Third Person POV

Fright Knight, Sam, Tucker, Jazz and Dani found themselves on the other side of the doorway, staring at an empty blackness all around them. And then there was the cold. It chilled them all to the bone, sending shivers down their spines. It penetrated the Fenton Peeler suits, the metal feeling like ice on the three human's skin. Even the normally fiery Ghost King was finding it hard to keep warm. The flames that usually formed his purple cape had disappeared after only a few seconds in the new realm. Dani was having an even tougher time dealing with the cold thanks to her unstable ice core.

The cold was relentless, the temperature dropping faster and faster. They couldn't waste any time. Each member of the group looked around the sea of darkness, searching for any sign of where Riona could be hiding. "I-I don't s-see anything." Tucker said with chattering teeth. When redesigning the Fenton Peelers Tucker hadn't prepped them for these conditions. Each suit did have a small generator in order to power said suit and it did provide a bit of heat, but with the way the temperature was dropping he wasn't sure how long they would last. If the cold managed to freeze the generators then the suits would basically become metal coffins. They'd be - to put it bluntly - dead in the water.

"W-wait," Dani began, her entire body shaking from the cold, "I t-think I s-see something over t-there." The small clone pointed a shaking finger at a faint spot of light in the distance. If one squinted, they could make out the shape of a pointed tower.

"Then that is where we shall head." Fright Knight stated, sheathing his sword while giving Nightmare a reassuring stroke on her now flame-less mane. The group headed in the direction Dani pointed in, doing their best to ignore the cold and focus on the mission before them.

Normal Line Break here. I suggest you just skip the next part. Pretty intense. Enjoy the rest of the chapter!

She stared into the mirror, observing the image she saw. She looked at the way the light reflected in her red eyes. They rippled in the dim lighting, giving the illusion of a river made of blood. She raised a hand to her right cheek and gently touched the burn mark that rested there. The mark given to her by the old King Pariah. The girl continued to look at herself in the mirror, and ran a hand through her flaming green hair. It was cool to the touch. No, it was cold. Just like everything else that was in her realm. A smile pulled at the corners of her lips, almost everything. The Diamond was not cold. He was warm, and his warmth was becoming hers. She was using his power like so many people had used hers. She took a step away from the mirror and looked at her attire. It was the same suit of dark armor that she had awoken in when she was saved by her Lord and Lady. 

Her reflection smiled, "We don't need them though. We can do fine on our own. Take the Diamond for ourselves and rule like our father before us."

The girl frowned, "But, I can't. They need me. They need us! We are useful to them! Once I show them that I can defeat him then I can rule, just like they promised." The girl lowered her head and whispered to herself, "Just like they promised." As if to convince herself of it.

The reflection laughed at her, "You still believe that after all these years? You really are stupid. It's no wonder how it was so easy for them to manipulate you. You're lucky you have me or else you'd be sitting pretty in the Other World by now." Red eyes flashed with joy.

She looked back up at the reflection, "You're wrong!" She shouted.

"You're wrong." The reflection repeated in a whiny voice, "Grow up. You know as well as I do that the second we finish them off we'll be just another lose end for the 'oh so mighty' Lord and Lady to tie up. They'll get rid of us without so much as batting an eye." The reflection crossed her arms, "And you already got their precious Diamond for them so they really won't have a use for us."

The girl uncrossed her arms and the reflection followed in her actions. She knew the reflection was right. No she wasn't! Why did she keep denying the facts? She wasn't! Her Lord and Lady weren't going to keep their promise. Yes they were! How could she keep believing in them after all the pain they had caused her? They did it because they cared about her, they were the only people who cared. They didn't care.

"SILENCE!" She shouted, launching herself at the mirror.

The reflection smirked, "You can't get rid of me that easily. We're in this together. Until death do us part."

Her fist made contact with the mirror, shattering it. Pieces of glass cut into her skin staining her knuckle with green blood. Yet she felt no pain. That, or her rage was masking it. Her body was shaking from rage. The reflection didn't know what she was talking about, her Lord and Lady cared about her. Didn't they? 

"No they don't."

"SILENCE!" She screamed against, slamming her head into the wall where the mirror once rested, "YOU'RE WRONG!" 

"You know I'm right."

She wanted it to stop, why wouldn't it stop? Make it stop. Again and again her head slammed into the wall. A loud crash sounded from below her and she stopped. A small trail of blood ran down the center of her forehead and slid down her nose, dripping off the tip. She followed its descent to the floor where it landed with a silent plop. Her head pounded with pain and she reached up to touch her helmet. She closed her eyes, thankful that she had been wearing it. If she hadn't she could have damaged herself. Drawing herself up, she turned away from the remains of the mirror and walked out of the room grabbing her spiked gauntlets as she walked out the door. She had to go and meet her newest guests downstairs.

I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL LINE BREAK! AND I AM VERY SCARED AFTER READING THAT! I AM NOW GOING TO HIDE WITH A BOX OF COOKIES! ENJOY THE REST OF THE CHAPTER!

That dot of light that Dani had spotted turned out to a large castle. The castle was nearly identical to Pavor's Keep aside from one tiny detail. At the top of the highest tower rested a large swirling mass of blue energy. "H-How the heck did w-we miss t-that?!" Tucker exclaimed, pointing his chin up at the swirling energy.

"Not sure. M-Maybe we can ask whoever is inside." Sam said sarcastically. Tucker shot her a weak scowl.

"This is no time to be joking around," Fright Knight said, dismounting Nightmare, "We must stay vigilant. We don't know what to expect from Riona." The Ghost King drew his sword and the others readied their defenses. Fright placed a hand on Nightmare's back and gave her a gentle tap. Nightmare reared back and charged towards the grey, wooden entrance doors of the castle with the others following close behind. 

The majestic steed crashed into the doors, slamming them open in an instant. The others rushed in after her and readied their weapons. Fright Knight stroked Nightmare's back and gave her a quick thanks. He then turned to his companions, "Our entrance has surely not gone unnoticed. Riona and whatever forces she may have here will soon be upon us. We must hurry and find Danny and defeat Riona." He informed.

The teens nodded. They all did their best to quickly stretch out the stiffness in their bones left by the cold. It was far warmer in the castle than outside it and soon the cold was all but a distant memory as their bodies returned to a normal temperature. As the team prepared to split into teams and explore the castle, the sound of applause echoed above them, stopping them in their tracks. Five heads slowly turned upwards to see a figure floating above them, their body encased in dark armor and flaming green hair peeking out from beneath their helmet. Riona.

She grinned at her surprised visitors, slowly floating down to the ground to greet them.  "Hello," she greeted warmly, "I'm so glad you all could come. I was beginning to worry no one would attend my party." Riona's feet touched the ground and she snapped her fingers. A chair appeared behind her and she sat down. 

Fright Knight rushed at the twisted ghost, his sword aiming for her empty core. Riona merely smiled at him and snapped her fingers again. As Fright Knight reached her she disappeared. The Ghost King looked around the throne room wildly as did his companions. "Now, now," echoed Riona's calm voice, "It is very impolite to try and kill someone at their own party." The girl laughed wickedly at that as the memory of her killing the mate of the Ghost King appeared fresh in her mind.

"Keep your cool guys." Jazz warned as she noticed everyone begin to bristle with rage, "We can't let her get under our skin." Heeding the older girl's advice, everyone did their best to calm down.

"Ugh, is she always this boring?" A voice said from behind Jazz. The teen whipped around and fired at the source of the voice, but Riona had moved quickly moved on. "Quite the jumpy little thing, hm?" Riona appeared once more, this time beside Fright Knight's horse Nightmare. She stroked the horse's back gently and whispered in its ear. Nightmare's legs soon began to shake and she fell to the ground hard, lying motionless.

Fright Knight looked down in horror at his still steed and Riona snickered. "It's not dead." She said him, as if it were all some practical joke.

The Ghost King turned angry eyes on the psychotic ghost. He readied his sword and prepared to run Riona through. The ghost girl made no sign of her attempting to dodge the impending attack. The others backed up Fright Knight and they all charged at Riona. Once Fright Knight's sword was seconds away from impaling Riona straight through the throat, the girl took one step to the side missing the killing blow. The others whirled around to adjust their aim and fire but froze the second they saw the limp figure now in her arms.

"Shh," she whispered, placing a metal finger to her lips and casting her eyes lovingly down on the unconscious figure in her arms. "We wouldn't want to wake him now, would we?" 

The five heroes found themselves at a loss as Riona petted her captive's snow white hair. Danny Phantom hung limply from her arms, his eyes closed and his skin far paler than normal. At first they all feared he was dead, but the slow rise and fall of the teen's chest soon got rid of that fear. Riona saw the relief on their faces and smiled, reaching behind her back and gripping a leather hilt. "Stay back," she warned as she pulled out a golden dagger and pressed it against the soft, vulnerable flesh of Danny's neck, "Or the Diamond dies."

I AM THE ALL MIGHTY LINE BREAK! THAT IS ALL!

Clockwork, Nocturne and Dan continued to fight the endless army of ghouls. Their clothes, weapons and any exposed skin was covered in countless amounts of ghoul blood and guts. It burned their skin as the acidic remains of the ghouls began to disintegrate on them, but they fought on. 

Nocturne summoned another army of sleepwalkers to fight off an incoming herd of ghouls. He called back to Clockwork, "We can't keep this up much longer!"

Dan appeared by the starry spirit's side and unleashed his ghostly wail on another herd. He grimaced as he saw even more ghouls rise from the ground to take their fallen brethren's place. "As much as I hate to agree with an Elder Spirit, he has a point Old Timer." Dan shouted as he fired an ecto-blast at a small pack of ghouls, "We need to fall back."

Clockwork shifted into his middle aged form and swung his scythe, slicing an entire row of ghouls in half. He chuckled to himself, "The fearsome Dan Phantom suggesting a retreat? I thought I'd never see the day." This caused him to receive an angry glare from the deadly ghost. 

"Not a retreat," he retorted, "Merely a regroup."

"Ah, I see." Clockwork laughed as he flew out of reach of a ghoul's greedy fingers. From above the crowd, the Master of Time could see a clear path to the castle. "Quickly!" He shouted, pointing at the opening in the swarm of the undead. The other two ghosts spotted the opening and made a mad dash for it, blasting away any ghoul that crossed their path. Clockwork followed after them, covering them from behind. The three made it to the castle without much incident, only suffering an occasional burn from the steaming blood and innards of the ghouls they vanquished. Slamming the large doors closed behind them, the three ghosts retreated back into the throne room. Their cores were pulsing with energy and adrenaline raced through their veins.

Nocturne was the first to speak, "I am going to see if we can reinforce the castle. Maybe then we'll find a way to gain the upper hand." Clockwork nodded and watched the Elder Spirit leave. That only left him and Dan now.

Dan smiled, baring his fangs. He licked his lips, tasting the burning blood of the ghouls that rested on his face. "You know Clockwork," he said, fiddling with the charm around his neck, "You may not be as bad as I thought you were."

The Master of Time raised a suspicious eyebrow to the compliment but otherwise said nothing. Dan left the room to go who knows where, but this didn't concern Clockwork. The rogue ghost couldn't go very far without it leading to dire consequences, and he knew it. What did concern him was the presence that was hiding in the room with him. "You may as well come out,"  he called, "You know I can sense you."

Serenity sighed and dropped her invisibility, floating to her mate's side. Clockwork turned to angrily face her. "You are not allowed to participate in this battle." He scolded, "It is against the laws and I will not have you-"

"Clockwork." The female spirit interrupted. She swallowed hard and tears came to her eyes. "They are watching us." She warned. Clockwork's grip on his staff loosened and he shifted to his toddler form. Serenity continued, "In the medical wing, you knew they were there. They spoke with me. They're watching you, and him."

For once in his entire existence, Clockwork felt fear grip his core. 

"They know about the Pendant. They know what we did. One of us is going to suffer the consequences of our betrayal." Serenity continued, her eyes drying of tears in an instant.

The Master of Time looked up at her and frowned, "Not if we do something first!" He retorted. 

"You can't possibly mean-"

"I do." Clockwork answered, not allowing the beautiful spirit to finish. He sighed and shifted to his elderly form. "It is not going to be pleasant but if all goes as I have foreseen it, then we will finally be free." The Master of Time saw the hope in Serenity's eyes and chose not to inform her of the horrible price that would have to be paid in order for their freedom to be absolute.

But little did he know, Serenity was fully aware. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around the purple clad spirit. "I will pay the price." She whispered in his ear. Clockwork began to protest but she continued before he could utter a syllable. "I know you disagree, but it is what must be done. My time is drawing near. Your time, I do hope, shall never come to pass."

"But I have seen-" Clockwork interrupted.

"Nothing." Serenity snapped. She pulled away from Clockwork and stared him in the eyes. "You have seen what they have wanted you to see. They are using you." The male spirit frowned at this. "I know you have seen the true future but it can be changed, as it did all those centuries ago." Serenity told him.

Clockwork lowered his head in shame and felt a lump form in his throat. The normally emotionless spirit's walls were finally crumbling down. "If it must be done..." Clockwork's hand reached for his staff as the tip morphed back from a scythe to a small clock and he twisted the hands. "Then it shall be so."

The two spirits embraced, holding each other tightly. Neither shed a tear, nor said a word. There was no need for any. Just this moment was more than enough. As they slowly started to pull away, their heads drew closer. Serenity's lips met Clockwork's and they gripped each other tighter. Eyes closed and the sounds around them faded into nothing. The walls of the castle became non-existent as they floated into the air, locked in their soul binding embrace. Their spectral tails entwined as they slowly returned to reality. Their lips broke apart gently as they pressed their foreheads together. The walls returned, the sounds return, the feeling of what was to come sank into their cores.

Finally the two spirits broke apart and Serenity turned to leave. "I will see you in the final battle, my Soul."

Clockwork merely nodded in response.

The Spirit of Order became unsure of herself as she struggled in a self debate. Finally, she decided that she was done living in fear and was going to tell him one last truth. Flying back into Clockwork's arms Serenity whispered, "The daughter lives." With that, she flew away from Clockwork, tears threatening to spill over.

Clockwork floated in the middle of the throne room, shocked. Nocturne and Dan returned to find the spirit still frozen in place. They tried to snap him out of whatever trance he had gotten himself into but it was no use. Only after Nocturne threatened Dan for threatening to snap him out of it with an ecto-blast did Clockwork come to. 

As the ghoul's pounded on the walls of the castle, searching for a way inside to get to their prey, the Master of Time sought an explanation to Serenity's words. And one came. As the moans of their enemy grew louder Clockwork whispered to himself, "The Heart."

And the castle walls began to fall.

'When sky turns red, and day turns night,
When castle walls fall, and spirits take flight.'