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Lost in Time

Prologue

History is a set of lies agreed upon.

~Napoleon Bonaparte

The Ghost Zone was limitless in what it contained. There were so many stories told throughout time that were given power to the realm. Story telling was just a way the history of the worlds was told. Stories are lost or misheard and changed though time, and sometimes, they never come back.

The Ghost Zone had a long history to it as everything that ever happens, or will happen, or happened is held in a single realm.

There wasn’t a new dimension until Pariah Dark’s reign, and then everything was…Lost in Time.

Valerie flew to another door and looked around. Something was wrong, they should’ve noticed she was missing by now. She’d been gone for days now, and even though everything that had happened was a pain, they should be looking for her.

Unless they didn’t realize that she had been thrown into the Ghost Zone. Again.

“Stupid, Phantom,” she mumbled angrily. It was all his fault, and while she didn’t understand half of what was going on, she knew that Phantom was responsible for it all. She flew to the next door and gently opened it.

“Well, Hello, Child, it’s been a while since someone as young as you graced my doorway,” a voice said as she was pulled into the door with a sharp scream.

“Holy…” Tucker whispered seeing the armed agents patrolling the streets. “I think this is a little over kill…”

“Why are there so many?” Danny asked with wide eyes as he watched the white suits split up to go separate ways. Everything took some getting used to as they learned their new world and what all humans now knew.

“I don’t know, and apparently…Valerie isn’t a ghost hunter anymore?” Sam said confused as she got a text from the girl that said she wasn’t talking to any losers and then blocked Sam. “I can’t find any record of the Red Huntress anywhere.”

“Maybe…” Danny trailed off unsure what to think about that. His parents were even more gung-ho on catching ghosts now, and the world just seemed slightly more shewed right than left now. Danny wasn’t sure what to think about it.

“What do we do now?” Tucker asked looking at them. “Vlad hasn’t made any new waves either, but according to some research I did, he lives in Wisconsin with…oh.”

“What?” Danny asked as he appeared at Tucker’s shoulder to look over it. “Ya know, should’ve known that’s what was gonna happen.”

“Long Lost Son,” Sam read out before shaking her head. “Well, we know that at least he won’t be a problem anymore.”

“But now we gotta figure out how to get people to not…like, kill ghosts,” Danny reminded as the full weight of what he promised seemed to weigh on him.

Everything had seemed so much easier when they were trying to figure out how to fight the Evil Phantom. He had been so positive that he could handle it.

Now there were Guys in White agents marching the streets and everyone hated Phantom. There was no divide anymore.

No one believed in him anymore, and he felt more alone in the world than before. He wanted to ask Clockwork questions, but he also knew that it would take years for the ghost to fix everything once more.

Time will only worsen the divide.

He wondered what his first steps should be as his ghost sense went off for the first time since everything was set back on course.

Chapter Text

Lost in Time

Chapter One

Grim Reaper

Death may be feared, but it’s also a release from the struggles of life.

The Grim Reaper was a legend of a man who ferried souls to the afterlife, and many believed him to be nothing more than that of myth.

He wasn’t. He was one of the first.

He moved in shadows most of the time, and sometimes in his down time he relaxed in his home.

Now he was trying to figure out what exactly had happened to cause so many souls to die and come back displaced only to be fixed. He knew someone he could ask, but he didn’t want to.

It’d been a long time since.

That was when he felt a presence at his door. A human.

He hadn’t really been around breathing humans in a long time. They were always gone by the time he showed up to bring them.

It was tiring at times, but it left him feeling whole in a way he knew that he wasn’t. Not since…

The Worlds were one. Together in harmony and peace. Strength came from within as children raced around the castles and monuments giggling with glee. Grim watched with a smile as the children tackled each other to the ground. Feathers puffed up and floated around as some shed.

Grim laughed as they continued to fight before the ground shook. Screams rocked the city and Grim turned to see Pariah standing there with the Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage on his finger.

They had agreed to never touch those in favor of peace.

“You no longer control me!” he roared before firing upon the castle. Grim watched in horror as the child were burned to death, their souls following soon after.

They would have no afterlife.

“No,” he whispered before calling upon his spirit. He screamed as he launched himself towards Pariah wings spread wide and sharp only for the ghost to grab them both and rip.

Grim had never felt pain like that before.

He prayed that Death would be merciful.

It wasn’t.

Valerie took in a breath at the skeleton that was staring at her. She leveled her weapon at him.

“How do I get home?” she demanded trying to keep up her nerve, but she was running on nothing, she hadn’t really had much food or water in the days that she was lost, and she wasn’t sure what all was safe.

“Well, that’s loaded question, isn’t it?” Grim asked as he pulled a chair for her. “Come sit. You look like Death.” Valerie narrowed her eyes. Trusting a ghost got her into this mess, and she’d be damned if she let one make it worse. “What’s your name?”

“No, tell me how to get home, Ghost,” Valerie demanded again tighten her grip on the gun. Grim huffed before leaning forward.

“My name is Grim. Grim Reaper, now sit,” he said coldly, and Valerie felt the air rush out of her lungs. “We have much to discuss.”

“Okay, I could’ve sworn that the Statue of Liberty was on Elias Island…” Danny mumbled as he slammed his locker door.

“Do you think that Clockwork’s fix of the timeline created the Mandel Effect or was the Mandel Effect created by the timeline,” Tucker asked as he messed further on his phone. “Cause that may explain the Febreze thing as well.”

“While Tuckers has a crisis,” Sam said as Tucker just stared into space completely out of it as he contemplated his entire existence for a moment. “We should probably try to at the very least to me d a bit of Phantom’s reputation. Especially if they’re going to come after you ever harder.”

Danny nodded before he noticed Valerie next to Star talking about something. It was weird seeing them together after everything.

“Tucker…can you make a list of everything that’s changed?” Danny asked as he turned back to his friend. “Starting with Valerie?”

“Why Valerie?” Tucker asked seeing both girls giggle before walking off.

“I don’t know.”

Grim watched as the castle fell around him. Pariah hadn’t held back, and the more he used the Crown and Ring, the more anger that coursed through his veins.

Everything had turned a sickening green around him. It all felt unreal.

There weren’t any bodies for him to bury or mourn. Everything was just burning as the world crashed around him as Pariah screamed in rage.

Lightening.

There was so much lightening.

Chapter Text

Lost in Time

Chapter Two

Story Review

Stories are a communal currency of humanity.

~Tahir Shah

Valerie felt sick as she told the story about what had happened. She didn’t want to relive it again; she wanted to be angry. She didn’t want to tell this ghost what happened, but every time she tried to stop he would look at her and she would continue.

“Interesting, I didn’t think half-ghosts existed anymore,” Grim said as he poured some tea. Valerie felt herself be let go from whatever it was that he had done. “That little medallion around your neck is from Clockwork, correct?”

“Yes,” Valerie answered even though she had just told him that in her retelling. She was irritated and ready to go home.

“Best keep it on you, if Clockwork reset the timelines, it’s likely your original one is gone,” Grim said as he hid a smile behind his cup. “Drink your tea.”

Valerie just stared down at the little medallion. She hadn’t taken it off because it was just easier to leave it on, but if Grim was right.

Ghosts lie; Phantom lied.

She reached for her tea and took a drink, not sure why she even did it. The tea was good though, it tasted sweet with just a touch of lemon. She looked up at the skeleton face that was still studying her closer. She wanted to go home.

“Then…if I’m not from this timeline, how do I get back to my own?” she asked trying to stop the tears. She was so tried. She missed her dad, and her friends.

She still wasn’t sure how to feel about Danny and what he…was that really him though? It was clearly a version of him from some kind of messed up future.

“You’re under the assumption that it still exists,” Grim said hiding a smile. He couldn’t wait to see what Clockwork does since he clearly wasn’t aware of this little development.

Danny walked into junior year trying to figure out what all was different now. That’s what they needed to work on first since there’s seemed to be several different things. There was a new teacher that was apparently there for nearly two years now.

Mr. Lancer was just the English teacher and had never been the Vice Principal. Tucker was surprised to see that he had As and Bs and that he hadn’t hacked into the system to get them while Sam was a straight A student.

Danny wasn’t banned from handling anything either. It made everything a little weird as he hadn’t been on the cusp of failing either. He didn’t feel like he didn’t know the information either, even though he knew that he hadn’t before all of this.

“Do you think that Clockwork did that on purpose to help us?” Tucker asked as they headed to their new lockers. They weren’t too far from each other anymore, but it was a little trippy since it was in a different part of the school.

“I don’t know,” Danny whispered as it seemed two different memories fought in his head. It was like there were two realities and he was really getting annoyed. How was he supposed to know what was real and what wasn’t?

“Well, we need to figure something out, maybe spend the weekend figuring out what’s changed to not make it seem weird,” Sam suggested, and Tucker nodded.

“Alright, I’ll make sure that I’m not like…grounded or something that I don’t know about.”

“Grim, what a surprise,” Clockwork said as he tried to lay down some more lines and settle parts that were wanting to dissipate. He hadn’t really seen this coming, but that was nothing new now.

He wasn’t seeing a lot of things that he normally would.

“Is it?” he asked in a tone that Clockwork knew all too well. Clockwork turned to him to see him holding one of his medallions.

“What are you doing?” Clockwork asked as Grim grinned at him.

“I heard that there’s more halfas,” he informed as he floated around the room pocketing one of the medallions. While showing off the other. Clockwork grabbed it from him.

“How’d you find out?” Clockwork asked knowing what happened the last time the ghost had come to him about halfas.

“Bring them back,” Grim demanded as he threw open the gates to Clockwork’s tower. Clockwork remained floating in front of his viewing deck.

“I cannot change what has already happened,” Clockwork said as the portal turned dark.

“Yes you can, I know you can. Every single one is gone!” Grim screamed knowing that he couldn’t access his other half either. “Please, just bring one…at least one.” Clockwork stared at him.

“I cannot.”

“I have ways of knowing such things,” Grim said as he looked around unconcerned. He stopped seeing something shattered on the ground. Clockwork was still hiding things apparently, but he didn’t care.

He only needed to know where the portal to the living world was. That’s where he would find the new halfas and where hopefully Valerie could find her own answers.

“You shouldn’t. Grim, do not interfere. I’ve already had to piece the timelines together again,” Clockwork warned as Grim floated away. “I can’t afford to do it again.”

“Oh, I know that too,” Grim smiled before vanishing. He was going to find these halfas no matter what.

Chapter Text

Lost in Time

Chapter Three

Chances

Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.

~Mark Tyler Moore

Danny felt the cold of his ghost sense go up his throat and he froze for a moment. He looked outside where flashing lights could be seen. He needed to go out there and see what was happening, but he genuinely wasn’t sure if it was safe enough for him to do so. He looked at his friends who looked deeply concerned before he raised his hand and asked to go to the bathroom.

Teacher sighed before waving her hand and Danny got up and headed down the hall before vanishing from sight. He followed his senses and kept his eyes peeled for whatever may have been coming by.

He froze when he felt it.

A ghost was here. He carefully turned around as he let the rings pass over him while he was still invisible, not wanting anyone to see him. He floated off the ground and readied himself when several things happened all at once.

A ghost screamed, and the Agents in white attacked. He quickly put a shield as the cat wailed shaking the walls and making him cover his ears from the pain. He hadn’t expected that as the agents were blown backwards by the power from the scream.

Phantom blinked cause he didn’t know the ghost animals could have such power before the Cat turned to him with knowing eyes before it leapt at him, and he put his arms to defend himself. The cat knocked him down before sniffing his face before grabbing his top and dragging him away from the school.

“Hey,” Phantom complained as he tried to get away, but the Cat refused to let him go until they were a safe distance from the school. The Cat dropped him before sitting in front of him. “What do you…” Phantom trailed off as the Cat batted at him.

Home slammed into his head as he held it. He knew it came from the Cat, but he wasn’t quite sure how that happened. Send me home.

Phantom blinked as he looked at the Cat that was waiting. He grabbed the thermos.

“I can drop you off after school,” he said as he aimed the thermos at the Cat. The trusting eyes made him really hate doing this, but he couldn’t miss much more. He sucked the Cat in before heading back. The agents were still tracking the trail that they had left. Phantom was quick to get back and change and get back into the classroom.

His friends looked at him concerned and confused. He had handled it so quickly that it easily passed as a normal bathroom break.

Danny wondered what had changed because that was the first time that an animal ghost could seem to talk to him.

The walk home was slightly nerve wracking as he passed by so many agents in White suits. He wasn’t entirely sure he could handle this, that he could truly do this.

“Stop!” he heard yelled from behind him. He turned to see some grown ass adult running towards him. He quickly backed a couple steps as the adult barreled down the road as the police gave chase.

Not a single white suit seemed to care about what was happening there.

Danny looked them over as they watched before they continued on.

Clearly they weren’t about to care about human crimes. Danny continued to walk home hoping no one noticed the thermos hidden away with the Cat. He promised to get it home.

He just really hoped that he could get it into the Ghost Zone and that’s what the Cat meant. He had a feeling it was, and he knew he probably shouldn’t doubt himself.

Unfortunately he was.

He got up to the front door of home and winced at the explosion from inside. It sounded like it came from the kitchen and he really wasn’t feeling up to cleaning that up.

He knew he would have to. His parents weren’t going to and if the mess was left too long, it’d gain sentient, and after the hotdogs, Danny didn’t want to deal with it anymore.

He turned and looked out over the street as he heard his parents shouting something from inside the house. He sighed as he opened the door.

“Sweetie!! You’re home!” Maddie shouted excitedly. Jack grinned widely.

“Great, you can clean this up while me and your mom go downstairs,” Jack said excitedly as he grabbed Maddie’s arm and dragged her down the steps to the lab.

Danny stared at the mess in the kitchen. Green goop was on the walls and the ceilings; he wasn’t even sure how that happened as he took in the mess.

He would not have time for homework if he had to clean it all up. He didn’t think…he didn’t remember his parents being this bad about it.

Maybe they had been. He took a step forward and threw his backpack down before freezing.

His backpack remained floating in the air. He cautiously looked around as he felt a weight on his neck.

“Clockwork?” He whispered unsure of where to go from here as the ghost never fulling appeared. He figured that he wouldn’t see the ghost anytime soon.

“Not quite,” a familiar voice said behind him and he quickly twisted to see Valerie there with her Red Huntress get up.

Except she wasn’t Red Huntress anymore.

“Hey, Valerie…uh, what’s going on?” Danny asked still feeling the effects of the time stop.

“So you’re the new little halfa Clockwork’s been protecting,” another voice said and Danny twisted around as he called forth Phantom. He floated there with a hand lit up in energy.

“Who are you?” Phantom asked with a slight edge to his voice.

“Well, that would be telling,” the ghost hummed as he studied the new one. Phantom was blasted from behind by Valerie.

“Why didn’t you come looking for me?!” she demanded angrily. “I’ve been missing for weeks now.” Tears were flowing put of her eyes as Phantom slowly pulled himself from the wall.

“I didn’t know…you were just at school,” Phantom defended himself as Valerie blasted him again. He was quick to put up a shield to block it, but now Valerie was screaming and angry.

His shield gave and he was once more blasted into the wall.

“Liar,” Valerie hissed before the ghost put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“He may not be. It’s very likely that Clockwork missed you due to that little trinket around your neck,” he said. Phantom held his head as he looked up. “When I asked Clockwork to save the halfas, he denied my request. Then I find out that there’s new ones?” The ghost leaned forward. “I just needed to know more.”

Phantom wiped the ectoplasm from his face before the world shifted green and his backpack hit the floor.

He just wasn’t there to see it.

Phantom fell to his knees as the energy of the Ghost Zone crashed around him. He took in a breath as he looked up at the lair he was now in. The ghost was sitting at a table with tea laid out. Valerie was nowhere to be seen.

“What?” Phantom asked as he slowly stood up and brushed dust from his arms. “Where am I?”

“You don’t feel it?” the ghost asked with a raised brow and Phantom was immediately annoyed.

“I know I’m in the Ghost Zone, I just meant where in the Ghost Zone,” Phantom snarked back before straightening up.

“Hmm,” the ghost motioned for Phantom to sit down. “Did Clockwork ever tell you about the history of halfas?” Phantom crossed his arms and refused to move.

“I still don’t even know your name,” Phantom said, and the ghost sighed.

“My name is Grim, and yes, as in Grim Reaper,” Grim grinned darkly as his fangs seemed to grow. “Now come and have a seat, Little One. We have much to discuss.” Phantom cautiously walked over and sat down.

“How’d you stop time like that?” Phantom asked as he looked down at the slightly green glowing tea.

“I was there before Clockwork. I helped design his staff to help control his powers and the medallions that make you exempt from his powers. I know how to reverse the process,” Grim said taking a long drink before leaning back in his chair.

“How old are you?” Phantom asked and Grim huffed.

“Oh, Little One,” Grim smiled. “I was the first.” Phantom swallowed confused.

“First what?”

“The first Halfa.”

Chapter Text

Lost in Time

Chapter Four

Cult of The Futurists

I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.

~Alan Watts

They would not serve a Halfa King. They would never bow for someone who had one foot outside the grave.

They would not allow Phantom to ascend to the throne; they had a plan to stop it all. All they needed to do was released Pariah again and have him reclaim the throne as he had done not even twelve months ago. They already managed to get the Crown, and thanks to the Watchers, they knew that Pariah still had the Ring.

And that Plasmius was the one with the key.

They had had already sent out two ghosts to retrieve it, and then tomorrow they would release their King once more.

“So, there were more Halfas before even Vlad?” Phantom asked as he looked down. Grim nodded.

“Yes, we were the ones to uphold the balance between life and death. At the time it was only one world, not two,” he said as he mixed some sugar into his tea. “We stayed between the realms, and when the life was ready, we’d ferry them to the other side.”

“So, the Myth of the Grim Reaper is based off you?” Phantom asked and the ghost nodded.

“Yes, I supposed it is, but I wasn’t the only one,” he said before taking a sip of tea. Phantom had tried some of it but wasn’t too keen on getting a bunch.

Something was up, and Phantom wasn’t sure how much he could or should trust Grim. He still didn’t know where Valerie was, or fully what happened there.

“We were a proud race before Pariah Dark took over, or tried to anyway,” Grim said.

“Oh, I fought him!” Phantom said excitedly making Grim nearly spit out his drink.

“What?”

“Yeah, Vlad released him like…ten months ago, and I had to steal my parent’s ecto-skeleton and fought him. I got him back into the sleep thingy.” Phantom kicked his legs a little at the excitement of sharing what happened.

“You fought Pariah Dark without help by yourself?” Grim stared at the young hybrid in front of him. He was quite impressed with that bit of information. It was likely that the kid didn’t know everything on how the Ghost Zone worked though.

He wondered why so much information was being kept from the kid, and how he could use that. For now, he’d gather information on everything first.

“Kind of? I mean, the ghosts gathered together to fight the army so I could focus on Pariah, and I got him in the Sarcophagus and Vlad locked the door before I passed out,” Phantom said as he swirled the tea around in his glass. “I try not to think about it.”

“And Vlad is the other one?” Grim asked. Phantom looked away before nodding.

“Yeah, he used his powers to gain power in the real world.”

“Real World? You don’t think this world is real?” Grim asked, leaning forward. Danny looked up at him.

“I…I mean it’s real too, but…I never had a term other than Real? No one really…gave me another one,” Phantom said as he crossed his arms self-consciously. Grim hummed.

“The human world, I haven’t been in a while. Haven’t been needed since everything became more automated,” Grim said with a small smile. He leaned back in the chair and watched the other carefully. Phantom seemed at ease with what he was saying.

“That’s…cool. When was the last time you were there?” Phantom asked wondering what he could learn about history from someone who was there. He was sure that Grim had all sorts of stories.

He wondered if Grim would have more information about astrology though time. Grim tapped his chin as he thought it over.

“Not entirely sure,” he smiled as he looked over the kid. “Is this Vlad you spoke of helping you?” Phantom narrowed his eyes.

“No, he’s a creep and I’d rather stay as far away from him as possible,” Phantom said as he moved back no longer happy.

“Alright, calm down, I do believe you had just elected…who was it? Oh, Jimmy something,” Grim answered Phantom’s previous question. He couldn’t let the kid take off right away. Phantom was still staring at him warily. Grim motioned to the tea that had warmed up.

Grim sighed as he thought back to the last time he was topside.

“Wait, it took you like five minutes to get the key?!”

“The dumb Halfa doesn’t hid shit…too ignorant in his own abilities.”

“Just open it before someone realizes.”

The Ghost shook as the key turned. Phantom froze and stared at the door of Grim’s lair. Grim glared. He knew the Cult would be working quickly. He had just needed a little more time to see what all he could get from Phantom.

He was going to get his revenge one way or another. He grabbed his staff and walked up to Phantom and held it out.

“He’s…I can’t fight him again,” Phantom whispered lightly pulling at his hair as he tried to tramp down his panic a little. Grim gently rested his hand on Phantom’s shoulder as he called forth his scythe.

“I will help you,” Grim whispered with a grin. He would get justice for his people one way or another, and he was just given a golden opportunity to do so. He handed Phantom the scythe and stared down with a dark grin.

Pariah opened his eyes to see his people kneeling before him as it should have been the last time he had awoken. He grinned widely as his remembered that last time. He had been focused on securing his rule and gathering his artifacts that he had almost forgotten about the young hybrids.

“I have been waiting so long for you to finally break me free,” Pariah said as he stood up. His followers quickly tried to flatten themselves further into the ground. “I need the abominations found.”

Grim grinned as the power in the staff slowly leaked into Phantom. The young ghost could handle the energy. Grim would make sure of it as Phantom shook lightly. Grim gently guided the teen towards his door.

It’d be like using a puppet on a string to him as he flew out the door.

Valerie froze staring at herself in the mansion that she and her dad were living in. It wasn’t that much of surprise, but what did surprise her was that her mother was there.

Standing next to her father as they scolded this world’s version of her.

Her mother was alive.

There was so much here that she could have, but this wasn’t her life anymore. She was better for it, but this wasn’t hers to take no matter what. She turned back and looked towards Fentonworks.

The ground shook and the Ghost Alarm went off. She sealed herself and headed towards Fentonworks to see what was going on.

Maybe she could ask Phantom some more questions.

Clockwork glared as the Zone shook. Someone had messed with the timestream again. He looked at the window and paled.

Pariah had awoken once more. Clockwork twisted as he tried to find his young ward only for his sight to be blocked. He turned seeing Observants floating there he raised his staff prepared.

“You will not interfere with what is about to happen,” one said as his hands came out of the sleeves of his robe. “Young Phantom had one trial left before he can raise.”

“What have you done?” Clockwork demanded. They had always hated the young halfa, and Clockwork knew that they would not hesitate to let him die.

Phantom flinched as Grim slammed his staff into the weapon he’d given him earlier. He was doing some training, but Phantom didn’t like this.

There were too many things running though his head as Grim continued the onslaught.

“We don’t have much time, but you need to learn how to use the staff,” Grim had said as he picked up a staff that had been leaning against a wall that Phantom hadn’t noticed before. “I will train you.”

“I don’t want this.”

“You’ve already gotten it, and if you want to bridge the gap between the worlds, this might be your best bet.”

Phantom twisted and fired ice at Grim before jumping up and using the blade end of the scythe to swipe at Grim. Grim grinned before ducking away and hitting Phantom back into the ground.

“Who trained you, Little One?” Grim asked sarcastically as Phantom slowly picked himself back off the ground.

“No one,” Phantom whispered and Grim felt the floor give out beneath him because that couldn’t be right. Clockwork wouldn’t have let a child with no training go after the King. “I trained and learned everything mySELF!!!” Phantom screamed and Grim could feel the underdeveloped power hit him.

Phantom had so much potential. Grim winced as the energy died and Phantom fell to his knees as a bright light appeared at his waist before vanishing. The power was fully developed, and had he gone longer, Grim knew that the kid would turn back into a human.

Something that Grim sometimes wished he could still do.

“Alright, so you’ve clearly at least gotten the basics down, and we don’t have time to really figure out where you are,” Grim said as he walked cautiously to Phantom, who kneeled on the ground. Phantom looked up at him.

“I don’t want to do this again,” Phantom whispered and Grim had an idea of how he could do it.

Phantom just wouldn’t like it at all.

Pariah roared as he sent his armies to find the Infimap. He needed it’s power to finish what he had started when he decided that the Ghost Zone no longer needed to rely upon the Human Realm. He narrowed his eyes cause he knew that the dragons of the West were the ones guarding it, but they were no more after he destroyed their home.

But there were plenty of other dragons that could be holding it, and he was going to find it.

Aragon was on his knees before him shaking as Pariah reached down and picked him up.

“What do you know about these new…halfas?” he asked harshly as Aragon wheezed.

“Just that they live mostly in the Real World…”

“Do you not believe that our world is Real?” Pariah asked squeezing Aragon hard enough for the ectoplasm in his body to pop. Aragon was slow to reform himself as Pariah walked away.

He would get his hands on the map.

Chapter Text

Lost in Time

Chapter Five

Conqueror

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home, and think about it. Go out and get busy.

~Dale Carnegie

Grim was quiet as he studied the young halfa. Phantom was strong, and had beaten Pariah, but it wasn’t without scars.

Phantom was slowly recovering, but Grin could sense the fear that was underlying in Phantom’s form. The minute shakes.

Phantom wouldn’t be able to fight Pariah again.

“Tell me, Little One, how did you beat him the first time?”

“I told you. I used my parents skeletal suit thing. It’s been destroyed since then…I can’t fight him. I…no,” Phantom was shaking his head. Grim grabbed it to atop Phantom from shaking. Grim had a plan now, and he was going to execute it.

“You will have help this time little one.”

Grim felt his power move at his command as he shifted forward when Phantom’s eyes widened.

The lands shook as Pariah marched across the burning plains. His army at the ready.

The crown wasn’t burning, and it wouldn’t stay on his head. The power wasn’t accepting him any longer, and he was going to find out why.

He shifted and the crown moved and nearly came off. He glared at his wakened before blasting one to dust.

“How is it that you’ve likely managed to not bring the correct crown?” He demanded even though he knew it had been the Crown of Fire.

“Sire, it is the correct crown,” one spoke up glancing up at the crown that was slowing growing ice instead. Pariah raised his hand once more before overwhelming pain shot through his body starting at the ring.

He was quick to pull it off as the crown fell to the ground.

“What is the meaning of…” he was cut off as a blast landed next to him. He looked up to see Phantom there once more, but something was wrong.

There was an overlay of someone else, of something else.

“You killed my loved ones,” Grim hissed put as Phantom's voice was drowned out.

“Grim Reaper, I’m surprised you still exist,” Pariah growled put as he gathered his power around him.

The green energy failed almost immediately and he glared down at his hands.

“The Crown doesn’t accept you anymore, does it?” The Phantom possessed by Grim said before Pariah launched himself at them and torn them from the sky. Grim struggled before using Phantoms ice powers to break free. Pariah screeched in rage before reaching inside of Phantom and Grim panicked slightly before trying to get away.

Pariah torn them apart laughing as he held up a dazed Phantom as Grim hit the ground.

That wasn’t exactly what he had hoped for. Pariah laughed as he dropped Phantom and raised his foot. Phantom blinked before a white light appeared and changed him.

“No!” Grim yelled. He’d only meant to use the boy’s powers to stop Pariah. Phantom clearly done so before at a cost and Grim had hoped to save him that pain. Grim raised his scythe.

He should have waited.

Phantom was dead because of him. Grim stared at Pariah’s boot as the Dark Tyrant laughed.

Danny groaned from where he landed in the tunnels underneath. He looked up at the cave ceiling and shook his head.

This wasn’t really what he had planned. Grim was going to have his ass kicked for that. Danny shook his head as he slowly stood up.

There on the floor in front of him was the Crown and the Ring hanging off one of the points.

It was calling to him and the Ghost Zone seemed to be awaiting his answer. He reached out and power blazed.

Grim felt ectoplasm leaking from his face where Pariah had hit him.

“You halfas will be destroyed.”

Grim now had a better understanding of what Phantom was going through when he’d overshadowed the ghost boy.

He'd forgotten how powerful Pariah was without the Crown and Ring. It was mostly in pure strength now, but it was more than Grim could handle.

He'd once more jumped in head first without a real plan because he thought that Phantom would have enough power as a halfa to stop the Tyrant.

And now he was…Grim froze as something in the Zone shifted once more. Pariah had also stopped as he looked down at the ground in confusion as it cracked. Bright blue and energy striking violently as Phantom blasted through.

The teenager stared down at Grim and Pariah with glowing white eyes, the crown floating above his head frozen over in a star like pattern as the ring on his finger sparked electricity.

“It’s over, she has claimed a protector,” voices came from his mouth before he shot forward. Phantom powers blazed around them as he raised his hand. Grim blinked in confusion seeing the Crown over his head.

Phantom didn’t seem like someone who could handle the kind of power of both items. Grim slowly stood up before Phantom blasted Pariah down into the dirt.

Pariah groaned before his eyes closed as the power leaked from him. The ground slowly came up and buried him as Phantom landed.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Grim said turning to the hybrid who glared at him.

“You overshadowed me and didn’t tell me shit about what I was since I defeated him the first time.” Phantom’s eyes glowed even brighter as power surrounded him.

“I wasn’t sure you could handle it. You were…afraid,” Grim said as Phantom landed on the ground where it had eaten Pariah.

“I don’t need your help.”

Valerie was sitting on the steps of Fentonworks looking at the medallion wondering. She should take it off, but there were so many things that she didn’t know. Things about herself in this world. How’d her mother survive?

Why didn’t her dad lose his job? Unless Phantom hadn’t destroyed Axion Labs here, but then that would mean that there was more going on than she knew. She pulled off the strap and dropped it next to her as time stopped.

“I wondered what I was forgetting,” Clockwork said as he appeared looking very exhausted. Valerie glared at him.

“You going to kill me?” she asked, and Clockwork shook his head.

“No, I don’t think our new king would like that very much,” he answered as his form shifted into an old man. “Phantom has accepted the throne. Something I had hoped he would’ve waited on a little longer, but so much happened, and I…I didn’t see this happening.” Clockwork shifted into a child and Valerie raised a brow. “But Phantom can’t do this alone.”

“He destroyed the world and tried to destroy Amity!” she yelled standing up as her feeling overwhelmed her. Clockwork laughed softly.

“Pain can cause people do things that under normal circumstances they wouldn’t. You’ve lost everything and look what’s happened…look at what this world’s Valerie has. She is you exactly, and yet is completely different,” Clockwork pointed out and Valerie felt her anger give. She sat back down and closed her eyes.

“What happens now?” she asked looking away. Clockwork floated closer and picked up the timepiece.

“Phantom is taking on a new role on his way to get the realms peace, you would be invaluable in that fight,” Clockwork said. “I can…pull some strings.” Valerie swallowed looking away.

“My future is over isn’t it?” she asked looking up.

“I think it’s just beginning,” he whispered as time restarted.

No one was sitting on the steps of Fentonworks as the GAV pulled as the Fentons yelled about missing a ghost attack.

Chapter Text

Lost in Time

Epilogue

There is never going to be a clean ending as no one’s story is truly over. Not even in death.

Danny walked into his room feeling beyond drained as everything seemed to crash down all at once on him. He collapsed on his bed with a groan. He wasn’t sure he could do this, and he wished that he could tell his friends right away, but everything had happened so quickly, and he was so tired.

He wasn’t even sure when the last time he ate was.

“The great and powerful Phantom defeated by sleep,” he heard a taunting voice, and he groaned not even getting up. He could recognize Valerie’s voice anyway.

“I think I’ve been awake for over thirty-six hours now,” he grumbled as he slowly sat up and sat crossed legged on his bed. Valerie winced seeing the bruises under his eyes, but there was a power under the surface. Power that wasn’t there before.

“Clockwork said you took the throne,” Valerie said as she leaned back in the chair that Danny wasn’t entirely sure was supposed to be in his room. He was too tired to question it. “Said you may be needing help now.”

“You actually gonna help or shoot me when you get the chance?” Danny asked and Valerie shrugged.

“Depends on the day, Ghostboy.”

Grim floated into Clockwork’s chamber and handed over the medallions. Clockwork sighed as he put both of them back on the rack. A glad case surrounded them.

“All these years and you’re just now doing that?” Grim asked with a laugh. Clockwork sighed.

“The time stream is still healing, and I can’t risk anymore. It’d be too much,” he whispered as he showed a portal. “Are you ready?”

“I think I’ll stay. Phantom still needs a mentor that’s willing to actually help.”

“You think he’ll forgive you?”

“Eventually.”

fin