Third Person POV

Dan Phantom hummed a little tune to himself as he sat in his prison, fiddling with the charm around his neck. He was once again collared like a dog but he didn't mind it as much this time. He knew how this was all going to end and it brought a smile to his face as he hummed his tune. The sound echoed around the room giving a eerie sound to the once joyful tune. It could send a chill up one's spine the way he hummed their doom without saying a word. He closed his eyes and rested his back against the bars of his cage. The door to his room opened and his eyes remained closed as he continued to hum his tune.

"It is time." A familiar voice told him. 

Dan stopped humming and showed his fangs in a grin as he stretched in the cramped cage. "About time old man, I was starting to think you forgot about me." Dan turned in the direction where the voice was coming but his eyes remained closed.

"You know what you have to do, so I suggest you do it before you run out of time." The voice said.

Dan groaned, "Time this, time that. You really need to expand your vocabulary." The evil ghost could sense the annoyance radiating off the other being in the room and a smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. The door to his cage opened and Dan crawled out, ignoring the feeling of embarrassment that came with him being seen crawling on his hands and knees. He stood in front of the cage and fully stretched out his back, his eyes still closed. "You know, I think I actually prefer that old thermos compared to that cage. At least there were no bars digging into my back." He commented.

As Dan continued to stretch and sickening cracking noises were made, the familiar being in the room was growing even more annoyed. "Do you wish to continue testing my patience?" They asked.

Dan inhaled through his nose and let the breath out through his mouth as he finished stretching, "I would but, I seem to have a job to do." Dan's eyes finally opened allowing him to see the intimidating being before him. 

The being turned around, their purple cloak flowing behind them. "Let us get this over with then." He said.

Dan raised an eyebrow and did a mock bow, "As you wish great Time Master." Clockwork made no retort as he floated out of the room, Dan following close behind.

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Nocturne, Dani, Sam, Tucker and Jazz were all gathered in the throne room waiting for Pavor and Clockwork to return. The Ghost King was the first to make his appearance. "I apologize for the delay, my guards tried to convince me to get to safety with the others." Fright Knight explained, "I have made sure the castle is empty and all the staff are safe."

The group nodded and were about to start going over their plan of attack when Clockwork entered the room, followed closely by Dan Phantom. At once, everyone in the throne room readied their weapons and abilities in preparation from an attack by the evil ghost. "Please lower your weapons, he will not harm any of you." Clockwork told them. Dan's grin seemed to tell them otherwise but, they did as the Time Master asked and lowered their weapons though their icy glares towards Dan did not stop.

Clockwork sighed, he knew he would have to tell them at some point. Could he? How would they react? Would it even matter in the end? No it wouldn't, he decided, telling them wouldn't change what was coming. It was best not to add any more stress on them than there already was. 

"So what's the plan?" Dani asked. An explosion sounded from outside the castle walls. Riona and her army were fast approaching.

Clockwork spoke up, "Our main goal is destroying Riona." Eyes widened with Clockwork's statement. They didn't expect such a brutal answer from Clockwork. "She is a threat to the timeline," he explained, "Riona was meant to be destroyed that day,  but she lived. Her entire existence is a mistake." As Clockwork said this, he felt his throat tighten. Riona wasn't the only mistake in this castle. He quickly composed himself and addressed the group once more, "Nocturne and I, with the help of Dan, will attack Riona's army while the rest of you find her base of operations."

"Wait," Jazz said, "Why do we need to find that?"

"Because that is where she is most likely holding Danny." Dan answered. Jazz's eyes shot towards the ghost. She found it odd that he had been silent for this long. Why did her asking a question move him to finally speak?

Clockwork nodded in agreement with Dan's answer, "Yes, exactly as Dan said. Once you find Danny, you must bring him to the castle. If Riona sees that she has lost her 'Diamond' then there might be a chance she will be distracted long enough for us to fully destroy her. As long as we don't suffer any more interference." Clockwork said that last part under his breath and it wasn't heard by the majority of the group, those who did hear chose not to comment on it. Another explosion sounded from outside the castle walls, closer this time. 

"I suggest we should get going." Nocturne said. The three humans activated their suits, Dani charged up her powers and Fright Knight whistled for Nightmare who flew in through the window to land at her rider's side. Fright Knight mounted his horse and Clockwork floated over to the Ghost King, whispering into his ear. Fright Knight nodded as Clockwork whispered and muttered something back to the Time Master before he pulled on Nightmare's reigns and lead the others to the back entrance of the throne room to do their best to avoid Riona's forces. The only ones remaining in the throne room now were Clockwork, Nocturne and Dan Phantom.

"So, are we going to just stand around all day or am I actually going to get to destroy something?" Dan asked. 

Nocturne raised an eyebrow at Dan and turned to Clockwork, "I am sorry old friend. I wished that I would have known sooner, maybe I could have-"

"No," Clockwork interrupted, "there was nothing you could have done. I have accepted it and I must ask that you do as well." The purple cloaked ghost turned and exited the throne room, leaving a shocked Nocturne. Dan chuckled at the mighty spirit and followed after Clockwork. Nocturne quickly recovered and rushed after them. The three made it to the main entrance of the castle and stood in front of its grand doors.

"Once these open, there is no going back." Clockwork said to no one in particular.

Dan cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders, "Who would want to go back from a fight like this."

"It will certainly be one for the history books." Nocturne added, allowing a faint blue glow to envelop his hands as his gaze was locked on the doors.

Clockwork chuckled, gripping his staff and shifting into his middle aged form. His eyes narrowed playfully and a rare smile adorned his face, "Then let all Hell break lose."

Hey, wouldn't it be a great idea to end it here? Oh you agree! Awesome! See you in the next one!

Nah, I'm kidding. Hey! I just became a Line Break! The Author Line Break, I like the sound of that.

The doors opened and instantly the three ghosts were swarmed by an army of zombie like soldiers. Sickly grey skin was peeling off them and leaving areas of exposed, yellowed bone. They had no eyes, only dark, empty eye sockets. Their jaws hung open and showed rotted teeth dripping with saliva. Sharp, black nails were on the ends of elongated fingers attached to hands that reached out hungrily. The skin that still remained attached to their bodies was wrapped tight around their bones, showing off rib cages and making their heads look like actual skulls. There were only small clumps of hair on their heads and some had no hair at all. Moans or groans were the only sound them seemed capable of making as the limped closer to the ghosts. They reached out for the three ghosts, bony fingers reaching for the specters. 

All three ghosts gasped and flew high into the air out of the army's grasp. Dan shouted a curse as he flew high into the air and questioned angrily, "How did she figure out how to summon ghouls?!"

Almost every ghost in the Ghost Zone knew what ghouls were. They were a type of entity that fed on dead bodies. They were disgusting and horrid beings that once roamed the human world. The Ancients purged the human world of them and banished them to the deepest realms in the Ghost Zone but, they didn't stay there for long. The ghouls became hungry for the souls that dwelled within the Ghost Zone and adjusted their appetite. That led to one of the worst battles in the zone's history. Just by touching a ghost the ghouls could feed off their core energy. The ghouls would eventually consume all of the energy within a ghost's core leaving behind an empty shell that would be discarded and forgotten. The war ended with all the ghouls being annihilated. But somewhere, deep in the lands where the ghouls once roamed, there rested an incantation to bring them back. No one was brave enough to dare enter those lands for fear of more ghouls lying in wait. Going there was practically signing a warrant for your death.

"We'll have to worry about the 'how' later!" Clockwork shouted back at him, "Right now we need to fight them off, just don't let them touch you!" Dan and Nocturne nodded and readied their powers. The three ghosts charged headfirst into the fray, blasting through ghouls left and right. The ghouls tried to swarm over the ghosts, but Clockwork and his companions were smart. They stayed high in the air out of the ghoul army's reach. They plowed through rows and rows of ghouls, leaving nothing behind but piles of ash in their wake. Nocturne called upon his army of sleepwalkers to fight off the ghouls on the ground while they continued to fight from above.

"Fly my children." A voice whispered from around them. The three ghosts paused mid-flight and looked down in shock to see the ghouls start floating up to them, their hands reaching out greedily towards them for a meal. 

"What the hell!?" Dan shouted as he and the two Elder Spirits dodged the incoming ghouls, speeding away from them as fast as they could, "Since when can those freaks fly?!" Dan blasted a ghoul that was fast approaching him with an ectoplasmic energy blast. He put so much energy into it that the ghoul turned into ash the moment the blast hit it. At first Dan was surprised by this new development but the surprise quickly turned into sadistic joy.

"Riona must be growing in her power." Nocturne answered as he summoned more of his soulless sleepwalkers to battle the flying ghouls, "If she is able to give flightless beings like ghouls the ability to fly, who knows what else she is able to do." The starry spirit was taken by surprise as the Time Master flew past him at high speed.

Clockwork morphed his staff into a scythe and beheaded three ghouls with one swing as Dan and Nocturne flew faster to catch up with him, "Not much." Clockwork said, shifting to his elderly form, "Giving an ability like flight in a realm where flight is one of the most basic abilities a being can have is no major skill." Clockwork glanced down at the ground and looked back up quickly to slice a ghoul in half that came rather close to him, "Now, if she were able to make the entire army of ghouls be able to fly, then we might have a problem."

Nocturne and Dan looked to the ground and found Clockwork's statement to be true. While many of the ghouls were airborne a large number of them were still grounded, mindlessly reaching into the air at their fleeing prey. Feeling slightly relieved that they were still mostly safe, Nocturne and Dan continued to blast through their enemies. "So what is our goal besides destroying all these ghouls?" Nocturne asked, morphing his hand into a large scythe and slicing through a row of ghouls tailing them. 

"We are providing a distraction for Riona so that the others can find her base of operations and eliminate her." Clockwork answered, shifting into his toddler form. "I had given Fright Knight special instructions on how to deal with her just before we parted ways." The Time Master shot a blue blast of energy at four approaching ghouls, turning them to ash instantly. Clockwork began to notice that no matter how many ghouls they destroyed, the numbers in the air did not diminish. As a test, he took his scythe and charged headfirst into a cluster of ghouls. He ignored the concerned shout Nocturne sent his way and proceeded with his experiment. As he came closer to the ghouls Clockwork chuckled, "No need to fear old friend. There's no way I'm ending it here." Clockwork eyed the ghouls once more and frowned, "Especially not with these lesser beings."

The ghouls noticed Clockwork approaching and tried to float closer to him, their open mouths drooling in anticipation. As they twirled through the air without grace the Master of Time readied his scythe. He flew straight into the center of the herd and waited for the ghouls to surround him on all sides. The ghouls did as he planned and soon were slowly drawing closer to him. The moment he felt one of the ghoul's hot breath on him, Clockwork gripped his staff tightly and shifted to back his middle aged form. He extended his arms and spun in a circle allowing the scythe to swing freely. The blade cut through each ghoul surrounding him and their bodies dropped to the ground far below. Clockwork watched the bodies make contact with the ground, waiting for the results he expected. And just as he had thought, the number of ghouls that were now in half on the ground were replaced by the same amount of still mobile ghouls.

Clockwork nodded and flew back over to Dan and Nocturne, the latter was glad to see that Clockwork was unharmed. Dan turned another ghoul to ash with a single blast and floated over to join the two spirits. "I have discovered a surprising fact." Clockwork informed them, "No matter how many ghouls we take down in the air, more will rise to take their place. But only the same amount that have fallen, no more; no less." Dan and Nocturne didn't appear to be all that surprised by this fact.

"I guess that means we just have to do a bit more work to make this distraction successful." Dan said with a smirk as he placed a hand on his chin and let it glow with green energy.

Nocturne eyed Dan and smiled, "If we must. . ." He said in mock complaining as more sleepwalkers came into existence around him and his starry arms morphed into scythes. "Then so be it." The Elder Spirit said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

Clockwork turned away from his companions and noticed a large number of ghouls beginning to surround them. He raised an eyebrow and shifted into his toddler form as the three ghosts went back to back. They glanced at each other and shared a nod before flying into the fray, blasting ghouls left, right and center. Clockwork couldn't help but wonder how the others were doing.

Hello, Normal Line Break here. Just to be clear, no one agreed upon the author becoming a Line Break. Just putting that out there. Okay, you can go on reading the chapter now. Have fun!

Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Dani and Fright Knight flew far away from the battlefield where Nocturne, Dan and Clockwork were bravely fighting. Dani noticed the creatures surrounding the castle and gasped in horror. "What are those things!?" She cried out, receiving a quiet shush. Dani blushed as she realized her mistake and repeated the question in a whisper. 

Fright Knight glanced at the battlefield and couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine. "They are ghouls." He answered simply, his tone suggesting that they don't ask any more questions about the creatures.

The three humans were using the slight propulsion system Tucker had outfitted into each of the Fenton Peelers in order to keep up with the two ghosts. "So what's the plan?" The technogeek asked.

"We find Riona's base of operation." The Ghost King replied, keeping his gaze forward. Clockwork's word echoed in his mind.

"Riona's castle will not be hard to find. Just find the place of imbalance and tear through the barrier of the two worlds. Your sword will be more than enough. Once there, do not allow her to charm you. Ignore her words and you may succeed. Nocturne has placed barriers on all of your minds but he is not sure if they will hold once you cross over to Riona's realm. Take care not to get lost. Stay together and find Danny. Free him and bring him back. We will be waiting for you."

For Fright Knight this was already a large task but that wasn't even the worst of it. The phrase that really stuck out in his mind was Clockwork's final words to him.

"The Day of First Death is ending. By my count, we have less than five hours left of the day. Once the day ends, Riona's power will be absolute and you will be stuck in her realm until the next Day of First Death. When the final battle is over, there will be loss. Do not hold yourself responsible for it."

Fright Knight had tried to ask what Clockwork meant by that last part but the Time Master shooed him away. He had been trying to decipher Clockwork's meaning but so far his attempts at finding the meaning behind it proved to be futile. For now, he would keep those words in the back of his mind and focus on the task at hand. Finding the doorway to Riona's realm. 

Just as the thought passed through his mind, Fright Knight felt a shift in his core energy. It didn't hurt him but it did make him softly gasp. The Ghost King noticed it happen to the little ghost clone too. 'Find the place of imbalance and tear through the barrier of two worlds.' Following Clockwork's words, Fright Knight took the feeling of the shift in his core as a sign of imbalance. He continued forward with the others trailing close behind, keeping towards the direction that caused the odd sensation in his core. Dani commented on how she was experiencing odd feelings in her core which only strengthened Fright Knight's confidence that they were headed in the right direction. 

A few minutes later the group arrived at an area of the Ghost Zone that rested only a small distance from the battlefield of Pavor's Keep. There they found something strange. It looked like the rest of the Ghost Zone but it rippled like water. If one squinted at it, they could see a small beam of light coming from the ripple. "This is the place." Fright Knight exclaimed as he dismounted Nightmare. The Ghost King drew his sword, ignoring the questions of his companions. With a single slash Fright Knight brought the Soul Shredder down on the ripple, slicing it open to reveal an empty black mass.

The questions stopped. "I-Is that. . ." Jazz began.

"Yes." Fright Knight answered, "This is the doorway to Riona's realm."

The revelation was met with silence. That is, until Sam decided to speak up, "Well what are we waiting for?" She asked determined. The group didn't answer as they knew there was no need. With Pavor leading the way, the team entered the doorway into Riona's dark realm.

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In a distant realm, four beings sat at a round glass table. The table was divided into four sections, with each section displaying a different point of time. In the top right there was the battle currently going on outside the Great Castle. The bottom right showed the five who were about to enter the Lost One's realm. The top left showed the Lost One wandering around their personal castle. And in the bottom left showed the Diamond.

"This is truly going to be one for the record books." A male with blond hair and feathered wings stated from the right side of the table. The other three beings nodded in agreement.

A woman with long black hair, olive skin, dark red lips and solid black eyes smiled and flapped her bat-like wings, the leathery black membrane reflecting off the glass surface of the table. "It has been such a long time since the four of us got together." She commented.

"And to think we owe it all to you Umbra." A feather winged female added sitting close to her mate. Her normally kind golden eyes flashed with rage.

"Now, now Chiara, don't let that temper get the best of you." Scolded the male that looked similar in appearance to the bat-winged female. "Besides, it is clear we are going to win this battle." He added gesturing to the table, "As you can see, the 'Diamond' is on our side of the board while you two only have your pitiful warriors."

Chiara flapped her wings in annoyance and bit her tongue to hold back some choice words. Fortunately, her partner spoke up for her, "The game isn't over yet Tynan. Our pieces can be quite resourceful."

Tynan raised an eyebrow at this and continued to watch the table. Umbra joined in, keeping a close eye on their 'Diamond'. Though they would never admit it, the Lord and Lady of Death feared about the mental state of their pawn. It was very unstable and could snap at any moment. They could only hope it would last until the end of the battle.

Chiara whispered into her partner's ear, "Lucian, how can you allow this? This is the one day we are allowed to interfere!" 

Lucian smiled and turned to Chiara, "My dear, every day we are allowed to interfere."

Chiara was shocked by his response and Lucian turned his gaze to the table. Not daring to retort she returned her gaze to the table. And so, the Lords and Ladies of Life and Death watched their pawns fight, each wishing for victory. 

A/N: As promised, a quicker update. And a longer one than the ones I have posted more recently in fact.

I wanted to thank everyone who has continued to read this book. I have noticed that with every new chapter the number of reads continues to go lower but, it has not deterred me from continuing to write this book. As I always say 'If no one pays attention to your work, keep doing it even if the only person you are entertaining is yourself'.

So yes, I just wanted to thank you all. Your support and kindness has helped me so much and when I see your kind words on my chapters it fills me with joy. I know I am far from the greatest writer out there but it makes me happy to know that people do enjoy what I write. Thank you all once more and I will see you. . . in the next one. Bye! ;)