I left the notes in your room! Hold on, I’ll be right back!”

Ember watched with a frown as Danny zoomed out of the living room. She knew her friend thought he was going alone. But she had been thinking otherwise for some time now. And when the Prince finally returned with the rolled up papers in hand, a determined look fell on the ghost girl’s face as she finally uttered, “Danny, I’m going with you.”

The ghost boy jolted and his eyes widened with the news. But then he quickly frowned and shook his head. “No. You can’t go, Ember. I don’t want you getting in trouble because of me.”

“But I thought you said you’re not going to get into trouble!” she quickly exclaimed back, but then cringed when Wulf shifted again. But, luckily, he remained fast asleep.

Danny sighed as he lowered his eyes to the notes in his fidgeting hands. The truth was that he was unsure about what he was doing. But he wanted to try it in hopes that his plan did work and that it meant he could be friends with Elliot. But if it didn’t work, there was a chance he could get into trouble…

“Well, I hope I don’t get into trouble,” he muttered quietly. “I’m going try not to. I…I just want to help, Ember. And I think I can. And I think this will work. But just in case…,”

“Well, just in case, I’m going with you. If you do get in trouble, then we can get in trouble together. I’m not going to let you go all by yourself like last time,” Ember said stubbornly.

Danny opened his mouth to protest, but he quickly closed it when he realized he had no good argument. “Okay, fine… But who’s going to distract Wulf now if he wakes up before we come back?”

Ember frowned in thought. But then, suddenly, she grinned. And Danny knew she had an idea on who could cover for them while they were gone. But she did not tell him, and instead just told him to meet her at the outskirts of her homeland.

Danny looked confused; but trusting her, he just nodded, and watched her fly away, heading towards her front door. The Prince then looked down at the rolled up notes in his hands once more, before he began to head out of the living room himself. But then, he suddenly paused and looked back at Wulf. The Prince smiled as he flew back over to him. He quietly stroked his head for a moment, before he leaned in and kissed him there.

“Sorry, Wulf. But I got to do this,” Danny told him quietly into his ear, before pulling away. Finally, without any more delay, he headed out of the house to wait for Ember at her indicated location.

Desiree stared quietly at the softly glowing Infi-Map in her hands. She did not need to hear Frostbite’s next words to know that they were true. She could feel that it was true.

“I only just noticed this yesterday, my great rulers,” the snow ghost said gravely. “And an urgent matter, I was certain it was. However, I decided to wait, in hope of this unexpected occurrence only being temporary. It is not, we can all now see. But what troubles me most is that it has worsened since yesterday.”

Vlad, too, could only stare at the map in his wife’s hand. He could physically see that the pink hue that surrounded the map, which gave testament of Desiree’s spell over it, was barely there anymore. They were staring at the reason why the portals were acting up: the spell the ghost mage had casted over it was slowly fading…

“Desiree,” Vlad finally spoke up, his voice quiet as he looked up at his wife, who clearly was as confused and troubled as he was. “Is there any other spell of this magnitude that you have performed before?”

The Queen did not answer him at first; she didn’t even look at him. Why was this happening? This had never happened to her! Were her powers really failing? But why?! It made no sense! There was no reason! Why was she losing so much power?!

“Des?” Vlad called again, sounding more worried this time.

“N-No,” she replied back shakily. She then looked up at her husband and shook her head. “No, Vlad, this is the only spell of this strength that I have ever performed through my own powers, and my powers alone.”

“Perhaps the spell’s fading is natural,” Skulker interrupted them, a thoughtful frown on his face. “After all, your spells have never been permanent on their own, Desiree. “

“Yes, that is true to some extent,” Desiree replied, also sounding thoughtful. “You see, I can manipulate how long my spells last. And I have placed no time limit on my spellbinding over the Infi-Map. So, it should not be fading without my willing it so.”

“Forgive me for interrupting,” Fright Knight then said, “But I am at a loss. I know of many spells you have performed over the years, and they all have remained permanent, my Queen. How is this one on the Infi-Map different?”

Desiree looked over at the ghost knight as she answered, “Those other spells are permanent, Fright Knight, because I have combined my own spellbinding with another ghost’s powers. Do you remember the drought that had come upon the ‘Rugo Terra’ some years back?” she asked. And receiving a nod, she continued, “Well, we managed to fix the problem by combining my spellbinding with Vortex’s weather powers. And that’s why that spell can never be broken. Another example would be---“

“Myself,” Skulker interrupted her, turning everyone’s heads to him. But he did not need to give further explanation. They all knew what he meant. They all knew that Desiree had casted a spell to transfer his life from his decayed body---caused by Pariah’s hand----to a lifeless figurine. The spell was permanent only because his life energy acted as the anchor to make it possible. So, in essence, his own life had been the catalyst for the ghost mage’s spell. It could never be undone.

“I see,” Fright Knight muttered. “But then would this not signify that the solution to this problem is far simpler than we originally thought? If the spell is undoing itself, could my Queen not re-cast it once more?”

“Yes,” Desiree said, though she sounded unsure. “But it does not explain why it is vanishing without my willing it so. It is my spell, my powers. It should not be coming undone unless I wish it.”

“Queen Desiree,” Frostbite spoke up, “Remember you strengthen the spell over the Infi-Map every five years or so. Why is this any different?”

“Because the spell is not weakening, Frostbite. It’s fading out. And the only reason one of my direct spells should ever vanish out of existence is if I…” Desiree’s eyes widened as a wave of fear and realization wash over her. “Oh, God…,” she whispered, before she abruptly excused herself and all but ran out of the cave.

“Desiree!” Vlad exclaimed, while everyone else just stared after the mage in shock. The King wasted no time and went after her. “Des!” he exclaimed when he spotted her with her back leaning against a tree and her face buried in her hands. She was crying again.

“Desiree? Desiree, look at me. For goodness sake, look at me!” Vlad exclaimed, now sounding terrified.

His wife lowered her hands, finally looking at him with fearful eyes. “Vlad, I don’t think I’m just sick. I…think I’m… dying,” she whispered.

Vlad’s eyes widened as he felt his entire body go rigid with fear. “W-What? No… Why…Why would you say that?!” he suddenly exclaimed at her.

“Because the only reason that my spell on the Infi-Map would vanish would be if I perished. Do you not see? My spells, the ones that I cast without another’s energy, are permanent as long as I’m alive!” she exclaimed back. “It’s—It’s the only explanation for what’s happening...,”she added sadly.

Plasmius just stared at her for a moment, but then he shook his head. “No. You are not dying. Desiree,” he said firmly. “That’s…That’s completely absurd! You are only thirty-two years old! Look at Horris, for goodness sake! He’s almost a thousand-years-old! You are not even close to growing old yet! So, how could you possibly be dying? You’re perfect!”

“I’m sick,” she reminded him, sadly. “I do not know why. And neither does Kuracisto. But the fact is that something is wrong with me.”

But Vlad still shook his head in denial. “Kuracisto said your illness wasn’t life-threatening. You told me that yourself!”

“Well, maybe he’s wrong!” she exclaimed.

“He’s not wrong!” Vlad yelled back. But he suddenly grabbed his wife in his arms, and shakily added, “He can’t be. He can’t be, Des. Because you cannot die. Because I need you. Because if you die, so will I.”

Desiree closed her eyes and hugged him back. And when she felt her husband shaking with his retrained emotions, she suddenly felt terrible for jumping to such a morbid conclusion. But everything just pointed to that and she could not help but to be overwhelmed by it.

And yet, as she held her husband, something inside her told her that she was wrong. That her illness was due to something else---and not because she was dying. After all, she did not feel so sick that she felt like she was dying.

“Maybe you’re right,” she muttered, trying to appease the Ghost King. “Maybe I’m just jumping to conclusions. Maybe there is another reason for my failing powers. Maybe I’m just losing them…” She sighed, before pulling away and placing her hands on Vlad’s face as she whispered, “Oh, my love, I’m so sorry. How could I have said something so terrible to you?”

“Just don’t say it again,” Vlad muttered, quietly, but seriously as he grabbed her hands from his face and held them in his own. He soberly studied her face; but when he noticed her still dim ghost hue, his red eyes lowered in sadness. “Let’s go home.”

“No, Vlad,” Desiree quickly said, sobering herself. “We came here to fix the problems with the portals and we are not leaving until we do that.”

Vlad quickly looked up at her and released her hands, suddenly angry. “Forget the blasted portals, Desiree! We are going home! I’m taking you home and we are going to the doctor! And he’s going to tell me what’s really wrong with you! He’s going to tell me that your condition is not life-threatening as you seem to believe!”

Desiree frowned. “Vlad, you are being unreasonable. I should at least try to---“

“No,” he said firmly. “You are not casting anymore spells until I know, until I am certain, you are well again!”

“I have a responsibility, too,” she insisted, her voice raising a bit. “I’m not just your Queen. If I allow that spell to dispel completely, it’s going to put everyone in danger! I will not allow that! I have to at least try to fix this!”

Vlad silently looked at her for a moment; but then he angrily whispered, “Stubborn female…”

Desiree didn’t say anything when he suddenly turned from her and walked off in some random direction. She really should not have scared him like that, for she knew he wasn’t really anger, but afraid. The thought of losing her was too much for him. And she understood that completely; because the thought of losing him frightened her just as much. But by his reaction now, by his leaving and not insisting that she not use her powers, she knew he also understood. As her husband, he did not. But as the King, he did.

And knowing Vlad just needed time to himself, Desiree let him be and walked back to the cave. She quickly spotted Frostbite, Fright Knight, and Skulker talking among themselves about the portals. But when they saw her, they instantly silenced.

“Hand me the Infi-Map,” she softly ordered Frostbite.

Skulker frowned, noticing his best friend’s absence. “Desiree…?”

“He’s outside,” she replied calmly, already guessing his question. But then she looked at Fright Knight and added, “I need you to make a temporary portal.”

The ghost knight nodded. And without a word, he unsheathed his sword and pointed it upward. A burst of purple energy left the sword, colliding with some invisible barrier, before the sound of ripping echoed in the cave. In a second, there was a large green gash hanging overhead.

Desiree looked over at Skulker, but he needed no verbal prompting; and he silently headed out of the cave. But upon reaching the exit, he caught sight of Vlad, leaning against the ice cavern’s opening with his arms crossed.

“You should go in,” Skulker said seriously, knowing that his friend really wanted to be by his wife right now. The hunter did not know what was going on, but he was sure it had to do with Desiree’s illness.

“I cannot,” the King replied gravely, his gaze lowered.

“Why?” Skulker dared to ask; though he had a feeling he also knew the answer.

“Because… I will stop her,” Vlad replied sadly, finally looking up and revealing how afraid he was.

Skulker nodded in understanding, and internally he felt his respect for his best friend grow. It had to take a lot of strength to push aside one’s need to protect one’s love in order to allow her to do what was right, what was necessary.

The hunter silently pulled out a strange weapon from his wrist and aimed it at an Energy Nova some distance away, before speaking again. “Desiree is strong, Vlad. Whatever is happening to her, she will recover. She will pull through this,” he assured him, before firing his gun.

Vlad didn’t say anything and just watched as the bright green beam of energy flew through the atmosphere until its force collided with the massive star of pure energy. There was a clapping sound, much like thunder that echoed across the sky. But then an instant later, a ripping sound replaced it, soon revealing a very large swirling vortex near the Energy Nova.

Skulker lowered his gun, and turned back towards the cave. But suddenly thinking better of it, he placed a hand against Vlad’s signature and smiled at him. “I think I better keep you company.”

Vlad gave him a forced smile, but said nothing. Then he and his friend silently turned to the open portal, waiting to see what happened next.

And being that they had done this a few times before, both male ghosts knew what to expect. The portals made by Fright Knight and Skulker were to visibly see if Desiree’s spell did its job. And since both of the King’s friends made portals differently, it made sure that the spell was effective against the various ways that temporary portals formed. Ideally, Wulf usually made a third portal at even a further distance away using his claws that had the natural ability of creating openings. But, of course, he couldn’t be there now.

Furthermore, the temporary portals did show up on the Infi-Map during the time they were around—which usually never lasted more than a few seconds. Therefore, Desiree could also detect them without needing to really see that Skulker had successfully created an opening.

Vlad’s eyebrows creased as he watched the temporary portal begin to flicker, a sign that something was acting on it. And Vlad knew that that something was his wife’s powers. But by the way the open portal did not do much except flicker, the King knew his wife was having trouble making the spell as strong as it needed to be.

Skulker, too, frowned when seconds began to pass and nothing happened. Perhaps his female friend was weaker than he had thought….

“She shouldn’t be doing this,” Vlad said with a deep sigh when he watched the portal Skulker had created close back up. But not due to his wife’s efforts, but because it’s time had been up.

Skulker didn’t reply as he raised his weapon again and made another portal. But once more, the ghost mage failed to cast the spell before the portal expired. And when she failed two more times, the King had enough.

“This is foolish!” Vlad said, becoming angry again. He turned, ready to stop his wife from continuing to waste away her energy in something she obviously was too weak to perform. But Skulker quickly grabbed his arms, stopping him.

“Let her try one more time,” his friend said seriously.

Vlad looked torn, though he relented. He watched as his friend made a portal for the fifth time. But then, he made another one a few seconds later.

Both male ghosts watched the portals; and Vlad shook his head when the first one closed by itself again. But just when he was sure the second would follow, it began to flicker wildly. And Skulker smiled when he saw the portal suddenly vanish into thin air---instead of closing in on itself.

“She did it,” Skulker said with a small smile of amazement. But he then quickly looked over at his shocked friend, grabbed his arm, and then pulled him after him into the cave.

When they reached the innermost part of the cave, they found Fright Knight and Frostbite hovered around the Queen, who now sat on a chair made of ice---courtesy of the snow ghost.

Vlad’s eyes widened at how weak his wife looked and he rushed to her side. “Desiree?” he asked, grabbing her barely glowing face. He glanced briefly at the map in Frostbite’s hands and saw that it was once again glowing brightly with his wife’s pink energy.

“I’m fine, Vlad. Just a bit light-headed. It will pass,” she said softly, smiling weakly at him. “I did it, though. I just hope it lasts this time.”

Vlad nodded. “Let’s hope,” he said softly, before he smiled worriedly at her and added, “You really are amazing, my dear.”

“That’s nice to know right now,” she barely uttered.

Vlad didn’t let her say anymore and just picked her up. He knew she had the energy pills with her and he planned on making her take them. They could wait until she could at least hold her head up before they returned home. The last thing Vlad wanted was to have Daniel see his mother like this. They had managed to keep him in dark about Desiree’s being sick for the most part. It was better for the child that it stayed that way.

Frostbite watched the King walk out of the cave with his wife in his arms, before looking back at the Infi-Map. It had taken her several tries, but the Queen had managed it. The spell was now intact again, and so those temporary portals should not be giving them as much of a problem anymore----or he hoped it was the case.

Meanwhile, Vlad was about to take Desiree to one of Frostbite’s visitor rooms, when he paused with a sudden thought. His wife had mentioned that the pills the doctor had given her were made from a Nova’s pure energy. So, then, why not take her directly to the source? If his wife was in need of ghost energy, then perhaps taking her to a pure source was the answer…

Vlad turned to look at one an Energy Nova in the distance, before looking down at Desiree, still in his arms. “Des? Are you up for a little experiment?” he asked her gently.

She smiled with half-lidded eyes as she replied, “Sounds like fun.”

Vlad looked at his wife for another moment, before taking off into the atmosphere. He reached the Nova in no time, and his eyes darkened against its brightness, very much like pupils shrank when exposed to sunlight. He could feel the energy source’s power even when he had yet to physically touch it.

Desiree dimly noticed where they were. It really felt nice to her weakened body; but it slightly worried her when she realized what Vlad wanted to do. Although it would not really harm her husband, the intense energy of a Nova was all but painful to his sensitive core. She knew he could stand it for short periods of time and even enjoy it; but it quickly would get overwhelming for him.

Still, Vlad was hardly worried about that at the moment. And without any hesitation, he flew right into the Energy Nova. In an instant, his white hue flared as the intense energy began to be absorbed into his body. As for Desiree, her once dim hue began to quickly brighten, and she could feel her strength returning with her glow. She just basked in the revitalizing, pure energy. It was soothing and warm, much like the waves of ocean water and the sun’s ray on a beach were for humans.

But as she began to feel physically better, her awareness also sharpened and she realized that she had closed her eyes at some point. But she soon opened them and looked up at her husband, who had been watching her intently the entire time.

“How do you feel?” he asked her.

She smiled and quietly replied, “Better. Enough that I think we should leave now.”

He shook his head. “Not yet.”

But Desiree noticed the strain in his voice; but instead of commenting on it, she said, “Well, then, at least put me down, love.”

“But I like holding you,” he replied softly. But he suddenly pulled her closer and buried his face against her neck, unable to keep his discomfort from showing anymore. The energy around them was just so intense. It was like being put in an oven; and oven that did not burn him, but rather suffocated him with its fumes. At the moment, Vlad was more than happy that ghosts did not need to breathe...

“Vlad, it’s fine. Really, I can tell this is bothering you. I feel better now,” Desiree insisted as she tried to get him to put her down.

The King, however, was determined to withstand his discomfort for a little longer. He was glad that his idea had proved useful and that it really had helped Desiree recover. He could feel that it had. And he could only hope it would last. But to make sure, he wanted to keep her here for a little bit longer.

Desiree sighed when he refused to let her go. But then she placed a hand against his bright red symbol, getting him to look up. She cupped his strained face, her tone of voice playful even as it was slightly annoyed as she said, “Stubborn male.”

“I suppose that’s true enough,” he replied with a strained smile. He suddenly shut his eyes, however, and he unintentionally lost his grip on his wife. But Desiree didn’t mind since she was now feeling well enough to float on her own. She was about to protest again when he interrupted them.

“I-I love you, D-Des-iree,” he assured her with great effort. “I-I h-have from… t-the moment you t-touched m-me…”

Desiree felt her emotions swell with his words, knowing that he referred to when they had first touched each other’s signature. They had been children, then. But, they had been inseparable ever since. They loved each other from that moment, though it was only as they grew that they understood just how deeply.

However, before the ghost mage could steady her emotions enough to reply that she felt the same, Vlad continued, “That… That is why I-I understood. And--And I-I have never blamed them. M-My parents, I mean. Because I’m sure I love you with t-the same in-intensity they did each other. I understand why my mother did what she did for--for my f-father. And just t-thinking that I could lose you, makes me understand all--all the more.”

He forced himself to look at her as he whispered, “I would d-do it, too. I-I would give you my life if--if that is what it w-would take to s-save you. But, unlike my mother, unlike e-everyone who has tried and failed in the past, I-I would not. I-I would not fail.”

“Oh, my love,” Desiree choked out, knowing his thoughts had come from her voicing the possibility of her being fatally ill. She should not have said that to him! But his conviction only stirred more of her emotions. She replied with her own intensity, “I already know you would die for me. But then, I would also die for you. So, you see, we are left with a conflict. I could not let you do that for me; and yet, I know you would still try. But you know what? No matter if it ever came to do that, it does not matter. We will never leave each other. You are my soul mate. And not even death itself would separate us. You and I are forever bound to each other. So, you see, love, there is nothing to fear.”

She then frowned when he squeezed his eyes closed and gripped at his core, before she added, “Now, I think this is enough talk of death. We moved past that a long time ago, remember? And I am sorry for putting you through this. And this.”

Vlad looked at her again and tried to smile, though he did not really manage it. But knowing the ‘And this’ meant their current location, he still replied, “I-I don’t m-mind.” But as he said that, he shuddered and grabbed her for support as he felt his head begin to spin. The strong energy was really getting to him.

Desiree had long since noticed her husband was lit up like a light bulb. And although her own glow was now a little brighter than normal, it was not to the same extreme. This had gone on far enough.

She wrapped her arms around him, as if trying to shield him from the energy around them, before she said, “You should know by now, love, that I can see right through you.”

Vlad gasped in surprise when he felt his form dissolve; and when the sensation was over, he found them both out of the Nova and back on Frostbite’s terrain. He felt all his discomfort instantly vanish as he realized that his wife had teleported them out of the Nova. She could not command the ability to the extent he could, but Desiree could still teleport short distances.

“You shouldn't have done that,” Vlad said, not believing his wife had just used her energy like that.

“I told you, I feel better. But if it will make you feel better, we can go to Kuracisto tomorrow. For now, let’s head back for Danny. Maybe we can make it back home before the Novas darken.”

Momentarily glad that she looked a whole lot better now, the King nodded his agreement and said nothing else on the matter of his wife’s illness. For now, he just wanted to be with her---and his son.

Elliot gazed out of his room’s large window, located in one of the castle’s highest towers. He could see a good portion of his kin’s land from there. Like all dragon ghosts who dwelled in his father’s castle, he was currently in a more humanoid form. He honestly preferred his true form; but he had grown use to this one as well. He supposed it was more practical, anyways.

But even when he preferred his true form, his ‘humanoid’ form suited him just as well. Ironically, the dragon heir’s current form spoke a lot of his status and his medieval ghost culture. His slick black pants fit perfectly on his body, while an open blue-and-silver vest, showed off his symbol. His attire was completed by a silver belt buckle around his waist, and bracelets on his wrist and upper arms.

The ten-year-old ghost child sighed deeply, a firm frown on his face. He passed a hand through his shoulder-length black hair, his large yellow eyes hidden behind his eyelids only briefly before they appeared once more. His thoughts were only on one thing:

The visions.

Or, actually, he was trying to figure out if that was what they were. He knew quite well of his telepathic ability---or, rather, the one that he used to share with his identical twin brother. But that was precisely the problem. The link should have been broken the day of his brother’s death. And Elliot had been sure Gregory---or, Gregor, since he always liked to be called that---was dead. He still remembered when he was taken. He still remembered how his brother had told him to run when they were attacked. And he had run. He had even tried to take to the air. They both had. But somehow his brother had still been taken that day… For some time, Elliot had known that Gregor was still alive after his abduction. He just knew. In spite of the fact that he did not know where his brother was, he could still ‘see’ him through their telepathic link. He could even at times see what his brother saw. Elliot would wake up with nightmares of a red-eyed human, of some crystal, and of black, pointed clouds.

Elliot had tried so hard to figure out what it all meant; but his inexperience with his ability and his inexperience with human things had made it impossible for the child. And at times, when the dreams—or visions---had gotten so bad that he felt physical pain, Elliot was too scared to even try to understand. And now, now after six years had passed since his brother’s disappearance, Elliot still did not understand what it all meant. But one thing had changed since then. He had stopped having those ‘visions’ after the first year of his brother’s abduction. He had stopped feeling the brief pain. And he had stopped hearing his brother’s voice…

Eventually, Elliot had had no choice but to accept that his brother had finally been killed. Over the years, Elliot had learned just how horrible human beings could be to his kind; and just thinking that his brother could have suffered some of the things he had heard twisted his core with pain. So, at some point, the child had even believed that maybe his brother’s passing had been the best for him. He could finally rest and no one could hurt him anymore. And after some effort, Elliot had moved on. His brother was now only a distant memory. A cherished memory, yes; but it was now in the recess of his mind.

That is, until a week ago.

Elliot did not understand it. He had woken up screaming a week ago when he had dreamt about a pair of dying ghost phoenixes. He had seen their once glowing eyes go opaque as their life was taken by some force. He had seen their broken, bleeding, dead bodies lying somewhere, their beauty and grace ripped from them much like their cores. But what had him screaming that night had been when he suddenly saw himself over the dead bodies. And worse, he could even taste their blood on his tongue…

His parents had come to his aid, of course. He had called to them in his sleep without even knowing it. And he had cried for hours until he had exhausted himself…

He had not understood then that his dream was no dream, but that the visions had returned. He was sure now, though. Even if he still did not know what they meant, he was sure it was his visions. And what had convinced him of that was because he had started to have them now while awake. They were not horrifying like that one that night. But they were flashes of distorted pictures, of scenes that he did not recognize in the slightest—which led him to the assumption that they were views of the human world.

But what did it mean? Did it mean that his brother was still alive? But how could that be? After six years? How could he have survived? The humans would have surely killed him by now. And if he had somehow escaped from the humans, his brother still had no possible way of surviving on the human plane for all this time. The human world did not have an ounce of what a ghost needed to keep alive. With no spectral energy to keep him strong and no ghost food to nurture him, how could Gregory be alive?

Perhaps… if he willingly tried to use his telepathic ability this time, if he made an effort to tap into that link that he had thought to have been broken….perhaps then, he would get the answers to his questions. But Elliot was afraid. He was scared of what he could find by doing that. But he needed to know. And he needed to know for sure if he was to share his suspicions with his parents. He could not bear to give them false hopes and then find that they were not true.

“Gregory…?” Elliot whispered as he closed his eyes and concentrated. It had been so easy for them to use their mental link when they were together. They would even have mental disputes and tell jokes to each other without saying a word. And everyone always knew when they did it, because they would both start laughing for no reason at all. Their parents would always just shake their heads in amusement, but would saying nothing about it. Yes, from the moment they were formed, his brother and he had been together, had been so close, always sharing everything…Especially this unique link.

But now…

“Gregor,” Elliot called mentally, his eyebrows creasing when he received no form of reply.

But as he began to call more insistently, he felt his thoughts slip away; and he was suddenly teleported mentally to somewhere else. It was a room of some sort. Dark, cold, and not of his world. It frightened the young dragon; but he was determined to learn what it was he was seeing. However, the moment he tried to intensify his mental power, the image he was seeing abruptly vanished. And before he could understand why, some unknown force savagely attacked his mind, and the child screamed in pain.

But unknown to the young dragon ghost, his father had been just about to come speak with him, and had been right outside his door when he had cried in agony…

“Elliot!” Aragon exclaimed in alarm, as he barged into his child’s room; and finding him on the ground, clutching his head and still screaming, the male ghost fell right beside him as he further said, “Elliot, I implore you, my child, speak to me!”

His father’s voice quickly refocused Elliot’s mind, and the pain vanished, leaving behind only a minor headache. He gazed up dazedly at his father’s worried face. “Father?”

“Yes, Elliot,” Aragon replied, staring worriedly at him.

The young dragon shook his daze off, before speaking again. “Father, I was trying to… I…,” But he could not bring himself to tell his father what he was thinking---or, rather, feeling. His brother had not answered him. He had no proof that Gregory was alive. But… But he felt something; something that felt like his brother, but he wasn’t sure. He was afraid to tell his father. He did not want to cause his father and mother anymore pain…

“What happened to you, Elliot?” the male dragon asked, gripping his son’s face to recapture his attention. “You sounded in physical distress…”

“I…I was, Father,” he softly admitted as he squeezed his eyes closed, before he looked back at him. But unable to tell him the truth, he said, “I tripped… and hit my head.”

Aragon frowned, before closely inspecting his son’s head. But seeing no physical damaged, he looked back at Elliot and muttered, “You should practice more caution, my child. Your mother and I would be terribly upset if something were to happen to you.”

Elliot smiled a little. “I know, Father. I will try to be more careful.”

The dragon leader smiled back, before getting to his feet again. As he watched the ten-year-old stand as well, the male ghost spoke again, sounding calmer this time. “Ruĝa is requesting your company…She is waiting for you in the east wing balcony.”

The young dragon could tell by his father’s tone of voice that he was measuring his response. But although he knew what his father wanted to hear, Elliot looked away and quietly asked instead, “Did she say the reason for her visit?”

“Elliot,” Aragon said, raising an eyebrow. “We both know why she is here.”

The child did not reply right away, but then said, “I would rather stay in my dormitory, Father.”

He knew Ruĝa wanted to play with him. Out of all the young dragons Elliot knew, Ruĝa was his closest friend. He enjoyed her company and they had a lot of fun together. But he really was in no mood to play. He just wanted to be alone right now.

But Aragon did not like his reply, and with a more serious voice said, “Heed my words, my child. I am not pleased that you continue to refuse company. It is very unlike you.”

Elliot looked up at his father, a slight fearful glow in his eyes; but it wasn’t because of his father. “I cannot stop thinking about that horrible dream from a week ago, Father. It frightens me. I do not understand it. Why must I be plagued with such horrible images? It is unjust!”

The dragon leader’s gaze softened; but instead of responding, he extended a hand to his son. Elliot slowly placed his hand in the larger one, and allowed his father to lead him to his bed on the far side. Aragon sat the child down beside him before he finally spoke.

“Elliot, it was simply a dream. A traumatic one, yes. But a dream nonetheless,” Aragon said seriously.

“Then why did it feel so real? Like I was there, Father?! I have never felt anything like it before!” Elliot exclaimed, clearly still shaken up with his dream from days ago.

The dragon leader sighed. But then he placed a hand against his son’s troubled face, just before he rested his other hand against his symbol. “Real is this, Elliot. Real is my being in this dormitory with you and assuring you that I will not allow anything or anyone to harm you. So, please, enough of this dream. I want you to put it behind you. Whatever you believe it means cannot be true.”

Elliot looked down at the hand against his symbol as he whispered, “But what if I believe that my dream was not a dream but a vision? What if I believe it was a vision sent to me? Father, What if I believe Gregory is still alive?” he finally voiced.

Aragon pulled away from his son and stood up so quickly it was as if he had been burned by him.

Elliot looked up at him warily, already regretting his words. It was why he had not wanted to tell his parents about his thoughts. But he was just so scared and unsure that he could not contain himself anymore!

“Why would you utter such false hope to me, Elliot?” Aragon asked icily. “You know how much your brother’s death has affected all of us. And yet, you dare to think—no, voice--- something as impossible as his being alive? Could you imagine if your mother heard you? It has taken her a great deal of effort to accept that Gregory is forever gone! Elliot, you know better!”

The child bowed his head in shame. His father was right. What had he been thinking? How could he bring up his brother’s memory like this? Gregory just could not be alive. It was impossible! He knew that! And he did know better than to cause his parents more grief on the matter!

“Forgive my senseless thoughts, Father,” Elliot whispered. “I suppose my sorrow for my brother’s lost clouds my judgment.”

Aragon’s hard look quickly melted and he sat back down again beside his son. He lifted his son’s chin and gave him a sad smile. “I have nothing to forgive, my child. Your bond with your brother was strong. I should understand that it is not so easily removed---even through death.”

Elliot suddenly hugged his father and whimpered, “I miss him, Father. I wish he was here so much!”

Aragon wrapped his arms around his remaining son and nodded. “I wish it, too…. But we must face reality, my son. And we must move on.” The dragon leader pulled away from his son, but he smiled encouragingly at him. “I know no one will ever replace Gregory’s place. However, you must remind yourself that there are still others who care for you. And one of them is waiting for you at the east wing balcony. Do not disappoint her, Elliot.”

The child looked down, still not really in the mood to play. But his father was right. He had to let go of this dream. And even if it did mean something, there was nothing he could do about it. And he could not waste away his time trying to make sense of something that just probably had no depth.

“You are right, Father. I will go to her right now,” Elliot said, standing up and smiling.

Aragon stood as well, looking more relieved with his son’s decision. “You are a fine son, Elliot.”

The child smiled and bowed his head slightly as he said, “Thank you, Father.”

The dragon leader smiled lovingly, before turning and heading out from his child’s room without any further word.

Elliot watched him go, before sighing and looking back out his window. He really should not have said anything to his father about his thoughts. But, at least, it helped the child realize how foolish they were. He really needed to accept that his brother was gone. It was strange. He and Gregory had been four-years-old when his brother had been taken. So, how was it that he remembered Gregor so vividly?

Elliot frowned in uncertainty with his last thought. But before he could think about it anymore, something outside his window caught his attention. The ghost child’s eyebrows creased as he stared at some strange white smoke rising into the atmosphere from the distance. It wasn’t very big. Actually, Elliot would not have noticed it at all if it wasn’t because it was rising in between the lava pits and fire geysers.

It had to be just something burning; perhaps a tree had caught fire and was producing the smoke. But it just didn’t look like the usual gray fumes caused by fire. It was something else. Something that he had seen before and he could not put his finger on it…

Or maybe he could…

Elliot’s eyes widened, but it was with a mixture of fear, disbelief, and happiness. “No. It’s not possible…Phantom!” he exclaimed, though he was not aware that he had also cried out the Prince’s name mentally…

The dragon child whirled around, before sprinting out of his room. The hallways were only blurs from how fast he was going; and he didn’t notice the looks he got from those he randomly passed by---nor did he care about their looks, anyways. There were just too many thoughts running through his head for him to think of anything else. In fact, he didn’t even realize that as he reached the foyer, he had brushed past a certain someone…

“Elliot? Elliot!” Ruĝa called out.

Like Elliot, the ten-year-old ghost girl was currently in a more humanoid form. She ignored the tug of her white medieval dress and tossed her long, pink hair out of her just-as-pink eyes as she darted after her friend.

The young male ghost, who was just about to run out of the front doors which had been opened by two ghosts standing beside them, finally jolted with the sound of the female ghost’s voice.

“Ruĝa? Ruĝa!” he exclaimed, his yellow eyes wide with his mixed emotions. Oh, no! He had forgotten all about her!

“Elliot, what is troubling you?” she asked just as she caught up with him, instantly noticing his intense nervousness.

“N-Nothing! But I cannot converse at the moment. I must head out,” he quickly replied, before turning back around and hurriedly exiting his home.

“Without me? Elliot! Wait!” his friend called after him, but it was futile.

The instant Elliot had set both feet out of the enchanted castle, his form transformed back his true black dragon form. He took to the sky without hesitation, not noticing his friend had rushed after him.

Ruĝa, who was now outside and in her real pink dragon form as well, also took to the sky. And chasing after her friend, she called out to him, “Elliot! I implore you, wait!”

The young male dragon finally halted in mid-flight; and raising his wings forward, he turned to look at his friend. “Ruĝa, I am truly sorry. But, please, I cannot offer my company at the moment. Please, just leave me be. I promise I will amend my wrongdoing towards you, my loving friend,” he told her, before turning back around and zooming away at a faster speed.

Ruĝa slowed down as she watched him go, her wings flapping enough to keep her at a hover. “Elliot…,” she called softly after him, her pink eyes saddening. Why did he keep avoiding her? It had been a week since they had done anything together. Was he upset with her? What had she done wrong?

The young girl dragon sighed, as she turned away to head to her own home. But suddenly a thought hit her and she spun back around. No! She would not permit him to ignore her any longer! She would force him to listen to her, to tell her at least why he did not want her company any longer!

With her eyes slightly narrowed with both anger and determination, Ruĝa took off in the same direction as Elliot…

Gregory sat in the corner of ‘his’ new room---or, first actual room---staring cautiously around it. His eyes, no longer hidden under the sunglasses he usually wore, lingered on the bed and he recalled how Tom had told him it was meant to be slept on. But he had not touched the bed at all last night---nor did he want to now. He was too use to sleeping on the ground in his small cage---hence why he had not moved from the small corner in which he was.

He didn’t like it here. It was quiet all the time. It wasn’t like the circus, where it was only quiet at night. Any other time, he could hear the screams and laughter of human children and their parents as they enjoyed the shows and foods of the circus. There were also so many smells, including the different foods, animals, and chemicals from the smoke and effects used in the performance. Of course, most of the time, he was not aware of any of it since his Master rarely let him have full use of his mind. But he perceived it subconsciously; and it brought some sort of normalcy and assurance for him.

But this place. It smelled different. It looked different. And it was so quiet.

Sure, he was use to not talking to anyone, save for his Master. The people that worked for the ring leader were not aware of his presence. They simply did their job, and then left for the night. No one knew of him.

Until now.

Now, his Master was allowing him to remain fully conscious. Now, he was letting him be seen by others. His Master had him move among the humans as if he were human. But he was not. He never would be. He was a ghost. But no one could see it---that was how well he fit in with them. And now that he realized that his Master had purposely sent him here, he was now sure it was what his Master---and that ‘Tom’ human---wanted. They wanted him to look and act human.

But why?

All Gregory knew was that he was meant to do something big for the ‘Tom’ human. And he would do it only because his Master also wanted him to do this ‘something.’ Whatever it was, the child did not care. He had already done the worst thing possible in his mind…. He could still see and hear those ghost phoenixes begging for his mercy…

Gregory unconsciously placed a hand against his core. But when he did, he finally noticed and looked down at himself. But instead of seeing his Ectoplasmic Signature, he just saw the wardrobe that buried it. It did not surprise him, of course. He had always worn clothing. But it had always felt… suffocating. He could not explain it, but it did. It was why he preferred his true dragon form. He wore nothing on his body and it felt so liberating to his core. Not to mention, he felt so much better because when he changed into his true dragon self, it meant he could remove the Gem of Form currently fused to his core. True, he had become accustomed to the discomfort and pain. But he still preferred it out.

But now… now he had this strange ring on his finger on top of the gem. And this ring only served to further suffocate him. Or, actually, it served to do a lot more. And last night, he had discovered that one of the other things it could do was to send a nasty shock through his body when he tried to access his powers with the ring on. However, that wasn’t all. He could not even access his claws without consequence. Before, when he sprang his claws, they slipped out from his fingers like soap from wet hands. But now with this ring, it was like his body was more… tangible. And when he had sprung them out in a bout of anger last night, it had felt like he had torn through his fingers to do so! Gregory had to conclude that that was what really did happen---judging by how he had bleed pretty badly from his attempt last night.

As much as the child hated to admit it, the ‘Tom’ human had been right about this ring-like device teaching him self-control. Gregory was now more cautious to give into his aggression…

The ten year-old was pushed out of his thoughts when his stomach growled for nourishment. It was already past noon and he had not gotten anything to eat. It usually never bothered him, since he had gotten use to going without food for three or four days with his Master. But with his mind so alert, he was so much more aware of it. Gregory had to admit that being fully conscious was more cumbersome than not. But he preferred it like this. He couldn’t help it. He liked being able to think; even if it got him into trouble sometimes...

Licking his lips, the child glanced over at a jar of glowing water on a nightstand. The ‘Tom’ human had left it there for him since last night in case he got thirsty. And he was thirsty.

Suddenly looking very timid and scared, he slowly got to his feet. He glanced over at the closed and locked door, before looking at the closed bathroom door. Finally, his eyes traveled to the slightly parted curtains on the only window in his medium-sized room. It was only then, after he had made sure nothing was out of place, that he slowly began to move towards the jar of water.

He skittishly scanned his surroundings one last time as he stopped in front of the nightstand, before finally grabbing the jar in his hand. He completely ignored the cup as he turned to move back to the corner from where he had come. But at that instant, a soft tap came from the window, making the child yelp and whirl around to face the sound. His green eyes flashed red for an instant as he resisted his instinct to attack whatever had startled him.

However, when he caught sight of large dragonfly hovering around the window, he relaxed a bit and frowned at it. Why did it want to come in here when it was out there? When it was free?

Gregory blinked. Free? What did that even mean? As he shifted through his mind for the answer, he lifted the jar to his lips and took a drink. But not finding the answer, he dismissed the question and turned away from the window. He walked back over to his corner and sat back down with his jar of water. For a moment, he just continued to drink from it as he watched the bug outside tap on his window.

But then, suddenly, the child stood; and leaving the water jar on the ground, he moved over to the window. He stared curiously at the bug as he placed his hand against the glass. Gregory noticed how the dragonfly startled and recoiled away. But just when the child thought it was going to fly away, it returned. At that moment, Gregory smiled for the first time he could remember. He didn’t realize that he was. But he was.

He didn’t know what motivated him to do what he did next, but his hands were quickly on the window, unlatching its lock. So as not to startle the bug, he slowly opened the window. The dragon fly lingered outside for another moment, before coming in. Gregory watched it with mild amusement as it zoomed around the room, lightly smashing into everything it touched. But suddenly wanting to catch it, Gregory quickly moved around the room, waiting for a chance to do that. But it was hard. The bug was just too fast.

But noticing how it was more attracted to the white walls than anything else, the child got an idea. He went over to the nightstand and turned it on just like he had seen Tom do. It wasn’t long before the dragonfly began to smash against the lamp’s covering, trying to get closer to the light bulb.

“You like light,” Gregory said, tilting his head and grinning. But his eyes then narrowed playfully as he got closer; and with a small growl, he successfully cupped his hands around the bug, trapping it inside. The child lifted his closed hands and peaked inside at the bug trying to escape.

Looking triumphant, the ghost boy walked back to his little corner and sat down, bug still in hand. He observed it for a while, but when it did not calm down, he spoke to it, “It’s okay. I’m not going to kill you. I only do it when my Master commands it of me; and he is not here; so you have nothing to worry about.”

But when it continued to struggle, Gregory looked back at his jar of water; and thinking it was a good idea, he put the bug inside the jar, quickly covering the top so it would not get out. The jar was still half-full of water; but the dragonfly somehow managed to keep flying above it. Gregory just watched it, the buzzing of its wings a hypnotizing hum that echoed in his sensitive ears. It was why he was caught so off guard by what he heard next.

“Gregor?”

The dragon child jolted and gasped, his eyes wide with alarm as he stared all around the room. But when he heard the voice whisper his name again, he realized that it was not coming from around him, but from inside him. It was coming from his mind.

That voice… the one that sound like his… it was back.

“Gregor?”

Gregory did not reply; instead he narrowed his eyes, his head lowering as he cautiously allowed ‘the voice’ to move around his mind. But when it suddenly began to probe at it, the child growled. He was sick of this intruder! Why was it always tormenting him with its familiar voice and images…Images of a place that seemed familiar; but at the same time, was not.

“Gregor?”

“No! Get out of my head!” Gregory suddenly exclaimed, clutching his head as he mentally attacked whatever was in his mind. He heard a scream of pain from the voice in his mind, which only encouraged him to mentally attack the intruder even more. But at that moment, he heard another voice, a both familiar and unfamiliar voice that filled him with so many emotions, but he just didn’t know why.

“Elliot!” it shouted fearfully at the intruder in his mind.

So, that was the voice’s name… Elliot.

But now Gregory wanted to know more. And in the same way that Elliot had invaded his mind, he invaded Elliot’s. Gregory remained unaware that his eyes had turned yellow. All he was aware of was that he was looking at someone through this intruder’s eyes. And this ‘someone’ was the very same someone whose voice filled him with all those unexplained emotions. But before he could figure out why this red-eyed male ghost who he was seeing through Elliot’s mind was so familiar to him, the mental connection was suddenly broken.

Gregory gasped as his eyes changed green again; the last thing he had heard in his mind was Elliot call that ‘someone’ father. And it was over.

The dragon child stared around in a panic, one of his hands clutched against his core, while his other was pressed against his throbbing forehead. What was happening to him? Why was he hearing these voices and seeing these images? Who were Elliot and this other person… this… Father? Why were they so familiar and unknown to him? And why, why did he feel all these emotions? He recognized the dark grip of hate and anger. And he even could understand the sadness and fear. But the rest he did not know. How could he know when he did not remember what love was?

His thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly remembered the dragon fly in the jar. But his eyes grew wide when he found that it was now floating on top of the water, its form unmoving.

“Oh, no…,” he whimpered, before reaching into the jar and pulling out the little bug. He must have jolted the jar or something in his confusion and surprise, causing the little bug to fall into the water. It had drowned.

Gregory didn’t know why; but everything that had just happened had filled him with such utter despair that the dead bug was suddenly the last straw. Even with his Master’s voice ringing in his ear against what he was doing, the child began to cry. But it wasn’t just the usual suppressed whimpers and frustrated tears. He was fully sobbing as he cradled the dead bug against him.

“I-I’m s-sorry,” the child choked out, though he did not know whom he was saying it to.

To his misfortune, Thomas picked that exact moment to finally come see him. But even with his presence, Gregory could not stop crying. If anything, he sobbed louder, now knowing his Master would hear of this and he would be punished.

The ghost hunter blinked at the crying child, surprised by the scene. But the emotion quickly melded into confusion as he asked, “What’s gotten into you?”

“I-I k-killed it!” Gregory cried out, needing to say at least one of the things that had him so upset.

“Killed what?” Thomas asked, annoyed, before walking over to the child.

The dragon ghost lifted his hands to show the hunter the dead dragon fly. But the man slightly recoiled in disgust at the unexpected sight. But realizing what the child finally meant, an amused smile slowly began to curl on Tom’s face, before he suddenly burst into laughter.

But Gregory did not appreciate his amusement and he quickly glared at him though his tears as he choked out, “Sh-Shut up! It’s n-not funny!”

“Gregor, you really are something!” Thomas said, ignoring the angry boy’s demand. “You hardly show any emotion when you are being brought to an inch from death over and over again by Freakshow, and yet, you quickly have a nervous breakdown over a little dead bug?”

Gregory just glared at the laughing man. Of course, he would not understand. He didn’t understand how he did not like it when his Master made him hurt or kills other creatures---be they human, ghost, or animal. But he would do it out of obedience. And he was use to it. But this was the first time he killed something by his own hand. But he had not meant to kill the little bug. He had been honest when he promised it he was not going to hurt it… But now, now he had. And he felt really bad. Now he really did feel like the monster Tom assured him he was…

Getting over his amusement, Thomas kneeled back down at the child’s side and pulled out a needle and two vials from his suit. “Okay, enough of that. Get rid of that thing. You need to be nourished.”

But when Tom went to swat the bug from his hands, Gregory recoiled, shouting, “No! Don’t touch it! It’s mine!”

The ghost hunter rolled his eyes at the childish display, but shrugged. “Fine. Keep the stupid bug. Just hold still.”

Gregory glared some more, but did as he was told. He stared sadly at the dead bug as Thomas filled the syringe with the first vile of pure ghost energy. Then he undid Gregory’s vest and shirt enough to expose the area around his core. But being that his ghost symbol was hidden from view in this form, Tom had to guess a bit on where to insert the needle. And when he decided on a spot, he plunged it into the child’s body without warning.

Gregory tensed as he felt the needle embed itself all the way down and then pierce his core. But when the energy supply was emptied inside him, he began to feel his energy increasing and his body strengthening. Soon after, the needle was out of his body.

Tom did not pay any mind to the now slightly calmer, though still sniffing, child, and just began to fill the needle again; this time with ghost proteins and minerals.

“This should keep you healthy until we can get you some actual nourishment,” Tom mumbled as he turned his gaze back to the child. He then inserted the full syringe into the young ghost’s abdomen, this time.

Gregory frowned as he coldly said, “You mean, until Spectra and Bertrand return with another ghost for me to kill and eat.”

Tom smirked. “Pretty much.” The man stood back up, before sobering again and commanding, “Go take a bath. We are going to head to the ‘GiW’ facility in about an hour. So be ready.”

With that, the man turned and left without another word.

Gregory growled after him as he rubbed his sore belly. The ghost proteins might keep him from starving, but it did not sedate his hunger. Oh, well. He was not feeling that hungry anymore, anyways.

He stared sadly down at the dead bug in his hand before touching it with his other hand. “I’m sorry,” he told it again, before walking over to the still-opened window and placing it down on the outer sill. He sighed, before turning away and heading over to the bathroom to take a bath. If he wasn’t still feeling so down, he would have been excited by the prospect of playing with the slippery soap bar again.

But right now, he was just too confused and torn to think about anything else. He squeezed his eyes closed suddenly as he felt a small jolt of pain from his head. Again, he was unaware of his eyes flashing yellow yet again, but he did hear a single word loud and clear in his mind.

“Phantom…?” he muttered in confusion. But having no answer to what it meant, he shook his head to clear it and dismissed all his thoughts. He already had enough to think about as it was. He would just have to put this on his list of things to figure out…

Elliot quickly landed a couple of feet away from where he had seen the strange smoke—which he now suspected it to be vapor. He could still see the white mist curling into the air in between the lava pits and fire geysers. The young dragon lowered his head slightly and his wings were pressed against his side as he slowly walked forward on all four. He had been here many times before, so he had no problem maneuvering through the hot pits around him.

“Phantom?” he suddenly whispered as he closed in on the area of interest. He received no response; but at that moment, he realized that the vapor was actually coming from just outside the fire geyser and pits’ perimeter. Whatever was causing it was not daring to move into the hot area…

Elliot frowned as he made it to the other side and found a slowly evaporating puddle of water on the hot ground. But there was nothing else—or, rather, there was no Ghost Prince in sight.

Now wondering if he had merely jumped to conclusions, Elliot looked up at the large forest in front of him. Should he even keep searching? Maybe he should just go back home and find Ruĝa… He had been treating her unjustly as of late. And instead of chasing imaginary figments in his head, he should focus on what was truly there---as his father had said.

The young dragon looked back, his ears and wings sagging with sadness. He needed to go apologize to his friend. But… he also wanted to make sure this wasn’t what he had first thought.

Elliot sighed as he gazed back at the forest and thought to himself, “Could it really be you, Phantom?”

Creasing his eyebrows, the young dragon moved into the forest, and his eyes immediately began to scan his surroundings, while he kept a sharp ear out for any noises. But as he continued forward, he could not see or hear anything out of the ordinary. That is, until he heard a sudden thump and the loud crunching of leaves behind him.

Elliot gasped and whirled around to face the sound. But before he could find out what it had been, he received an even larger surprise from the opposite side.

“Boo!” Danny exclaimed as he suddenly lunged at the large dragon and tackled him. Or he tried to, anyways. All he could really do was wrap his arms around his long neck and mount him, much like he did Fright Knights flying horse, Nightmare.

The young dragon yelped in surprise as he spun back around, only for the ghost on top of him to yelp himself and tighten his grasp on him.

“Elliot! Stop! It’s me! Phantom!” the Prince quickly exclaimed when he realized he had scared his friend a little too well.

Elliot froze when he heard the name. He craned his head to look at the younger ghost on him and his eyes widened with a mixture of disbelief, happiness, but mostly, anger…

“Phantom!” he growled out, before lifting his tail towards him. He quickly wrapped his tail around the Prince’s abdomen, being careful not to hurt the smaller ghost with the spikes that were upon it, and lifted him off him.

Danny giggled as he was brought in front of the dragon’s face. “Whoa, this feels weird,” he commented, before touching one of the spikes on his friend’s tail. He then smiled back at the older child as he added, “I knew you would come! I remembered what we did when we mixed your hot energy with my ice energy! So, I did that again by using all the hot ground over there! And it worked!” The Prince abruptly phased from the older child’s hold on him, before he happily hugged the dragon around the front of his neck again as he exclaimed, “I’m so happy to see you again!”

Elliot looked torn with what to do. He was also happy to see the Prince. But… But he wasn’t supposed to be here!

“No!” the young dragon suddenly exclaimed, using one of his hands to push Danny away.

This got the young child’s attention, and he frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“You are not supposed to be here, Phantom!” Elliot shouted at him angrily. “You are going to get us both into trouble! And worse yet, you could get our fathers in a quarrel once more! No, you must leave! And you must leave now!”

Danny’s frown deepened. “But that’s why I’m here! I don’t want our fathers to fight anymore! I want us to be friends and able to see each other! And I know how to do that! I know how we can do that!”

But Elliot did not want to hear it. “No, get out. Do not make me force you, Phantom,” he added, his anger mixing once more with his other emotions.

Danny stared at him, before he quietly asked, “You do not want to be my friend?”

At the question, Elliot’s frustration instantly melted, “I…I do. I know my father says that you are evil… But I cannot believe that. But I cannot disobey him, either. He told me to stay away from you. You, your Kingdom, are a threat to my kin… Phantom, I am sorry. But although I want to be your friend, I cannot be your friend.”

“Yes you can!” Danny insisted, flying closer to him. “You can if you help me make our fathers be friends again, too! They were friends before, so they can be friends again!”

Elliot jolted with the news. “They were friends? No, that cannot be true! My father has never said anything of the sort!”

“But it is true! My father told me!” Danny assured him, getting a bit defensive.

Elliot didn’t reply, but he then shook his head. “Even so, this cannot be. You must go.”

“But—“ Danny began only to be cut off.

“Do you not understand?!” Elliot shouted at him. “If my father discovers you are here, he will imprison you! In reality, I should have already called to him! You are forcing me to betray my kin and my father by your being here, Phantom!”

“I’m not going without making things right!” Danny snapped back, his eyes narrowing in determination. “I want you to help me; but if you won’t, then I’ll do it myself!”

Elliot growled as he turned his head from him. They stayed quiet for a moment, as the young dragon tried to decide what to do. He did not want to see his friend get captured by his father. But he did not want to disobey his parents, either. But what if Phantom was right? What if his father and the King had been friends at one point? Was there anything they could do to fix that severed bond?

The future dragon leader looked back at the future ghost king, before he quietly asked, “What makes you believe we can do anything to change what has happened?”

A bit of hope flickered in Danny’s green eyes, before he quickly opened his mouth to reply.

But before he could say anything, a sudden movement from a nearby bush caught Elliot’s attention. The older child’s eyes narrowed; and sure there was someone there, he demanded, “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

Danny also looked in the direction of the bush; but with a smile, he quickly looked at the young dragon. “It’s okay, Elliot,” he assured him, before looking back at the bush and saying, “You can come out now, Ember.”

The ghost girl poked her head out of the bush and smiled nervously at the dragon ghost. He was so big!

But Elliot just stared at her with wide-eyes. In fact, he was so shocked at the presence of this newest intruder that he—nor Danny nor Ember---heard the soft crunching of leaves from the outer part of the forest…

Ruĝa, who had roughly landed within the forest and so had been responsible for the first sound Elliot had heard before Danny had surprised him, had been watching her friend and the other ghost children from another bush. But having heard what they had said, she slowly began to back away from the sight in front of her. She couldn’t believe it! Elliot was associating with intruders! And not just any intruders from what they had said, but with the Ghost Prince himself and another ghost of his Kingdom!

Her friend was in danger!

“I must find help!” she thought as she finally cleared the forest and took off above the fire geysers, heading straight back to her leader’s abode…

Yes, evil place to end; but my muse insisted. Well, this is a pretty late post; but I said I'd post for my B-day; so at least I did. Oh, and my muse made a cybernetic cake. *Pearl makes her wish* "....I wish to hear my fellow readers thoughts on this chapter...." *blows out candles* Oh, I hope it comes true! :)

*Vlad muse skakes his head* You will all have to forgive her. She can't help herself. And I suppose I'll forgive her this one time...

*glomps muse* You are so wickedly sweet! Come on, let's cut the cake. *begins to hand cake to everyone* Hope you guys liked the chapter---and the cake!

Ta for now!