Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Danny woke slowly. After spending a few more hours at the Keep, all the humans, his Fraid included, had returned to Wayne Manor. Feeling Cass stir against him, Danny smiled down at his fiancé. The excitement of the night before clashing greatly with the exhaustion of maintaining her ghost-form all night, even with the bolstering effect of being in the Realms, had frustrated the woman to no end before she had surrendered to sleep. Which reminded Danny, he needed to recalculate her Core’s power level. The Realms would have sped her growth. Glancing at her dwindling supply of magnets, Danny spotted a sticky note atop the reduced cube. Grabbing it, he read-
“Spend Wisely
-CW”
-and counted 12 remaining blocks. Realizing the time, Danny began to softly trail his hands over Cass, tickling her gently.

“Time to wake up, Odette.”

“…. five more minutes.”

“I give it two before our daughter comes crashing into the room. I can feel her waking.”

“…ok.”

Sitting up, Cass reached leaned over to the side of the bed, grabbing her shirt from where she had tossed it before finally sleeping. A hand on her waist to stop her from falling off the bed, Danny watched her pull the shirt on just in time for Ellie to fulfill his prediction a minute faster than he thought.

“Mom, Dad, good morning!”

Soon enough, the trio was heading down to breakfast. Stopping by Sam’s guestroom, Danny gave Ellie an ice cube.

“Ellie, can you go put this on your Sisty Sam, and don’t take it off until she gets up, ok?”

With a laugh, Ellie moved to comply. Seeing Cass’s confusion, and hearing Sam’s abruptly cut off curses as someone woke her, Danny explained.

“Sam is horrible at mornings, and would not hesitate to shoot anyone else.”

With a slam, Sam’s door flew open, and a beam of green magic hit Danny in the face.

“Just cuz I won’t hurt her doesn’t mean I won’t kill you!”

“Morning Sam. It’s time for breakfast.”

Danny, standing slowly but seeming no worse from the attack, smiled at his friend, who simply grumbled as she shut the door, Ellie phasing out shortly after. Waiting a few minutes, Sam finally joined them. By the time they made it to a larger dining room than usual, they were the last to arrive. Breaking away, Danny once again helped Alfred, ignoring the butler’s protest, before joining the others at the table.

After a few hours of visiting, Danny opened several portals to get his Fraid to their homes.

“Hey Jason.”

“Sup, kid?”

Ignoring the looks Jazz gave him as he spoke, Danny asked Jason for a favor.

“I want you to practice multitasking, and I have a job for you. Can you fly yourself and Jazz to her dorm at GU? I also want you to look around the campus. I heard some shades mentioning the ecto has been more active. It’s probably nothing, but I want to make sure.”

“...Sure thing, but do you have anything more specific?”

“Nope, I want to hear what you think. Just wander around a bit, just for an hour or two, and let me know how it feels when you get back. I do have another task, but it will have to wait until you patrol later tonight. That one’s for you and Cass.”

“K, you’re the boss. Well, Jazz, you ready to go?”

“…. Sure.”

Slowly taking his hand, Jazz shot Danny a panicked look as they took off. Tuning to see most of the BatKids watching him, Danny smiled when Dick was the first to speak.

“Danny…. did you just make up a reason for Jason to take your sister on a date?”

“*gasp* Of course not. Didn’t you hear, I told him to drop her off first, and then wander campus. If she decides to accompany him, that’s on her.”

“…and is the ecto being more active actually happening? Or a problem if it is?”

“It is, and maybe. I really do need it checked, and Jason could use the experience. He will be able to sense any maliciousness, even as a baby-halfa.”

“Then why have him fly her back?”

“Simple, me opening a portal would affect the flow of the ecto.”

“…. that sounds fake, but I don’t know enough about ecto to prove it.”

With a laugh, Danny just smiled, before turning to Bruce, who had watched the exchange happily.

“And Bruce, I do need Cass and Jason on patrol tonight. Jason needs to be in Crime Alley, and Cass needs to keep to Gotham’s center. Both need to be in human-form. Can that be done?”

“No problem. If I may ask, why?”

“Crime Alley is Jason’s Haunt, and Gotham will be Cass’s. They need to start syncing with the local ecto to start claiming it.”

“Will this harm or weaken them, or anything like that?”

“Not…technically? Cass will be fine, maybe a little tired. But Jason…a lot of ghosts have claim on Crime Alley, or at least parts of it. No other ghost claims the whole thing. Jason will have to fight them for it.”

“Is he strong enough for that?”

“Nope! But by the end of the week, at the latest, he will be. Halfa’s grow amazing fast, especially under pressure.”

“….”

“He’ll be fine, Bruce. No ghost there is strong enough to End him, and none would dare. He’s my Knight, and Gotham’s.”

“…Very well. Will him winning the Alley evict the other ghosts? Or force them out into the rest of Gotham?”

“Not as long as Jason accepts them. Ghost’s care share Haunts, or live in other’s Haunts, as long as the top ghost is okay with it. Lairs are the same. For example, Cass’s Haunt will be Gotham, but she will allow Jason to claim the Alley.”

“And what is the difference between a Haunt and a Lair?”

“A Haunt is your territory, and a Lair is your home. They can overlap, but don’t have to. For example, Amity Park was my Haunt, but the Keep is my Lair. As was my parent’s house. Before I became King, I had another Lair in the Realms, but it merges with the Keep. Ghosts can have multiple Lair’s, but rarely have more than two: one in each Realm.”

“That’s interesting, thank you.”

With a wave, Danny finished his explanation. Shortly after, the Bat Clan scattered, each going about their own day. Cass, Step, Tim, and Barbara decided to take Ellie shopping, meeting up with Kori and Mar’i, as the younger girl had recently hit a growth spurt. Meanwhile, Danny began tinkering, working on the promised weapons for the Bats. At his insistence, each of the non-halfas had requested a weapon, and Danny was determined to get them done that day. Dick’s was the easiest, simply requesting his escrima sticks be converted to ecto-electricity. Danny had them set within an hour. Tim and Damien had simply requested a staff and sword, no gimmicks, but Danny decided to give them each a special feature. Combining ecto with magnetic sand, Danny wove in a spell he had requested from Sam, finally producing a seemingly simple back ring for each vigilante. Once bound with their blood, it will enable them to change the rings into their preferred weapon at will. For Steph, she had requested a way to fight ghosts physically. Taking inspiration from Overgrowth, Danny was able to create an ink that could create sigils that would fulfill the girls request. Sam had helped with the mixture, and had already began marking herself.

Barbara’s weapon had required some outsourcing. She wanted a ghost-proof system in her Clock Tower. Technus and Tucker were working on that, and the same for the Bat-Computer. Duke wanted a way for his abilities to work on ghosts, which had been easy. Danny had offered him a contract: A ghostly aura, in exchange for a single chicken nugget. Deal completed, Duke could now see, and fight, ghosts with both light and shadow. Unknown to all but Danny and the man himself, Danny had helped Alfred develop his proto-Core ahead of schedule, ensuring the man stayed healthy until his death and now-ensured resurrection. Danny was also making talisman for Selina, Kori, and Mar’i, marking them with the Ghost King’s sigil, which would ward off most attackers. Finally, for Bruce he was giving him the info on how to integrate ecto with technology, enabling the man to upgrade and develop his equipment as he saw fit.

By the time Danny finished his gifts, it was nearing time for the Bats to patrol. The shopping group had returned earlier, with Cass informing Danny that Ellie was staying the night with Kori and Mar’i. Jason had returned after lunch, and had reported no bad vibes from the campus. He had also left immediately when Danny asked if he enjoyed his assignment. Considering the floods of keysmash and emoji Jazz had sent him when he asked her the same, Danny considered it a win.

Waiting in the Bat Cave, Danny distributed his gifts. Tim and Damien had loved the addition to their gifts, although the other’s looked nervous at the thought of Damien always having a sword within reach, Danny believed in him. Kissing Cass’s cheek after she finished putting her more earthy Black Bat suit on, Danny left the Bats to their patrol. Heading up to their room, Danny wondered about Cass’s ghost-form. He had noticed at the party, but it seemed very…..complex, for a new halfa. Danny himself had three forms. His original, base form of Danny Phantom, Protector of Balance, hadn’t changed much. His Kingly form, however, looked almost Nordic. And finally, his form as Keeper of the Living Realms was almost just him as Danny Fenton, only slightly to the left. Tucker said that his Kingly and Keeper forms ware opposite ends of a ghost-to-living spectrum, with some “serious uncanny valley” as the Keeper. It wasn’t until he was getting into the shower that he realized why Cass already had two forms; she already had two titles. Her Black Bat form was of Darkness’s Successor, while under the costume was the Young Lady of Gotham. He would have to let her know.

Chapter Text

Cass pouted as she headed up from the Cave. She had been looking forward to patrol, but Bruce had pulled her. Attempting to link up, they had all winced as every time Cass spoke, feedback and static was all they heard. Reviewing the data Danny had just given him, Bruce realized none of their comms were ghost-proof. While Jason had simply tossed the comm down and left, Cass wasn’t quite that ready to disregard their father’s rule of “No comms, no patrol.” As she got closer to her room, Cass decide she would just have to find another way to burn her energy.

Entering the room, Cass headed to her nightstand, smiling when she saw Clockwork’s earlier note about her magnets. Casting a glance at the closed door to the bathroom, and hearing Danny in the shower, Cass stripped herself before lying across her bed. Head near the edge closest to the bathroom, she began fingering herself. Losing herself to the sensation, she moaned loudly, confident with her family being out for the night.

In the shower, Danny had sensed Cass approaching the room, as well as her disappointment. He had been concerned, but had felt her perk up before he could think to do anything about it. Continuing his shower, he nearly tripped when he heard her moan, before turning his senses to her, quickly discovering her actions. With a thought, he sealed the two rooms in ice, listening carefully to the sounds coming through the door.

Seeing the ice coat the room, Cass smiled and let herself go completely, moaning even louder as she drove herself higher and higher.

Sensing Cass’s rising excitement, Danny smiled. Let’s see if his princess needed a hand.

Cass gasped as she felt a hand replace her’s. Opening her eyes, she saw a copy of Danny spreading her legs and beginning to eat her out. Hands in the copies hair, Cass rose herself to meet his tongue. She smiled, arching back to watch as Danny walked out of the bathroom, towel around his waist as he moved toward her.

“Is my copy serving you well, Odette?”
With a gasp, Cass cried out her “Yes!” before reaching up to grab Danny’s towel, using it to pull him closer before throwing it to the ground. Pushing against the bed, Cass shifted until her head was hanging of the bed. Reaching up, she grabbed Danny’s dick, pumping it quickly as she guided him into her mouth. She heard him moan, and felt him grab her breasts as he began pumping in and out of her mouth. All the while, his copy never let up on his assault of her, his tongue and fingers keeping her on the edge.

Tired of Danny’s hesitance, which she could now sense, Cass broke away from his dick, taking a moment to focus on shifting. With a passing shadow, Cass managed to shift into her ghost-form, but was still as bare as before. Taking advantage of no longer having to breath, Cass took Danny back into her mouth, her hands on his hips driving his dick deep into her throat. With a groan, Cass felt Danny finally take the hint, as he began riding her face, and Cass rewarded him with a hum that had his hands grasping at her breast. Pulling at the copy’s hair, Cass guided him up, wrapping her legs around him as she felt his dick enter her. Finally filled as she desperately wanted in that moment, Cass let their actions take her over the edge. Neither Danny stopped, and she found herself riding another climax just behind the first, and another after that. With her final release, she felt both Danny’s cum, both pushed over by her orgasm.

Sliding his dick from her mouth, Danny dismissed his copy. Lifting Cass from where she lay, basking in her afterglow, Danny brought them back to the bathroom. Turning to the tub, Danny filled it before getting in, holding Cass. With a thought, she shifted back to human.

“Oh, just so you know, I’m not patrolling tonight.”

“…I figured. What happened?”

Cass explained the issue, and then smiled at Danny, relaxing into his hold.

After spending a while in the bath, the lover’s got out. Heading back to their bed, Cass took a moment to half her remaining magnets.

“*sigh* These go so quickly…”

Grabbing her phone, she sent a quick text.

Pausing atop a building, Spoiler grabbed her phone as it went off. Seeing a message from Cass she read-

“You were right about the copies ;)”

-and proceeded to choke on air.

The next morning, Danny and Cass discussed the time remaining as they finished breakfast.

“Giving time passing, and your…habits, we can expect your powers by tonight or tomorrow morning.”

“Excuse me, sir, but you love my ‘habits’”

“Never said I didn’t Odette. But I figure this will probably be the last upgrade before your first task, so it bears repeating. I’ll be working on the comms today, so you will be patrolling tonight. I’ll probably go along, invisible, just in case of any power mishaps.”

As Danny finished speaking, Jason walked in. Grabbing some food, he all but collapsed into a chair, lightly glaring at Danny.

“Couldn’t of warned a guy that claiming a Haunt pisses everyone off?”

“I could of, yes.”

“….”

“Look, You can’t expect a date with my sister not having consequences.”

“You set up the date!”

“Irrelevant. Date my sister, suffer my wrath.”

”….Deal.”

“Wait, what?”

Calling after Jason, who simply took his food and left, Danny pretended to fume, knowing the other halfa could feel it.

Gearing up for patrol, Danny was finished testing the Bat’s equipment. Passing the final comm to Cass, she pulled him close to whisper.

“How about a deal, my King? I make it through patrol with no power flares, and you help ensure I have enough ecto for the loosening?”

“….As you wish, my Odette.”

Moving to join the rest of the Bats, Danny remembers and turns to Red Hood, currently in human-form.

“Hood, I forgot to ask. Any new powers last night?”

“I wasn’t able to fire, but I think I summoned a few ectoblasts. They gave my punches a boost. And I feel like a few blast should of hit me but didn’t.”

“Sounds like body modification. And the ectoblasts will probably fully develop tonight.”

“Body modification?”

“Yep, the basic form of shapeshifting. I primarily use it to form my tail, and dodging hits.”

Putting action to words, Danny’s legs vanished, a wispy tail taking their place. Straightening up, Danny allowed his torso to distort, drawing some concerned looks from the Bats.

“My tail allows for faster flight, and better handling. The other was good for instinctive dodging, but was near impossible for me to do voluntarily for a while. So you don’t have to focus on controlling that.”

“..And the tail?”

“Kinda the same. It’s instinctive when you need it, but pretty easy to control as well. Control for both will come as you become more comfortable with being a ghost, and less hooked on appearing ‘human’ to others.”
Explanation over, patrol began. At Batman’s request, Phantom remained unseen and uninvolved. He just followed Black Bat on her slowly growing spirals from the center of Gotham. Watching closely, he didn’t notice any powers flaring, and laughed to himself as he felt Cass focusing less on the fight she was in and more on regulating her emotions to prevent a flare from ruining her deal. As midnight passed and morning approached, patrol ended, sending the Bats back to roost.

Meeting for debrief, Danny waited until the end before pulling Jason aside, asking after his powers while all the others headed up.

“How’d it go?”

“I managed ectoblasts fairly early, and was able to control them fairly well by morning. I’ve also claimed about half of the Alley. A couple of the ghost recognized me, and didn’t even put up a fight.”

“good, that means your reputation is spreading.”

“I did want to ask, why am I doing this human? Wouldn’t it be easier to fight as a ghost?”

“It would be, yes, but it would also be harder to manage your powers. All powers are weaker in human-form. On the other hand, learning control is easier. Once you claim the Alley entirely, ghosts from the outside will start showing up. That’s when you can transform.”

“Sounds like a plan. How did Cass do tonight? Any new powers?”

“Not yet, but that have just been because she was so focusing on making sure nothing happened.”

“Why?”

At Jason’s question, Danny just raised an eyebrow. Thinking for a moment, Jason remembered exactly what a power-up meant for his sister, and let out a groan.

“Respectfully, your Majesty, but you’re a bastard. Why would you curse me with this?”

“Hey, you said ‘Deal.’ Jazz for torment. So, suffer.”

Reaching their room, Danny was confused for a moment when he didn’t see Cass. Flaring his Core, he felt an answering flare from hers, as well as a desire for mischief. Rather than expose her, Danny calmed his Core. He knew she was in the room, so he went ahead and reapplied his ice as he went about his nightly routine, checking Ellie was asleep in her bed and preparing for a shower. As he reached to start the water, he felt his hand pass through her. Washing himself, he occasionally felt her hands glide across his body. It wasn’t until he was getting out that she pounced, and he nearly fell as he felt her mouth close on his dick, sucking a few times before moving away.

“Odette, flare ups aside, your ties have either loosened or are about to.”

Danny spoke to the room as he moved towards the bed.

“That means we need to focus on control right now, not increasing your ecto. I won’t stop your games, just keep it on you, not in you.”

No answer came, but he felt her hair trace along his chest, and felt her grind against him, for a moment. Settling into bed, he felt her straddle him as he sat against the headboard, before she faded into sight.

“Why must you be so correct, my King?’

Moving slowly, she began to rub her self against him, pinning his dick against his naval with her core. As she rode him, Danny brought his hands up teasing her breasts and nipples.

“One of us must be, Odette. And as the only one who can sense your ecto, it falls to me.”

“And I suppose there’s no way to convince you otherwise?” As she questioned him, Cass rose her hips, allowing the head of his dick to slide into her, “Because I would so enjoy it, my King.”

With a groan, Danny grabbed Cass by the hips, holding her as still as he could.

“Cass….”

With a smile, Cass wiggled in Danny’s grasp, teasing another moan from him. Leaning forward, she whispered in his ear.

“Danny…I need you to let go of my hips now.”

With a groan of defeat, and another of pleasure, Danny did as asked. Cass proceeded to lower herself over him, smiling in victory. Keeping her hands on his shoulders, Cass rode him slowly, enjoying the feeling of him filling her. As he tried to grab her hips again, this time to speed her up, she stilled.

“Ah, not today, my love. Be still, its my turn.”

At this, Cass slide off his dick, before turning to ride him reverse. She smiled and moaned as she felt his hands on her ass. She rode him slowly, torturing him as she got closer to her own release. One hand on the bed in front of her, the other began rubbing circles around her clit, occasionally slipping down to fondle his balls, drawing gasping moans which she loved. Finally coming apart on his dick, Cass once again took herself off of him. Now laying on her stomach between his legs, Cass began to jerk him off, her mouth and tongue dancing across his dick and balls. As she felt him getting closer, she raised herself up so that her breasts were presented as he came, coating them in his cum. She pouted when he grabbed her hand, preventing her from her preferred cleaning method, and together they went to clean up.

Pulling her into a kiss, Danny assessed her ecto.

“If hadn’t already, the tie has loosened. Tomorrow, we’ll take Jason and have the two of you spar, see what makes itself known.”

“What are you expecting?”

Making their way back to bed, Danny laid back, Cass climbing to her spot.

“Hmm, overshadowing, ectoblasts, body modification, and maybe shadow-merging.”

“Why those?”

“The first two are standard, and the last two are basically the same thing. Shadow-merging is just the Core-specific skill you have to compliment body modification.”

“What are the criteria for control?”

“For the first two, being able to do them voluntarily. Its hard to separate going through someone and going in them at first, and ectoblasts can be hard to fire, as Jason found out. For merging, it would be fitting somewhere smaller than you, as well as not darkening the shadow.”

“How will we practice overshadowing?”

“Hm, we’ll probable need to ask Tim and Steph to help.”

“…isn’t that a little….”

“Not really. Anyone with a strong will can throw you out fairly easily. As long as yall don’t try to make them do embarrassing things, there shouldn’t be any bad effects. It will actually help speed the production of their proto-Cores.”

“…mkay.”

Seeing she was drifting, Danny began stroking Cass’s hair.

“Good night, my love.”

“…night, love you.”

The next day, after a morning spar, in which Jason flaunted his already developing ectoblasts, Danny realized something that made him cringe.

“So, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”

“…./…..”

“Alright, good news it is: I noticed you both are healing faster than before, which means your healing factor is coming in. This is a set skill, along with super-strength and -senses, and all are simple to train. In addition, the training will be good for all your new skills, except overshadowing”

“…./…..”

“….”

“Just give us the bad news, kid.”

“The only way to train these skills is by needing them.”

“…meaning?”

“Meaning you need to need advanced notice of attacks, rapid regaining of fighting capabilities, and great strength.”

“….So we need to get our asses kicked.”

“Bingo!”

At his apparently ‘overenthusiastic” response, Jason and Cass traded looks. Cass was the one to ask Danny.

“How?”

With a smile, Danny answered.

“We’re going to meet Skulker.”

Chapter Text

Letting Bruce know not to expect them for a few days, the halfas headed to the Realms. After dropping Ellie off with Dora, they kept flying along. Jason was the first to notice their destination.

“Please tell me we’re not going to skull island.”

“…Can’t do that, Jason.”

“Dammit kid.”

Hovering just outside the islands boarder, Danny flared his Core and waited.

“Whelp.”

Cass and Jason stared at the ghost-robot as Danny spoke him, explaining what he was after.

“…and I don’t know anyone more suited than you. What do you think?”

“…I do miss hunting you. And I haven’t had anyone good to hunt. You know, you were the one of the only ones to notice any of my new weapons in decades?”

“Let me guess, Technus was the other?” Danny teased. Cass and Jason could feel the hunters embarrassment as he forcefully diverted the conversation.

“So, you just want me to play with the new halfas?”

Growing serious, Danny looked his former enemy in the eye, Crown and Ring blazing into existence.

“Nope. Skulker, Greatest Hunter of the Realms, I, King Phantom, bring you a bounty. Bring me the two halfas I am releasing on your island. At such a time, for each, I will offer a boon. As long as they remain formed, their condition matters not. The deadline is 5 days. Do you accept the hunt given?”

Skulker stiffened, the joy of Obsession chased gleaming from his core. Jason and Cass grew nervous, floating back. The hunter knelt.

“I accept.”

“Good. Return to your Lair. I will release them, and the hunt will begin in 5 minutes.”

Skulker flew off instantly, and Danny turned to the other two.

“His island is endless to those who flee. Only by defeating him can you escape before the 5 days are up.”

“…what did you mean by ‘formed’”

Danny looked at Jason.

“It means not so damaged that you retreat to your Core. Skulker is good at what he does, and can calculate his attacks to the maximum. If you actually make it to day 5, I will be impressed. Now,” Danny seized them both with his aura, sending them flying to separate sides of the island, his voice following them. “This will be 2 days Earth-side, and I will be watching. Good luck.”

It took Skulker 4 days to bring them both in. Jason and Cass had joined up on day 1, and hadn’t realized until day 3 that Skulker wanted them together. Easier to track. They had both mastered ectoblasts, could form a tail at will, and had their body enhancements (healing, strength, and senses) growing nicely. Surprisingly, Cass had learned to spike a shadow, locking the caster in place, and Jason had made good progress on shields. Cass had formed a shield once, but it was instinctive, so more practice was needed. Cass could merge with shadows, but darkened them more the smaller they were. All in all, Danny counted it as a win.

“Very well done, Skulker. Your boons are granted, simply name them.”

“…I wish to save one, my King. But for the other….I wish to hunt in the Living Realm. Is there any way I could?”

“….There are those who do not respect the rule of the hunter: take a little, leave a little. I know Starvation drove you to hunt me, but I have seen the true spirit of a hunter in you. I grant you permission to journey the human realm, hunting the poachers who seek to take and take, until nothing is left. Do you accept this as a boon granted?”

“I do, my King.”

“Very well. I will place a marker for you to portal to. As an advisor to your hunt, I will introduce you to Damien Wayne, brother to the new halfas. He knows much of the poachers and can guide you to fruitful hunting grounds.”

Finishing with the hunter, Danny finally looked to his fellow halfa.

“So, how was y’all’s week? Come on, I set something up you should both enjoy.”

Ignoring the glares being thrown at his back, Danny led the group to his Keep. Entering, and heading deeper than either of them had gone, he smiled as he felt their hostility give way to curiosity, then to wonder.

“Welcome to the Springs! A combination of ecto, herbs, and Far Frozen magic, it’s just what the doctor ordered!”

Jason looked around, and spoke.

“This is nice and all, kid, but I don’t think your forgiven quite-“

“Hey Jason! Danny, Cass hello!”

Jason choked on his words as he spun to see Jazz who had greeted them. She was walking over, wearing a teal one-piece with its sides cut out

“Danny told me about your training. I swear, it’s like he doesn’t remember how bad Skulker’s missiles hurt. Anyway, I told him he should bring you guys here.”

Grabbing Cass and Jason’s hands, Jazz kept talking as she pulled them along.

“If you come over here, they have swimsuits. Get changed!”

Pushing them forward, Jazz kept the smile on her face until they left. Turning to face Danny, she panicked.

“Danny! You said we were going to go over the plan today! Why is Jason here! I’m not ready for this!”

“Jazz! Chill. If we wait for you to ‘be ready’ we will have all Faded. Just do like we talked about, show him around, and it’ll be fine. I promise.”

“….I know, little brother, it just….I really like him, and I…what if I say the wrong thing? Or get caught up analyzing everything?”

“If you mess up, work to fix it. As a great bug sister once told me ‘communication is key.’ Jason’s a good guy.”

“…Thanks, Danny.”

A few minutes later, the group gathered. Jason had picked a pair of basic black shorts, while Cass had a cover up concealing her swimsuit. With a clap, Danny directed the group.

“Jason, Jazz will be showing you to the hotter side of the Spring. I can’t go over there for long, my Core throws the place off.”

Jason blushed, before offering his hand to Jazz.

“Shall we go?”

“…Lets.”

Watching them walk off, Danny turned to Cass, bowing and offering his hand.

“And for you, my lady, please follow me. The colder side of the spring will serve your Core the best.”

“…Lead the way, my love.”

Cass spoke with a fond sigh. Danny led them for a few minutes, before coming to a fork in the hallway, Turning to Cass, he presented the options.

“Would the lady prefer a massage, or a soak?”

“hmm…maybe the massage first?”

“Very well. This way.”

Guiding them down the right hallway, they soon came to a series of rooms. Danny led them into the last, gesturing to the table in the room’s center.

“If you would.”

Cass moved toward the table, slipping out of her cover as she did. Danny appreciate the sight of her backless one piece suit, before taking a bottle off of a shelf.

“This oil is Core-type specific, and should help ease some of the stress to your form.”

As she went to lay down, Cass paused at the edge of the table. Looking over her shoulder, she offered Danny a wink as she slide the band of her suit over her head, allowing it to pool at her feet as she moved to lay facedown on the table.

Danny, after a moments daze, began his massage. Spreading the oil over his hands, he began working it into her shoulders, back, and arms. Cass let out a satisfied moan as the oil soothed her bruised body, not to mention her ego. As Danny’s hands slowly worked their way down her body, she tensed as his hands ghosted over her ass….just for his to move down, grasping her foot. Her displeasure faded as he slowly rubbed one foot, then the other, before he began working his way u her calves, to her thighs. She felt herself shiver as he worked her upper thighs, his hands brushing over her core before moving on. She gasped as he gripped her ass, working the oil into her skin.

“Roll over, my lady.”

Moving as told, slowly due to her muscles feeling like jelly, Cass enjoyed watching his eyes rove over her body. Taking her hand, he resumed his massage, being just as thorough as before, even as Cass watched him look at anything but his work. Having finished her arms, he moved down, working her legs again. Cass waited, desperately wanting his hands to take up a different job as they worked back up her thighs. Only to huff as he skipper up to her neck, a smile on his face as he saw her expression. Moving down her neck, he traced his hands gentle over her collarbone, before drawing a gasp as he oiled her breasts. Rolling his fingers over her hardened nipples, Cass found herself fidgeting, rubbing her thighs together as her alternated between palming her breast and targeting her nipples. He finally moved on, tracing her abs slowly, before diving lower, his fingers easily gliding over her clit and into her. One hand on the naval, the other worked her, fingers sliding in and out while his thumb teased her clit. Soon enough, she was arching off the table, his prolonged teasing making her cum hard. Letting her relax, Danny slowly cleaned his hands before lifting her up, bringing her back down the hall to the baths. Laying her in one of the specialty tubs, with a headrest, Danny positioned her head so that he could sit behind her. He grabbed another bottle, filling his hand before he began working it into her hair. Cass sighed, all but asleep, as she enjoyed her pampering. As Danny completed her treatment, and Cass drifted off, she muttered a question to herself, not seeing Danny freeze as she spoke.

“I wonder if this is why Jazz went with Jason…”

A few hours later, the halfas returned to the manor just after breakfast. Seeking out Damien, Danny handed him a token, and told him about the deal he made with Skulker.

“…So you mean I can utilize this token to summon a ghost hunter, with whom I will work to track and punish poachers?”

“Well, punish may not be the right word.”

“And what word would you use, Danny?”

“Eliminate.”

“…And, based on what law can he do so?”

“The laws of nature, and that of the hunt. In addition, I’m Keeper of the Living Realms, not Keeper of the Humans. I have allowed it, so its allowed.”

“….Thank you, Danny.”

As the boy left the room, Tim entered.

“I don’t want to know, do I?”

“Probably not. Plausible deniability and all.”

“Solid. Now, you were saying something about needing help with ghost school?”

“Yee. The babies need practice overshadowing people. You in?”

“…..Promise they won’t make me do anything stupid?”

“I do, but don’t worry. Your will is strong enough to be aware, and throw them out if needed. You think Steph would help?”

“Probably, but I would rather you not ask. She has…issues with being controlled.”

“Fair enough. Let’s go.”

Within the day, Cass and Jason had a good grasp on overshadowing, and Jason left the training room. Adjusting the lighting, Cass continued to work on shadow- merging, and got it soon enough.

“With that, you should have mastered all your new powers.”

“How can you tell?”

“Eh, mostly a feeling. And looking at your Core, it looks….full, I guess? No left over power, everything’s contained, therefore controlled.”

“And how do you tell when the next tie will loosen?”
“Its like….a depth to your Core. I can look, and see how much until it overflows again.”

Pulling him into a kiss, Cass feels his breath escape their lips.

“And?”

“It’s a bigger jump this time. I’d say…two months? Give or take a week.”

At this Cass smiled, and Danny softly bopped her head.

“Out of the gutter, Odette. I get the feeling your first task is coming. We need to work on expanding your Haunt. Jason should finish claiming the Alley tonight, so tomorrow will be y’all’s first time out in ghost-form. It’s time Gotham’s ghost knew you both.

Patrol had gone normal enough, at first. Oracle had reported that, while no major Rouge was active, plenty of smaller criminals were out. It wasn’t until just after midnight that everything changed. With Phantom jumping onto the comms.

“Batman, get everyone to the Clock tower. Signal included.”

“Phantom, report.”

“It’s time for Gotham to appoint the first task. Signal made me promise to get him up if it happened on patrol.”

“Copy. Everyone, convene at the Clock Tower ASAP. Oracle, get Signal up.”

Within the half-hour, the Bats had gathered. As Phantom and Black Bat faded into view, a flash of light left Danny where Phantom had been, but he was….different. Tim was the one to question, always wanting more info.

“Phantom, why do you look….like that?”

“This is my form as Keeper of the Living Realms.”

“And the abject feeling of impending doom and general sense of ‘ohh god what’s that’?”

“As near as I can tell, this form amps my connection to Life to the max, which is not how true living things are. Just don’t try to look too long, and you’ll keep your sanity.”

“Cool. Cool, cool, cool. And why did you get the message for this happening now?”

“Gotham reported that the task was to ‘fulfill a debt to the Living’, therefore it fell under my authority as Keeper.”

“Too true, Honored Keeper.”

As the words rang through the Tower, the Bats readied themselves to fight. Lady Gotham faded into view, a look of fondness on her face as she surveyed her Knights. Where the other’s were nervous, Red Hood and Black Bat could feel the genuine affection the spirit held for their family. Looking at Black Bat, Gotham declared the task to her chosen.

“One of my Knights has fallen, disrupting the balance within our city. He has perverted his position of Insanity. You know of who I speak. Your task is to deliver him to Justice. As he has defiled the Living, it is to the Keeper of the Living Realm you must turn him too, for a fair punishment. Keeper, please inform my Knight’s of the specifications to their sister’s task.”

“…Young Lady, and Knights, of Gotham, hear my decree: Bring me the Joker, alive, so that I may deliver Justice for the fallen. Your task will be completed before the new moon, 10 days from now.”

“There you have it, my Knights. Complete this task, and your Young Lady’s authority over Gotham will be nearly half my own.”

As her final words faded, so to did Gotham. Immediately, Danny shifted back to Phantom, swaying in the air. Nightwing caught his shoulder.

“You ok?”

“Yeah, the Keeper is… intense. I don’t shift that way often, and it can be a little weird.”

“So sit down, and explain to us what just happened, from your POV. I’m sure there were some things we missed.”

“Alright…So first off, sorry for the short time limit, but things like this, tasks between two spirits, are constrained by old laws. The new moon signifies beginnings and ends, so that’s the furthest I could push it.”

“Don’t worry,” batman spoke, not wanting the boy to feel bad, “Joker’s currently in Arkham. Being as this is an extra-dimensional issue, I can have the Justice League draft a extradition order by morning.”

“Don’t bet on it, Bats,” Danny shook his head, “Fallen or not, Joker’s still a Knight of Gotham. He would have sensed, on some level, the danger he is in, and the fall from Lady Gotham’s grace. I bet he’s already on his way out.”

An alarm punctuated his words. Oracle read her screens, confirming his words.

“Joker broke out. Guards are reporting this was nothing like usual: no build up, no mass chaos. He basically brute-fisted his way out.”

As Batman went to order his family on the hunt, Phantom stopped him.

“Wait, Batman. I need you all to understand, this isn’t going to be like usual. Expect to Joker to be ruthless. No jokes, no complex plays. He’s fighting to survive, whether he knows it or not, not to play his usual game of “Tempt the Bat.” Expect the level of carnage that always results when he turns his eyes on anyone other than you.”

At this, Danny looked at Barbara and Jason, before meeting Batman’s eyes. He could see that he got the message.

“…What do you advise? I can’t just let him run.”

“Get the order from the League. And let whoever you need to know to lock down the city. The less people on the streets, the lower we can keep the count.”

“Wait,” Robin cut in, “Phantom, didn’t you say you could see the shades attached to Joker? Surly he won’t be that hard to find.”

“I can, but,” with a frustrated sigh, Phantom pulled at his hair, “I can’t assist in your task, not that directly. You will have to find him with the skills you have. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t tell you how to find him with what you have. I’m sorry, it’s just….”

“Tt, enough. Your situation was not your choice. Don’t apologize for what you can’t control.”

“…Thanks, Robin. Now, I have to go, I can’t be here while you work.”

Before he could leave, Black Bat grabbed his arm. Dismissing her hood, she pulled him into a kiss, ignoring her family’s reaction. Breaking away, she rested her forehead against his for a moment.

“Believe in me.”

“….Always.”

After Phantom left, Spoiler chimed in.

“Ok. Hood, Black Bat, what are all of your sensory powers, big or small?”

“…ok? I can see ecto, both ambient and otherwise, and sense its ‘vibes’.”

“I can also sense it, but not see it. I can also view see non-ecto containing entities, like spirits, echoes, and shades. Why?”

“Because Phantom said, twice, to use what we had. Which means we have what we need. Black Bat, could you track Joker by his shades?”

“…Not at a distance. I’d have to be close, a couple blocks at most.”

“And Hood, could you start at his cell and trace the ecto? I’m guessing that many shades would cause some bad vibes.”

“…Maybe. Depends on if I can separate it from whatever other vibes Arkham tosses at me.”

“Perfect. Yall start there, while we work on the more mundane methods. Sound good, Bats.”

Batman looked at his children, and agreed with Spoiler’s plan, a note of pride in his voice. As the ghosts took flight, he directed the others.

“Go. Good catch, Spoiler. As for the rest of us, Oracle. Reach out to the Commissioner. Have him meet Nightwing and Red Robin to discuss securing the city. Robin, head up to the Watchtower to get the extradition order. Be respectful, but we need it by morning.”

“And who is on duty now, Father?”

“…Captain Marvel.”

“He is adequate.”

“Good. Spoiler and myself will begin patrol, starting from the docks, and working out way around Gotham. Nightwing and Red Robin, start spiraling out from the police station when you finish your meeting. Signal, get some sleep, we will need you come morning. If anyone gets a lead, report immediately. As Phantom said, this is the end and Joker knows it. We know what he has done, in this timeline and others, so don’t think you can take him. Dismissed.”

As she flew across the city, Black Bat switched to the League channel on her comm.

“Watchtower, this is Black Bat.”

“Black Bat, this is Captain Marvel. Everything ok? I’ve never had anyone but Batman and Nightwing ring me from Gotham.”

“Everything is under control. I need you to pass a message to Constantine. He is needed in Gotham, now.”

“Ummm, I’ll let him know, but he’s a little…difficult to get a hold of.”

“Tell him I am the one who called. He will know why.”

“Ok, one cryptic message, on its way. Anything else?”

“Only to expect Robin soon, and thank you. Black Bat, out.”

On the Watchtower, Captain Marvel was shocked when Constantine answered his comm quickly.

“What.”

“John, its Marvel.”

“What can I do for you, kid?”

“John….”

“*sigh* aight, aight. What can I do for you, Marvel.”

“…A message for you. Get to Gotham, from Black Bat.”

“Bloody hell. I’m on my way. She say anything else?”

“Just that everything is under control, and to get you there soonest.”

“Alright. I’m on my way.”

“John…is everything ok?”

“Not ok, but better than it usually is for me. Don’t worry, kid, I’ll give you the story when its all said and done.”

“…ok, I’ll hold you to that. Marvel, out.”

Chapter Text

It was the next morning, and the Bats gathered in the cave to share the results of the night, Constantine joining them. Frustratingly, none of them had found any leads.

“I tried Arkham, but the ecto was too fucked up, I couldn’t get any leads.”

“An’ I tried speaking to the local shades, but Joker’s a Knight of Gotham too. No one and nothing in this bloody city takes to outsiders well.”

As they brainstormed, Alfred entered the cave, bringing breakfast. He had been sleeping, and now stood reading over the case file.

“Master Bruce, am I to understand that you all only discussed the details of the case in the Clock Tower, Watchtower, and here?”

“Yes, Alfred.”

With a sigh, Alfred walked to the Bat-Computer, sending a singular message.

“Must you always hold things so close to the chest, Master Bruce?”

As Alfred chided the man, and everyone else was simply confused, Superman flew into the Cave.

“How can I help you, Alfred?”

Handing the man the file, Alfred smiled at his stunned charges.

“Only discussing the case in sound-proof location tends to help, but can also prevent valuable assets from knowing they may be needed. Apologies, Master Bruce, but this trumps your dislike of outside interference.”

“…..Right as always, Alfred. Superman, can you hear the Joker?”

Finishing reading the file, and astounded by what Cass was going through, Superman nodded.

“Let me get outside.”

“Clark, wait. As the file said, Joker isn’t holding back. We know what he has done to you before, so please. Just locate him, we will take care of the rest.”

“..No problem, Bruce.”

As Superman left to find their target, Cass turned to Constantine, shifting to human.

“Thank you for coming, Constantine. We will take it from here”

“…No problem, girly. It’s all in the contract.”

“…If you say so.”

“Now, before I head off, where’s his Kingliness? I figured he’d be all over you in concern.”

“…I think being here, but unable to help is hurting him. He’s around, but…”

“…but can’t stay to close. Makes sense, must’a hurt, being able to help, but not.”

With that, the mage left. The Bats headed upstairs, everyone but Duke more than ready for a rest. They met up with Superman, or rather Clark, in one of the sitting rooms.

“He’s in the sewers, near the old chemical plants. He’s planning on wiring bombs throughout the city, but is waiting on supplies that should be arriving tonight.”

“Thank you Clark. Duke, I want you to head out. Keep an eye out for any movement, but do not engage. We will take him tonight.”

“Loud and clear, Bruce.”

With that, Duke headed back to the cave, and Signal was soon seen swinging through the city.

Signal was approaching the end of his shift. One more hour, and then back to the Cave for the planed takedown meeting. And he fully intended to do that. Until three very important things happened. First, Joker set out. Apparently, his shipment was early. Following the Rouge, Signal reported the change to Oracle. After that, the second thing happened. As he surveyed the Joker, a few blocks down from the building he perched on, he spotted the Sirens leaving the building under him. Quickly pulling his phone out, he messaged Selina, and he watched her search for him, their eyes meeting. Soon enough, the women joined him.

"What’s up, Stoplight?"

"Harley. Just wanted to keep you all out of the way."

Gesturing down the street, he saw the woman spot her ex.

“Gross. Thanks for the heads up.”

“Signal, you seem more…tense than usual. What’s happening?”

Exchanging a glace with Selina, Signal gave an abbreviated explanation to Ivy. When he finished, Harley didn’t hesitate.

“Lets go! The four of us can take him.”

As the woman cheered, Signal thought, clicking his comms off. Joker may be expecting the Bats, but the Sirens were another story. And tactically, they had the advantage. Joker was waiting for his bombs down an alley that ran next to the Botanical Gardens. Looking at Ivy, he asked.

“Anything in that part of the gardens that would help?”

“Hmm, yes. There is a large amount of creeping plants there. Get me closer, and distract him for a few moments, and he is ours.”

“Think this over, kitten. You know how Batman will react, no matter how well this goes.”

“True.” Clicking on his comms, he asked Oracle. “Hey, on a scale of listening when he benches me, to 8 heads in a duffle bags, how much would you say Batman is done with my shit right now?”

“….Closer to the former. What are you doing?”

“Thanks!” With that, Signal removed his comm. Smiling at the ladies, who looked as ready for this as he was, Signal remembered the last important thing. He may be Signal, responsible hero who listens to Batman, but he was also Duke Thomas, gang leader and Robin from a Gotham cut off from the rest of the world.

Sighing in her Tower, Oracle gave up trying to get Signal on comms. Searching any camera she could hack, she spotted him…and the Sirens? They were traveling by rooftop, and she soon spotted their target. Hand hovering over the emergency alarm, she hesitated as she saw a flash light her screen. Signal had dropped into the alley. The lights, enhanced with a ghostly aura thanks to Danny, fried the camera. As she desperately searched for a new angle, Oracle froze as she got a new view, before hitting a less emergent alarm.

Gathering in the Cave, Bruce silently reassured himself that this wasn’t an emergency. One of his children was not out there, alone and with the Joker. That the alarm called for assembly, not action. And he tried to ignore the voice that knew Barbara would make this call if action would be too late. He had arrived in the cave, an additional notice from Oracle that she had dispatched the Bat-Mobile remotely, and for them all to stand-by. As he watched the screen, tracking the car as it made its way back, he desperately avoided the thought of what he would find in it. Oracle’s voice finally gave him relief, if not along with more questions.

“Signal, and Siren’s, inbound. All are stable, and safe.”

“The hell are the Sirens doing with Flashlight?”

Under Hood’s annoyed growl, they could all hear the fear, and relief, in his voice. Around the room, everyone relaxed. As the Bat-Mobile entered the cave, they all watched as it parked, before the passengers disembarked.

“Heya, B-man! Baby Bats, how are yall doin? Aunty Harley brought you a present, all wrapped up with a bow.”

Ivy and Selina exited a little quieter, greeting the Bats. As Signal walked towards the trunk, he smiled at Batman.

“So anyway, some things happened, and I had to go a little off script.”

“….”

Opening the trunk, everyone but the Sirens froze. Harley started cackling as Signal dropped Joker, bound neck to feet in vines, a large knot evident on his head.

“Can someone get Phantom? We brought him something.”

Joker secured, and Cass fetching Danny, Batman turned his glare on his son, fiancé, and her friends. Much to his annoyance, none of them looked even vaguely contrite.

“Signal. You had your orders.”

“I did, but a unique opportunity presented itself.”

“you could have been hurt.”

“True, but it was also a perfect situation. He hadn’t received his shipment, knew it was too early for you to be out, and the Sirens gave me the advantage.”

“…”

“Listen, we all know he isn’t playing by his usual rules. He acted in daylight, and you know that he never does that. Acting solely at night is part of the game. He was prepared for me, you know? As soon as I dropped on him, he began trying to stick a dampener on me. Ivy had no trouble getting a vine on him, and Harley hit him before he could figure out she was there.”

“…”

“come on, B-man, Cut the kid some slack. If he hadn’t warned us, we was headin to the park anyway. Who knows what that bastard would have done to us? And Stoplight told us a bit about what’s goin on. We are happy to help your little girl with her troubles, even if he didn’t give us the whole story. Now, can we get upstairs already? I’m dyin of hunger, and want some of Alfred food. Pleeeease?”

Waving the Sirens off, he accepted a kiss on the cheek from Selina as she passed. Turning his eyes to Signal, he sighed, giving up on his lecture.

“No patrol for 2 weeks.”

“That’s fair.”

“And your grounded.”

“Sucks, but ok.”

“And your coming with me to the next 5 galas.”

“Bruce, no! I swear, I won’t do it again, promise.”

“….”

“Okay, that was a lie, I’ll admit. But really, 5?”

“Go get changed, Signal.”

Watching everything wrap up, the BatKids sat in a stunned silence. Muttering to himself as he headed to get some food, Nightwing broke the silence.

“I always forget the batshit things that kid does.”

Moving to the where the Joker lay bound, he began dragging him to a holding cell.

“I’ll get him secured. All of you, get upstairs. Until Danny lets us know how to proceed, we wait.”

Tossing the Joker into a cell, he decided to leave him bound. Closing the heavy door, he further decided to take no chances. Grabbing a welding laser Danny had made, he welded the door shut. Three of the people in the house could phase, any of the could get him out.

Danny listened in bewilderment as Cass and Duke explained how Joker had come into their possession. Letting out a laugh, he turned to the rest of the room, filled with Bats and Sirens.

“Dr. Quinn, Dr. Isley, its nice to meet you. My sisters each follow your works, on both sides of the law, and I have heard great things from Selina. I’m Danny, Cass’s fiancé.”

Cass blushed, realizing this was the first time Danny had introduced her as such, as the Sirens returned his greeting.

“Nice ta meetcha, kid, call me Harley. Selina told us about you too. You best treat Lil’Miss Bat well, you hear?”

“Be nice, Harls. You can call me Ivy, Danny. It’s nice to meet you too. I can sense a little of the Green on you, and it likes you.”

“Oh, that would be my sister, Sam. She was adopted by the ghost of the Green, and it left a mark on her. In turn, her spells on me left a mark as well.”

“….I think I would like to meet your sister. The Green can be…a lot, and it would be nice to meet someone else it has touched.”

“She will be thrilled, I’ll let her know and get back to you.”

Clearing his throat, Bruce gathered everyone’s attention.

“Danny, what needs to happen now? Dick secured the Joker downstairs.”

“Now, Cass, Jason, and myself will handle it. Your welcome to watch, but don’t interfere.”

Standing, Danny shifted to Phantom, drawing shocked gasps from the Sirens, who hadn’t seen it before. Jason and Cass followed suit, with Cass shifting to her Gotham aspect. Phasing through the floor, Danny heard Dick start explaining to the Sirens what they had witnessed.

Entering the sealed cell, Phantom shifted to the Keeper. With a gesture, Danny removed the vines that bound the now awakened Joker, his powers now holding the man aloft and still. Turning to Young Lady Gotham, the Keeper spoke.
“You have performed well. The ingenuity of your Knights has led to you completing your task much quicker than expected, and reducing any further harm to the Living Realm.”

“Thank you, Keeper. I now leave the Joker to your Justice.” Young Lady Gotham bowed, before stepping back. Her part done, shadows gathered and left Black Bat in their wake. Turning to the Joker, the Keeper delivered his Judgement.

“Joker, you have harmed the Living. The destruction on your wake exceeded your authority as a Knight of Gotham. As such, you have been delivered to me. And I punish you with Retribution.” With a grasp, the Keeper pulled, tearing the Joker’s soul from his body. Ecto gathered around the soul, a Core forming. Taking the Core in his grasp, the Keeper held his hand out to Red Hood. “Your gun, Knight.”

Hesitating, Red Hood complied.

“Worry not, Knight. I would not burden you with awareness of this souls crimes.”

Hitting the release, the Keeper caught the magazine as it fell from the gun. Hood hadn’t thought to remove the magazine before, as his ecto provided the bullets. The magazine had three slots in it, and the Keeper fitted the Jokers Core into one. As he replaced the magazine and retuned the gun, he explained more.

“By placing his Core in the Gun, I sentence him to Retribution everlasting. There is no escape, no external connection, even to Retribution’s wielder. He will experience the harm he has done for all time. The only release will be Ending, and he will only End if he feels true remorse for each and every crime. If that time comes, his Core will vanish, opening his spot back up for another Core.”

Looking to the Joker’s body, the Keeper lit it with ectoplasmic fire, reducing it to nothing with a flash. Shifting back to Phantom, he smiled at his companions, before leading them out to the Cave, where all the others had gathered to watch. Dropping to a chair, Danny appeared in a flash.

“There you go, Bruce. He’s gone, facing true Justice. And there’s no way back, nothing can reach, summon, or resurrect him.”

Waving his hand, a wisp of white light traveled from him to Cass.

“And that, Odette, is Gotham’s reward. Authority, equal to about half of Lady Gotham’s. In addition, it should allow you more influence over your Knights. Hopefully, that will keep the Rouge’s calm once Joker’s death is confirmed”

As Danny dozed, he failed to notice the mood around the table for a few minutes. Eyes cracked, he finally took in the looks on everyone’s faces. With a smile, he shifted to the Keeper. As he spoke, his voice was heard all over the city.

“People of Gotham, rejoice. I speak to you on behalf of Gotham. Fear not, for I want nothing of you. I bring news of an evil felled. The Joker is dead, Judged by a higher court for his crimes against the Living. A record of his demise, as witnessed by Batman, will be delivered to your city soon. He will not return, and I invite the city in a moment of mourning for all those he took from you, and then, I hope, take a moment of joy for a safer future. To the other’s who think to harm this city, beware you are not Judged.”

Shifting back to Danny, he felt the shock of the city, before a swell of joy washed over him. The outpouring of emotion almost knocked Cass and Jason to their knees, and could be felt by all the Knights of Gotham. While all those on the side of Light took comfort, the ones who stood for Darkness felt terror. While none of them had gone to the extreme of Joker, they still feared Judgement, and collectively decided to tone it down, at least until they knew more.

Waking the next mornings, Cass laid on Danny as he slept. The events yesterday seemed unreal. It had seemed too…easy. Once Danny awoke, she expressed as much to him.

“Is this really ok? It seemed too easy, too simple.”

“Hey, Odette, sometimes life is like that. Imagine if Duke hadn’t stumbled upon Joker. If he had gotten those bombs, who knows what would have happened. Thousands of lives could have been lost.”

“I know, it’s just…”

“If you want, we could see?”

“What do you mean?”

“Hey, Clockwork!”

“Yes, my King?”

Turning, the halfas faced the Ancient.

“Would you show us what would have happened had Duke not caught the Joker?”

“Show, no, but I will tell you. There is no need to add to the horrors you have seen, my children. But I will say, this was by far the best outcome, as well as a relatively rare one. Has Duke not stopped the Joker, the most common outcome was half of Gotham lost, and some of your family as well, Cassandra. Although they continued as ghosts, it doesn’t change that they died. So enjoy your victory, as unexpectedly simple as it was. Farewell.”

Vanishing as quickly as he arrived, Danny turned to Cass, who seemed slightly reassured.

“I think that’s the straightest answer I’ve ever gotten from him, he must like you.”

Chapter Text

As they joined the others for a family breakfast, Danny asked Bruce a question.

“How long have Ivy and Harley know you were Batman.”

“Harley, since she was still with Joker. Ivy, since shortly after Harley and her started dating.”

“Really, Harley knew that long and never told Joker?”

“Yes, even at her worst, she knew better. Not to mention, Joker has known longer than Dick has been around.”

At everyone’s shouted questions, Bruce smiled sarcastically.

“You’ve all seen the giant Joker card in the Cave, and most have asked me about it. Early during my days as Batman, after a few battles with the Joker, I returned to the Cave one night to find a single playing card. I ran every test I could, and it was just a plain card. The one displayed is a reminder to always stay vigilant. The Joker referenced it several times himself. He never cared about Bruce Wayne. To him, there was only Batman.”

“That’s….really crazy, but I get it. Ghost can chase their Obsessions so hard, they completely block out less direct methods of achieving them.”

“Yes. And Harley had to tell Ivy after she saw that my name was on her apartment lease. As I recall, Ivy thought Harley was my sugar baby, and planned to kill me.”

Everyone stared, and burst out laughing. Bruce smiled, continuing after they calmed down.

“When Harley came to me, finally having left the Joker, I got her into that apartment. And, no matter how many times she relapsed, I kept it for her. Once her and Ivy were ready, I signed it over to them. They actually own the whole building.”

“Do any of the other Rouge’s know?”

“To my knowledge, just Harvey, Two-Face. It works out for him, though, for the duality of me being his friend and his enemy. He’s actually still my lawyer.”

As they headed out to enjoy the day, having decided to take Ellie and Damien to the zoo, Danny couldn’t shake the feeling something was going to happen. Walking through the zoo, he remained on alert.

“You ok?”

Cass had noticed his tension, as had Damien. Hearing his sister ask, Damien took Ellie ahead, out of earshot.

“I don’t know, I just feel like somethings going to happen.”

“Something… ghostly, or mundane?”

“Ghost.”

“Do you think-“

Cass words cut, as the voice of Gotham sounded in her mind.

“Cassandra, your next task is to manage the curses of Gotham. Prepare yourself, and take them from me. Until you do, the ties on your Core will not loosen. Your ecto will build, until you shatter and End.”
“-can you hear me, Cass!”

Coming back to her senses, Cass locked eyes with Danny. They had move to a secluded bench, and she saw Damien and Ellie looking at her with concern. Reassuring them she was ok now, she told Danny they could talk later. Taking her lead, they enjoyed their time at the zoo, retuning to the manor for dinner. After putting Ellie to bed, she told him what Gotham had tasked her with. Kissing her, Danny assessed her time limit.

“You’re about two months out. What are you thinking? Magic isn’t my area of expertise, but between Sam and Constantine, I’m sure we can think of something.”

“For now, I need more info.”

The next morning, Cass, Constanitine, and Sam gathered in one of the manor’s libraries. After introducing the mage to the witch, they began.

“Constantine, is there any way to identify the curses on Gotham?”

“Not at all, girly. There are so many, some of which are actually blessings, that they have formed a right ugly knot. Even just untanglin them would take centuries.”

“Cass, John, I’m just a plant witch, so forgive me if its no good, but is there any way to, I don’t know, cancel some of them out. Like, if a blessing and a curse negate each other, just toss them?

“No can do, kid. The whole cities a stack of stones. Remove the supports, and it all falls down.”

The three sat in silence, before Sam let out a huff.

“This is going nowhere. John, can we at least visualize the curses? They must have a lode, if we go there, and look at how they manifest, maybe that will help.”

“….That’s good thinkin, we’ll make a proper mage of you yet.”

With a scowl, Sam blushed, not use to adults praising her.

“Yeah, whatever, you wouldn’t know a proper mage if they kicked you.”

Heading out into the city, John somehow managed to be surprised when his locator spell took them to a graveyard near Gotham’s center. Entering the sewer, Sam tossed out a hand, looking ahead.

“There’s a Liminal space here. Wait a minute, I’ll get us in.”

Nicking her wrist, Sam let a few drops of green-flecked blood fall on a handful of seeds. Casting them to the ground, she grew the vines into an archway, green shimmering. John was impressed, but simply grasped her shoulder before stepped through, not wanting to embarrass the girl again.

“This is it. Give me a tick, and I’ll get the damn things to manifest.”

Looking around the room as the mage worked, Cass saw a wide space, maybe 150 feet across, shaped in a circle. The ground slopped towards the center, forming a bowl. With a flash, the trio watched as curses bled into view. Sam broke the silence.

“…It looks like liquid opal.”

“Yep, and each colour is a different curse. The blacks where there all blended together.”

And it did. Predominantly black, with flashes of color sparking throughout, it fell like a waterfall from the ceiling, pooling in the center of the room. The edges of the curses stopped about 5 feet from the walls. Walking the room, John examined the floor where the curses stopped.

“What’s this?”

The girls walked over to John, where he knelt.

“…Hm, seems like a circle. Probably the original attempt to contain all this.”

“Is it useful?”

“Maybe. Let me dismiss all this, and we can get a closer look.”

With a wave of his hand, the curses faded from view, allowing the mage to quickly copy down the circle as he spoke.

“It’s fairly basic, just a wall of magic. But maybe we can use it, make a few changes, whatever.”

Returning home, Cass and Sam shared what they had found. Everyone looked stumped, and Tim had questions, to no ones surprise.

“And you said the curses dripped of off Gotham when you saw her?”

“Yes, off her dress.”

“Does that mean magic is liquid?”

Constantine took that one

“Not at all, mate. Magic is energy, and only looks liquid when condensed.”

“Does it behave as water?”

“How so?”

“Can we divert it, so as to manage a little at a time?”

“Nah. Not that it can’t be diverged, but it’s an endless cycle. Whether she takes it on a little at a time, or all at once, no difference. No mater how you add it to the pot, the water comes back together in the end.”

“…What if we put it all in different pots?”

“Can’t. She’s Gotham, the curses are hers.”

“But we are her Knights, can’t she like, delegate.”

At this, John froze, his mind racing.

“…That might actually work.”

Everyone looked up, but Cass raised a hand, stopping their words.

“Would it hurt them?”

“…Yes. The curses would taint their minds.”

“Then think of something else.”

Her family protested, but John dropped it. Batsy could suck it up, she’s the boss. Suddenly, Alfred entered the room. Greating them, he headed over to a table, setting up a chess set.

“Good evening. I had removed this for polishing earlier.”

Walking out, the family began brainstorming. All but Tim, who stared at the set before cutting in.

“What about the Rouges?”

“…Drake. Explain.”

“John said it would taint our minds, but what about the Rouges? They are Gotham’s Knights too. Not to mention, he also said some of them were blessings. The main problem is everything’s all jumbled. What if we split everything between us and the Rouges?”

Everyone turned to the mage.

“…It may work. If we split everything to the most suitable, it shouldn’t affect anyone’s mind. No worse than all of you already are. With all of you lot destined to be ghosts as well, it would be a hell of a boost. The only problem, none of you have magic. The power left over would cause problems all its own.”

Cass thought to herself before asking.

“Could you take the magic?”

The mage shook.

“…Now that my souls all together, I could probably handle channeling it. But I have nowhere to put it, so same problem.”

“And if you had a proto-Core?”

“…Maybe? Magic is just an expression of ecto, so it should work. But I’ve never heard of any being havin that much magic in their Core.”

Turning to Jason, Cass gave her Fright Knight his first order.

“Sir Jason, please ask Lady Dora, Ghost Writer, and Frostbite to join us for breakfast tomorrow.”

Before he could move, a portal opened, and the three ghost in question entered.

“Lady Cassandra! Greetings. Clockwork asked us to visit you for tea.”

Frostbite took the lead greeting the room, while Dora gave Sam and Cass a hug, before turning to catch Ellie as she launched herself across the room. Alfred entered, bringing tea. Cass rolled her eyes, wondering how exactly Clockwork managed to interfere so often while keeping his word to Gotham back off. Quickly explaining her questions regarding magic and Cores to the trio she watched as they sank into thought.

“I have seen records in my library of Magic-Cores, but they were far in the past. I believe the advancement of science lead most to abandon magic.”

“True, Writer. I know of only a few in my Kingdom with Magic-Cores, and none with the power or purity this would result in.”

The two ghosts turned to Frostbite, who had remained silent, deep in thought as he surveyed the mage in front of him. John fidgeted under the Ancient’s scrutiny.

“…To my knowledge, here is one who has had a high level of magic in their Core, but I have not seen them in many years: The Ancient of Magic. Long ago, they set off to find the end of the Realms. I can sense they still Exist, but that is all. This would not put you on their level, but it is, at least, a precedence.”

Cass thought to herself, and then asked Dora.

“Dora, can I name someone to Danny’s Court?”

“Yes. As long as he didn’t protest, that is your right as his expected Queen.”

“And Sam, does Danny have any other magic users besides you on his Court?”

“Nope, just me as Witch Advisor.”

Cass turned to Constantine, thinking back to Jason’s Knighting.

“John Constantine, by my authority as promised Queen to King Phantom, High King of the Infinite Realms, I do offer you the position as Court Mage. You would be tasked with managing all magical issues as they pertain to the Crown, in conjuncture with Sam Nightshade, Witch Advisor to the King. Upon your Death, this Purpose would be assigned to your Core, until such a time that myself or the King dismiss it or you. By your acceptance, we will work to develop your proto-Core. Denial on your part will not affect your prior contract with Phantom. Do you accept?”

At her declaration, the three ghosts nodded, showing support for the girls words. Meanwhile, the BatKids all cooed their pride, making Cass blush. Throughout the speech, Constantine stood still, mind racing as he thought through every loophole and consequence, even as he hated himself for his hesitation.

“….Are you sure about this, girly? I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not the best bloke around. You sure you want to tie me to your family for eternity?”

Cass just smiled, and Sam slide up to the mage, elbowing his side.

“Come on, just say yes already. I would love someone else to help with all this magic crap. I said it before, I’m just a plant witch. I’d love the chance to learn more.”

“…I accept the position, your Highness.”

With a flash, Danny appeared in the room. Slapping his hand to John’s back, he took a few minutes focus to develop a proto-Core in the mage. Disappearing as quickly as he showed up, it was done. Rubbing his chest, John looked at Cass.

“Aight, someone give me some paper. I’ll have to make a hell of a circle to get this done, but you’ll have it.”

Cass headed up to her room after seeing Frostbite and the others off to the Realms. Ellie had gone along as well, planning to stay with Dora. Entering, Cass was happy to see Danny was still awake. Unable to spend too much time around due to her ongoing trial, the couple hadn’t seen much of each other that day.

“How’s everything going? Yall figuring it out?”

“Yes, but I do wonder; how is Clockwork justifying his actions as ‘minimal interference’?”

“Easy, he acts a little to prevent me from doing a lot.”

“And what, exactly, would be your solution, my love?”

“Kicking Gotham’s ass myself and delegating Darkness to you.”

“….Would that actually work?”

“Probably not, but a boy can dream.”

With a laugh she dragged him out of bed, pulling him to join her in the shower. She knew he would refuse anything more, and found herself content to fall asleep with him, secured in his arms.

It took Constantine just over a month, with the help of Zatanna, Captain Marvel, and Dr. Fate, to devise a working circle. Her family already onboard, Cass went to visit the Sirens. Other Rouges, aside, they at least deserved a honest talk. Explaining the task, as well as the risks, Cass stood to leave, intent on giving them time to think it over. She didn’t make it out the door before Harley wrapped her in a hug, with Ivy verbalizing their support.

Watching as the magic-users prepped the circle, Cass wondered about the other Rouges. Was it wrong, not to give them a choice? Expressing herself to Sam, the goth thought it over before speaking.

“When you summon them, give them a choice. Either accept this as their responsibility as a Knight, or give up the position. When the summons go out, the knowledge of their position and its perks go with it. Let them make the choice. To be Knights, they have to love this city, even if in a twisted way.”

Cass smiled, reassured that she would force no one. When John called out to her asking how many Knight’s she had, she was shocked when an instinctive “19” came to mind. She spent the better part of the next hour trying to name them, but never managed to get a solid list.

Soon enough, the circle was completed. As the other magic-users left, John explained how it would work.

“You call the Knights, and they can enter anywhere from Gotham. As they each fill the circles, the magic, reads ‘em, and starts assignin curses and blessings. Once they are all divvied up, you channel the curses through you and into them. The more Knights, the less burden on each. Easy day.”

Sam rolled her eyes. Watching and learning over the last month, she knew a bit of how over-simplified that was, if functionally correct. She chimed in.

“What John is not mentioning, is that he will be right here with you, siphoning of as much of the excess power as he can to ease the burden.

John blustered off, trying to hide the obvious concern in his eyes. Seeing the time, Cass made her way to the center of the circle, shifting into her Lady Gotham form.

“John, it’s time.”

As Sam left the Liminal space, John took up his spot in a smaller circle that touched hers. With a deep breath, unneeded but calming, Young Lady Gotham called to her Knights. To her delight, all but one answered.

Her family was first, each of them filling a circle as they entered the space. The Sirens came soon after. They had taken bets on what order the Rouges would enter, and all lost when Solomon Grundy was first, followed by Killer Croc. A few breaths later, Scarecrow appeared, then a strange ghost none of them knew. Looking closely, they spied the name “Arkham” stitched into his coat. Riddler, Two-Face, and Bane appeared at the same time. Staring at the last circle, which remained unfilled, Young Lady Gotham shivered and announced the removal of her final Knight.

“The Spirit of the Court of Owls has failed me.”

She saw her family react to the identity of the former Knight. Looking up, where she knew the curses flowed, she called out to Gotham.

“Give me your burden, Gotham. I am ready.”

Danny watched, unseen and unnoticed, as the curses slammed into Cass. He could feel her revulsion as they flowed through her, and into the circle. He could feel Constantine, desperately pulling more magic than he could handle out o the curses and into his body, to just a desperately stuff the energy into his proto-Core. He watched the curses swirl through the circle, waiting to flow into the best Knight. Flashes of light identified each Knight as White, Black, or Gray. As the circle worked its magic, the sludge separated into an uncountable number of threads, each their own shade and hue. The threads then began working towards the Knights. Danny could see as Cass’s ecto stained the circle, pushing the Knights without to finish developing their proto-Cores. The process was slow, and he could feel Cass’s determination, as well as that of her Knights. They all truly loved their city, even if some had no good way to show it.

To Cass, time felt endless. She had no idea how long it had been, she could only feel her progress, moving forward with no sense of time. Had it been hours, or days? The only thing she could feel, outside of the curses, which felt like they stained her Core black, were her Knights. She knew her family, could feel her love for them along every string of magic that connected them, but was shocked to feel the Rouges. In that endless spark of time, she understood the villains, as she had never been able to, or wanted to, before. And as she understood them, understood how they loved their city, she began to love them too.

John was burning, and damn him if he wasn’t the one pouring the gas. He could feel Cass, could sense her disgust at the curses flowing through her, and was determined to keep the power from adding a new burden on the kid. As the power flowed through him, he forced it into his proto-Core, not sure, or caring much, on if the damn thing had a limit.

It took 3 days to distribute the curses. Danny watched the whole process. Constantine had exited the circle 2 days in, after Cass had pulled it all in. He had spent the last day holding the circle together. As the curses were separated by the circle, a sludge had appeared, formed by the emotions that had gotten entangled in the countless magics. Constantine had been forced to basically burn the sludge off before it could damage the circle, and was approaching exhaustion. Finally, the last of the magic flowed out of the new Lady Gotham, and she shifted back to Cass, collapsing. Danny started o move to catch her, before forcefully halting himself at the circle’s boundary. Another 4 hours later, and the final strand of magic was absorbed by the Knights, who all collapsed as well. The spell finally finished, Danny moved among the fallen bodies, placing everyone more comfortable, but keeping them in their small circles.

Cass woke first, and Danny waited next to her, ready to help her rise. Looking at her Knights, Danny could feel her affection for them all, even if somewhat tempered by dislike towards the villains. Cass gestured for Danny to step back, before shifting into Young Lady Gotham.

“Awaken, my Knights.”

With a start, they did. The Bats handled it well, but the Rouges were stressed.

“I thank you all for answering my call to serve Gotham. You each have your own Purpose in our city, and in taking on a portion of Gotham’s curses, I hope to see you put forth your new abilities to serve Gotham even further in you role from here forth. But be warned, as the Joker went, so to can you if you overstep. My will is within each of you, follow it, and you need not fear Judgement.”

With a wave, Lady Gotham returned all her Knights to where they came. The nature of this Liminal space had allowed only hours to pass outside, a single night seeing the task done. As Cass stood there, Lady Gotham faded into view.

“Well done. Your authority now stands equal to my own. Rest well, for the next task will push you even more. It will give you complete control of Gotham, as well as infringe upon my authority as Darkness. I’m sure you already know what it is, but be warned: it must be completed before your next growth in power following the one that comes. Good luck, my daughter.”

As Gotham vanished, Cass’s power finally flagged, sending her fainting into Danny’s arms, human once more. As Danny lifter her, he shifted, and Phantom carried his princess home.

Chapter Text

The entire Batfam, plus the Sirens, slept, awakening just after lunch. As Danny had warned Alfred, they were ravenous, so the butler had prepared a full lunch. Constantine had awoken earlier, and left shortly after. As they finished lunch, they gathered in the sitting room, and Cass told them what Gotham had said after they left. The Sirens listened closely, hearing the tasks firsthand for the first time.

“So,” Steph asked, lying across Tim, Danny, and Cass on the couch, despite plenty of other places being available ”what’s the next task?”

Petting Steph’s head in her lap, Cass explained.

“The Court of Owls. The Spirit was a Knight, but refused the call.”

“Does that mean you have to dismantle them?”

Dick was the one to carry on the conversation, him and Damien the most familiar with the organization.

“No, unfortunately, that would just push them to form a new group. The spirit itself must be replaced, and through the new spirit’s influence, the Court will change to support Gotham.”

“Can you really say the Court ever supported Gotham?”

“Maybe not as a whole, but they are still pat of the city. At one point, they performed a service, no matter how misguided, that did some good for Gotham. It was only once Lady Gotham began to fall that the spirit got greedy. It changed the court to be more self-serving, trying to waken Gotham before striking.”

“And how do you plan to fix it?”

“Easy. After I beat the current spirit to the ground, I’m replacing them with Tim.”

The boy in question jumped to his feet, sending Steph tumbling to the ground.

“What!”

“What?”

“Why me? Why would you give Court to me?”

“To be the spirit, you have to fit the target. The Court is comprised of the affluent of Gotham, dedicated to leading Gotham from the shadows. They must make the hard decisions to ensure Gotham prospers, and seek to not be known. If you can steer them to caring more about the citizens, then I feel the Court can remain true to that purpose. None of us fit the criteria besides you, Damien, and Bruce. Bruce would never make the hard decisions, and Damien wouldn’t be willing to lose the battle to win the war. I know you are he best choice, Tim.”

At Cass’s casual assessment, not to mention faith in him, Tim had no rebuttal. He simply sighed before sitting, ignoring Steph’s look of irritation.

“Fine, sure, why not. Can I help you fight the spirit?”

“Of course.”

“Cool.”

As Tim settled, Bruce looked to Danny.

“Now that we carry a portion of Gotham’s curses, and out proto-Cores are developed, what can we expect?”

“First, I want you all to think about how much you love each other.”

“….”
“Seriously, think about it. Emotions change a lot when Core’s are involved.”

As expected, Dick was the first to comply. As the other’s followed suit, Danny waited until he could sense them all embracing their bonds.

“Now, know each other as family.”

With a rainbow of lights, and a bunch of shouting, bonds sprang up between all the members of the family. Paternal, sibling, and romantic, the bonds showed for just a few moments before fading, leaving all the humans wondering, while the halfa laughed.

“The first thing you can expect is to join a Fraid. Having a proto-Core will give you basic understanding of Ghost-speak, increased comfort in the Infinite Realms, ensure you return as a fully formed ghost upon your inevitable demise, and help ghosts identify you as friend or foe. Ivy, you can expect a closer relationship to the Green. As Knights of Gotham, as you grow more familiar with the curses and blessings you manage, you can draw power by inflicting or bestowing them upon others, but that’s a few years down the line at the earliest. You will be a little faster, a little stronger, and heal a little faster as well. You won’t get sick as often, if ever, and won’t need as much sleep. You will need more food, and a steady exposure to ecto, which Gotham easily provides. You won’t be able to spend to much time out of Gotham, and will begin to weaken after about 5 or 6 days away, unless given permission to leave by Cass, which will extend that limit to a few months.”

The Bats and Sirens mulled over what they had been told, before accepting it. Harley and Ivy rose, saying their goodbyes, and the Bats each went off, needing time to recalibrate their understanding of their place in the world. Heading back to their room, Cass collapsed onto the bed, making Danny laugh as he sat beside her.

“What’s going through your head, Odette?”

“Do I need to worry about the Owl attacking?”

“Not with me here, no. If they attacks you around me, I’m well within my rights as your partner to protect you, and beat them to a pulp.”

“That’s good, at least. Now, can you check how long I have until my Core loosens?”

Kissing her, Danny scanned her ecto.

“Hm, about 6 days.”

“And what can I expect, power-wise?”

“The rest of your type-powers, and any ecto-abilities that are you specific, like my Wail is for me. This should be the last awakening, with the one following being the final tie, and just a power-up at that point.”

“Will I definatly have a me-specific power?”

“Yes and no. All ghost have the potential for an individual power, but not all develop one. Some develop it immediately after forming, others years after. As far as I can tell, there is no reason to it.”

“Fair enough.” Rising from the bed, Cass began stripping as she moved to the shower, calling out to Danny as she went. “Now, come here. I want to cut those days in half.”

The next day, all hell broke loose. Cass had taken Ellie out to meet Jazz for lunch, and someone had recognized her. A single tweet mentioning Cassandra Wayne, a mystery child that looked like her, and an engagement ring had gone viral quickly. Thankfully, ecto had ruined any pictures, but the damage was done. Now Wayne Industries was calling Bruce for an official line, while the internet ran rampart with speculation. Unfortunately, Cass’s tendency to avoid the spotlight meant few appearances to prove she couldn’t have a four year old, and the questions everyone had were the same: who was the father, were they engaged, and why the secrecy? Bruce was conflicted, and finally reached out to Lois and Clark for help.

The next day, Danny and Cass sat with the reporters. The rest of the Batfam, along with Jazz and Selina, gathered around, while Ellie wrestled Titus on the floor.

“Danny, nice to meet you. I’m Lois Lane, Clark’s wife. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Lane.”

“Please, call me Lois. Now, we have a couple ways we can do this, and I want you two to decide which you want, ok? First, you guys meet a few years ago, spent the night together, and recently reconnected. Danny, you had no idea Ellie existed, and Cass, you had no way to contact him. Second, you guys have been together this whole time, but Danny was only recently able to come out to Gotham, and Ellie stayed with him. Finally, Cass had Ellie before being adopted by Bruce, and only recently reunited with her. This one works because of Cass’s original cover story, being abused and discovered. What do you guys think?”

Danny thought to himself for a few moments, before sighing.

“How long can we delay the story?”

“Honestly, only until someone IDs you. Once they get your name, everything’s out of our hands. Why?”

“Because, my parents. They know I’m in Gotham, but they don’t know about Cass, or Ellie. They don’t even know I’m Phantom.”

At this, everyone was shocked. The way Danny spoke, they figured his parent’s had discovered his secret, forcing him to flee. Cass grasped his hand, but didn’t push.

“I guess I never really spelled it out, did I? I left home about three months before I met Cass. Ever since my accident, I had been the standard ‘troubled teen.’ Missing curfew, barely passing school, and my parents barely noticing, other than immediately after they got a call about me. My parents had finally caught Phantom, and after a few days in their lab, my Fraid got me out. After healing up for a few days, I went to sneak into the house to grab a few things.” With a sarcastic laugh, Danny shook his head. “There was no need to sneak. My mom caught me going up the stairs, but hadn’t even noticed I was gone. She offered me lunch, my Dad joined us. They spent it complaining about Phantom escaping. That night, I destroyed their research, trashed their equipment, and shut down the portal. I absorbed all the ecto they had, everything they had cut from me. My parent’s have proto-Cores, and I used my authority as King to lay a binding on them. It pushed ecto away from them, ensuring they could never start their research back up. The next morning, as they vowed vengeance of ‘whatever spook wrecked their lab,’ I told them I was heading to Gotham to stay with Jazz, that I would finish school online. They signed all the papers as they tried to salvage anything from the lab. By the end of the week, I was here.”

Clark was silent, before speaking hesitantly.

“Danny…it didn’t even take half a day to heal after the GIW caught you. Why did it take a few days after your parents did?”

“Simple, Clark. Ghosts are emotion. I didn’t care what the GIW did to me. My parents….”

“Why didn’t you tell them? Wouldn’t they….have stopped?”

Cass felt Danny tighten his grip on her hands. She leaned into him, supporting him.

“…Yeah, they would have. But I felt their joy, their excitement. They love their research, and fully believe they are helping the world. They love me, too. My parents are lacking a lot of things, but heart isn’t one of them. As bad as what they did hurt, as much as I wanted it to stop….the knowledge of what they did to me, the way that would make them feel…I could never put them through that, could never experience feeling them feel that. I waited to long, built up to many grudges. It would have broke them to know, and even more so would now.”

Everyone remained silent, processing what they now knew. Finally, Lois spoke.

“Okay, so we combine the ideas. Danny, you and Cass met when you were both 13, while Cass was still on the run, and spent the night together. Young, dumb kids doing dumb kid things. After Cass got to Gotham, but before Bruce introduced her to the public, she had Ellie. You had given her your name and number, so she was able to find you. You kept in contact, and Bruce had Ellie and Cass travel to visit often, which is why she stayed out of the public eye so much. Finally, you came to Gotham to be together, and recently got engaged. As such, Cass became a little lax, letting someone ID her while she was out meeting her future in-law. If your parents get interviewed, I’m assuming their…everything will reinforce your decision to stay quiet, as well as help explain your behavior in school. Sound good?”

Danny thought it over, before agreeing with a smile.

“That sounds great, actually. Cass?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Then we will go with that story. Bruce, give me a day, and I’ll have it of to your PR guys for review.”

“Sounds good to me, Lois. Would you guys like to stay for lunch?”

“Sorry, Bruce, we have to get back to the Planet. Maybe this weekend? Jon and Conner will both be around then.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

As Bruce and Selina walked the Kents to the door, everyone else drew their eyes back to Danny, who smiled.

“Don’t worry, guys. Despite my best efforts, Jazz forced me to talk about this. I’m over it, honest.”

Jazz reluctantly backed him up, before standing to leave herself. While she had relied on Danny’s portal to get there, she now turned to Jason.

“I don’t have classes till after lunch. You free to give me a ride to campus?”

Ignoring his family’s nudges and whispers, he agreed.

“For you, always. Lets go.”

As the suspected couple left, everyone else began to trickle out of the room as well, soon leaving Danny, Cass, and Ellie.

“Sorry I didn’t give you the whole story before this. Honestly…I was happy, and had moved on already. I didn’t want to think about it, and I forgot to bring it up.”

“It’s alright, I understand. The few jokes aside, I haven’t spoken about my parents for much the same reason. And with little ears around, I won’t now.”

At that, Ellie looked up, cocking her head in confusion as her parents laughed.

By the next morning, her second to last tie had loosened on her Core. Rather than specifics, Danny, who had been called to the Realms by Clockwork, encouraged her to simply play with her shadow powers, trying whatever came to mind. So she did. She managed to merge into, travel through, and teleport from shadow-to-shadow. Mixing shadows with her ecto, she could spike someone’s shadow, freezing them, or enhance her ectoblasts and constructs. Melding into her own shadow, she could fight someone else’s, hurting them while staying safe. She could form a shade, sending it far from her, but sharing it’s senses. As far as other ecto-powers, she could form shields, but couldn’t duplicate. Waking Steph from a nap, she made a great paralysis demon, in her opinion. She had telekinesis as well.

After a morning of training, Cass set out to find Tim.

“You got a minute?”

Looking up from his files, Tim turned from his desk to give his sister his full attention.

“What’s up?”

“I wanted to speak with you about the Owl. I’ve talked to Dora, and she told me a few options on how me appointing you to fight for me could work. Unfortunately, since we will be the challengers, it will be up to the Owl to name the method.”

“Hmm…what are the options?”

“First, one-on-one. For that, I can grant you armor, but its entirely up to you to actually fight the Owl or their assigned Champion, which would probably be an enhanced Talon.”

“Not ideal, but do-able.”

“Next, a free-for-all. However many fighters they throw at you, you fight. For this, I could grant you armor, as well as a portion of my powers.”

“Less ideal. I have no experience with your abilities, and would probably misfire as often as I succeeded. Anything else?”

“Yep, a surprise attack. Either by us or them. This means, all of my Knights, led by you, against whatever the Owl can come up with. This includes any official sources manipulated by the Court.”

“That…actually sounds the best?”

“Almost, but it has the most risk of outside interference, which could influence your inheritance of the mantle. Not to mention, collateral damage.”

“In that case…what if I just launched an attack on the Owl? Do you know where they are?”

“I do. The Owl’s Lair is in a Liminal space, but the entrance moves throughout Gotham. I can track it easily enough.”

At this, Tim grew silent, although Cass could see his mind racing.

“Once I’m in, can you lock down the space? To keep them from calling the Talons?”

“…For a time, yes, but probably not for long. 10, 15 minutes at most.”

“That will be enough. Do I have to….End the Owl? Or just defeat them?”

“…”

“Just give me their Core, Tim, and I’ll send them to Retribution.”

As Jason’s voice rang out, Cass and Tim both jumped. Turning to their brother, who shifted to human after fully phasing into the room, Tim cursed.

“Fuck, I hate that you can do that. Now, what was that?”

“Die mad about it, burger-joint. I said, beat the Owl’s ass, then I’ll take their Core. God knows they deserve it for what the Court has done.”

The boys looked to Cass, who, after a few moments thought, nodded.

“Jason’s right. Tim, are you sure you want to go with this plan?”

“Sure, it makes the most sense. Now, you said something about granting me armor? What’s that about?”

“As it sounds, I can grant you a blessing on your vigilante costume and weapons. I’m not strong enough to make it permanent, but its enough for this.”

“Awesome. Let’s aim for tomorrow night. I have a few ideas from the info Danny gave Bruce I want to mess around with that should help.”

Gathering up his files, Tim left the room, heading for the Cave. Turning to Cass, Jason could see the worry in her eyes. Pulling her into a hug, he reassured her.

“None of that, we both know Tim’s to crazy to lose.”

“….”

“How about I go talk to Ghost Writer? He may have some useful info on the Court. A weakness, or something.”

“…Would you?”

With a laugh, Jason stepped back, tossing out an exadurated bow.

“As the Queen commands, her Fright Knight shall do.”

Shifting to ghost, Jason disappeared in a flash of blinding green. Blushing, and shaking her head at her brother’s nonsense, Cass set out to join her daughter in the garden, hoping spending time with the hyper ghostling would lift her worries, even just for a time.

15 minutes later, an alarm sounded throughout the Cave, and a message went out to all the Batfam. Ellie was gone.

Gathered around the Bat-Computer, the family watched, tension rising, as surveillance video showed Ellie being grabbed by two Talons, who subdued the child with a shot to the thigh.

“Cass, when can we expect Danny back from the Realms?” her father spoke slowly, forcing composure into his voice.

“…. I don’t know,” Cass spoke slowly, and, as her form flickered in gathered shadows, she continued in sign, “Clockwork called him, and definatly saw this coming, so I don’t know.”

“Any idea why he would allow this?”

“For the timeline. Danny told me that, while an ally and parent, Clockwork is focused on the ‘best outcome,’ not necessarily the preferred one. If he thought this needed to happen…”

As Bruce contemplated her answer, Jason appeared in a flash.

“Hey Cass, I got the info….” trailing off, he noticed the tension in the Cave. Watching the replaying video, his hair blazed in anger. Sparks falling from his form, he cursed, “The fuck happened, Bruce? How did those bastards get on the grounds?”

“I can answer that.” Oracles voice rang from the speakers, as Barbara appeared on-screen, cutting off the video before it could restart. “The Manor security hasn’t been updated to deal with ecto. There are a few spots of static consistent with ecto activity. My guess, the Owl is acting.”

“Does Danny know?”

Cass shook her head, and Tim explained where Danny was. Jason thought hard, and then closed his eyes. Focusing on his Core, he found the strand of ecto that Bonded the Knight to his King. Sending a burst of ecto down it, he opened his eyes to his confused family’s gaze.

“I tried flagging him via my vow as Fright Knight. Hopefully that- “

Between two moments, Danny was there.

“What’s up?”

Silence rang through the Cave as they tried to find the words to explain what had happened without setting him off. Cass finally spoke.

“The Court…. took Ellie.”

Chapter Text

Everyone waited as Danny froze, and Barbara vanished from the screen as she played the video for Danny. Watching silently, the Bats braced themselves.

“Hm, that’s convenient.”

“…What.” Bruce did not look impressed.

As everyone gathered around the table, Danny explained.

“Look, there are three reasons this isn’t a big deal. First of all, I now have a solid reason to get involved. Ellie is my daughter, and they took her. Honestly, I could raze the Eastern US to the ground looking for her and, as far as the Realms are concerned, be in the right. If it wasn’t for Cass, I could go End the Owl now. Second, while he may have removed me to facilitate all this, Clockwork knows better than to let anything bad happen to Ellie.”

“What do you mean ‘knows better’?” Bruce did not like the sound of anything Danny had said.

“Easy. He knows that if Ellie was harmed, I would End any and everyone involved, up to and including him, no questions asked. And no one who actually has a chance of stopping me would try to. Hell, most of them would be right there with me.”

As Bruce contemplated that, with most his kids nodding in agreement to Danny’s words, the halfa gave his last reason, as he summoned a portal with a snap.

“Finally, I could literally reach out and grab her now.”

Looking into the portal, the Bats saw Ellie, sleeping soundly on a cot. The room she was in was small, but clean. The door had no handle they could see.

“See, they have hardly any ghostly protections. The Owl may know that Cass is becoming Gotham, and has warded their Lair enough to slow her down, but they haven’t seemed to connect her to me. They basically just signed their own Death Warrant.”

At this, the Bats collapsed into their chairs, tension finally releasing. Cass let out long breath, leaning into the hand Danny put on her shoulder. As he comforted his fiancé, he looked to her brothers.

“Jason, Tim. Come over here for a minute.”

As the boys followed his request, Danny shifted, opening two new portals as Jason shifted as well.

“Dan, Walker. To me.”

As Dan walked into the Cave, the Bats focused on the new ghost in their midst.

“And what do you want, punk?”

“A Royal request, Walker.” As Phantom spoke, his relics of power popped into view. As the ghost straightened up, he continued. “I am requesting you Deputize this man, Timothy Drake-Wayne, and task him with capturing the spirit who kidnapped my daughter.”

“…. Very well. Timothy, was it? Do you swear to uphold the Rules of the Realm, and retrieve the girl and the one who took her?”

“I swear.”

“Then I name you a Deputy, until the completion of your task, and grant you authority over all law-abiding ghosts in your city. Anything else, King Phantom?”

“No, Walker. And thank you.”

As the ghost went to leave, he hesitated at the edge of the portal. Meeting Phantoms eye, he asked slowly.

“…. How’s Maddie?”

“….. She’s ok, grandfather.”

“Have you…never mind. Bring the ghostling by to visit sometime.”

As Walker walked through the portal, Danny smiled at the stunned Bats, before turning to face his Fright Knights.

“Knights, a spirit has stolen Ellie. I task you to assist the Young Lady Gotham in her retrieval. While her Champion detains the Owl, you are to ensure no one interferes. Condemn all who would intervene to Retribution or Punishment.”

As Jason nodded, Dan questioned.

“And who will protect Ellie while we watch the boy pluck an Owl?”

“Cujo will. He was under her cot.”

At this, Dan agreed, and Danny turned to Tim, gesturing for Cass to join him.

“Tim, with Walker giving you authority, no other ghosts should intervene, even if they are bound to the Owl. Cass will grant you armor. Dan and Jason will take care of any Talons. And finally, once you’re in place, I’ll lock down the Liminal space. No ecto in or out. The Owl won’t be able to escape, or regain lost energy.”

“… When you put it that way, how can I lose? But…. If worse comes to worse, what then?”

“Then I come in, End the Owl, and grab Ellie. And Gotham will have to suck it up. I’m acting as Ellie’s dad, and ‘letting’ Cass handle this is a professional courtesy. But it was the Owl’s actions that involved me, so Gotham won’t be able to say Cass failed the challenge. The only reason, aside from Ellie not actually being in danger, that I’m not just doing it myself is so Gotham doesn’t complicate any of the remaining tasks.”
As Tim reluctantly accepted Danny’s words, he went to change into his vigilante costume. With a thought, Cass shifted into Young Lady Gotham, asking Danny as she fretted over her missing daughter.

“How do I give Tim my blessing?”

“It’s mostly a matter of will. Focus on the feeling of protection, gather ecto, and bestow it on him. It will form a seal, and last until he completes the task, or the energy runs out.”

After Danny spoke, he reached out for her hand. Cass could feel ecto gathering around his thumb, which he pressed to her inner wrist. Noticing a rush of ecto circling her wrist, Cass looked to see a thin blue brand wrapping her wrist like a bracelet. Where his thumb had pressed was a fingerprint.

“See, easy. In this case, the fingerprint is the seal, and will slowly fade from the edges as the power is used. Rather than protection, I focused on power, so the next few ectoblasts from this hand will be enhanced by my seal of ice. If you don’t use it, it will slowly fade anyway.”

“How do I know how much power to put into it?”

“It doesn’t have a limit, really. Unlike you, Tim can’t internalize the ecto, so there’s no limit. He’s just…. wearing it.”

As Danny finished his explanation, Red Robin walked over.

“Ready when you are, Sister Gotham.”

Smiling at her brother, Cass drew power from her Core. Focusing on keeping him safe, Cass smirked before pressing a kiss to his cheek, leaving a black print behind. As everyone laughed, the colors of his suit began to darken, leaving black and gray behind. His form seemed to waiver in the shadows. Looking in a mirror, he sighed when he noticed the seal.

“Really Cass.”

Within the hour, Red Robin and the Fright Knights stood ready for battle. Phantom had opened a portal into the Owl’s Liminal space, and sealed it as soon as they walked through. As they looked to the massive Clock tower in front of them, Dan spoke to the others.

“Hood, find Ellie and stand guard. Anyone comes for her, either shoot them or kill them, I really don’t care which. I will take care of the bulk of the Talons. Red Robin, give me 10 minutes before you begin your assault. I’m assuming the Owl is up there. Once you have their Core, our work is done.”

As he gestured above their heads, the Bats looked to see that one of the clock faces had been broken through, with what seemed to be a steel beam-nest spilling out. Checking his weapons, Hood flew off, fading from sight. As Dan went to follow, Red Robin called out.

“Dan. Should I just defeat the Owl, or…”

“… I say to just End him, but, as long as you declare this a challenge for their position, only defeat is necessary.”

“Very well. Go ahead, and I’ll start my timer.”

As Dan took off, Tim was left to his thoughts. Despite his family’s faith in him, he wasn’t sure he was the best for this. While a hero, Tim was also aware that he could, and had, done some…. Less than heroic things, in both the past a future. Checking his remaining time, Tim wishes he had had time to talk with Kon, Cassie, and Bart before all this had kicked off. Resolving to do so as soon as he could, Tim watched the timer count down. With a shake of his head, he fired off his grapple. It was time to catch a bird.

Landing in the clock face, Red Robin looked carefully before entering the tower. Hearing a rustling noise from above he looked up, just to be faced with a massive beak darting at him. Dodging, he declared his challenge.

“Spirit of the Court of Owls! I come as a Knight of Gotham to challenge you for your place in the Court!”

The Owl drew back, before gliding down to the far end of the tower. Standing almost three times his height, Red Robin fought to show no fear as the Owl answered, its voice a piercing screech.

“And why, little Knight, would I accept your challenge?”

“Simple. Either you accept, and I beat you into your Core, or you don’t and I beat you into Oblivion. Whichever one is fine by me.”

“…Very well, little Knight. Although I must wonder how the Batman will take a second son dying. Not to mention the little Bat that sent you here to die!”

With a final screech, the Owl flung itself at Red Robin. Sweeping out his staff, he managed to block the talon that came clawing at him, even if it flung him across the room. Catching himself before he could slam into the wall, Red Robin climbed high, concealing himself in the broken rafters of the tower.

“Come out, come out, little Knight. Or should I go get the little girl to join our little game?”

Leaping down, Red Robin fired his ecto-enhanced grapple, tangling it around the Owl’s neck, jerking him to the ground. As the Owl struggled, it let out a series of hoots. Soon enough, a flood of spirits started peeling from the structure around them. As the Owl laughed from their position on the floor, Red Robin prepared for the onslaught.

“Foolish Knight, this is my Lair! All who have ever served the Court rest here, ready to do my bidding. Attack!”

As the sprits floated closer, a flash of light erupted from Red Robin’s proto-Core, making them all feeze, less than a few feet from Red Robin. He laughed at the stunned Owl.

“Foolish Owl, you really should do your homework before you kidnap a kid.” As he walked to the Owl, the spirits made a path. Picking through his smoke bombs, he carefully selected one that had a small red dot on it. “You took her because of her mom, but you should have found out who her dad was first.”

Taking the smoke bomb, Red Robin tossed it on the Owl’s back before crushing it with a blow from his staff. As the pollen-laced smoke sent the Owl into screaming convulsions, the Knight stepped back.

“A little left over from the GIW.”

As Tim watched the Owl burn, the Fright Knights joined his, Jason carrying a sleeping Ellie while Cujo followed in his footsteps. Glancing at the Owl with no pity to be found, he flew out of the Tower, leaving Dan behind. With a smile, the Fright Knight complimented Tim on his methods.

“Nice to see the GIW being useful. You going to finish this soon?”

“Once their form starts to destabilize, yes. I was able to mix up a neutralizer for the blossom.”

When the time was right, Tim put action to his words. With their little remaining strength, the Owl looked at Tim, before identifying Dan standing next to him.

“… The King’s Knight? Why, why would the Ghost King interfere with this? Why?”

“Simple, you stupid chicken. The girl you stole is his daughter.”

Dan answered the bird, laughing at the pure despair he saw. Moving forward, Tim slammed his staff into the Owl’s back, sending their form scattering, leaving behind nothing but a Core, which he placed in a specially lined pouch on his belt.

“Well done, Knight of Gotham. Let’s join Hood, and get out of here.”

As they went to leave the tower, Tim stopped. A faint mist, formed of shifting gray and black, had rose to surround him. With a jolt, it shot into his chest, leaving Tim swaying. Dan reached out to steady the younger Knight, offering him an explanation.

“Congratulations, you now stand as Spirit of the Court of Owls.”

As her brothers’ returned, Cass leapt up to take Ellie from Jason. After a worried check for any injuries, she then began to flit around her brothers, checking their condition as well.

“Are you both ok? Did you get hurt? Tim, did you win? Do you need-“

“Cass! We are both fine. Jason grabbed Ellie at the start, and I took the Owl down easily enough. Look.”

Reaching into his belt, Tim drew out the Owl’s Core. Danny floated over, taking the Core and passing it through a small portal. At everyone’s confused look, he explained.

“That lead to Walker’s prison. The Owl will pay for harming the Realm’s Princess.”

As everyone settled in for a full debrief, Bruce questioned Cass.

“Has Lady Gotham said anything about your tasks?”

“No, not yet. Danny?”

“Hmm, she said this was the final task to claim Gotham. Once we are done here, we can take a flight around the city. You should be able to claim the whole thing as your Haunt now, and will probably get a message from Lady Gotham, or rather, from Darkness, after.”

At Danny’s words, the Bats all drew back in surprise, casting strange glances at Cass. They had just realized that Gotham, their city, officially fell to her now. With a stressed smile, Cass waved them off.

“Let’s go now, I want to know what’s next.”

The two halfas spent the rest of the night circling Gotham. Black Bat was entranced at her new connection with, and understanding of the city.

“What can I expect now that I have claimed a Haunt?”

“Well, you will have an…. awareness of the city. If you are looking for a known person, you will be able to pinpoint them. If unknown, you will be guided. As you have managed the curses, your ecto will slowly imbue the city with self-repairing tendencies. Nothing major, but a slow repair, and an increased resistance to damage. You will know if any powerful entities enter the city, and can bar any that have a notable amount of personal ecto. The citizens will be healthier, and the vibes of the city can be influenced by your mood. While all this will be negligible for now, as time passes and you fully come into your powers, it will grow, though not enough for the average human to notice.”

“Will the Knights grow stronger?”

“Not directly, but they will be focused more by the positions they hold and the curses/blessings they manage. The Rouges will still cause problems, but at a more consistent pace and level. Ant your family will still be themselves, just a little luckier.”

As the duo landed atop Wayne Tower, Darkness rose to meet them.

“Greetings, King Phantom, Lady Gotham.”

Cass took the lead after they had returned the welcome.

“Darkness, do you have my next task?”

“I do, my daughter, and it will be your final one.”

Darkness turned from the pair, looking over the city.

“… Do you know, it was not my desire to settle in this place? As I wandered the Realms, I found a most curious thing. Right here, below this very Tower, I found a permanent portal between the Realms. It was filled with stagnant ectoplasm, a vile mixture. As I studied it, years past.”

The Ancient turned back to them.

“You are not the first human to hold my power, Cassandra. I once had a Knight. He served me well, for decades, and stood by my side as I investigated this anomaly. As I finally grew to understand a little of its secrets, my Knight made a few discoveries of his own. We realized that, while the lake led to the Realms, it actually occupied a mini-dimension of its own. And so, we set out to find other entrances, and find more we did. After located several more of these lakes, we returned here. At this time, Gotham was little more than a village. Standing at this lake, my Knight asked my blessing to enter the lake, verifying our hypothesis that all the lakes were connected. I reluctantly agreed, and my Knight asked only that I wait here for his return.”

At this point, Danny had a bad idea he knew where this story ended. As Darkness contiuned her tale, the shadows around them grew restless.

“I promised his that I would wait until he returned to me, and he stepped into the lake. My blessing kept the ecto from staining him. But… he never returned to me. I waited, content in that I could still feel my power in him, meaning he still lived. I passed the time by watching the humans who lived above me. By the time I realized his treachery, I had long grown bonded to this place, and the people who called it home.”

After a moment of silence, Darkness locked eyes with Black Bat.

“Cassandra, my final task to you: Retrieve the power that lives within my wayward Knight. And for the crime of his betrayal, End him, and all he has built. Finally, work with the Protector of Balance to cleanse the Lazarus Pits from this world. Do this, and my Authority is yours for the taking.”

As Darkness faded form view, Cass and Danny traded a worried look, before launching themselves into the air. Danny called everyone to the Cave via his comm, and soon enough, the Bats gathered. Cass broke the news to her family.

“For my final task, I must End Ra’s al Ghul, and the League of Assassins with him.”

Chapter Text

The cave was silent, save for the rustling of the bats overhead. It was Damien who finally spoke.

“How long do you have for this task?”

Looking to Danny, Cass wondered the same.

“Based on how Gotham worded it, there isn’t technically a hard timeline. There is only one more tie on your Core, and once it loosens, you will have full access to your powers. But…without the Authority of Darkness, you will be unable to fully control that power. Eventually, your two sides will be out of balance, and your ecto will begin to harm your mortal body. And if you fully die in that state, your Core will fail, and you will End. The specific timeline depends on too many variables for me to say how long that will take.”

At this, Bruce drew himself up to begin his own questioning.

“And how long until the final tie loosens?”

Jason laughed as Danny and Cass blushed. At Bruce’s confused look, he heckled the two teens.

“Come on Danny, answer the man.”

Everyone looked between the three halfas in confusion, before exchanging a range of stutters, laughs, and traumatized glances as Danny pulled Cass in for a kiss. As the mist escaped his lips, Danny made his estimate.

“It’s a while out, but about 6 months.”

“Yeah, but how long will it actually take?” Jason refused to let the couple make it through this with their dignity intact. Not to mention, everyone needed the answer to the timeline of their loved one’s safety.

“…. For now, let’s call it 4 months.” Danny answered, sending waves of emotion towards the older halfa, promising vengeance.

Bruce looked between the three kids, weighing his need to know against Jason’s obvious enjoyment of the other’s discomfort. Turning to Dick, Bruce began to walk out of the Cave.

“I need to make some calls. Dick, get a full report, and let me know of any pertinent info.”

“Coward!” Dick shouted at his father, before turning to Danny and Cass. “I know I’m probably going to regret this, but why the sudden change in timeline?”

As Cass refused to answer, or make eye contact with her family, it fell to Danny to explain.

“Well… Cass gets more power as she gets more ecto, right?”

“That’s what you told us.”

“And all ghosts, including halfas, produce their own ecto, but need the pure ecto of the Realms, or ambient ecto in the Living World, to grow.”

“Yep.”

“Well, my ecto is pure.”

“…. Yes?”

“So, if I were to give my ecto to Cass, she would get stronger faster.”

“True. But why would you do that? More time is better, in this case.”

“Well…. No matter what form I’m in, I have ecto. And ecto flows and follows emotion.”

“….”

The Bats all looked at Danny, before switching to Cass, hidden behind him. Jason laughed as he saw Barbra, Steph, and Tim put it together. Duke and Dick weren’t far behind. When Damien realized the implications, he simple scoffed before heading up to the Manor. No one but Duke saw the redness spreading across his face.

“Danny.”

“Yes, Dick?”

“Are you telling me what I think you are?”

“Most likely.”

“… Alright everyone, it’s late. Try to get some sleep, I’ll see yall at breakfast.”

At Dick’s dismissal, everyone began to leave the Cave. Dodging Steph, Cass simply took flight, phasing her way up to her room. Danny soon joined her. Together, they checked on Ellie, sleeping soundly in her bed after Jason had dropped her off. As they returned to their room to get some sleep, Cass looked at Danny.

“Thanks for explaining.”

“No problem, I get it. I can’t imagine having that talk with my family.”

At that, Cass sat up, looking down at Danny in the bed. As he cocked his head at her in question, Cass thought over his words, and her sudden wish.

“Danny… do you want me to meet your parents?”

Danny jolted in surprise at her question, before furrowing his brow in thought. He spoke hesitantly.

“I… do, actually. Huh, I guess I really do. But, do you even want to meet them?”

“I think I would. I know they hurt you, but I also know they matter to you. And with Lois and Clark’s story coming out tomorrow, they may hear about us anyway.”

“Maybe, but maybe not. They aren’t the most… connected to the world. Even if their work is no longer possible, they still haven’t given up.”

“But what if they do? If nothing else, someone in Amity will hear about it, and mention it to your parents. Especially considering your ‘hidden love child’ with ‘that poor Wayne girl’.”

As Danny took in her words, she laid back down. His hands resting on her back, Cass let him think in silence. Finally, he decided.

“The story comes out tomorrow afternoon. Do you want to go meet them in the morning? I won’t risk bringing Ellie, but maybe Jazz could come along?”

“That sounds good. What will you tell them if they want to meet Ellie?”

“… I’m not sure. I’ll come up with something.”

“Do you think… you will tell them about Phantom? I know what you said before, but… how can you keep them in your life, while keeping Ellie away, without a real reason why?”

Danny was quiet, and Cass hated that she caused the negative storm of emotion she could feel inside him.

“… I may have to. Otherwise, I may just have to cut them off. Hell, Jazz has been telling me to do that for months now. I know she barely speaks to them, although she says they haven’t even noticed.” Danny thought more. “We can go tomorrow, and see how they react. Either I tell them about Phantom, or this may be the last time I see them. Either way, something has to change.”

Glad to sense the feeling of resolution seeping from his Core, Cass wished Danny a goodnight, and they both soon drifted to sleep.

After an early breakfast, Ellie and Damien headed out to the aquarium with Tim and Steph, leaving Danny to open a portal, taking Cass and himself to Sam’s greenhouse. Looking around, Cass felt like she was mid-fight with Poison Ivy, as several of the overgrown plants had turned towards her. Danny flared his Core, and the plants backed off.

“Sorry, I forgot to warn you. This is Sam’s Lair. She gave me permission to enter-“

“But not for you to portal in no warning. You’re lucky my plants didn’t bite you, ice-boy.”

Sam walked out from among the plants, fake scowl across her face. It shifted to a smile as she gave the two halfas a hug before asking.

“And what brings you to our fair city this early?”

“Just showing Cass around…. And introducing her to my parents.”

As that, Sam’s smile fell. Looking closely at Danny, she saw the truth.

“Your going to tell them, aren’t you?”

“…Some paparazzi saw Cass, Ellie, and Jazz. We managed to get some trusted reporters to break the story, but…”

As Danny explained the cover story to Sam, the trio headed out of the greenhouse. Cass had heard Sam’s family was well off, and was unsurprised to see the mansion ahead. Rather than entering, Sam lead them through a nearby hedge and onto the main road.

“I guess that story is the best, but are you sure about telling the Fentons?”

“It’s the best for Ellie. At least this way, if it goes wrong I can just bind them to stay out of Gotham.”

“…do you want me and Tuck there?”

“Nah, I’ll be fine. It’s not like they have weapons anymore. Actually, how have they been?”

“…We don’t see them often. The first few weeks, they would show up every time a ghost attacked, but they just shouted at Red Huntress, asking for her help getting ecto. Val just ignored them. For the past few months, it’s been closer to how they were before the portal opened. They raid the junkyard, yell at people about ‘those evil spooks,’ and everyone ignores them.”

As Danny contemplated the Goth’s words, Sam fell back to walk with Cass.

“So, how’s half-life treating you? I hear your on your last challenge?”

“Yes. It is going well. I am enjoying my new bond with my family.”

“True, Fraids are great. Any fun power misfires? I got loads of Danny’s fails to tell you about.”

With an evil grin, Sam began revealing Danny’s greatest blunders, much to Cass’s delight. Danny just smiled as he lead his loved ones through the city, texting Tucker to meet them at the park in the city center. As they entered, a shocked voice called out.

“Mr. Fenton?”

“Het, Mr. Lancer! How are-“

Cutting Danny off, and leaving him confused, Mr. Lancer pulled him into a hug.

“Oliver Twist, Mr. Fenton, we thought you were gone. After you left, the Fentons wouldn’t give me a straight answer where you were, they just kept cursing your escape, and telling everyone what they had done to you, and then only the Huntress showed up to attacks, and neither Ms. Manson or Mr. Foley would tell us anything other than you were gone. Are you ok?”

“…Wait, you know? About Phantom?”

“Of course, Mr. Fenton. The entire grades known since Junior year started.”

“What! You mean to tell me you knew for a year and a half and no one told me?”

“Well, we didn’t want you to stress about it.”

“But….how?!?”

“As you may recall, at orientation, a few weeks before school started, there was a city-wide attack. Lead by…Plasmius, I believe? The Wisconsin ghost. Anyway, you, Fenton-you, that is, had been struck by some sort of taser, and had lead the students and faculty to hide in the gym, under a ghost shield.”

“…I remember. Plasmius hit my with something that shorts out my powers.”

“Ah, we had wondered. Anyway, after getting us to shelter, you ran off, something about calling your parents. While we were waiting, an underclassman commented about you being ‘dead meat,’ and Mr. Baxter overheard. As you may recall, near the end of Sophomore year, he had been trying to turn over a new leaf.”

“Yeah, I remember. The police had finally arrested his dad, and got him some help. He grabbed me the last week of school to apologize.”

“Good on him. After he over heard to comment, he came to your defense. He brought up the time Ember and the pirate boy had captured the adults. With everyone else chiming in their own stories of your…civilian heroics. By the time we were released, your entire grade was shocked to see that you had saved most of them, many more than once.”

Danny was shocked, and thought back to the beginning of his Junior year. It was true, the first week back he had felt more gazes on him than he was use to.

“But…how did that lead to everyone figuring me out?”

“Simple. Mr. Weston.”

“Wes?”

“Indeed. The first school-time attack, and someone reminded Mr. Weston of his rather overzealous accusations from the previous years. While he had stopped, people still remembered. To the detriment of your secret, though, once people remembered his claims, coupled with their revelations of your heroics, it was an easy connection to make. As I recall, Ms. Gray was the most adamant against, until some thought suddenly stopped her in her tracks. She almost fainted. Soon enough, a group chat was made, sans yourself and your friends, and we all decided to stay silent.”

Mr. Lancer smiled as the young hero recalibrated his understanding of his peers and teacher. Looking over, he waved at Sam, who also wore a look of disbelief, before turning to Cass.

“Apologies, young lady. I am William Lancer, high school teacher.”

“Hello, I am Cassandra Wayne. Danny has mentioned you.”

“A pleasure, Ms. Wayne. May I ask, what brings you to Amity? We don’t get many visitors, not living one’s, at least.”

“Actually, Mr. Lancer, Cass is my fiancé. I’m bringing her to meet my parents.”

Mr. Lancer drew back in shock, a smile quickly spreading as he saw Cass and Danny blush.

“Well then, congratulations to you both! I wish you a long and happy life together. Don’t let me hold you up. Mr. Fenton, it was nice seeing you, and, with your permission, could I update your peers on you? Many have been worried since you left.”

“Thanks, Mr. Lancer, and go ahead.”

As the teacher bid them farewell, Danny and Sam exchanged looks.

“I can’t believe everyone knew.”

“Same. Poor Wes. Figures he’d give it away even after realizing what a dick move exposing me was.”

Laughing, the trio found benches to rest at while waiting for Tucker. Every so often, people who knew the two locals would pass by, most happy to see Danny, and some stopping to chat. After about 20 minutes, Tucker showed up, and the group wandered the town, showing Cass around and providing tales of Phantom’s exploits to Cass. As they made there way to the residential part of the city, Danny became quiet. As they made a final turn, Cass halted as she noticed a building with a metal…something attached to the roof. The others chuckled at her expression. As they walked up, Danny waved his hand at the building.

“Welcome to Fenton Works.”

Moving up to the door, Danny hesitated before knocking, quickly stepping back from the door, shoulders tense. After a few moments, he relaxed.

“Hm, they must be out.”

“No, the RVs still here.” Tucker had walked to the side of the building. At that, Danny frowned, before turning his hand intangible to unlock the door. Opening it, he walked in, calling out for his parents as he did so.

Once inside, they all looked around. Unlike the others, Cass’s eyes were drawn to the mess of wires, half built machines, and obvious weapons around the house. After making a sweep, they all gathered at the top of the stairs leading down to the lab. Tucker looked at Danny for guidance.

“What do you say, bro? Hear them down there?”

“…No, but lets check it out.”

As they entered the lab, they saw obvious signs of a struggle. Broken glass, knocked over shelves, the lab looked like a tornado had hit it.

“This isn’t right. They had already cleaned up before I left for Gotham. Something else did this.”

As Danny, Sam, and Tucker began looking for clues around the lab, Cass began helping. As Tucker failed to access the cameras, the others spread through the house. After an hour, they gave up.

“The computers are fried, I got nothing.”

“And the plants are auto-watered, so I can’t get anything from them either.”

Danny’s face scrunched in concentration, before moving to open the fridge. Opening it, he pulled out a large container that was about half full. Removing the lid, he assessed the contents.

“My dad makes fudge every Sunday, for the week. Based on the amount, they went missing on a Wednesday. This looks old, but not molding, so I would guess whatever happened went down last week.”

“…”

“What?”

“Dude, did you just Nancy Drew fudge?”

Chapter Text

After spending a few more hours visiting his friends, Danny and Cass returned to the manor to have lunch. The Kents, as promised, had joined them. Jon had a million questions about ghosts, and only stopped asking once Damien drug him out of the room at the meals end. Conner, on the other hand, remained quiet if not talking to Tim. Danny, holding Ellie, walked up to him.

“Hey, this is Ellie.”

“…Hello, Ellie.”

“Hi! Dad said you’re a clone too?”

Conner froze, with Tim placing a supporting hand on his shoulder.

“…I am.”

Ellie reached out her hands, and pouted when Conner failed to take her. Floating over, she wrapped the older clone in a tiny hug.

“It’s hard, but Dad said I’m me, so that means you are you. Do you want to play? Mom said you can fly, want to go fly around the garden? Titus will chase us.”

“…Sure.”

Finally holding the toddler like she demanded, Conner, with a nod from Danny, took Ellie out to play. Tim followed with a smile, promising Danny to supervise.

As everyone moved from the dining room to the sitting room, Lois updated everyone on her story’s progress.

"Cass, Danny, I’ve managed to put off the story breaking until tomorrow morning, but that was the best I could do. Bruce mentioned you went to visit home today? Did you give your family a heads up?”

“Actually, it seems my parents were kidnapped.”

“…Come again?”

“Yeah, I’m sure that won’t come back to bite me.”

Bruce rubbed his eyes.

“Danny, why didn’t you say anything before?”

“No point. Cass checked out the scene, I asked the ghosts, and Tucker tried to find any electronic evidence. We all came up blank.”

“…I still would have liked to know.”

“Noted. Anyway, the town’s hard to find without inside help, so I’m not worried about any fallout from strangers back home. At least now, we can focus on Cass’s task, and not my parents bursting into Gotham.”

“…Very well. Let’s take this conversation downstairs.”

Gathering the scattered Bats, Supers and ghostling, everyone gathered around the conference table in the Batcave. With a few swift clicks of a keyboard, Barbara and Selina appeared on the screen of the Bat computer. Danny kicked off the discussion.

“So, Cass final task is the destruction of the Lazarus Pits, as well as the League of Assassins. For the first half, I can help, as that is firmly My Problem in three different ways.”

“Can you elaborate?”

“Sure can, B-man. As Ghost King, any portal into the Realms concerns me. As Keeper of the Living Realm, contaminated ecto is a major problem, and as Protector of Balance, no man can cheat death by abusing ecto and the spirits trapped in it. So, I am well within my rights to participate in the actual cleansing and destruction of the Pits”

“Thank you. Now, for the second half, what qualifies as destroying the LoA?”

“…There bases gone, the Pits destroyed, and there members no longer among the Living.”

A heavy feeling weighed on those around the table for a minute before Danny spoke again.

“Being around the Pits, even if not actually entering them, is enough to make someone Liminal. As such, they fit the criteria of my subjects. Based on the extent of their crimes, I can grant lesser punishment, or I can spare them an immediate death penalty, but their crimes must be punished, or else the spirits bound to them will never rest.”

“…How so?”

“For the lesser, service under Dan or even Pandora. For the greater, one of my old enemies is the Ancient of Dreams, Nocturn. In their Lair runs the River Lethe. After soaking in it, they would wander the Lair until they die, before reforming as a Dreamwalker. Less than a true ghost, but more than a shade, they would spend their eternities serving Nocturn. For Ra’s, and the other leaders… I will personally sentence them once I view their souls.”

Bruce, and Damien, both drew back at that. After intense thought, Bruce looked up at Danny and Cass.

“This is bigger than us. We need to at least inform the Justice League, even if their approval is unneeded. Can you make a meeting tomorrow morning? I will call a full assembly, of both the standard League and Dark.”

“…Can you make it afternoon? For this, I’ll have to go full Ghost King, and it’ll take time to get enough of my Court together for a diplomatic visit.”

“Done. Who will be joining you?”

“Hmm, Dan, Sam, Tucker, Ghost Writer, and Valerie. Jason, Cass, I need y’all with your family, but in ghost form. Cass, I will have Constantine stand with you, ok?”
As Cass and Jason nodded, Clark chimed in.

“Any reason you’re going with those members of your Court? It only sounds like one ghost?”

“True, but most ghosts are a little… scary for a peaceful meeting. Ghost Writer looks unthreatening, but can trap you in any story he writes. Dan will be threatening enough on his own; he once killed you all. And don’t discount my humans either. I give Val even odds on taking you down, Tucker could take the Watchtower over in 30 seconds at most, 60 if Bruce messed with the programming after the anti-ghost update, and give Sam to long, and ghost-plants will tie you all up.”

Clark looked at the halfa in shock, before crossing eyes with Bruce. Not seeing any denial in the detective’s eyes, Clark was suddenly glad the boy had chosen to overlook his prior viewpoint on clones.

“That sounds like a terrifying and politically acceptable line-up.”

Aboard the Watchtower the following day, the gather heroes discussed the sudden summons.

“Anyone know who we are meeting? Bats and Supes were really hush hush.” Flash stood near Green Lantern, Cyborg, and Zatanna, snacking as he spoke. The magician answered.

“No idea, but John seems to know.” Looking across the room, the trio took in the rare sight of Constantine, early to a meeting. They continued their chat until Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman entered the room, calling all the gathered heros attention. Wonder Woman took the lead in explaining.

“Greeting, friends! Thank you all for answering our call. Now, to explain. We will soon be visited by royalty from another dimension.”

At this, everyone burst into discussion, questions flying. Superman clapped, startling everyone into silence as he picked up the explanation.

“These beings hail from a place known as the Infinite Realms. They are commonly known as ghosts, although only a small percent of their population was ever among the living. And, yes, Flashes, for once, we can scientifically explain.” At this, many laughed at the shocked faces the speedsters scattered throughout the room made. Batman then took the lead.

“The purpose of today’s visit is two-fold. First, to open up discussion of partnership with the Justice League as a whole. I have worked with the Ghost King already, as has Constantine, and Superman has met him as well. Secondly, by Realm law, the League of Assassins have committed many great crimes, and have been sentenced to extermination. As a courtesy, they have come to answer questions prior to carrying out the sentence. There are two rules to this meeting: first, do not, under any circumstances, ask a ghost how they died, or why they remain. It is considered the greatest taboo, and can be paid back with extreme aggression. Secondly, they are here to inform us of their decision, not ask permission. Do not imply otherwise. Flashes, the explanation has been downloaded on your communicators, and we have set aside time after the general meeting for scientific discussion. Any questions?”

Everyone murmured to themselves and those around them, but no one raised any questions. Looking at the time, Batman spoke once more.

“They will be arriving shortly. If anyone does have any questions during the meeting, utilize your communicator, and myself, Constantine, or Superman will respond.”

A few minutes later, a green portal open against the far wall of the room. As everyone drew back, Wonder Woman approached the portal, with Batman and Superman flanking her. As a feeling akin to the flash of fire spread through the room, a large armored figure crossed the portals threshold. They could see nothing of the knight’s face but glowing red eyes, and a black flame leaked from the joints of his armor. Wonder Woman brought her fist across her chest, greeting him.

“Hail, Fright Knight. I welcome you and your lord into out fortress. I am Wonder Woman.”

As the ghostly knight surveyed the heroes surrounding him, he returned the greeting, adding a slight bow.

“Greetings, Wonder Woman. As Fright Knight of the Ghost King, I, Dan Plasmius Phantom, accept your invitation, and pledge to act in good faith, as long as reciprocated.”

Moving to stand to the portals side, Dan drew his sword, saluting as he announced the arrival of the Ghost King’s Court.

“Announcing, Ghost Writer, Chief Scribe and Archivist of the King’s Court.”

At this, the League was shocked to see the scholarly man who entered the Watchtower. As he posted himself on the opposing side of the portal, a desktop appeared in-front of his, complete with archaic writing tools.

“Announcing, Pharaoh Tucker Duulaman, Minister if Advancement, Technomage and brother to the King.”

While the magic-users started at the name of the ancient sorcerer, the others were surprised by the young man who walked in. He almost looked like any other college kid, if not for the gold that adorned him. His gilded bracelets, necklace, and ears were a startling contrast to his hipster style. As he made eye contact with some of the magic-users, they all dropped their eyes at the power in his gaze.

“Announcing Lady Sam Nightshade, Mistress of Wild Things, Witch Advisor and sister to the King.”

The girl that stomped into the room, a glare for any who met her eye, wouldn’t look out of place at a rave. Or wandering a graveyard. Anyone with strong enough vision could see her gothic gown was made of woven vines, the only splashes of color in the flowers and berries that seemed to grow from her dress. Most didn’t notice that there was at least one poisonous plant for each of the worlds the heros hailed from.

“Announcing, Red Huntress, Liaison to the Living, Warrior and sister to the King.”

After the jarring appearances of the prior, this member of the Court seemed almost tame. An armored figure, black and red, silently entered the room. Even with the visor, some of the more skittish heros could feel her gaze sweeping over them, assessing them each. And all the heros could read the confidence in her stance, comfortable in the fact that she could handle herself against them.

As the Court framed the portal, two on each side, heads bowed, Dan turning to face the portal from the center, dropping to one knee.

“Announcing, King Phantom, Ruler of the Infinite Realms, Protector of Balance, Keeper of the Living Realm, Defeater of Ancients, Defender of All.”

Even those who knew Danny drew back as he entered, only remembering now that they had never seen his in his Kingly-form. While he hadn’t grown, they all felt him towering over them. His skin was a pale blue, his hair an unkempt, swept back mess of black and white, and his eyes pure white. Even without a pupil, you could feel the stabbing chill of his gaze. The Crown shone like a frozen aurora above his head, and looking at his Ring made you feel your mortality slipping away. He was dressed in a simple leather tunic, and a shaggy, fur-like kilt. Around his neck were numerous necklaces, each with a charm that, if you knew, you could easily match to his defeated foes. He carried no weapon, but his hands were wrapped with tattered bandages, showing he preferred to use his fists. He had no shadow, but seemed to flicker in the well lit room, as if he would vanish as soon as you looked away. From under the bandages on his left arm, Lichtenburg scares flowed across his torso, centering on his chest. When he spoke, it sounded like many voices joining.

“Rise, Fright Knight.”

Turning to face the room of heros, a slight smile crossed his face. With a flash of light, he took on his form as Protector, now seeming to be little more than another hero. It barely helped the tension in the room.

“Sorry about all that. Got to be Kingly for a bit. How’s it going?”

With a sigh, Batman stepped forward. As he spoke to Phantom, the rest of the King’s Court fell out of their formation. With a flash of his own, Dan appeared less armed, if not any friendlier, in light armor.

“Phantom. Thank you for join us. Let me introduce you to some of the main members.”

As Batman led Phantom to greet Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and Flash, the other heroes rushed to meet the Court. Questions, compliments, and thinly-veiled challenges rang loud, and the Bats moved to give their visiting friends a little breathing room. It was only then that the gather heros realized that, as always, the Bats know everything.

After greeting the other big Leaguers, and forcing himself to hold back questioning J’onn too much, Phantom floated over to Constantine to meet the Dark side of the League.

“Greetings, your Majesty. I am Zatanna. I work with Constantine.”

“Nice to meet you, and please, just Phantom. I’ve heard of you from John.

“Hi Phantom! Remember me, Deadman!”

“Of course, I do, Boston. And, before i forget, see Tucker before we leave. He finally was able to get that spell to work. It should help you control your presence on the Mortal plane.”

“Sweet! Thanks.”

As the magic ghost flew off, Phantom explained to the confused mages about his previous dealings with their ghostly coworker. Until a voice, dripping contempt, interrupted.

“Something of Chaos, professing itself an agent of Balance. What’s your play, ghost?”

The voice was not quiet, and brought the room to silence. Waving off his Court, and the Bats, Phantom turned to the speaker.

“And you are...?

“Dr. Fate. I serve Order. Now, let’s end this farce. What do you want to leave this Realm? Or should I just banish you now?”

“Fate, stand down.”

“I will not, Batman. It may have fooled you, but the Infinite realms are a land of Chaos, and should not interfere with the Living.”

A chill swept through the room.

“Call me an ‘it’ again, and we will have problems, Doctor.”

With a huff, Dr. Fate turned away from Batman. Before he could continue, he froze as Phantom rested his hand against his helmet, a layer of frost coating him.

“Hmm, what’s this? Who are you?”

“…I told you; I am Dr.- “

“No. I know you. You’re a Lord of Order. Navi…natu…Nabu, right?”

“….”

“What are you doing…? Order should be in stasis right now. And this man…Constantine, explain.”

“…aight. Dr. Fate is the name of the hero who wears Nabu’s helmet. Currently, that would be Giovanni Zatanna.”

“So, wearing the helmet gives access to Nabu’s power?”

“…not quite. Wearing it gives Nabu a body. Otherwise, he’s trapped in the helmet. Giovanni gave himself up to keep his daughter free.”

Danny cut his eyes to Zatanna, who stood near John, pain evident on her face, before he froze, fully processing the explanation. Frost began to spread further across the room, sparks of electricity chasing the watching heroes back.

“So, he’s a puppet…. Nabu, what have you done!”

“…What I must to keep Chaos at bay.”

“You know that’s not how it works! Chaos and Order must be in balance, that’s why the Lords of the leading faction get trapped!”

“And it is a flawed system! I have helped these mortals resist magical enemies for decades and- “

“And how many of those enemies targeted Earth due to the Balance being skewed?”

“…”

“Phantom, can you explain?”

“Yes, Superman. Chaos and Order are meant to balance. Like a seesaw, if one grows bigger, the other rises. This represents the power of the Lords. The ‘lighter’ side gains power, with the ‘heavier’ side being trapped in objects until balance is restored. Due to more Order, it seems Nabu, as the eldest Lord of Order, was able to channel some power through the seal. Has a Chaos Lord showed up?”

“Yes, his name is Klarion.”

“The Witch Boy?”

“Yes. Do you know him?”

“A bit. He is the youngest Chaos Lord, and the weakest.”

Turning back to the still frozen Fate, Phantom spoke, echoes of power in his voice.

“Nabu, you will release this man, and fall back into stasis. Your meddling is against the Balance.”

“And who are you, ghost, to tell me what to do?”

“…Did you miss my entrance? I’m the Protector of Balance, and, as such, both Order and Chaos fall to me. But if that’s how you want to be...”

With a gesture, the helmet floated up, freeing the elder Zatanna. John rushed forward to retrieve the man from the melting ice. With another gesture, a golden light floated out of the helmet, leaving it to quietly disintegrate. Holding the god captive, Phantom called for Ghost Writer and Sam.

“Put him in a grimoire, with a bind to answer any question asked for the greater good. Sam, pass a message to Dora, requesting she summon Klarion to the Keep tomorrow.”

As Sam stepped off to make her call, Ghost Writer handed the newly made grimoire to Phantom. Turning to the three magic users, Phantom spoke to the eldest first.

“Giovanni, do you still wish to fight? If so, I can gift this to you.”

“…No, young King, I do not. And I thank you for my freedom, and for trusting us with the power of Nabu even now.”

“It’s nothing, you have sacrificed much for this world. In that case, I will trust this to you, Miss Zatanna. Use it well.”

Tossing the book to the surprised mage, Phantom then turned back to the room at large.

“Sorry about that. Now, let’s get this meeting started.”

As the bigwigs took Phantom off to talk, Constantine found himself a chair to collapse in. Looking up as someone joined him, he gave Captain Marvel a strained smile.

“Hey, Cap.”

“John. So, that’s the Ghost King.”

“Yeah, and stay clear of him, you hear. Bloke can probably clock you from a mile away.”

“Really? How?”

“Ghost. They see spirits, and your gods probably count. He might not say anything about it, but I don’t want to deal with that headache today.”

The two sat in silence, both happy to watch the Zatannas’ reunion in silence. The meeting didn’t take long, and within the hour, everything was done. Fortunately, no one else caused a fuss, and, after a time answering everyone’s questions, the ghostly Court departed. No one outside the other Bats noticed the Bat that left with them.

Chapter Text

Relaxing in the Keep’s dressing room, Danny let out a sigh as he collapsed into a nearby chair.

“Ancients I hate being King. Everyone have fun?”

As his Fraid scattered to the concealed alcoves they began changing out of their royal attire, each voicing out their own complaints of the meeting. Soon enough, they all joined Danny in the center of the room, relaxing on the furniture scattered around.

As Cass relaxed in the chandelier above them, she wondered when someone would notice her. She hadn’t originally been planning on entering the Realms today, content to finish the meeting and rejoin her fiancé at the Manor, but the opportunity had presented itself after Dan summoned a portal while Danny was still saying his goodbyes. The Knight was the only one to see her enter, and Cass knew he wouldn’t say anything. As Danny and Tucker began nerding out over meeting ‘real heroes’ Cass met Sam’s eye as she rolled them at her friends’ excitement. After a small jump, Sam smiled at the hiding girl, before signing.

“I’ll keep them distracted; Tucker’s more fun to scare.”

“Ok.”

Cass began maneuvering herself down from the chandelier, using the rope holding it up to get behind Tucker. She felt Danny’s spike of surprise, and amusement, as he spotted her and figured out her plan. As Sam drew Tucker deeper into conversation, Danny tapped Valerie’s foot before nodding at Cass. The girl smirked before shifting to the side, clearing a spot for Cass to jump down to, as well as pulling her visor partially out to record the fallout. As tucker became more and more animated, the others shifted together, seemingly to give his wildly gesturing hands more room. As Cass drew up behind him, he finished his speech.

“-I’m just saying, if we could just convince the League to let me, I could totally—”

With a scream, Tucker jumped away from the hands that had grabbed his sides, twisting and tripping over a footstool. His glasses and hat went flying, and everyone burst into laughter. Gathering his items, Tucker looked at Cass in betrayal.

“When the hell did you get here?!?”

In order to meet with Klarion the following day, Danny elected to stay at the Keep. Opening a few portals to get his friends home, Danny and Cass then set out to find Dora, who had volunteered to watch Ellie for the next few days. As they walked, Cass asked Danny about his meeting.

“It went well. Aquaman and Wonder Woman were helpful on the application of laws across borders, and promised to help out if any political trouble comes my way, not that I plan to announce myself to the world leaders. And Green Lantern said he would petition Oa if need be. They have apparently dealt with the Realms in the past.”

“That is good. I know their permission is not needed, but it is nice to have their support.”

Rounding a corner, they spotted their daughter playing on a large, blue dragon, climbing over her scales and spines. As they got closer, the ghostling noticed them.

“Mom! Dad!”

Flying over, she hugged them both, babbling about how much fun she had had. Shifting from a dragon, Dora walked over as well, and the group set off to catch up.

Early the next morning, Phantom waited in his throne room to receive Klarion. As the Witch Boy entered, a seemingly normal cat in his arms, Phantom could sense his nerves.

“Greetings, young Lord of Chaos. Be at ease, I summoned you for good news, not bad.”

“…As you say, King Phantom, but may I know more?”

“It has come to my attention that a Lord of Order, Nabu, has been abusing the Balance. I understand you were sent here to hinder him?”

“Yes, but his stupid friends keep stopping me.”

“Worry not. I have spoken to the League. As of last night, Nabu has been removed from his vessel and bound in a grimoire.”

“…Why would you do that? I know you’re a hero, like his friends.”

“Because I am the Protector of Balance. In addition to sealing Nabu, I have summoned you to act in the name of Chaos. I will grant you power, so as to help even the scales Nabu set askew. In return, you will spread Chaos across the universe, rather than solely upon Earth. I also ask that you act as a force, not as an agent. I believe subtlety is a skill you have neglected, and this would be an excellent chance for you to learn. Do you agree?”

“…May I ask for one thing, King Phantom?”

“What is that?”

“…Can I bring Teekl with me?”

Looking at the young Lord, and the cat in his arms, Phantom smiled, and a light flashed, illumination Teekl. When it faded, the cat now had a ghostly glow.

“I have bound her form to yours.”

At this, Klarion fell to one knee. With a wave, a sigil of the Crown blazed into existence on Klarion’s hand.

“It is done. Be gone, young Lord, and bring Chaos to this stagnant universe.”

With a burst of flame, Klarion departed, and Phantom relaxed. He spoke to the seemingly empty room as he collapsed onto his throne

“I hate doing that.”

From behind his throne, Cass, in her Black Bat ghost-form, stepped out, before climbing up to sit in his lap, legs draped over the arm of the throne.

“I must say, my King, that you wear authority well. If I didn’t know you, I’d be intimidated. The League sure was.”

Wrapping his arms around his lover, Phantom’s hands began to wander as he spoke.

“They really were, although hopefully they will relax a bit before I see them again.”

Cass rested her head against Phantom’s chest, soothed by the hum of his Core. Jumping a bit as his hands got a bit more bold, Cass spoke.

“Is there anything else you must do today?”

“Actually, yes. You need to pick your title.”

“Title?”

“Yep. You are Lady Gotham, and have that aspect, and once you are Darkness, you will have a new form for that title, but your current form needs a title.”

Cass thought about what to do. Despite the similarity, she did not want to default to Black Bat for this form. Trying to focus beyond the hands on her breast, Cass wondered.

“Why do I need a title?”

“Ghosts are all about self-identity. Each form is seen as nearly a different person. Like, remember when I tossed you and Jason to Skulker? That’s why he changed how he addressed me once I donned my regalia. I was no longer Phantom, ghost child, I was King Phantom, Ghost King.”
“Hmm…any suggestions?”

“….Considering my title is a pun, not really. Ellie even made a joke before, calling herself Phantasm to match my ‘wonderful’ naming sense.”

With a pleased hum at he moved a hand from her breast to her ass, Cass pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Then, in the same spirit, call me Cryptid. Alliterations are nearly as bad as puns.”

With a swelling of shadows, Cass looked down at herself, shocked to see the changes to her form. Floating up, she looked at the mirror of ice Phantom summoned for her. Where she had previously looked similar to a blurred Black Bat, her form now looked like little more than a living shadow. She reached out, finding that she still held the shape of her Bat gear. the only break in her form were her eyes, which glowed a pale green. Settling back down, she saw how her form seemed to solidify where she came into contact with other objects.

“Cool, but why?”

Danny laughed at her assessment before explaining the change.

“Self identification. You looked like Black Bat before because that was already an identity you had, and you equated ghost form with hero, cuz of me. Now though you have separated the two. Chances are, your Gotham form probably took on some of your hero aspects now.”

As Cass thought this over, Danny resumed his explorations. Trying to focus, Cass remembered an earlier question.

“Why did I need a title now?”

“So I could announce you as Ghost Queen.”

“….what.”

“Yep. As far as ghosts go, our Cores are Bonded, so you are Queen. Along with the announcement…”

With that, Danny’s hand broke away from her breast, and reached out into the air. With a twist of space, the Ring of Rulers and Crown of Ice now floated before the pair.

“Pick one.”

“….”

“No, really. Pick one. I don’t particularly need either. The Crown provides power, the Ring control. Regardless, either of us can summon either one if needed, but as Queen, you need one of them bonded to you.”

With a sigh, Cass reached out to the Ring, placing on her right hand.

“Good choice, control is priority for you.”

Shaking her head, Cass reached out to take Danny’s hands in hers.

“Danny. Is there anything else you need to do today?”

“Nope.”

“Good.”

Placing his hands on her ass, Cass leaned forward, sealing whatever Danny was going to say with her lips. With a thought, Cass brought her body to full visibility before willing her suit out of existence leaving nothing but her hooded cloak to cover her. After Danny did the same, she lowered herself over him, crying out as he filled her. She began riding him slowly, resisting his attempts to drive her down faster, paying him back for his earlier teasing. Cass began riding him faster until-

“Shit.”

With a gesture, Danny drew an icy fog around them just as a burst of flame left Ember and Kitty standing in the middle of the throne room. The two ghost were angry, already ranting about whatever had brought them there. As Danny tried to break into the tirade, Cass smiled as she began riding him again, content that the fog and her cloak ensures the other girls couldn’t see them, and unconcerned in what emotions they might pick up on.
Danny tightened his grip on Cass waist, trying to keep her still. Only to barley stifle a groan as she switched from riding him to focus on tightening around him instead.

“Em, Kitty, can we talk in a minute? Maybe in the sitting room next door?”

“Babypop, we just need-/Danny its not fair-“

The two ghost stopped as they finally noticed the fog surrounding the throne. Tasting the emotions on the air, both girls smirked.

“Babypop, what’s up with the fog. You wouldn’t be feelin shy now, would you?”

“Yeah Danny. I’m sure you would never be defiling the throne room would you?”

With a sigh, Danny dispersed the fog. Despite the cloak covering the both, Cass still felt a flash of embarrassment as the ghost girls laughed as they made their way out of the room.

“We’ll wait next door, you kids have fun now!”

“Careful Babypop; I don’t think Ellie is quite ready for a sibling just yet.”

Once again alone, Danny leaned back, looking at the girl on his lap.

“Satisfied? They won’t let this go for weeks.”

Shifting her legs, Cass guided Danny into lifting her, with his arms hooked under her legs and around her back, holding her up and at his mercy.

“Not satisfied yet, my King, but feel free to change that.”

Some time later, both halfas moved to the sitting room. Ignoring the snickers the waiting girls sent his way, Danny settled in to listen to his sisters’ complaints about their recent run-in with Walker, politely ignoring the blatant teases they both sent his way.

Chapter Text

“Phantom!!”

With a crash, Constantine burst into the sitting room, causing the halfas and ghosts to all leap to there feet, ready to fight.

“What is it, John? Where’s the fire?”

As Phantom spoke, he quickly flew to circle the mage, looking for injuries. Aside from the smell of smoke, and a few scraps, he found nothing.

“Trigon is attacking the Earth. We all sensed whatever you did to Klarion, an’ apparently he and Trigon had some kinda non-aggression pact. Now that he’s gone, the demons making a move on Raven. Can you help? I’m willin to pay the price if-“

“No. We can’t make any more deals. Not until the current one is up. What’s up with Raven now? Why is Trigon after her?”

“Shite, you don’t know. She’s his daughter, and conduct into the Mortal Realm. She tied him up nice a few years back, but the stone she used is broken. Is there really nothin you can do?”

Phantom closed his eyes in thought, before grimacing slightly.

“Trigon is strong. I can take him, but only as the Ghost King. Which means it will take a Contract for me to get involved…..here,” as Phantom spoke, he created a small sigil of ice, handing it to Constantine, “Give this to Raven, or someone else who has a personal stake in this. Have them bleed on it, and it will summon me. But John, you can’t tell them I want to help. They will probably recognize me from the Watchtower, but they have to be desperate for the Contract to work. If its regarded as a personal favor, or if I take too little payment, it will have repercussions.”

“…got it, mate. I’ll handle it.”

As the mage disappeared in a flash of yellow, Cass stepped up to take Phantoms hand.

“Are you ok?”

“…yes. But this will probable suck. I have to take a payment that equals the request, and this matters too much to everyone involved for me to take a token payment.”

“What will you do?”

Suddenly, a circle of black magic appeared around Phantom’s feet, forcing him into his Ghost King form. With a sad smile, he answered-“My best.”- before vanishing from the room.

Raven stared in horror at the floating sigil of ice, drops of blood frozen to its surface. It glowed with a sickening green light. When he gave it to her, John had been honest with who it would call. Despite the meeting going well, Raven knew how Contract’s worked. She was fully prepared to offer her life, her afterlife even, to save her friends if needed. Which made the fact that it wasn’t only her blood much worse.

“Garfield!”

The changeling looked at her, a distinct lack of repentance in his eyes.

“No way, Rae. I’m not letting you sacrifice yourself for us again. I’m no magic-man, but I’ve heard enough from you to know getting ghost dude’s help wont be cheap. And my blood makes this my deal too.”

Flashes of dark magic tore the ground around the pair as they both looked at the slowly opening portal in front of them. Tears gathered in the sorceress’ eyes as she turned to look at her closest friend, before collapsing into his opened arms.

“If we get through this, I’m going to kill you.”

With a laugh, Beast Boy held her close as a figure faded into view, contained by a circle of black and green energy, and a smaller circle grew to contain the mortal pair. The Ghost King looked at the two before him, before speaking in a voice that had Garfield’s animal sensing screaming.

“…Interesting. Twice the summoners I expected. Tell me, what do you want?”

“…I ask that you defeat my father, the demon Trigon, and break the connection that binds him to me.”

“And I ask that you allow me to share the payment.”

“…Hmmm, three requests, two summoners….very well. And what do you offer?”

“…Anything, as long as it involves no one but us.”

As Raven answered, she reached out to the ghost telepathically.

“Ghost King, can you reject the deal of my friend? I am willing to pay the price alone. Please.”

Looking at the heros before him, Danny felt their pain. He could sense the desperation in Raven, Beast boy’s resolve, and the fear that they both fought to keep of their faces. With a gesture, the two were dragged apart, each now enclosed in their own summoner’s circle. Domes of ice grew to enclose them each, and the Ghost King addressed Raven first.

“You ask for much, demoness. Your father is nearly my equal. To defeat him, I ask for your service in my Court for the rest of your immortal life and beyond. Do you agree?”

“…Will you leave my friend out of this?”

“That is not for you to concern yourself with, demoness. Do you accept the first deal?”

“…very well. As for my second request?”

“For the removal of the bond between you, I ask for a single spell, to be performed after the fight is over.”

“What spell?”

“It will be provided. Do you accept?”

“Fine. Now, please, leave Beast Boy alo-“

Leaving Raven mid sentence, Beast Boy jumped as the Ghost King’s voice echoed in his dome.

“An agreement has been reached with the demoness. Now, she has requested I leave you out of this-“

“No! I summoned you too, and I won’t let you force me out. Tell me the price! I’ll do anything.”

“Hmm…you love her, do you not?”

“…yes.”

“Does she love you?”

“Does it matter? I love her, regardless. She gives up so much, I just….want to help her. I don’t need her to love me for that.”

“Very well. Garfield Logan, in return for spitting the price of the Contract, I will take from you…”

As the domes fell, Raven rushed to Beast Boy’s side, panicking at the look of loss in his eyes.

“Gar! Garfield! Are you ok? Did he hurt you?”

“…No, I’m okay.”

Drawing himself up, he turned to his friend reaching out and-“Ow!”-flicking her forehead.

“That was for trying to force me out of the Contract.”

As Raven sputtered, they both turned back to the battlefield. While they had conducted the summoning, several of the League’s heavy-hitters had taken up the battle with Trigon. Superman and Captain Marvel were both bloodied and bruised, while two Green Lanterns had been evacuated by a few speedsters after taking hard hits. Suddenly, the Ghost King flicked into visibility between the fighters, causing them all to freeze. Without taking his eyes from the now on-guard demon, he sent the heros back with a simple "allow me." Trigon growled as he identified his new opponent.

“King Phantom! I hold no grudge with you. This is a family matter.”

“And your ‘family’ made a deal, so now it’s a Ghost King matter. So, do you yield?”

“…Never!”

With a burst of flame, Trigon took a smaller form, before launching his self at Phantom, dark magic glowing around his claws.

Clouds gathered above, and a sudden gust of freezing wind had all the heros huddling together, instinct screaming to get inside, light a fire, and wait for daylight. As sleet began to fall, peals of thunder rang, and they could see lightning gathering in the clouds, waiting to strike. With a smile, King Phantom shrugged off his cloak, claws of ice growing on his hands as the fight started.

With a blast of ice and magic, the two deity’s exchanged blows. As Trigon struck, his magic tore at Phantoms flesh, leaving bloodless scars. With every blow Phantom landed, lighting followed. Breaking away, Trigon tried to summon his minions, only for them to be frozen and destroyed as he brought them forth. Phantom took this opportunity to summon ghostly elements to his side. Tricolored blasts of ecto, ice, and flames began flying, each rending flesh as they struck the demon. With a howl, Trigon resumed his true form, towering over the battlefield. Phantom seemed small before him as the demon summoned a mass of black magic, more than large enough to crack the land over which the battle took place. Staring down the attack before him, Phantom gestures behind him, erecting a transparent shield of ecto and ice that sealed the sky as far as the heros could see. Gathering a breath that seemed to suck the storm from the sky, King Phantom Wailed, sending waves of sound, fire, and lightning crashing into the demon above, and bringing any who heard it to their knees as they experienced every brush with death they had ever had. Those who had died before were left nearly catatonic, although they recovered quickly. Looking above, they saw the Ghost King approaching, a glowing red sphere of ice in his hand. With a sigh and a flash of light, not to mention sighs of relief from the living in the area, the friendlier appearance of Phantom floated before them.

“So, anyone want to hold this for me? I need to rest for a minute.”

The heros moved around the battlefield, cleaning up the more dangerous debris. As they worked, they all occasionally tossed a glance at the seemingly harmless ghost floating around the field. As Phantom removed his ice, extinguished green fires, and munched on green rocks that seemed eerily like kryptonite, the watchers tried to connect him with the god-like being they knew him to be. Soon enough, with a sigh, Phantom stopped, turning to face Raven and Beast Boy where they rested, the changeling a snake draped across the sorceress’ shoulders. With a flash of light and frost, the Ghost King once again graced the war-torn fields.

“It is time for payment. Rachel Roth, are you ready?”

“…I am.”

“Very well. Garfield Logan, are you ready?”

As Raven froze, the snake on her shoulder looked at the King before nodding his head.

“No! I made the deal, I will shoulder the payment alone!”

“No. I have dealt with you both, and payment is owed. Now, be silent!”

The heros surrounding the trio exchanged glances before moving to surround the Ghost King. They all looked to Raven, ready to jump into what they all knew was a hopeless battle. Seemingly ignorant of the heros’ intention, the Ghost King opened a portal to his side, and they all saw the Ghost Writer walk through before bowing and offering a scroll to his King.

“King Phantom, the spell you requested.”

“Thank you, Writer. You may return. Now, Garfield. Is this your choice?”

Again, the snake nodded, and Raven found herself, and the surrounding heros, literally frozen in place as needle of ice darted by, leaving a shallow cut along both her cheek and the snakes back before returning to float in front of the Ghost King. Unfurling the scroll, King Phantom allowed the blood on the needle to drip on the page before him. Walking up to Raven, the ice retreated from her body, and King Phantom held the scroll out.

“This is the spell I require of you. Cast it.”

Raven tried to resist, only to have her body move against her will. The Contract on her soul would ensure her obedience despite her wishes. With a flash of magic, Raven felt a strange bond fall upon her, before a wave of exhaustion sent her falling into a faint. With a flash, the now less Kingly Phantom caught her. With a sad smile, he turned to address the heros still frozen around him.

“They will both wake up soon. Tell Raven I will have Constantine bring her to my Court when she recovers.”

As Phantom moved to the still open portal, Superman was the first to recover.

“Phantom! What did you do? What was the payment?”

As the portal closed, the ghosts voice rang out, causing all the heros to shudder.

“Her Soul is mine, and his humanity is forfeit. They both will serve as members of my Court.”

Chapter Text

With a sigh, Phantom collapsed onto a nearby chair. Casting out his senses, he tracked Cass to Dora’s room, enjoying a meal with Ellie and the Draconian. Thinking back to the deal, Danny hoped everything worked out between the two newest members of his Court.

“Very well. Garfield Logan, in return for spitting the price of the Contract, I will take from you…your humanity.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Did you know, your power has two sources?”

“What do you mean?”

“The blood of a Martian granted shapeshifting, but a Meta-gene contributed too. Your original ability would have allowed you to communicate with animals by interacting with them on a soul-deep level. As such, when you change your form, so to does your soul. In those moments, you Are the animal, not simple animal-shaped. Therefore, for payment, you will take on the form of an animal, and that will become your true form. Do you accept?”

“…And this will reduce what Raven has to pay?”

“…Not directly, but it will reduce the burden on her.”

“They okay, I accept.”

Danny pushed himself up, pulled out his phone, and texted Sam and Constantine, requesting they both make their way to the Keep. Constantine showed up within 5 minutes, all but spitting fire.

“Oi, what the hell did you do to those kids? Why can I see bloody soul bonds on the both of ‘em?”

“Chill, dude. Wait for Sam, and I’ll explain.”

Grumbling, the mage settled in. It took Sam about an hour to make it in, leaving Danny and John to discuss the fallout of Trigon’s failed invasion.

“By the by, what did you do with the demon anyway?”

“I tossed him back to his dimension. It’ll take him a couple centuries to melt his way out of my ice.”

Finally, Sam strolled in, taking a seat and gesturing Danny to explain.

“So, I got a new magic-user for the Court. But she probably hates me, and will for a while, so there’s that. I’ll probably have her focus on extra-dimensional affairs, Sam on Realm matters, and John on Human Plane business. Sound good?”

“Not that I doubt it, but why does she hate you?”

“I manipulated her friend into thinking he had to sacrifice his humanity to save her from like, eternal damnation, or something.”

“…”

“Oh, and that friend loves her, but doesn’t think she loves him, but I think she does but thinks she can’t.”

Sam sighed, before turning to John.

“Any chance you have the full story and can save me 20 questions with King Dumbass?”

“…I thought he left them truly fucked, but it seems like I was wrong. Danny made a deal of eternal servitude with Raven, made her cast a mystery spell with the pair’s blood, and told the Big Blue Boy Scout he took Beast Boy’s humanity in the deal. Both’a the kids are unconscious, and Beast Boy’s still a snake. Usually, he reverts to human when knocked out.”

“Thank you. Now, Danny, tell me why Jazz won’t kill you when I tell her you were mean to people in need.”

“Now, hold on, no need for all that I promise-“

“Now, Danny!”

“Alright, Ancients, chill. I had to make it a big deal, defeating Trigon was very important to them, the price had to be the same. But I reverse-Constantined them-“ (“Hey!”) “-and the actual price is low. Beast Boy is no longer a human who can shift to any animal, he is now a snake with a human intellect that can shift to any animal, including a human. Raven has to serve me, and will do so by doing the exact same thing she always does. Finally, the spell was a powerful familiars contract, meaning, among other things, Beast Boy is now as immortal as her. Immortality sucks if your friends aren’t just as immortal, much less the one you love.”

Sam and Constantine sat in silence, thinking through what they had heard. Constantine broke the silence, standing and offering Danny a sheepish grin.

“Sorry for jumpin to blamin you, mate. Not use to deals workin out, is all.”

“No, its fair. Now, head back. Once they wake, bring them my way. I have a write up of the familiar contract that explains all the aspects of the bond, and will deliver Raven’s assignment and a sigil for her to contact me.”

Waving as the mage leaves, Danny sank to the couch next to Sam, falling to side to rest his head in her lap. He cried as she went to push him off

“Saammm I’m eepy.”

“Tough. Go cry to Cass.”

Despite her words, Sam sat back, letting her friend rest, gently carding her fingers through his hair until he fell asleep. After about an hour, she looked up, meeting Cass’s eyes as she peeked through the open door.

“I think the fight took more out of him than he wants to admit. Not to mention dealing with everyone’s emotional feedback.”

Moving closer, Cass elected to sit on the floor, leaning her head back against Danny’s side. She started, and then relaxed, as Sam began brushing her hair as well. The trio sat in silence for another hour before Danny stirred, waking the two girls as well. They decided to grab some food, as Danny gave a full account of the fight and deals to the others.

Chapter Text

Beast Boy woke abruptly, driven by a vital need to get to Raven now. With a thought, he shifted to a hummingbird, dodging the hands that tried to hold him to the bed, as well as waves of dark magic. Finally reaching his sorceress, he let go of his form, returning to a snake as he hisses at anyone who approached.

Cyborg was pissed. Two of his friends were down, and Beast Boy may be a snake forever. He only hoped the Raven would sleep until a magic user was around. He knew his friend would be wracked with guilt, and that her powers were liable to do real damage if no one was around to help her contain them. As he saw her eyes open, tears already falling, he wasted no time, nor any thought of safety, before moving to her side. As she wept and raged, magic flying around them, he wanted nothing more than to send Phantom to a second death.

Raven woke slowly. Partially, she thought, due to not wanting to wake at all. Her first thought was of Beast Boy. She knew now, what the spell was. A contract with a familiar would only work on a true animal, one without the soul of a human. Which means….Garfield was gone. She opened her eyes to see Cyborg, and threw herself into his arms. Bearing no mind to the destruction around her, or the numerous voices calling her name, she made no effort to control herself, until she felt a weight settle across her shoulders, bring with a tug of power. Suddenly, the raging storm of magic settled, and Raven was shocked to see her power flow into the hissing snake. As she settled, the flow of magic tapered off, and she brought her hand up to soothe the snake. Tears in her eyes, she brought the snake down, holding him to her chest.

“Its ok, Gar. I’m ok.”

As her tears began to flow again, she was shocked when her powers didn’t erupt. Instead, the energy flowed into her familiar. Cyborg reached out cautiously, smiling when the serpent moved to tangle himself around his arm.

Garfield was confused. Now fully awake, he tried to figure out what happened. He had shifted earlier, and seemed to have his mind intact. Didn’t ghost dude say he was taking his humanity away? With a start, he saw the trick. Heart jumping in joy, he worked his way off of Cyborg to the floor, and shifted to human.

Garfield laughed at the shock that spread across his friends faces.

“What’s up, dudes? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

His laughter was cut short as Raven threw herself into his arms. He felt her magic flow into him, but elected to ignore that as he tried to sooth her tears. Looking up at Cyborg he waved his friends concern away.

“I’m ok, promise. I think ghost dude was leading us on. I didn’t have to pay that much.”

“What do you mean? He said he took your humanity, BB.”

“Yeah, but dude, I’m not always human. He turned me into a snake, yeah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t turn myself into a human again.”

At this, Raven looked up.

“No, Gar, you don’t get it. Once you were a snake, he made me make you my familiar. That only works if you have the soul of an animal.”

“Yeah, he explained that too. Turns out, I’m a Meta. That went all funky when M’gann gave me her blood, but it means when I shift to animal, my soul shifts too. So, its all good. Just means my default form is a snake now.”

“….but the contract, Gar. You’re my friend, not my servant. And who knows what else the spell will do, that was powerful magic.”

“Don’t worry about that, love. King Phantom will be explainin everything right soon.”

The three young heros jumped as Constantine’s voice rang out. The older man walked up, waving apologetically.

“Sorry for the scare. And for not tellin you Phantom was a helpful bloke. Contracts have’ta be equal, and he wouldn’t be willing to ask as much as he would’ve had to had you known. Now, come along, he wants to talk about your new position.”

Waving his hand, John opened a portal into Phantom’s Keep. Speaking to the surrounding heros, John called one out to join them.

“Nightwing, you have been called to liase. Move it.”

Jumping forward with a grin, Nightwing tossed an arm over each of his younger friends.

“Come on, guys! Phantom’s great, you’ll see.”

Despite this, Raven was still hesitant, but moved through the portal, entering a simply furnished dining room. A table full of snacks greeted them, with a ghostly princess floating near.

“Greetings, heros. I am Dorathea, Princess of the Draconians. Please, help yourself to some food. Everything on the left is meat-free, and all of it is safe for mortal consumption. The King and Queen will arrive shortly.”

As the princess left the room, Raven was shocked at Nightwing’s laughter, which he refused to explain. After a short time waiting, the doors opened. Phantom floated in, a cloak of shadows draped over his shoulder.

“Sorry for the wait. Let me introduce you, this is Cryptid, the Ghost Queen.”

As the cloak resolved itself into a separate figure, Beast Boy shouted as the shadow flew forward to drape over Nightwing, much to his delight. Another shout followed as a wave of shadows left-

“Cass?/Cassandra!”

Raven and Beast Boy didn’t have time to process anything when a flash of light drew their eyes back to…a normal kid?

“Hey, I’m Danny. And as you can see, that’s Cass.”

A relatively short explanation later, and Danny moved on to the main topic.

“I am sorry about all this, but Contracts are Contracts. For you Raven, your job in my Court is to do exactly what you always do; protect people from magical threats. Beast Boy, your job is to help her. As for the familiar contract, it is one of equals, there’s no compulsion-“ at this, Raven all but collapsed into a chair, “-and it gives you a few powers. First, your lives are tied. As long as one of you lives, you both do; you're both functionally immortal now, and, as members of my Court, will become powerful ghosts after Death. Second, you can each immediately teleport to the other, regardless of distance or dimension, and will instinctively know when the other needs you or needs to be summoned from danger. Third, telepathy and empathy. Just while touching, for now, but the range will grow. Finally, Beast Boy is able to absorb the excess magic you produce, Raven. Just like before, by touch until the bond grows. The power will be stored for use by either of you later.”

Raven and Beast Boy were both shocked by the information, which had Danny rubbing his neck sheepishly.

“I know it’s a lot, so I have it all written down here for you.”

“…Its all good, dude. Just taking it in.”

After a few hours of Q and A, split between ghost business and normal getting-to-know-your-friends-friends type questions, everyone left the Keep, each heading to their own homes. Nightwing, Danny, and Cass returned to Wayne Manor, each dreading the gala the following day. It was, unfortunately, time for Danny to meet Gotham’s elite.

Chapter Text

Danny was glad that the gala was taking place at Wayne Manor. As he glanced through a nearby window, he couldn’t imagine dealing with the horde of media personnel that all but blocked the manor’s entrance. Bruce, Tim, and Damien stood just in Danny’s line of sight, greeting people as they arrived. Turning as he heard someone enter, he greeted Dick, Jason, and Duke as they walked in.

“How is it I’m ready before the people who are actually use to this shit?”

“Ghost Magic, if I had to guess.”

Laughing at Dick’s flippant answer, the boys sat down to await both their other companions, and for Bruce to call the Wayne’s all down. Danny would be making his entrance a little later.

“Oh, Jason, I forgot to tell you something.”

“What’s that, kid.”

Nodding towards the door in lieu of answering, Danny and Dick laughed as Jason fell through his chair when Jazz walked in. Wearing a simple sheath dress of forest green, the color perfectly matched Jason’s simple suit. Despite her nerves, Jazz still moved swiftly to help Jason up, seemingly unaware of why her bending down to help him sent him blushing and averting his eyes. As they enjoyed the rom-com playing out, Danny and Dick rose to greet Cass and Babs as they entered the room. They both wore well-tailored, stylish rompers, each preferring this to a dress.

“Also, Tucker, Valerie, Sam, and Dora will be attending. I think they came in with Steph. I can sense them downstairs already.”

Soon enough, it was time for the Wayne’s to show face, and they left, with Danny and Jazz both pressing kisses to the cheeks of their loved ones. As soon as they were alone, Jazz hit Danny.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“Why didn’t you tell Jason I was coming! He looked so embarrassed for me to see is powers slip. He wouldn’t even look at me!”

“…Jazz, he looked away cuz you forgot you are wearing a dress.”

“…?”

“Lean forward and look down.”

Jazz did so, only to shoot up when she realized what she had shown. Grabbing a pillow, she screamed into it.

“If it helps, at least he was a gentleman about it? I only saw him take one peek after he turned away.”

After a few more minutes of screaming, Jazz finally emerged just in time for Jason to get back.

“Hey guys. Jazz, if you want, you can come down with me now. Danny, give it 5 minutes, and it will be your turn. After a quick general introduction, you and Bruce will head into a press conference in one of the galleries. Other than the Kents, that’s the only room with reporters. A quick statement, a few questions, if you want, and then a you are done. Sound good?”

“Sounds good. Jazz, go ahead, I’ll be fine.”

Jazz and Jason left, making there way quickly down to the party. Looking around, they moved to join Sam, Val, and Duke at a table. While they talked, they watched Tucker and Dora dance their way across the room, an all but burning smile in the Draconians eyes. Steph soon joined them, an entire serving tray of desserts in hand. As the dancing pair rejoined them, they headed out to a secluded balcony just as Danny was introduced. Looking over the garden, Sam broke into the conversation.

“Hey Duke, Steph? People are breaking into your garden.”

“…Of course they are./ I’m not adopted, not my garden.”

Standing up, and handing her shawl to Tucker, Dora spoke.

“Allow me. You were kind enough to invite me into your Lair, and I simply love dancing.”

A small trace of flame erupted from her back as she spoke. Her dress, while modest from the front, had no back, enabling her wings to spread unhindered. A tail slipped out from under her dress, and her forearms and hands were covered in scales. As she lifted off in flight, Sam and Val were the ones to catch Tucker as he nearly fell from his chair. As he recovered Steph looked him dead in the eye until he looked back.

“Furry.”

As they all stood to watch Dora deal with the intruders, they all proceeded to heckle Tucker, who took it in stride. Val was trying to ‘defend’ him-

“Hey, she could swoop in, save him from a fall, hold him close, who wouldn’t swoon.”

-when Steph and Jazz fell, only to be caught by Val and Jason. Duke and Sam, uninvolved in any drama at the moment, laughed as all the others broke out in blushes. It was then that Dora rejoined them, speaking to Steph as she shifted to a more human appearance.

“Point of order, Miss Steph. I have scales, not fur. I believe ‘scalie’ is the correct term.”

Ignoring the offered shawl, Dora leaned her bare back into Tuckers chest, as he stood frozen, unsure of what to do with his hands.

After Bruce finished his second introduction, this one to the press, Danny moved forward. Forgoing the podium, Danny elected to sit on the staircase in front of it, ignoring the stab of irritation and resigned acceptance he felt from Bruce. This put him on the same level as the reporters, standing around him. Waving off the questions, Danny spoke.

“First off, yall can put the cameras and stuff down. Just like the picture of my daughter, they won’t come out right.”

The reporters were stunned, doubly so when they checked there equipment and found it to be true.

“Yeah, I have that effect on most recording devises. Pay attention, I’m only going to say this once. My daughter and I are from a small town known as the most haunted place on Earth. You know the Ghost King? From the attack against the Teen Titans a few days ago? Before he was King, he was the Ghost Hero of my town. He kept the ghosts from attacking the world, after some scientists opened a portal into the Ghost Realm. The portal’s closed now, but it made everyone in my town a little…ghostly.”

Pausing to let his eyes quickly flare an icy blue, Danny continued.

“This makes it so we are hard to record, on film and tape, unless we want it. And, asside from the earlier pictures, I don’t want. So give up.”

Standing up, Danny brushed his hands off before allowing his eyes to glow again, along with a touch of ghostly intimidation, fixing a glare to the reporter representing the paper that had exposed Ellie.

“On that note, if any of you, regardless of quality, ever expose my daughter like that again, I will personally introduce you to the Realm of the Dead; the scientist who opened the portal were my parents, and I am more than capable of recreating their research.”

Moving down from the podium, the reporters cleared a path, walking back into the main hall, Danny rejoined the ongoing party. Casting his senses wide, he tried to locate his fiancé. Starting slightly when he felt the shiver of her transforming, he was unable to pin-point her location. He maybe stronger, but this was her family’s Lair, and it would hide her if she wished. Looking around, Danny spotted a shadow moving swiftly toward one of the balconies.

Dodging his way through the crowds, Danny finally made his way outside. After a brief survey, he shifted, allowing Phantom to fly over the railing to the garden below. Pausing briefly to watch Dora clean up a few intruders, Danny laughed as Tucker was ridiculed by their friends. Drifting through the group, he intentionally bumped Steph and Jazz, sending them tumbling into the arms of Val and Jason. Smiling at the duos twin flashes of flustered embarrassment, he continued on, leaving the well tended garden for the forest that surrounded the manor. Gazing over the thick shadows that blanketed the trees, he briefly focused his powers skyward. With a rush of wind, the all but ever-present cloud coverage scattered, allowing the light of the full moon to spill over the landscape. Laughing Phantom caught sight of an out of place shadow fleeing into the forest, and he pursued.

Landing in a clearing, he could feel a Liminal space being created around him. As shadows thickened into a portal just inside the trees, he laughed as he made his way to another part of the clearing.

“Nicely created, Odette, but there is still things for you to learn. Entering through your door binds my to your will, benevolent as it may be. Fortunately, there are other ways in that will give me more…leeway. Pay more attention to the location, next time.”

As he finished speaking, he stepped into the ring of mushrooms that marked the edge of the grove, and vanished.

As Lady Gotham floated in her space, she took in the changes to her form. She wore a simple dress of slate-gray, the hem hanging to the floor, and she could just make out the embroidery of all her Knights’ crests scattered along the fabric. A simple black belt cinched her waist, with gold stitching forming a Bat at the center. The dress had a single strap over her left shoulder, and would had left her entire right breast exposed if not for the band of her cloak that crossed her chest. The cloak itself was formed from her curses, and completely concealed her face in shadows when it was up, letting only the green shine of her eyes, and the stitching from her vigilante mask, shine through. With the hood down, the neck of the cloak piled up, concealing her face below her eyes. Her skin was a lighter gray than her dress, and gave the appearance of granite, even if not the feel. She could tell the tattered hem of her dress, and cracks that marred her skin, were indications of the city’s health. She was happy that her eyes and hair still matched Phantom’s. Turning her attention to the space she created, she say a forest of bone-white trees, growing from a pitch-black forest floor.

Looking towards the entrance, she wondered when her lover would arrive. Only to pout as his voice rang out, and she felt him sneak his way into her space. She began to hunt him down, her Core sending out waves of playful combativeness. She barley manages to dodge the ectoblast he sent back in answer. She felt his competitive satisfaction, and she threw herself into a fight as soon as she caught sight of him among the trees. The battles with claws and powers, each leaving their mark on the other.

They battled their way through the space, each carful to avoid a serious injury despite a desire to win. Their Cores sang out to each other as they fought, and, with a blast of ice, Phantom created a dense fog, fading from view. Lady Gotham spun around, trying to find her opponent.

“Where are you looking?”

As his voice rang out from behind her, she ducked as she spun to face him, only to see his copy fading from view. A blast of ecto hit her squarely in the back, burning a hole in her cloak . With a smile, she cast the damaged garment aside, and launched her own attack at the spike of surprise and desire she felt coming from the fog. She smiled when she heard him curse, her blow throwing him into a tree and clearing some of the fog.

“And where are you looking, my King?”

She took the time he spent recovering to melt into the shadows. Moving slowly, she shifted from shadow to shadow, finally entering his, rendering him immobile. As she rose from her hiding place, she taunted him.

“Seems like I win, King Phantom. As long as I stand here, you can’t move.”

“True, but you forget, Lady Gotham, that I don’t need to move to get you out of my shadow.”

With this, Phantom, faded from view, his shadow doing the same. Before she could react, he appeared again, grabbing her shoulder and flipping her around and pining her against a tree. As she tried to fight her way free, his ice began creeping up from their feet, separating her from her shadows. He was easily able to keep her tangible, and she finally surrendered as his ice began making its way up her legs and down from his grip on her.

“Fine, you win. I thought I could get you.”

“To be fair, in another form, you might.”

As he spoke, Phantom removed the ice from her. As she quirked her head, he answered the unspoken question.

“Lady Gotham is a city spirit, and Phantom is a Protector. She leads, he fights. Cryptid would be better, and if I was the Keeper, it would have been a fairer fight. They may all be us, but each has its own place and purpose.”

With this, Phantom shifted, and the Keeper now stood in his place. Despite being the same person, Lady Gotham understood, and was shocked at the different way she reacted to him.

“Why do I feel…?”

“Like I’m your boss? Technically, like this, I am. We both currently represent physical things. You a city, me the Mortal Realm. In fact, interacting like this can actually affect the flow of energy in the real world. A city spirit’s relationship with the Keeper can help or harm the city they represent. That’s what happened to Atlantis.”

With this, Lady Gotham had an idea. She brought her hands together behind her back, and stepped closer to Danny. She felt a trill of victory as he eyes immediately went to her half-exposed chest, as echoes of desire rang from his Core

“That reminds me, you won our little battle. Would you like a prize, Keeper?”

Danny’s hand came up, slowly drawing the strap from her dress down, leaving her torso bare. His hands came up, softly cupping her breasts as he answered.

“Lady Gotham, you wouldn’t be trying to gain your city favor now, would you?”

Shifting his shirt off of him, she smiled before turning in his arms, leaning her back to his chest as his hands returned to her breast, now strongly kneading them.

“Of course not. That is simply a happy bonus.”

With a groan, Danny bent down to nip at her neck. As her hand came up to pull at his hair, he began marking her, one hand continuing its assault on her breast while the other traced its way down her stomach before grabbing her hip. Breaking away from her neck and breast, he leaned down to slide his hand under her dress, bringing the hem up. Gesturing at the tree he had previously pined her against, she obligingly leans forward, bracing her hands against the truck. She gasped as she felt his fingers slide into her.

“In that case, my Lady, I will gladly take my reward.”

As his fingers slide out of her, she moaned lightly, only to cut of a scream as he slammed his dick deep inside her. Her head dropped forward as he began riding her. Due to her dress, she couldn’t see him entering her, and she could only see her breast swaying as he took her. She desperately arched her back, trying to take him as deeply as this position allowed. As she nearly came apart, he suddenly slowed, causing her to toss her head back, glaring at him.

“Not yet, Odette. This is my reward, not yours.”

With this, he suddenly pulled at her dress, tearing it from around her waist. Lifting her leg, her turned her to the side, leaving her struggling for balance for a moment. As soon as she braced herself again, he began moving once more, setting a more sedate pace. Now able to reach her, one of his hands began teasing her clit. Soon enough, she began pushing against him, lacking only a single push to fall into pleasure. As she struggled, he slowed, his hand stilling. As she tried to take over, he grabbed her hand, stopping her. A laugh was all that answered her growl. With a twist of her hips, Lady Gotham brought herself up to wrap herself around him, legs locked around his waist. He grabbed her wrists as she moved to ride him, bringing them behind her back and sealing them with a band on ice.

“That’s two fights you’ve lost, Gotham.”

“Danny!” Cass was desperate. Twice he had brought her to the edge, and it seemed he meant to torture her more.

Lifting her, Danny slide out of her, ignoring her whines of protest. Turning her around, he bent her forward, his hands gripping her now  unbound arms her only support.

“Very well, Odette.”

He once more took her from behind. As he rode her, Cass pulled against his hands, relishing in every thrust. Nearing her climax again, she began calling out, all but begging for Danny to make her cum. It seems it worked, and she felt herself falling. As she came, he slowed, letting her ride out her high. As she settled, he slide out of her, turning her around and guiding her to the ground. As she knelt between her legs, he placed her legs on his shoulders before leaning forward. Seeing what he wanted, Cass pushed him back a little so that she had room. She relished the look he had when she moved to place her ankles behind her head, her arms resting over her legs.

“Ballet has many benefits, my love. Come on.”

Danny pressed himself into her, filling her. As he paused to give her time to adjust to the angle, he kissed her deeply. At her insistence, he began moving inside her, causing her to moan into their kiss. Soon enough, her legs came down, wrapping around him as she pulled him in as she came again. Spent, she fell back, resting before pulling at his arms. Guiding him to kneel over her, she grabbed her breasts, pressing his dick between them. Smiling at the stunned expression he wore, she began to rub at him until he began moving. Eventually, his hands replaced hers. With a smile, she saw him getting close, and decided to tease him a bit.

“I love watching you fuck my tits, Danny.”

As he nearly stuttered to a stop, she laughed. Lifting her head, she began licking at the tip of his dick as it peaked between her breasts. It didn’t take much more before he came, coating her face and breasts. She began licking herself clean as he watched, and took him in her mouth to clean him as well. She kept her eyes on his as she felt him growing in her mouth, and it was only a few minutes work to have him cumming down her throat.

After a few minutes, rest, they both stood. Each shifting back to their human forms, they began walking towards the space’s entrance. Cass remembered something Danny had mentioned earlier.

“You said us…interacting, in those forms, would mean something about the energy in the city?”

“Yeah, basically, it will…level up? Your Haunts ability to repair. Gotham will start self repairing, and be more resistant to damage. It won’t be like, super obvious, unless you track a single spot for a few months, but it is constant. And the nature of ectoplasm will make it hard to notice.”

“Will that happen ever time we are together like that? The ‘level up’?”

“No, its more of a one-time thing. The only way for it to get stronger is for you to get stronger. Once you Ascend to darkness, it will probably double in speed.”

As they stepped out of the space, Cass checked the time. Shocked, she saw that only minutes had past since she first led him out of the gala.

“Yeah, Fairy Circle’s will do that. Like I said, location matters. If you were stronger, it could have gone the other way, years passing in an instant.”

Concerned, Cass vowed to be more careful. As the pair reentered the garden, they were able to hear Dora correcting Steph. Danny laughed as they floated up to join their loved ones.

“Glad to see you remember, nestmate.”

Stepping forward, Danny pressed a kiss to Dora’s cheek, grabbing Tucker’s still outstretched hands as he straightened up. Bringing them together he guided his friend into hugging his date around the waist.

“Try that, dude.”

As Dora preened, Tucker finally rebooted. Seeing her comfort, he tossed Danny a grateful look. The group eventually moved to rejoin the party as it winded down. As everyone made their way up to their rooms, Danny broke away from Cass as she went to prepare for bed. When he returned, she could feel his amusement, as well as several distant pings of embarrassment. She sent a question out from her Core.

“I went to ice Tucker, Jason, and Dick’s rooms, and to tell the girls I was doing so. Only Dick and Babs took it well, but the others did agree to it, so that just leaves…”

Suddenly, Danny flared his aura, connecting with every Core in the manor. Ghostspeak followed, as he taught the owners of the Lair how to dampen the empathy of everyone in it. Soon enough, no one could sense anyone outside of the rooms they were in.

“And that should prevent some shame come morning.”

With a laugh, Danny readied himself for bed. Finally laying down, he held the covers open for Cass as she climb over him, and the two fell asleep quickly, exhausted by both the gala and their forest rendezvous.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1147362309304488080/1178164592317300806/penup_20231125_184450.jpg?ex=65752648&is=6562b148&hm=a19ca21fa323e10ad9011ab7cde3861f7ec4df949037fe69e1d070575a754173&

Chapter Text

The next morning saw everyone very firmly not looking a Danny, as the younger members of the house hold slowly trickled down for breakfast. Steph and Duke found the whole thing hilarious, and had apparently started a group chat with Sam and Val ‘for single solidarity.’ Once everyone had finished their meal, Cass called out for little brother.

“Damien, can you grab Jason and head down to the cave? I need to talk to you all about my next task.”

After he nodded, she turned to Danny, who was waiting for her guidance.

“I know you said you could help a bit, but can you explain any limitations?”

“Sure. Basically, I can’t put myself into the equation. Any of my forces are yours to command, I just have to stay out of the battle, including the planning process. I advise you call Dan. Anything that falls under his authority as Fright Knight is fair game, and it’s a good chance for Jason to learn more about his role.”

Now able to fully grasp her resources, Cass kissed her fiancé goodbye and headed down to consult with her father and brothers. After she left, Danny collapsed into a chair, groaning as he laid his head on the table.

“..You good?”

“Not particularly, Steph.”

“Yeah, that’s fair. Want to play Mario Cart?”

“….yeah.”

After a few weeks planning, Cass felt they had a workable plan for the LoA. After they took down the main base at Nanba Parat, Dan, along with Walker and his guards, would strike out from every Lazarus Pit on Earth. They would capture any Liminals they found, and hold them for identification by the Bats. Then, Walker and Ghost Writer would record their crimes, and deliver their sentencing. Danny had already selected levels punishments for the rank and file of the League, with only the higher-ups receiving personal punishments. For the lesser offenders, imprisonment until their natural deaths, at which point they either Fade completely or are freed as ghosts. For the mildly serious, a dip in the River Lethe, and they would live the rest of their lives in Nocturn’s Kingdom. Most would either Fade or end up as Dreamwalkers after death, but some may rise as full ghosts, and go free. Finally, death in the River Lethe, immediately rising as Dreamwalkers.

While their plan was mostly complete, the decision was made to wait for the final tie to loosen on Cass’s powers before they struck. It was assumed that, like the Joker, Ra’s had some idea Darkness had given up on him.

With that done, Danny was once more seen about the Manor. He had spent most of his time away, unable to listen to the plans without feeling his Obsession burn within his Core. His first day back, Damien found him in the garden, watching over Ellie and Cass as they played tag in the sky.

“Danny, I have a request. Your discretion would be appreciated, as well”

“What’s up?”

“I wish to negotiate a… last chance, for my mother.”

Danny stared at the fidgeting boy in front of him. Training aside, it was a lot to ask a 13 year old to plan the take down of half his family.

“What did you have in mind? If she surrenders, we can try to work something out.”

“I may have scheduled a meeting with her tonight. I ask that you accompany me, and I will ask for her surrender, into your custody, to be held until the League is brought down. At that time, I hope her punishment can be mitigated, at least a little.”

“And if she refuses?”

“Then I will know my place in her heart, and will respond in kind.”

Danny nodded, and then turned to call out to Cass.

“Odette, can you stay in with Ellie tonight? I have business.”

Looking between her the pair below her, Cass decided not to ask. She simply agreed, and wished them well.

“Thank you…Cass.”

As he set out on patrol, Batman turned to address Robin as they got in the Bat Mobile. Only to see a green sticky note.

IOU 1 Stabby-Boi -Phantom

Batman sighed. Sure, why not.

Robin stood on the rooftop, waiting for his mother to arrive. He seemed alone, but his proto-Core could feel Phantom floating around him. It gave him a sense of security rare in his dealings with his mother. Speaking of which, he spun in place addressing the shadows behind him

“Hello Mother.”

“Hello Damien. To what do I owe the pleasure? Your message said it was serious.”

“Mother, I have come to give you a final choice. Either renounce the League and surrender yourself to me, or we leave here enemies, and I will use every skill father and you have imparted to take you down next we meet.”

“…Well well. And what has you so decisive? A new ploy by your Father, or have you decided to play at having a conscious?”

“Neither. A new player has entered the game, and I simply wish to remove you from the board. Now, choose.”

“I choose, Damien, to remind you who you are. Everything I am, everything you are, is for the League. If your time with your father has made you forget that, maybe its time you come home. I was shocked to see you truly came here alone. How did you manage that? Your father and brothers’ usually are more adept than that. No matter.”

Talia raised her hand, signaling her forces. Damien didn’t move, and Talia was shocked when nothing happened. With a smile, she began moving back, tying to locate whoever had removed her men from the field.

“Well played. I can’t wait to see how you ‘take me down.’ Until next time.”

As Talia faded from view, Damien’s figure slumped, and Phantom could feel the pain of a child abandoned.

“…No Mother. Farewell, for we are out of ‘next times.’”

His Core crying out, Phantom gathered Damien in his arms; it was a mark of his sorrow that the boy let him. Phantom flew them back to the Manor, forgoing the Cave to take Damien to his room. Once there, he swiftly circled the Manor, leading Titus and Alfred the Cat to the boy’s room. By the time he had returned, Damien had changed out of his uniform, and regained his composure. Smiling as he saw his animals, he looked up at Phantom.

“Thank you, for trying. It seems neither of us has the best luck with parents.”

“Hey, now. Bruce is doing his best. It just isn’t always that good.”

Damien chuckled, and wished Danny a good night.

As he phased through the door, Cass looked up from where she sat. She had just put Ellie to bed, and had sensed when the wayward pair had returned.

“Everything ok?”

“Not really, but he’ll be alright.”

“He told me what he was going to ask. Thank you for giving him a chance.”

“…Is there anyone you want to save?”

Cass froze, before shaking her head slowly. Shifting to ghost, she opened her Core to him as he did the same. With silence and static, she told him of her past, of her father and mother, and of her first kill. Resuming their human forms, Danny was shaken by the life she had lived, and moved to hold her close.

“Damn, Odette. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s ok. I have made my peace with who they are. They will pay for their crimes, and I will finally be able to put the past behind me for good.”

Cass moved to stand, and Danny went with her. Looking in on Ellie, Danny remembered something he had spoken to Frostbite about.

“Oh, Ellie has her final check-up tomorrow, and I wanted to talk to Dick and Kori about Mar’i. I know they were concerned about her growth, so I wanted to bring them along. If anyone can guess how she will grow, its him.”

After their arrival, Kori had been concerned. Mar’i was not matching anything she knew of tamaranean or human growth. Aside from a growth spurt shortly after Dick met her, she hadn’t grown at all.

Danny flared his Core, reaching out for Dick. Getting a response, he headed up to meet and discuss the offer.

“That sounds great, Danny, and thanks. What time do we need to be ready?”

“We can leave after breakfast, and make sure to dress warm.

Chapter Text

As Frostbite completed his examination of the girls, the parents all waited, hoping for good news.

“First, the simple. Ellis is stable, Great One.”

Danny smiled, but said nothing as Frostbite turned to the others.

“As for young Mar’i, while I cannot say for sure, she doesn’t seem to be in any danger. Lady Kori, you told me your species can absorb radiation, yes?”

“Yes, we can. Although we must also eat, it does provide some sustenance.”

“Hm, as near as I can tell, the young lady requires radiation as well, but is less able to absorb it. This is why, after travelling through space to Earth, she grew, but has since stagnated. Do your people mature at the same rate as humans?”

“No, not at first. Tamaraneans grow rapidly for the first 8-10 years, equal to around 12 or 13 among humans. After that, they are more similar.”

“In that case, I feel there will be little issue. As you can see on this scan, she has been absorbing radiation since she entered the Realms, almost as fast as a resident would. On that note, so too have you.”

“Will this cause any issue?”

“On the contrary, it will be good for her. In addition, it will hasten the development of a proto-Core in you both, which should correct the issue she has with radiation absorption. Being around the halfas, you should see her following a more natural pattern of growth, as oppose to her current state.”

At this, the girl’s parents collapsed, and Danny stepped forward, a hand on Dick’s shoulder.

“Is there anything we need to look out for?”

“Nothing that wouldn’t be obvious. In addition, you should know that it is likely that Ellie will match Mar’i’s speed of growth, if not vaguely out-pace it.”

“Why is that?”

“She is her closest peer, and Ellie see’s herself as the ‘big sisty.’ Her Core will mold her to match that image. In addition, she does still have the memories of her previous form, which will support her growth mentally. I would expect her to grow at a similar pace to Mar’i until nearly her prior age of 15.”

“Wouldn’t we have seen signs of growth since? She looks the same as when she reformed.”

“No, because she has, for the most part, never been around other children to see signs of growth. She mainly spends time around adults, who change far less, if at all.”

“I see. Thank you, Frostbite.”

“Yeah, thanks. We were worried, and appreciate your time.”

“Nonsense, any of the King or Queen’s Fraid are welcome. Which reminds me, I seem to recall a few of your Fraid members who were injured from the party before. May I ask what ails them? Anything their Liminality doesn’t fix, I can offer my knowledge.”

“Well… Babs, Barbara, was injured. A bullet severed her spine. And Tim apparently doesn’t have a spleen. Other than some scars, I think that’s all.”

“In that case, Liminality should easily correct the issue. I would advise, Great One, a unit of ecto to both of the prior. For Tim, overshadowing for about 20 mins, with a focus on healing, and for Barbara, topical application with the same. As for scarring, that will depend on the self image, but should be reduced to purely cosmetic concerns.”

“What about surgeries and prosthetics? Several of my brothers, and myself, have had screws placed, or other types of procedures.”

“In that case, the ecto will either replace and repair, or integrate and reinforce.”

At that, Dick hesitated, glancing at Danny.

“…Listen, Danny, can you get me and the girls back home from here?”

“Sure? Here.”

Confused, Danny opened portal to the Manor.

“Great, and keep it open for a minute.”

Getting his group through, it was a few minutes wait until, rather than Dick, Cass and Steph came through.

“Hey, Danny, Frostbite. Dick was being weird, and told me to grab Cass and come over?”

“I’m just as lost. Frostbite was talking about how ecto may reverse any medical procedures and heal most things up, then Dick asked me to open a portal.”

After a few seconds though, both girls seemed to realize the issue. Cass froze, but Steph grabbed her hand and turned to Frostbite, after a brief hesitating glance at Danny.

“Me and Cass….we both, for different reasons, were told we could no longer have children. I was hurt, while Cass…..her dad’s an ass, and saw no reason his ‘perfect weapon’ should ever…yeah.”

Danny froze, before moving to wrap both girls in a hug. After a few moments, they had collected themselves, thankful for his support.

“Well, I see no reason for that to be an issue, but we can easily check. Ladies, this way if you please.”

Barely 10 mins later, and Frostbite had the answer.

“Lady Cassandra, as I suspected, your first shift healed any wound you may have had. I see no issues in you having a child. As for you, Lady Steph, I can see the scars of your injury healing nicely, and suspect that they will be gone within 3 months, baring any increase in your Liminality speeding things along.”

“Solid, thanks dude.”

Despite her flippancy, Danny could sense Steph was happy, if still shocked. Cass had a lost look on her face, and jumped when he reached out to brush against her arm. Steph, seeing her friend was having trouble processing, smirked before turning to Frostbite.

“By the way, how do ghost have kids? Or halfas?”

“An excellent question, Lady Steph. Now, for full ghosts, a child is a product of two, or, rarely, even more Cores interacting for a prolonged time in direct contact. After a time, there is a chance for the resonance between them to form a new Core, which will be nurtured within the Core of one of the parents. After a time, the new ghost, called a RealmsBorne, will form. As for halfas-“

“Ok, Frostbite, lets take a break. Steph, time to go home.”

“Aww, but Danny, it was just getting interesting.”

As Frostbite laughed, Danny opened a new portal, which Cass took great pleasure in shoving her snickering friend through. A blush staining her cheeks, she turned back to the yeti as the portal closed, curious to know the rest despite her embarrassment. With a smile, he continued.

“As I was saying, halfas can have children, although it will be more difficult. For a halfa, they must become pregnant and, within the same window, resonate their Cores. Fortunately, the timing is less demanding than for ghosts. For ghosts, their Cores must resonate for much longer, days at a time, verses the minutes to hours for a halfa. This makes accidental pregnancy a virtual impossibility. As for the gestation period, it is unadvised that the mother shift from human, but is permissible for short periods of no more that an hour per day, and the child will be full term after 6 months.”

Absorbing that information, Danny and Cass shared a glance before quickly turning away.

“Is this information theoretical, or not? I know halfas have always been rare.”

“It is factual, Great One. The Ancient of Magic was actually the first known halfa child. His parents had three children, and he was the second born. Unfortunately, his mother transformed too often with his elder sibling, and he dedicated all his considerable magical knowledge to ensuring his younger sibling lived. It is from him we have much of our knowledge regarding halfas. After becoming an Ancient, Merlin often dabbled in the lives of his younger sister’s mortal descendants, spawning many legends in the Living Realms. After her line died off, he headed out to explore the Infinite.”

“Mortal descendants?”

“Yes, a halfa is able to have children of either half as well, depending on the other parent.”

“Thanks for the info, Frostbite, really.”

“Anytime, Great One.”

Back at the Manor, the coupe decided to shelve that discussion for the present. Heading to the dining room, they were grabbing lunch when Selina popped through the door.

“Cass, perfect. The Sirens were planning a girls night, and Harley wanted to see if you and Danny’s sisters would like to join.”

“I’m game, let me text them. I know they would love to meet the others.”

Danny smiled, happy to see Cass brightening up. He was also fully dedicated to having no idea what the group got up to on their ‘girls night.’ He asked no questions as he flew Sam and Jazz over to Ivy and Harley’s home. Val had made her own way, and Cass was already there.

“Please don’t overthrow the government. Have fun.”

Later that night, Batman received a notice as he researched at the Bat Computer. Reading of the apparent ‘plant uprising’ taking place, coupled with the disappearance of all the equipment at a deforestation site in the Amazon, he simply sipped at his coffee. A message requesting info from Superman, on duty at the Watchtower, was similarly dismissed with a short message.

Acknowledged, disregard -Batman

The plan was to wait for the final bind to loosen on Cass’s Core before moving on the LoA, which still gave them roughly 2 months. Deciding to make the most of the time, Danny began sending out blobs, hoping to find a sign of his parents.

“Unfortunately, I’ve fucked up. The restriction on ecto means its basically impossible for any ghost to track my parents down.”

Consulting with Bruce, Danny was at a loss. Unfortunately, the Detective didn’t have anything to offer.

“We attempted to access Amity’s camera network, but the little uncorrupted footage we could get told us nothing. Did your parents have any enemies?”

“Not with Vlad gone and the GiW disbanded. Besides them, can’t think of anyone who would take them.”

“What about a ghost?”

“Definatly not. No one would risk me hearing they harmed my parents.”

At a dead end, Bruce promised to keep searching. As the pair headed out of the Cave, they came across Ellie and Mar’i playing in Bruce’s study. Since their visit to the Far Frozen a few weeks ago, everyone had been relieved to see signs of development in both children, which was most apparent in Mar’i. At 3, she had seemed 2 at most when she first got to Earth. Now, she looked her age. Ellie, as predicted, now looked around 5. Bruce smiled at his grandchildren, before joining them where they colored at his desk. Danny laughed before heading out.

Moving through the manor, Danny sensed anger and shame emitting from the gym when he passed. Looking in, he spotted Barbara, collapsed at the base of her therapy bars. She caught his eye as he knocked on the doorframe.

“I’m pretty sure you aren’t suppose to work alone, Babs.”

“Shut it, kid. No need for witnesses to my failure.”

Moving towards the fallen hacker, Danny floated her up with a hand on her shoulder, helping her to her chair.

“You know, you won’t heal any faster like this. Wait a sec.”

Danny summoned a blob ghost, and spoke to it for a moment before handing it to his friend.

“Here, meet Phyllis, the physical therapy blob. They aren’t strong enough to levitate you, but can reduce your weight by half for about 30 mins at a time. Use that time to work-out, and take a break when either of you get tired. It’ll take about an hour for Phyllis to recharge after.”

Barbara took the blob, calling out a faint hello with her proto-Core. The blob trilled back, snuggling in her arms.

“Thanks, Danny. And could you not tell anyone about this?”

“I won’t have to, Dick’s in the rafters.”

As the woman looked up, Danny left the room, closing the door to give the pair their privacy.

As it was apparently a day for Danny to stumble into emotionally charged rooms, his trip to the library found him walking in on his sister and Jason. Neither of them noticed him, or were wearing shirts, so he simply turned and left, placing a thin sheet of ice over the door. Jason would be able to melt it easily enough, and it would both keep anyone else from stumbling in and warn the pair to choose their rendezvous location a little better.

Deciding maybe he would be safer outside, he phased out to the garden, and saw Damien and Skulker working under a nearby gazebo, papers and maps scattered over a table. Drifting over, Danny waved off Skulker’s greeting, and listened over their plans. It seemed they both found their partnership fruitful, as he had suspected they would.

Leaving the hunters to their plots, Danny moved on. He found Tim, Steph, and Duke swimming, and briefly let his feet trail into the pool, dropping the temperature to the trios disgust. Duke shot a beam of light at him, and he let the impact send him flying into the Manor wall. Slipping through it, he found himself in the kitchen and swiftly moved to put away the groceries Alfred had just dropped off, leaving as he heard him returning. He felt the burst of fond disapproval the man sent his way. Now simply drifting through the manor, he pulsed his Core, searching out his other half. He felt her respond, and followed her trail back down to the Cave.

As he descended past the area of the Cave claimed by Bruce, he felt the moment he passed into the true Darkness of the Cave. With a thought, he shifted to Phantom.

“Tell me, Cryptid, this wouldn’t be another attempt to fight now, would it?”

A thickening of the shadows on an attempted bind answered his question. Summoning a blaze of green fire to burn the shadows away, he laughed.

“I’m glad you took your earlier lesson to heart, but…”

With that, he reached out, a clenched hand freezing the figured hiding in the shadows before bringing her to face him.

“I think its time we learn about Obsession.”

With a crack, Cryptid was thrown back by a bolt of green lightning. Phantom followed as she melded back into the endless shadows of the cave.

“You see, any city spirit or Keeper must have an Obsession towards either Protection of or Connection to a physical space.”

Blocking a blast of pitch-black ecto, Phantom continued both his chase and explanation.

“Conveniently, I had both prior to rising as Keeper, but they were both secondary. My connection with the Living Realm brought Connection forward as a primary Obsession. You will naturally develop one, or maybe even both, as Lady Gotham.”

When his shadow was spiked this time, he didn’t even need invisibility to escape, simply brushing the binding aside.

“As King, my Obsession with Protection took forefront. Prior to Kingship, it was just a secondary Obsession, but now took post next to the other two.”

With this, Phantom froze, and began channeling more power than Cryptid had ever seen, including when he purified Jason.

“Now, this brings me to Space. Unlike the other two, this one is all me. Separate from my titles, separate from the shit-show that was Amity Park and Pariah Dark, from the moment of my Death, I was destined to be the Ancient of Space.”

Phantom’s eyes blazed a star-speckled black, and Cryptid felt the very fabric of space freeze around her.

“I may not have easy access to those powers, but all that exists, even Time itself, touches upon my domain. And there is no way I will loose to someone without her own Obsession.”

Cryptid struggled, before giving in to her defeat. As Phantom relaxed his hold, she couldn’t help but wonder.

“When will I get an Obsession?”

“You already have at least two. Like I said, there are requirements to be a city spirit. And, as Darkness’s Successor, Darkness will be an Obsession.”

“But I’m not obsessed with it?”

“Obsession can be a misleading term. No, thoughts of Darkness do not consume you, but your very life has been seeped in Darkness. From your time with your father, to your life as a Bat, you embrace Darkness. Else you would never have been chosen. Same for protection, you were a Knight of Gotham. Most of your family will probably end up with this as at least a secondary Obsession.”

“But what about an Obsession for just me? Like Space is for you.”

“I actually think you have one, and I’m fairly sure I know it. But you have to figure this out for yourself. Just keep in mind, Obsessions can be misleading. Protection can be expressed in many ways, and covered by others as well. For example, protection can be driven by guilt, or love, and the connection could be for revenge or for recompense. So don’t be too narrow in your understanding.”

“But how will I know?”

“Trust me, once you truly know, its obvious.”

“And how will having multiple obsession, especially for you, work as an Ancient?”

“Easy. Only the aspect I represent will remain as an Obsession. The others will be similar to the Purpose I assigned Jason. They will still shape my actions, but will not affect who I am. One of my Purposes will be Ghost King, but I will not end if I leave the throne. That’s what happened to Pariah when I took the throne, as being ghost King was his Obsession.”

“How’s that become his Obsession? He would have had to desire to be King as he died, wouldn’t he?”

“Not necessarily. An Obsession for Power or Authority could evolve to one for the Kingship. But for Pariah, it came from his Death.”

“How so?”

“Because, young Queen, in life, both Pariah and I were one.”

Spinning to face the voice, Cryptid and Phantom saw Clockwork floating above holding-

“Popcorn, Clocky, really?”

“What can I say, your battle was entertaining. As I was saying, in life, the two of us were one. We had so much power, and in two aspects, that we were divided. I took Time, and he took the desire to Rule.”

Cryptid thought, before realizing the truth. With a whisper, she named him.

“Kronos…”

“Precisely. When my son defeated my, slicing me and scattering the remains to Tartarus, the core of my power entered the Realms. My flesh remained, and eventually reformed into a shadow of what I once was.”

As Cryptid processed, Phantom and Clockwork spoke briefly before the older ghost left. Turning back, the halfas began heading for the surface. Shifting back, Danny caught her up on everything he had seen of he family that day. As they walked down the hall, they were just in time to catch Jason melting the lock of ice. He immediately closed the door upon catching their teasing glances, Jazz face-palming behind him.

Dinner that night was all but pandemonium. Damien, jealous of Barbara’s new companion, had adamantly refused to admit it. In retaliation, Danny had chirped his Core loudly, calling every blob in the manor to mob the boy. Unable to figure out how to call them off, he had soon settled into his new fate, not so secretly enjoying the cuddly blobs. Alfred had entered, scattering all but two with little more than a look.

“No pets at the table, young Master. And for you, Miss Barbara.”

As the remaining blobs drifted off, Danny promised to show Damien how to communicate with them later.

“Oh, that reminds me. I need everyone to get together later, even you, Alfred. I’m going to help yall tune into your Lair better.”

Bruce was concerned.

“Is their a problem?”

“Not really, its just a good idea with so many people here.”

“How so?”

“Well, for example, if someone was in a typically public space, but decided to do something that requires privacy, it would help ward people away, or at least notify the resident if anyone was approaching. It would also enable others to know if someone needed help, or was in the room with them, hidden.”

Jason and Dick blushed, while Jazz and Barbara glared. Bruce, picking up on what Danny wasn’t saying, coughed and agreed with no further questions.

After dinner, Danny and the family headed for the gym, as it was the easiest for them to fit into. He directed everyone to sit in a circle, with Cass at the middle.

“As both Gotham and the only one with a full Core, Cass will act as the battery. I need you all to reach out along your bond to her, and she will connect you with your Lair.”

As Danny felt them putting action to his words, he began directing Cass.

“Alright Odette. Take the energy, and focus on spreading it through the Lair, all the way from the Cave to the skies. You will feel the boundary when you hit it.”

Danny felt the wave of ecto flow over him, and focused on keeping his Core dim.

“Now, strengthen the boundaries, and start pulling back to the center. Focus on physical barriers, the walls and doors, and on each rooms individual energy and purpose. As you get to everyone’s bedrooms, leave only their ecto inside.”

As her energy began to flag, Danny reached out, and hand on her shoulder feeding pure ecto to her. After an hour of focus, it was done. As the Wayne’s returned to themselves, Danny explained.

“Now, if you all cast out your Cores, you should be able to feel the Manor. You will be able to locate each other with a thought, but your exact activities won’t be shown unless you want. You’ll know if you are needed by any other resident, You will sense anytime someone enters the Manor, and will be able to identify if they are friend or foe. For those like me, Selina, Kori, or anyone who is here often, you will be able to identify us. Areas deemed off-limits to visitors will be locked to any who try to enter. Given enough time, and the various hallways of the manor will reorganize to protect you. Alfred, you will notice unused rooms will not need as much, if any attention, as well as being able to sense when your abilities are needed by the manor.”

Bruce had concerns.

“Danny, did you make my family’s home sentient?”

“…Technically, you all did, but yes, a little. Any family home that has been lived in for as long as the Wayne’s have lived here is a little sentient. The ecto just gave it the ability to express it.”

“…I once visited the House of Mysteries, Constantine’s home, and meet a spirit who claimed to be the house.”

“Oh, yeah. A little different, cuz the House spirit was artificially created, but basically the same. Although, I don’t think the Manor will develop one.”

“Why not? And how was the spirit artificially formed?”

“Actually, Tucker did it. Well, his past life did. The House of Mysteries was originally a storehouse for all the weird things Pharaoh Duulaman collected. And the Manor won’t develop a spirit unless Alfred lets it.”

Everyone turned to face the butler in question, who, for once, seemed caught off guard.

“Me?”

“Yep. Chances are, once you die, you will become the house spirit, unless you chose not to. Typically, the house spirit would take care of the residents and the residence. So, either you, or you let someone else care for the family.”

“Absolutely not.”

Everyone laughed at the man’s affronted tone, before moving to leave the gym. Saying their goodnights, everyone headed to bed.