Two teens were worried that the wounds were more severe than they thought. Danny looked horrible to say the least. Multiple bruises amd cuts on his skin, not to mention the ruined robe. But it wasn't what scared the ghost teen the most. He was worried that when his family came home, they would find him in such condition, before putting two and two together. If not his father, than the others. But there was a little the teens could do, just bandage the most nasty scratches.

After doing so, Tucker had to leave. It was getting late and Joshua would kill him if he disappeared all of a sudden. Tucker protested, but Danny managed to convince him that he should be fine. When the dark skinned teen left, the half ghost painfully turned to the side, thinking about what just happened and what was he going to do. To sum up, the situation was really bad. If every bypassing ghost could beat him so badly, what could Pariah do? He needed to become stronger, and as quickly as possible. But first things first, he had to heal.

He didn't know how long he was lying there, Danny was in a half asleep condition. He heard some bickering behind the door of his room, footsteps, and finally everything went silent again. Thank Goodness they didn't want to come inside their son's room and take a look at him. Most probably they were too inclined in their thoughts about the recent event. The neverending chat from behind the door was a proof.

Danny woke up early that day. Well, early for him. He tried to drift back to sleep, but found himself unable to. At first he didn't recall the past events, but the stabbing pain in his torso rudely reminded him everything. The teen seriously considered staying in bed through the entire day, pretending to be ill. But then his overprotective mother and sister wouldn't have left him alone. His wounds wouldn't have gone unnoticed. He had to get up.

Slowly, the teen got into sitting position. It was less painful than he thought it would be. Of course, the pain in the torso was still there, but yesterday it pained him to even breath. Now it was gone. Curious, Danny lifted his torn tunic. His eyes became wide as saucers. Just eight hours ago he looked like he was about to die, now the former bruises and cuts looked like an angry cat scratched him in some places. Only one of the cuts still looked like an injury, that's what caused the pain in the first place. So...he had a quick healing.

Danny couldn't believe his luck, wait before Tucker learns about this. They didn't fear the injuries as much as diseases which always followed. Grinning, the teen got on his feet. He put on the spare tunic, which looked exactly the same as the other one. Trying to ignore the cut, Danny went out of his room, deep in his thoughts. Skulker could return, and he won't buy the same trick twice.

"Can you believe it, Mads? Demons, here!" Jack rambled.

Danny stopped for a moment behind the corner, deciding to eavesdrop.

"Honey, you are saying this for the tenth time," Maddie responded.

"Yes, I am, and I will say it again! I was right all along!" The man said in excitement.

"You are strangely excited for it. Jack, there is a Devil's spawn roaming around our town. Aren't you at least a bit worried?"

Danny cursed mentally. He had forgotten about that little detail. But he wasn't going to do anything bad, right? The teen never wanted to harm people...save Dash. Strange pacifism for someone who made weapons, but it was truth. Taking a deep breath, Danny made a step into the room. Both adults looked at him.

"Oh, Danny-boy, we have completely forgotten you are here."

"Shall I feel offended?" Danny said sarcastically.

"Oh, of course not!" Jack said, as usual not getting the sarcasm. The raven haired teen sat at the table. "It's just we are still recalling the yesterday events."

"And...what are you guys planning to do now?" The half ghost asked, poking the food in front of him.

"We must protect ourselves! Plant more blood blossoms, maybe. And since the Devil's kid...what was his name again?"

"Phantom," Maddie added. "What a ridiculous name."

Now Danny really felt offended.

"Yeah, anyways, this kid is dangerous. All of his beating could be a ruse to lower our guard. Poor Father Eshton, he is hysterical that the cross didn't help."

The teen just munched his meal, snorting on the inside. Danny never liked that guy much, he sure meant well, but his constant scolds and lessons to those who didn't ask for them were annoying. In his thoughts Danny didn't notice his parents calling for him.

"Danny!"

He jumped in surprise and looked at his mother. Maddie looked at him in concern.

"You seem to be worried about something. Is everything alright, sweetie?"

"Uhm, yes, I'm fine."

"You weren't there when everything happened."

"I...got hit by debris, it hurt, so I went home," Danny lifted the end of his tunic. "See?"

Technically, he wasn't lying, being thrown through the wall implied that he was hit by its pieces.

"Oh, you poor thing, how do you feel?" Maddie asked worriedly.

"I told you, I'm alright. The cut is just a bit annoying, me and Tucker stopped the bloodloss."

"It will sure leave a scar," Jack noted. "Girls like boys with scars," he said in encouragement.

"So I have to walk around shirtless, what a joy," Danny grumbled, before getting up and out of the house.

'Youngsters', both adults thought without any enthusiasm.

Danny hurried to Tucker's home. A few minutes later he ran into the small room in the basement. Tucker jumped in surprise, throwing his cover away. The dark skinned teen panted in surprise, trying to regain from shock. Danny snorted and sat on a chair. The room was bigger than his, and there was even a tiny window under the ceiling. It was the reason why Tucker hated rainy days, but that's not the point.

"Man, how about knocking?!" He exclaimed.

"I just have something to tell you."

"What are you...Wait, how did you get here? You could barely walk!"

Danny smirked, before lifting the tunic. The expression on Tucker's face was priceless. "H-how?!"

"Apparently, I can also heal quickly by myself. Amazing, huh?"

"Is there something you can't do?" The human asked.

"Well, I guess we will find out. I'll be in the forest, I have a day off, so you can find me there."

Tucker nodded as Danny hurried out of the room. The half ghost went out of the town and into the forest. Of course, Danny had previously checked that no one could see him. He found an opening and looked around. His now enchanced hearing didn't catch anything big, only the sounds of rabbits or other small animals running around. Taking a breath, Danny changed into a ghost form with a characteristic white ring. Phantom took a look at himself.

"Alright, these clothes can repair themselves," he mumbled at seeing that the robes he had didn't have a scratch on them.

"Where shall I begin..."

Danny really wanted to learn to fly. It really would have been easier if he had a trainer. He slowly ascended in the air and steadied himself. Alright, first step was made. With a determined face he tried to find the most comfortable position for moving in the air. He couldn't walk, obviously. Danny leaned forward and pushed himself. It was something weird. The ghosts apparently could do that by instinct, and he was no exception.

"Danny, where are you?"

Grinning evilly, the ghost teen descended to the ground, becoming invisible in the process. Tucker was looking around, his face was clearly showing his annoyance. The human must have been doing this for a while. Well, Danny wasnt going to lift his mood either. He flew above Tucker, before tapping on his shoulder.

Tuckers head snapped back, and the teen jumped and let out a frightful and very manly scream. He just saw Dannys head looking at him upside down. The half ghost burst laughing, holding his stomach and accidentally flipping backwards in the air. Tucker glared at his joker for a friend.

"Ha, ha. You seem to enjoy being half dead, huh?"

Danny abruptly stopped laughing and landed on the ground with a quiet thud. The half ghost narrowed his glowing green eyes and Tucker involuntary shivered. Damn, that look was scary.

"While I love being able to fly, the price is still too big for my liking," Danny said, crossing his hands.

"Oh...sorry, man."

"Relax, Im not offended," Phantom shrugged. "So, what do you think?"

"Well, you are apparently a fast learner," Tucker commented.

"Its more like an instict, actually. Do you think that I can learn other things like that?"

"How should I know?" the dark skinned tailor asked back and sat on the nearest tree stamp. "Ask that Clockwork guy, he should know?"

"I dont even know what the heck he is. And how I am supposed to contact him. I guess I will need to learn to do everything myself. If Skulker comes back, its not going to be pretty."

"I doubt you will beat this walking piece of metal by jumping on him."

"You think I dont know that? Danny deadpanned. Maybe I can learn something. Probably hellfire, or something else."

Tucker shook his head slightly. His friend again sounded too excited about the powers he got from the Devil. But thats why he was there, to snap Danny back to his senses if needed. So far there were no changes, and hopefully there wouldnt be any. Suddenly Tucker remembered something and perked up, looking at Phantom.

"Have you heard the talks in the town?"

"Uhm, no. I was kind of occupied. What is it?"

"Remember how Skulkers hand blew up? People say that the guards brought the surviving parts to Baron Baxter. He is coming here today, and they are going to examine them. They should have invited your parents," Tucker added in the end, making them both laugh at the ridicilousness of such assumption.

"I wonder if the Inquisition will be interested in this."

"I actually meant another thing. Surely we will need that stuff more than them."

"Are...are you offering to steal that thing?"

"Oh, common, Danny. You can fly and become invisible. No one will notice."

"Now who is more of a sinner, you or me?"

Tuckers lips thinned. "You get what I mean."

"Normally I would have condemned this idea, but if we dont think up something, I am as good as dead. Dont you dare to make a joke out of this," the stark haired teen interrupted Tuckers attempt. The latter only raised his hands in acceptance.

Danny turned back to his human form and they went out of the forest down the small path. His friend decided not to comment on how casually Phantom had done that. The guy was certainly improving quickly, it had been only two days. The half ghost decided to talk about something off topic, like each others work. Tucker obviously wasnt going for a promotion, but his constant complaints, which were deemed annoying by many, were funny in Dannys opinion. Honestly, there wasnt a single person in England with such a large vocabulary of non-cussing insults as that tailor apprentices. He even used some words from his native African language or Arabian, which he had picked while being in Granada and sounded amusing twice as much.

"And can you imagine, that al'abalah hadnt payed me a single penny!" Tucker exclaimed.

"You should have called the guards," Danny responded.

"And what should I have told him? Hey, good sir, that bad sir doesnt want to pay me for my dirty clothes? Im payed too few already."

"You arent being payed at all."

"Hitting a sore spot here. But at least I dont live like many 'free' peasants do."

As they were passing the towns border, Danny started to cough. Tucker looked curiously as a gust of air went out of his friends mouth. It was too warm around for the breath to be visible. Phantom seemed confused as well, rubbing the back of his neck and indicating that he didnt know what that meant.

The teens continued going through the street. They stopped near a large keep. As in many settlements, it was the largest building. There was nothing special about it, a castle was a castle.

"So, whats the plan?" Danny asked.

"Simple, you can find a secluded place, become invisible and fly there."

"Hmm, well, I am not complaining."

They went into an alleyway, where Phantom turned into ghost form.

"Are you coming with me or..."

"How am I supposed to? I dont have powers from another world. Just be careful out there without me."

Danny rolled his now neon green eyes. "I just go in, take that scrap metal and go out, what can go wrong?" He asked in an echoing voice.

Tucker shrugged, before Phantom became invisible. Danny demonstrated his newfound abilities while flying above the street and through the wall of the castle. Too sad that no one noticed his steady flight. Danny softly landed on the floor in one of the corridors. It looked rather nice, with a red carpet going through it and a suit of armor standing near one of the doors.

Oh, wait, that was a guard. The pieces of armor couldnt snore.

Phantom quietly went in front of the armored man. His steps didnt even create a rustle on the carpet. The teen never was in that place, like the blacksmiths son would ever be invited to the barons keep. But Danny guessed that an object of such importance and, well, potential evidence to be called a heretic must be kept in a secure place, probably the dungeons. And they were usually bellow the surface. Thats why the teen searched for the staircase. His invisibility was still standing.

Soon Danny was in the underground – a wine cellar, to be exact. It was tempting to grab a bottle, but Phantom decided against stealing. Then a gust of air went out of his throat again.

"Ugh, what is this stuff, its not cold here," Danny muttered, looking around.

Suddenly he heard a rustle behind the crates. Worrying, but curious, the teen peaked from behind the corner. There was a small slightly overweight man in a fur hat and the most simple of clothes. Danny would have passed without any worries, but the guy was glowing and had a blue skin. It couldnt be THAT cold down there?

By accident Danny hit the bottle and it fell on the ground, shattering into pieces. Phantom flinched and the small man turned to him in a blink. There was a moment of silence as the two stared at each other. The man then narrowed his eyes, but the appearance didn't look that menacing.

"Uhm, hello," Danny waved his hand awkwardly.

"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY DOMAIN?!" The man bellowed, floating in the air and pointing an accusing finger at the teen.

"Oh, I...was passing by...Who are you?"

Phantom was strangely calm about seeing another ghost, demon, whatever. The guy really seemed harmless.

"I AM THE LORD OF ALL THINGS SQUARE, I..."

"Shh, pal, can you be more quiet? The humans can find us."

"SO WHAT?! I AM THE FEARFUL BOX GHOST! I FEAR NO MORTAL!"

Danny burst into laughter, grabbing his stomach.

"STOP LAUGHING!"

Box Ghost launched the nearest crate at the ghost teen, but Phantom saw the movement and managed to become intangible. The projectile flew through him and hit the nearest wall. It crumbled into pieces with a loud sound. Danny didn't hear any footsteps, but he decided not to test his luck.

"Alright, I'm sorry," the teen raised his hands. "But please, lower your voice. Can you answer a few questions?"

He tried to calm the ghost down, or the little man would have called every guard around.

"Oh, so you wish to learn the Box Ghost's wisdom?"

"Eh, yes. Were you always here?"

"No, and I seriously regret that. This place is a haven! So much boxes!" Boxy opened his eyes widely, sitting on one of the crates. And even then he was smaller than Phantom.

Danny raised his eyebrow, "Then where did you come from?"

"From the Ghost Zone, of course! There is a portal not so far away."

The teen froze. "Is it in the forest by any chance?"

"Indeed! It opened just a few days ago."

It couldn't be...Danny put a hand on his chin and rubbed it. That damn cultists opened a gateway to hell just behind the corner. Phantom sighed and looked at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck. Everything just kept getting better.

"And now every...ghost can come here?"

"Well, the King's guards are nothing compared to me, the Box Ghost! They haven't even noticed that I sneaked out. It is much better to live here."

Danny's thoughts were now on the conversation. Despite the obvious size of ego, Box Ghost was actually the first ghost the teen met, who didn't speak in riddles or tried to kill him. More than once. He was really curious.

"And what Pariah is like?"

"You must be a newcomer. How did you die, kid?"

"I...eh..."

"Waaait a second, are you actually not offended by this?"

"Should I?"

"Yes, it was really rude. I was just checking. Once again, my cunning showed its results! Anyways. Pariah has been ruling over our world for four hundred years, and so you know, don't go there. He is a horrible tyrant, who cannot be defeated even by me, and I am the Box Ghost! But not many get to even see his image, I am not an exception, so I cannot describe him. But that's enough to stay away from him and his men."

Then Danny preceeded to ask tons of other questions about the other world. And Box Ghost was happy to look wise and knowing. The teen didn't really know how much time passed, and there was nothing interrupting them. Danny surely learnt a lot about the other world, about its features, how it was built and how it worked. It seemed that such things were a common knowledge there. But then the ghosts heard the footsteps and turned invisible. Two men dressed in simple clothes went into direction where the bottles with wine were. While one of them was holding a torch, the other was rummaging through the piles.

"Common, John, Baron Baxter won't tolerate further delays. Brr, it's cold down here."

"Oh, don't be such a crybaby. I found it, just what he needs for a wonderful dinner."

With that they went off, and the ghosts became visible again. Danny's eyes were wide in surprise.

"Is it evening already?" He asked.

"But of course, I knew that, just didn't know you needed to know this."

"Oh, and why did you became invisible? You said you aren't afraid of the humans."

"I...decided to spare them."

Phantom snorted slightly. "You don't mind if I come again?"

"I give you my permission. Be honored, I don't usually have time for the newbies."

For some reason Danny doubted this. "Oh, one more thing. Have you seen some metal thing, you know, which glows green and can shoot...something."

"Oh, you mean this?"

Box Ghost dived in between the crates and took a medium sized chest. He opened it and indeed there were pieces of silvery metal. One part looked almost undamaged. Danny grinned and was about to take them, but decided to ask first.

"Can I take them?"

The full ghost shrugged. "Sure, I was about to empty it anyway. I only need this beautiful chest," he patted its top.

Phantom scooped the metal parts in his arms and smiled again.

"Thanks, I'll be here tomorrow."

"You must make me a favor as well. If someone asks, you don't know where I am."

Danny nodded and turned invisible, before flying out of the room.

A.N. I hope you don't mind my take on Ol' Boxy.