Third Person POV

Danny groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head as he felt a pounding migraine behind his eyes. He rapidly blinked his eyes, trying to fight off the pain as black spots appeared in his vision. He heard a grunt coming from his right and turned to see Sam slowly sitting up and placing the heels of her hands on her temples.

"I feel like I just ate thirty Blood Blossoms," a voice said on Danny's left. The halfa turned to see his techno-geek friend, Tucker, sprawled out on his back with one arm draped over his eyes.

Relieved that his friends appeared to be alright, Danny turned his attention to their current location. The last thing he remembered was staring into the shimmering white abyss that was Nocturne's hand and then... nothing. 

The teens appeared to be in some kind of grand hall that had been long forgotten by time. The walls that once seemed to be white were a dull grey and covered in cracks. The stone floors were crumbling and there were holes surrounding them. There were no other defining features in the hall aside from a glowing ball of light at opposite end of the hall from where the three teens sat.

"Interesting," a voice boomed from above the teens, "I certainly didn't expect to end up here." The young ghost hunters looked up to see a starry night sky blocking their view.

"Where exactly is here, Nocturne?" Danny asked, getting to his feet. Sam soon followed suit as the halfa helped Tucker to his feet. Danny still didn't fully trust Nocturne and had his defenses on high alert, but he had a feeling that Nocturne was genuinely trying to help Danny; in his own weird way.

The Elder Spirit shrunk in size until he was about as tall as an average human adult. He stood in front of the teens and lowered his head gently, before turning to face his confused audience. Throwing his arms wide, a grin appeared on his pink-tinted lips. "Welcome to the Solar Lunox, the realm of the former Elder Spirit of Light, Lumen," he declared, a twinkle in his eyes. Though his cheerful expression faded into one of thought as he placed a hand on his chin and muttered, "Well, not actually, since this all just in your minds."

Seeming to have regained his composure, Tucker groaned, "Awe come on, another Elder Spirit? How many of you are there?" The technogeek's eyes widened as he remembered his asking of that question is what got them in their current situation. He watched Nocturne worriedly as he prepared himself for another wave of discomfort, but to his surprise the starry spirit merely rolled his eyes.

"To be accurate there are, or at least were, eight of us," Nocturne began as he increased in size, holding out his hand with his palm facing the floor. His talons hung limp as eight orbs of starry goop dripped from his hand, four gold in colour and the other four a shimmering black. With a wave of his other hand, four chairs shimmered into existence behind each of the beings in the room. Nocturne quickly collapsed into his chair, motioning for the teens to do the same.

Danny, Sam and Tucker looked to each other before sitting down, with Tucker quickly taking the seat, Sam sitting down slowly with her eyes glued to Nocturne and Danny floating into his seat, crossing his legs underneath him.

The Elder Spirit of Mind held out his hand and the ball of white light at the end of the hall zipped to the center of his palm. "To give a quick summary," Nocturne started to explain as he flexed his hand, "in the beginning there was the Creator. The Creator gave life to two realms, your human dimension and the ghost dimension." As Nocturne continued to speak, the ball of light in his palm grew bigger. As it reached the size of a baseball, four smaller balls of light suddenly broke away from it, with two that shone brightly as the other two appeared to struggle to even stay lit. The four tiny sparks of what remained of the original light source began to orbit around it, like a small solar system.

"Are those the Ancients?" Danny questioned, staring into the alluring brightness. He couldn't take his eyes off the beautiful energy and felt something in his core demanding him to get closer to it as he leaned forward in his seat.

Nocturne was surprised by the question and the lights in his palm shifted slightly. "Yes, actually. How did you know?" the starry spirit answered, narrowing his eyes at the halfa.

Danny was suddenly snapped out of his trance. How did he know that? Sure he had heard the Ancients be mentioned a few times, but for him to just outright guess that Nocturne's little light show was to represent the Ancients was odd. "Lucky guess?" Danny replied with a shrug.

Tucker and Sam leaned forward in their seats to share a confused look. The goth looked up to Danny, concern in her eyes. Ever since the day of Danny's attempted coronation, the halfa's knowledge of the Ghost Zone was surprisingly broader than it had been before. He could now easily navigate through the Ghost Zone without the use of their makeshift map, he was almost always right on where ghosts' would be attacking on certain nights and even his powers had seemed to have gotten a boost. This sudden 'random guess' was just the icing on the cake of weird ghost related things Danny seemed to be an expert on lately.

Nocturne looked as if he wanted to pursue the topic but decided against it and resumed his 'lesson'. "From the Creator, came the Ancients. They were meant to be the keepers of balance between the realm of the humans and the realm of the dead." As he finished his explanation, Nocturne gestured to the set of gold and black orbs he had originally created and summoned them towards him. The orbs shrunk in size and joined the orbit of the four balls of light circling the original light source as Nocturne continued, "But the Ancients were lazy, egotistical creatures that saw servitude as something beneath them. And so, they created the Elder Spirits to take care of all the tasks they deemed were beneath their oh-so mightiness."

The teens watched in awe as the ball of light in the center of the orbit faded and the two bright lights grouped up the four golden orbs while the two dimmer lights grouped the black orbs. Each group floated to the middle of the center of their little circle as Nocturne pointed at the two brighter lights. "The Ancients of Harmony created the Elder Spirits of Harmony, which included Clockwork, myself and..." Nocturne trailed off as the floating orbs suddenly disappeared. He sighed and stood as splashes of blue became more prominent on his star speckled body.

Danny and his friends watched as Nocturne glanced around the area, sighing every time his eyes fell upon another part of the hall. With a wave of the Elder Spirits hand they soon found themselves falling to the floor as the chairs they had been sitting on disappeared.

"Hey!" Tucker cried out, glaring at Nocturne, "What the heck was that for?"

"I am growing bored," Nocturne mused, leaning his head back to look at the drab ceiling. He had thought being a teacher would be interesting, but he was finding it incredibly uneventful. As much as he loved to hear himself talk, even Nocturne could only take so much of the same thing happening, especially in such a boring setting. "Would it have hurt you just to add a little colour to your realm, Lumen?" he grumbled.

Nocturne suddenly turned to face the teens and clapped his hands. "Alright, change time," he declared. With a snap of his fingers, the hall began to warp and shift. The grey, cracked walls shifted to a vibrant white and eight paintings hung on the walls, with four on each side and a door beneath each individual one. The damaged floors rippled as the tiled grey stone was repaired and an elegant red carpet appeared in the center leading from a pair of double doors at the end of the hall to a stone altar behind the teens. Candles were the only source of light in the room but their weak flames appeared to be enough to illuminate the grand hall completely.

Danny, Sam and Tucker began to wander around the hall, amazement in their eyes. As they scanned the paintings lining the walls, they noticed that only two of the eight were out in plain view; the others were all covered by dusty cloths. On the two paintings that could be seen, were depictions of two very familiar ghosts. 

The teens walked to the uncovered paintings, staring up at the grand works. On the one closest to the end of the room was Nocturne. He had a devious grin on his face and the night sky trapped within his large form. A iridescent pendant hung from his curled horns that appeared to be shimmering despite the fact it was a painting.

The other was a painting of the Master of Time himself, Clockwork. Clockwork didn't look any different from how the teens knew him currently in the painting. He had a scowl on his face as a giant blue clock rested behind him.

"What is this place?" Danny wondered aloud, glancing from the painting of Clockwork to the painting of Nocturne. Danny had seen his fair share of ghostly realms in his short time of being Amity Park's half-ghost hero but none of them compared to where he was currently. For some reason, even the energy of this unknown place seemed different compared to the normal Ghost Zone.

"Just as bland as the last realm," Nocturne sighed, his half-lidded eyes scanning the room. The teens looked to Nocturne, clearly unsatisfied by his answer. The shimmering spirit sighed and gestured to the hall. "This is the Hall. Quite the creative name, don't you think?" he said sarcastically as he began to float mindlessly around the room. "It was the place for the Elder Spirits to meet with each other on common ground, as none of our powers work here," he continued to explain, flourishing his taloned hands as gold sparkles shimmered from his palms and then fizzled into nothingness.

"Alright, so let me take a crack at this," Sam piped up, standing in the center of the hall with her hands on her hips. Her back was towards the alter on one side of the Hall as she faced a pair of grand doors on the opposite end. "This side," she said, pointing to the wall on her left where Clockwork and Nocturne's paintings hung, "shows all the Elder Spirits of Harmony. And this side," she lowered her left arm to raise her right arm and point it at the four covered paintings on the opposite wall, "are the bad Elder Spirits."

"Elder Spirits of Discord, yes," Nocturne confirmed, somewhat impressed by the human's cleverness. Maybe not all humans were unteachable morons as the starry spirit had once thought. "In fact, you've already met two of them," Nocturne continued, snapping his fingers.

The cloth covering the painting directly opposite of Clockwork's fell off along with the one directly to its right. The teens were not very surprised by the reveal of Vizier's painting that had been opposite Clockwork's, but their jaws dropped at the sight of the painting next to it; for in all his flaming glory, shined a painting of Pariah Dark, the former King of the Ghost Zone.

"Pariah Dark was an Elder Spirit?!" Tucker exclaimed, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull.

Nocturne nodded. "He and Vizier had grown tired of obeying the Ancient's rules and decided to strike out on their own. They attempted to build a monarchy and bring the Ghost Zone under their control in order to gain enough power to face off against the Ancients head-on." The starry spirit sighed, sinking into a couch that had suddenly materialized beneath him. "But, as you know, they did not succeed. The Ancients learned of their plan and sent the remaining Elder Spirits, Clockwork, myself and the others, to eliminate them."

Danny shook his head, processing this new information and turned to Nocturne, slightly confused. "Wait a second," he started, "Skulker said it was the Ancients that defeated Pariah Dark. He never mentioned anything about Elder Spirits."

Nocturne rolled his eyes, a slight snarl appearing on his pale features. "Of course they took all the credit for it," he mumbled to himself. Turning his gaze to the altar at the front end of the Hall, he glared daggers at the crumbling shrine. "The existence of Elder Spirits were to remain somewhat secret, since our existence went against the Creator's wishes and proved that the Ancients weren't fulfilling their duties. So, most of the events recorded in history that were done by the Ancients were most likely done by an Elder Spirit," Nocturne explained. The starry spirit continued to glare at the altar, as all of his unpleasant memories of interacting with his creators came flooding back. All their condescending glares, their endless demands, their threats if the Elder Spirits didn't do as they were told, like good little pets.

"Who knew the Ghost Zone had such a messed up history," Sam mused to herself. She had just assumed that the Ghost Zone had always been a dimension of chaos that existed without any sense of reason or order; she would never have believed her assumptions to be so wrong.

Nocturne chuckled, rising from his seat as it faded into mist. He shrunk in size so that he was only slightly taller than Sam and floated up behind her. "That barely even scratches the surface of this realm's history, human," he laughed.

Sam glanced over her shoulder at the shimmering spirit, raising an eyebrow. Before she could open her mouth to reply, Nocturne rapidly grew in size until his body took up the majority of the space in the Hall. He gingerly placed a hand on his throat and grimaced.

"Well, I feel that is enough history for one day. If I tell you any more, your little human minds might explode," Nocturne teased, only half-meaning what he said.

The three teens felt themselves growing sleepy as they sunk to the floor. The last thing they saw before they succumbed to the darkness of sleep, was a glittering night sky.

GREETINGS! IT IS THE GREAT AND POWERFUL ME! THE GREAT AND POWERFUL LINE BREAK! SINCE MY PRESENCE HERE IS SUCH A BLESSING, BE SURE TO LEAVE ME LOTS OF OFFERINGS! ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

When the teens opened their eyes, they were back in the castle library. Fright Knight was gripping Nocturne by his horn and holding the Soul Shredder to the starry spirit's throat. When the Ghost King noticed the three teens waking up, he released Nocturne and sheathed his sword. He rushed to the other side of the table, checking over each one of them carefully. 

"I don't understand why you're fretting so much, dear King. If their little human minds can handle Clockwork's realm they can handle a touch of mind-bending reality," Nocturne scoffed, rubbing a glittering hand on his throat to soothe where Fright Knight's blade had touched it.

The Ghost King paused as he helped Sam sit upright. He slowly turned to glare at Nocturne and stood. "Do not mistake my hospitality for kindness, Nocturne. I allow you to roam about my castle as you are of great status. But, if you are to put my former liege and his comrades in danger I will see to it that my generous nature soon turns to a hostile one," the Ghost King warned, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Nocturne was quick to remember the feeling of that blade on his throat and merely rolled his eyes, drifting off to mindlessly look through the bookshelves and their contents.

Tucker sat cross-legged on the floor, slowly rocking in a circle. "Can someone please tell the room to stop spinning?" he groaned, his face growing paler by the second.

"As soon as someone tells my stomach to stop doing somersaults," Danny added, lying on his back, eyes spinning.

Sam was the only one of the three that finally regained their composure as she shakily got to her feet. She felt bile rise in the back of her throat and forced it back down, silently gagging at the acidic taste. "We're never doing that again," she managed to say.

Groans of agreement came from Danny and Tucker as they slowly helped each other up. "As horrible as it was, we learned some pretty interesting stuff," Danny said, pulling Tucker to his feet.

"What did that arrogant fool teach you, exactly?" Fright Knight asked, suddenly appearing at Danny's side, steadying the still dizzy halfa.

"I'm still one of the all-powerful Elder Spirits!" Nocturne called back, though his gripes went ignored by the others.

The three teens relayed the information that had learned as best they could to Fright Knight. The Ghost King listened intently, throwing unreadable glances towards Nocturne every now and then. If Nocturne was aware of Fright Knight's gaze on him, he did not pay any attention to it. When they were finished, Fright Knight sent one last glare Nocturne's way.

"I can see you've all had a very trying day," he began, spinning the teens around to face the doors to the library. "You should all return to the human world and rest. The lessons can resume another day," Fright Knight continued as he practically shoved them out the door, "I will have Percival escort you back." With that, Fright Knight closed the doors to the library, shutting out the three teens.

Before they could even attempt to re-enter the library, the ghost that had brought them to the castle was behind them, ushering the teens down the stairs to the main entrance.

"What the heck was that all about?" Sam wondered aloud, glancing back over her shoulder at the closed doors of the library.

"I'm not too sure myself," Danny answered, casting his gaze downwards at the cobblestone stairs. He had never seen Fright Knight act that way. So concerned, so angry, so... afraid. It confused Danny to no end, but he knew he wouldn't get any answers today. Instead he allowed himself to be led down the stairs and back to the human world. His questions for the Ghost King would have to wait another day.

Normal Line Break here. Dang, the suspense is real. Such mystery, such intrigue. And not enough snacks for me to care. Now, you may go back to reading the chapter as I go hound Phantom about giving me a raise.

The slamming of the doors echoed throughout the library. "Uh-oh," Nocturne chuckled, "sounds like someone is angry." The starry spirit continued to snicker as Fright Knight remained in front of the doors. "You must be really angry to have sent away your beloved liege in such a hurry," Nocturne continued to taunt. "He was pretty shocked to learn that your former master, Pariah was an Elder Spirit. Seeing the primitive shock in their eyes was quite entertaining, though not enough to be interesting. If only I could have shown them-"

Fright Knight slammed his fist against the door, splintering the wood. "Is this why you asked to get close to the young Phantom? To further your own agenda?" he hissed, bringing his hand down from the door, leaving behind flecks of green blood.

Nocturne playfully cocked his head to the side, a mock angelic look on his face, "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said.

"You and Clockwork both," the Ghost King continued, turning to face Nocturne, "you are hiding something. Something to do with the halfa. And I'm being dragged into your mess." He stormed across the room, the flames that made up his cape growing larger with every step. "Ever since the coronation, and even before then, I have had my suspicions, but I chose to ignore them and trust in my faith that the Elders would lead us into prosperity." Fright Knight finally reached Nocturne, floating up to be eye-level with the starry spirit. "I have since removed my blindfold and see you for the devious creatures you are. I do not care what your plans are, but I will not allow any harm to come to Danny," Fright Knight finished, his words laced with venom.

Nocturne stared deep into Fright Knight eyes, trying to understand how to approach the Ghost King's accusations. A fangless smile tugged at the corners of his lips as his eyes turned upwards in glee. A genuine laugh escaped his lips, shocking the Ghost King. "It appears I have been wrong about you all these years, Galahad. Maybe you aren't dumber than a pebble," he teased, floating away from Fright Knight's glare. He wandered aimlessly around the library, noticing the still-unconscious Ghost Writer resting on a couch.

"You have no need to fret over the safety of your precious liege. He is of no use to us dead after all," the starry spirit called back over his shoulder. The sound of a sword being unsheathed rang threateningly in Nocturne's ears. "The halfa's safety is a concern of ours just as much as it is yours," he said, turning around the face the battle ready Ghost King. "We may have different goals, but we share a common interest. If you truly desire young Danny to remain safe, then it is wise of you to allow me to continue to watch over him, not that I really need your permission," he finished with a shrug.

Fright Knight did not answer, but returned his Soul Shredder to its scabbard. He sighed, feeling a pulsing pain in his head. Talking with Nocturne often caused this reaction. If Nocturne was being this secretive there was no chance at all of getting any information from Clockwork. The Ghost King silently gave up his interrogation, settling for continuing to watch over Danny as a loyal guard... no, as a loyal friend. 

A small groan escaped Ghost Writer's lips as he finally started to come around, and Fright Knight chose to focus his energy on that task instead. If Nocturne and Clockwork were planning something, fine. But he sure as hell would make sure that whatever they were planning to do with Danny wouldn't put the young halfa in harms way. 

A/N: I have no excuses for my absence. My mental health was in the toilet for months and I'm finally getting back to my normal self. If anyone is still reading this story I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am determined to finish this story and keep on writing. Thank you all for your support and I look forward to seeing you all in the next one!