Legends And Old Gods

Phantoms hasn’t really been a member of the League for all that long. But despite being recruited less than a year after his debut in the modern era and having been a member for even less time the amount he’s accomplished is almost staggering. A heavy hitter that can keep up with Superman, master of technology, stealth and infiltration expert, healer, nearly immune to magic and capable of ripping through even the strongest of spells and more. With thousands of years worth of combat experience to boot. The full hazmat thing he’s got going on is kind of unsettling at first but anyone who’s spent more than 30 seconds in his presence will tell you that his power is easily rivaled, or even outshone, by his kindness. The thought and effort he puts into minimizing collateral, the care and gentleness he shows every civilian he saves, the compassion and forgiveness he offers every villain, there’s (nearly) nothing bad anyone can say about him.

Nearly.

There is one thing. Just one tiny problem. He’s sexist.

He at least try’s to keep it to himself and hide it, but he’s really bad at hiding it. Avoids all the female hero’s like the plague, comes up with excuse after excuse to avoid working with them, trades monitor duty shifts(even taking on extra ones) to avoid being in the same room as them, damn near refuses to do training exercises with them, comes up alternative plans in the field that just so happen to not involve him having to fight along side them. And when he does he can’t seem to make up his mind on whether or not he wants to ignore their existence or act like they’re made of glass and need to be rescued every other second. Seems damn near insulted any time a woman has the gall to help him out in a fight. It’s really starting to get in the way in the field, which means it’s time to sit him down in a meeting and make him figure it out.

So. Danny’s “never be in the same room as a responsible adult” plan has Not been working as well as he’d hoped recently. Primarily because he joined the Justice League. Genuinely kind + competent + emotionally intelligent + responsible == a pain in Danny’s neck. He did a grand total of 1(one)(singular) monitor duty shift with Black Canary and now any time he’s even slightly emotionally overwhelmed or stressed his Core screams at him to go talk to her, he can’t fight around any of the female hero’s without his Core going “oh no, Danger! Hide behind Mom!” and he can’t ignore it without outright ignoring them or overcorrecting and not letting them fight at all. Wonder Woman saved him one time, just one, and he still can’t be in the same room as her without getting drowsy because his Cores losing it’s shit over finally having someone he knows will keep him safe while he rests. He’s not even bonded with any of them and it’s driving him nuts.

If he does wind up bonding with one of them? If Black Canary gains the ability to feel if he gets a panic attack, wakes up screaming or just needs to talk? If Wonder Woman can just know that he’s injured or in danger? He’ll never half-live it down. Unacceptable. Nuh uh. No. He Will Not let his Core bond with Anyone. Unfortunately he’s got a meeting coming up with literally every female member of the League, and (hopefully) a few of the male members that he’s already skipped twice but they’re still insisting he needs to go to. Hopefully it’s just quick and easy and he’ll be able to get out dodge before Hawkwoman starts asking if he needs any help vanquishing his enemy’s again.

I initially imagined this prompt with a FullHazmat and NoOneKnows AU so that the league thinks he’s a grown ass man/several thousand year old guardian spirit who’s “from a different time” but really anything works.

Dani was chowing down in the Watch Tower cafeteria, taking advantage of the free food when Wonder Woman and Black Canary sat down in front of her with serious expressions.

"Spirit, we have questions that we would appreciate you answering. With Phantom currently out of the Watch Tower and going low contact, you're the only source of information we can talk to." Wonder Woman started with Black Canary nodding along, and Dani felt her nonexistent heart drop.

~Oh shit, oh shit, oh SHIT! Do they want to kick Danny out of the justice league? Is this about him avoiding them? Am I gonna have to pay for this food now?!~ Dani's mind raced as she slowly chewed and swallowed her current mouthful. Dani gulped and nodded nervously, motioning for the heroines to continue, while preparing herself to bolt before Black Canary's next words stunned her. "We need to discuss Phantom's adoption issues."

~... Wat?~

That led to Dani being escorted to a more private meeting room where the three could talk freely without worrying about gossiping eavesdroppers.

Dani sat on one side of the meeting table and felt her jaw drop as the senior heroines spoke.

"We had a meeting with Phantom. He explained a lot to us about his situation and your species."

~Damn, that's a lot of progress.~

"We had assumed from Phantom's age that he was a sexist that was looking down on us."

~Well, yeah, that makes sense. Teenage boys tend to be known for crap like that.~

"And he revealed that he was attempting to avoid us so that his core didn't forcefully adopt us."

~Danny actually let them know he saw them all as mother figures? That's a massive signal of trust... and embarrassing as hell. No wonder Danny has been hiding back at Amity Park.~

"Phantom, let us know about how potentially violating that kind of connection can be and why he was avoiding it. Which we are thankful for."

~Sweet! They understand how much power and one-sided information that link would give them over Danny, and they're respecting his autonomy and personal privacy!~

"We just needed to confirm with you about Phantom being honest about what he said. We don't believe he was lying, but he did seem paniced after he explained he quote, 'Wasn't made right,' end quote. And he may have misspoke." Wonder woman finished, looking down at Dani with a kind smile. Dani let out a sigh and smiled. "No no, you've got it right. Honestly, I'm so happy that Dad shared that with you. It's a massive relief that I don't have to tiptoe around this anymore with the rest of you. I'm so happy that you all seem to respect how terrible having parental bonds forced on you can be." Dani said, watching as Black Canary and Wonder Woman shuddered with disgust. Black Canary winced and continued. "Everyone here is VERY happy that Phantom has managed to resist his instincts on this matter. Batman has been organizing the martians to schedule mental fortitude training with Phantom to help him avoid this issue."~Wow, I thought some of them would jump on the chance to nanny Danny if he revealed all this to him.~ "We do have two questions left for you." Wonder woman said. "We were wondering if you had an explanation as to why Phantom was only worried about adopting us and not any of the junior team heroines?" Dani shrugged and snorted. "What? I thought it was obvious. Dad is terrified of relaxing around you." That got confused looks from the heroines, so Dani continued. "Well, family takes care of each other. And seeing you all kick ass let Dad know that he's safe. His core knows that he's safe, that he's surrounded by those that could defend him and themselves. I know it's awkward, but the reason he's on guard with you all is that you make him feel like he DOESN'T need to be on guard." Dani explained with a smile. Wonder Woman and Black Canary shared a shocked look as Dani finished her explanation. Black Canary pulled out a small notebook to write down that new information. *Phantom is less worried about adopting teenage heroines because he is always on guard to defend them, allowing Phantom to have more control over his instincts. The adult heroines with demonstrated capability allow Phantom to calm enough that his instincts may run wild without constant control.* "Thank you for that information, Spirit." Black Canary stated before slipping the small notebook into the pocket of her jacket. "I... Before our last question... I feel like we need to give you an explanation..." Black Canary gave Dani a tight, awkward smile while Wonder Woman grit her teeth. Dani started to get nervous before Black Canary reached out to place a hand over top of Dani's. "There is more... This isn't the first time we had wanted to try speaking to you. Unfortunatly we almost walked into a very personal conversation between you and your father. We overheard... enough. About how Phantom was... victimized before. We wanted to assure you that Diana and I haven't told anyone else about what we heard." Black Canary declared as Ice poured through Dani's veins. The young ghost snatching her hand back from the older heroine A tense silence spread over the meeting room. Dani staring at Wonder woman and Black Canary. The tense standoff would have continued but Wonder Woman Cleared her throat. "A-Hem. We apologise for that. We hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but we were stunned by what we heard. I can assure you that we don't judge people for how they came into this world or who their parents are your actions and choices matter... And you've chosen to be a hero. It seemed wrong to hide that we knew from you."

Half agree with your thoughts on OP Danny. If he’s too strong the fic straight up can’t really get tension and conflict from actual physical fights and danger without either jumping through hoops to weaken him(at which point he functionally doesn’t/arguably shouldn’t have all that power in the start, just have him start at the power level you need him at and maybe give him super ghost king powers at the end if you really want him to have them.) or have threats and danger that so massively out scales DC that the Justice League can’t really contribute to the battle. At least to me neither option feels very satisfying to me.

But Danny not being theoretically able to somehow take down the League kinda makes some logistical issues when it comes to Dan. For his story line to work he has to be able to take on the whole world single-handedly and Danny then has to win against him in a 1v1 so they’ve both kinda gotta be busted to me. But yeah I figure they gotta use trickery and “cheat” to pull it off.

Like, I always think of Dan phasing a chunk of kryptonite into Superman’s brain or heart like Injustice Batman used The Atom to do to him. But honestly haveing Dan overshadow the kyrptonians and force them to fucking eat krytonite is genius. It’s the perfect mix of efficiency and cruelty that I think fits Dan absurdly well. The outside the box thinking of Danny mixed with the sadism and madness of a Vlad who’s suffering the death of Maddie.

Using the body of supers to koolaid man through all the anti-ghost infrastructure of the world seems like a very Vlad thing to do as well. It could be cool if he used it as a moral blow as well to help soften up humanity. Using the body of a hero who doesn’t have the best reputation to begin with to kill off potential threats and burn down ghost hunting agencies, causing confusion and distrust both within the ranks of hero’s and within the public against hero’s. Slowly amping up the attacks and targeting more and more important hero’s. Duplicates open the door for him to commit so many atrocities that would shake the heroics community and the publics faith in them.

The League opening up their own independent investigation into ‘Fruitloop’ not just because of the potential threat he poses but also because of what’s he’s done to one of their own really tickles my brain. A bit of a different direction but now my brains thinking about the possibilities. The ladies of the League going into the conversation thinking ‘Sexism’ but coming out thinking ‘how the ever living fuck am I gonna hide the body well enough that Batman and Superman wont be able to find it until after the trails gone cold???’

Superman turning up the charm while talking to some reporters in the aftermath of a battle, all smiles, laughs and relief about no one getting hurt and minimal property damage. But then just coming to a instant stop, whirling on the spot to look into a seemingly random direction, face stone cold with fury burning behind his eyes and him doing everything he can to make sure that’s only a metaphor and not his heat vision because he just heard Phantom’s scared voice very nearly shaking in a way that hints at far to many scars whisper “Fruitloop!?” in a quiet panic.

When he hears a slightly louder, far more panicked demand “get your hands off me” Superman barely spares the reporters a glance and tense “pardon me” before he suddenly just Appears behind Vlad, anti ghost equipment he borrowed from the Batcave on the way over gleaming. He files away the fact that ‘Frutiloop’ is seemingly a human male for later because the weirdness of ghost biology can wait. What can’t wait, what matters, is getting this bastard away from his friend. He ever so gently places a gauntlet clad hand on Vlad’s shoulder, squeezing until he starts to feel the bones beneath his hand bend and crack, idly noting how much more force it takes than it would for a normal human. ‘He’s sturdy. Good.’

Voice sweet with midwestern hospitality and dripping with venom he politely informs the monster man that this area is currently off limits to the public because of the battle. “I’m real sorry sir, but I’m gonna have to ask you to leave. Now.”

The man going on a “do you know who I am?!” rant that includes his full name is a pleasant surprise. Far less pleasant is the anger that burns within him when ‘Vlad Masters’ finally gets the message and goes to leave he snaps his fingers and barks out a “come along now, Little Badger” at Phantom like he’s some kind of pet that can be ordered around.

By the end of the night Batman has Vlad’s entire life laid out on a meeting room table. Everything from his very first report cards to all the law suits, arrest warrants and investigations that quietly got dropped or disappeared entirely for seemingly no reason. By the end of the week Superman’s getting ready for the raid on Vlad’s castle(yes Flash, his Castle. Seriously. No, I don’t know how pretentious someone has to be to have a castle built in the middle of Wisconsin.) and feels a strange sort of calm.

It’s an important mission, don’t get him wrong. But he’s not feeling all that much pressure to catch Masters. Primarily because he knows that if he and Bruce don’t manage to put him In prison Diana’s gonna wind up putting him Under the prison. Guarantied. He can hear her planning how to do it with Red Hood three rooms over while Batman goes over the Castles floor plan.

He knows he should go over and put a stop to it. It’s the right thing to do. Ma taught him to be kind, taught him to always have hope for and believe in the good in others. Taught him that even if it feels like someone will never change, they still deserve a chance to try. A chance to heal and be better tomorrow than they were today.

When he was a kid and Siren caught rabies protecting the farm animals from coyotes Pa taught him that sometimes, when a farm dog goes feral the only thing you can do is send ‘em up to the great big farm in the sky, because as long as you don’t they’re suffering and a danger to everyone else.

He finds out on accident. Batman had that list of contingencies for every member and their mentees doesn’t he? Maybe Danny happens upon it one day. How he found out is up to you, but it wasn’t from john, and it wasn’t from anyone else in JL dark. Maybe someone mentions it offhand thinking Danny was already aware of it. Idk. The point is the people he trusted failed to tell him this. Lied to him from the moment he met them. You don’t work with JLD without developing a healthy sense of paranoia. Their enemies are never direct. Layers upon layers of plans and steps in order to achieve their goals and suddenly, Danny realizes that JLD is just like every enemy they’d faced.

They’d manipulated him from the start. Got him to trust them, got him to depend on them, to see them in a positive light. Guided him down a route they designed and if ever Danny stepped out of line well… they could just ORDER him to stop. And Danny had experience with his will being overturned. Knew what it was like for someone to pluck him around like a little puppet on strings. Never again. NEVER AGAIN.

Danny had been on the watchtower when he discovered this and the size and extent of his rage was so intense that it incapacitated Martian ManHunter who was currently located on Earth. He had been betrayed AGAIN! and by the time anyone realized what happened, Danny had already sequestered himself into the infinite realms.

The realms essentially locks itself down. No going in, no going out. Summoning suddenly stop working across every dimension. Ghosts appear more frequently in haunted locations because the afterlives within the realms are not accessible to spirits with such high levels of ectoplasm absorbed upon death. The realms let Danny rage somewhere he will not hurt anyone. And he’s not accepted the crown yet, so he has no impact on the infinite dimensions around him. He rages and rages in the depths of the realms while she cocoons around him in the closest thing she can get to a hug. Sends him waves of emotions. Comfort for her chosen. Others may betray him, but she never will. From the first moment Danny touched the realms, she knew he was hers. Her champion, her chosen, her king. She was patient. The time would come eventually, but only when Danny wanted it. Only when he was ready. The crown would wait for no one but him. And after who knows how long essentially communing the realms and nothing else Danny finally makes a decision.

John cannot reach Danny in any capacity to try to explain himself. He’d been searching for a way to break the binding since the moment he met the kid, but he’d had no luck. He didn’t want to tell the kid what the binding actually was either because John had zero intention of ever invoking it outside of the weird two way sos signal they’d turned it into and he knew about the kids previous encounters with mind control. Understood how the kid would reasonably react. The only relief he had at the moment while they try to locate the kid is that John could still feel him through the bond.

And then suddenly, like the shattering of glass against marble floors, the bond breaks. The shards seem to dig into John’s spirit, causing him to double over and fall to the ground. Through the pain, he’s mostly feeling fear and confusion. He didn’t break the bond. Which means something must have happened on Danny’s end, and anyone/anything powerful enough to break a bond that powerful is Dangerous. And Danny is alone with it.

It’s about a month later when there’s a summons for an emergency meeting from a call number every single member of the JLD and JL have been on the look out for. Everyone arrives in record time, a little more exhausted than before because there’s been more unexplainable situations than before (the zone may be a bit petty. She may have kept the zone closed to this dimension longer than any other).

When they arrive Danny stood at the head of the table look just like they recall and also distinctly not. He was in his phantom form, dressed partially in a deep midnight armor that seemed to absorb the light around him as if it were its own contained black hole. A cape draped over his shoulders looking less like a fabric and more like a collection of gas and nebula ever shifting around him. He seemed to be glowing more so than before, bright in a way that drew moths to flame, but otherly in a way that made looking at him directly difficult and headache inducing. Like you were viewing a mirage or illusion and your brain couldn’t quite make sense of it without fracturing. Danny had grown into his height. He was an intimidating figure before and even more so now. he was ethereal. People who wanted to rush up to him, check his health ask questions, found themselves sitting down and staying quiet instead, not entirely of their own free will, but also entirely of their own free will.

Danny was something else now, and he maintained this odd silence he’d created until John Constantine finally arrived. Constantine who was the first one to realize this being in front of them was not entirely Danny.

“Worry not,” it said with Danny’s voice. “My chosen offered himself as a conduit for me to deliver this message to you, laughing magician.” And John, frozen in the gaze of this being of otherness, suddenly seemed to realize what exactly he was facing. “Did you really think your paltry attempts of a slavery bond would hold up against the greater power of the realms? You foolish mortal. Spend the rest of your pathetically insignificant life fearing the day you return to my embrace.”

And with the message delivered the oppressive aura of the room lessened. Heroes seemed to fall out of their odd stupor but they still didn’t speak. The green from Danny’s eyes faded to a bright glowing blue, and the soft patronizing smile he’d worn before fell into a something more hateful.

“Hello,” he said to the room, but there was none of the childlike inflection to his tone that he’d always held on to. No humor in his tone or light in his eyes. His voice was cold—authoritative in a way they’d never heard. He waved his hand and a paper materialized on the table. “Consider this my formal resignation from your numbers.” He smiled at the group, but it was hauntingly empty. A smile many of the members would see in their dreams for years to come.

“Before you begin to concern yourself and come up with possible explanations or excuses, no I am not being possessed by the realms. In fact, until the day that I fall out of favor, may it never come, the realms is arguably the only being who will likely never truly hurt me. At least, not the way you have. And no, there was no ultimatum. I took the crown willingly, as was my right from the moment I beat Pariah in single combat. Turns out, accepting the crown would have simply burned away that little slavery bond you all decided to build into your original summons. How convenient, right. But the realms wanted me to choose the crown. She would have waited if I said no. She would have burned the bond away herself if I didn’t want the crown yet. But it felt like the right move to make. The realms has been doing its best to protect me from the moment I died. To prepare me for what would eventually be inevitable. I figured it was time I return the favor.”

Danny’s eyes scanned over the group of heroes before him, seeing them in a new light. Understanding the light of naivety he had viewed them in during his false mentorship. Finally his eyes settled on John, who was still standing pale by the rooms entrance. Danny knew John never would have invoked the slavery bond, but Danny also knew that the members of these team could have easily found a way to force his hand if they really wanted to. The realms held no love for John, but Danny couldn’t bring himself to truly hate the man.

“You know, they say the crown takes a form that best represents its ruler.” Danny summoned the crown from where it was floating above his head, into his hands. A crown of ice that looked almost as if forged by metal. Glowing blue as one might see in the coldest part of glaciers. “A crown so cold—so hard—it will never melt or break. Seems fitting after everything you’ve all taught me. Me, who gave you my trust, my kindness, my time, only to learn this was all just an elaborate hoax. A way to keep an eye on a threat. A way to potentially train up a weapon you’d be able to summon and command at you beck and will. How pathetic you all are. How very much like every person who’s ever betrayed me you turned out to be. But what can I expect. You are of the mortal realm. You fear what you don’t know, control it if you can and destroy it if you can’t.” He tapped the crown and it returned to its place above his head.

“Trust should be withheld—Kindness reserved. These are lessons I’ve been taught time and time again, but only fully realized and accepted with your aid.” Danny slid the paper forward. “If I were smarter, I would raze this entire dimension to the ground simply for having such knowledge capable of enslaving denizens under my protection. If I were crueler I would have done as such without coming to speak with you first. As it is, I am half mortal. I am the infinite balance. Such actions would go against my purpose. So I’ve chosen to spare you by ignoring you. The realms will no longer accept your dead. The realms will no longer look upon this dimension in favor or in distaste. You shall be trapped here in an infinite loop of reincarnation. You shall never be allowed to reconnect with the loved ones who have passed before now, and you, in this room (the heroes, not their sidekicks/mentees) will always remember this life. Remember those you loved and have now lost. Know that you and your hubris are the reason you will never be able to truly move on. No amount of prayers to your gods, no amount of science or magic or summonings will allow you to reconnect to the realms again.”

Danny looked around the room once more and nodded before pulling a portal into being and stepping through. This punishment was not up for debate. There would be no negotiations or apologies. As much as he may have hated them, he appreciated the skills and knowledge they taught him that helped prepare him for this role. So he would spare them, but he would not let them off. Balance, as it was meant to be.

He finds out on accident. Batman had that list of contingencies for every member and their mentees doesn’t he? Maybe Danny happens upon it one day. How he found out is up to you, but it wasn’t from john, and it wasn’t from anyone else in JL dark. Maybe someone mentions it offhand thinking Danny was already aware of it. Idk. The point is the people he trusted failed to tell him this. Lied to him from the moment he met them. You don’t work with JLD without developing a healthy sense of paranoia. Their enemies are never direct. Layers upon layers of plans and steps in order to achieve their goals and suddenly, Danny realizes that JLD is just like every enemy they’d faced.

They’d manipulated him from the start. Got him to trust them, got him to depend on them, to see them in a positive light. Guided him down a route they designed and if ever Danny stepped out of line well… they could just ORDER him to stop. And Danny had experience with his will being overturned. Knew what it was like for someone to pluck him around like a little puppet on strings. Never again. NEVER AGAIN.

Danny had been on the watchtower when he discovered this and the size and extent of his rage was so intense that it incapacitated Martian ManHunter who was currently located on Earth. He had been betrayed AGAIN! and by the time anyone realized what happened, Danny had already sequestered himself into the infinite realms.

The realms essentially locks itself down. No going in, no going out. Summoning suddenly stop working across every dimension. Ghosts appear more frequently in haunted locations because the afterlives within the realms are not accessible to spirits with such high levels of ectoplasm absorbed upon death. The realms let Danny rage somewhere he will not hurt anyone. And he’s not accepted the crown yet, so he has no impact on the infinite dimensions around him. He rages and rages in the depths of the realms while she cocoons around him in the closest thing she can get to a hug. Sends him waves of emotions. Comfort for her chosen. Others may betray him, but she never will. From the first moment Danny touched the realms, she knew he was hers. Her champion, her chosen, her king. She was patient. The time would come eventually, but only when Danny wanted it. Only when he was ready. The crown would wait for no one but him. And after who knows how long essentially communing the realms and nothing else Danny finally makes a decision.

John cannot reach Danny in any capacity to try to explain himself. He’d been searching for a way to break the binding since the moment he met the kid, but he’d had no luck. He didn’t want to tell the kid what the binding actually was either because John had zero intention of ever invoking it outside of the weird two way sos signal they’d turned it into and he knew about the kids previous encounters with mind control. Understood how the kid would reasonably react. The only relief he had at the moment while they try to locate the kid is that John could still feel him through the bond.

And then suddenly, like the shattering of glass against marble floors, the bond breaks. The shards seem to dig into John’s spirit, causing him to double over and fall to the ground. Through the pain, he’s mostly feeling fear and confusion. He didn’t break the bond. Which means something must have happened on Danny’s end, and anyone/anything powerful enough to break a bond that powerful is Dangerous. And Danny is alone with it.

It’s about a month later when there’s a summons for an emergency meeting from a call number every single member of the JLD and JL have been on the look out for. Everyone arrives in record time, a little more exhausted than before because there’s been more unexplainable situations than before (the zone may be a bit petty. She may have kept the zone closed to this dimension longer than any other).

When they arrive Danny stood at the head of the table look just like they recall and also distinctly not. He was in his phantom form, dressed partially in a deep midnight armor that seemed to absorb the light around him as if it were its own contained black hole. A cape draped over his shoulders looking less like a fabric and more like a collection of gas and nebula ever shifting around him. He seemed to be glowing more so than before, bright in a way that drew moths to flame, but otherly in a way that made looking at him directly difficult and headache inducing. Like you were viewing a mirage or illusion and your brain couldn’t quite make sense of it without fracturing. Danny had grown into his height. He was an intimidating figure before and even more so now. he was ethereal. People who wanted to rush up to him, check his health ask questions, found themselves sitting down and staying quiet instead, not entirely of their own free will, but also entirely of their own free will.

Danny was something else now, and he maintained this odd silence he’d created until John Constantine finally arrived. Constantine who was the first one to realize this being in front of them was not entirely Danny.

“Worry not,” it said with Danny’s voice. “My chosen offered himself as a conduit for me to deliver this message to you, laughing magician.” And John, frozen in the gaze of this being of otherness, suddenly seemed to realize what exactly he was facing. “Did you really think your paltry attempts of a slavery bond would hold up against the greater power of the realms? You foolish mortal. Spend the rest of your pathetically insignificant life fearing the day you return to my embrace.”

And with the message delivered the oppressive aura of the room lessened. Heroes seemed to fall out of their odd stupor but they still didn’t speak. The green from Danny’s eyes faded to a bright glowing blue, and the soft patronizing smile he’d worn before fell into a something more hateful.

“Hello,” he said to the room, but there was none of the childlike inflection to his tone that he’d always held on to. No humor in his tone or light in his eyes. His voice was cold—authoritative in a way they’d never heard. He waved his hand and a paper materialized on the table. “Consider this my formal resignation from your numbers.” He smiled at the group, but it was hauntingly empty. A smile many of the members would see in their dreams for years to come.

“Before you begin to concern yourself and come up with possible explanations or excuses, no I am not being possessed by the realms. In fact, until the day that I fall out of favor, may it never come, the realms is arguably the only being who will likely never truly hurt me. At least, not the way you have. And no, there was no ultimatum. I took the crown willingly, as was my right from the moment I beat Pariah in single combat. Turns out, accepting the crown would have simply burned away that little slavery bond you all decided to build into your original summons. How convenient, right. But the realms wanted me to choose the crown. She would have waited if I said no. She would have burned the bond away herself if I didn’t want the crown yet. But it felt like the right move to make. The realms has been doing its best to protect me from the moment I died. To prepare me for what would eventually be inevitable. I figured it was time I return the favor.”

Danny’s eyes scanned over the group of heroes before him, seeing them in a new light. Understanding the light of naivety he had viewed them in during his false mentorship. Finally his eyes settled on John, who was still standing pale by the rooms entrance. Danny knew John never would have invoked the slavery bond, but Danny also knew that the members of these team could have easily found a way to force his hand if they really wanted to. The realms held no love for John, but Danny couldn’t bring himself to truly hate the man.

“You know, they say the crown takes a form that best represents its ruler.” Danny summoned the crown from where it was floating above his head, into his hands. A crown of ice that looked almost as if forged by metal. Glowing blue as one might see in the coldest part of glaciers. “A crown so cold—so hard—it will never melt or break. Seems fitting after everything you’ve all taught me. Me, who gave you my trust, my kindness, my time, only to learn this was all just an elaborate hoax. A way to keep an eye on a threat. A way to potentially train up a weapon you’d be able to summon and command at you beck and will. How pathetic you all are. How very much like every person who’s ever betrayed me you turned out to be. But what can I expect. You are of the mortal realm. You fear what you don’t know, control it if you can and destroy it if you can’t.” He tapped the crown and it returned to its place above his head.

“Trust should be withheld—Kindness reserved. These are lessons I’ve been taught time and time again, but only fully realized and accepted with your aid.” Danny slid the paper forward. “If I were smarter, I would raze this entire dimension to the ground simply for having such knowledge capable of enslaving denizens under my protection. If I were crueler I would have done as such without coming to speak with you first. As it is, I am half mortal. I am the infinite balance. Such actions would go against my purpose. So I’ve chosen to spare you by ignoring you. The realms will no longer accept your dead. The realms will no longer look upon this dimension in favor or in distaste. You shall be trapped here in an infinite loop of reincarnation. You shall never be allowed to reconnect with the loved ones who have passed before now, and you, in this room (the heroes, not their sidekicks/mentees) will always remember this life. Remember those you loved and have now lost. Know that you and your hubris are the reason you will never be able to truly move on. No amount of prayers to your gods, no amount of science or magic or summonings will allow you to reconnect to the realms again.”

Danny looked around the room once more and nodded before pulling a portal into being and stepping through. This punishment was not up for debate. There would be no negotiations or apologies. As much as he may have hated them, he appreciated the skills and knowledge they taught him that helped prepare him for this role. So he would spare them, but he would not let them off. Balance, as it was meant to be.

“You're not obligated to do anything, you asshole!" Phantom screeches, sending a wall of ectoplasm their way to force them to take a step back.

A batarang makes its way around the wall, damn its boomerang properties, but Phantom simply turns intangible and glares at Batman, who only narrows his eyes in return. The dull object eventually passes through Phantom and back into its owner's hand. This is ridiculous.

Phantom was halfway to opening his mouth to tell the heroes to leave him alone again when the note appeared. It somehow managed to stop the heroes in their tracks as well. Everyone looked confused at the floating Post-it note. Phantom grabbed the Post-it, mostly annoyed.

“They'll take you to space. Also, destroy this note. :)” Phantom stared for a minute at what was probably the most direct instruction he had ever received from the Ancient.

He groaned. “Whatever.” He crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it into his mouth. The piece of paper quickly dissolved into tasteless ectoplasm. He placed his hands over his head and then said, “All right, I'm all yours.” Clocky better be right about the space thing, or he's mauling him.

The heroes looked to one another, unsure. Then Martian Manhunter flew closer to him, taking cuffs from a compartment in his suit that shouldn't have been able to hold them. A bit over a year ago Danny would have been delighted to meet the man, and a part of him was still amazed by the alien, but he felt mostly annoyed right now.

“Please bring your hands to the front, young one,” the Martian said, softer than Phantom thought he would be for someone they perceived as a villain.

He raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn't it be behind my back?” he asked, slowly bringing his hands to the front anyway.

“If you're coming willingly, I see no reason not to offer you the most comfortable option,” Martian Manhunter stated simply as the cuffs clicked shut.

“I believe the most comfortable option would be without cuffs,” Phantom scoffed in return. He probably shouldn't be poking at the leniency he was being shown for some reason, but he still hated the whole situation.

“We can discuss options depending on your behavior,” Batman said before Martian Manhunter could say anything else.

-------

Martian Manhunter glanced at the teen who was glaring daggers at the Javelin's window. They had tried to ask about the note that had appeared out of nowhere, but the teen had simply looked away with pursed lips, refusing to speak a word from the moment they boarded the aircraft.

More often than not, young villains tended to be misdirected or acting out from pain. Powers rarely came without grievances, and even less so those that were visually notable. It didn't justify their actions, but it did mean that a push in the right direction and some support were often enough to help them leave villainy behind. And Martian Manhunter, despite being unable to read Phantom's mind, could feel a great deal of anger and sadness coming from him.

But what had once seemed to be a normal intervention became far more worrying once the note appeared. A teen lashing out on his own is one thing. A teen receiving directions from someone is something entirely different. Powered minors are especially vulnerable to being groomed into a life of villainy.

What's even more worrying is how readily this person not only asked Phantom to give himself up, but how easily the teen agreed. They'll have to consider whether this person holds blackmail over the kid's head, or if the kid is mentally that deep under their control.

It also raises the question of why this person would want Phantom to surrender himself. Are they hiding something bigger and using Phantom as a distraction? Or are they hoping to use Phantom to acquire information about them?

The mode of communication is also deeply troubling. None of them had been able to detect where the note had come from, or that it would appear at all. Even if none of them practiced magic, they had been around it often enough to usually be able to pinpoint it, but there had been nothing there.

Bonus

*6 weeks later*

Jon, postmission: Agh what are we going to do with this beast? Danny is going to be here in 5 minutes! He can't see this thing! He'll freak out!

Damian, pouting: If father would just see reason and let me keep him, we wouldn't be in this situation.

Jon: What even is it? It looks kinda dogish? Maybe it already has an owner?

Beast in question: *towering golden colored animal with a wrinkled dog like snout, massive dog like paws, scales going up its limbs, long, slightly curled fangs, a curly lion-like mane, and a long curly furred tail*

Jon: I don't see a collar, do you?

Damian: No. Perhaps-

Beast: *perks up*

Danny: Hey, sorry I'm a bit early, astronomy club let out early because Michael was stupid and did a back flip off the- *stops as he makes eye contact with the "beast"*

Jon: Uhhh Danny, listen this this is-is uh-

Damian: A statue. I had it commissioned and it just arrived-

Danny: How in all the afterlives did you find a Fu Dog puppy in America!*eyes glittering in awe*

Damian: Fu Dog?

Jon: Puppy?!

Danny: Hi baby! Oh you're just the cutest thing aren't you?

Fu Puppy: *wags and shoves his nose in Danny's hand, having decided Danny wasn't an evil spirit*

Danny: So how did you find him? Fu Dog breeders are suuuper touchy about where they send their puppies, they're almost unseen outside of China! *happy petting the massive puppy, ignorant to the bewildered looks he was getting*

Jon: Oh uh we jus-

Damian: Jon told me you were in search of a dog. My father has a friend that pulled some strings. He was supposed to be a surprise, but due to some miscommunication the puppy was delivered early.

Danny, eyes soft: Really? Jon thats the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me.

Jon, blushing: Oh uh it was-it was nothing!

Danny: Oh but this must have cost a fortune! How much do I owe you?

Damian: No need, my father happily payed, it barely made a dent. You can repay us by taking good care of him.

Danny: If you're sure. *laughs as the puppy licks him*

Jon: So, uh, not to be a party pooper but how is he going to fit in your house?

Danny, laughing: Uh, spirit shifting silly! All mythical dogs are able to do it, its how they blend in with their owners when they're masquerading as human or living. Its taught to all puppies as soon as they're old enough to be taught, since its so important to our part of the worlds secrecy. Watch, *clicks his tongue to grab the puppy's attention* P̸͚̦͌͆u̴̘̠̞̒͌p̸̡͖͛̈́͊͜p̸̠͉̠̒͘͘ÿ̵̫͚͓́̾͝,̴͕̼͖̓͌ m̸̺͕̘͋͠͝á̵̻͙͐́s̸̙͇̫̓́̚k̸̟̝͛̕͝.̴͓̠͉̐͌

Fu Puppy: *starts shimmering gold, and shinks down. the light dissipates revealing a tiny apricot colored Shar-Pei puppy*

Danny: See? *happily picks up his new puppy* Its fine!

Damian: *staring thoughtfully*