Third Person POV

Nocturne quickly got up from his seat on the couch and began barking orders at the three guards in the parlor with them. He told them to ready the armies, get all the staff into the safe rooms and prepare for a battle worse than the one fought when the original Ghost King ruled. Once given their orders the guards rushed out of the room to put those orders into effect. Sam continued to try and get Fright Knight to snap back to reality, now with the help of the other teens. Meanwhile, Clockwork tended to Talia. He made sure she was comfortable and that the wound on her cheek wasn't serious before he headed to the open doors of the parlor. Nocturne noticed Clockwork leaving, "Where are you going Clockwork? This is an emergency! We need to call upon our allies!" He exclaimed.

The Time Master shook his head, "There will be no need for that. We wouldn't want any more blood on the battlefield would we? No we wouldn't." 

Immediate concern showed up on everyone's face as they realized that Clockwork had just answered his own question. Nocturne slowly made his way over to the Time Master, "Clockwork?" He began, "Is it-"

"No, not yet." Clockwork interrupted. He floated in the doors of the entrance to the parlor, all eyes on his back. "Call off the army." He said over his shoulder, "We won't be needing them." With that, Clockwork floated out of the room and disappeared into the depths of the castle. 

Fright Knight's eyes widened and he stood up straight. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. "We must trust the Time Master's words." He stated causing shocked reactions from all in the room, aside from the unconscious Talia. "He has never lead us astray before, why would he do so now? I'll call off the army and make sure everyone gets to safety." Fright Knight added. He turned to the four teens standing behind, receiving stern looks from them all. He chuckled, "I'm assuming this means I can't ask you to get somewhere safe either?" 

Tucker raised an eyebrow, "Dude, there is no way we're staying out of this fight." The others nodded in agreement.

"Besides," Sam added, "with Clockwork having you call off the army, you're going to need all the help you can get."

Nocturne frowned, "But none of you are even armed and I doubt you will be able to use ghost weapons."

In response the three human teens all pulled out a green bag the size of their hands. They each reached inside their own individual bags and pulled out miniature assorted Fenton weapons. Each teen had a Fenton Specter Deflector and a Fenton Ghost Peeler. On each weapon rested a small, glowing red button. The teens pressed the buttons and the weapons grew to their normal sizes. The two ghosts looked on in shock before Jazz explained, "Something new Tucker designed. The weapons can almost act like they were shrunk by the Fenton Crammer and then return to normal size with a few side-effects."

"Yeah, like the fact that after being 'un-shrunk' they can't be used for at least ten minutes." Sam added.

Tucker shrugged as he fitted himself with the deflector and the peeler. The other girls followed in his example and Dani readied her powers. Fright Knight lead the way out of the parlor and Dani noticed Nocturne slowly following after them, carrying the still unconscious Talia. She turned to the large spirit, "Are you sure you're ready for a battle Nocturne? Your injuries don't look to be fully healed yet." 

Nocturne glanced at his agitated wounds and nodded his horned head, "I am ready. I have been sitting around for too long. This old spirit needs some action." He hissed in pain as he moved one of his arms the wrong way as he held the small ghost girl and Dani rushed to his aid, only for him to hold up a hand to stop her. "No," he stated, "I will not be coddled any longer. I am an Elder Spirit. I can handle myself." Dani raised an eyebrow at the spirit and went over to help him anyways. What can she say? Stubbornness was in her genes.

A guard turned a corner and rushed over to the group. "King Pavor!" He shouted, "The enemy's forces are approaching the main gates!"

"Call off the attack." Fright Knight ordered, "This matter will be handled by myself and my associates." The guard looked as if he wanted to protest against this decision but, after a firm stare from his King, the guard nodded and rushed off to call off the armies. Fright Knight then turned to the rest of the group. "I'm going to do a sweep of the castle to make sure everyone is safe. We will all meet in the throne room shortly." He informed them.

"What about Riona?" Jazz questioned, "She won't stop her attack."

"She's not going to attack us just yet." Nocturne said as he caught up with the group, supported by Dani, "She has every detail planned. She wants everything to go the way she wants."

Fright Knight nodded in agreement. "Riona wants the battle she planned. So we need to give her one that she didn't  plan. And that involves our unwilling guest." The Ghost King told them. At once they all remembered Dan who was still somewhere in the castle locked away. A large explosion sounded from outside the castle and the group split up, with the majority of them heading to the throne room.

Fright Knight ran in the opposite direction, concern showing itself on his features. He hadn't mentioned it before as to not cause any more panic but, the castle had not spoken to him ever since the attack. In fact, he no longer felt its slight presence in the back of his mind. This troubled the Ghost King and he grew worried that Riona's power was too great for them to handle. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on the task at hand. He needed to make sure the castle was cleared and all the staff were in the safe rooms. He wasn't going to lose anyone else because of Riona.

AMAZING LINE BREAK HERE! Enjoying the chapter so far? I hope so! I'll let you get back to reading now.

Clockwork floated through the halls of the castle to the medical wing. Once he entered the area he found it completely empty, save for one female spirit sitting on a bed. He sighed and floated over to her, "Did they tell you?" He asked her. She didn't respond. Clockwork frowned, "I'll take that as a yes." He sighed, "You have to understand Serenity. It is what is meant to be. We can't change it, we can't alter it. It has to happen." The silence continued. Clockwork lowered his head and floated closer to her.

"How long?"

Clockwork looked up at Serenity, her eyes blank. "How long have you known?" She asked.

"Not long." He replied.

"Why were they the ones who had to tell me?" Serenity asked. For this, Clockwork had no answer.

Instead, he sat beside her on the bed, gently interlocking his fingers in hers. The sign of affection was a shock to both of them. Slowly, their heads turned towards each other and they locked eyes. Emotions flowed between them. Sadness, anger, loss, pain. It all became absorbed into their eyes. No words needed to be said to get the point across. They both knew the sacrifice was going to come one day. They knew they were going to pay for upsetting their creators. They couldn't stop it, couldn't do anything to prevent it. Through all the anger and hurt and pain, there grew understanding. The fates may be against them but they had this moment and they would make sure to savor it. The two spirits brought their heads closer together, closing their eyes. The lips found each other and connected, allowing a feeling of warmth to spread through them. Their cores pulsed with energy, beating in their chests like hearts. Passion flowed between them as their bodies grew closer. Serenity's hands reached for Clockwork's hood and removed it, revealing glistening white hair atop the male spirit's head that reached his shoulders. Clockwork pulled her closer and they embraced, their cores pulsing in time with each other. Their souls wwere connected, and they would be forever. No matter what.

They finally broke apart, pressing their foreheads together. Their eyes finally opened, the only emotion in them being sadness. "You are a fool." Serenity mumbled.

"Maybe so, but I'm the fool you fell in love with." Clockwork replied. Serenity chuckled sadly at his humor. The embraced once more, wrapping their arms tightly around each other. Tears fell freely from Serenity's eyes and even a small tear or two made its way down Clockwork's cheek. "I have to go now." He whispered in her ear, "He needs to do what he was meant to do before his time is up." Serenity nodded and released Clockwork from her hold. The Master of Time rose from the bed, turning to his love. He leaned down and planted one last kiss on her lips before turning back around and exiting the room.

Serenity let her barrier break and tears flowed freely down her face as she cursed the names Lucian and Chiara. She quickly recovered and jumped up from the bed. No, she refused to accept this. They did not have control over them. They would not live in fear of their creators any longer. Serenity knew the risk of what she was doing but she knew it was the only way to make sure everything stayed in balance. Her sacrifice would be for the good of every being in existence. Clockwork would most definitely not approve but he would eventually understand. Serenity exited the hospital wing and made her way through the castle, muttering phrases to herself.

"On Day of First Death, the old ones will fall. And dark shadows will rise to conquer them all."

A/N: YES IT IS SHORT! YES IT IS VERY LATE! I AM VERY SORRY! DO NOT HATE ME! ANOTHER UPDATE SHOULD BE SOON! THANK YOU FOR READING! SEE YOU ALL IN THE NEXT ONE! (SORRY IF THERE ARE SPELLING OR GRAMMAR MISTAKES I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO EDIT!)