Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Long ago, there was once a powerful sorceress who was adored and was envied equally. She was rumored to be kind-hearted, brave, and selfless. She made the strangest of friends; from all sizes and all beliefs. She leads a life of wondrous adventures, gaining allies and enemies, and growing with her heart still filled with her young fiery spirit.

Feier was a wicked man, who satisfies himself by draining the strength of the ones below him. When he heard of the sorceress, he immediately packed his bags and sent on the journey to find her.

Their confrontation was more than what anyone could have described. Banter and combat were exchanged. Amid the battle, the sorceress realized she was losing. She quickly sent messengers to her allies and they came promptly to her aid.

Feier has sworn to have the sorceress’s head if it was the last thing he would do. The sorceress was afraid. Knowing that their next battle might be their last, she split her soul into three pieces, hoping a hero will come and save the faith of the world.

The first piece was given to the Dragon Council. The second is to the First Ghost King. And the third to a mere villager.

Since they could not hold it, they had gathered materials to solidify it.

The Dragon Council sacrificed the remaining scales of the old elders and melted them with their breath. Wishes and hopes from diverse creatures were gathered to strengthen the item, and it was wrapped in the gentle feathers of the Phoenix. It took the form of Ruby.

The Ghost King asked the Ancients and the Master of Time for help. Father Time gathered the items of the fallen heroes and coated them with his own magic. The Ancients gave the king a fracture of what made them human. And the king, himself, had given up his heart. It was then solidified by the ice of the Far Frozen, with the chief happy to help. It formed into a Sapphire.

The sorceress helped the villager to solidify it, but it was no easy task. He had to climb multiple mountains and face numerous obstacles to acquiring an item: A Tengu’s tear. His children volunteered in the task. They each gave the sorceress their childhood belongings, the ones they cherished the most. With the Tengu’s tear, it morphed into a Topaz.

Indeed, the last battle was their last. But before the sorceress’s demise, she cursed Feier and his descendants.

To this day, their curse still remains with no indication of it breaking or a clue on how it could be broken.

Until now.

20xx

Chapter Text

Jake’s POV

I watched as the clouds rolled away from my window. Their form taking shapes of animals, objects, and a group of clouds formed Trixie’s and Spud’s. Sigh. I already missed them.

It was all such a rush. It all started yesterday when Gramps and I were doing our usual training, and out of nowhere, he told me I had to leave. He told my parents and they followed him with no question. I protested, of course. But no matter what I do - do my chores, cook for them, beg, insult - nothing seemed to change their minds. My mom had already transferred me into another school through some connections and my dad already rented a house for me. I hardly had any time to tell my friends about my move. The next day, my stuff was already in the car, and was given no time to say goodbye to my friends.

Why did Gramps do this to me? Did he really want to get rid of me this bad? Why weren’t my parents doing anything to stop this? I was barely 16! I needed my friends! I can’t do anything alone without them!

I wanted to cry but I couldn't. As much as possible, I held onto the liquid threatening to pour from my eyes. Now was the worst time to cry.

“Jake,” my dad called from the driver’s seat. He looked at me, with a soft smile. He must be pitying me. Of course, who wouldn’t? I looked pathetic right now. “We’re here,” he said, unbuckling his seat belt. I made no move. I do not want to go outside. I do not want to move. I especially do not want to leave my friends.

“Jake, come on,” my mom urged, “the house is great! You’ll love it.” Again. No move.

My dad sighed from the front. He was tired of me, and me moving out was the quickest way possible for me to get out of his sight. Well, I am not going to make it easy. “Jake, just-” my father started, clear irritation in his voice, but my mother stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder, and gave him a gentle look, silently asking him to leave.

He sighed again and left the car, carrying out my luggage into the house and the furniture that could be brought. “Jake…” My mother started, placing her hand gently on my knee. I finally faced my mother and a look of comfort graced her face. An old lullaby replayed in my head, a song she used to sing to me. “I know it’s hard, moving on from your friends and all that… But it’s part of growing up. It wasn’t easy for me, at first, but I have learned to adjust. Your grandpa has good intentions and he believes that this move will help you grow and become a wonderful young man.”

Her words were genuine. Then I wondered, how hard was it for my mom to leave her friends from China? I breathed in a sigh and returned her a smile; the best smile I could muster at the moment. “Thanks, mom,” I replied. I exited the car and looked at the house I was going to live in until I graduate.

It was a modest house. It wasn’t big but big enough for me, at least. My dad came up to my side and side-hugged me. “I’m proud of you, son,” he told me. I only nodded in acknowledgment, for I was too busy worrying what might come next.

It wasn’t long until I fully adjusted to my new environment. Two days before school and I already got settled in. My parents bought me new furniture and a great amount of allowance for me to buy my own groceries and personal needs for the next two months. The first thing I bought? A new set of drums. Yes, I normally play the guitar, but drums seemed so interesting. It was also cheap since I found them in the yard sale.

Now, here I am, with my old backpack in my new school: Norrisville High. Seriously, is this the only high school they got? The building was white, all around. And it was also huge. Students frolic left and right and so many of them already had a group of friends. I would be lying if I said I envy them.

I looked at the schedule I was handed with and internally groaned when it displayed Math as my first subject. I stopped to a halt when I heard a familiar voice.

“And I said, “no. You could not have this jacket.”

Nigel. Oh frick. My luck had just gotten worse! So this is where he transferred too?

Long story short, Nigel and I were once rivals but we called in a truce. That did not mean that we stopped irritating each other. He transferred when I turned 15, and there was a mix of rumors of where he had gone. Was I jealous of his attention even when he was gone? Yes. Yes, I was. But it presented me with an opportunity to take the throne from my old school.

Did I want to become popular in this school too? Yes, I do. Do I plan on actually becoming the king? No, not entirely. And I most gladly did not want Nigel as my competition. He was a pain in the neck.

I turned around to leave, but I was faced with a big chubby wall. I fell down from the impact and glared at the one in front of me. Before I was a ginger, who looked like he ate a mountain of chocolate yet maintained a handsome face. His companion was a lanky teen who hid behind an oversized jacket and had huge obnoxious hair but could otherwise be called cute. They had a third companion who stood behind them. The first thing I noticed was his beautiful eyes that held unshared stories that were dying to be told. His hair was a mop of a mess but it somehow made him more attractive than he already was. If I was a girl, I would be swooning every time I see this unnamed boy.

I scowled at them, ignoring their appearances. I helped myself up and dusted invisible dust off of me. I got angrier when the plump and purple-hair started to giggle. One had the balls to try and cover their smile but obviously had no intention of hiding it. “Sorry, bud…” the ginger said in-between giggles, “... we didn’t see you because… Well…”

“You’re just too short!” the taller one finished and then burst into laughter. I gave them a hard glare. Oh, if I could, I would so much as to burn them to a crisp. Blue eyes slapped both of them upside their heads, earning complaints from both of them. “Knock it off,” he commanded.

The ginger complained and rubbed the sore side of his head, but purple kept giggling. I am starting to dislike this one. I was about to mutter “thanks” to blue-eyes and resume my day, but I halted when I heard the familiar spine-crawling chuckle. My body became tense as my head shifted to glance at the redhead behind me.

“And I thought your standards couldn’t get any lower, Long,” Nigel commented, earning a chuckle or two from his entourage trailing behind him. I let out a small growl, biting my tongue to hold back a snarky remark. How dare he insult Trixie and Spud? They are the most loyal friends a dragon could wish for.

Blue-eyes stepped in and stood beside me. I looked at him perplexed at what he was about to do. Best guess was he’s going to humiliate me as his friends did. But no. He didn’t. “And who are you to say that?” he challenged Nigel, looking him dead in the eyes. Whoever you are, blue-eyes, I am sincerely grateful.

Nigel raised a brow, clearly unfazed by him. But I could see something else in his onyx orbs. Something uncertain. “And who might you be?” Nigel asked, glancing in my direction for any answer. I gave none because I don’t even know who this angel is.

I was about to speak, but I thought otherwise when I saw his orbs saying unspoken words. “Are you going to challenge me?”

I swallowed a sigh and turned to leave. It was tiring to engage with Nigel, and as much as I’m thankful for the boy, he really shouldn’t involve himself in my messy life right now. “Chicken?”

What…

The few chuckles in the background were enough to put me off. I turned on my heel and made a quick punch to Nigel’s face. I held back my dragon strength in which I really wanted to use right now. Quiet gasps echoed in the hallway. I didn’t realize people would actually stay and watch this.

Before Nigel could react, the bell rang. I dove into the sea of students, following them into the hallway and away from Nigel. I could still see his figure, but it became invisible as I walked farther.

I made it safely into the classroom and I immediately searched for a seat. Since that one seat where anime protagonists usually sit is taken, I took a seat near the window of the third row. Just one seat away from the anime protagonist that looked like she had a dye-disaster with his obnoxious pink hair sticking out from all angles.

Wonder which anime they’re from…

From me being busy thinking about the anime guy behind me, I hadn’t noticed a paper that slipped onto my desk. When I did though, I looked at the guy in front of me, perplexed, and that was when I noticed that it was the blue-eyed angel from a while ago. He turned back to me and smiled.

I read the note and my own smile graced my features.

“My name’s Danny Masters. Yours?”

I got out my notebook and ripped a portion of a page and wrote down my name.

“Jake Long. Nice to meet ‘ya ;)”

I was happy. Danny Masters is my new friend, it seems. No, I don’t want to forget about Trixie and Spud, but I can still make other friends, you know?

I slipped him the note. He turned back to me and smiled. “Hey, Jake,” he whispered, “wanna grab some-”

“And what topic do you two have that is so interesting that you are disturbing my class?”

We both looked ahead to see the teacher glaring at us. I honestly did not care what the teacher views me as, but I guess Danny does. “We’re sorry, sir,” he apologized, turning his body fully to face the teacher, “it won’t happen again.”

The teacher nodded in acknowledgment and continued the lesson. My dragon senses picked up and I could hear the whispering of the students.

“That’s the kid…”

“He’s with Masters, now?”

“I think Nigel has a history with him…”

I turned my head to the two girls sitting two seats away from me. They immediately hushed when they saw me looking at them. I frowned. New school and I already have a bad rep. Sigh, this is going to be a long year.

Chapter Text

Jake’s POV

I sat between the pile of cheese and the cheese stick. Danny had invited me to lunch with his friends, and as much as I am thankful for him, I still haven’t warmed up to the other two. I know I’m short but I’m not that short.

Even with my clear irritants, I am still thankful that I have, um, friends.

The first thing they did was apologize, and I forgave them. The next thing they did was give me a seat and then started interrogating me. According to Danny, new students don’t often come here and it would be awesome if they get 5 new students a year.

“So, Long… Where are you from?” Howard asked. I mentally sighed and readied myself from the interrogation I would be receiving.

“New York,” I answered. Randy’s eyes seemed to light up at the mention of the city.

“Any siblings?”

“A sister.”

“Are you rich?”

“No.”

“Are you a geek?”

“Uh, no?”

“Girlfriend?”

“Ex.”

“Boyfriend?”

“No.”

“Hmm… What’s your type?”

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at Howard who was awaiting my answer. “Um, why are you asking me this?” I asked. He leaned back and shrugged. “Just thought you were into redheads since you flirted with Nigel this morning,” he said.

“I was NOT flirting with him!” I exclaimed. I do not know what has gotten into Howard’s head but I am NOT and never will flirt with that unbearable wizard, let alone fall for him. The idea, alone, makes me cringe. I could never see a future with Nigel and I.

I was about to ask him why he thought so, but a huge explosion occurred. It wasn’t an explosion, more like a 10-feet tall robot-gorilla slammed its giant fists onto the cafeteria wall.

“I gotta- Woah!” Before I could react, Howard pulled me off the table and out of the cafeteria along with the other screaming kids. Dang, for someone so fat, he can run so fast. I looked around the crowd and I couldn’t see Randy or Danny. I looked back at Howard and tugged at his arm, trying to pull his attention away from all the screaming and running.

I finally got his attention and he turned to me with a frown. “What?!” he asked, “can’t you see we’re running away from danger?!”

I rolled my eyes at the comment. Ignoring that bit, I asked, “what about Danny and Randy? They still must be in the cafeteria.”

Howard stiffened. It was either he is uncertain or he’s being pushed away from waves of people pushing through. He didn’t answer me. He just grabbed onto my hand and led me into the sea of people. “Hey! Did you-”

“Danny and Randy are fine. We can all meet up later,” Howard finally said, not looking back to meet me in the eyes. Something was fishy here.

I slip my hand out of his and dove into the sea of people. I could hear Howard screaming my name, but I didn’t look back. I need a place to transform.

Danny’s POV

The students already have been evacuated and Randy and I are now in the bathroom. I was about to yell my catchphrase but was stopped when Randy put a hand on my shoulder. I turned to him, asking the silent question of, “what’s wrong?”

“I have a weird feeling about Jake,” Randy said.

… What?

“You like him?” was the first thing that came out of my mouth. Randy’s face immediately became a tomato. He waved his hands and kept repeating the word, “no.” Only when he calmed down is when he started to explain.

“It’s like a gut feeling…” He started, doing hand gestures along the way, “you know, like magical stuff. It’s like when we released Nomi. That sorta stuff.”

“So, you’re saying Jake might be tangled with the magical mess,” I concluded, phrasing my understanding in what Randy can understand. “Yeah!” Randy exclaimed.

I thought about the possibility. I mean, it isn’t that far-fetched since magical stuff seems to happen in Norrisville all the time. I mean, if a corpse can walk, talk, and breathe, a new kid being a magical being isn’t that nearly impossible. “I get your point,” I told Randy, who congratulated himself by wearing a proud smile. “How about we discuss this later? We still have a robot to smash,” I said.

“I’m going ghost!” I yelled as I switched into my ghostly alter-ego, feeling the cold play with my bones as I transformed. “It’s ninja-o’clock!” Randy exclaimed as he finished transforming, letting the red ribbons reveal him, like a performer ready to go to the stage.

I phased through the walls and ended a few feet away from the cafeteria doors, and Randy momentarily appeared beside me, yelling his catchphrase of, “smoke bomb!” Along with the signature stench of his smoke bombs. It was bad, but you’ll get used to it.

“Ugh, what is that smell?” a voice, familiar yet foreign, spoke. The smoke cleared and Randy and I gaped at the sight of a large, 15-ft tall dragon. Its scales were ruby red with green spikes outlining his spine, and one large spike adorned his head with the same shade of green outlining the top.

Our eyes met and I felt a sense of familiarity. Before Randy and I could ask what it was doing here, the robot attacked him, pouncing on him like a predator and then knocking him onto the ground. The robot roared and began punching the dragon’s face.

The Ninja immediately lassoed the robot with his red scarf and immediately started pulling. I joined in and together, we pulled him off the dragon and into a wall. The dragon stood, stretching its wings, and began to hover off the ground. “Thanks,” he said, and began to charge straight unto the gorilla.

I took the Ninja’s arm and was about to pull him into the fight, but I noticed his star-struck gaze. “Ninja?” I asked, trying to gain his attention.

“Oh, my cheese! It’s a live dragon!” he exclaimed, taking my arm and shaking me like some rag doll. I pulled myself off from him, annoyed.

I hovered a few feet and conjured an ecto-ball and aimed. The two were both moving really fast, and I can’t get a clear shot without the risk of hitting the dragon. “Dragon!” I called, “steady him!”

The dragon seemed to pay attention. He delivered a punch to his face, grabbed his wrist, and locked the robot’s arms in his own. The robot roared as it tried to escape and failed. I took multiple shots, just to weaken the robot. Then, Ninja came along and sliced its head off.

“Phew,” the dragon said as it let the robot slide down.

“That was so bruce!” Ninja exclaimed, facing the dragon in utter excitement. “I can’t believe I’m actually meeting a live dragon!” Ninja exclaimed. The dragon scratched the back of his and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, uh…” he let on, trying to ask for our names. I was about to introduce myself, but Ninja beat me to it. “Hi! I’m the Ninja, and this is my partner, Phantom!” he said, grabbing the dragon’s scaly hand and shaking it. “Woah, your scales are cold,” he commented. The dragon pulled his hand away from Ninja and smiled, nervously.

“Well, I guess I should leave then,” he said, walking away towards the big hole in the cafeteria wall.

“Wait!” Ninja yelled, running after him. The dragon spared a glance towards NInja before he took flight. “What should we call you?” he asked.

“Dragon’s fine,” he replied, shooting a smile to the over-excited Ninja. “That’s like calling your pet bird, “bird,” Ninja said, trying to get a name from the tall reptile. The dragon just laughed. “You got a point,” he said.

The dragon stretched his wings but before he could take off, he glanced at us and smiled. He did a little salute and said, “name’s Jake,” then he flew off.

Jake? The flying reptile’s name is Jake. What a coincidence. The dragon has the same name as the new student. Jake. Jake Long. Jake the Dragon.

I looked towards Randy and was going to ask him for his thoughts on the interaction, but I got my answer before I even said anything. He grabbed both of my shoulders and began shaking me, screaming, “that was SO BRUCE! Can you believe it?! Dragons actually EXIST! Oh, my cheese! We should have taken a picture!”

I turned intangible and flew up so Randy couldn’t reach me. I was not going to be a ragdoll for my friend to throw around because of his excitement.

Randy kept squealing, like the fangirl he is. Honestly, I haven’t seen him this star-struck ever since we rescued that TV Star Randy liked so much. I sighed as he started to gush.

I checked the clock at the side of the cafeteria that had its glass frame broken but still ticking and I saw that it was only a few minutes before the next class. With a sigh, I pulled Randy by his scarf and dragged him to go change for PE.

We came to the gym just in time for the teacher to notice us and assign us our teams. We were going to play dodgeball and I was a bit excited. Sports like these are one of my strengths because it’s like defecting ecto-balls. It also gives me some sort of advantage to both my training with Vlad and the looks of the jocks’ faces whenever I manage to get them.

The coach picked me as team leader for the red team, and of course, the first people I picked were my friends. Sadly, the other team picked Howard, and I could tell that they only picked him just to mess with me. That dude had that smug smirk on his face as if he won anything. In replacement of Howard, I picked Jake.

I soon started picking random kids I thought were at least fast and the other team picked the buff jock types. Soon after, we were sent to the court and I laid out my plan quietly to my team. “Keep your eyes on the balls, and be fast. Hit when opponents are distracted.”

They all nodded and we pursued our places. Randy and I shared a knowing smirk before the game began. If the other team thought they had the upper hand because of their overbearing strength, then they severely underestimated themselves.

And so, the game begins in 3, 2, 1…

Think fast.

Chapter Text

I severely underestimated this team’s strength. I thought we would all be running for our lives because the team Danny had picked all had noodle arms, but we were winning. We were outing the other team with three players by the minute and only a few were able to touch our teammates. Sadly, the other team had figured out our strategy, and one by one, they were taking us out. But they were very far from touching the three of us. 

Danny, the team captain, looked like he was dancing with the wind, making insanely incredible jumps, and seemed to hover in the air. I had to listen closely only so I could hear his feet thump. 

Randy looked like he was a pile of stiff bones, but he was gelatin. He bent and twisted in odd ways that I couldn’t even tell if he was human or not. Was he in gymnastics? His body even lifted himself sideways, only standing on one foot and the other straight into the air, and he didn’t even show any signs of pain. 

Then, there was me. Yeah, I couldn’t say I wasn’t any close to touching the balls, but I at least made up for it with my strength. I tried to copy Danny with him being light on his feet, but I can’t seem to do so. I had a satisfying grin when I scored a headshot at this one guy who I recalled was with Nigel this morning. 

Now, it was 5 against 4-

“Oomph!” 

Never mind. 5 against 3. And I don’t know if they rehearsed it but Danny and Randy work entirely in sync. Danny grabbed a ball and ran straight towards Randy and Randy already had his hand prepared and threw Danny into the air as if he weighed nothing. Maybe Danny was extremely light or Randy was extremely strong, and I don’t want the latter to be true in case I got on his bad side by any chance. Danny and Randy managed to get two guys, so there’s three over three.

I call it an easy win when these guys don’t even try to strategize and just keep throwing balls. But I guess it’s hard to strategize when kept on your feet. 

I grabbed a lying ball and called, “Danny! Heads up,” as I threw it at a kid who was aiming for Danny. Danny gave me a quick thumbs-up before putting his game face on again. 

Also, having your opponent underestimate you is such a sweet victory because you could easily overpower them. The other two left completely ignored me and only set eyes for Randy and Danny. I grabbed a ball and while the other two were busy, I tried to find a way to end this game quickly. I smirked as I saw Randy going undercover, which meant he was bending while balls were being thrown above his head. 

I took a few steps back and ran straight towards Randy. Danny took the other one out and had the luxury of watching me win this game with an awesome movie. I used Randy as a stepping stone, literally. I stepped on his back and jumped high in the air, slightly shifting my weight for more air time, and threw the ball as hard as I could and it didn’t land where I wanted it to be, which was my opponent's head, but it landed somewhere better. It landed somewhere where the sun didn’t shine. 

I landed and yelled, “yes!” as a victory proclamation and had an awesome dab to go along with it. The people on the bleachers, my team, and the others, all cheered. I looked back to smile at Randy and Danny, but Randy just glared at me. Oh, right. That probably hurt. “Sorry,” I said, dismissively, giving him a peace sign. 

My team and I were rewarded with an A and were dismissed to do whatever we wanted in the gym area as long as we are doing it within the school’s rules. I spent the time chatting with some other people and even a few cheerleaders came and congratulated me and told me how awesome I am. It was an awesome win for sure and probably got me a few social credits. 

A few hours later, it was home time and I said goodbye to my seatmate. I was about to head out of the door until someone roughly grabbed my forearms and slammed me into lockers. It was another guy I saw Nigel hang out with accompanied by two other guys from P.E. I muttered, “well, crap.”

I grunted as I was pushed down to the dumpster. I winced as I felt something sharp cut through my clothes and barely touch my skin. The one brunette who grabbed me pointed a meaty finger at my face and said, “listen, pipsqueak. You might be new but we don’t take kindly to people who think they are better than us. We own this school and if you don’t leave Nigel alone, we’d round up the whole A-list and kick your butt!”

I scowled. Who do they think they are?! “You’re calling yourself an A-list yet you can’t even get an A in any subject!” 

The blondie lifted me, barely with any effort, and slammed my body against the wall. “You calling us dumb?!”

“Technically, you are.”

“Wha--”

The blond guy’s face was met with a fist and he instantly dropped me on the ground as he fell back on the garbage bags I was laying on a minute ago. 

I had barely enough time to process before an arm grabbed me and pulled me up. "Hey." I met Danny's sapphire orbs and a sense of comfort. I don’t know why but Danny’s eyes are one of my favorite things to look at. 

“You are going to pay for that, Trash Bag!” The ring leader exclaimed, smashing his palm and his fist together to look more intimidating as the brunette helped the other guy stand up. 

Randy came out of nowhere and stood beside Danny with a smirk on his face. He leaned on Danny and chuckled, commenting, “your friend there seems to fit the description more.” 

“And besides,” I added, gaining more confidence with back-up behind me as I stepped forward. “The only trash bags here are you because we are going to take you out.”

“Wait, I don’t have any money for a date.”

I stared at Randy with disbelief and annoyance, glaring at him for being so stupid. He finally got what I meant and his mouth did a little, “oh.” He glared at the jocks and cracked his knuckles, signifying he was ready for a fight. 

The ring leader growled and headed straight for Randy. Randy kept dodging at his pitiful attempts and managed to grab his arm, spin him around and kick him behind the knee. 

The blond jock rushed towards Danny, but he can barely touch him. He was swinging and swinging and Danny was only making minimal movement dodging the jock. He either can’t be touched - like a ghost or spirit- or the jock is just really bad at aiming. 

The brunette came and tried to attack me, but I blocked most of his fists and managed to give him a punch in the gut. 

Randy twisted his opponent’s hand, making the raven-haired one yell in agony. Randy then took a huge chunk of his hair and directed his head straight for the cement. He was unconscious right after that. 

“Dill!” the blond one yelled out. With him distracted, Danny took the opportunity to punch him square in the jaw, making him back step and trip over some tin can. 

I punched my opponent hard on the shoulder and could hear a faint crack with my dragon hearing. I’m sure it wasn’t much. I then raised my hand and struck him right in his puncture point in his neck and he fell on the ard cement on the ground, unconscious. No, he was not dead. 

“Max!” The blond said. He stared at us with fear in his eyes, and a sickening feeling of satisfaction crawled on my skin to see this jock tremble in fear.

“I… I’ll... “ He stuttered, and he looked so pitiful like a scared child. “I’ll get you for this, Trash Trio!” He exclaimed and then ran, abandoning his unconscious friends. 

I looked up at my friends and smiled. “Thanks,” I said. 

Randy smiled at me and ruffled my hair, chuckling at the height difference. Ugh. “No, problem, Jake. Take it as acceptable to your apology from the gym,” Randy commented. 

“Great job, guys! That was great!” Howard applauded, coming out from behind the corner clapping his hands. Was he there the whole time? “And Jake, you’re welcome. And feel free to repay us with free food for the entire week.”

“Us? You weren’t even in the fight!” Randy said, pointing an irritated finger at the ginger. 

“Well, it was my idea, is it not?” 

“No, it wasn’t!”

I chuckled, finding it amusing to see Randy and Howard argue on who deserved more credit. A hand found its place on my head, and irritated, I looked up. Blue eyes met mine and a smile graced Danny’s face. “Do you want to walk hang with us for a little while? We’re going to the game hole for some burgers and games,” Danny offered.

I smiled, gratefully, and I was about to say yes. But something stopped me. I felt… A tug? It was like something wrapped itself around my lungs and pulled. Cold dread came over my body and I began to panic. 

I internally sighed and smiled apologetically at Danny. “Sorry, dude. I got this… Thing I needed to do after school…” I lamely excused. Danny looked at me quizically and I saw his eyes wander. 

He turned back at me and nodded, shooting a smile of his own. “Sure.” He reached into his pocket and fished out a piece of paper. He handed it to me and smiled. “Call me if you need someone to talk to.”

“Thanks,” I said, stuffing the paper in my pocket. With another wave, I watched as my new friends turn around the corner and out of my sight. 

The invisible string pulled again and my mouth let out what seemed to be the mixture of a breathless squeak and a pained meow. I looked towards the direction the tug was pulling me to and was surprised when it leads me back to the spot I was thrown in. 

I made my way, stepping through the passed-out jocks on the sidewalk, and began to rummage to find whatever was making the tug. I winced when my finger accidentally brushed against the tip of some broken glass and started to bleed. 

The string pulled again, and clearing the garbage away, I saw what looked like a ruby. It was beautiful. Its color looked like it was made from fire and blood and, and although dirty, my reflection could be seen and something in the ruby made it so... Enticing. 

I reached over to pick it up, and the moment I had laid my hands on it, I felt something snap into place. Something in me lit up into fire and I could feel my eyes tear up. I blinked away the invisible tears and looked at the gem held in my hands. I hugged it close to my chest and tucked it away in the inside pocket my jacket conveniently had. Whatever this ruby was, I know for sure that I should never let it go. 

Chapter Text

Nigel’s POV

I felt so isolated in my first few days in this school. The moment I stepped through the doors, I felt all eyes on me. Normally, I wouldn’t mind the attention, but something about their gazes felt suffocating. They whispered as I made my first steps into the hallways, wondering if I was a robot or a magical creature in disguise. I was so confused. Why would they think of a newcomer like that? What happened here?

No one approached me, no one came by to say hi, and no one dared to make eye contact. But they still stared. They watched my every move, judged my actions, and theorized my intentions. I felt like a circus animal trapped in a cage being ridiculed in front of a crowd. Dear stars, help me. 

Half of the day had gone by and I already felt like I wanted to snap and yell at the next person who so much muttered my name. I took my bagged lunch outside, not wanting to sit in the middle of the cafeteria where I could hear their whispers. I walked down the hallway, and that was when I met her. 

Someone tapped on my shoulder and I turned back, not really in the mood, and was glaring at the person who dared touch me. Blonde locks were tied in a ponytail and emerald eyes sparkled as they locked with my own. She smiled, seeming unbothered by the glare I was giving her. She extended her hand and smiled. “Hi! My name’s Sun!”

We had become the best of friends ever since. Somewhere early in our friendship, she caught me practicing my magic. I was terrified of her reaction, but she only smiled and told me she knew all along. She also revealed that she too can also do magic, but to only limited spells. We bonded over this, and we were quick to be noticed by the A-lists. Sun had refused to join the A-lists but stayed friends with me. To be honest, it was quite stressful to balance both the A-list life and my friendship with Sun, but everything turned out okay. And our friendship stayed strong for a whole school year.

It was then another day of the school year, and after having an unpleasant encounter with Jake Long, I continued on with my day, meeting with Sun and walking with her towards the cafeteria. While we were walking and chatting, Sun suddenly collapsed. 

I tried to shake her, to wake her up, praying this was some sort of joke, but she wouldn’t respond. “Sun! Sun!” I called, but she remained still. I grabbed her wrist and tried to feel a pulse. Relief washed over me as I felt something beat.

I sighed in relief. I wrapped my arms around her body and carried her off the ground. I made my way into the office, subtly whispering spells under my breath. I lent Sun some of my energy, so the faster she’ll wake up, the faster she could explain.

The nurse helped me place her on the bed and went outside for a moment to grab a few things. The moment the nurse closed the clinic door, I heard Sun gasp. I quickly ran to her side, and she looked like she had experienced a car crash without the blood and broken bones. Her green eyes were as wide as saucers and she was clutching the center of her sweater as small droplets of sweat ran drown her neck. 

“What happened?” I asked, as gently as I could. She stared at me and her silence unsettled me. She opened her mouth and closed it again. She did it for a few minutes, acting like a gaping fish. 

Then she asked, “that… That boy you were fighting earlier. What was his name?” 

I was confused. Did Long mess something up again? I answered, “Jake Long. Why?”

“What was he?” Sun asked, disregarding my question. I frowned. Sun knew I didn’t like being ignored. She waited patiently for my answer, and I sighed in defeat. 

I looked around again to see if we were truly alone, and in a faint whisper, I said, “he’s the American Dragon.” 

The door flung open and the nurse smiled when she saw Sun awake. “Hello, dear,” she greeted as she approached the bed. “How are you? Does anything hurt?”

Sun and the nurse filled out a few forms and the nurse left to call Sun’s mom. “I should get going,” I said and turned to leave. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the bed. 

The look in her eyes gave me shivers. Her regular joyous emeralds were like cold aluminum. “Don’t let anything hurt him.” I was confused. I asked why, but she only shook her head and refused to give me any answers. I didn’t push on and left her to the nurse’s care. 

I went to the lunch table and joined the other A-lists at our usual table. They were messing about and talked about regular things. Dill called for my attention and I lamely responded. He had a knowing smirk on his face, like when he has a plan to prank someone. It would normally backfire, so if he was going to invite me to prank someone, I would immediately decline. 

“You know that new kid? The New Yorker?” Dill asked, leaning on the table as if he was sharing a secret with the rest of the group. I frowned, not liking where this was going. 

“What are you planning?” I asked. During my time here in Norrisville High, I took the time to get to know the A-lists. Most of them were decent, but there are always those like Dill who could not take a hint and just kept messing around. He drags others into trouble and the numerous warning he gets from teachers and his peers were always shrugged off. 

Dill gave me his signature “bad boy” look. “I plan to… Mess with the new kid after school.”

I slammed my utensil on the table, making the furniture shudder underneath the sudden force. I glared at the raven-haired boy and gave him a solid, “no.” 

“What?” Dill asked. I replied again with another no and even spelled it out for his stupid pea-sized brain. To Dill, “mess” means beat up until blood started to spill from his victim’s mouth. Sun just told me to not let anything happen to Jake, and even though he is nothing but an annoyance, I do not hate him that much that I completely disregard Sun’s request and let Dill toy with him. 

Dill stared at me with disbelief but the confusion in his eyes morphed into anger. “Why not?” Dill asked. I eyed his shaking fist above the table ang hardened my glare. “That kid wronged you, Nigel. You’re a fellow A-list and that New Yorker needs to learn his place.” 

I was about to retort, but another robot came punching its way in. I evacuated with the rest of the students, and I could faintly hear the ongoing fight behind me. I sighed as I resumed another day of Norrisville life. 

On the second day, the first thing I noticed were the whispers running around the halls. 

“Have you heard? Someone saw students fighting after school.”

“My friend said it was Masters’s group plus new kid vs. the A-lists.”

“What? No fair.”

“No, I think it was only Dill and his buddies.”

Dill. Of course, he would have disobeyed me. I marched towards his lockers, fuming as I shoved other students out of my way. I found the dark-haired teen leaning on his lockers. Max and Ethan were also there, and my rage boiled when I saw Max sporting a faint but noticeable bruise just below his jaw. 

I marched over to where they were standing and demanded answers. “You said you weren’t going to join us. You didn’t say anything about us not doing it,” Dill answered, standing up as straight as he could. 

I pushed him against the lockers, never minding the wince that escaped his lips. “Well, then let me make it clear…” I said, eyeing the raven head dangerously. And as clearly as I could, I warned, “do not touch Jake Long or any of his friends.” I pressed him against the lockers harder. “Or, so help me, I will make sure you’re going to lose the arm you touched him with.” 

I let go of him and walked away, leaving the trio to their devices. 

1st period was a drag and I tiredly slumped against my seat when I finally arrived in the second period. Literature was fairly easy, so, I don’t need to put much effort into listening to the teacher babble on. 

A chuckled erupted beside me and I turned my tired eyes to meet Sun’s emerald ones. She was smiling as always as if nothing happened yesterday. “What’s got you in a bad mood?” She asked, lightly poking my forehead. 

I sighed as I swatted her hand away. “Dill got his gang to fight Jake yesterday. Luckily, Masters and his two idiots got there and helped him. I hope I got through his skull with our little chat this morning.” 

“Pfft. He must have been an idiot if he wanted to piss off the Nigel Thrall.” 

“Please. You praise me too much. But please, do continue.”

We shared small giggles and a few jokes, casually chatting about our week and only pausing when the teacher would shoot a glare at us. 

Before the bell rang, Sun passed a book. It was brown and the title was written in Latin. I opened it and saw that the rest of it was Latin as well and none of them were translated into English. I looked at her confused and she only smiled. “Give this to Jake Long, will ‘ya?” 

“Why?” I asked. 

“He might need it.”

The bell rang and students started to exit the classroom. I sighed as I tucked the book in my bag and headed for my next class. 

Lunch finally came and I went to find Jake. I spotted his familiar black and green hair and I made my move. I stalked him quietly until we were near the area I wanted. I then pulled him away from the group and pinned him against the wall. 

His black orbs met mine, or at least, what was remaining of the black. His eyes were tinted with red, weaving through the usual black without mixing. It was barely visible and could only be spotted when you know what you’re supposed to be looking for.

“What do you want?” Jake asked, glaring at me as he awaited answers. Knowing him, he’s going to walk away as soon as he didn’t get a reply. 

I sighed as I handed him the book. He looked at me confused as he examined the writings. Looks like he doesn’t know what it meant either. What in the world is Sun planning? He looked at me, expecting me to say more, but I don’t have anything else to say. What did Sun say again? “You’ll need it,” I repeated and started to walk away. Amazing exit, if I do say so myself.

I watched Jake from a distance as he was approached by the blue-eyed boy from yesterday and others. It is quite amusing to see Jake move on from Spud and Trixie. From the year I have known them, those three were inseparable. And Jake’s dragon heritage… Does his new group know about where he came from?

“Hi!” Sun jumped on me from behind my back and wrapped her arms around my torso. I grunted from the impact and she soon backed off. I turned to her smiling, then her orbs went ahead and eyed Jake Long. A satisfied smile stretched on her face as she watched the quad. 

I stared at the boy as well, noting how he looked at the blue-eyed boy. His hands reaching out to rub the back of his neck, and I don’t know what they were talking about, but they seem to be something amusing. 

I know it only has been a year since I have seen Jake Long again, but I could see he really bloomed in that year. His stance wasn’t as cocky as before, but instead, it was somehow humble and still allowing his confidence to shine through. His hair was still a mess, but he kept it somewhat clean. And… Why haven’t I noticed how much he smiled before?

A finger poked my cheek and I irritatingly swatted Sun’s hand away. “What?” I asked. She giggled as her hand found its way to her mouth. A habit of hers when she was trying to compress an emotion. She knows she is terribly failing at it, though. 

“You’re starring.”

I raised my brow at her. “You were starring as well,” I shot back. 

She kept giggling. “No, no, I mean…” She finally removed her hand from her mouth and gave me a smirk. “You were starring with that look. You know… The “Theresa” look?” 

My cheeks were enveloped with the color red as I looked away from Sun. That mischievous look of hers was not helping. And I was not staring at Jake like… Like that . Long story short, I had a crush on Theresa Fowler, and whenever I had a new love interest, Sun called the stares I give them the “Theresa look.” 

“A-anyway… How are… Well, things ?” I asked. Normally, when we meant “things,” we referred to our magic. We aren’t supposed to chat about this in the open, but I just wanted to transfer to another topic. Then I remembered Sun hasn’t explained anything to me. “And why does Jake need that book?” I asked. My irritation grew as she only gave me a smile. “Sun, you told me you would explain.”

She only chuckled and stared at the group again. “Quod sit omnium.” 

“... You know I don’t speak Latin.”

“Shut up and let the chapter end.”

“Wha--”

Chapter Text

Jake’s POV

Randy, Howard, and I were at the library, waiting for Danny, our translator to come. It was yesterday when Nigel gave me this Latin-written book without any explanation except that I needed it. 

Danny found me and saw the book. He was highly interested in it, and Randy told me that he could read Latin. I honestly don’t know why Nigel gave me a book I couldn’t read. Why would he even give me a book? Also, when did Nigel started reading Latin? 

“Hi, hi… Sorry. Got a little side-tracked.” Danny finally came and sat in between me and Randy. 

“No worries,” I said as I handed him the book. 

Danny smiled at me, but something was off. His eyes weren’t the usual radiant sapphire. They seemed like they were duller. But his eyes seemed to light up when he started to read.

Danny’s POV

I opened my closet and tossed on the first sweater I had laid my hands on. I tossed things into the satchel I bringing, sending a quick text to Randy before putting the phone in my pocket. I was about to be late as I rushed out of my room and down the large house’s steps. 

“Where are you going?” I stopped mid-way towards the door to see Vlad standing on top of the stairs. 

I smiled as I waved at the older halfa. “Meet up with some friends.” I started heading back to the door with a smile on my face, but it was wiped away with the next thing Vlad had said. 

“I recommend you being out of the house for the rest of the day. Mrs. Manson is coming for a meeting, and I am sure she would bring her daughter.”

My body became stiff at the mention of Sam. After… After what happened, she wouldn’t stop contacting me. And I always blocked her attempts. An uneasy sigh escaped my lips as I gripped the door handle. “Thanks,” I said and headed out of my way. 

I arrived in the library and quickly apologized to my friends. Jake gave me the book and I started translating. 

“ Long ago, there was once a powerful sorceress who was adored and was envied equally. She was rumored to be kind-hearted, brave, and selfless. She made the strangest of friends; from all sizes and all beliefs. She leads a life of wondrous adventures, gaining allies and enemies, and growing with her heart still filled with her young fiery spirit.

Feier was a wicked man, who satisfies himself by draining the strength of the ones below him. When he heard of the sorceress, he immediately packed his bags and sent on the journey to find her.

Their confrontation was more than what anyone could have described. Banter and combat were exchanged and the two seemed an even match. Amid the battle, the sorceress realized she was losing. She quickly sent messengers to her allies and they came promptly to her aid.

Feier has sworn to have the sorceress's head if it was the last thing he would do. The sorceress was afraid. Knowing that their next battle might be their last, she split her soul into three pieces, hoping a hero will come and save the faith of the world.

The first piece was given to the Dragon Council. The second is to the First Ghost King. And the third to a mere villager.

Since they could not hold it, they had gathered materials to solidify it.

The Dragon Council sacrificed the remaining scales of the old elders and melted them with their breath. Wishes and hopes from diverse creatures were gathered to strengthen the item, and it was wrapped in the gentle feathers of the Phoenix. It took the form of a ruby.

The Ghost King asked the Ancients and the Master of Time for help. Father Time gathered the items of the fallen heroes and coated them with his own magic. The Ancients gave the king a fracture of what made them human. And the king, himself, had given up his heart. It was then solidified by the ice of the Far Frozen, with the chief happy to help. It was forged into a sapphire.

The sorceress helped the villager to solidify it, but it was no easy task. He had to climb multiple mountains and face numerous obstacles to acquiring an item: A Tengu's tear. His children volunteered in the task. They each gave the sorceress their childhood belongings, the ones they cherished the most. With the Tengu's tear, it morphed into a topaz.

Indeed, the last battle was their last. But before the sorceress's demise, she cursed Feier and his descendants.

To this day, their curse still remains with no indication of it breaking or a clue on how it could be broken.

Until now. ”

“Until now?” Howard repeated. 

“What the juice does that mean?” Randy chided in, pushing Howard away as the boy began to push himself forward to take a closer look.

“And what the heck is a Ghost King?” Jake muttered as he took the book from my hands and glared at the words as if glaring at them would give him the answers. 

Howard and Randy started chatting about how awesome and weird the story was. Jake got out a notebook and started writing. Probably the things I had said so far. I let my friends do what they do as I was left to think of what was possibly behind the meaning of the legend. 

Where had Jake gotten the book? And, whoever gave this to him knows about ghosts. Thoughts ran in my head as I tried to puzzle out the story. This might be a danger to ghosts and even might bring humans into it. There was a mention of and Clockwork, so I might have to visit him later. 

And the Tengu… I remember Howard and Randy mention it. From what I remember, they said it possessed Howard and Randy had to burn the mask so he could stop it from causing more damage than it already had. It all turned out well if Howard is still alive and Randy continued being the Ninja. 

Dragon Council. I’m sure that Dorothea never mentioned anything, and if there was any mention of the Dragon Council, I would have known. 

The dragon that appeared two days ago. That dragon. That must have been it. Jake. His name was Jake. Jake Long. 

My eyes glanced at the ebony-haired boy as he kept writing. Jake. Why would he have this book? If it had information about the Ancients and Tengu written in Latin, then it couldn’t have been bought in a store. 

“Can I have that back?” I asked, reaching out for the book. Jake nodded and I put it back in front of where I was sitting. I flipped through the pages, skimming through to see if there was any answer as to where this was from. 

I arrived at the last page where “Until now” was placed. I hadn’t noticed the note placed beside the page. I looked at it in curiosity. I picked it up, expecting to find some answers or clues, at least, but all I found were some Chinese characters. 

“Hey, Jake,” I called. The petite boy stopped writing and looked at me. 

“Yeah?”

“You know Chinese, right?” 

“Yeah. Why?”

I handed him the note and asked if he could translate it. Jake’s cheeks grew red, and in one swift movement, he flipped his notebook closed and grabbed the book out of my hands. He then began to stuff them all into his bag, the blush never leaving his cheeks. 

“Hey, uh, thanks, for, um… Translating and stuff,” He said, glancing in my direction as he fumbled to arrange his bag. “But I gotta go… Byeee.” He then rushed out of the library, leaving the rest of us. 

Howard put his elbow on the table and rested his chin against his palm. He frowned in the direction where Jake left and looked at me. “What was that about?” Howard asked. 

“Maybe he had a date,” Randy guessed as he stood from his seat and grabbed his bag beside his chair. 

Howard rolled his eyes and did the same. “Probably,” he muttered. I picked my bag up and slung it over my shoulder. Then I followed my friends out of the library. 

“Anyway,” Howard started as we started to exit the library, “what was that about? It said something about the Tengu and ghosts?” 

Randy shrugged dismissively. “Maybe we’re part of a prophecy or something,” he replied. 

“Well, whatever it is, it has something to do with all of us,” I concluded. I thought before adding, “and I think I have a wild guess on who Jake the Dragon is.”

Howard and Randy turned to me, waiting for my answer. I smiled and confidently said, “Jake Long.” 

There was silence between us and we stopped walking. Howard and Randy exchanged glances and started to laugh. I frowned at their reaction and defeatedly tailed after them when they’ve started walking again. 

Whatever. It’s my turn to patrol anyway, so I would have a great opportunity to visit a certain dragon. 

__

???’s POV

I was never fond of empty spaces. There is always supposed to be something that needs to be filled and I have to find something to fill it. Like, how there was an empty space in the wall of my living room and I bought a frame so I could hang a family picture there. And how there was an empty space in my trophy cabinet and so I had to win something and place a trophy in it. And that time when the park just felt so empty, it started becoming a routine for me to walk in it on morning jogs. 

The day we transferred here, my room was completely empty. The walls were painted cream and there was absolutely no furniture. Now, it was half-decorated with the things I used to decorate in my old room. It still has a long way to go, but I have a lot of time to decorate. 

My room was filled with green, cyan, black, and all the merch I bought back from my hometown. After being in Norrisville for half a day, I missed the familiar color of metallic cyan glowing from the corners of the streets and the green that the ghosts would leave behind. So, I decided to paint my room those colors. And black too. 

I looked out of the sky and admired the pretty stars. They weren’t as pretty as Amity Park’s night sky, but it’s still passable as breath-taking. 

The sky felt empty and I didn’t like that. I raised my hand and slowly waved, as I did yesterday when I came to Norrisville. I guess, it was a habit I developed.

I would always wave after a fight; after he wins. And even though he doesn’t notice I was even there, it was okay. He was a ghost-superhero and probably had more hero-ing stuff to do. It only mattered that I was there to witness his victory, and honestly, it sent me smiling back home whenever I waved goodbye to him. And in the window of my old house, I see him fly across the sea of stars and I would wave him as he passed by. And those nights when he didn’t, I still waved, wishing him luck as I closed my window. 

Tonight was no different. Wherever he was, I was hoping he was okay. He disappeared without a trace and I believe that it wasn’t a normal ghost thing. I waved out of my window, silently wishing he was okay. 

I scanned the sky, hoping to see anything interesting, and my eyes almost bulged out of my sockets the moment I recognized his chalk-like hair flying through the sky. 

Oh, my stars. He’s here. 

___

Randy’s POV

“I’m home!” I announced, taking off my shoes and leaving them against the doorway. 

A head peeked out of the kitchen doorway and I smiled when I saw the familiar face of my master-turned-somewhat-friend(ish). I guess the author has no other words to describe I and Nomi’s relationship.

“Hello, young Ninja,” Nomi greeted and went back to the kitchen. 

Mom came skipping down the stairs, adjusting her nurse hat, and hastily grabbed her purse on the staircase. “Hi, Randy,” she greeted, fiddling with her purse lock as she dropped her phone in. 

She skipped over me and gave me a peck on the cheek. “Nomi made dinner, just heat it up. And please help him with school stuff,” she instructed and left through the door to her job. 

I looked over towards the kitchen doorway and shrugged. I went in and peeked inside, seeing Nomi seating on the kitchen table, bent down with a pen twirling in his fingers. 

I head over my way and peeked over his shoulder. Nomi must have noticed me because he slightly leaned his head sideways. I slightly smiled and put my head on his shoulder, placing both my hand on the table to put some sort of balance so I don’t lean on Nomi too much. 

I looked at his school form and raised my brow at the info he had put in it. “You didn’t put in a last-name?” I asked.

He slightly shrugged and tapped his pen in the empty space. “I technically don’t have a last name,” he answered. 

“What if the teachers ask?”

“I wrote it in cursive. Mrs. Cunningham said it would pass me as an elite student who is in no need to be questioned.”

“Hm. Good point.”

I lifted myself off his shoulder and head to the fridge. Until I noticed a meal across from Nomi, ready and hot. I turned towards him and he only flicked his pen, pointing towards it. “It’s yours.”

I smiled. I sat down in front of him and took a bite. It was delicious. “Thanks!” I said cheerily as I started to dig in. 

“Don’t talk when your mouth is full.”

Chapter Text

Danny’s POV

When someone would ask me what I would think of when the town Norrisville is mentioned, I would answer “calm.” From a former citizen from Amity Park, that was gladly a compliment. It wasn’t boring for there would be weekly monster attacks, but it wouldn’t be exciting either. It was just something in between; calm. 

At first, I was hesitant about moving because of the ghosts that will cause harm to the town I swore to protect, but now, I felt like this was the best decision I have ever met in my life. I had a new place I could protect and actually be appreciated for it. And monsters wouldn’t cause that much damage, so when something is ruined, it could be easily fixed. And monsters develop slowly so I could at least have a taste of what being normal feels like. This town is amazing and I wish every place I go could be like this; calm. 

The roof of Jake’s house became visible in my line of sight and I steadily glided down towards it. I peeked inside and saw him writing and pasting notes on the notebook he had earlier, and the note with Chinese text sat at the side of his table. 

I was highly amused at the scrunching on his nose whenever he saw something specific in his notebook. And he seemed to have a habit of chewing on his pencil. Going with my theory, I expected he would have sharp teeth, but he only had human ones. Was I wrong? 

I tapped on his window to get his attention and he jumped back the moment he saw me. He stared at me for a moment again, and I was considering to just phase inside. But after another moment, he opened the window to let me in. I gladly phased through him and inside his bedroom, slightly chuckling at the chill he experienced when I phased through him. 

He turned back to me and looked me up and down and it was clear he was trying to puzzle out the situation. The air was becoming awkward, well for me, and so, I cleared my throat. “So, hi,” I started, doing a little wave. “Before you ask who I am, I’ll just state that I know who and what you are.”

Wow. Going straight-forward there, right author? Out of context, that might sound that I have been stalking him. 

Jake’s eyes slightly widen and he readied himself in a fighting position and I immediately backed up, hands in front of me in a, hopefully, placating manner. “Hey, I’m not here to fight,” I said. And to prove my point, I transformed back to human.

Jake’s eyes widened like saucers and his fighting stance wavered a little. “Danny?” He voiced out, looking me up and down again, like he wasn’t sure if I was the real thing or not. 

“Yes, it’s me. And I have a lot of explaining to do, I know. So please, could you relax a little?” I asked, not moving from where I was in case Jake is to use violence. Thankfully, he let his fighting stance falter. He then crossed his arms and leaned on his study table, his eyes still narrowed at me. 

“Explain,” He stated. His voice was no-nonsense, and I swear, if I weren’t a fictional character, I would have jumped out of this screen and slap the author for making me think that his demanding voice was hot. Seriously, CA. Wtf?

I took a breath and asked, standing in a more casual stance, “what do you want to know first?”

“What do you think I am?”

“The dragon. You know, from the day before.”

“And how did you know? Did someone tell you?”

“No, you just didn’t change your name.” My blatant answer seemed to catch Jake off-guard and his cheeks glowed red from embarrassment. 

He gripped his sleeve and muttered, “I told Grandpa I should be using a codename…” 

I inwardly chuckled at him. I leaned back on his wall and put my hands on my pockets, making a sheepish smile as I watched Jake reconsider his life choices. 

“Anyway,” I said, “I’m Phantom, a ghost. And before you ask, yes, I’m dead. And The Ninja is Randy. He’ll probably kill me knowing I told you this without asking for his permission, so don’t tell him I told you.”

Jake slightly chuckled, accepting my attempt to lighten the mood. “... So…” He began, looking around his room, trying not to make eye contact with me. I guess he’s still processing the new information. “What are you doing here?” 

“Something bad is going to happen,” I said, straightening my back a little bit to tell him I was serious. “Something is trying to bring evil to this world, and we are the ones who can stop it.”

I walked over to the book and opened it, flipping through the pages, careful not to tear them, for it was a bit old. 

“How would you know?” Jake asked, now standing beside me, peeking over to the pages I had flipped. 

I was looking for something written in it, like a clue on what kind of evil we will be facing. The story only told us about Feier and his cursed descendants. It didn’t specify how they were cursed, which was a bust. And it also didn’t specify where the gems were planted. Again, a total bust. 

I looked back at Jake and smiled. “Gut feeling,” I replied. 

I turned back at the book and frowned when I couldn’t find any answers. I stepped back and let the two rings split in half and travel down my body. “I’ll see you in school,” I said and phased through the window, and traveled back home.

Nomi’s POV

Randy and I were in the Nomicon Book, in our Ninja Uniforms, peacefully meditating in one of the paper-like rooms when I had the feeling of something foreboding happening. Unlike humans, I do not experience this feeling like a regular thing that could be tossed aside and worry about later. It was painful. 

I felt like millions of needles pierce through my back, twisting my skin as if it was just a piece of cloth. A shadow would reach out and play with the gentle veins and make music with my rib cage, and then squeeze my heart as if it was a sponge that needed drying. It felt like time has stopped for me and I remained in that position, being tortured, and everything would move again. 

I looked at the young Ninja in front of me and spiders of doubt would crawl on my back and whisper probable futures of his; all the misfortune and tragedy that will befall on him, and I would have probably never been able to be there to face it all. Randy’s 16, almost 17, and it wouldn’t be too long until I am to be separated from him. 

I stood up and called, “Ninja.” Randy opened his eyes and looked up at me. I then said, “the shadows are lurking. It is time to be wary.”

“What?”

I extended my hand towards him and he accepted. I pulled him up and said again, “shadows are lurking. It is time to be-”

“I know what you said,” Randy clarified. He continued, “I meant, what do you mean?” 

I looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes. I don’t want to admit that I don’t know either. Thankfully, I couldn’t answer fast enough as we were both sucked back to the real world.

Sun’s POV

To be a citizen in Norrisville, it’s sometimes fun and exciting. You have a ninja protecting you from civilians turned monsters, the technology surrounding you with every corner you turn, and strangers that will gladly invite you as if you were their old friend. 

To be a civilian with magic in Norrisville, the fun doubled. You could pull pranks on unsuspecting victims, never be fazed when a monster would roar in your face, and take the best selfies up in the skies. But it could also be lonely.

You could never know who to trust, never be able to wow people with the magic you can do, nor have any back-up when you’re cornered. 

I’m not supposed to have magic, so my circumstances might differ from a natural magic-user. I’d have magic spikes, which would really be painful, and I would either pass out or scream in pain. Both aren’t very good options when in a public setting, and because of that, mom always told me to stop using magic outside of the home. But what will I use if I get injured while in a monster attack?

I don’t blame her for trying to keep me safe, but it honestly feels as if my freedom was being stripped away from me. Which wasn’t. So, I shouldn’t be complaining. But I am.

UGH! Author, stop dumping your guilt on me!

When I met Nigel, I was instantly drawn to him. Honestly, I didn’t know why, but I guess magic users are like that. They are drawn to each other. He was a little cold at first, but I got him to warm up to me. 

Before school, I would meet him up by the front of the school and he’d tell me about his complaints about the magic council and I would ask questions. After school, we’d go around the city and test out spells at parks and prank as many people as possible. It was our routine last year and it would be our routine this year as well.

Honestly, I was hyper the first day I got to school but was disappointed Nigel chose to hang out with the preps instead of meeting me up at the entrance. No matter, we could still hang out after school. Then I had a magic spike and had to be sent home. The first day of school and my plans have already been ruined. And for frick’s sake, I hadn’t used a single spell that day!

I had a bad feeling something was going to happen. 

The world felt as if it was spiraling when I opened my eyes. Splotches of red, green, and yellow filled my eyes and I wanted to close them again, but I still can’t shoo away those annoying colors. 

If colors weren’t enough, voices started to fill my ears, whispering to me all at once that I can’t make out a single word. Some were in Latin, some were in English, and even fricking Mandarin. It hurts and even when I stuffed my head in the pillow, they won’t stop. 

“Dragon… Ruby…” Latin said. 

“Ghost… Sapphire…” English called.

“Ninja… Topaz…” Mandarin sang. 

It rang in my head like a chaotic song. It thankfully became small whispers that dissolved nothing, just in time for Nigel to come into the infirmary. 

Nigel knew Jake. He must know something peculiar about that boy. And my suspicions proved me correct when Nigel told me he was the dragon. After I got sent home, I told my mom what happened and she stayed quiet until dinner that day.

“Sun, I have to confess... “ She began, “we’re cursed.”

I broke down after hearing that. I cried, screamed, and overall, lashed out, blaming my mother for the reason why I couldn’t cast spells without having a painful side effect. After I calmed down, my mother explained to me that we were part of some prophecy and it was our job to help the heroes. I called all of it crap and went to my room in a fury.

After that, my mom got me more involved in this prophecy bull and ordered me to hunt down those involved in the prophecy, mainly the heroes. I was left with no choice because I wanted this curse off of me so I could cast as powerful spells as Nigel. 

I wanted to tell Nigel everything, but mom told me to keep my mouth shut. I hated that I had to keep something from Nigel because he’s my best and most trusted friend, probably the only one who could understand these things. 

So now, I’m walking down the hall with Nigel towards his next class. I was itching to cut into his story about his cursed aunt to joke about his aunt isn’t the only one with a curse. That would be a terrible joke, but frick everything. I wanted to tell someone.

Suddenly, my hand started twitching. I stopped, glared at my slowly glowing hand as if silently demanding it to stop. My stomach began to react and I felt hot liquid drip from inside of my mouth, begging my jaws to open to let the upcoming bile out. 

“Sun, are you--”

“I have to go,” I said quickly and ran away from him. Honestly, it’s kind of sucky for me to just leave him there, but if I didn’t, I would have been puking glitter in the middle of the hall. No, I am not kidding. 

I rushed to the first stall when I stepped foot in the restroom and barfed the most colorful vomit humanity has ever seen. I sat there, clutching my stomach as another batch made its way up my throat. And the whispers came back. 

“Ninja… Ghost… Dragon…” Barf. 

I had tears in my eyes as my throat swelled from pain. Barfing up glitter is more painful than regular food because some get stuck in your throat.

Frick, I have to get that dragon. 

Chapter Text

Randy’s POV

I was on the rooftop of my high school with my best friend, Howard, and this new kid, Jake Long. As to why we are up here? Well, Danny said to meet up here with this new kid. He said that he needed to tell us something. I was not all that comfortable with the new kid, Jake, yet, because, well, it hasn’t been long since we met. And the only interaction we had with each other was when Danny was here. 

“Hey,” Howard tugged my sleeve and pulled me down. I bent my knees so he could whisper whatever he wanted to say. He said, “What do you think Masters wants to talk about?”

I shrugged. I replied, “Eh. Beats me. Seems a bit extra if it’s for a group project or something.”

“I mean… Being in a secluded area where no one would hear us is kind of suspicious isn’t it…?” Howard pointed out.

I hummed in thought and he rubbed his chin. “You have a point…”

Howard turned to Jake and asked, “So, Jakey–”

“Don’t call me that.”

“ – You hang around here often?” Howard asked, leaning on himself as he pressed his elbow on the edge of the rooftop, the railing that was supposed to hold students from jumping.

Jake looked at him with a confused look then sized him up and down. He asked, “Are you hitting on me or something?”

“What?! No!” Howard’s face flushed red and I couldn’t hold my laughter.

I let a boisterous laugh escape my mouth and I had to hold my stomach, bending from the pain this joy gave me. “Oh my juice, Howard!” I mocked, patting my friend’s shoulder then gripped on it as I tried to steady myself before I fell down. “I didn’t know you were into boys!”

“I’m not!” Howard protested, his face flushed as he slapped my hand away. “I’m as straight as a ruler!”

“A plastic one?” I remarked back. “Because those can bend, you know–”

“Shut UP, Cunningham!” my friend said, slapping my arm and that made me laugh even more. 

The door opened and I was not done. I was on the ground, bending and punching the ground. I was not able to see who it was that entered. Then a familiar voice said, “I see you are enjoying yourself, Young Ninja.”

I had to laugh a bit more to get it all out before wiping the tears from my eyes. I looked up and I saw my mentor with his usual face of seriousness. I giggled and waved at the person then stood up. “Sorry. I just heard a good joke,” I said, glancing at Howard. 

Howard scowled at me before elbowing me to shut up. I had to hold another round of giggles. I dusted myself off and then turned to where Nomi was. And he was with Danny. I was happy to see both of them, but then I realize…

HE CALLED ME THE NINJA IN FRONT OF JAKE!

Wait, cheese–

I turned to Jake and he was confused by the presence of Nomi and then glanced at me. I bit my lip thinking that he might have already uncovered my secret identity. Or, if he’s dumb enough, he could think it’s his weird nickname for me. But then another thought crossed me. Why was Nomi here? Supposedly, he should be catching up with the curriculum since he was supposed to be the new student but he wasn’t. What was he doing here? With Danny? Did he and Danny come up to hatch a master plan together?

“What’s going on?” Jake asked, stepping forward to be more visible to Nomi and Danny. I would also like to know what’s going on.

“Let’s start with introductions,” Danny said, stepping forward so he, Jake, and I are in a triangle formation of some sort with Howard and Nomi being outside. He pointed at himself and said, “Hi. I’m Danny Phantom, the ghost.”

I gapped. How could he out himself like that in front of Jake?! The new kid?! Is this for some popular thing? Did Jake want to meet Phantom and that’s why he outed himself?

“And Randy,” he gestured at me, “is the Ninja or Norrisville.”

I stuttered, not expecting me to be outed as well. What the hell, Danny?! I did not agree with this. I looked at Jake in nervousness but he seemed to just look at me as if he expected it. Wait, did he?

“And Jake,” he gestured to the Asian boy, “is the Dragon.”

“WHAT?!” Howard and I both yelled at the same time. 

“Jake’s the DRAGON?!” Howard yelled. “Why are all the new kids WEIRD?!”

Jake snorted when Howard said that, but I just stared at Jake as if expecting him to disappear once I take my eyes off of him. How can he be the dragon? The dragon was tall, strong, and red! This kid was short as hell and very human-colored. Was it the same as Danny’s transformation? But there should be similarities, at least! Was I really too dumb to take notice?

“And I,” Nomi stepped forward closer to the little triangle but still remained outside. “Am the Ninja’s mentor, NomiCon.” He turned to Jake and gave him a nod of acknowledgment. “It is my pleasure to meet you, Dragon.”

Jake gave a nod back and said, “Well, uh, nice to meet you too.”

My head was still reeling from the information. So, we’re all heroes that could transform?! And Nomi was introducing himself to Jake. What was happening? Something serious must be happening if all of us are here in the same place. I turned to Nomi, worried, and asked, “Nomi, what’s going on? Why are we all here?”

“It’s about the book,” Danny said. “The book Jake made me translate.” He turned to Jake and asked, “Do you still have it?”

Jake nodded. He walked to his backpack and took out the same book he had when we were in the library. 

I asked, “What does this all have to do with the fairytale?”

Jake handed the book to Danny and he opened it to a page. Without looking at me, he replied, “Don’t you think it mentioned all of us? Dragon, Ghost, Ninja. We were all mentioned in the story. It’s strange. And… I don’t think this is a simple fairytale.”

“Who did you get this from again?” Howard asked. 

“From Nigel,” Jake replied. 

“Nigel? The new popular kid?”

“Yeah, him,” Jake nodded. 

“What does he have to do with any of this?” I asked. “Does he know about us? What is he? A psychic?”

Jake shook his head and answered, “No, he’s a wizard.”

I looked at him blank-faced before asking, “Seriously? Are you serious right now? Tell me you ain’t serious.”

“I’m a dragon. You’re the ninja. And Danny’s a literal living ghost. How is Nigel being a wizard farfetched?” Jake asked.

I gave it thought and he does have a point. Nigel being a wizard isn’t too farfetched if he’s the one who gave Jake the book. But if Nigel is a wizard, what about the other new kids? Are they all magical beings as well?

I heard Nomicon sigh in the corner and my eyes flickered back towards him. He said, “As much as I love to explain more of your current situation, we are at a time limit.” He drew his hands out and the world started to darken around us.

White gusts began to surround us and I went closer to Howard so I could have reassurance. He squeezed my arm, telling me silently that things are going to be okay. It’s going to be okay , I told myself. But why do I have a bad feeling about this all?

In the center of the triangle, three gems came popping out. One was a ruby. It had the color of a thousand flames, shining brightly like embers in the dark. I turned to look at my companions and saw Jake’s expression soften in recognition. The next gem was a sapphire. It was in a shade of deep blue but had an aura of coldness and mystery, like the Arctic Ocean. In the corner of my eye, I could see Danny looking mesmerized by the artifact, and his hands even moved, but they stopped before he could reach out to it. And last of all, the Topaz. The topaz shined like the sun, like melted gold covered in extravagant glitter. It was enchanting and a part of me was begging to touch it, begging to let me have it in my hands. It was beautifully mesmerizing.

“These are the keys to the Sorceress’s chest hidden away,” Nomi said.

“Wait, Sorceress?” Howard repeated. “Like, the one Randy fought?”

“No. Another Sorceress,” Nomi said. He snapped his fingers and the gems disappeared. Out of the ground sprouted a beautiful woman. The lady had silver hair flowing down her back like a waterfall made out of glitter. She wore white robes that covered her body from her arms and down to her feet. She wore a wooden rice hat on her head, tilting it so that we wouldn’t see her eyes, but from her jaw, we could see that her skin was as pale as the moon. “This is the Sorceress of Ursa Major. That is her title. The Sorceress you are referring to is one of Feier’s descendants that wanted to fulfill his wish. She could have avoided corruption if she did not associate herself with the Sorcerer, but due to the magic she has used and the curse cast upon their family, she turned into what she is now,” Nomi explained. 

Nomi then put his hands back to their hiding and our surroundings began lighter again. The gust disappeared and there was no lady and no gems in sight. Nomi turned to Randy and said, “My father had the third key. The topaz.”

My eyes widened like saucers. He had the key?! “Then, do you still have it?” I asked, hoping this quest would end soon. If they had one key, then they could be able to try and find the rest faster. 

Unfortunately, Nomi shook his head. Dammit!

Nomi spoke, “The Sorceress left my father with a warning. Once the keys sensed that the great evil has returned, they would run into hiding and find the owner themselves. Do you know what this means?”

“We have to find the keys on our own,” Jake replied. 

Nomi nodded. He turned to Jake and said, “Young Dragon, you have already found the key.” 

We were surprised, turning to Jake. He, as well, seemed surprised Nomi knew. He asked, “How did you know?”

“Your eyes,” Nomi said. “They change color when you are reconnected with the key.”

Danny, Howard, and I looked closer at the Asian boy, and, there it is! It really is in another color. It was in a subtle color of red, like the gem, but it remained dark, like his original eyes. They were in a brownish kind of color with linings of red around the iris. Jake touched his eyes and he turned away, probably being self-conscious.

I turned back to Nomi and he had a serious look on his face. The same as when I had to fight the Sorcerer. “Do you know what this means? Young Dragon, you have found the gem. It has come to you.”

“That means the great evil has returned,” Danny said, unnerved by the topic. I was scared as well. Are we going to fight some great powerful witch again?

Nomi nodded. “Be careful, boys. Be careful who you trust for the people you let in your lives will determine your path.” After that, he turned the other way and left the roof.

Danny’s POV

The four of us walked into the hall with the newfound realization that the three of us were destined to fight this great evil. To be honest, I’m nervous. Yes, I have faced a lot of foes. I have faced villains and ghosts that wanted to destroy the world and the things that I love, but I’ve always had my friends with me. But… Now, they aren’t here. I don’t miss them, that’s for sure. But without them, missions like these seem hard. But who am I kidding? I don’t need them. I have new friends now. Randy, Howard, and maybe Jake.

“So,” Howard started to speak, “Wanna hang out?” 

Jake looked at him and tilted his head. “Hangout?”

“I mean, hang out. Y’know,” Howard gestured to all four of us. “We’re going to be facing this world domination together, and it’s better if we know each other better, right? I mean, c’mon. We’re barely friends. How are we supposed to work together?”

I chuckled, liking Howard’s enthusiasm. When I met him, he wasn’t the type who’d openly become friends with someone. He’s more of a pessimist when it came to friends, and I remembered he only approached me because of my last name. But I guess he and I bonded over games and skating and he didn’t see me as an ATM anymore. Or at least, I hope so. I mean, in a friend group, there’s gotta be someone who provides, right? That’s what Sam used to do…

Randy grinned. He seemed entertained at the idea and then asked, “What do you suggest, then?”

Howard’s eyes scanned the hallway, looking at the popular cliques and the loners before his eyes saw the bulletin board. He pointed at it and said, “That.” He dragged Randy along with him to see what school activities we could do and Jake and I followed along. 

Jake was still tense from all of this. From just coming to a new school, getting the news that he needs to defend the world, and then suddenly being forced to cooperate with a group. I know Randy and I have experienced world-ending threats before, but has Jake had them? I should really get to know the guy. 

Howard looked around the bulletin and Randy was just glancing around, bored. Then Howard pointed at a poster. “Ahah! That one!” he exclaimed. 

The three of us looked closer to see what he found interesting and it was a poster of a battle of the bands in a few months. “I’ve seen this in movies. We could totally get to know each other if we spend time for this battle of the bands' stuff,” he concluded, and I had to hide my laughter because real life isn’t like movies. If it was, I could have gotten my happily ever after right now. He continued, “Although we have 30 Seconds of Math, we could change it up a bit to include Danny and Jake. Something catchy. Something like… Like Secret Trio!”

“Secret Trio?” Randy snorted.

“C’mon, it fits you guys!” Howard said, pushing Randy as he began to laugh. “Look, you three will be the main event and I’m the one who’s going to be behind the stage. I’m your band manager!”

Jake laughed. “Yeah, sure,” he said sarcastically.

“Don’t believe me?” Howard glared. “Well, check out my and Randy’s compositions on YouTube! They got over a hundred-k views!”

“A hundred views. Only,” I corrected. 

“It’s still good!” Howard protested. “Anyway, yeah. Secret Trio. You guys in or not because I have no idea what else we’re supposed to do here.”

I chuckled. Well… I always wanted to be in a band. Singing and rocking out with Ember is awesome and all, but it feels different when being a ghost and when being human. I shrugged and said, “Sure. Sounds fun. But I’m lead guitar.”

“If everyone’s cool with it, I’m cool with it,” Randy said.

“Great!” Howard said. “Now, we just need a place to practice. And maybe get instruments.” He turned to me.

I sighed. “Fine.”

???’s POV

There was something that was pulling me towards the hallway of Norrisville High. I don’t know what it was but whatever it was, it must be important. I walked across the halls unsuspectingly when I felt the heat rise inside the hallways. Strange. The ventilation system wasn’t broken and it wasn’t Summer. I looked around the area and saw a group of boys. Why had I laid eyes on them? They were nothing but uninteresting. 

But something… Is drawing me closer. 

So, I walked. I walked closer to them until I could finally see it. Their auras were all strangely out of place. Strangely colorful. They were peculiar but weak. However, one stood out more than the rest. 

The short boy in a red jacket and black hair. He had the aura of a dozen flames dancing around his body like he was some sort of demon. Normally, I wouldn’t be bothered with the sight, but the heat was affecting me. It shouldn’t. He turned around and my eyes widened.

Realization hit my face when I undoubtedly saw the hue in his eyes. Quickly, I ran in the opposite direction. The urgency to grab my phone from my locker tore me to the edges. 

This was it… 

This was it. 

They found it. 

And I need to alert my mother.

Chapter Text

Jake’s POV

Since the news about the keys and threat, the three of us had decided to make a system. A system for patrol. The system would be like this: Alternating nights. If Randy goes to patrol this night, and the next night, I go. And after me, Danny goes. And after Danny, Randy. And the cycle continues. Right now, Danny volunteered to do the first patrol.

So, right now, I was waiting for the other popcorn bag to finish then I put them in a bowl. I went to my living room and there sat Howard and Randy arguing about what movie they wanted to watch.

“Terminator 3!”

“Killmonger Prologue!”

“Terminator 3!”

“Killmonger Prologue!”

I asked, “Hey, what’s with all this noise?”

The two boys quickly went to Jake and presented the CDs they have picked. I didn't have the same technology as the other kids my age. My family never had those fancy smart gadgets like a smart TV or smart refrigerator. I guess I brought that habit with me. So, instead of Netflix, I had CDs and a CD player. I brought some of my favorites with me. But suddenly, the two boys shoved their chosen CDs in my face and then together, yelled, “WHICH ONE’S BETTER?!”

I looked at the CDs and then laughed. “Well, whatever you want to watch. But if you can’t decide, then I’m picking the movie.”

“Well, what are you picking?” Howard asked.

I went to my CD collection and then shuffled around before picking a random CD. I showed it to them. It was, “Stars Made Out Of Your Eyes.” Now reading the title, I think this was my mom’s CD. I don’t think I packed any romantic comedies.

The other two looked at each other and then at the CD, then back at each other.

“TERMINATOR!”

“KILLMONGER PROLOGUE!”

I sighed. I put the CD away and then waited on the couch for the final decision between the boys. I chuckled to myself because this seemed like something Spud and Trixie would be doing if we had more movie nights. I wonder how they’re doing.

Danny's POV

The night sky in Norrisville was rather different in Amity Park. For one, they had different stars. It isn’t in the same placement I was used to seeing for my 14 years of life. Even now, after two years of living here, it all seems so odd.

There were villains here too, but the villains regularly occur during the day. Villains occurring during the night were rare and it left me sleeping in my night schedule, for the first time in two years. And even if I stay up all night fighting something or someone, the Ninja would be there and help me. It would make the fight quicker and afford both of us to sleep. This was a great change in my sleep schedule compared to my sleep schedule back in Amity Park. An odd but great change.

Norrisville also had less powerful villains. I’m not saying that this city is weak. I’m just saying that it feels strange to not struggle during a fight. In my time as Phantom in Amity, the only ghosts that I don’t struggle with are Box Ghost, Poindexter, and a few others. But here, their villains are at the level of a weak ghost. I guess human villains are different from ghost villains, and maybe that’s why the Ninja was so happy to see me helping him. I’m happy to help. It’s just what I do.

I took a curve downtown, the place where petty criminals usually target. It’s dark and the street lights that hang above the streets all flickered, hanging on their last shift as the light of the street before being replaced. I went down to the streets and flew around at the speed of a bicycle until I heard metal crashing against metal, loudly clicking down the floor.

I looked behind me and I saw trash flying out of an alleyway. I went to check the alleyway out and I saw a monster made of gunk and trash. It had long slimy tentacles dripping down with disgusting leftover food for arms. It had only one eye and no mouth nor nose but it chanted something along the lines of, “gem for the mistress,” with a rough and shaky voice, as if it was almost in fear. And the stench was horrid! It was a literal trash monster and I flew back in disgust as it began to move away from the trash and exit the alley.

I made the mistake of bumping into a trash can and knocking it over. The monster turned to me and furrowed his non-extent eyebrow to glare at me. It growled before heading straight towards me, waving its gross tentacle arms. I moved away just in time for the monster to come splatting on the building behind me. It looked like an accident on the road before slowly forming back, moving its contents away from the building and forming back into this tall gucky monster. I gagged as I watch it move and began to move away but the monster began to take chase after me.

“NOPE!” I yelled and tried to fly away, but the monster grabbed ahold of my leg with its tentacle and crashed me down on the street.

“GROSS!” I yelled as I blasted the arm off.

However, it moved back to its original body and then roared, spitting the rotten things out of its mouth as if its saliva. “GEM!” it yelled.

Oh, hell nah. I ain’t facing this thing alone. I got my phone and called Randy as I began flying away again. It took chase after me.

It rang for a few moments before Randy picked up. “‘Sup, D?”

“I need you in downtown, now!” I yelled over the phone. I yelped as I dodged the tentacle monster’s hand and then zigzagged down the street before making a U-Turn to keep the monster downtown.

“What’s the situation?” I heard Jake’s voice over the phone.

“Garbage tentacle monster. Really gross, by the way. It wants some sort of gem?”

“GEM FOR MISTRESS!” The monster yelled, throwing a trash bin toward me, and I blasted it back toward the monster. However, it was able to absorb it and become bigger. “Shi–” I began flying away from it and it took chase.

“It wants the gem for its mistre– AH!” I yelped when the monster took hold of my torso and then threw me back to a building, making me break the glass. Good thing no one lives there. Sorry for the building owner though.

I dodged before he threw a ball of gunk toward me and then flew out to deliver a punch of my own. That was a mistake. It began trying to suck me in. “Gross, gross, gross!” I yelled, firing my arm up with an ectoblast. The monster dismantled but then it began trying to form again. I shook the rest of its contents off of my body and gagged.

“Hey, Phantom!”

Soon, the Dragon and Ninja stood beside me. The Ninja looked at me and then began laughing out loud.

“What? What?!” I asked, looking over my body if there was something wrong, then I felt Dragon push something off of my head. A large gunk of garbage and leftover horrors splat on the ground and began moving like a blob ghost but more horrendous. “EW! GROSS!” I yelled, patting my head continuously.

Dragon gagged as well as he flicked his hand to get rid of the garbage and it landed on the Ninja’s eyes.

“EW! Why on me?!” He complained, wiping it off and pretending to vomit from the stench. “WHAT THE CHEESE IS THAT STUFF?!”

“After this, we are all taking a bath!” I exclaimed.

“This is going to be one messy fight,” Dragon said, positioning himself in a fighting stance as the monster began to reform.

I snorted as Ninja and I readied ourselves. “Good pun but, again, gross,” Ninja said.

The monster’s eyes glared at the three of us and growled and then got on the ground ready to pounce at us. He came running towards us with four of his limbs and the three of us all went in different directions. I went right, Dragon went left, and Ninja went forward.

However, out of all of us, Dragon was the one being chased. “What the hell?!” Dragon yelled, breathing fire in its general direction, but it came out pouncing out of it unarmed, roaring at him. “GEM FOR MISTRESS!” it yelled.

“Gem?!” Dragon said before he got pinned down by the monster.

“I got you!” Ninja yelled, throwing his scarf toward the dragon and then pulling him away. “NINJA THROW!” He yelled, swinging the monster before making him go splat on another building. He got his scarf back and gagged at the state it was in. “Ew, ew, ew, ew!” he cried.

I rushed towards the splatted monster and then began to try and ice it. Maybe not permanently, but that would be preferred. This is just a way to buy us some time.

“It’s fireproof and building-proof,” Dragon said, coming beside me. “How are we supposed to get rid of it?”

The ice holding the monster began to crack and the three of us prepared for impact. “It’s ice proof too?!” Ninja yelled, getting his sword as it burst out, roaring.

The monster ran and then tried to get the Dragon but then Ninja cut in (heh) and sliced the monster in half. However, the monster continued reforming back again and again. The Dragon and I tried to help, sending fire and ecto blasts down on the hideous thing, but it kept coming back. And it keeps lunging toward the dragon.

“Why me?!” Dragon yelled, flying away to try and get away from the thing, but the monster roared and ran after him. Even when the Ninja and I tried to stop it, the monster kept coming back.

“GEM FOR THE MISTRESS!” The monster yelled.

“What gem?!” Ninja asked me. “The thing keeps saying it wants the gem!”

The Dragon plopped down on the ground in front of us, being dragged down from the air by the monster. He looked at us with his fire-coated eyes and said, “Help–” before being dragged away and into the monster! The thing was absorbing the Dragon!

Ninja and I quickly rushed to his aid. I froze the monster and left out the parts where it connected to Dragon so Ninja could slice Dragon off. The monster was trying to break the ice I was making and I feel pressured as the monster was beginning to come out, making me need to seal the cracks on the ice as fast as the monster was making them. “I can’t hold it for long!” I cried.

Finally, Ninja and Dragon were away just in time and I was able to let go, letting the monster crash down and roar in agitation.

“GEM! FOR! MISTRESS!” The monster roared once again.

Then, finally. It clicked.

How was I so stupid?! That was the whole reason why it was after Dragon specifically!

I created ice barriers. Multiple of them, one after the other, to help stall it. After I created at least, 10, I flew over to where Dragon and Ninja were. “I figured it out!” I said. “It’s after Dragon because of the gem!”

“I don’t have a gem!” Dragon protested.

“No, I mean– YOUR EYES! The monster could see your eyes!” I said, trying to find a way to make them understand. But it only made them more confused.

“My… Eyes?”

“Phantom, I know you like guys, but I don’t think Dragon swings that way,” Ninja sassed.

I fumed. “FU– The monster is looking for the gem that Dragon found! This is the great evil Nomicon warned us about!”

“Ohhhhhhhh,” the two finally understood.

“So, what’s the plan?” Dragon asked. “We got the reason why it's after me.”

“We could use you as bait,” I said.

“And then what?” Ninja asked. “It’s fireproof, waterproof, slice-proof, and it could pull us from the ground. What else?!”

I began to think. What else could work… Fire, ice, ground… The only element missing is… I snapped my fingers and then grinned. “Alright. I got a plan.” We huddled and formed the plan just before the monster was able to pass through the barrier.

It roared and the three of us separated. I went up to the sky that oversees the streets. Ninja went to the shadows of the alleyways. And Dragon was in the center of the street, baiting the monster to get him.

“HEY, MONSTER! It’s me you want, right?!” Dragon waved, flapping his wings and getting ready to leave.

The monster roared before running towards him at full speed. Dragon quickly flew to the direction we agreed on and both Ninja and I tailed the both of them. Ninja and I put barriers in front of the monster just in case it got too close to Dragon. We also saved a few citizens from getting hurt as the monster and we drove by.

Soon, we were at the docking ports where the ships unloaded their carriage. People were still there, working late night shifts (or early morning?), and Ninja and I had to get them out. Dragon tried to help as well but he was almost caught.

“Get to the docks! Don’t let it get you!” I yelled as I made a frozen barrier to stall time for Dragon.

Dragon was worried and looked at the people around him, looking at him in awe. However, Ninja was able to push them to safety just as the ice barrier broke.

Dragon flew away immediately and the monster followed at the same pace.

Finally, we made it to the edge of the docks. The Dragon guided the beast to the edge until it fell into the water. It stayed underneath, gurgling its bubbles and we all expected it to stay under. But, we were wrong.

The thing burst out of the water and grabbed Dragon’s leg, yelling, “GEM! FOR MISTRESS!”

“GAHH! GET OFF!” Dragon yelled, trying to shake it off and blow it away with his fire, but it was using both hands imperceptively to keep itself on the Dragon. The dragon tried flying up and slowly, it was lifting the monster up as well, and I realized that the monster was melting. Its components slowly dripped down on its waist and I could see its leg barely holding on and almost completely fell off.

“DRAGON!” I yelled. “Don’t fly up!” I ordered.

“WHAT?! But this thing is on me!” He yelled back.

“Just trust me!” I said, preparing my hands with my ice powers. I turned to the Ninja and ordered, “We need to keep the thing under the water.”

“Got it!” Ninja said, pulling out his sword and then running toward the edge of the dock.

“NINJA LEAP!” He yelled, jumping off of it, and I made an ice floor in order to catch his fall. He rolled on it and then proceeded to follow the ice path that I was making toward the monster. “Ninja slice!” he yelled, slicing the monster’s leg off while he skated by.

I watched the monster’s leg leave its body completely and melt into the water, no longer reforming. I was right!

I made more openings so Ninja could dispose of the body that was still clinging to Dragon. He took out his scarf and then lassoed the monster, trying to pull him with all of his might toward the opening. Dragon finally caught on to what we were up to and then lowered himself so that Ninja could slice him into the little pool I made. The monster’s body parts tried to resurface and reattach itself but I quickly cut off the entrance to it. Ninja and I did this repeatedly for each part he managed to cut until all there was left was a small fraction of the monster clinging onto the Dragon. He sat on the docks and then put his feet on the water and watched as the monster finally detached itself from him.

Ninja and I looked him over to see if there was any more, and happy to say, there were no more remnants of the garage beast.

“YES! Finally!” Dragon cheered, flying up in the sky in joy. “Thanks, guys!” He said.

“No problem!” Ninja said, giving a thumbs-up. “We make a pretty good team, don’t we?”

I laughed. “Yeah. We do.” I put my hand face down in the air and said, “Why don’t we make this official?” I looked at Dragon and Ninja and gave them both a friendly smile.

Dragon was the first to smile back and then landed beside me. “Sure! Why not?” He put his hand– er, claw– on top of mine with a grin.

“Heck yeah!” Ninja cheered and enthusiastically put his hand on top of Dragon’s. “We’re going to be the best superhero team ever!”

After we all stacked our hands, a glow came underneath and a sudden surge of energy came back through all of us. It crawled up my hand from where it was stacked underneath and spread around my body, flooding it all like it was a dam that was suddenly opened. The core that lay inside my chest fizzled with overwhelming power and I was suddenly as cold as ice. But its coolth was burned by the heat that lay on top of it– Dragon’s claw. But all our energy seemed to be neutralized when Ninja’s hand was on top of us, making sure that none of us got hurt touching the other.

We looked at each other and my eyes widened in amazement as I witness some sort of aurora circle their body. Dragon had a fiery red hue with hints of maroon and green. Ninja had a golden hue with hints of red and white. And I looked at myself and awed as I watch a crystal blue hue circle around me with hints of green and purple.

It felt like an eternity, being in this kind of power, even though we three only touched for a few seconds. We retraced our hands and then looked at each other once again. There were no colorful hues anymore but the feeling of power stayed. And if we were just closer, maybe we could feel another surge.

“Woah… What was that?” Dragon asked, looking at his arms to see if anything changed. “That felt…”

“So bruce…” Ninja finished for him.

“What?” Dragon and I both asked.

“This is what Nomi was probably talking about!” Ninja said excitedly. “We three were meant to be! I mean, not in a romantic way. We’re soul brothers! We’re the… The Secret Trio!”

Dragon snorted at the name and said, “You’re really going for Howard’s idea?”

“C’mon, it makes sense now!” Ninja debated. “We have secret powers, and we’re all teenagers with secret identities! And there are three of us! So, Secret Trio!”

“I feel like there’s a better name,” Dragon argued. “Like… The Power Squad. Or the Mighty Force Three!”

“What is this? A movie? Secret Trio is a perfect name! C’moooon!”

I laughed at the two. I floated and said, “Well, you two figure it out. I should head out soon.”

“Sure, P. Tell the old man I said ‘hi’,” Ninja said, giving me a salute.

“Bye, Phantom,” Dragon waved.

I bid them farewell before turning to the sky to go home.

I looked at my hands as I soar through the air. The power… I could still feel it. The way it coursed through my veins and held my core up high. It was like a magnificent boost that made me feel invincible. It was a beautiful feeling. A powerful feeling. In a way, I was scared. But when I was in it… When I was surrounded by the magic of it, I felt like nothing was supposed to stop me.

Chapter Text

Danny’s POV

I can’t believe he’s here… 

I thought I was able to run away, but I guess with my luck, the worst would always come and find me. 

I sat at the lunch table, staring at my food in disinterest while the others chatted. Howard and Jake tried to make Randy talk about something else. Maybe it was something about video games and then it just divulged into Randy talking about what kind of video games Luna would like. They tried movies, but then Randy tried to ask them what good movies couples usually go to since he might try and take Luna out on a date (if he could even ask her out). And then they tried skating. Again, Luna was all Randy ever talked about and it was annoying us all. 

But my thoughts are about something else; are about someone else.

Dash Baxter. How’d you find me? 

You used to bully me so much. You shoved me in lockers, pushed me down on the floor, stepped on me, humiliated me in front of the whole school, and reminded me how worthless I was. You were out for my suffering and you hurt me so much. You were one of the reasons why I left. 

I always questioned myself why I always save you. Why do I always make sure you’re okay after a fight? Why do you praise Phantom but never Fenton? Don’t you see the similarities? Would you hate Phantom as much as you hate Fenton if you knew?

“Hey, D…” Jake tapped my shoulder and I turned to him. He looked at me in concern and then gestured at my food. “You haven’t touched your food.”

I shrugged and then shoved my tray to Howard. The boy cheered and said, “Yes! More grub for me!”

Randy finally took notice of me and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I said, crossing my arms. “Why don’t you go talking about Luna again?”

“No,” Jake quickly shot down. “You’re more important than some random girl from the hallway.” Jake scanned the cafeteria before he spotted something. He pointed in a direction and asked, “Is it about that guy?”

I turned to where he was pointing and… There was Dash. Sitting at the table of all the preps and jocks. And with Rey. Of course, he’d be with Rey.

When I first came here, Rey was the first to pick on me. He started calling me names and tripping me just because I was a new kid and I looked weak. It was tolerable at first, but then he started pushing me against walls, harassing me in the bathrooms, and beating me up after class. I had enough at that point and fought back in the middle of the hall. Everyone saw the fight and teachers wanted to give me detention, but then Vlad showed up. And it was then, I was reminded how much money could give way to a person. After that, Rey never touched me again, but it still didn’t stop him from talking trash about me and calling me “Trashbag.”

I glared at their direction and was just controlling my eyes to not laserbeam them to bits. Howard asked, “What’s the deal with them by the way? I know about Rey but what about the new dude?”

“New dude?” Randy looked.

“Blonde hair, blue eyes,” Jake described. “Kinda looks stupid.”

I snorted. Dash was stupid. All brawn, no brains. 

I sighed and turned away from them. “Long story short, that’s Dash Baxter… He used to bully me,” I said. The others turned in my direction and then began listening. “He used to do a lot. Slam me into lockers, put me in the trashcans, make me eat his underwear–”

“Wait, how’d he get away with all of that?” Howard asked. “Can’t you just beat him up?”

“I wasn’t like that before,” I replied. “I tried to live peacefully and I thought that if I just ignored him, he’d go away. But, I guess–”

A hand slammed right in the middle of our table and we turned to see a guy with black hair and grey eyes. He looked like one of the jocks, but I didn’t see him with Rey’s group.

“Hey,” He purred and I inwardly gagged. He leaned towards Randy and asked, “You’re Randy Cunningham, right?”

“Who’s asking?” Randy said.

“Name’s Kim Jung,” he replied. “And I’m the future baseball captain. Say, why don’t you come to hang out with me and my friends? We’re popular and I’m sure you want a taste of that sweet popular life,” he lamely offered.

Randy cringed and then shook his head. “No, thank you.” 

“C’moooon,” Kim insisted. “We’re better than these losers you’re hanging out with.”

“Hey!” Jake growled, standing up. “You want a fight?!”

I pulled back Jake and shook my head but the jock already set his eyes on the Asian. He laughed at his face and asked, “What? You? Pipsqueak, I think you don’t know what you’re signing up for.” He stood tall above us and smashed his fists together. “But if you wanna fight, I’m down.”

“There is no need for a fight,” Someone said and we turned to see a redheaded boy with an aqua-green jacket and blue pants set his tray down beside Randy. He turned to Kim and said, “You need to leave.”

Kim laughed and then stalked over to the boy. “Oh? And who are you? A new kid?” He mocked. “Let me acquaint you to the school rules then. What the top dog says, goes. And I am a top dog. So, you better listen to me if you don’t want your life here to be a living hell.”

I snorted. “Oh? You’re a top dog? I have never even heard your name before,” I sassed. 

“YOU–” He turned to me and tried to swing at me, but the redhead caught him before he could land a punch on me. Kim turned around to try and punch him, but the redhead just blocked and caught his fist then held it in his hand. Throughout all this, he remained a stoic expression.

The guy said, “I told you. You need to leave.” There was a small crack and the guy yelped in pain, trying to pull his hand away from the other teen but he won’t let go. “And you might not know me yet, but I am not someone you want to mess with,” he vaguely threatened. “So, now that you know I’m here, you will follow me . You follow what I say. Got it?”

Kim whimpered and hurriedly nodded, and that was enough for the teen to let go of his hand. The jock scattered back to his friends and the five of us stood there, watching and laughing. 

“Dude, that was awesome!” Jake said, looking at the redhead. 

The new boy nodded and then sat down. “Thank you,” He said, then began to eat. “I do not recall adolescents being this audacious.” 

“What?”

Randy smiled at us and then gestured to the new boy. “Guys, this is Nomi Norisu. You remember him? He’s going to be coming to school with us now!”

“What?!” Howard yelped.

“I am here to watch over you four,” Nomi said. “Especially since there is a great evil lurking, you all would need someone to guide you. And make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

“So, basically, our babysitter?” I laughed.

Nomi gave me an approving smile and said, “You could say that.”

It was 10 PM on a weekday night and I was on a rooftop, scrolling through my phone. The town was… Annoyingly quiet. There were no McFist, no monsters, no robots… No ghosts. What a bummer. On a night that I actually wanted to fight. Maybe to let off some steam because of the fact that Dash is in this city. You know what would be a fun idea? To go to his house and beat him up like how he beat me. 

Heh…

But I guess I can’t do that. Because I’m a hero.

Damn, even thoughts like that make me feel guilty. I mean, he did a bunch of stuff towards me, but… Maybe he’s changed. When he looked at me earlier, he didn’t look mad that I was there. He didn’t look like he was ready to fight– although his shoulders were tense, but maybe that was just because of heightened awareness. He just looked like… A regular shocked civilian. I was the one mad at him. For good reason. And maybe those hard feelings towards him make me perceive him as a bad person. 

But… Two years had passed. Maybe he changed. 

Or maybe it’s just my useless thinking of hoping that what happened in Amity wouldn’t be repeated.

I sighed. I put my phone down and then flew up in the air to try and look for a fight. Maybe stopping a mugger or a break-in. Possibly saving someone from being murdered. What’s better than just doing nothing on a rooftop and waiting for danger? 

I flew over the night sky of Norrisville and gazed down, floating up ahead like I was in some lazy river. Then I saw an old playground. It was nothing special. Just a place where kids could go to play. But something intrigued me to it and I slowly floated down towards it. 

Taking a closer look, the playground was rusting. The slides weren’t sliding anymore and the steel on the monkey bars was beginning to rust. The grass around was drying up and the tree shading a bench was dying. In a way, it was kinda haunting. Well, I’m used to haunting. Heh. 

I went on the swings and pushed one to test its quality. It made a horrid creaking sound and I cringed, but other than the sound, it swung smoothly. I sighed and sat on the swing and lightly swung by myself. 

It was strange, being in this place near midnight. With the way I was glowing, I would look like some haughty spirit haunting this playground and keeping children away or something. I began to kick my feet off the ground and swing myself. It didn’t do much at first but then I began to enjoy it. I giggled as I felt the soft wind blow on my face as I swung back and forth.

This looks stupid of me, but I like it. It made me feel like a kid again. 

I began to hum a tune. I think this was the lullaby Vlad sings to me (even though I wasn’t a baby anymore). It went like…

“Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly

Lavender’s green…

When I am king, dilly, dilly

You shall be queen…”

I wouldn’t tell anyone this, but… I like lullabies…

Jazz used to sing me lullabies…

“Danny!” Jazz called, coming out of the kitchen. “Danny! Where are you?”

Jasmine Fenton. She was my older sister. And when people say I’m lucky, I believe them. Jazz can do self-defense at the age of five. I was already five and couldn’t even kick a ball, right? Jazz was smart and at the age of 7, she was already competing in Junior Quiz Bees in our school. I still don’t know how to subtract or multiply. Jazz was caring and protective, and when I was born, she became my carer. She helped me when I was down, videoed my first steps, heard me say my first word. Whenever I needed her, she was there.

“I’m here, Jazz!” I called.

Jazz came to the living room to see me finishing a hard puzzle piece about space. Jazz oohed and asked, “How long have you been doing this, Lil’ bro?”

“I don’t know,” I replied, looking at the clock in the living room. “I can’t tell time.”

“They haven’t taught you that in school yet?” Jazz asked.

“Nope!”

“Okay, then! I’ll teach you.”

“After I finish the puzzle!” I said, getting three more pieces to try and fit them.

Jazz giggled and then patted my head. “After the puzzle.”

The door opened and in came my parents, Maddie and Jack Fenton. “Hey, kids!” Maddie greeted, coming inside the house with her giant of a husband. This was the time that I had finally finished the puzzle. “What are you kids up to?” she asked.

“Mom! Mom!” I waved. “Look! I did it!” I said, showing the puzzle. I did it all on my own, without any help! That was an exciting achievement for a five-year-old.

Maddie looked at the puzzle and chuckled. “Of course, you did, Sweetie…” She said in a disbelieving tone. I frowned. Why does she sound like that?

She went to Jazz and patted her head. “Good job on helping your brother, Jazz,” She said. 

“What? But I did it!” I exclaimed.

“Yeah, Danny did it all by himself!” Jazz said, gesturing towards me.

Jack laughed and came to roughly pat my head. “It’s okay to admit you need help, kiddo,” Jack said. “You’re still a kid, after all.”

“B–But–”

“Now, we’ll be going to the basement if you need us,” Maddie said, leaving after Jack. 

Jazz grabbed Maddie’s hand and asked, “Wait! Mom! Are you forgetting anything?” 

Maddie tilted her head and then thought. “Oh! Right!” She took out her wallet and gave Jazz money. “Here’s the allowance for the week. Remember to share with Danny.”

“No! That’s not what I meant!” Jazz said. She looked at me and she was trying desperately to not disappoint me. “Isn’t it someone’s special day today?”

“What do you mean?” Maddie asked. “It’s Wednesday.” She sighed and then turned around. “Jazzy, I really have to go. Your father and I are making great progress and we don’t want to delay.”

“But, mom–”

“I’ll see you at dinner,” Maddie said and then walked off. 

Jazz looked at the money in her hands with disappointment then looked back at me. Little me looked at where Maddie and Jack were and I could feel my heart break. I looked down and my body began to shake as I tried to hold back tears, but kids aren’t really known for being strong. I began to cry and Jazz rushed beside me.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay…” She tried to comfort me, putting me in her lap and then stroking my hair. I latched onto my sister, hugging her as much as a little kid could, and then cried.

It hurts when even the people who are supposed to love you don’t remember the day they let you into the world. They don’t go to my events, don’t bring me to the park, don’t buy my holiday presents most of the time. It was all Jazz. Jazz! She might think that I know but I’m smart as a kid. I know what she does for me. And what my parents do. All I asked was for them to spend one day with me. With me and Jazz. That was all I wanted…

“Lil’ bro,” Jazz whispered, patting my back. “C’mon, stop crying, Danny…” She said. “I have something for you. If you stop crying, I’ll get it, okay?”

I looked up at Jazz and a new hope formed in my eyes. My tiny hands tugged at her shirt and I shakily asked, “Really?”

“Yes, really. And it’s going to be good, okay?” Jazz said seeing that I was slowly stopping from crying. She put me down and I waited.

Soon, she came back to the kitchen with four cupcakes. They had blue and yellow star-shaped cupcake wrappers, white frosting, and star-shaped sprinkles all in different colors, and one cupcake had a candle shaped like a number five. Jasmine, after a little bit of figuring out, lit the candle on fire and then set the small tray of cupcakes down. She turned to me and said, “Make a wish, little brother! It will make your day better.”

I smiled. Today wasn’t… The greatest. But, just like any other day, it was just another day. It being my birthday isn’t anything special… 

I folded my hands closed my eyes in front of the candle and made a wish. I wished really really hard and hopefully, I wished hard enough, and the candle fairies or whoever the wish goes to can see that I really really want this. That this wish would make me really really happy.

I blew the candle and my sister clapped her hands beside me. “Happy birthday, little brother!” She said, happily. “Now, why don’t we go to the park? My treat.”

I nodded my head and then turned back to the cupcake. I asked, “Can I bring it?” 

Jazz laughed and said, “Yes, of course. Now, get your little shoes and we’ll be off.”

I nodded and did as I was told, bringing my little birthday cupcake to the park where, for the first time, I met my friends. 

I continued to sing the tune, pushing my feet back and forth from the ground. I missed Jazz. I wonder how she’s doing. Maybe when all of this is over, I could visit her. Will Vlad let me? If he would, maybe I could also visit–

“Phantom?” I turned my head and saw Dash standing a few feet away from me. He wore a white shirt and red pajama pants covered in football balls. Honestly, just my luck. Was he living in this neighborhood? I really didn’t want to see him right now. He looked just too similar to when I was in 8th grade. But then again, that was in 8th grade.

Remember, Danny. Keep an open mind. Maybe he changed… 

Maybe.

Dash’s POV

I can’t believe he’s here. He’s here! Phantom! The hero of Amity Park! Wait, but why was he here? And if he was here and Fenton was here, then did he really kidnap him here? But both looked unharmed. And besides, Fenton is with someone else, no Phantom. 

I wanted to ask him so many questions. How was he here? Why was he here? Is he alright? Can’t he go back to Amity Park? But, I couldn’t form all those questions together, and all I stuttered was, “Y–You’re here.”

The ghost boy looked at me and hummed. He gave an awkward smile and said, “Yeah, I guess. I’m here. In spirit.” 

I stared at him and I could see him cringe at his pun but then I snorted. I hid my mouth behind my hand and turned away and then turned back to the ghost. At least he was still his old self, although he looked different now. Sure, he had the same jumpsuit, but he looked taller, and his hair was longer. He looked like he had aged like me. Like another teenager.

In turn, I replied, “For a long while, we thought you were dead, Phantom. Good to see you still are.”

Phantom stared at me in shock before erupting in laughter. I laughed as well and it was a while before both of us settled in silence. Despite the cold night, I was comfortable. I mean, if I were really to be in danger, I have my hero here to protect me. Who else could I be more safe with?

I looked at the swing beside him and asked, “Can I sit here?”

“Sure.”

So, I sat beside him and lightly kicked my feet against the ground, letting the swing creak as it tried to swing me. “Wow… I can’t actually believe I get to see you again.”

Phantom gave me a light smile and a tilt of his head, and I don’t know what this feeling was, but it made me giddy. Something tickled my chest and cheeks and I had to stop a blush from forming in my cheeks. Something about him just made me feel so attracted– IN NOT A GAY WAY. Maybe it’s because he was my hero. Maybe it’s because I feel like I’m meeting a celebrity. Yeah. All of that.

“Well, you do. For now,” Phantom chuckled. He asked, “How have you been?”

“Great! I’ve been great,” I said. “My mom was finally able to transfer out of Amity and into Norrisville. I hadn’t expected you’d be here too.”

“Well, it is a small world…” Phantom nodded. 

I gave a nod as well then stared at the hero for a moment. Again with the differences, I can’t ignore them. He looked so… Well. Why did he ever leave? Is staying here good for him? I asked, “Phantom, is it okay if I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Why did you leave?”

I watched as his face morphed into all kinds of emotions that I couldn’t even distinguish. His eyes looked around the ground for a while before he turned to me with a tired smile. “Well, Amity doesn’t need me.”

I looked at him in shock. “What?!” I exclaimed and he looked shocked at my expression. “That isn’t true. Of course, Amity needs you!”

Phantom shook his head and turned away, hugging himself. “No… They actually got a lot of replacements lined up for me. The ghost hunters for example. The Fentons, Red Huntress…”

“Manson and Foley?” I added.

He turned to me and his eyes looked cold. Was it a sore subject? Did something happen between them? “I–I’m sorry,” I stuttered, raising my hands to try and placate the ghost. “I–I just thought… Maybe they were– I mean since you left– Well, they–”

“It’s okay,” Phantom said, turning his head back to the ground. 

It was an awkward silence between us, gone was the comfort we had when we were joking around. I was debating whether I should leave or not, but then Phantom asked, “Dash, can I ask you a question?”

Chapter Text

Dash’s POV

Yesterday felt so unreal. Meeting my hero in an old playground and then getting to joke with him and ask him questions sounds like something straight out of a movie! I wish it lasted until the light of day had come, but instead, Phantom insisted I get to bed. And he even escorted me back home. It seemed as if Phantom was becoming my friend. My friend! My hero! This is what I’ve dreamed of two years ago!

“Yo, Dash.” Rey patted my back and I turned to the leader of this particular group. “Watcha looking at?” He asked, squinting his eyes to where I was staring ahead. His eyes landed on a table of cheerleaders and preppy kids and he smirked. “Oh, does the new boy have the hots for one of the chicks?”

“Oh, my cousin is in kahoots with them,” Said another jock. I think his name was Ven? He continued, “Hit me up if you wanna bang one of them. I could totally hook you up.”

I cringed. Was this how I talked back then? “Yeah, no thanks,” I replied, looking down at my food and flippantly stirring it. “I’m not interested.”

“Well, if you weren’t looking at those chicks, then who…” Rey hummed as he scanned the general direction I was staring at. Then, his eyes landed on the table of Fenton and his friends and he gave another grin. He asked, “The Trashbag?”

“Who?” I asked, then I remembered who they kept referring to when the name was used. “Oh, Fenton. No,” I said. 

Another jock, Greg, chuckled. “Dude, why do you keep calling him Fenton?”

“Was it his old name or something?” Ven asked. 

“Well, yeah,” I said, shoving a spoonful of veggies down my mouth. 

The group of boys paused and then looked at each other, silently communicating before turning back to me. “Dude, are you serious?” 

“Well, yeah,” I nodded. 

“Did you know him before he was a Masters?” Rey asked, sitting closer to me.

“Uh, well…”

“Could you guys give the man a break?” The guy with a redhead said, taking a sip of his juice. I think his name was Nigel. He stared disapprovingly at Rey and the jock grumbled as he moved back. “The gentleman’s new and here you are, interrogating him about some student you pick on,” he said in his posh manner.

“But he’s got the juicy details of what Trashbag was like before he became the arrogant prince that he is,” Greg excused. “Dash, tell us. Did he have lame parents or something?”

“Well, uh, sorta…” I replied. 

“What about his friends? Were they as geeky as this one? Or more?” Ven asked. 

“Well, umm–”

They didn’t even let me finish as they began to attack me with questions.

“Oh, did he get bad grades?”

“Was he a loser back then too?”

“I bet he used to be so easy to beat up.”

“Do you have a picture of him?”

“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” Rey called, placating his hands to stop the two boys from interrogating me any further. “One question at a time.” He turned to me with a sly grin and he said to me, “What I really want to know… What he used to be like. What was his social standing back then, Dash?”

My palms began to sweat and I turned away. 

“Whatever happened then, don’t let it happen again.”

“What do you mean, Phantom?”

“You know…”

I shook my head and I got my tray. “I think I’m done. I’ll see you guys around.” I stood up and turned away but then Rey got the sleeve of my jacket. 

He glared at me and said, “We’re not done talking, Dash. Sit down.”

Shoot…

I should have left this crowd ages ago. 

Danny’s POV

Last night, Dash and I talked. And I was right. He changed. Not just physically. He changed when I left. Since Fenton left, he had to be the one to help the kids escape. He had to be the one to be selfless since there was no hero there to save him and the others. He mentioned little about Amity Park, which I appreciated, but he did speak about how he realized that he should have helped more people, of which I’m proud of him. 

Maybe I could have him as an ally. A person who could share my experiences in Amity Park. A friend, possibly. 

I gave myself a smile and then packed my things from my desk to begin to head back to Jake’s place. I stayed back because there was a project a classmate of mine wanted to meet up with. “I’ll see ‘ya later, Sun.”

The blonde nodded. “Alright. See you later.” She began to fix her papers when her nose began to bleed. 

“Sun, your nose!” I cried in alarm. 

She watched as the blood dripped on the table and then she eeped. “Uh, don’t worry about it, Danny.” She reached into her bag and got some tissues. “I’m fine… I’m fine. Go and enjoy your day.”

“You sure you’re okay?” I asked. “You don’t need to go to the nurse’s office?”

“No, no. I’m fine!” Sun said again, getting another tissue to wipe off the blood on the table. “Thanks for the concern. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Okay…” 

I waved goodbye to her and then began to make my way down the hall. It was mainly empty because it was primarily people who stayed behind to study, people with clubs, and people with sports. It was still a large number of people, but not a lot go around the halls and walking. It was calm.

I got my phone out and began texting Jake and Randy, but then I was pushed against wall. I dropped my phone and I hissed as I could hear the screen crack. I looked up at the person pinning me by my chest and I glared to see Rey. Damn, Rey.

“Hey, Fenton.”

“Hahah! Fenturd! Gonna go run to your momma?!”

“Nothing beats ghosts like a Fenton!”

“Of course, you’d be wimpy! You’re a FENTON!”

“I’m disappointed in you, Daniel Fenton.”

“You’re a Fenton! SHOOT IT!”

“Get the hell away from me!” I yelled, pushing Rey off of me and making him fall to the ground. Then, I was tackled by Greg and held down by Ven. Greg punched my face then reeled back to punch me again. 

“Hehe… Not so tough without your buddies now, ey, Fenton?”

“Stop calling me that!” I yelled and began to struggle, but Greg kicked my stomach to keep me down. 

Rey pulled my head up to look up at him and I glared. That damn smirk Rey always had when he looked at me. I hated that. I hated it as much as I hated his whole entire being. “Listen, Trashbag… Just because you got a new name now and a new daddy doesn’t mean you’re still trash. You’re still filth. You’re no better than us. In fact, you’re less. So, let me remind you, Fenton, where you came from. And where your place is.”

He raised his hand and slapped me across the face. He slapped me again. And again. And while he did, the sound of their laughing echoed around me and I was reminded back in the day when it would be Dash, Kwan, and Dale doing this. All taking joy in seeing me humiliated and in despair. I thought I wouldn’t have to encounter this again, but you know my luck. And why did it have to be today of all days? I feel pathetic, getting beaten around like this like some sort of toy for them. I tried to get away from all of this… But it still came back.

“HEY!” 

Rey was suddenly pulled away from me and I looked up to see Dash throwing Rey to the floor and pushing Greg away from me. Ven let me go and then tried to fight Dash, wrestling each other until the other fell. Greg charged in, but Dash was fast enough to turn Ven around so that when Greg jumped in, he hit Ven and not him. 

Rey finally stood up and yelled, “What the hell, Dash?!”

“I should be asking you that!” Dash yelled, standing in front of me like a shielf of some sorts. 

“That trashbag is getting what he deserves for being such a douche around us! He gives us no respect and he should know his place!” Rey yelled. 

“Yeah, and that’s above of pricks like you!” Dash yelled back. He turned around and helped me up and then turned to glare at Rey. “I thought you were cool, Rey. But this is just nasty.” He picked up my things and phone and then escorted me out, and I could feel the glares directed at us, crawling behind our backs like some sort of insect.

I looked up at him and then back down. “Thanks…” I said.

“No problem, dude,” Dash said then rubbed his neck. “Look… I know I haven’t been the greatest guy around… But I’m not the old me. And I’m sorry for what happened back then.”

I looked up at him, surprised, then I smiled. Maybe that talk as Phantom really got to him. And I’m happy. I patted his arm and said, “Thanks.”

He gave me a smile back. “Now, uh, I forgot to mention. You kinda have a black eye.”

Shoot.

Jake’s POV

When Danny came back, he had a black eye and when we took off his jacket, we found more bruises. 

“What did you do to him?!” Randy roared, getting my guitar, and began to run towards Dash, however, Nomi stopped him and took the guitar off of him as well. 

“Guys, calm down,” Danny chuckled. “Dash helped me get away from Rey.” 

The four of us looked at each other. From Howard to Randy to Nomi to me. Randy sighed and put my guitar down. Nomi turned to Dash and said, “Thank you for watching over Danny.”

“Now, let’s get you iced up,” Howard said, pushing Danny to the kitchen.

“What do you mean?” Danny grinned. “I’m already as cool as I can get.”

We groaned at his bad pun, but we could hear Dash laugh. “Well, it was nice meeting you all, but I gotta head home,” Dash said, and then he left. 

We didn’t have much practice that night because of Danny’s bruises, even though he heals fast. Instead, we had a gaming marathon, and for someone who never touched a controller, in his life, Nomi was able to smash us all in the game. 

“I call BS!” Howard roared, rage quitting in the middle of the game. 

We had fun, to say the least. Danny got picked up a while later and then the others had to leave as well. Now, it was just me and I was cleaning the dishes after dinner. 

It still feels weird knowing that you’re on your own now with no adults to help you. Yeah, I’m growing up, but there would be times when I think I’m just growing up too fast. I’m surprised no neighbors were trying to give me welcome gifts or whatever. Or maybe they did and I just didn’t notice them. 

I cleaned up what I could around the house then I went to my room. My room was decorated with my old posters, red curtains, my small closet with my clothes, my bed with triangle-patterned sheets, a night table beside it, and a desk and chair for when I study.

I sighed and sat down on my desk then pulled out my textbook from school. My parents brought me here so I could study, both in dragon and human form. Might as well do what I’m supposed to do.

Damn, is it getting hot in here or what?

3rd Person POV

“Sun? Are you okay?” 

“U–Uh, yeah!” The blonde replied as she rushed to clean her desk from all the bloody tissues scattered across it. “I’m fine!”

“Are you sure?” Sun’s mom asked again then tried to open the door, however, it was locked.

“Yeah! Definitely! I–I’m just doing something. I’ll be down for dinner,” Sun replied. 

There was a sigh from the other side then a soft, “Okay.” Soft steps began to retreat inside the house and Sun waited for a while until she heard nothing. 

She sighed in relief and then rushed to go to her mirror. She watched as the blood slowly came out of her nose and her stomach began to twist and turn as if it was trying to pull her organs from the inside in order for something to come out. Anything to come out. But there was nothing. Sun was empty.

She coughed and then looked at the mirror once more, her eyes glittering in green and then blue. She yelped in pain as a sharp headache began to pound in her head and she had to kneel on the floor as standing up was too much. She held her head in pain, squeezing her hair, and begged the pain to stop. 

“Dragon,” the voices began to say. “Dragon. Dragon. Dragon, dragon, dragon, dragondragondrago–”

“Stop, please…” Sun whimpered. She opened her eyes and a small trail of white began to become visible to her. 

“Dragon,” the voices demanded. 

Sun tried to climb back up, limping as she made her way to unlock her door. She followed the trail, using the walls of the halls as support until she arrived in her mother’s room. She looked around and then saw the trail leading to her jewelry box. She opened it and the tral began to yell louder. 

“Dragon!”

Sun quickly began scattering the jewels on the floor and knelt down to try and look for what it wanted. The trail then shined down on a ring and Sun weakly reached out to it. Once she had it within her grasp, the pain came back crashing towards her, making her yell in shock, before it subsided as quickly as it came.

Sun panted and looked down at the ground to see the blood from her nose slowly drip down. Her stomach churned and she weakly got up and rushed to the bathroom to barf once again. 

Once again, the voice said, “Dragon.”

Chapter Text

Danny’s POV

Dash… 

I looked at the hand he held yesterday and my thoughts go back to the way he threw himself out of their little clique just to help me and stand up for me. The Dash I know wouldn’t do that, at all. The Dash I knew would come and help them beat me up, help humiliate me, and even suggest the most horrid ideas on how to do it. 

But I guess, this isn’t the Dash I knew. Two years have passed and two years could make someone change for the better or worse. I’m just so glad Dash was the former. But I hope he’ll be alright. Rey is a total pain once you make an enemy out of him. Maybe I should just stay close to him just to make sure he’s alright. 

There was a soft knock on my door and then the familiar voice of Rupert called, “Young Master Daniel. Are you awake?”

I sighed and sat up. “Yeah,” I responded. “I’m up.”

The door opened and in came Vlad’s butler. He didn’t have any servants before, only occasional hired help for when he hosted parties or if there was an event happening in his estate, but ever since he had me, he had hired three servants and one personal chef to take care of me when he’s away for business trips or just work to the office. But sometimes on weekends, when he’s here, he takes me with him to train me for work. It’s boring but it’s sometimes fun. 

The butler, Jean, stood before me and then pulled out a tablet. He stated, “Your schedule today will consist of preparing for the day from 7:00 to 8:30. Then, you shall accompany Master Vlad to the Norrisville branch of Dalv Co. from 9:00 to 15:00…”

As Jean stated my schedule for the day, I set up my clothes. A white shirt with a grey V in the middle, a long-sleeved polo that I just wear as a jacket of some sort, and regular jeans. 

“... After 15:00, you are free of any schedule until 20:00. From 20:00 to 20:30 is dinner, and after that shall be your time with Master Vlad to study,” Jean finally finished. The study time is just me in training my powers with Vlad. 

I gave a nod and then went to the bathroom. I freshened myself up for the day and met Vlad downstairs for breakfast. He sat in the center of the long table in the dining room reading the newspaper while he drank his morning tea. I made myself known by sitting beside him and he turned to me.

“Good morning, Daniel,” Vlad greeted, putting the paper down just as the food was served to us. “Are you scheduled to do anything today?” he asked. 

“Other than the stuff you gave me, nope,” I replied, looking over at the beautifully made stack of pancakes with bacon and sunny-side-up eggs. Jean put a cup of coffee beside me and I gave him a nod of appreciation before he left the two of us. 

Once he was gone, I turned back to Vlad and said, “Vlad, there’s something I need to tell you about…”

“What is it, Daniel?” he asked, noticing my tone was a bit serious. 

To lessen the tension, I got my knife and fork and began to cut through my pancakes. “Well, you know about Randy, right?”

“Ah, yes. The Ninja, I recall,” Vlad nodded, following suit with partaking in breakfast normally. 

“Well… It turns out that me and this other guy, Jake… We’re part of a prophecy of sorts.” I looked up to see Vlad’s reactions nervously and he didn’t look that surprised as he ate a piece of one of the sunny-side-ups. I continued, “It’s about this old legend long ago where there was this old sorceress…” 

I began to tell him the story over breakfast, eating slowly as I did. I wasn’t even able to finish when Harris, the other servant, entered the room. I shut my mouth as he informed me, “Master Vladimir, the car is ready.” 

Vladimir got the napkin and patted it on his mouth. He turned to me and said, “We can finish this in the car. We have the whole day.” 

I gave him a nod and patted myself down before following Vlad out of the room. 

Vlad took a deep breath before inhaling fire from his nose. I had to hold back a laugh and ended up snorting. He looked like an angry bull sometimes, but I guessed that was part of his charm. I finally finished telling him the story when he finished his meetings early for me and he looked rather stressed. 

We were still in the meeting room in his company branch and Vlad sat in the center of the meeting table while I stood in front of him when I explained the situation.

“Danny… This does not only concern you,” He said, using his serious voice. “This concerns all of the Ghost Zone.”

“I know…” I said, reaching my hand out to rub the back of my neck. “Which is why I’m going to the Ghost Zone today. I plan on asking Clockwork for help. I’m sure he will since this concerns the whole fo the Ghost Zone.”

Vlad had a sour look on his face and I fidgetted under his gaze. 

“Danny… Are you sure you want to go alone?” He asked. 

I was surprised he asked me that. “Of course, I want to. I have to. If Clockwork won’t give me the answer then maybe I can go to the Ghostwriter’s Library to look for a clue–”

“I’m not asking if you need to go, I’m asking if you want to go,” Vlad replied. He sighed and leaned back on his chair and looked me over again. “Daniel, I know that you must deal with the matters that concern the Ghost Zone. That’s your calling and your role as the future ruler of the realm, but Daniel, you’re still 16. You don’t have to do this alone.”

I turned away when he mentioned my age. In all honesty, I even forget it sometimes. I forgot that I was still a teenager living a teenage life. If not for my friends, I feel like I’d just skip college and work directly under Vlad. I’m already acting like an adult anyway, doing adult responsibilities…

I just don’t think about it much. 

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see Vlad reaching out to me. He had those caring blue eyes that held foreign compassion in those colors. I got used to it after living with him for two years but it still made me feel soft when he looked at me like that– like I was cared for. 

“Danny, I could come with you if you want,” he said. 

I quickly shook my head and gently pushed his hand off my shoulder. “No, you don’t have to. You have a meeting.”

“I can reschedule it.”

“No, you don’t have to force yourself.”

“I’m not forcing myself. I want to.”

“This is my job as Phantom!”

“This is my job as your father.”

“You aren’t even–”

“Legally, I am.”

“But I can do this–”

“You don’t have to do it alone. You’re sixteen in human years and two in ghost. It would be most irresponsible of me to leave a baby to do all of this alone.”

I was about to argue but then I realized that I didn’t know how to. I stared at him with confused doe eyes and he stared back with determination painted across his face. I let out a small smile before I began to laugh. 

I sat down in one of the chairs and spun it around playfully. I crossed my arms and said, “Fine. You win.”

He smiled. Vlad stood up and then ruffled my hair before he began to head to the doorway. “I’ll see if I can work something out with my secretary.”

I stepped inside the magnificent lair of clocks of Clockwork. I turned behind me and I watched Vlad in awe at the place. It wasn't often I brought him along to Clockwork’s tower. The first time he came here was when Clockwork brought him here himself with me in his arms. This was his second time.

Clockwork’s tower was in a well-hidden region within the Ghost Zone and not a lot of ghosts could enter the time master’s tower. They would only be allowed to enter if Clockwork allowed them to. Having us find this place, would mean that Clockwork was expecting us. 

I led the way to Clockwork’s door and we watched as it opened before us. I gave a nod to the tower gratefully. I still haven't found out if the tower itself was sentient since the ghost of the lair controls all things, but it doesn't hurt to be polite. 

Inside the tower was exactly like the insides of a clock. The wheels turned with each other asynchronously, making a sort of melody that only the master would understand. The only exception to the theme of the interior was the hundreds of glass panels all lined up in a singular place on the wall, showing different timelines across the multiverse with different outcomes and choices. 

I smiled when I saw the ghost I was looking for in front of the mirrors. I flew towards him and I saw the hint of panic splash across Vlad’s face, and the way it morphed into confusion when I finally arrived by Clockwork’s side and he patted my head. 

Clockwork turned to Vlad still by the door and said, “I extend my pleasantries, Vladimir Masters.”

I turned back to Vlad and watched him straighten. He gave a formal nod to Clockwork and said, “It is also a pleasure to meet you, Clockwork.” Instantly, Vlad went into business, “We came to ask for help.”

“I know,” Clockwork said nonchalantly, shifting into a child. “However, I can't help.”

“What?” Both Vlad and I said. 

“What do you mean you can't help?” Vlad asked anger slowly rising in his throat as he dared to walk closer to the Lord of Time.

“I cannot help,” Clockwork repeated. “This is not a task for me to participate in.”

“But you’re the god of time !” Vlad exclaimed. “How could you not help? Do you even know how dire our situation is? Daniel is tied to a prophecy with some power-crazed magician with his friends and they are risking themselves to get some gems some old hag left behind and you’re just going to sit here and say that you can’t help ?!” Vlad asked outraged. 

I tried to reach out and calm him down. “Vlad–”

“Daniel will be in danger! He already is! He’s risking his life again for the world and you’re going to do nothing ?!” Vlad yelled, flames coming out of his hair as he floated to the height of the shifting man. 

Clockwork shifted to his middle-aged form and glared at Vlad with eyes that could rival the coldness of space. He snapped his fingers and froze Vlad from where he stood and the fire that began to rise from his also stopped in its place, making him look like a statue in mid-air. 

Clockwork stared daggers at Vlad and towered above him. “I know where you’re coming from, Vladimir. That’s why I'm not smiting you into nonexistence right now.” 

I reached out to Clockwork’s cloak and tugged him, hoping he’d go easy on Vlad. 

Clockwork turned to me and saw me silently pleading then sighed. He turned to me as he shifted into an old man. He put a shoulder on me and bent down as if he was kneeling in front of me in mid-air. This made me feel like a child with the way he looked at me, but I couldn't help but feel comforted knowing he was being gentle with me. 

“Danny,” Clockwork said gently. “I apologize. But I can't interfere with what you are going through right now. The situation isn't dire enough for me to cut in.” 

“Does that mean I can handle it?” I asked hopefully.

“Not on your own,” Clockwork smiled knowingly. He stood back up to his full height, but that was cut as he shifted into a child. Still, he continued. 

He walked towards his mirrors and I followed after him. He watched people entering a circus and I watched it with him. After a while, the image shifted into a sapphire that had the grand aura of the sun but had noticeable frostbites lined across its glassy texture. “The item you seek is not with me. After the first Ghost King passed, it was given to me personally by him. However, those wretched Ancients snatched the gem from my care because they don’t trust such a precious item in my hands.” Clockwork grumbled bitterly. He sighed before he continued the story. “Ironically, they lost it. They asked me to retrieve it for them but–”

“You gave them a big ‘fuck you’ and noped out?” I finished for him and he had the biggest smug-eating grin on his blue face. 

“Correct.”

I laughed and patted myself for a guess well-done, but then a new question popped out. “So… Do you know where it is?”

“Of course, I do.”

I waited for him to go on, but when he didn't, I pried, “And…? Can you tell me?”

“No.”

I groaned. I folded my hands and floated to his head as he shifted back to an adult. “Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase,” I begged.

As much as it amused him, Clockwork shook his head and brought me down to the ground. “It is not your time yet,” he replied. “As much as I love to help you, I can't. All I can tell you is that the crystal’s heart lies where you have been and will be loved.”

“The crystal what?”

“No more hints,” Clockwork said, snapping his fingers and Vlad fell to the ground, his flames diminishing. He looked up at Clockwork blankly and Clockwork gave him a cocky grin. “I hoped you enjoyed the view, Vladimir.”

Vlad was speechless as the otherwordly being looked over him intimidatingly. “I hope our next meeting will be more pleasant,” He said.

He turned back to me and said, “You should get going, Daniel. Vladimir has a meeting in thirty minutes.”

“Oh! We should get going then!” I grabbed Vlad and helped him up. “Bye, Clocky!” I waved and then dragged Vlad out into the Ghost Zone. 

While we flew through the voids of green and purple, I heard Vkad mutter the words, “The crystal’s heart lies in the place where you have been and will be loved…”

“Oh, you heard everything?” 

Vlad turned to me and gave a nod. “Yes… I did.”

I gave him a small smile and nudged him a bit, making the vampire-like ghost confused for a few moments. “Sorry about the freezing thing. Clockwork’s usually harsh.”

“No need to apologize, Daniel,” Vlad said, looking forward to where we were flying. “It was not your fault. It was mine. I shouldn't have raised my voice at a god like that.”

I laughed. “Yeah, you shouldn’t. And soon, you won't be able to raise your voice at me~” I teased. 

Vlad gave me a playful glare and said, “I am the future king’s father. That makes me, technically, a rank above you.”

“Nuh-uh!”

“I'm afraid so, Daniel.”

Jake’s POV

I felt a small buzzing of heat slowly build around my hands as I folded clothes from the laundry. I groaned and tried to continue my chores. 

I hadn't told my friends this but whenever I was alone and in the parameter of the gem, I couldn't help but feel hot. Like, not the normal kind of heat that I was used to as a dragon. In my standards, this kind of heat was sweltering, and depending on what activity I was doing, a specific body part of his would be affected first before I would be engulfed in a feverish kind of heat and I would need to leave the house for a few hours. Normally, my hands or feet would be the ones affected first. Only when I was asleep did the heating stop. 

I finished my chores quickly before getting my keys and jacket. At this point, I was sweating, and stepping out of the door felt like I was coming out of a sauna.

I took a breath of fresh air before I got my earphones and began to play something on my phone. I began to walk down the street, listening to the music and watching the birds flock in the sky as nightfall slowly descended. I walked down the sidewalk and to the nearest park in his neighborhood.

There weren't a lot of parks in Norrisville, I noticed. It was mostly malls arcades and other air-conditioned establishments teenagers would most likely flock to. This made the parks in Norrisville oddly quiet or a place for adults instead. These parks were calmer than the parks back in New York. 

I arrived at the park and walked down the path I grew familiar with. I saw a jogger who went down this path and gave him a friendly wave, and the jogger reciprocated. I continued my walk down the path, the music calming my body until I found a bench near the pond of the park. I went to it and sat down, watching as the ducks slowly retreated away from the water so they could rest. 

I wasn't the type to want to be alone, in all honesty. Rose would sometimes say that. If anything, I would love to be with my friends and stir up trouble in some arcade, but right now, I don't want to hear Randy yapping about some girl he met in the hallway or Howard trying to change the conversation in the most random ways possible. Danny doesn't talk that much… 

Don't get me wrong, I love my new friends, but there are times when I'm just… I guess I’m not used to them. I missed Trixie and Spud, even if they were annoying sometimes. They were the people I would turn to with whatever problem I had. In this case, I’d go to one of their houses to cool off and maybe play some video games. It would be cool to play with my new friends, but, again, not really in the mood for them. 

So, here I sat, alone with music and nature. It was strange not to see any magical creatures trying to claw their way up to the surface and catch my attention. I wonder how Hailey’s doing back home. 

“What a strange sight to see.”

I paused my music and took off my earbuds then turned to the new guest. There stood Nigel with his arms crossed, sizing me up. 

My face barely hid my annoyance. “Why are you here?”

“Is it a crime to be in a public place?” Nigel asked in the way he seemed to be in higher rank than me. I bit the inside of my gum as he acted so prim and proper like he was some prince. Pompous prick. 

But even though he was such a big annoyance, I can't fault him too much. He was the one who gave me the book about the prophecy… 

So, instead, I huffed and turned to look back at the pond. I want to minimize my contact with him as much as possible. 

However, the redhead still didn't leave. 

“Is this seat taken?” He gestured to the space beside me. 

I turned to him, silently asking what he was trying to do, but his face remained nonchalant. I can't read him at all, which is what always annoys me. Even back then, I couldn't read anything on his mind. Especially when he was doing shit like this. What the hell was he trying to do?

“Knock yourself out,” I replied. 

So, he sat beside me and it was silence between us as we watched the empty pond. I put on some music in my earphones and I watched as the sun slowly faded away in the reflection of the pond, the sky slowly turning into a beautiful shade of pink before being layered by a majestic purple, promising an ethereal evening. 

I always see this kind of twilight, but it always seems different every time. When I am on a rooftop, or in the sky, or on the ground. When I am in New York or Norrisville. But there’s something different about today, more than so. 

I turned to Nigel and he too was looking at the pond where the twilight shone through. 

Suddenly, he spoke. Did you know that twilight is also called magic hour?” 

I was confused. What was he trying to do? Was he trying to strike up a conversation?

“Why do you think that is?”

“Probably because it looked magical,” I replied off-handedly. “What are you trying to do, anyway?”

“Well, I’m just trying to get to know you, is that such a bad thing?” Nigel said, rolling his eyes. 

“Why?”

“Why are you so closed off?” Nigel shot back. “Why are you being such a bloody prick towards me when I have done nothing but help you? I thought this rivalry of ours had cooled off two years ago when I had left. What other grudge are you holding against me?”

I was taken aback. I was not expecting Nigel to confront me like this. He stared at me expectedly and I could do nothing but look away in shame. 

Nigel’s eyes were glued to me for a few more minutes before he sighed. “Look, Jake… I’m your ally now. I don't know what’s going to happen with you and your friends, but I just want you to know that I want to help you.”

“Why? You were never really into this magical protecting stuff.” I turned back to him. “And you were against me the second you stepped into school.”

“How the tables have turned,” Nigel chuckled. 

I smiled a little thinking of the irony. “I just think it's weird… that you want to help all of a sudden. It's weird.”

Nigel chuckled. “Yeah… I guess it is so.” He fiddled his thumbs and and said, “To tell you the reason, I’m involving myself in this because of a friend… She wants to help but she has a condition that makes her unable to.”

“You have friends?”

“Oh, don't be such a tosser,” Nigel huffed, playfully pushing me, but I saw the ghost of a smile he had and I couldn't help but laugh. 

I let myself relax with him by the time dark blue coated the sky. 

He asked, “Now, mind telling me what brings you here?” 

I shrugged. “Nothing… it's just… Well, since you gave me the book, you know about the gems, right?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, well… I guess this is some sort of side effect because whenever I am in my house with the gem, I start to burn up.”

“Burn up?” 

“Yeah. It's like…” I waved my hands a bit and said, “It's like I’m being slowly boiled inside my own house.”

“Must be uncomfortable,” Nigel hummed. 

“Yeah. A lot. I came out here so I could cool off.” 

Nigel hummed for a while, leaning back and putting his arm on the back of the bench. The moonlight softly glowed upon his body and it reflected off from his white coat and pants, painting a soft blue hue around him. Blue suits him, in all honesty. 

He turned back to me and said, “I could help.” 

“Help?”

“Yes,” Nigel nodded. “Just give me the gem and I’ll return it to you the next day.”

“Why would I give you the gem?” I asked, glaring at him suspiciously. 

Nigel stared into my eyes, something in his black orbs sparkling in the dark before he said, “So I could help you.”

I was not convinced.

“What am I even going to do with your gem? Sell it? I know if I do anything to that gem, the world and myself will be in flames. I’m not dumb.”

I laughed. “Sure, sure, Prince Charming. Whatever you say.”

“Oh? You think I’m charming?” 

I just rolled my eyes and leaned back. “Yep,” I replied enthusiastically. “As charming as that old pal of yours. Rey, was it?”

“Oh, don't compare me to that twat. He is such an incompetent fool that whoever follows him is as much of a fool as he is. Much bigger, actually! I feel pity for the new student. Dash or Dan was his name? Well, he’s an idiot but–”

I laughed. I didn't know Nigel disliked Rey that much. It gave me validation to hate him even more. If he was annoying to us, how annoying would he be to someone who’s already in his group? 

I leaned closer and listened to Nigel’s rant and even added a few encounters of my own. After that, we slowly pulled away from the topic of Rey and went into other topics like our favorite places in Norrisville and our living situations. 

Nigel was living by himself as well, in an apartment near the school. I joked about coming to his place if I ever wanted to leave my place, and oddly enough, he agreed. 

“Come over anytime. I’m alone most of the time anyway,” he said. 

That surprised me, but I didn't turn the invitation down. It was nice to have a familiar face as my new friend. 

Chapter Text

Randy’s POV

It was a normal day today. Like all days. I go to school with Nomi, meet up with my friends, and attend boring classes. As far as I’m concerned, it was all normal. 

But some normal days are better than most. And today…

“I’m going to do it!” I happily declared in my small group of friends.

“Do what?” Jake asked, getting a basketball from a basket before bouncing it on the gym floor. 

It was P.E. and since the teacher was done making us do exercises, we were free to do whatever we wanted as long as no one got hurt and everyone stayed inside the court. Jake, Danny, Howard, and I are near the bleachers to rest after the exercises. Mostly Howard. 

“I’m going to ask Luna out today!” I confidently shared. 

The three of them looked at each other before looking back at me. “Uh huh… And you’re sure you have a chance with her?” Danny asked. 

“Of course, I do!” I said. I slicked back my hair in a show of handsomeness and began to say, “I’m incredibly decent for a guy in Norrisville, not to mention the fact that I am the Ninja!”

“Yeah, the ninja whose identity needs to be kept a secret,” Jake said, passing the ball to me and I caught it with no trouble. I dribbled the ball in my hands as Jake spoke. “Look dude, you look fine, but… We think she’s out of your league.”

“What?!” I asked angrily, placing the ball firmly in my hands. 

“What Jake said,” Howard agreed.

And Danny joined in, “And if you’re going to use your ninja skills to impress her, then–”

“Aren't you guys supposed to be supporting your friend for his chance to get a girlfriend?!” I asked angrily. “I mean, we’ve all been supporting Danny-boy over here when he’s being chummy with that blondie, Dafney, or whatever!”

Danny blushed before he said, “I–I’m not!”

“Cunningham, we’re just telling you the harsh truth,” Howard shrugged. “That Luna for is out of your league. You just met her like, two weeks ago and now you’re head over heels for her? Have you ever gotten to know her?”

“That’s what a date is for, duh,” I replied then I began to dribble the ball again so I could have something to do with my hands as I spoke. “Just watch me. I’m going to ask her out at lunch.”

My friends looked at each other, obviously not believing me, but in the end, they shrugged my promise off and continued. 

Lunchtime came around and I sat with my friends I saw Luna sitting with her books in the center of the cafeteria where the popular kids usually sit. Wow, Luna’s also friends with the popular kids! I really have to make a good impression!

“If you keep looking at her like that, I think you'll scare her off,” Howard sarcastically said. 

I glared at the finger before rolling my eyes. 

Nomi looked back at where I was looking at then sighed. He turned back to me and said, “Cunningham, I don't think it's wise for you to use your skills to–”

“I’M NOT STALKING HER, CHEESE!” I yelled aloud. 

“He’s planning to ask her out,” Jake told Nomi. 

Nomi turned back to me, his lips lightly curling before going back to his nonchalant expression. “I see,” He said in a tone lower than normal. My eyes studied his face cautiously and a small part of me wondered if he disapproved. Am I really out of Luna’s league? Nomi wouldn't think of me that lowly, right? 

“Well, what are you waiting for, Randy?” Danny asked. He gestured to the table where Lunar sat. “Ask her out. We’ll be here waiting for you.” Danny smiled at me and I regained hope that maybe I could have a day with Luna. I mean, I became friends with only the richest kid in school. Surely, I’d be able to date the girl I like! 

I stood up and then began to make my way to Luna. 

However, the wall of the cafeteria fell apart and a giant purple monster with tentacles and a shell came roaring, breathing fire out and causing the ceiling lights to fall. It was at least nine feet tall and it left slime from where it stood and the way his eyes were structured looked like it was a snail-like monster. 

It lassoed its tentacle-like arms and reached for the ceiling light above me. With one roar, it pulled it off and the debris began to fall. 

“RANDY!!” I was pushed away and I rolled on the side, but I wasn't hurt as the person held me safe in their arms.

I looked up and saw the obsidian eyes of Nomi, his hair lightly tossed from the roll. He combed my hair back and held my head gently. “Are you alright?” he asked. 

There was this soft hum in the pit of my stomach and my chest quivered at the feeling of his hands running through my hair. “Y–Yeah… I’m good,” I stuttered. 

“Good.” Nomi brought me back up. “Now, get to work.”

He ran off, assisting the students who were trapped in the debris that fell on them, and helped carry them out of the cafeteria. Jake and Howard were evacuating many of the students as well while Danny turned into Phantom and began to fight the snail-slug monster. 

I quickly ran for cover, jumping over a table and hiding behind it as I pulled out my mask and transformed. I was about to jump into action when I heard the soft gasp beside me. I turned around and I saw Luna covering her mouth as she looked at me with wide eyes. 

SHIIIIIIIIIII-

The ground shook and small chunks of the ceiling fell. I quickly covered Luna with my body as the chunks bounced off. The suit repels the concrete off so it doesn't hurt that much. When it stopped raining concrete, I looked down at her, her amethyst eyes staring at me with shock and… fear.

I was staring back at her with panic because what the actual fu–

“You’re safe, don't worry,” I assured because it was the first thing I could think of amidst the chaos of the monster near me, the cafeteria shaking, and Luna knowing my secret identity. This whole thing is a mess. 

I looked outside and I saw Jake wrestling with the snail slug and Danny coming out of a pile of rubble. I turned back to Luna and said, “Don’t tell anyone.” I reached out and got my sword before I rushed towards the fight, my mind still clouded by the fact that Luna knew who I was. 

Holy cheese, how am I going to explain this to my friends? How am I going to explain this to Nomi?

Danny’s POV

Something’s weird. 

Randy’s distracted. 

Like, more than usual. 

I know Randy usually has trouble focusing in general but fights with robots and magical creatures were his specialty, other than gaming. He shines in the light of the chaos of punching and slicing but during the fight, he is nothing but distracted. 

He jumped in to fight the monster with us but immediately got slapped back onto the wall. We thought that was just a one-off instance but it continued throughout the fight. Jake and I kept covering for the Ninja’s butt as he kept trying to slice the monster but ended up almost burned to a crisp or splat like a pancake on the ground. 

“NINJA!” Dragon yelled as he covered the Ninja’s body with his wing to prevent him from becoming burnt. The Dragon hissed as he bore the heat and I flew over, punching the monster to get his attention off of him. It was now me against the monster and I tried to trap it with my ice but it just slid off of it. 

In the distance, I heard the Ninja profusely apologizing to the Dragon. Dragon snapped at him, “Get your head in the game, Ninja!” And even though his wing was damaged, Dragon rushed towards the fight against the monster and me. 

It took the Ninja another moment before he grabbed his nunchucks and began to help us. 

The fire from the monster reached the smoke detectors. I was surprised they even worked still but they were able to sprinkle just a little bit of the functionality they had left. The water reached us and the monster roared in pain as the water began to touch its skin. Its purple skin began to bubble as if it were being boiled. It quickly ran out of the building and tried to escape. 

“Water! It's weakness is water!” Dragon yelled as we began to run after it. 

“Guys, I got this!” Ninja yelled as he ran ahead of us. He got his scrap and swung it to the tree then prepared his hand in front of the monster. “Hydro hand!” he yelled before a blast of water doused the monster and us behind it. 

We watched as the monster began to scream while it melted until it was nothing but a pile of goo on the ground. 

The Ninja turned to us with his smile reaching to his cheeks then gave a thumbs up. “See? I got it!” He happily said. 

I sighed tiredly, drained from the fight, and his klutziness during it was of no help. However, the Dragon had a different reaction. “YOU HAD WATER POWERS THIS ENTIRE TIME?!!!”

“Uh–”

“THAT COULD HAVE SAVED US THE TROUBLE, YOU KNOW!!”

“Hey, I forgot, okay?!” 

“How could you forget your OWN powers?!!!”

“Look, the list is too long–”

“You have more ?!”

I watched my friends bicker and managed a tired smile. I sighed as I stood in the middle and put out my hand. “Good job, team.”

The Dragon and the Ninja looked at me then at each other and moved towards me to stack our hands together. Again, the same energy crawled up our spines and we bathed in the energy boost that this power gave us, filling us with more energy than when we started fighting. Fog escaped my lips and my muscles relaxed as the power soothed my ache. 

I looked at the Dragon and I saw his wings slowly flexing. The burn from the monster was still there but it slowly began to fade until it wasn't visible anymore. 

We let our hands go after a moment and I could see a slight short from our auras. I smiled at my team and Randy started talking about how we should have a cool shout whenever we stack our hands. “We should tell something like… like… Go Dragon Ninja Ghost!!”

“That’s super cheesy,” Dragon laughed as he accompanied me walking back to the wrecked cafeteria. “What about a simple ‘go team’?”

“Booo! When did you become so boring?” 

“Boring?!”

I cut in before they started arguing. “Alright, team yell later. We have to get to class,” I reminded.

There was a nod of agreement for the both of them before the Ninja said, “Oh, wait! I–I forgot… I uh… We need a team meeting later.”

“What? Why?” Dragon asked. 

“I uh… accidentally revealed myself to someone.”

“WHAT?!!!!”

Jake’s POV

Shoot…

I looked at the mirror in the bathroom and glared at the evident burn on my shoulder. It didn't hurt, but it nagged on my skin knowing I had a scar. A burn scar for that matter. A dragon with a burn scar. Quite ironic. 

I was in the boy’s bathroom because the teacher got lazy and decided that we had no lecture today. I felt something stinging on my back so I had to check it out. I took off my jacket and shirt and looked at the power, and shown in all its glory was the burn fresh from the fight. I thought the power boost in the power stack healed my burn but unfortunately, it stayed. Maybe it only healed in my dragon form. 

I heard the door to the bathroom open and I swore to myself. I forgot to lock the door. I turned to the person at the door to try and convince them to not say anything but then I saw Nigel. 

It's just him. Phew. 

He looked wide-eyed at my condition, and maybe it was because of the light but I swore I saw a blush on his face. “What the bloody hell are you doing?” Nigel asked. 

“I’m making out with myself,” I snarkily replied. 

Nigel rolled his eyes before he locked the door behind him. He turned back to me and the burn and asked, “Was that from the fight?”

“Yeah,” I said, looking at it in the mirror again. “I thought it went away but I guess that was only in my dragon form.”

Nigel looked at me and contemplated before saying, “Can I take a look at it?”

“Knock yourself out,” I replied, turning my back on Nigel so he could analyze my wound. I watched from the mirror as he went closer and stopped just a few feet away from my body. He tilted his head as he examined my wound and then I felt his hand cross against where the area was. I hissed as the stinging pain was brought back. 

Nigel pulled his hand back and then looked towards the mirror to see my reaction. He looked back at my wound and started, “I think I can heal it.”

“Heal it?” 

“Yes,” Nigel said. “Wait, I think I need to sit.” He went to the sink and sat on the counter. 

“Why’d you need to sit there?” I asked a small grin on my face with how young he looked, swinging his legs on the space between him and the ground. 

“I need to see your wound from another perspective,” he replied. “Now, come here and face your back towards me.”

“So bossy,” I commented before I did as he told me. I stopped just a few free away from him and turned my back toward him. However, he didn't seem satisfied and pulled me closer. I stumbled, but he caught me and helped me stand back up. 

“Stand properly,” he ordered.

“Then stop shaking me like a rag doll.”

“Stop being such a bitch.”

“Oh, who’s being the bitch? The one with the injured shoulder or the one making the wounded do all these tedious orders?”

“May I remind you who’s the one healing your wound?” Nigel threatened as he pressed on my burn. 

I jerked back and growled when he pulled me back closer to him. “Watch it, Thrall,” I growled. 

Our bickering stopped. I stood in front of Nigel with my back towards him. I was in between his legs while his fingers hovered above my wound. Gently, his fingers brushed against them and I hissed at the stinging situation before I felt it cool down. 

“You’re like a cat,” Nigel commented as his fingers gently explored the area where my injury was. 

He continued doing his work and I could feel my body relax in his touch. I breathed a sigh of relief as the pain became less than noticeable and I found myself leaning towards Nigel’s touch the more his hands stayed on my skin. Soon, I could feel his thumbs pressing on my shoulders and slowly doing circular motions with them, like a massage. I have no idea what the heck he was doing, but it felt great. 

“Your muscles are quite well-built.”

“Are you checking me out right now?” I snarkily asked, can't hide the grin on my face. Nigel’s hand stopped and I tried to hide my laugh but a chuckle still escaped. 

Nigel’s hand left my body and he said, “I’m done.”

“What? No witty remark?” I asked, leaving my place between Nigel’s legs and then looking at the mirror. 

The mirror showed my back and I was surprised at how clean it looked. I looked closer and there was faint scarring but the stinging and the obviousness of the burn from before were no longer there. “Wow. Even a stain,” I remarked. “Thanks, Nige.”

Nigel tilted his head towards me with a faint red on his cheeks. “Nige?” 

“Nickname.” I got my shirt that I left on the side of the sink counter and began to dress myself. “Don’t tell me you never had a nickname before.”

“Well, I did,” Nigel said, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck. 

I fixed myself up and then turned to Nigel. “You gonna stay here? ‘Cuz I’m heading out.” 

“Uh, yes. I’ll be here,” he replied, swinging his legs once more. 

I gave him one last smile before I opened the door to the bathroom. “Again, thanks.” I left the bathroom, put my hands in my pockets, then began to head for my class.

Oh, wait. I need to give Nigel the gem–

Danny’s POV

“Now, explain yourself,” I demanded, glaring at the purple-haired boy sitting on the couch. 

It was after school and we were in Jake’s house, circling Randy on Jake’s couch so he could explain what he meant whe he said that he revealed himself to someone. Honestly, how could he? Who would he think would be trustworthy enough to give them such a huge secret? Unless they were a hero like us, which is unlikely, Randy has no one else to tell. 

Randy sheepishly rubbed his hands together as he looked at anywhere but us. “I, uh… Before you get mad, let me explain myself. And in my defense, it was an accident!”

“What did Randy even do?” Howard asked. Both he and Nomi came along with us. Of course, this must already be a given since they’re part of the team. 

Jake turned to them and blatantly said, “Randy revealed his secret identity.”

“WHAT?!!!” Howard yelled, glaring at Randy. “CUNNINGHAM!!!!”

“IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!!!”

“Ninja,” Nomi spoke, standing straighter with the authoritative glare he always had. “Whether it was an accident or not, this was a grave mistake."

“Can you please let me explain first?” Randy asked. “I know I messed up and I own to it. Just let me tell you what happened.”

Jake and I looked at Nomi and he heaved a tired sigh. “Go on.”

“So, you see…” Randy started, “I was trying to look for a hiding spot and I saw this upturned table. I was like ‘I’d go there because it was a great hiding spot!’ But I never expected Luna to be there so–”

“You revealed yourself to LUNA?! The girl you have been stalking?!” Howard yelled. 

“I’m not stalking her!!!”

“Is that what you’re really focusing on right now?!” I yelled. “Not only did you reveal yourself to a total stranger, but a student we have no connections to!”

“And you saw who she was sitting with, Cunningham!” Howard added. “She was in of the popular crowd! We know how die-hard those brats are about the Ninja! You think she won't sell you out?!”

“Of course, she won’t! I told her not to!” Randy defended. 

“Randy Cunningham,” Nomi called, glaring furiously at Ninja of Norrisville. “You do not know her. You know her activities but do you actually know her personality? You haven't even talked to her. You just met her a few days ago in a hallway and suddenly you showed such strong affection to he–” Nomi stopped mid-sentence. His eyes looked on the ground, his lips pursing as he thought. 

“Nomi?” Jake called, going forward and shaking the mentor. 

Nomi shook his head and brushed Jake’s hands off of him. He turned to Randy and asked, “What were the color of her eyes?”

“Purple,” Randy instantly said, his cheeks blushing at even the thought of her. “Like amethyst. The most beautiful and pure kind.”

“Nomi? Is something the matter?” I asked. Is Luna having purple eyes a sign of danger? Was she dangerous? If she is, then there would be more complications since she is the person Randy revealed himself to. 

Nomi shook his head. “Nothing. I’ll head back home.” He got his bag and then walked out. All of us looked at each other, confused as to why Nomi would leave. Did he figure something out? Was he mad? Does it have something to do with Luna? 

Howard groaned. “Great. You made Nomi so angry he left,” Howard complained. 

“Well, if Nomi’s not here, then we have to make some sort of safety net to ensure Luna stays quiet,” Jake said. 

I nodded. “Good idea, Jake.”

“Honestly, I don't want to say this, but… Randy, you gotta get closer to her,” Howard said. 

The rest of us asked, “What?” synchronously. 

“Think about it,” Howard said, sitting on the armchair then leaning forward, putting his elbow on his knee and then rubbing his chin, then closing his eyes, pretending as if he was in deep thought. “If you get close to her, she will feel guilty about revealing your secret because she will think of you as a great guy and the most awesome Ninja of Norrisville!” Howard concluded. 

“Yeah! You’re right!” Randy instantly said, his eyes shining at the prospect of Luna praising him for being such a good ninja. 

“Way to go on the ego boost, Howard,” Jake snickered. 

“I know. I’m the best,” Howard replied, flipping his hair as if he was proud of knowing the truth. 

I rolled my eyes and actually thought about it. I thought out loud, “I mean… It could work. But then that would mean risking our own identities if we integrate her into the group.”

“Then just don't reveal your secret identities! Easy peasy cheesy whizzy,” Howard replied. 

“The heck?”

Jake and I looked at each other and he shook his head. He didn't like the idea, but I don't think we have a choice. 

“Do you have any other ideas?” I asked Jake. 

Jake sighed and stayed silent for a moment before he spoke. “We could try erasing her memories.”

“Jake, that could cause serious damage,” I said. 

“Well, what a more damaging? A single person getting hurt or our identities being revealed and getting our butts handed to the government?” Jake asked. 

Howard commented, “Never thought you’d be the ‘Save our butts first’ type of guy.”

I sighed. 

I turned to Randy who was sheepishly fumbling with his hands again and said, “We’re going with Howard’s plan.”

Chapter Text

Jake’s POV

Randy was nervous, that was more than apparent. We just discussed the plan last night and since I didn't give Nigel the gem yesterday, it was torture for me. Good thing Danny had ice powers. Anyway, last night, we planned to integrate Luna into our friend group so she could be convinced to keep Randy’s secret a damn secret.

To me, I think it was a stupid idea. Who knows what's going to happen if we let this kid into our group. But… maybe it wouldn't be bad.

“I’m nervous,” Randy said, shaking his fingers to shake the nerves out. We’re walking down the hall before class to maybe see Luna in the hallway. Reminds me back to when we called Luna the “girl in the hallway”. Randy continued, “What am I even going to say to her?”

“Anything. As long as it gets our butts out of this situation you created,” I said bitterly.

“You don't have to help, you know,” Howard said. “Just dip if you’re not feeling it.”

“But I have to,” Jake said. “If Randy’s secret gets out, then there's a big chance that all of our secret identities will get out.”

“He’s right,” Danny agreed and I smiled at the taller boy when I felt that great sense of validation from him.

“Oh, there she is!” Howard said and Randy excitedly turned to where Howard pointed and I saw his eyes deflate once he saw Luna talking with another guy. He looked like a jock, probably an A-list. And it took another second before it registered in the group that it was Rey.

Rey, that red-headed piece of motherfu–

The author cut me off because excessive swearing is still being monitored among characters.

In all honesty, I wasn’t upset that he was with Luna. I was upset because he existed in mynarrative once again.

Rey leaned on his shoulder as he tried to get closer to the girl who seemed unfazed and bored with the interaction. “Hey, Luna… You know, if you want, we could out to the movies and I could show you my awesome gaming skills in the gaming ho–”

“Not interested,” Luna stated before he could even finish and began to swivel away from the jock but Rey got her shoulder. He pulled her back rather roughly and glared at the girl.

“Hey, baby, just let me finish,” he pleaded. “I know once you hear my offer, we could–”

“She said she wasn’t interested!” Randy stepped in, stomping over and then pushing Rey off of her. “Leave her alone!”

Rey growled and easily towered over Randy, his buff build making a sort of silhouette over him. “You talking to me, dork?” he challenged.

Immediately, the three of us went over and pushed Rey away. Danny took the lead, glaring at Rey and I could feel the temperature dropping abruptly. “Hands off, Rey,” he warned.

Rey got his posture back and towered Danny as well, trying to intimidate the half-ghost. “What? You standing up to me now, Trashbag? Just because Dash is on your side doesn’t mean you ain’t still a wimpy little loser who uses his daddy’s money to–”

“One more word about my father, and I assure you, I will be putting that money into good use,” Danny growled, pushing Rey back, and I swear I could hear an unearthly echo when Danny said that. It was unnerving.

Danny wasn't the type to actually use nepotism, but with the way he was threatening Rey right now...

I turned back to check on Randy and I was shocked to see Luna holding Randy’s arm and pressing herself against her. Her purple eyes– and I admit, they were almost the most beautiful thing I had ever seen– watched the interaction either in curiosity, fascination, or caution.

I looked up at Randy and the man wasn’t even paying attention to the interaction at all. He was blushing like a madman as he processed Luna’s hands on him.

With Danny’s statement, Rey took a cautionary step back. He was positive that Danny wasn’t bluffing. He scanned the group again, then gave Randy one more glare before turning his attention back to Danny. “Fine,” he muttered before he walked away, defeated.

The rest of us turned back to Randy. Danny asked, “You guys alright?”

“Yes,” Luna said, nodding gratefully at Danny. “Thank you for your interference.”

The way she spoke was odd. It was rather formal and it had a sort of Asian accent to it. Maybe Japanese?

Randy gestured to us proudly and said, “Luna, these are my friends! This one’s Danny, Howard, and Jake.”

Howard gave her a salute and a, “Yo.” Danny nodded politely toward the girl and gave her a small, “Hi.” I gave her a grin and extended my hand. “Awesome to meet ‘ya. Luna, was it?”

“Yes. A pleasure to meet you too, Jake,” Luna replied, and although she didn’t smile, her voice was rather warm. She extended her hand and shook mine, but then we both stopped.

With her hand pressed against mine, I felt like it was burning. The heat was similar to what I felt with the snail-slug that we fought and the longer I held her hand, the more that it was burning. Why won’t I let go of her hand? Well, maybe because I was distracted with the way her eyes saw mine and they glistened red. Her once polite aura became hostile and I could feel my shadows trying to claw my ankles the longer that she and I made eye contact.

It might have been long and awkward on the outside world, but to both of us, that handshake was like a warning to each other of the dangers that we possess against each other.

I rubbed my hand when we let go and she stared at me for another minute before turning her hand away. “Randy Cunningham,” she called. “I shall head to class first.” She didn’t give him time to respond as she skittered away from us.

The four of us watched her silently before Howard broke it with, “What was that about?”

“What was that about?!” Randy asked as he entered the door to my house, irritated since the morning with our interaction. “It was going so well and then you guys became weird–”

“Well, she’s the weird one!” I defended, slamming the door angrily behind him.

“What do you mean?!” Randy asked frustrated. “She’s not weird! She’s basically a goddess! A blessing! A heavenly gift! And her beauty is as striking as the view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower–”

“Okay, reign in on the compliments, Cunningham,” Howard said, tired like the rest of us of how frustratingly descriptive Randy’s compliments are of a single girl. “But Jake, what are you trying to say? Something about Luna being weird?”

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “It was like… I didn’t notice it at first but when I touched her hand, I think I saw her eyes turn red–”

“Now you’re just delusional!” Randy complained. “Luna’s eyes don’t turn red!”

“Wow, I can’t believe you know big words, Randy,” I mocked, irked by the way he could just not let me finish.

“Now, now, let’s be civil about this,” Danny cut in. “Why don’t we just sit down first and have a calm discussion about what we saw from Luna today?”

I thanked Danny for playing mediator as Howard and I sat on the couch while Randy sat on the other chair, separate from us. He still looked like he was still fuming, and honestly, why can’t he listen to me about this one?

“Jake,” Danny called, sitting on the other chair that was left that was facing Randy. “What do you mean by ‘her eyes turned red’?” He asked.

I began to explain, “It’s like when your eyes turn green when you go ghost. But it happened briefly. And I only saw it when I touched her hand. And her hand was extremely hot, dudes.”

“I didn’t know you liked that stuff,” Howard joked.

Randy and I glared at the ginger and he only turned the other way and tried to hide his laugh. “Sorry. Wrong crowd.”

I sighed but then continued. “Yeah, it was hot. Like the temperature (can't believe I need to clarify that). It felt something similar to when we fought that snail monster the other day.”

“Oh, so what? Are you calling her some kind of ghost?” Randy asked, offended on her behalf, and that really irritated me. “Luna isn’t some sort of ghost! She’s normal!”

“Well, if she was a ghost, my ghost senses would turn on,” Danny said. “But it didn’t.”

“HAH!” Randy said victoriously.

“Although I felt that her aura was a little… Misplaced?”

“What?!” Randy stood up. “Okay, I can’t with this conversation anymore. All of you are basically saying that Luna isn’t just some normal girl and is probably an eldritch being hiding as a human.”

The three of us looked at each other, and honestly, we didn’t deny it.

Danny tried to placate Randy but he barely got a word in before Randy started ranting again. “It was YOUR idea to get me closer to her! To integrate her into our friend group! But you guys aren’t even trying! You’re already outcasting her before we even got to know her!”

“Randy, we’re just being–”

“Being jerks, that’s what! Danny’s a ghost, Jake’s a dragon, and I’m a literal cursed Ninja! So what if Luna has some quirks here and there? It can’t be that bad than us!” Randy defended. He groaned and then began to head for the door. “You know what. Cut me out of this meeting. You guys are such schoobs.”

He got his bag and then slammed the door out of my house.

Oh, we’re being the schoobs here?!

I got up and was about to follow him but Howard pulled me back and shook his head. Oh, what great timing! Because, if this guy didn't stop me, I would have twisted Randy's annoying spine into multiple knots and--

Steps descended from the stairs and it wasn’t long for Nomi to join us in the living room. “I heard yelling. What happened? Where’s Randy?”

“... Where the hell did you come from?”

Randy’s POV

The sun set slowly in the background with the clouds slowly sifting through the sky like they were nothing but seafoam. The hot ball of gas painted the sky in beautiful shades of orange and pink like it was a masterpiece that was to be shared by the people who loved underneath its rays.

However, I could not enjoy such luxury of admiring such a beautiful sunset because I was too busy fuming over how my friends are basically slandering only the most beautiful and precious angel in the world! “They just met her!” I reasoned to myself. “I mean, yeah, first impressions are important, but first impressions can be deceiving too! Jake was weird when I met him too but look at him! He’s my friend and yet he judges others even though he hasn’t even talked to her–”

To be fair, I never had a proper conversation with her yet, but I already know she’s a sweetheart by heart. “Besides, she’s beautiful. She’s so smart, I see her study all the time, and she’s part of the popular group! She’s probably an A-List! And not all A-Lists are bad. She’s not like other girls!”

I hadn’t noticed when but I wandered in a nearby park and then sat by a nearby bench. A jogger jogged past me and I listened to the way his feet hit the ground until there was no more. I closed my eyes and tried to meditate like the way Nomi taught me. I slowly shut my thoughts off and tried to listen closely to the background noise that came with my surroundings. The sound of the leaves rustling from the wind. The songs of the birds as they called for their companions. The ducks quacking and waddling over to their nest. The sound of light feet slowly approaching where I was–

Wait a minute.

“Randy?”

I looked up and I was surprised to see my mentor standing above me with his hair combed back. Instead of his casual outfit that he regularly wears when he is human, he wore a turquoise sweater above a long-sleeve blouse, popping its collar out of the neckline of the sweater. He looked incredibly handsome with such a simple style.

I didn’t say a word as my eyes kept trailing down his body, finding the new style strange, but pleasant. “It seems you are still too angry to speak?” Nomi asked, folding his arms when he noticed I wasn’t reacting to his presence.

My eyes shot back up to meet his black irises and then turned away, my face slowly heating up then I covered my mouth with my hand. I muttered a muffled, “No.” My leg started tapping on the ground, clearly agitated.

Nomi seemed to notice as I heard him hum lightly. He sat beside me and put his hand on my tapping leg, making it stop. “I heard about your conversation amongst your teammates,” he started.

I groaned. “Don’t even get me started on that.” I crossed my arms and leaned back on the bench, pouting like a child. “They just… They don’t get it! And this was their plan! You know, about me getting closer to Luna and all that stuff. It was their plan, Nomi. And now they’re saying that we should probably back out because she’s weird!”

“No future is set in stone, Ninja,” Nomi said in his authoritative voice. “Happenings may change due to the circumstances the characters put under that setting. You wouldn’t order a new hatchling to fly if you found out they were a penguin, no?”

“I get what you’re saying,” I said, but it still annoyed me to a degree. “But I don’t get it. There’s nothing wrong with Luna. She’s just a perfectly normal girl!”

Nomi sighed. He contemplated for a moment before turning back to me again and said, “Ninja… You must believe me but… Luna Feer is a —”

“... A what?”

“A —” Nomi repeated but I could hear nothing but static.

“Is it just me or is your voice weird?” I asked, getting closer to my mentor-slash-friend to take a closer look. “Do you have a cold?”

“What? No, I…” Nomi paused and his eyes fell to the ground. They tried to search for something, maybe an answer to their unusual behavior right now but then he shook his head. “You know what, never mind.”

He stood up, and just at that moment, the sun up in the sky became purple. The stars poked out from the purpleness, a rare sight to be given by a city such as Norrisville (but they seem to appear more because the narrative demands them to). From where I sat, Nomi perfectly stood in the gradient of orange to pink to purple, his blazing red hair flowing seamlessly in the wind and his dark orbs sparkled along with the stars and the setting sun. He tucked a stray hair strand between his ear and looked towards me then held out his hand.

“Let’s take a walk,” he offered. “Anywhere in the city. So that you can unravel all your frustrations, it’s not good to keep such negative thoughts to yourself, Randy.”

The way he spoke my name had such softness to it, and although he wasn’t smiling, his eyes spoke to me at such length that I don’t think I have any words to describe it. My chest slowly began to tighten and my stomach began to feel scrambled as I gazed up at Nomi like he was a painting made by my favorite artist.

Carefully, I took his hand and the man held it with a firm grip, giving me a silent promise that he wouldn’t let go of me for now. He pulled me up and I almost stumbled with how effortlessly he seemed to do that. This setting felt like a dream, and I had no idea if this was real or not. If it is a dream, please never wake me up.

“Let’s go,” he said then he began to lead me out of the park.

Nomi's POV

The day seemed to tire the young Ninja out for he collapsed the moment he laid on his bed. I gave a sigh and sat beside him, fixing the strands that dared cover his face. He looked so peaceful in his rest, a trait I envy from the humans. I wanted to be human as well.

To be fair, I am human. But partly.

“Did it work?” Randy’s voice rang in my ears as smoke covered my vision. I could barely see anything, but I could feel the things around me. I felt concrete, rocks, and paper. What happened? What did the Ninja do now?

“Is that the Nomicon?” Was that Howard? The Ninja’s friend?

“Is he alive?” an unfamiliar voice asked, and with each syllable that left his mouth, my body shivered.

“Nomi!” Randy’s voice rang in my ears again and I heard tapping until I felt gentle arms lift my body effortlessly and onto his chest. I could hear his heartbeat beat like a drum on a marching band and it worried me as to why it was so fast. Did the Ninja encounter a fight?

Why can’t I remember anything? I was the Nomicon. I was supposed to remember–

“Nomi,” Randy’s voice called again, and I wanted to respond so badly. But the most I could do was groan.

I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was beautiful dark blue eyes that paired with the dark sky above him. If I were to compare them to anything, it would be the lake of my hometown at night where they would reflect the night sky with as many stars as it could fit. Though small, it was beautifully serene.

Was this… The Ninja?

He smiled at me and then turned to where his companions are. “He’s awake!” he cheerfully announced. “We did it!”

I saw them crowd around me, awing at the achievement that they did.

What did they do?

Ah…

They tried to set me free.

That was my last thought before my consciousness faded away again.

Forever, I am grateful to you, Ninja. But… I’m still not as free as you think I am.

I looked down at my hand and slowly let myself go; let the form Randy had given me fade away. Gradually, my hand became black smoke and I watched it dance in the air as my arm slowly evaporated. Randy may have let me out into the world but I am still the Ninja Nomicon. I am still bound by the pages that have written the stories of the warriors of the past. Fate would never let me free. If I was then I’d…

My eyes wandered towards the sleeping boy. I wondered that if I could be human again, then can I–

The sound of a pebble hitting Randy’s window caught my attention and I turned to the offending object and watched as another pebble hit again. Who was it? Were they looking for Randy? Was it Jake or Danny?

No, it couldn't have been… If they were, they would have just climbed through the window without permission.

I stood up and glided over window and watched as another pebble hit the glass. I looked down and saw a girl with blonde hair and a yellow sweater looking up at the window. When she saw me, or rather, my silhouette, she waved at me.

Was she calling for my attention?

Strange.

I hummed to myself and debated whether I should go down or not. I looked towards the sleeping boy and back to the girl below then sighed. I opened the window just a tad bit and dissolved myself into smoke then made my way down to the girl.

I do not know if this girl was a threat or not, so just to be sure, I reformed my physical appearance to tower over the young lady. Her green eyes looked at me in awe and she stepped back.

“I–I’m not here for trouble,” she stated. “I’m here to help.”

“And why should I trust anything you’re saying?” I asked cautiously.

“Because I know what you all are,” she said, meeting my eyes with the utmost determination that I can't help but admire her courageousness.

I pulled myself a bit to hide my height, symbolizing that both she and I are on equal footing. “State your name and reason,” I demanded.

“I’m Sun Fir. And I saw Randy and the others interact with Luna today.”

“That is relevant because…?”

Sun began to fiddle nervously before she heaved a sigh. “I… I think you might need to watch out for her…”

So, my suspicions are correct.

Luna is not to be trusted.

I turned to Randy on his bed and I couldn't help but feel guilt for letting this happen. Of course, I know there are things that I cannot control but having my own pupil be fooled by such an entity…

Randy began to stir and I quietly walked to his side. I got his blanket and quietly tucked him in, watching as he held onto the cloth and shuffled around until he found a comfortable position. I stroked his hair softly, then closed my eyes. I sent a small prayer to whatever god may listen to protect this young boy from the harsher evils because this young Ninja has been through enough.

Chapter Text

Dash’s POV

“Hey, Dash!” Karla approached with a skip in her step then stopped just beside my locker. She was one of the cheerleaders, although not popular. The ravenette smiled at me and I smiled politely back as I put my things back inside my locker. 

“Hey, Karla,” I greeted back as I closed my locker. I then turned to the blue-eyed girl and the blush on her cheeks was rather evident from her pale face. 

She asked, “Hey, question. Are you free today?” 

I tilted my head curiously and asked, “Why?”

“Weeeeeell…” Karla stepped closer to me and instinctively, I stepped back. If this was me two years ago, I would have closed the space as well, but the last two years changed me. I don’t mind physical touch, but rather, I do not invite it willingly. Especially if it was someone I don’t know very well. Karla said, “The girls and I are going out to the gamehole. Wanna come with?”

I was surprised. After I cut Rey and his group, he promised I would be at the bottom of the social ladder. However, girls still flock towards me and guys from different sports departments still talk to me. Whatever Rey said didn’t seem to come through, although I was slow to realize it. Karla asking me out with her friends just seemed like a confirmation that whatever Rey said was false.

“I, um…” I really didn’t want to go. But I don’t have a valid excuse for me to not go. “Well, I–”

I spotted Danny in the hallway walking alone and I immediately got an idea. I hope you won’t be mad at me, Danny. “I have a date!” I said.  

Karla’s face fell. “A date?”

“Yeah! A date! With a friend!” Dash said. “Now, uh, if you excuse me.” I got my bag and then rushed to walk beside Danny, glancing back at Karla to see her defeated expression. I felt guilty but I really didn’t want to be around anyone else right now. 

“Hey, Danny,” I greeted. 

Danny turned to me and gave me a confused expression. “Dash?”

“Yeah, uh, wanna go somewhere after school?” I asked, looking behind me to see Karla still tailing behind me only a few feet away. I guess I won’t get rid of her until I leave the school. 

Danny’s eyes turned to where I was looking and saw Karla. He turned back to me and smiled. “Sure.” 

“Awesome, dude,” I said, swinging my arm around his shoulder and then began to walk with him. When we were far enough, I whispered, “Sorry…”

“It’s no problem,” Danny said. “So, where are we going?”

“Huh?”

“You said we were going somewhere,” he replied, looking up at me with a big grin on his face. His eyes sparked of mischievousness and I can’t help but laugh to myself. He’s taking advantage of me, but it was like they say– An eye for an eye.

I laughed. The Danny I used to know would never dare joke with me about this. I knew he was a sly bastard and his quips would always aggravate me, but now, I find them charming. So, this is what it’s like to be friends with Danny. I turned back to Danny and matched his grin. “Sure, yeah. Let’s go,” I chuckled. 

I led Danny out of the school and ignored the eyes that were attracted to us. It made me self-conscious but Danny seemed neutral to the attention. Maybe he was already used to it, being the adoptee of such a rich and powerful man, of course. 

Wait, if he’s rich and powerful, then would he like the places where we’ll go?

I’m not rich or fancy. Maybe I was back then but I didn’t have the wealth I had before. It all poured down the drain the moment Phantom left. I should have been more responsible. 

So now that I’m just in the middle class, where am I supposed to treat the kid of a rich guy?

I had nothing to worry about. 

I watched Danny shoot lasers toward the aliens on the screen, green goo splattered all over the large TV, concealing our view before we both got back to shooting. I stole glances at Danny and the wide grin on his face and his knitted eyebrows were a definite sign that he was enjoying it. I was glad!

I took Danny to the gamehole where most teenagers our age would gather and play with their friends. It was a popular sight and I hoped that even though I couldn’t provide much, Danny would still like it. Thankfully, he did. Incredibly so. Danny played the alien shooting game, basketball shooting, fish catching, mole bunking, and so much more.

Danny was able to win so many tickets in the short amount of time we were there and we were at the ticket counting counter in no time. I watched in awe as the tickets were being rapidly counted. I asked, “How did you even win all of these?” My eyes widened when I saw the counter count up to 300. “I know I saw it all but damn!” 

Danny laughed and leaned back on the counter with a humble face, but I knew that face must be fake because the way he stood was dripping confidence. “Oh, you know… It’s just practice,” he happily said. 

“Stop being so humble! I know you’re just dying to brag about how you beat the shit out of that alien game!” I said, giving Danny a light shove. 

Danny laughed and shoved me back. “You’re just bitter 'cause you only got 50 tickets in the basketball game!”

“Well, yeah! But it hurts less when you know your competitor is just plain unbeatable,” I laughed. 

The tickets finally stopped at 624 and I gapped. “Bro, congrats!” I said happily. 

The cashier came up to us and then asked Danny, “Now, what do you want, kid?” He gestured to the many miscellaneous items on display with incredibly high prices. 

Danny looked at the display and hummed. “What do you want, Dash?” he asked. 

I was surprised. “What do I want?”

“Yeah.”

“What? Are you trying to get me your prize?” I laughed. “No way, dude. You earned this. You pick out what your prize.”

Danny laughed once again and then looked back at the prizes. He pointed at two bears. One had yellow fur and blue eyes and the other was white with green eyes. He got the two bears for 300 each and the rest of the 24 tickets were spent on candy. He happily shared with me as we moved to our next destination. 

“You know, that was fun!” Danny said happily as we walked with me leading. Honestly, I wasn’t that familiar with the city. I had only been out when my friends invited me to hang with them, but since Rey had cut me out, I couldn’t really do that anymore. But now, I have all these cool spots that I could show to Danny! Or wait, he already knew these places because he’s been here before me. 

Stupid.

“Glad you had a fun time,” I replied as we turned to an alley. “I hope you like this place next. Gotta be one of my favorite places here in Norrisville.”

“Oh?” Danny humed curiously.

We arrived in front of a door in between the alleys and I opened it and led Danny inside. Inside was a rollerskating rink styled in sci-fi fashion. Pink and blue neon lights decorated the ceilings and the rink was lit by the same lights around its borders. The place was dim, but it added to its coolness. It also had a snack bar and booths where friends could just hang out and eat. This place was decorated with spaceships hung up on the ceiling and glow-in-the-dark stars lining up almost all the walls. 

Danny awed as he looked around and I could see his eyes sparkle with the most innocent hues. It was strange seeing Danny in such a state and I couldn’t help but giggle to myself. “You new to this place?”

“Yeah…” Danny replied. “I never knew this place was hidden here,” he laughed. He grabbed my hand and said, “C’mon! Let’s skate!”

He was rather excited, which was good and I couldn’t help but smile at the way he seemed to be vibrating with excitement. I guess he really liked this place. 

We got skates on and left Danny’s bears and snacks on a booth and then skated away in the rink. Danny was more than enjoying himself. He danced to the music as he skated, twirling around like he was on some celebrity’s music video. I skated just close to the railings, satisfied watching Danny go all out. I wasn’t much of a skater anyway and it was more interesting to see others do this. 

An unfamiliar song began playing on the speakers and Danny turned to me with a large grin. “This is my JAM! Dash, come dance with me!” He said excitedly. 

I laughed nervously and shook my hands. “No, Danny. I can’t–”

“Don’t give me that ‘I can’t dance’ bullshit! I know you can!” Danny said with a large grin on his face. He went over to me and took my hand then said, “Come on! Don’t leave me to dance alone!” He smiled expectantly at me and his beautiful sapphire eyes stared at me with such innocence. To see this side of Danny was never expected. I never imagined Danny would open up to a person like me and this… His hand holding mine, his body almost pressing closer to me, and the music beginning to play in the background with the lights dimmed down… It almost felt surreal. 

Danny dragged me onto the dance floor and began to dance along to the music, along with other people who were coming to join in the rink. The song began to increase in volume and Danny sang along to his heart’s content.

Hey, tell me what you want me to say

You know I'm stupid for you

Hey, can you come-a come out and play?

You know I'm stupid for you

He glided a few inches away from me and started to dance like he was holding a guitar, banging his head to the music. I laughed as I began to dance with him. He turned to me for the next lyrics.

I'm color-coding my moods

You're yellow, I'm natural blue

Let's get together and be green like my insides

At least I'll match your eyes

Jealous and hypnotized

Let's match our faces and be equally in love

I froze when he started coming closer to me, but then he grabbed my hand and twirled me effortlessly. Again, the chorus comes. Maybe it was the spinning but I felt lightheaded as I watched the way Danny’s lips sang the song out of his throat, not even caring if he was good anymore. 

Let's trash our whole afternoon

Reciting recycled news

Until we melt and go back to your hotel room

I'll be your new favorite tune

I'll be your black cloud by June

But only when you miss the rain like I miss you

Danny almost fell and in a panic, I reached out. I grabbed his waist and held his body close to me. Sapphire blue met my ocean eyes and the way the neon lights played with our faces made this moment a little bit more… Mystical to me.

I pulled him back up once people started gathering and the crowd was slowly getting tighter. Danny looked up at me and laughed. He pulled me somewhere more secluded and continued to dance, and with his reassurance, I tried singing along with him.

Hey, tell me what you want me to say

You know I'm stupid for you

Hey, can you come and come out and play?

You know I'm stupid for you

I got confident enough to begin dancing as much as Danny did and both of us were skating around the rink with outlandish dance moves, careful not to hit anyone.

We were pushed together once again and I had to hold Danny close to me so he wouldn’t get bumped by anyone, but we still had fun. I’m surprised more people were coming inside the rink, but having Danny pressed against me… I didn’t mind it, honestly. Once again, the bridge repeated. 

You're playing ring around my head

I wear you like a halo

You're a symphony, I'm just a sour note

I'll take what I can get

The best is hard to grip when everybody wants you

Another chorus played and during that, my eyes met Danny’s. They were the purest form of Sapphire I had ever seen with frostbites reaching out in the side of his irises. I don’t know how I could see his eyes in this dim-litted and neon-lighted rink but something about them just makes me believe that they’re glowing. 

Something entranced me as I went closer and closer to Danny and slowly, I leaned. What was I doing? I had completely no idea, but whatever I was doing, Danny wasn’t outwardly pushing against me. So, with a bold step, I tried to–

There was an alarm, and everyone grew in panic. I looked around to try and see what was happening and people were being rushed out. 

“Dash, c’mon!” Danny cried, dragging me out of the rink and towards the exit.

I looked back and saw the door to where the kitchen was slowly burning brighter and brighter until I realized that there was a fire. I let Danny take the lead until we were at the exit and I remembered our stuff. “Wait, your bears!”

“Dash!” I heard Danny yell as I rushed back to get them.

I still had my skates on, so it wasn’t too much effort to get the stuffed animals. I looked back to see how close the fire was and my eyes widened once I saw it emit purple flames. Purple flames? Was there a ghost–

“DASH!” I heard Danny yell. 

I looked back to see Danny going back inside the building with both our shoes and I skated back to get Danny out of the building. As I skated, I could hear the building slowly collapsing behind me, and I was able to grab Danny in my arms and jump out of the exit before it was blocked. 

We were met with the others outside and the people closed the door to the building so it didn’t spread outside. Somebody already called the ambulance and firefighters. 

Danny rushed to have his hands on me and examined my arms and face. “Are you hurt? Were you burned? Humans are so fragile–”

I cut him off with my laugh and shook his hands off of me. “I’m fine, Danny,” I told him. That last comment, though. Humans are fragile? Wasn’t he a human too? “I’m tougher than I look,” I grinned proudly. 

Danny gave me a small smile, but his face morphed back into worry. “Why did you even go back?”

“Oh, right!” I pulled out Danny’s stuffed animal and Danny stared at them wide-eyed. “You worked hard on these,” I said. “Would be a waste to just leave them.”

Danny accepted the bears from my hands and he looked back up at me with a sincere smile. “Dash, thank you. But you really didn’t have to. Your safety was more important than a couple of toys.”

“Hey, you were amazing at the arcade!” I said. “Would be a shame if you had no trophy of some sort to remind you.” 

Danny stared at me like he couldn’t believe what I said before he began to laugh. “Well, with that logic, here.” He handed me the white bear with green eyes and smiled happily at me. “Your trophy for being such a brave gentleman.” 

I accepted the bear gratefully and then looked at the bear in my hands. “Thanks, Danny!” White fur… And green eyes… “I think I’ll name him… Phantom!” 

Danny began to laugh. “Still a Phantom fan?”

I giggled. “Yeah… Even though he left, I still look up to him… I actually got to be like him!” 

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

Soon, Danny and I began to leave the area as the firefighters had it all handled. No one was injured, thankfully. We talked, and it was one of the most refreshing talks I’ve had with a person in a while. Ever since Rey banned me from his group, it was hard to have friends I can stick to. I usually just wander around…

But with Danny, it was different! It was like I had a friend all along!

And I…!

I missed him. I should have appreciated him more. 

Night began to fall and we arrived at a small dark road with the street lights making a yellowish hue to the atmosphere. We passed by an old electronics shop and a radio sang a song. 

“ Lavenders blue, dilly dilly

Lavender’s green

When I am king, dilly dilly

You shall be queen”

Danny stopped he turned towards the song and began to sing along.

“ Who told you so, dilly dilly

Who told you so?”

I chuckled and sang the next verse.

“ ‘Twas my own heart, dilly dilly

That told me so ”

Danny looked towards me and his eyes widened. “You know that song?”

I grinned. “Yeah. I heard Phantom sang that song one night so I decided to search it up,” I replied. 

Danny’s face formed a soft blush, although I don’t know why and he sheepishly looked away from me. “You heard Phantom sing?”

“Yeah!” I enthusiastically said. “And he has the voice of an angel! Maybe it’s because he’s a ghost but he has this ghostly echo to his voice that makes sound more amazing and the way he looked while singing seemed so peaceful and cool and he– Danny, are you alright?” I turned to my friend as the ravenette was blushing profusely. I tried to come closer to check, but he only pushed me away. 

“I–I’m fine!” He said, avoiding eye contact. “I–I gotta go,” he said. “I have a curfew.”

“Oh. Then I can walk you bac–”

“No, no! It’s fine!” Danny said as he took a few steps back away from me. He hugged the things he got from today and gave me a smile. “I’ll see you around, Dash!” And he ran off. 

I was confused, but it seemed that Danny was in a rush, so I didn’t ask him to wait. I watched him run off and I sighed as I turned the other way. Today was fun. I should hang out with Danny more.

Third Person’s POV

From where the debris lay, the purple flame tried peeking out of its hiding spot, its embers lighting the burnt rubble in a soft light. It looked at its areas and seeing that there was no one there, it rushed to get out of the rubble to find another hiding spot, however, before it could escape the doorway, a glass came down on its gaseous body, trapping it like a light to its lantern. The flame began furiously knocking on the glass but no matter how hard it banged, the glass won’t break. 

The glass was brought up to the capturer’s face and the female grinned devilishly. The woman had white hair and red eyes and she wore a black cloak that reached just over her knees. She wore black boots and on her waist was a belt containing many empty and filled jars of different items. 

“The amethyst fire…” She softly cooed before putting the jar trapped with the sentient flame inside. She counted the items she had and then hummed. “Only need one more for Mother’s special cookies…”

She began to walk out of what was left of the skating rink and exit the alleyway, but then she stopped when she saw a green goo-like substance on the side of the doorway. She narrowed her vision and cautiously stepped closer to look at the substance. Carefully, she reached her hand out and felt the liquid in between her fingers and watched how it glowed more when receiving her touch. It was burning against her skin but she wasn't all that fazed. “Ectoplasm…” she muttered as she got an empty container and put the substance inside it. “How peculiar.” 

She looked up at the sky to see Phantom doing loops in the sky as the clouds began to slowly clear, revealing the wonderful black night of the usually light-polluted city. She looked back at her hands again and gave a hum, wiping the substance off of her fingers before she went her way with a grin on her face. 

Chapter Text

Randy’s POV

It was a bit cold between the four of us. They told me that the way that I acted was unfair to them because they were only trying to look out for me.

“We just wanted you to know the extra precautions we could take in case things go wrong,” Danny explained and the others all agreed.

I sighed, but I gave them a nod anyway. “Yeah… I guess I could understand that. Sorry, I snapped at you guys.”

“It’s cool.” Jake raised his fist towards me and I grinned, accepting the fist bump.

“Alright, the Secret Trio’s back!” Howard happily clapped his hands and then grabbed his school bag. “Now, let’s go!”

“We’re still calling ourselves that?” Jake asked, but his tone was full of hearty laughter. “Besides, if we’re calling ourselves “Secret Trio”, what about you and Nomi? Aren’t they part of the team too?” he asked.

“Oh, and Jake’s secret boyfriend?” I helpfully added.

Jake’s face bloomed into a rosy red before he stuttered, “I do not have a secret boyfriend!”

“Really?” Danny teased. “Then what about that redhead boy you keep sneaking out with?”

“Nigel’s just my friend!!” Jake blushed. He pointed a frustrated finger at Howard who was now holding popcorn and asked, “You never answered my question!”

“Well, this is more entertaining,” Howard laughed as he gave the popcorn to Nomi who was silently standing beside him. “You guys are the ‘Secret Trio’ because you’re the ones doing all the work. Nomi and I are more like a… Secret Santa Helpers.”

“As much as I’d like to continue this, you are going to be late for school,” Nomi interrupted.

“Aren’t you going to be coming with us?” I asked as I approached the redhead.

Nomi got my bag from beside the other’s and turned to me. “No.” He put the bag on me and continued, “I have to do something before going to school, but I’ll meet you at lunch.”

“Alright, Nomi,” Danny nodded as he got his own bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Let’s go, Secret Trio. And Howard.”

We walked to school, and it was rather refreshing than the day before. We were all chatting and joking going to school and it only stopped when a familiar girl approached me. I stopped and stared at the ravenette girl staring at me with her beautiful sapphire eyes. In her hand was a box.

She smiled at me and greeted me, “Pleasant morning to you, Randy Cunningham.”

“O–Oh! Pleasant, um… Good morning to you, too, Luna,” I greeted. I wasn’t used to being formal, especially to normal people. But Luna was formal. Maybe she would like me better if I was more formal.

Luna extended the box towards me. “I made this for you and your friends, Randy Cunningham.”

“For me?” I asked, touched that she would even think of me. For someone so wonderful like her to think of nobody like me– ignoring the fact that she knew that I was the Ninja of Norrisville.

“Of course,” She said, urging me to take the box. “Which other Randy Cunningham am I talking to?” she giggled.

I flushed. Of course, she would be talking to me. I accepted the box sheepishly and a weak, “Th–Thank you…”

I opened the box excitedly and I was blessed with the precious smell of baked cookies. My friends looked behind me and I heard Howard’s amazed gasp. “Cookies!” He quickly reached out to grab one from the pile, but I slapped his hand away from the box. “Ow, hey!”

I glared at him and said, “This is for me!”

“Oh, please, share it with yourselves,” Luna said in her sweet singsong voice, flashing her eyelashes in front of me. “Don’t worry, Randy Cunningham. I made enough for you to share with all of your friends.”

“You heard the girl,” Howard cackled and grabbed one of the cookies. He took a bite and melted into it.

“Please tell me what you think of it later, Randy Cunningham,” Luna said.

“Why do you keep calling him that?” Jake asked from behind me, squinting his eyes towards the petite girl.

“That is his name, is it not?” Luna replied, narrowing her eyes toward Jake with equal hostility. The air grew tense and I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

I stepped in front of Luna so Jake wouldn’t be able to focus on her. I laughed nervously and said, “Well, Jake, Luna is right. That was how I introduced myself to her. But, Luna, you’re free to just call me Randy.”

“I am?” Luna asked, looking up at me with surprised eyes.

I chuckled. Why would that come as a surprise to her? “Of course,” I replied. “You can call me anything you want.”

“Even Nin–”

I put my hand on her mouth and laughed awkwardly and nervously. “hAHa! Anything but that.”

She looked up at me with an odd expression before she began giggling. It was soft and sweet and it reminded me of a child’s first laugh. The way her hand lightly raised itself in front of her lips to try and hide the smile that she could barely contain made her as adorable as a baby bunny. As I watched this seemingly innocent reaction, I could feel my heart pumping out of my chest. I held the box of cookies near my chest and she looked up at me with a smile.

This moment between us felt so magical, even though it was just a mundane morning. If I could, can I just–

“Hey, Cunningham,” Howard poked me from behind. “You done flirting? Cuz, we kinda need to go to class.”

I turned to my friend and glared. Can’t he see that I’m having a wonderful moment with my crush?

“Oh, yes. You should go,” Luna spoke and I turned to her in surprise. I was disappointed that she didn’t want to spend time with me but maybe it’s because we were going to be both busy. She added, “But please eat the cookies later and give me your feedback. I would like to know if they are to your liking.”

“Of course!” I happily said. “And I’m sure they’ll be as sweet as you are– NO, I mean! They’ll be good! They’ll taste great!”

Luna was taken aback by my screw-up, but in the end, she giggled, and stars, if I could make her giggle like this every time, I wouldn’t need anything else in life.

“Well, alright then,” she chuckled. “I bid you goodbye… Randy.” I don’t know why she said that with such hesitance but she gave me another smile before entering the school.

I sighed in contentment as I held the cookie box near my chance, and I was sure that there were hearts surrounding me right now. How else was I supposed to describe how I was feeling? I’m feeling nothing but love and adoration for that beautifully crafted fine young woma–

“Soooooo,” Howard appeared in front of me with a grin. “You gonna share?”

“Give me another one!”

“No, you already had five!”

“What can I say? That girl can bake!”

Howard and I argued as I tried guarding the cookies away from him. It was already lunchtime and the four of us were eating in the canteen and waiting for Nomi. “Besides, I haven’t even tried one yet!” I yelled.

“Then eat one now, idiot!”

“I can’t because you’re trying to grab them all!”

There was the sound of a metal tray being placed in front of us and we turned to see Nomi with his food. “What is all the commotion about?” Nomi asked.

“Luna made some AWESOME cookies!” Howard replied. “But damn Cunningham wouldn’t share–”

“I already shared with you enough!” I defended. I opened the box and laced it on the center of the table for everyone– other than Howard– to have access to it. “She said she made it for me but to share it with you guys. And from how Howard’s acting, these must be good!” I got a cookie happily and was about to eat it but then Nomi stopped my hand.

“Randy,” he spoke. “I don’t think you should eat that.”

“Why not?” I asked, pulling my hand away from him. “It’s from Luna.”

“Exactly,” Jake said, crossing his arms. “We still don’t trust that girl.”

I rolled my eyes at their silliness and pointed at Howard. “Look, he’s not being affected by whatever the cookies have in them. And Howard’s, like, a poison detector for this kind of stuff.”

“Yup!” Howard backed makeup, patting his tummy victoriously. “This baby can handle anything and I’d still be alive!”

“That’s concerning,” Jake muttered.

“I’m telling you, these cookies are fine,” I said, waving off their concern once more. Before Nomi could stop me again, I popped the sugary sweet inside my mouth and melted when it just so deliciously melted in my tongue with its beautiful mixture of chocolate and butter. “YUM!”

The others looked at each other and then at the box again. They turned to Nomi and he shook his head. Why was he so uptight about this? It’s just cookies.

“We’re good,” Danny said politely, waving his hand when I offered them the box.

I was disappointed. They wouldn’t even accept a gift from Luna?

“More for me, then!” Howard said happily and then grabbed the box.

“HEY! I told you, it was for ME!” I grabbed it back, and we continued arguing about who gets the most cookies while we shoved them in our mouths, with no time to savor them at all.

I could hear Nomi sigh and could imagine him doing a facepalm.

In the midst of our arguing, the cafeteria wall breaks again with a screaming armadillo monster roaring and causing havoc. Seriously, what is with these monsters and the cafeteria wall? Is the author that unoriginal?

Nomi immediately stood up and glared at Howard and me. He commanded, “Cunningham, Weinerman. Compose yourself and move.”

I sent Howard another glare before grabbing another cookie from the box and rushing to a flipped table as the others ran to their individual hiding spots. Howard and Nomi went and helped evacuate the other kids so the room would be clear for battle. Unlike last time, I checked my surroundings to make sure I was alone before taking out my mask and feeling the red ribbon transform me into the Ninja.

I rushed out of my hiding spot and prepared myself for battle. But I see nothing.

It was pitch black.

“Guys?”

3rd Person’s POV

Phantom was slammed against the wall by the armadillo and he struggled to wrestle it as it pressed against his body, almost squishing him. Dragon shouldered the monster away from the ghost and kicked it to a group of tables. The armadillo got up and opened its mouth and purple flames leaked out directed at Dragon. He evenly matched it with his own orange flames and it was a clash of heat and colors between the two creatures.

Phantom got himself back up and turned to the standing Ninja who looked to be wandering as he turned his head from side to side. “Ninja!” Phantom called. “We need a little help here!”

“I–I can’t!” Ninja cried.

“What do you mean you can’t?!” Phantom asked. He turned back to the fight and was about to attack but then he had to make himself intangible as Dragon was pushed back into the wall, then it was Phantom’s turn to counter the attack with his ectoblasts.

Ninja panicked and tried to feel around and whe was able to grab onto a table. He heard the noises and roars of the fight and the shaking of the place. He couldn’t move properly and he could barely dodge the debris that occasionally fell from the roof and the chairs that were thrown in his direction. Desperately, he cried, “I–I can’t see!”

“What?!”

Before Ninja could answer, Randy was blasted through the wall by a purple beam.

“Ninja!”

“Phantom, watch out!”

“AH, SHIT!”

The armadillo threw the boys back towards the wall and Phantom was able to phase himself before he could hit the cement. However, Dragon was not so lucky and went through the wall, making it crumble down at impact. There was a low and menacing laugh that came from the hole that the armadillo came from, announcing the arrival of a new person. The armadillo stopped attacking the boys and turned to where the voice came from.

Quickly, it rolled into a ball and rolled beside the newcomer floating above the rubble the fight had left. The newcomer silver had hair that flowed to her ankles and skin as pale as a ghost but her ruby red eyes contrasted her complexion. The woman looked to be in her late twenties. An ancient black robe hugged her figure generously and she had no shoes where her dress ended. Her eyes scanned the area with a smirk before she released a wave of power.

At her presence, Dragon received a splitting headache that made his eyes water and his sight blurry and he searched for anything to grip on to try and ease the pain. He found debris that came from his fall and he crushed it in his paw. Similar to Dragon, Ninja fell as an unbearable heat protruded his head, banging against his skull like a loud drum.

“Guys?” Phantom called in a panic as he turned to his other two companions. What was happening to them? Is it because of this woman? Before he could ask, he could hear the sound of cackling, but it was more reminiscent of a fork being scratched down a blackboard. It hurt his head and he turned to the woman who only tilted her head at him in amusement.

She hummed and said, “You are not affected by me? Must be because you are already dead.”

Being the only one who could stand, Phantom stood in front of his reptilian friend and summoned his ectoblasts in order to defend his companions, however, he found himself unable to conjure any of his powers. “Wha–” Without warning, his arm had a white ring on his arm and it slowly went up his arm to reveal himself. In a panic, Phantom pushed back his anti-transformation as best as he could. He looked at the woman in horror and yelled, “Who the hell are you?!”

The woman looked at the ghost’s resistance and had to hold herself a laugh. She flicked her hand and the armadillo directed itself at Phantom and opened its mouth, revealing how it conjured purple flames within its breath. Phantom watched as it grew larger and larger. “I would love to chat, but I’m afraid I have to keep this short,” the new villain said.

With a grin, she said, “Goodbye, guardian,” and snapped her fingers. Instantly, the armadillo fired its hottest blaze toward Phantom. The ghost braced himself for impact. But it never came.

He turned to see what happened and his eyes widened when he saw Nigel Thrall holding a magic circle with markings he had never seen before. Nigel grunted at the weight of the blaze, but he was able to hold it off until the armadillo stopped. He put the magic circle down and then called, “SUN! NOW!”

Behind the kitchen counters, a green portal appeared, and spears made out of liquid sprayed out of it. The woman dodged the attack, but the armadillow unfortunately didn’t. It screeched in agony until it was reduced to nothing but garbage and purple fire. Despite the liquid, the purple flames began to spread throughout the room, eating whatever they could until it disguised itself as regular flames.

“What?!” The villain screeched as she watched her monster disintegrate. She had barely time to dodge when a blonde girl tried to stab her from behind with a spear. She growled at the sight of the newcomer and coated her fists with magic. “Sun,” she hissed.

“Midnight,” Sun addressed as she went into a fighting position.

“How dare you ruin my plans?!” She yelled, charging at the younger girl with her magic and Sun barely dodged her attacks. She countered them with hits of her own, but unlike her sloppy stepping, the older woman was much more skilled. She was able to throw the child onto the ground and wound her side with a blast of magic.

“This was a golden opportunity for us!” The woman yelled. “For all of us!” She charged ahead once again and she flared her flames in front of the young magic user for only Sun to teleport away and appear above her head to deliver a blow with her spear. The woman caught her spear and threw the child onto the floor. “Don’t be like your foolish mother!” she scolded.

Sun panted as she held her bleeding side and glared at the older woman. “You know nothing about my mother!” She teleported once again to fight the woman hand-to-hand, but with her injuries, she was weak. And it didn’t help that in the middle of the fight, she had to spit blood on her own.

The villain was able to pin the amateur fighter down to the floor, stabbing her leg with an iron stick that she had found within the wreck. Sun cried out in pain and Nigel felt helpless as he watched his friend. He had to protect Jake and Danny. But he wanted to join in the altercation so badly.

The villain tilted her head menacingly “Look at yourself…” She muttered. “Pitiful. Weak. And sick.” She pressed her foot down on the child’s chest and more blood came out of Sun. She turned to the heroes and glared at each one of them until she locked onto one. “Let me show you the right way, Sun. Let me help you.” She raised her hand and conjured a dark ball of power before firing it at the unprotected Ninja.

“NO!”

Smoke entered the room and Ninja was taken from the gas and thrown in the side of the room. The smoke materialized around Ninja and it revealed Nomi in his Nomicon garbs glaring daggers at the villain.

“N–Nomi?” Ninja called, but his teacher didn’t respond.

The redhead said nothing and made Ninja sit in the corner and then approached the villainess.

The woman looked Nomi up and down and glared. “Who are yo–”

She didn’t even get to finish when Nomi transformed into smoke once again and attacked the villainess head-on with the ninja’s sword. The villainess barely had any time to dodge and she was toppled off of Sun. Nomi continued to swing his sword expertly towards the woman and the woman was barely fast enough to dodge any of his attacks, let alone counter them.

She ran to a wall and Nomi thought he had her cornered, but she teleported behind him and was about to strike but Nigel shot a spell towards her face and made her fly back into another wall. She yelled in pain as it hurt her. She looked in horrified glory as Nomi came down to swing his sword down at her, but by the last second, she teleported.

She reappeared at the exit and she held her bleeding face as she glared at the hero. “Children,” she hissed. She raised her hand and a strong wind began running around the room. She glared at everyone before she last said, “This won’t be the last you’ll see of me.” Her fingers snapped and she disappeared, leaving a powerful blast in her disappearance.

It was quiet in the lunchroom before Howard came running in, his eyes widening in horror to see the battlefield.

Chapter Text

Danny's POV

“I told you it had poison!”

“It didn’t have poison! The Midnight lady just had great timing!”

“Pretty sure it was because the cookies had poison.”

Jake and Randy were going at it again and aside from the purple and green painted over my body, they’re both giving me a headache.

“Can you both shut up?!” Nigel yelled, hitting Jake on the back of his head before he pulled the boy back so he could continue healing him. “Both of you are supposed to be teammates but you’re bickering like bloody children,” he scolded in his posh accent.

“Isn’t your favorite hobby bickering like children?” Jake retorted, mocking his accent as he repeated what he said.

Nigel glared down at the shapeshifter and then pulled at his hair, making the shorter boy yelp. “Do not mock me, Long. I can make you feel excruciating pain the same way I can heal you.”

Despite Nigel’s hand, Jake pushed his face in front of Nigel and grinned maliciously, “If you’re asking for a date, I would gladly accept, Thrall.”

I exchanged glances with the others then we turned back to the two. We have no idea if those two were friends, rivals, or lovers. They acted nice to each other yesterday and the next, they’re clawing at each other’s throat. Then, they get up on each other’s faces like this as if they were moments apart from making out. It was uncomfortably funny to watch. Finally, Howard spoke, “Is it just me or is there intense sexual tension between these two?”

Hilariously, both boys pushed each other away, and with flushed faces, they both began to sputter denials and excuses.

“We’re not–!”

“He’s not–!”

“I would never–!”

“But he’s–!”

“All of you, quiet!” Nomi shouted from atop the stairs. The room grew silent at his command and we waited in silence as his feet descended the stairs until his face was visible under the shadow cast from the second floor’s walls, then he scanned the room and each of our states. He came from above from Jake’s guest room where Sun lay bedridden, returning to his casual outfit. Nomi didn’t have the full capacity of the ninja, but he at least knew the Art of Healing which Sun desperately needed considering the beating she had gotten from the new villain. But even with the Art of Healing, Sun’s body was healing slowly.

Nomi sighed as he stepped down the stairs and joined us downstairs. “What kind of attitude is this?” He asked but no one answered. He continued, “This is the attitude of children. A characteristic unbefitting of the prophesized ones meant to hold the gems. Guardians of keys, everybody!” I winced when I heard the heavy sarcasm dripping on his last sentence as he stared at the three of us in contempt. Guilt and shame twisted in my abdomen and I could do little to quell it. He crossed his arms and said, “From now on, you three are going to train under me. We’ll align your schedules and try to get stronger.” That doesn’t sound so bad with the additional training Vlad gives me.

“But what if the art of the ninja isn’t enough?” Howard asked and I and the others began mumbling in agreement.

“Then, we’re going to find more mentors capable of overpowering this great evil,” Nomi said with strong conviction. “And if that isn’t enough, we have to actively look for the gems.”

“I already have mine,” Jake reminded, “We just have to look for the rest of yours.”

“Can’t we track them somehow?” Randy asked.

We all turned to Nomi and the mentor sighed. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t help you with this. I have no tools for you to use to track down the gems.”

“Then, we’ll have to look for them the old-fashioned way!” Jake said with certainty. “I found mine on the first week of school. I’m sure it will turn up eventually.”

“That would be the best possibility,” Nomi nodded. He hummed and then voiced, “There is also a chance that the gems are not here in Norrisville. They could be somewhere else entirely.”

“We have to go on a field trip or something?” Howard asked.

“Most likely,” Nomi nodded. “But before that,” he snapped his fingers and smoke enveloped his body. His ninja garbs fit him gracefully and his eyes were filled with determination when he said, “I have to scour the city. You may join me at night but you must attend your classes during the day.”

“Boo,” Howard mumbled as he leaned back.

Randy looked Nomi up and down with worried eyes, but I guess he was unable to voice his thoughts as he turned away from his master. Nomi gave one last lookover at all of us, nodding, then disappeared with black smoke out of the door.

Once he was gone, Randy shifted uncomfortably in his seat and muttered, “I thought we freed him.”

I placed a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort my friend. I knew what he was talking about. In the summer when we met, he asked for my help in freeing Nomi from the Nomicon. We thought we did it but then Nomi revealed his powers the way he did during the fight. I just hoped that Randy wouldn’t blame himself for not being able to free Nomi completely.

Nigel pushed Jake away from him and then stood up. “I’m going to check on Sun,” he excused himself and made haste upstairs.

It still bewilders me how Sun was important to all of this. I thought she was just an ordinary girl. But I guess that was how we all looked on the outside.

But whatever will come after this fight, I hope that we can brave through it together.

Randy’s POV

I groaned as I cracked my back from the harsh training Nomi put us in. It was a week after the fight with the villain and at first, I was excited at the prospect of becoming more powerful but the training Nomi put us through was ridiculously straining. And seeing another poster of Battle of the Bands made Howard excited to the point he was pushing for us to start practicing.

“Everyone will know the name of the ‘Secret Trio’!” Howard told us this morning.

“Isn’t that the opposite of what we’re supposed to be?” Jake chuckled and I couldn’t help but laugh with him. Jake may be a pain in the ass most of the time considering our clashing personalities but I appreciate the times when we see eye-to-eye (even though I have to bend to see it hehe).

Anyway, right now, I’m in my locker, getting my things as school was letting out. I had to do something before meeting up with the others later for a group outing. We all had a hard week so Danny suggested to have us have a group hangout to try and de-stress. As much as Nomi protested, I was able to beg him to let us skip training this one day so we could all hang out. He relented and I’m excited for our day out!

As soon as I got my bags packed, I closed my locker and turned, but I did not expect to face Luna. “GAH–” My hand slipped and I almost let my bag go but I scrambled and caught it in my arms just in time. I smiled awkwardly at my crush and said, “Luna! Heeeeey… What’s up?”

Luna smiled at me and said, “Well, I wanted to know if you’re free today. I thought it pleasant to have a… What do they call it? A date? Yes! A date this wonderful afternoon.” My heart leaped out of my chest once she said that. Luna? Wants to have a date with me? OH, CHEESE! I feel like I’m dreaming!”

I was about to say yes but then I remembered that I had a hangout with the guys. I winced when both schedules clashed. I really really wanted to go with Luna. Just her and me and wherever place time takes us! What a dream it would be to just be beside her all afternoon. But I can’t let down my friends by ditching. Besides, we’re supposed to go someplace cool today.

“I’m sorry, Luna,” she said, and by the sound of my voice, her smile instantly fell and it broke my heart to disappoint her. “I can’t go on a date with you today. But, maybe, you could come with us?”

“With you?”

“Why is she coming with us?” Jake growled the moment I brought Luna to the door. I stepped in front of her, protecting her in front of Jake just in case he would attack the girl. I know Jake won’t but one can never know.

Howard glared at me behind Jake and said, “Yeah. That’s a good question. Why is she with us?”

I glared back at Howard and sighed. This was their idea of having Luna being integrated into the group. Why were they being so hostile to a person that was supposed to be on our side? I replied, “Well, I invited her.”

“Dude!” Jake yelled. “This was supposed to be a boy’s night! And you know what that means?”

“No girls, Cunningham,” Howard huffed. Jake and Howard glanced at each other before doing a small fist bump. It annoys me how they’re both ganging up on me.

I rolled my eyes and glared at them both before I reasoned out, “C’mon, guys. Just this once. Luna’s a nice girl and this would be a great opportunity to get to know her.” I mouthed to them, ‘Remember the plan.’

Jake signaled to me obnoxiously, ‘I thought we agreed to cancel it.’

I signed back. ‘No, we didn’t.’

Howard signed back, ‘Whatever way, inviting her is not bruce.’

“Okay, can you three stop it?” Danny said, glaring tiredly at the two groups. “This is stupid.” He turned to me and pointed at her. “Randy, you cannot just invite anyone you want on our outings. This was supposed to be a night for us, not just for you.” I felt guilty when he put it that way. “As long as you don’t bring another guest on our next trip, we’re cool.”

I sighed and rubbed the back of my hand. “Okay– Wait.” I turned to Danny and hope began to slowly rise within me. “Does that mean I can take Luna?”

Danny gave a nod and that was all the confirmation I needed.

“WHAT?!” Jake and Howard protested.

“YES!” I cheered happily and Luna smiled beside me, although I knew she was a little confused with the conversation. “Hold on, I need to get something upstairs.” I glanced at Luna one more time before I dashed upstairs, remembering I left my watch there.

Danny's POV

I was unsure of my decision. I could believe Jake’s suspicions of Luna being some sort of supernatural being that came to meddle with our affairs, but I also didn’t want to upset Randy again. Besides, if Luna was to be trusted, then this could be a chance to prove that she could.

Jake glared at her and Luna glared back to match his hostility. Jake pointed at her and said, “You may have Randy fooled, but you can’t fool us, whatever you are.”

Luna sneered at the gesture and turned away with a posh scoff. “Have you been taught no manners? Pointing at people is rather impolite,” she said with her Asian accent similar to when Nomi got out of the book. Japanese? The way she structured her sentence reminded me of Vlad when he was still evil.

“Don’t do that manner shit on me,” Jake cursed as he marched towards Luna and met her eye to eye, being almost the same height as her. “What are you after, Luna? If that is even your real name.”

It was quiet and Howard and I watched the interaction. We shared a look and then I sighed. I followed after Jake and tried to pull him away from Luna before he flinched back away from the girl.

“What the–”

“Guys, I’m back!” Randy said as he ran down the stairs, almost tripping on his shoelaces.

He looked at the scene in front of him and it unsettled me to see him glare at Jake. Did he think Jake did something to Luna? Seeing the scene, the rational person would say it would be the opposite. He folded his arms and said, “I hope you aren’t making Luna uncomfortable, guys.”

“Us? Make her uncomfortable?” Jake laughed and then pointed at Luna with a glare towards the girl.

I tried to cut in. “Jake–”

“She’s the one making us uncomfortable!” Jake spat out and Luna glared at the young boy.

She took his finger and flicked it away from her. She said, “Do not point your finger at me, Long.”

“Guys, please,” I finally stepped in, looking back and forth at the two characters and then at Randy. I sighed and said, “Let’s just… Let’s just calm down for a bit, okay? It’s a rarity for us to relax anymore, so, let’s all just get along for this one time.”

Jake and Lunar glared at each other for a moment before Luna turned her head with a preppy huff that somehow reminded me of when Vlad’s cat was grumpy and Jake folded his arms as he looked the other way.

“Well, now that we got that settled,” Howard stepped up beside me and then crossed his arms. “We’ll need some ground rules.”

He pointed at Lunar first and said, “You, missy, are to not do any weird stuff around us and Randy especially, alright? Or else we’re going to leave you behind the dust, no matter what Randy says.”

“Hey!” Randy yelled and he tried to defend Lunar but then Howard pointed at him.

“You, sir,” Howard stressed, “You are to not put any of us down just because your pretty shiny gem is with us.” He glared as Randy looked away, obviously guilty. Howard continued, “And, you are to have fun while keeping your guest in check. Understood?”

Howard didn’t even give him time to answer as he went to Jake next. “You, especially, behave.” Jake was about to protest but then Howard bonked him on the head. “Exactly what I meant.” He huffed and then crossed his arms. “We know you don’t like Luna. It’s not rocket science. But Luna’s Randy’s friend and I don’t want you fussing over how she stole your friend or anything. Don’t provoke her, don’t fight her, don’t growl at her.”

“What am I? Some dog?” Jake growled and once again, Howard bonked him.

Randy and I had to hide away our laughter at how ridiculous this scene was.

Howard turned around and clasped his hands with a smile. “Alright! Now that we all got that settled, let’s go!”

Howard left first. Jake and Luna glared at each other before Randy took Luna’s hand and guided her away from Jake. Once they were gone, Jake began to rant to me about how stuck-up of a person Luna is, how dare she intruded, and all the other things one would say when they rant about someone. I sighed as I followed the others to our first destination of the hangout. This would be a very long day.