"You truly are a demon."

Sam looked up at her King, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"What makes you say that all of a sudden?"

"I am witnessing a travesty against the very nature being committed in front of my eyes."

"Come on, I may not know customs, but I am certain that it's nothing. I'm just eating salad."

"In Nasty Burger of all places? Nobody comes to fast food joints for damn salads! That's an unspoken rule! A tenet!"

"Oh, hush, Majesty. You are overdramatising. Besides, I told you I don't consume meat."

"That makes only one of you in the entire Gehenna," Danny sighed, "Fine, I guess that's one one me for bringing you here."

"A cheap joint so you could save money?"

"Hey, I'm not exactly burning with desire to waste my wealth on luxury. That's pretty much all I need."

"An ascetic way of life? That's unexpected."

"I wouldn't call it that," Danny made a slurp of coke, "I'm just not spending money on things I don't need."

The demoness in front of him hummed thoughtfully. The King struck her as completely the opposite of what she was hearing.

"So, what did you do while in Gehenna?"

"I visited some friendly acquaintances, killed a couple of nuisances, and established a contact with the person I need. All in all, I call it a success."

"Have you considered meeting with other kings?"

"Good joke, Sammy. What next, am I to meet Satan? No, thanks, I value my afterlife."

"So you cower."

"There is a difference between cowardice and carefulness. I've done enough to get the scorn of theirs. I don't wish to poke this hornets' nest. Let them make the first step. Satan is a God of Gehenna. And, ironically, he shares something in common with the Lord above. He sits on his ass without interfering with anything which is not his direct plan. I'd like to keep it that way, and I'm sure you want it too."

"We all are but subjects of Lord Satan."

"That we are. But there is no harm in us going about our existence, don't you agree?"

They continued to dine in silence. Danny couldn't help but notice how well-mannered the demoness was. You would assume that a person living in the forest would have no understanding of etiquette, but she handled the fork and knife quite well, if a bit clumsily. It was funny how the two of them just casually sat in a diner, undisturbed neither by exorcists nor demons. At such moments he thought that maybe the latter were not much different from humans. Phantom knew that Sam never was alive to begin with, she was born as a spirit. And yet there was little to differentiate her from the other visitors of Nasty Burger.

His visits in Gehenna were not happening often. Phantom knew that the realm could live without him, Mephisto had long since abandoned his and everything was fine. The Demon Kings were merely the strongest of their respective kins, nobody obliged them to actually rule like human monarchs did. And each visit of Danny's ended with someone getting killed. The fools who sought to replace him always underestimated their new King. Because in Gehenna, with no secret uphold, he had no reason to held back on anyone.

After the food Danny kindly agreed to walk Sam to an apartment he had got her. Phantom needed to unwind in the real world too. The demoness remained silent, cautiously peeping inside every twist and turn of the road. This got a chuckle out of the king.

"You don't need to be afraid of exorcists just popping up. They don't work like that."

"Then how do they work?"

"Something happens, they get a call all ghostbusters-like, and then go and...exorcise."

"You have such a way with words, Majesty."

"Thanks...wait, it wasn't a compliment, was it?"

Sam smirked, "Take it as you will. I didn't put much in this phrase either way."

Phantom snorted.

"Still, for how long do you think they will follow this doctrine?"

"They have been since the beginning."

"They didn't have the son of Satan before. What happens if they decide to go on offensive and just rid Assiah of us for good?" Sam stopped and looked Danny into the eyes, "Where will your loyalties lie then? And what half of you prevails?"

Phantom sighed, putting hands in his pockets, "I don't know, Sam. Is that what you want to hear? If you turn out to be a threat worth going out of the way for, I am not moving a finger. Does that answer satisfy you?"

Her look turned colder, "As if. If our own King does not step up then who will?"

"Then don't start the invasions akin to Pariah's. A simple rule meant to keep both sides safe and not at each other's throats. Let us not give the humans any reasons to break this stalemate."

They had long since reached the front doors of the building. Sam looked around, wondering if anyone would notice her vanishing from sight. Finding nobody, she turned to her companion.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Phantom. Or we all are going to be in danger, you must realise this. And thank you for the nourishment, lacking as it may have been," she smiled half teasingly.

Sam didn't need a key, she just turned invisible. Danny sensed her movements and followed her with his eyes up until certain window. Phantom sighed, rubbed his temples and turned to leave. He would never understand that girl. Well, as long as she was satisfied and did not harm his shaky relationship with her father. Happy daughter equaled a happy parent. Most of the times.

When Danny entered the dorm, it was quite late already. In a paper bag he carried several tomes that he had fetched, and if one was to look inside, they would have noticed the odd dim glow of the energy that was yet to wear off. Phantom knew that ahead of him lied one restless night, filled with researches on the topic. He wasn't happy, but once setting his mind on it, Danny always did what he wanted. Unfortunately, on his way to the room he encountered a very suspicious obstacle.

"Where have you been?" Asked Yukio in an interrogative tone.

"Good evening, Daniel, how have you been? Fine, thank you, Yukio, you finally learned some manners," Danny mocked the teacher, earning himself a glare. "I have the right to go out whenever I want."

"It doesn't mean that I won't be checking just where you have gone to."

"There is no need for that. I was in Gehenna, plain and simple."

"You. What."

The look Yukio kept giving him was priceless. Danny chuckled, showing him the bag, "There is one library. The owner is a good acquaintance of mine, so he occasionally lends me books."

Okumura snatched the bag and took out the first glowing book. The letters on the cover were a gibberish he couldn't understand.

"What are these about?" He demanded to know.

"About Satan mostly. I won't be surprised if it is just some fanatical rant about the Lord of Gehenna, but I may pick something useful from it."

"Why would you even want to know?"

"Didn't Mephisto tell you? I am to train your brother on how to use his power."

"This isn't up for discussion! He cannot be allowed to let those flames loose."

"And that is why I step in. The flames must not be allowed to run rampant, of course it is like that. That's what I am doing, teaching him to keep this shit under control. I know how that feels, teach. If you ignore this power, it will devour you whole. Kurikara prevents such an outcome...until it is broken."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you haven't foreseen this outcome. I know more about how it all works. These tomes will help me become a better trainer. If you want to stand in my way, be my guest, but you should ask Mephisto, not me. It was his idea."

And with that Danny took the book and went to his own room.

Phantom greeted the next morning with bags under his eyes and triumphant glee. Lying on his bed, he shared it with five tomes opened at random places, a notebook with his own writings on it, a broken pencil and a pen that had left many blue stains on his covers. And albeit he was tired from the meagre sleep, Danny wasn't about to go back to it. The part he inherited from his parents was, undoubtedly, their scientific curiosity. And until he tested his findings he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. Thus, he had to get up, even though it was a day off. After putting on the usual T-shirt and jeans and going through the morning rituals in a drone-like manner, Danny went down to eat.

Rin noticed him, distracted from his food consumption. That would be the best wording.

"Damn, Danny, you look like shit," he commented.

"Well, I do feel like being flushed down the toilet," Phantom moaned, "It better be worth the effort."

"What do you mean?"

"We will be doing something after the breakfast."

"I...actually have to study. I've been postponing this stuff since forever."

Danny actually glared at him, "This can wait. You are coming with me."

His tone made it clear that Rin could not say no. Soon after he was already pulled in an unknown direction, and the one-sided tug of war was over once the half demon was pushed inside an empty room. There was only one lightbulb hanging on a wire, and not a single window. Danny switched the light on and entered after his companion.

"What gives, Danny?!" Rin exclaimed.

"That's the answer I would like to ask Mephisto. I'll be brief. I am to train you."

"Wha? Really? But you..."

"Scored even less than you? Yes. But I do have the expertise. Especially in the workings of half demons. That's what I need to ascertain. Your true demonic potential."

Rin just stared blankly at the teen, "Are...are you sure? So far everyone has been telling me to keep it shut. That's a strange change."

"I believe that Mephisto sought this very thing since the start. It is for your own good. Seeing as your power is quite destructive, we need a proper training ground. Don't freak out, please."

Before Rin could ask what was happening, Phantom clapped his hands. The surroundings changed immediately, and instead of a damp, empty room, before their eyes appeared the green and black sky of Gehenna, and below there was a rocky ground.

"What the hell?!" The half demon exclaimed. "Where are we?!"

Danny smirked, "Call it my own personal domain. My very own pocket dimension that only resembles Gehenna and is nowhere near it. Well, it is connected to both worlds, but nobody is going to interrupt us here, I assure you. Such dwellings block all the power from being sensed."

"That's...insane...how am I going back?"

"There is no way. Until I decide that the training is over."

Rin could swear he saw a malicious glint in the other teen's eyes.

"If I am doing it, I will get it right, Okumura. Now, shall we begin with lecture or should we get straight to practice?"

"I want..."

"Too bad. Lecture comes first. Now sit."

At his words, a wooden desk popped out of nowhere, and Rin was now sitting right at it. Danny himself floated in the air in a relaxed position.

"Where should I begin?" Danny looked at the notebook. "We both are half demons. Unlike usual demons we have physical bodies, working by the same principles as human ones, but with certain bonuses connected with physiology: immunities, regeneration and such. Our power, however, comes from Gehenna."

"I know that already," Rin muttered half-angrily.

"We get there when we get there. As far as I am aware, and as I theorise, your sword is acting as a tiny gateway for your power to seep in from another world. I simply tap at my power and it comes. I too couldn't stay in one form at first. They just kept switching whenever they saw fit because I had no finicky magic swords. You can say that this is an amateur mistake. As you can see now, my form is sealed completely, no ears, no spectral tail."

"So I have to learn to switch even without the sword?"

"Not exactly. To do that we will have to break it," Danny lied back in his nonexistent seat. "You have three guesses as to why this is not an option. Besides, what you have now works fine as it is. I'll continue. Transmitting power from one world to another is not a simple task, for that you need a sort of beacon. Every demon has a core of its power. It is always with us, just hidden. The problem with you...is that instead of opening a tap you open the entire floodgates. You lack control over the output. Kurikara saved you from being consumed by power before, but now I won't discern anything. I almost froze to death when my own core began pumping the energy my human body was unable to handle. I needed to release the pent up power. I still do."

"Wait...does that mean I'll burn to a crisp?!"

"Yes. Eventually, as your power grows, the sword won't be able to keep you together. It will lead either to that, or..."

"Or..."

"That is just the theory I got by reading the books. In short, let's just say that what is human in you will die off. Your demon side will try to compensate and, well, you can guess the results. This shall be your stimulus to listen to everything I say here."

"I will do it!" Rin said with determination, jumping from his seat, before starting to ponder, "What do we need to do, though?"

"First, I will need to make sure that you won't burn me as you release more and more. Eventually you will learn to exert more and more without losing precision and control over the fire. A little demonstration."

Danny's already ice blue eyes began to glow, emitting something like an object taken out of a freezer. Pointing his hand in a random direction, he fired a blue beam. With cracking sound, something began to form behind the icy steam. Rin wondered if Danny could see anything at all behind it. Finally, after a couple of seconds, the beam finished its job, the steam evaporated, revealing an ice statue of Mephisto. A very precise one.

"Wow, have you considered becoming an ice sculptor?"

"Nah. I don't think that's my vocation. You see what one can do with enough control. Now, take out your sword."

Rin did just as instructed. He unwrapped the sword, grabbed the hilt and pulled. Immediately the power of Satan was released, changing the appearance of the teen. The azure flames fiercely jumped around, almost reaching the trainer. Phantom smirked at the sight.

"Now toss it aside."

"What."

The king landed on his feet, "The sword is just a blocker. It will work no matter the distance. I am to train the very thing it stands in the way of. Your flames. Again, nobody is going to steal your sword here. There is nobody but us."

Hesitantly the teen put his blade on the desk. He was still unsure as to what exactly Danny had in mind, and whether or not he should really follow with it. But if the king's words were true, he had no actual choice. Still, parting with the sword in a middle of nowhere was worrying him.

"Well, now what?" Rin asked as the flames around him flickered.

"See the statue? This is your target."

"So, I just hit it."

"It's no big brainer," Danny assumed a lying position in the air, now floating near his companion, "No, our task will be more difficult. What you will have to do is to engulf this entire statue in fire. But. You have to melt only his head, without the rest."

"But won't the ice melt anyway?"

"It's no ordinary fire and no ordinary ice. We will learn precision, which, in our case, is synonymous with control."

"Okay, I've got it."

"No, you haven't. But we will try."

Rin gave a deadpan expression upon the lack of encouragement. Still, he closed his eyes and outstretched his hand, with the flames leaping forward. The result was just as Danny had expected — the statue was half shattered, half melted after the impact.

"As much as I enjoy seeing Pheles in such condition, you obviously failed. I can make new ones, though."

"For...how long will we be trying this?"

"Until lunch. Then I will go get some sleep."

Danny fired another beam, making the second statue in a matter of seconds and knowing that it was hardly the last one. He knew that eventually Rin would grasp the concept, but it was likely to take weeks, he didn't actually expect anything solid on the first day. Still, he needed to know what he was working with. They kept going at it for about half an hour.

"You've taken it really seriously," Rin commented, launching fire again.

"Eyes up front," Danny responded bluntly, half-asleep. "Concentrate on burning Mephisto's mug."

The teen turned away, thinking about how dedicated Phantom seemed to be, despite what he said. After all, he obviously was exhausted himself, but was still determined to train Rin. Whatever his motives were, the half demon appreciated it. He knew that Danny was a nice guy beneath it all. Which did not mean that the exasperation about the lack of results was not there.

"Ugh! This just doesn't work!" Rin exclaimed after seeing another statue vaporised.

"Relax. Anger won't help you," Danny yawned, "It will do the contrary, actually."

"Easy for you to say, you learned it on your own. Gotta have more talent."

Phantom rolled his eyes, "If not for the help of a tribe of demons that basically worships me, I wouldn't be around. They taught me this stuff about the cores. Yes, my study took a couple of days of nonstop trainings. I wouldn't expect you to master the stuff quicker. Now. Blow his head off!"

Another icy Mephisto appeared. Danny obviously wanted to blow him apart himself, but he wasn't supposed to take Rin's bread. The teen noticed this and wondered just what about the Headmaster pissed his trainer off so much.