Third Person POV

Clockwork paced back and forth in his grand chamber while Nocturne looked on, a smug grin on his features. "As much as I love watching you struggle, Clockwork, I don't think we have much time to spare while you make up your mind," Nocturne cooed.

Clockwork glared at the shimmering ghost, "We have as much time as I say we do," the Time Master hissed, breaking his normally cool composure. Nocturne merely shrugged in response and began whistling to himself.

As Clockwork resumed his pacing, shifting from form to form as he tried to make a decision, the doors to his chambers suddenly slammed open, startling the two ghosts. In the doorway stood a frazzled Fright Knight.

"I apologize for not knocking Time Master," Fright Knight said quickly, rushing to Clockwork's side, "but I fear we are out of time." Fright Knight went on to explain what had happened that day at Casper High and how he thought the young Prince was acting odd and having difficulties controlling his temper and powers. As Clockwork listened patiently, Nocturne had a hard time stifling a chuckle.

Hearing the laughter, Fright Knight whipped his head around and finally noticed the other being in the room. His eyes immediately were ablaze with fury. "TRAITOR!" he screamed, drawing his sword and lunging at Nocturne. 

The starry ghost's laughter halted as his red eyes widened in fear. He dodged Fright Knight's assault, barely missing being struck by the sword. "Hold on a moment!" Nocturne cried out as Fright Knight's attacks grew in intensity. Now it was Clockwork's turn to hold in a laugh. Nocturne noticed and a growled formed in his throat. "Call off your dog, Clockwork! Or so help the Creator, you'll sincerely regret it," the shimmering spirit hissed.

Clockwork sighed, raising his hand to his staff and adjusting the dial. "Time out!" he shouted and both Nocturne and Fright Knight froze in mid-air. Clockwork floated up to Nocturne, pulling the larger ghost out of harms way and then proceeded to take away Fright Knight's blade. "Time in!" he shouted, slamming his hand on the button on the top of his staff.

Fright Knight swung at air and quickly realized his precious sword was missing. His eyes searched the room until he saw his blade in the hands of the Time Master. "I must ask that you calm down Fright Knight. Nocturne is currently my guest," Clockwork advised, tossing the sword back at Fright Knight, who caught it with ease. Fright Knight looked ready to argue, but knew he would just be wasting breath (even though he had none to begin with). He sheathed his sword and settled for just glaring at Nocturne.

Clockwork sighed and turned his back to the two ghosts. "I fear that what happened many millenia ago is happening yet again," the Time Master said in a hushed voice.

Nocturne stopped his teasing of Fright Knight and suddenly became very serious. "I can sense what you are feeling, Clockwork. You fear the boy is to become the next Pariah Dark?" he questioned.

Fright Knight's eyes widened, "You can't be serious!" he cried out, "Sure, the young Phantom is untrained and undisciplined, but I have seen firsthand his bravery and kindness." Fright Knight floated over to Clockwork, standing in front the elder ghost. "You yourself even said that he was the only hope the Ghost Zone had for regaining its former glory."

"That was before Vizier reared his ugly face once more," Clockwork answered somberly.

Nocturne conjured a starry sofa and draped himself on it, sending Clockwork a pitiful look. "Is that any way to talk of your 'other half'?" the horned ghost chuckled.

Clockwork did not respond to Nocturne's jeer and instead activated his viewing screens. "I have made a few conclusions in my research," Clockwork began, turning to Fright Knight, "the 'earthquakes the Ghost Zone has been experiencing recently was because of Vizier's attempt to escape his prison." Clockwork shifted to his elderly form as he began to float absent-mindedly around the room. "Due to his previous connection to the Ring of Rage, I can only assume he was awakened once Pariah returned and ever since has been planning an escape. Now with Danny owning the Ring of Rage, he has a connection to this world and an anchor that is easily targeted."

Fright Knight jumped in on the conversation, "So you think that because of his connection to the ring he is somehow manipulating Danny and attempting to turn him into the next Pariah?"

Clockwork stopped his floating and shifted to his toddler form. He hung his head and sighed. "That is what I fear," he said grimly.

"Which brings us to why I am here," Nocturne interrupted, rising from his couch as it disappeared into starry dust. He floated over to Clockwork's viewing screen and tapped on the glass. "I sensed that something was amiss in the Great Balance so I have returned to reclaim my former title," he said proudly, shooting Fright Knight a knowing smirk.

Fright Knight narrowed his eyes and reached for his sword. Clockwork cleared his throat, drawing the ghostly knight's attention to him; to which Fright Knight sighed and placed his hands behind his back.

"You willingly gave up your position many years ago, why now do you want to reclaim it?" Fright Knight asked, his words as sharp as a dagger.

Nocturne stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Call it, curiosity," he chuckled, "It's true that after the failed attempt to overthrow the Ancients I feared for my own safety and gave up my title and settled for a life as a mere spirit. Tormenting humans, scaring humans, draining energy from humans, it was such fun... until..." Nocturne looked at the screen as an image of Danny Phantom flickered into existence, "he appeared and ruined my fun." Nocturne turned dramatically as his body shimmered. "Ever since then, I have looked for something new to sate my ever-growing curiosity since humans began to bore me and that boy interested me." 

The screen flickered again to show present-day Phantom's Keep. "When I heard that the young Phantom was to be our new ruler, well, needless to say that intrigued me greatly," Nocturne said with a smile. "Why now, of all times, would you choose to reinstate the monarchy?" The horned ghost asked, turning to Clockwork.

Clockwork narrowed his eyes, "It was not my wish to bring back the royal family," he said in a low voice, shifting to his young adult form.

"Ah, but was it not you who first proposed that idea to the Observant High Council?" Nocturne probed.

Fright Knight's eyes widened as he looked to the Time Master. Clockwork had said it was the Observant's idea to bring back the monarchy, and that he only suggested Danny as a potential heir. The ghostly knight watched as Clockwork's cold expression began to crumble. 

"Whether or not I was the one to suggest a new King should be crowned is none of your concern. Our current problem is Vizier," Clockwork said coldly, changing the subject and clearing the viewing screens. He stared at Fright Knight, who immediately stood at attention. "Go see to our young Prince. Do not leave his side under any circumstances, even when I summon you. Vizier is growing bolder," Clockwork ordered, turned back to his viewing screens, "It won't be long until he makes his move and we must be ready for him."

Fright Knight nodded and left without another word, aside from a sideways glance at Nocturne who now hovered menacingly at Clockwork's side.

Once Clockwork had felt Fright Knight's presence disappear from his realm, he adjusted the time on his staff and gently tapped his main viewing screen. The screen began to rock gently into each other as an image of an all too familiar darkened hall appeared on the main viewing screen. Nocturne gasped softly, but quickly regained his composure as the screen began to ripple and shimmer. He and Clockwork floated into the screen and emerged from a door that rested below a hung painting of the Time Master.

"Incredible, your door is much more interesting than mine," Nocturne grumbled. He began floating to the other side of the room, coming to rest at the covered painting directly across from Clockwork's. "Hmm, now which one was mine again? Oh! Of course," the horned ghost mumbled to himself. He turned to face Clockwork before heading towards the back of the room where the final covered painting on the same wall as Clockwork's painting rested. "Always save the best for last," he mused gleefully, reaching up and tearing down the cloth covering the painting. 

With the cloth removed, the painting could be seen in all its glory. It depicted a mighty horned ghost with a body that shimmered of purple, blue and gold that trapped a night sky within it's powerful image. Nocturne stared up at it in awe. "You never truly realize what you have until its gone, eh old friend?" he said to no one in particular. Inhaling slowly, he placed his midnight black hand on the door in front of him, and waited until a click was heard. The room suddenly became engulfed in a bright light and Clockwork had to shield his eyes. When the light had died down, Nocturne had changed. His midnight black body now held splashes of blue, purple and gold, his horns were turned upward and were more curled, and he was at least a foot taller than before.

Clockwork couldn't help but grin as he felt a familiar energy wash over him. "How's that for interesting old friend?" he asked.

Nocturne grinned, a fangless smile. "It is quite interesting," he laughed loudly. "Now, why don't we spar like the old days?" Nocturne finished by charging his hands with golden energy.

Clockwork let a sly grin grace his normally stoic face as he readied his staff, "I thought you'd never ask."

I AM THE ALL MIGHTY LINE BREAK! I RETURN FROM A LONG HIBERNATION AND GRACE YOU WITH MY PRESENCE ONCE MORE! YOU MAY LEAVE YOUR OFFERINGS AND CONTINUE READING THE STORY!

Danny's eyes slowly opened as his alarm buzzed incessantly. CJ yapped as he bounced on his owner's chest and licked the teen's face. Danny scratched the puppy behind his ears before picking him up and setting the beagle beside him as he sat up in bed. The teen rubbed his temples as he stood and walked over to his dresser. 

His headache had gotten so bad that the day before he had to take a day off of school and he didn't even go on patrol the previous night. Thankfully it had been a quiet night and Sam and Tucker were able to handle it by themselves.

It was now Wednesday, only two days before Danny was to be crowned as the future King of the Ghost Zone. Just thinking about that made Danny's headache worsen and his vision became blurry. He pressed his right hand to his forehead and felt something cold in the center of his forehead. The young halfa took his hand away and his eyes widened in shock as he saw the Ring of Rage pulsing with energy on his right ring finger. Danny gasped and ran to his mirror, staring at his reflection. He was in his human form, no HAZMAT suit in sight. He glanced back at his right hand and saw that the Ring of Rage had disappeared.

Danny blinked a couple of times, rubbing his temples. "I really need to get more sleep," he mumbled before quickly getting dressed and running downstairs for breakfast. 

Normal Line Break here. I have nothing salty to say today, Phantom took away my coffee so I'm currently on my death bed. It was nice knowing you all. Oh, and don't forget to read the rest of the chapter.

Judging stares followed Danny throughout the school as he walked from class to class. His eyes unfocused, color drained from his face and dragging his feet as if he were a member of the undead. His two best friends could only look on concerned, as whenever they tried to talk to him they only received grunts in reply. Even Mr. Lancer decided that it would be useless to try scolding Danny today.

As Danny left his English class along with his friends, his ghost sense went off but he barely paid any attention to it. It was probably just Fright Knight letting the halfa know he was nearby. Unfortunately, the small distraction that his ghost sense did cause led him to walk straight into everyone's least favorite jock, Dash Baxter.

The buff blond whirled around, glaring down at Danny who barely acknowledged that he had run into something and attempted to keep walking. "Where do you think you're going, loser?!" Dash yelled as he grabbed the back collar of Danny's shirt and slammed the smaller teen into a locker.

Danny winced as the impact made him see stars as his headache returned with a vengeance. He felt Dash's hot breath on his ear as the bully whispered, "Don't think I've forgotten about what happened two days ago. But I'm feeling generous today. I'll give you to the count of three to apologize to me, Fen-toenail before I feed you a knuckle sandwich."

Dash began his countdown as he whirled Danny around to face him, still pinning the smaller teen against the locker. Sam and Tucker were desperately trying to get to Danny but Dash's goons were holding them off as other students gathered around, eager to see a fight.

If it's a fight they want, then who are we to deny the people what they desire?

Danny's head whipped around, eyes searching the halls. Who had said that? The teen winced once again as his head pounded and he struggled to keep his eyes open as he heard a ringing noise grow louder in his ears.

This bumbling oaf has no idea who he is dealing with. Make an example of him.

All the noise around Danny began to fade until he could only hear the sound of his own breathing. The world around him seemed to be moving in slow motion. Sam and Tucker were still trying to get to Danny, and failing. Danny blinked and watched a bead of sweat roll down Dash's face as he mouthed another number. His body temperature began to rise as a familiar cool feeling surrounded his right ring finger.

Show them who they should fear.

Almost immediately, Danny's strength returned to him and his eyes flashed a toxic green. Dash stopped his countdown and a confused expression appeared on his face. "What the-" the bully started but never finished as Danny's fist connected with the jock's jaw.

Dash let go of Danny in surprise and stumbled backwards, blinking rapidly. The assault didn't end there, as Danny quickly followed his punch with a swift kick to the abdomen and driving his elbow into Dash's back. The larger teen fell to the ground, cracking his skull against the tiled floor. The raven-haired boy attempted to finish off Dash but was restrained by two pairs of hands, Sam and Tucker's.

"Let me go!" Danny howled, pulling against their grips, heartbeat pounding in his ears. His eyes were fully trained on the semi-conscious football player on the floor like a predator on prey. 

Suddenly, Danny felt a chill overcome his body and his strength left him. He felt the darkness of unconsciousness start to overtake him as he heard a voice scream out in anger.

Very well... I shall withdraw for now. Just wait, dear Prince, they will respect your great power soon enough.

hi! it's the littlest line break! anyone want muffins? they're my grandma's secret recipe *wink* enjoy the rest of the chapter!

When Danny opened his eyes, he was staring up at the stained ceiling of the school's broom closet. The teen groaned as he sat up, clutching his head. Suddenly, a smack to the back of his head had him at attention.

The person responsible for the smack, Sam Manson, was currently glaring daggers at Danny while Tucker merely sat off to the side, staring at Danny with a look of concern painted on his features.

"What the heck was that about, Danny!" Sam practically screamed. 

Danny blinked slowly, trying to recall what had happened before he had woken up in the broom closet. He remembered walking through the hall, bumping into something, hitting the locker and... Dash.

The halfa looked to the floor, as memories of him beating up Dash ran through his head. "I... I don't know what came over me," he admitted.

Sam huffed, her anger dying down slightly after seeing how upset Danny was. "You're just lucky Fright Knight's quick thinking got you out of there," she told him, brushing his bangs out of his face. Danny tilted his head in confusion.

"I offer my deepest apologies, my liege," a hushed voice came from the back corner of the closet. Danny looked over and saw a very sheepish looking Fright Knight. "When I saw how the situation was escalating, I just acted on impulse and possessed you to take you to safety," the bodyguard explained. He refused to make eye contact with Danny, as if he was a child waiting for a scolding.

Danny sighed, "Guys, I don't know what's wrong with me," he said in a hushed voice.

"Maybe it's all this Prince stuff. It's gotta be getting to you," Tucker offered, "Isn't the coronation soon?".

Fright Knight snapped to attention at the mention of the coronation. "That is right! It is less than two days away, you must be stressed because of that!" He exclaimed. Fright Knight inched closer to Danny, "My liege, I know you said before that you did not want to assume the throne and you still have time to think about it. It is a short amount of time, true, but it is still time," the ghostly knight said, trying to be comforting, "And what I said before is true. I will stand by you no matter your choice."

Danny smiled gently at the attempt and sighed once more. "I don't know. I mean, I'm just a kid. I don't know anything about ruling a kingdom, let alone a ghost one," he said, leaning against the wall of the closet. "Maybe, I'll just tell Clockwork that he was wrong. I'm not the King they've been looking for."

NO!

Danny suddenly gripped the sides of his head as his headache returned in full force.

I WILL NOT LET YOU RUIN ALL OF MY HARD WORK!

Danny whimpered and looked around in a panic, trying to find the source of the voice. "Who's saying that?" the young halfa asked, looking from his human friends to his ghost one. They merely stared back in confusion

"Danny, what's happening? What's wrong?" Sam asked, panic in her voice as she watched Danny's condition worsen.

I do hope you'll forgive me, my Prince.

"Danny, talk to us!" Sam shouted, grabbing Danny by the shoulders.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Danny screamed, shoving Sam off of him. He had underestimated his own strength and his shove sent Sam flying to the other side of the closet, causing her to hit her head off the wall and slumped to the ground, moaning in pain.

"Sam!" Tucker shouted, crawling to the goth's side. He inspected her head and saw that she had a bump already forming at the back of her head. Tucker turned to say something to Danny but noticed his half-ghost friend had disappeared, as had Fright Knight.

Tucker held Sam close as he worried about what was happening to Danny, and hoped that at least Fright Knight would know what to do.

Hello darlings, Posh Line Break here. Today I am giving out samples of my newest line of tissues. Extra absorbent and soft, from my exclusive line. Go on, continue reading now you lovelies. <3

Danny arrived at Fenton Works late at night and slammed the door behind him as he entered the house. He began to head towards his room before the voice of his mother calling him stopped him.

"Daniel Fenton! Kitchen! Now!" Maddie's voice came from the kitchen. Danny grumbled and rolled his eyes before walking into the kitchen to see a very angry Maddie. Jack was there as well, giving an equally disappointed look as he sat at the kitchen table.

"I just got off the phone with your school," she started, "You got into a fight with another student?! And now he's in the hospital!"

"Serves him right," Danny muttered quietly under his breath. Though not quietly enough as the keen ears of Maddie Fenton had caught what her young son had said.

"Young man, you are grounded! And you will be visiting that boy tomorrow in the hospital to apologize to him!" Maddie yelled.

"I'm not going to apologize for anything! He started it!" Danny screamed back.

"Hey!" Jack shouted, standing from his seat and standing beside Maddie, "You will not speak to your mother that way. Now go to your room."

Danny turned away without another word and stomped all the way up to his room. He threw his backpack on his bed and opened his window, climbing onto the sill. He leaped from the edge just as his transformation started and flew into the air to go on a quick patrol. He was hoping that there was a ghost causing trouble tonight, he needed to let off some steam.

As Danny flew past an old abandoned factory, his ghost sense went off and a devilish glint appeared in his eyes. He changed his flight path to the factory and phased into the building, immediately spotting the Box Ghost who was innocently stacking boxes and looking inside them. Without a word of warning, Danny fired an ectoblast at the Box Ghost and sent the chubby ghost flying into the wall.

"What the-" the Box Ghost started, shaking his head, "Who dares to challenge the BOX GHOOOOOST?" he finished by raising his arms and wiggling his fingers. He finally noticed Danny and was about to made a snide remark until he saw the fire in the boy's eyes. He had fought Danny Phantom many times, always coming oh so close to winning (in his opinion), but even the idiotic Box Ghost could tell there was something different about the teen hero tonight.

"Um... BEWARE!" the blue ghost shouted before phasing out of the building in a daring escape. The Box Ghost flew as fast as he could away from the factory, trying to put as much distance between him and the halfa as possible. As he neared the park, a blur of black and white appeared in front of him and landed a kick to his face that sent him straight to the ground below.

Dazed, the Box Ghost looked up to see Danny Phantom hovering in front of him, hands charged with ecto-energy. The chubby ghost attempted to escape but was too late as punch after punch landed, each more brutal than the last.

As the Box Ghost suffered, Danny felt more and more elated.

Yes, show them your power. Show them who they should fear.

As Danny landed punch after punch, he was too focused to notice the blue ectoplasm starting to coat his hands, or that the Box Ghost seemed to be getting smaller.

Now... FINISH HIM!

Danny grabbed the Box Ghost by the front of his overalls, and held out his other hand as a flaming ball of ecto-energy formed. His eyes became a solid green as the Ring of Rage appeared on his finger.

"Please," the Box Ghost said weakly, "I don't wanna disappear." His pleas went ignored as Danny's power kept growing. 

Just as Danny was about to land the finishing blow, the silent bystander became a bystander no more. Fright Knight slammed into Danny, landing a swift blow to the abdomen. The shock of the blow was able to stun Danny and Fright Knight took that opportunity to sling his young liege over his shoulder and fly away. The bodyguard didn't bother checking on the Box Ghost, he knew the annoying being would be fine in a few hours, sooner if he returned to the Ghost Zone. 

Fright Knight landed on a nearby rooftop and set Danny on the ground as the halfa began to wake up. His eyes had returned to him just having green irises and the Ring of Rage had disappeared from his finger.

"What... happened?" Danny asked, rubbing his head. He felt something drip on his face and lowered his hand to see it covered in blue ectoplasm. The young halfa's eyes widened as he images of him nearly beating the Box Ghost into a pile of ectoplasm.

Fright Knight lowered his head. "I watched over you but once I saw the Ring of Rage appear on your hand I felt it was my duty to intervene," Fright Knight admitted. He knelt in front of the young halfa and placed a hand on his shoulder, drawing the teen's attention to him. "You are not yourself, my liege," Fright Knight stated, "Whatever is troubling you, you can tell me. I am here to be at your service."

Danny's body immediately started trembling. "It's the ring," he admitted, hugging his knees close to his chest, "I keep seeing it, even when I'm in human form. My powers are out of control, even worse than when I first got them and..." Danny trailed off.

"My liege, I cannot help you unless you tell me what is troubling you," Fright Knight encouraged.

Danny inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "I keep hearing a voice in my head. It keeps encouraging me to do terrible things and I can't stop it," Danny confessed, clutching his head, "It won't stop and I think it has something to do with the ring."

Fright Knight sighed, "I fear this is all Vizier's doing." The ghostly knight stood, pulling the young Prince to his feet. "The Time Master warned me that Vizier was growing bolder, and I believe this is his way of warning us that he is closer than we think," Fright Knight said to no one in particular. He did recall that Clockwork had said his other half tended to have a flair for the dramatic.

"So, what can we do about it?" Danny asked, holding his right hand close to his chest.

Fright Knight cast concerned eyes on Danny. "Nothing tonight. We will skip your scholarly lessons tomorrow and go to see the Time Master, but for now what you need is rest," the bodyguard instructed.

Danny opened his mouth to protest but Fright Knight had already started flying back towards Fenton Works. The halfa sighed, before chuckling to himself, "I thought I was the one who supposed to give orders around here."

Fright Knight had overheard him and whipped around, panic in his eyes that he offended his liege, but quickly recovered when he saw the joking smile on the teen's face. The two conversed all the way back to Fenton Works and Fright Knight promised to stay close and watch over him.

Unknown to either of them, there was a watcher in the shadows... waiting patiently to make his move.

Meanwhile...

At his mansion home, Vlad sat in front of a warm fire, his beloved cat Maddie curled up on his lap. A warm feeling rose in his chest and he sighed. "What is it now?" he asked, gently lifting his cat off of his lap and setting her on the chair.

"There has been a development," the cloaked ghost who had just phased into the room responded.

Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose, "What could it possibly be now?"

The cloaked ghost's eyes narrowed, "It is nothing that affects our current plan, but I encourage you to use caution for the next phase of the plan." The ghost got uncomfortably close to Vlad, staring the elder halfa down. "There is a new obstacle in our path that not even you can handle."

Vlad scoffed, "We'll see about that, now if that's all leave me to enjoy my evening in peace," he finished, turning away from the ghost. As he turned back to his fireplace Vlad found himself staring directly into the red eyes of his cloaked accomplice.

"I suggest you do not take my warnings lightly Plasmius, for to do so is at your peril," the ghost warned. The warning sent a chill down Vlad's spine as he swallowed hard and merely nodded in response. The ghost, satisfied with the answer, left without another word.

Vlad sunk down in his chair, nearly sitting on Maddie, who luckily lept out of the way at the last second with an annoyed meow. The elder halfa's face burned red as he relived the humiliation that he had just experienced.

"Just you wait," he schemed to himself, "Soon, you will be the one that trembles at my words." Vlad's laughter echoed throughout the room, before ending in a cough. "Oh, butter biscuits, too much smoke!"

A/N: Hey guys, I know I've been gone a long time. This seems to be a common pattern, I say I'm back then disappear for another handful of months. But this time I promise I am back for good. I really want to finish this book as I have so much planned for this series. Yes, series. You may have noticed that the title of this book has changed to 'Book One: The Halfa Prince'. One of how many books, you may or may not be asking, that is for me to know and you to wonder ;). Anyway, I do appreciate you all for being patient with me and hope to see you all in the next chapter!