Chapter Text
A man with shaggy black hair and ice blue eyes stood alone in a secluded park. The cold night air at odds with his chosen t-shirt and jeans. Upon closer inspection you could find patches of smeared dirt, rips, and burns all over his clothes. All in all looking a bit worse for wear. In fact if this was a normal town almost certainly someone would have stopped to ask if the young man was alright. As it is the few people who were out and about at this late hour didn’t even glance in his direction.
With a hum the man tilted his head back to observe the stars. A slight smile adorning his face while he traced the constellations. The man was of course Danny James Fenton. Son of the local mad scientists Jack and Maddie Fenton. Protector Spirit of Amity Park, Defeater of the Ancients, and the reluctant New Ghost King of the Infinity Realms.
A streak of glowing green light skidded to a halt next to Danny. Red eyes stared up at the man while dropping what looked like a blob of green on the ground. His wispy tail swinging back in forth while barking in excitement. Danny crouched down picking up the blob shaped squeaky toy. With a squeeze it released a whistling chime like screech causing the dog to crouch at the ready.
Drawing his arm back Danny chucked the toy sending it flying over the trees. The dog shot off chasing it through the air as if he was running on the ground. Unhindered by the laws of physics mere mortals are forced to follow. The two were quickly out of sight leaving Danny once more alone in the park.
Ever since he came out of the proverbial closet it has been easier on Danny. No more need to run around hiding his identity. Sure the older adults still look at him like a ticking time bomb, but for the most part he is trusted with their safety. Its nice that no one’s calling him a villain any more.
What’s more relieving is that the GIW no longer exist and his parents know that he is a half ghost. No one is hunting him down! It was such a relief when his parents accepted his dead alter ego. Granted there were a rough couple years where they were horrified and distraught over the fact he had died. Then the dawning realization they had been hunting their son had left them inconsolable for a long time. However every thing is fine now. If a little awkward at times.
Danny closed his eyes allowing his senses to be flooded with his haunt. The hustle and bustle of the night life filling his ears. The sense of life from every living resident as well as the aura of death from his peaceful dead ones. Amity park had turned into a truly mixed bag of citizens over the years. The two halves of life and death working together in the haunt made his core purr.
A shift in the air alerted him of a change. An intruder in his home. The shadows seemed to grow elongating and twisting. Danny narrowed his eyes in distrust as he watched. Moving shadows were not unusual in Amity Park. However this was Danny’s Haunt. His resting place. He could tell what belonged and what didn’t, and these shadows were not a part of it.
This was something trying to interfere with his territory. Invading it and forcing a change that it didn’t want to make. The shadows seemed to wither slightly. The being struggling to achieve its goal. Danny hummed turning his hand intangible and shoving it into the ground. If it refused to show itself then Danny would force it. His hand sank into the shadows making it squirm. With a low shriek of triumphant anger the being pulled Danny down. Sucking him into the inky darkness.
Moments later the dog returned. The park empty of its favourite person. Where could they have gone? Were they not playing anymore? With a wine the dog sniffed the ground where Danny had once stood. The dog bit down on the toy again before lying down to wait. Surly they would come back to play with him.
👻 👻 👻 👻 👻
Danny hit the ground hard. Black mud smearing across his hands and knees. The smell of dead grass, ectoplasm, and of course dirt filled his nose causing him to sneeze. With a grunt Danny heaved himself up to his feet. Eyes scanning the area for any threats.
His first thoughts was that the shadows had brought him to the Ghost Zone. The tang of thick ectoplasm being the only evidence for this theory. However once inspecting the grounds it was unlikely. The sky was dark and overcast. The ground solid and yellowed from a lack of care. Trees in varying shades of natural green surrounded the clearing. No this wasn’t the Ghost Zone.
However there was a concerning amount of ectoplasm in the air for it not to be. Was there a natural portal in the area? A constant leak into the realm of the living? Was Danny even still in his dimension? It wouldn’t be the first time he had travelled to another. Although he usually has a bit more of a warning.
His powers felt strained here. Like something was locking them away. Heavy chains forcing them down and causing him to feel light headed. Gritting his teeth he pushed his powers out. Trying to flare his aura with little success. An invisible force pushing his powers down. As far down as they could anyways. He could still feel them buzz just under his skin. Hissing at being locked up. His aura could only go nine to ten feet in front of him. Which was probably the biggest cause of his vertigo. So used to being able to since miles around him.
Taking a deep breath he revaluated. This wasn’t as bad as the time Vlad had managed to cut him off from his powers. Leaving him weak and unable to feel even a hit of ectoplasm. Nor was he being controlled like that time with Freak Show where he was unable to direct his powers at will. No, this was just trying to chain him. Keep him trapped, but unable to be fully locked away. Yes, he could do this. Opening his eyes he scanned his surroundings again.
A little further off was a two story house. Obscured by thick fog. The white paint dulled to more of a dirty grey. Large sprawling vines climbing their way over the house as if trying to swallow it despite being dead and clear of leaves. The architecture was strange as well. Not something you would find in Amity Park or even his section of the Ghost Zone.
Windows decorated with small wooden poles creating a small box on the outside of the glass. A roof made of what Danny can only assume is overlapping ceramic tile while white painted wood squares made up the bottom of the overhang. A heavy if broken and weathered wooden door made up the entrance to the place. While what looked like a large plank of wood acted as a tripping hazard to get in.
Danny was pretty sure it was some kind of Asian design. Which means he was somewhere in Asia. Halfway around the world from his last location. If he was even on his world. Still with his powers stifled it would be a pain to get home.
“What the hell?” He muttered trying to make since of this new development. While it wasn’t his first time being portal-ed to a completely different location, it had been very disorienting. Rating zero out of ten on trip adviser. Would not recommend to friends and family.
Static zipped through the air while a slightly mechanical voice chimed.
[ You are a reporter investigating this ruined villa, that is said to be haunted, in hopes of getting a hit article.]
“What?” Danny asked again searching for the voice he could hear.
[ Not expecting that this place was actually very dangerous. After entering the villa you have become unable to leave. An ominous feeling has appeared in your heart. Perhaps finding the hidden secrets will allow you to leave.... ]
“Wow, hold on. What are you talking about?” Danny demanded hands finding their way to his hips.
[ Requesting this player not ruin this monologues atmosphere! Thank you! ]
“Oh, I’m ruining it.” Danny stated. “You can’t just kidnap someone and then ask them to let you monologue. What are you a cartoon villain?”
[ Main line task... ]
“Yeah, no. Don’t just ignore me. You just throw me here in the mud. Not even a by your leave. Sucking me through the worst portal experience ever. That somehow made it past whatever beta testing you did.”
[ ... triggered: Find the... ]
“Because have you even tried it? It was like being sucked into liquid plastic then zapped by lightning. This of course after I spent most of the day fighting Skulker and his ridiculously upgraded sci-fi weapons. As he shouted about how today was the day he would get my pelt. Like dude, buddy, I thought we were past that.”
[ ...Abandoned villa’s.... ]
“Sure its part of your obsession to hunt, but can you at least change the disturbing lines. I already have enough nightmares.” Danny ranted. Arms flailing about as if to help emphasis his points.
[ ... hidden truth... ]
“Then after finally catching Skulker all I had wanted was to have some R and R with Cujo. But no! I had to be kidnapped by some random ghost trying to play god or something.”
There was a moment of silence where Danny thought he had gotten through to the voice.
[ In short, ...]
Danny groaned in frustration as the voice continued on like it couldn’t hear him. Which was a lie and they both knew it.
[ ... you are lucky to be selected to contact this supernatural event and become a member in our Infinite World of Horrors. The main line task must be completed to be able to leave, otherwise there will only be the death route. ]
“Infinity World of Horrors? Like some sort of horror game? Did you just drop me inside of a horror video game?” Danny asked in reproach. “Also what do you mean death route. Is this a real life version of Stay Alive? ‘If you die in the game, you die for real!’? What kind of knock off game is this? Isn’t this trope a little over done?”
[ ... The novice guide ends. ]
“Hey don’t run away! You can’t just leave me hangin’ like that!” Danny shouted annoyed at the entire situation. This was just like Ghost Writer all over again except it was horror instead of Christmas. Well Christmas was its own type of horror for Danny so maybe not so different. “Please do not let this be a musical. I might actually go insane if it is.”
Multiple footsteps sounded behind Danny while he was definitely not having a mini breakdown. Nope, he was having a completely mentally stable fully reasonable moment. Shut up inner Jazz.
Three men and two women slowly made their way over through the thick fog. Danny was pretty sure they were human. At least they seemed human enough. Which was probably not a good sign. Were these people dragged in like Danny? If so how many people are being forced to play this ghost’s game?
Danny could taste their fear and nervousness. A pretty good indicator of their humanity or at least non-dead status. Although that one guy feels pretty liminal. Not as much as the citizens of Amity Park, but way more then should be possible outside the Zone.
As the group grew closer Danny realized they were all of Asian decent so the somewhere in Asia theory was looking more plausible. Though strangely they all seemed to be wearing matching suits. Like they had planned what to wear in advance.
The group was a bit of a strange mix. There was what had to be a couple. A woman with long straight black hair and black eyes clung tightly to the man next to her. Despite the fear that Danny was able to taste from them the man was trying his best to comfort her.
Next to them if keeping a bit of distance from the couple was a young woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. Her steps were steady and her fear a bit less then the couple’s. Her hair was tied up out of her face allowing her to focus on scanning her surroundings.
A little in front of the three was a high school looking kid with ruffled black hair. He looked at the man next to him with admiration and trust. While he was fearful he was also unusually relaxed for someone who had just been yanked here without a word. Assuming they had been at least.
Finally there was the strangely liminal man wearing gold rim glasses. He gave off the vibes of some stuck up rich dude with money to burn. Not like Vlad who made his money, but more like the Manson’s who inherited it. The sent of old money. He was looking at the group with a gentile smile giving out reassurances like candy.
The group finally spotted Danny through the fog. “You’re also a newcomer? What are you doing all alone?” The Boojie man asked in surprise. "Quickly come and join us.”
Sceptically Danny walked over to the group making their way to the house. As he drew closer the groups expression changed. The couple and kid had a look of fear. While the Woman and Blueblood grew cautious. Right Danny could do this. He could totally be friendly and normal human like. First was of course to smile. Like a normal person. Normal... Fuck when was the last time Danny tried to act like a normal human?
Danny tried to show a friendly smile. His teeth just this side of too sharp. Ears a little more pointed then average. Eyes that seemed to glow in the fog. Not to mention that he was covered in mud. Clothes sliced and burned. A couple places stained with dried blood. While also being obviously a foreigner. His black hair having momentarily fooled the group. All in all completely failing at the ‘normal’ aspect of human.
While there have been occasions of foreigners entering the game. The most damning thing in the eyes of the crowd was the lack of suit. He didn’t match. “Y-you, why do you look like this?” The woman asked in concern eyes darting around as if checking for a trap.
Well he couldn’t tell them he was fighting Skulker when he managed to get a good shot off. Quickly Danny an excuse! “I was out playing with my dog when I was suddenly dumped in this place. Straight into a mud puddle. It will be impossible to save this shirt now.” Which to be fair was true. It just didn’t explain the blood. Plus this was one of his favourite shirts. Sam had gotten it for him on his birthday. There was no way he would be able to fix it after all this.
The black t-shirt was not space related but it was just as great. The white outline of an open coffin with a skeleton hand giving a thumbs up sat in the middle of the black shirt. Above the coffin it says ‘Dead Inside’ while below reads ‘And Doing Just Fine’. The fact that Danny could unironically wear it was beautiful.
“So that’s it.” The other three said seeming have agreed with his explanation. However Moneybags didn’t seem to believe him. Which was just rude, but valid.
“No, whenever a newcomer comes, the system always issues a uniform to keep everyone in line with their identity.” The Fat Cat stated. “This time everyone is a reporter in a team who came for sensational news. Everyone has a microphone for interviews, but you here...” The man trailed off looking pointedly at Danny’s clothes and lack of microphone. Which if your going to an abandoned house you definitely don’t need. Like who are you going to interview?
“Is the system the random air voice?” Danny asked.
The group as a whole looked confused by his question. Like this should be obvious. “Yes.” The woman replied.
“The ‘System’ didn’t give me anything.” Not even trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “It just held a one sided conversation ignoring my questions before disappearing.” Of course Danny was still pretty sure it was a ghost that pulled him here. This may even be its haunt seeing as it has quiet a bit of control over the area.
“So to say you’re actually a player?” Asked Mr. Too Good For Non-Gold Glasses. Honestly Danny kept forgetting he was there. Although he did keep giving off this calculating waiting for an opportunity to strike vibe. Danny was going to have to watch him. “Just because you are a foreigner the ghosts won’t show any mercy. So be sure to listen to me, otherwise you won’t know why you died.”
“... right.” Drawing the word out after that needlessly aggressive sentence. Though none of the others reacted to the man’s words so maybe Danny was just sensitive. Well the teen did react but it was to look at the man with shiny eyes. Like he had all the answers to their problems. “So, I’m Danny. Danny Fenton. You?”
“Fang Jian, a veteran player. I have participated in several instances so far.” The forgetful posh replied. As if that meant anything to Danny.
The woman on the left of the group introduced herself next. “I’m Ren Hui. This is my second time participating in an instance.” She was nervously glancing unable to stay still in the unfamiliar environment.
Next came the couple. “My name is Xu Bai and this is Lin Ling. This is our first instance.” The woman, Lin Ling didn’t speak. She just nodded along as her boyfriend spoke for them.
“Luo Kong.” The teen stated with pride. “This is also my first instance, but I’m sure that we will make it through if we all listen to Big Brother Fang!” The kid was looking at Fang Jian like he hung the stars. Yeah, that was some seriously misplaced hero worship. However since it is his brother Danny can somewhat understand.
Fang Jian cleared his throat grabbing everyone’s attention. “According to the background information found in the cell phone. This was once the villa where the richest man in S province lived. More than a decade ago, it was said that the richest man wanted to celebrate his son’s birthday. But a vicious murder seems to have happened. Everyone was killed, including the maids and security guards, no one escaped.”
S province? Where was that? Also this was in your cell phone? Are you kidding me? Danny went to pull out his phone hoping that there would be signal or at least whatever information Fang Jian was talking about. Only it was intangible in his right thigh. Forget it he will check later. Its not like he can leave yet anyways.
“This time the task is probably for us to find the actual facts of this murder case. The villain boss must be the ghost who killed this group of people.” Fang Jian speculated, “According to past experiences, the people who died inside have probably turned into resentful spirits... The situation this time is very discouraging.”
Danny was confused. As far as he knows ghosts don’t really kill people. At least not on purpose. Sure there was the odd revenge kill, but that was honestly more of a biological need then anything else. Most of the time getting revenge is all the ghost came back for and is now their obsession. Once fulfilled they don’t really stick around. Plus why would you stick around in a place you were killed? Sure Danny did, but there were extenuating circumstances.
While Danny was confused about the information everyone else became nervous. Fang Jian’s words causing them to dread entering the house even more. If they were not trapped in this game there is no way they would willingly enter the haunted building.
A flash of light grey caught Danny’s attention. All around them as if they were slowly closing in were vaguely human shaped shadows. They drifted through the fog. Just far enough away to keep out any details, but close enough to pressure the living further towards the house.
Everyone stood frozen in fear. Familiar static filled the air.
[ Your arrival seems to have caused some changes here. Some non-human existences were awakened by you, and they are unlikely to let you leave here alive. ]
These were not ghosts. At least as far as Danny could tell. They weren’t even shades. The shadow people were like robots. Programmed to act a certain way.
[ Task triggered: Survive. ]