#almanac

Despite his curtness and clear dislike of Jason, he had been nothing but professional. Equipped with a sling and an order to keep the arm still for the first few days, Jason had been released to his own devices until a check up in a few days.

Jason sighed as he stared at the ceiling from his bed. He was back at this. His broken arm clearly meant no training for him and he hadn’t seen even a glimpse of Fright Knight since, he actually found himself a bit worried for the knight. If the King had killed Pariah for threatening him, would he have done something to the knight for leading to the confrontation?

So Jason had actually searched for the knight. The castle, which had a distinct remorseful feel to it had let him find the courtyard on his own, but being empty there was no point in staying there. And he really had no clue where else to even start looking, so he took to wandering. The castle had even let him find a small garden on one of his walks, but he’d left it after one of the plants looked at him a bit too hungrily for his taste.

When the King had said he’d see Jason later, later clearly meant a much more ephemeral later than mere mortals used. It gave Jason plenty time to think, something he didn’t particularly want to.

He was not about to unpack what was going on in that moment before Frostbite had interrupted them, because he didn’t know what it meant. He did know however, that Phantom had saved him, despite him setting Pariah free - and looking back on it Jason couldn’t believe how stupid he’d been! Like what kind of idiot sees an ominous sarcophagus in a creepy basement and thinks it’s a good idea to set whatever’s inside free?

Him apparently.

Jason rubbed his forehead with his good hand. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, and thinking back with the clarity of hindsight, Jason realized, he’d been drawn towards going down to the dungeons several times. The King had even stopped him himself that night he’d had the nightmare about Dick. Heck, he’d warned Jason off the dungeons on the first day ‘for his own sake’. He’d known of the danger.

He’d known, yet he hadn’t actually explained a damn thing!

Instead, Jason’s weakness had been exploited. He’d been called like a lamb to slaughter.

Jason was furious, and yet…

Phantom had ended Pariah for Jason. There was no doubt about that. Pariah was no threat to Phantom or his crown or his kingdom, that hadn’t been a fight it had been extermination, the squashing of a bug. Pariah was only a threat to Jason; because Jason’s life belonged to the High Ghost King and through a loophole of interpretation Pariah the dethroned king counted enough to have a connection to him.

Phantom had committed taboo for him, and there was no doubt in Jason’s mind the severity of what he’d done for him - he’d felt it.

Any thought that Phantom didn’t care was gone, crushed into so much dust like Pariah’s core.

But where did that leave Jason? He didn’t-

There was a knock on the door. Jason pushed himself up on his left elbow so he had a good view to the door. Curious because that had never happened, he called out “come in.”

The door opened and in floated the King.

“I was-“ He froze as he saw Jason, a half dozen wide eyes popped into existence around him from sheer surprise, before he promptly turned around and the eyes clenched themselves so harshly shut they went out of existence.

“You are undressed.”

Jason raised a bemused eyebrow looking down at himself. He was shirtless, that hardly counted as undressed. He’d tied the arms of his suit together at the waist to keep them out of the way.

“Why are you undressed?”

Jason tilted his head slightly at the note of panic in his voice. What was the matter with him?“

My suit is tight and painful to pull on over a broken shoulder?” Wasn’t that obvious? Also he’d just washed his undershirt today, and it was drying in the bathroom, but that was really none of his business.

There was a drawn out moment of silence. Then the king mumbled, “I spend too much time with ghosts.” Which was a baffling statement for the Ghost King.

He turned back around carefully not looking directly at Jason. He looked sorta pained when he stated, “You only have the one set of clothing.”

“Yes,” Jason deadpanned, supporting his right shoulder with a hand on his elbow as he sat up properly.

Phantom covered his face with a hand as he pinched his nose in a very human gesture, “How have you even- no, never mind, why didn’t you say you needed clothing?” He looked up green eyes piercing Jason like arrows, and how dare he!

“To whom?” Jason spat, complete disbelief entering his tone, “Fright Knight?”

“Or me! You seem perfectly able to spit and yell at me, why can’t you tell me what you need?!”

The room shook and shadows lengthened, but Jason didn’t take notice. What Jason needed? It struck too close. There was an ache in his chest, a vulnerability he refused to acknowledge, not now and certainly not to the Ghost King.

They breathed heavily, staring at each other before Phantom looked away. He clenched his fists tight, then opened them with a sigh.

“No, you’re right. I have been avoiding you.” He shook his head, pained and with a deep breath he pulled the shadows in to settle like a large cloak around him. He pulled the now fabric over his head and held it out for Jason to take.

Jason looked at the fabric with wide eyes.

Curious now, more than anything, he took the cloak. It pooled across his lap. It was cool and smooth almost like liquid between his fingers.

Phantom cleared his throat. “I will figure out a way to get some real clothing for you, but this will do for now as something easy.” He gave a short huff. “Next you’ll tell me Fright Knight has been working you to the bone because you didn’t realize you could say stop.”

The answer to that question was plain on Jason’s face. Phantom promptly sat down in a chair that grew out of the floor to meet him. Silence reigned as both of them were lost in thought.

Jason was still stuck on that odd tidbit, because he could have said stop at any time? Certainly nobody had told him that directly. Jason had been trained by assassins and mystical monks, there was no telling them to stop! The master said when to stop. He had just assumed.

Laughter, ridiculous laughter, bubbled up in his chest. All this time and he could have just said, what? I’m not up for training today? And then what would he have done? Stared at his four walls? The laughter died in his throat.

“And then what would I have done? It’s not like this place is sprawling with things to do!”

“Actually that was what I-“ Phantom was looking anywhere but at Jason right now and Jason couldn’t figure out if it was guilt or that earlier modesty that was the reason. It was clear the moment he actually saw the room however, because he frowned and exclaimed: “There’s not even a window in here!”

A window popped into existence on the wall to the left of his bed. The King got up crossing his arms over his chest. “No, we can do better than this,” he spoke with reprimand in his voice.

There was a feeling like embarrassment in the air and before Jason’s eyes the room doubled in size. A seating area with plush armchairs and a table popped up. One window turned to three, before the middle one melted down to the floor and it turned into glass doors that opened up to a balcony.

Intrigued, Jason got up supporting his arm to walk out on to the balcony. Far below him was the central courtyard. A couple of shooting stars shot across the night sky in rapid succession, but much more than that his eyes were drawn to the horizon where the night sky didn’t reach. There in the distance was an expanse of green lazily mixing into other colors like liquid paint.

The castle was on a floating island! And Jason squinted, there were more islands in the distance. His eyes slid back to the mixing colors.

“The Infinite Realms,” the King said quietly from his side. He set a cool hand on Jason’s good shoulder pushing gently to turn him back around. “Don’t stare at the colors too long, the Realms break mortal minds if invited - No matter how liminal you are.”

Jason blinked at the inside of his room again, dazed. How long had he been out there?

Behind him the King was drawing red curtains closed over the balcony doors and windows.

Jason struggled for something to say. “Was the room always so high up?”

“No, and it is not anymore.”

Jason frowned. “Then why bother with the curtains?”

Phantom smiled wryly. “It makes me feel better.”

Oh, okay. That made sense. Jason’s attention slipped then. He didn’t feel quite there in his body. Almost didn’t notice as Phantom helped him put his sling on. He did notice when the cloak was pulled over his head and the way it pooled over his shoulders.

He did notice Phantom’s hand in his pulling him along.

“Here, drink this,” Phantom said wrapping Jason’s hand around something warm. “I’ll make some food. Eating and drinking something will make you feel more real.”

There was a cup of cocoa in his hand. Steam rose off of it in lazy swirls. For a moment he didn’t know what he was supposed to do with it, then the scent of warm chocolate reached his nose and he was suddenly ravenous.

He brought it up and took a big swallow. It warmed him all the way down to his belly.

He was in the kitchen seated at the bench where he usually sat to eat. The wood of the table and bench felt solid beneath him. His booted feet had flagstone beneath them - had he been wearing boots?

He took another sip, savoring the taste.

Across the room the Ghost King was stirring something on the stove with a contemplative look.

Jason stood up on legs that still didn’t quite feel there, but they still supported him as he carefully walked over to the stove and the king.

“What are you making?”

He glanced at Jason before looking back at the pot. “Stew. I think.”

“You think” Jason said leaning over to look into the pot. Carrot and potato bits of various sizes swam around in the surface of the reddish-orange liquid. It looked like a stew.

“I have never actually had stew before, but you need carbs, protein and fat, real world energy. Stew seemed like a good idea. I am just not sure what it is meant to taste like.”

“Depends what you’re going for, stew is a pretty broad concept?”

“Oh,” the king said, brows furrowing in a small frown, “It just doesn’t taste of much to me, but that might also be the ghost thing.”

Jason couldn’t help the confounded upwards tugging of his lips. He shook his head and knocked his shoulder against the king who after a moment’s delay floated to the side easily to give him room. Glancing around, he stopped when the king held out a small wooden spoon.

Grabbing the offered spoon, Jason took a small spoonful of the stew into his mouth after blowing on it for a moment. He hummed as he considered the taste. It was a bit plain, tasting mostly of beef and vegetable broth, which was not a bad taste, but it could use a bit of bite. Some acid too perhaps, but Jason was not about to suggest wine, lest he get some sort of strange ghost brew.

The king looked at him expectantly for the verdict.

“Where’s your spices?” Jason said instead.

The king pulled out a drawer next to the stove full of labelled glass bottles, which had definitely been empty the one time Jason had looked into it - more magic castle fuckery, he bet. He studied the spices and went the safe option with paprika and chili. He added a generous helping of each and stirred as it simmered away.

He had another taste and hummed in satisfaction. Without even considering he scooped up another spoonful and held it up for the king, one hand held underneath to prevent it from dripping. For a moment the king stared at Jason gobsmacked with wide green eyes, then he laid a cool hand on top of Jason’s to steady the spoon. His gaze flickered once more to Jason, unreadable, before he leaned in for the taste. Jason’s gut made a strange flip.

Phantom righted himself in the air as he considered the taste before his lips split in a literally radiant smile.

“This definitely tastes of more! Is it done now?”

“Yeah,” Jason agreed mouth dry.

Jason found himself herded to the table with a bowl of stew in hand. It was only a moment before the king joined him with his own bowl.

“Normally I’d ask if you wanted company, but I’m still not entirely convinced your brain hasn’t melted, though you’re looking quite a bit more grounded.”Jason scoffed.

“I am feeling better.”

“Good, now eat.”

Jason rolled his eyes, but did start eating. He suddenly realized he was ravenous and he was back up collecting seconds before the king was even halfway through his own bowl. It did make Jason feel more grounded and real - less like he was about to melt into a pool of shifting colors.

When Jason was on his fourth bowl the king had pushed his own empty bowl aside and was just quietly watching him, cheek resting on his hand.

“What?” Jason asked between bites.

“Nothing-“ he shook his head slightly hair waving gently behind as if he was underwater, lips quirking up in a helpless smile, “just thinking about how derailed this day got.”

Jason paused, thinking back and yeah, a lot happened today. He frowned.

“You wanted something when you came in?”

“Not wanted as such. I was just gonna offer, that you could join me in the library while I worked, since I figured you’d be bored.”

Jason sat up straight. “The library?”

The king wasn’t looking at Jason then instead absently tracing the grain in the wood on the table, so he didn’t see Jason’s badly restrained interest.

“Yeah, I know, not the most exciting prospect.” He rubbed his forehead. “And I wouldn’t be any sort of company, but I figured that there’s gotta be something interesting to read in there? It can’t all be ghost law.”

Jason would read ghost law, in fact he’d read just about anything to break the monotony but ghost law actually sounded kinda interesting. “In any case it gotta beat doing nothing?”

That was the moment he looked up at Jason. He startled backwards at the intensity in Jason’s gaze.

“I want to see the library.”

“What? Now? You need to rest!”

“You told me to tell you what I need.”

The king frowned and blinked, then eyed him suspiciously. “I don’t like you turning my words against me.”

Jason gave him his most shit eating grin in return. He sighed and Jason knew he’d won. He shot a beam of ice at the remaining stew still on the stove instantly encasing it in ice. Handy.

“You must save so much on electrical bills,” Jason remarked as he got up.

“Being a ghost does generally have that advantage.”

The walk to the library was a short one, which said more about Jason’s present company than the physical distance.

There were wall to ceiling shelves and bookcases split into sections by a dainty wrought iron walkway that wrapped around the towering bookcases like a long metal snake giving access to different levels of books. As Jason watched the end of the walkway touched down to the ground, morphing into a spiral staircase. Metal snake indeed.

“I see we’re dressed to impress today,” the king remarked with amusement in his voice.

Jason glanced at him questioningly.

“I don’t need stairs to reach,” he pointed out, hovering just a bit higher in demonstration, before floating down to his usual height.

And oh, the castle had crafted the walkway especially for him. 
 He turned around and that’s when he saw it in the back right corner of the room: a giant glass half-dome affording them an incredible view of the stars. Just the short while he watched multiple shooting stars flashed across the sky: it was a meteor shower out there.

“It that also new?”

“Nah, that’s just for me. It’s where I prefer to do my Ghost King duties.”

There wasn’t anything like a desk or even a seat. Just an open floor space. The floor was painted with a large solar system model, that now that Jason looked was actually slowly moving, but that was all.

“I can actually do this wherever I am, but I like this space,” the Ghost King remarked as he floated over to hover in the center of the space above the sun. Of course he didn’t need a seat. Then he closed his eyes and did something. It felt like the pull of gravity, but Jason didn’t actually move, it was like everything around him did, but didn’t. Everything was still, to his eyes nothing moved, but Jason still had that distinct feeling like the whole world was rushing him by.

And then it came back, rushing back out like a wave. And back in again. Every time it came back out the air felt more electric, energized somehow. Like letting in a breeze in a stagnant room.

Jason stood transfixed. Every breath out, every wave made his soul sing with energy. Jason knew it was his soul, because it sparked and rushed along that place he connected with to summon the all blades. It was indescribable, soothing, welcoming and energizing at once. What was it Fright Knight had said, that the Ghost King was the most important soul in the Realms? That his nature affected the very air?

When Fright Knight had said that, Jason hadn’t thought much of it. He’d thought it was a passive thing, not something active like this that Phantom would refer to as his Ghost King duties.

Another wave rushed out, and Jason almost felt like he could throw his soul at it and ride it to the farthest reaches of this strange world. Like an invitation to play and have fun. The undertow sucked him back and it felt worn, stale, fearful, oh so fearful, before a new energized wave was released.

He didn’t know just how long he stood there just watching and feeling, but there came a point where his soul felt full. Not like the almost electrifying energizing it had felt like to start with, but like his entire being had found equilibrium. He touched his cheeks because they felt cold and discovered they were wet.

He chuckled he couldn’t help it. What a fucked up, incredibly amazing day this had been. From his mind nearly unspooling itself in the face of the infinity of the Realms to this feeling.

Phantom was still going, like he’d said he wasn’t any sort of company, but still there was something comforting just having him near. This was the Protecter of the Realms, the beating heart, the lungs who supplied them all with oxygen. His white hair moved gently as if underwater and his whole person glowed softly. He looked at once otherworldly, but also incredibly human, despite it.

Unreachable, yet reachable.

A being so beyond, and yet he’d pushed hot chocolate into Jason’s hands, and told him it would help. He’d looked at Jason suspiciously and told him “I don’t like you turning my words against me.” He’d confessed to being new to this position and still not used to the power. He’d been flustered at finding Jason shirtless, because Jason realized now, that’s what had happened, and in retrospect it was hilarious.

He’d Ended the previous Ghost King for him.

He’d looked at Jason absolutely broken about it, but refused to regret it.

Jason had spent a lot of time, angry and grieving, lashing out, for something that had ultimately been his own choice, no matter that it hadn’t turned out like he’d expected. But he’d also made assumptions out of ignorance, so maybe it was time Jason actually started learning about this place.

He turned and walked over to the delicate staircase snake. He set a hand on the rail and stepped onto the first step, then asked:

“Do you have something about the history of this place?”

Immediately the staircase rose into the air with him in response, uncurling from the spiral and moving him to a specific section of heavy looking books. He sighed and started looking at the spines for a promising title. The letters were a bit odd and squiggly, but ultimately after looking for a while legible.

In the end the first book he pulled from the shelf, was “Chronicles of the Dark Ages - The Rule of Pariah Dark”, which seemed as good a place to start as any.

Below him, the castle manifested a couch, a pair of cozy looking chairs and a lamp. Jason chuckled and patted the railing in thanks as he was lowered to the ground.

Time to get reading.

-

Would you know, they're actually getting along, miracles do happen XD Entering a less angsty part of the fic now, but no worries it will come back eventually ;)