He was one of their best fighters, knew the layout of Arkham like the back of his hand, AND was on good terms with both Riddler and Ivy! Why wasnât he allowed to help in the breakout? What was the point of making him babysit!?!
Father had said he was to keep the child safe but heâd neglected to say why. And honestly, the child was three months old. Who would be hunting down an infant, why would they be hunting down an infant, and what would they do with an infant? If anyone was after the child, that is.
The infant in question was babbling incoherently and rolling around on her stomach. She squealed and he huffed. All he knew about her was the information in her file, which was surprisingly little. Three months old, no name and orphaned, she was of Brazilian heritage and her blood tests located her place of origin as BlĂźdhaven. She was moved to Gotham to be fostered, which is one of the stupidest decisions heâs ever heard of.
The foster parent in question was Daniel âDannyâ Nightingale. Nightingale showed incredible intelligence, graduating upper primary school two years early and high school in two. Currently a student at Gotham University Nightingale was double majoring in chemistry and aerospace engineering when he decided to apply for a New Jersey foster license, which he was given due to already having one in both Wisconsin and Ohio as well as his incredible record.
Nightingale was in the room with him and the infant. He was 14 years of age and had short black hair much like himself, but Nightingale was disturbingly pale and had almost ultramarine blue eyes. Nightingale was sitting with the child in front of his place on the couch. There was a gate in a circle connected to each end of the couch that contained a multitude of childrenâs toys and a few books. The infant was currently playing with a keychain-like toy while Nightingale entertained her.
One part of him wanted to sit and stew in his contempt, but the other, the son of the Bat, was deeply curious. What was so special about this child that it warranted himâan Al Ghul, Robin, heir to the mantle of Bat and Demons Throneâto act as bodyguard? Was it her heritageâcorrection, what was her heritage, because there was no other reason for her to be hunted. What else could it possibly be?
But when he began paying attention to the infant, it made him realize that the child was not the oddity he was sent to watch, but Nightingale. Nightingale acted normal for the most part, but when the infant made a certain soundâa loud shriekâhis pupils would retract and slit before expanding again, like a cats. That wasnât the oddest thing he noticed.
Nightingales teeth were sharp, and the more he babbled and cooed at the infant the more teeth Damian could see. It appeared all his teeth were canines except for the teeth in the normal place for canines. Those four teeth were long and thin, like a vipers. When the light hit his eyes his pupils shimmered, like a cat or an owls. His ears, which were slightly pointy, twitched every now and then. His nails were noticeably sharp as well, and his voice would sometimes distort. As if a record player were malfunctioning.
And the infant would respond! Respond in that same distorted tongue. That loud shriek would turn into a two second wail that made his heartbeat rise to his ears and his vision blur. Then she would giggle or coo and it would end. He had to do something. Those wails were coming more and more often now, and she was starting to lose shape.
âWhat is this?â Damian snapped. âDonât worry,â Nightingale told him gently, âthis is normal for her species.â He blinked and processed his words. Species. She wasnât human. âIâm surprised the Bat picked up on it,â Nightingale continued, âHumans arenât usually susceptible to this sort of thing. But I also sorta expected it? Because heâs, yâknow, Batman.â
Nightingale smiled sweetly as she shrieked again, her outline blurring and walls shaking. He could feel his teeth rattling in his head. Suddenly Nightingales jaw unhinged with a quick clicking sound, as if his bones were straining and breaking, and an even louder whistle-hissing sound came from between his now many, many teeth. She stopped, her mouth in an âOâ and her eyes wide. He didnât notice before, but an infant her age shouldnât have teeth. Especially that sharp. And her eyes were a light yellow color, like straw.
Then she giggled, and began babbling like she didnât just use a sonic voice ability similar to Black Canaryâs. âDawww,â Nightingale cooed, tickling her, âsheâs developing quickly! Garalings usually only start fawning when they start walking.â Damian watched warily. He didnât want to get any closer, in all honesty. His ears were ringing.
But he was curious, so, so, curious. What was a Garaling? What was fawning and why did they do it after they began walking? Could all Garalings do this âfawningâ? Compared to other Garalings, exactly how fast is she developing? Is early development common?
Start with the most important. âWhat is a âGaralingâ?â Nightingale smiled at him again. âGaralings are an extradimensional species that reside in a place called The Valley. They act as lords of nature and patrons of a chosen plant or animal. Her fawning,â he tapped her nose and she giggled, âwill soon turn into either an animal sound or a sound of her own.â
âFascinating,â he muttered, âis it an attack?â âMore like a call to arms,â Nightingale leaned back, relaxed, as the infant shook her toy. âGathering her chosen animal or plant for whatever she needs.â Damian watched her chew on the toy, drooling and babbling.
âWhat are you?â âIâm dead. Well, sort of. How to explain thisâŚâ He thought for a moment. âThink of meâŚ.as the line between life and death, but not exactly limbo. More like I move the line. Sometimes more dead, and sometimes more alive. But always a bit of both.â Damian couldnât help but be reminded of Todd. And himself.
âYour not from this earth.â Nightingale smiled sadly. âI used to be. But not anymore. Even so I canât bring myself to fully leave, though I probably should.â âWhy? What makes you stay?â Nightingales eyes drifted away, back to the infant. âI want to continue the life I never got to finish. Experience the things I never got to experience. Do what I always wanted to do, even if itâs too late.â
He could understand that. Nightingale looked to be his age. To be ripped from life so soon was something he worried about constantly. Knowing that Nightingale wasâŚ..He understood wanting to stay, to pretend to be alive.
âWhat brought her here?â Nightingales face tightened. âCultists.â He sounded annoyed. âThey exist in every world and their always fond of sacrificing children. Even though my summons specifically say if Iâm offered children or anyone unwilling Iâll destroy the cult.â It took Damian a moment to understand the implications.
ââŚ.who are you?â Nightingale smiled at him again, and for a second his outline wavered like the infants had. âI am Danny Phantom, High King of the Infinite Realms, the afterlife dimension. I rule over everything and everyone whoâs died, if theyâve stayed dead or not. I am The Warm Winter, The Space Between, The Brightest Star. I act as Defender Of The Undead.â
âAnd what do you plan on doing with her? Why did you take her if you do not accept living offerings?â It was suspicious. Even though NightingaleâPhantoms titles painted him as benevolent, and his stance on sacrifice was very pacifistic, Damian knew better than to trust him just on those facts alone.
But he was being very honest, and it made him wonder why. Compared to Phantom, he was microscopic, a nuisance even. Why was he answering all his questions with seemingly endless transparency? âBecause her parents were apart of the cult that offered her, which is unfortunately a common case. I had to bring her here because I already have another offering child going to school here.â
âAnother?â He tilted his head, eyes narrowing. âHow many children have you kept?â He suddenly had a feeling. Not a bad one, justâŚa feeling. Phantom thought for a moment. âWell the first was Sirius, sheâs from a dimension where people are made completely out of star matter. She doesn't live with me anymore since sheâs all grown up now, but sheâs a really popular singer in the Realms! I can see if she set up her inter dimensional and universal site, her music is great!â
âCasey is my second, he was offered when he was about ten and heâs from a universe thatâs essentially the same as this one but everyone has magic. Heâs currently in his home dimension in school as well. He specializes in hydrokinese but heâs trying to learn Essokineses. Heâs a really quick learner but has a tendency to either give zero or a hundred, no in between.â
âA few months after that I was offered a pair of twins in their twenties. Well, they were built to look to be in their twenties, their actual age is, as of now, seven. Their from a world where hyper realistic androids have no rights and are destroyed if they develop sentience, so when they did they were offered to me because they thought it would get through my rule. They named themselves Poppy and Posies. They donât like to leave the Realm so their being homeschooled. They really enjoy learning and playing, and Poppyâs favorite thing to do is dance and Posies is jewelry making.â
âI got another infant from a dimension where everyoneâs a centaur a few weeks ago. I named her Amaranthe and her lower halfâs a sheep! Sheâs so cute. Sheâs not the best at walking yet but she loves jumping whenever she can. She likes playing perk-a-boo with the handmaidens. And the child going here is Aiden, he was offered a few months ago. He was originally from Kentucky but everyone in his hometown was apart of the cult and Lady Gotham likes me so weâre here now. Heâs still rattled but being on earth helps him so he can stay as long as he likes. He wants to get into a trade school.â
âAnd thisââ Phantom tapped the infant on the nose, who giggled and grabbed his finger. âIs Velvet! Like I said sheâs a Garaling from The Valley. I literally got her two weeks ago so her fake identity is pretty rushed and I think Batman could tell which is why youâre here. But I need to be here for Aiden, so sheâs probably going to stay with me for at least another four weeks or until her room in the Realms is ready.â
âYou have an adoption problem,â He groaned. God forbid his Father learn about this even though he knew he had to show him the footage being collected from his mask. Phantom laughed. âProbably. But itâs not like I could just give them away to someone else. Well, I could. But I donât want to. I donât have any family other than my sister, and sheâs still alive. So itâs nice to have people running around the castle.â
He respected it. Even though he was suspecting Phantom was older than he appeared, his physical appearance was probably the age he died at, he was still going out of his way to take in not only traumatized adults and children but infants. Heâd never dealt with infants but he had no doubt that they were a handful, even though Phantom said he had handmaidens he didnât seem like the type to let them do everything.
âHave you had any problems with vigilantes such as myself? I know Batman can be quite forceful and rude if he encounters something he does not understand.â Phantom allowed Velvet to shake his fingers with surprising strength. âNope! Iâm very good at staying under the radar. Thatâs why I was so surprised when Batman sent you. Like I said, humans arenât usually capable of picking up on things like the undead. But itâs probably that contaminated ecto you and him are covered in. Can I ask you about that, by the way?â
Contaminated Ecto? âWhatever do you mean by âcontaminatedâ? What is this ecto?â Phantom held his hand up and Damian watched, fascinated and horrified, as Lazarus water bled from his skin and rose into a ball. âThis is ectoplasm! Every ghost is made of it. Itâs our blood, flesh and atoms all in one. Judging by the look on your face youâve seen it before?â
Damian cleared his suddenly dry throat. âUh, yes. We call it Lazarus water, and it comes from Lazarus Pits.â Phantoms eyes narrowed. âPits? Like, a natural or artificial hole in the ground? It doesnât move or flow in and out? It just sits there?â Damian told him yes and explained the way the League used the Pits, the effects of being revived or healed by the water. By the end Phantoms carefree attitude had left and in its place was someone who held himself like a king.
âLet me put Velvet to bed.â He waved his hand and the gate and various toys began to float and put themselves away as he picked up Velvet and walked away. He was alone for a few minutes, watching as the toys stacked neatly in a toy box and thinking. There was a whole species of people made out of Lazarus Water. Ectoplasm. Pure ectoplasm. What heâd experienced, had contact with, was apparently so corrupted that Phantom had noticed it.
Phantom came back and sat next to him, running a hand through his hair. âOk, so; ectoplasm has a mind of its own. It connects with and enhances emotions. Thatâs why a lot of ghosts are angry or sad. Because the ectoplasm connects with the feelings they had when they were dying, and thatâs why ghosts are so emotional. Itâs all weâre made of. Some people donât become ghosts but their emotions do. We call those blob ghosts.â
Phantom looked disturbed. âEctoplasm canât just sit there or else itâll start to deteriorate, mold. Itâll become poisonous, borderline radioactive. It needs to be moving and connected with more ectoplasm to filter it out. Yes it does having insane healing properties but itâs not supposed to hurt you. Never supposed to hurt you. Again it has a mind of its own. Most ectoplasm wants to create new life, heal and help. If this Lazarus water is hurting people, itâs because it wants to. And thatâs really, really bad.â
âYou said it was boiling?â Damian nodded. âThatâs also not good. Ectoplasm is supposed to be cold. Thatâs why most people who contact ghosts feel cold or the temperature drop. Iâve never heard of ectoplasm boiling before.â Phantom looked very troubled. âYou said these pools are controlled by the League of Assassins?â At his nod he waved his hand and a small white circle appeared next to him.
Through the circle he could see only what appeared to be a bookshelf. Phantom traced the spine of a few before pulling one out and closing the circle, flipping through the book. Damian leaned over to read. It seemed to be a list of people. At first he didnât recognize them, but then the name The Sensei appeared at the top of a page labeled âThe Demons-Al Ghulâ
It was a family tree. One heâd seen and studied more than a million times. It showed his ancestors, great grandfather, Raâs, his Mother, Dusan, Nyssa, even Mara and Iâson. And him. Phantom pointed at his name. âIs this you?â He swallowed.
There wasnât any real point in lying. He already knew, but if his Father found out heâd get in trouble despite the recording showing Phantom had figured it out himself. âUh, yes. Yes it is.â Phantom nodded then flipped more pages before coming across a map. He folded the page out and Damian saw it was seven small but detailed maps. Maps of the locations of the Pits.
âHoly shit,â he muttered, âPhantom you can not let anyone find this book. If this got into the wrong handsââ Phantom laughed. âDonât worry, Damian. These kinds of books are only in the castle library. No one other than me and my family can get in there.â He flipped through a few more pages before coming across one with a sketch of the Lazarus Pits. Phantoms eyes scanned the pages quickly, growing more concerned the more he read.
âDo you have any of these symptoms? The anger, lost time and enhancement?â Damian bit his lip. âIâŚused to. The Pit rage and blackouts faded after time and I have no enhancement that I know of. But, one of my brothers, Jason ToddâŚâ Phantom muttered the name, opening another circle and pulling out another book. He flipped through it quicker than before and pointed at a page near the back.
âJason Peter Todd-Wayne?â Damian nodded. Phantom sighed again. âHeâs a revenant, an angry spirit that was put to rest and then forced back into life. Itâs no wonder these symptoms stuck with him; this Pit probably attached itself to his barely formed core. Itâs a miracle his bodyâs still functioning.â
âWhatâs a core?â Damian leaned over and red more names in the book, all unrecognizable. âA core is a ghosts soul. Each core has a sort of unique elemental power or structure to them. I have an ice core.â Phantom opened his hand and Damian watched as wisps of ice and snow rose out of his palm.
âOk, so; a ghosts age depends on how long theyâve been dead for and how developed their core is. So someone who dies at a hundred will suddenly become a newborn ghost. Ghosts get more powerful with time, and depending on how violently they died they might become newborn ghosts who are already really powerful. I was one of those instances.â
Phantom opened another circle and pulled out another book. âEvery new ghost will usually search for or be found by an older ghost whoâll become their caretaker or âparentâ. These ghosts are supposed to teach the new ghosts about their powers, what type of ghost they are, how their religious beliefs will affect their afterlife. I had a really, really old ghost named Clockwork.â
Phantom flipped through the pages again and showed him one. It seemed to be a medical diagram of a ghost. It was fascinating; they didnât appear to have muscles or organs, but rather this core acted as not only their stomach and heart but their brain. In fact their whole body seemed to be one big vein, the whole thing circulating this ectoplasm throughout it.
âFinding a new âparentâ is really, really important. Like I said before ghosts are nothing but emotions. So when we get lonely, itâs like a major depressive episode. We start hurting ourselves and others, we do things that go against our beliefs or moral codes, we do anything to bring any sort of attention to ourselves. Is this similar to anything Jason went through after being forced back?â
âI believe so? I donât know what he was really thinking, but he definitely did horrible things that he would never have done before.â Damian didnât miss the wording Phantom used. Forced. Todd didnât come back to life, he was dragged back. Raâs wanted to come back, his Father wanted to come back, he wanted to come back. But Todd had been put to rest somehow. Todd had moved on.
âIf Todd had moved on before being forced back, why would he react so violently? If heâd been at peace, why all the anger?â Phantom closed the book and pulled out another, flipping through it to another diagram, but this time it was of a core. It was cut up the way heâd seen cells be in schoolbooks. âI honestly donât entirely know, and I would have to see Jason or take him to one of my doctor's, but I think itâs because of the Pit.â
âAs I said, ectoplasm is slightly sentient. But if this Lazarus water is working the same way normal ectoplasm does but maliciously, then Jasonâs entire core might be made out of this corrupt ecto. It might have connected with one of his dying feelings, anger, and blew it out of proportion.â Damian bit the inside of his cheek. Todd would not be happy to learn his new soul is made out of mold and corruption. Heâd take it the completely wrong way.
âHow would we fix something like this? If a core is every organ, how would we get rid of the Lazarus water his very soul is now made of?â Phantom thought again. âMaybe we could flush it? Like, get him pills or an IV of pure ectoplasm and try to push it out. I donât really know, but I know a doctor who might.â Damian hesitated before speaking again.
ââŚWould the Lazarus water fight back? Is it sentient enough to do that? What if by doing this it inadvertently harms him?â Phantoms made a displeased sound. He snapped the book closed and put it back in the portal before turning to him. âI donât know, but I can find out. The book said thereâs one of theses Pits in the Batcave, is that true?â He saw where this was going.
âMy father would never let you in,â he started, âBut you can bring me some.â Phantom finished. âI can get you some transport-safe tubes from one of my doctors, and they can look it over and find out how it works. If we find out a way to purify it, we may be able to use that to purify all the pits.â It was optimistic, but hell, he could use some hope in his life. And if he got caught, the mask footage would be his saving grace.
âIf it is for the purpose of curing Todd of his Pit madness, then I will do whatever needs to be done. Where will you get these containers?â Phantom smiled and opened another portal, this time showing what looked like a laboratory table filled with beakers and containers with a green tint. Phantom grabbed five vials with stoppers and tongs. He handed them to him, and then grabbed a rack and gave him that as well.
âWant me to open one to the Batcave?â âIf you wouldnât mind.â Thatâll make it far easier to get to and from, and lessen his chances of getting caught. Phantom stood and opened a much larger white circle, and it showed the closely guarded Lazarus Pit that was deep in the cave. He quickly filled the vials and went back in the apartment. âWhat now?â Phantom secured the tops with ice before replying, âNow I take this to the Far Frozen. Thatâs where the best doctors in the Infinite Realms are, theyâre a group of Yetis.â
âHow long will it take you? How long will it take for them to test it?â âI donât know,â Phantom opened a larger portal, showing a frozen tundra. There seemed to be a large cave of ice in the distance. âBut Iâll be back as soon as possible. Weâll find a way to get rid of the Lazarus Pits, and purify your brother. I promise.â He said it with such certainty and confidence that for a second Damian fully believed him.
In a flash of white Phantomâs hair had turned a snow white and his eyes Lazarusâectoplasm green. He was wearing a black suit similar to a superheroâs with white gloves and boots, and he had what looked to be a crown of northern lights. He had a white cape thatâs inside showed stars, and the absolute power he radiated almost knocked Damian down. Phantom smiled at him, reassuringly and calm, then stepped into the portal. It closed without a sound, and Damian was left with his thoughts.
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