Phantom on the Shore - A Batman X Danny Phantom Crossover fanfic

A Shield Beneath Starlight

(It was a language they spoke many times before. But it became far more common after the accident.)

But Red Hood couldn't stay at peace for long. His head was filled with a constant ringing noise—one that would not go away no matter how hard he tried. His chest—his core—screamed at him to get up and move.

(It was hard to breathe. Why couldn't he breathe?)

He needed to leave. But go where? He didn't know. He just needed to leave. To run. Something inside him was screaming, yelling, shouting at him to move his feet. To jump off the building he was on and dive onto the ground. To move for hours towards a second location. To take step after step after painstakingly step to...

Somewhere. Some location. To a building. A building that... white?

(But where is it? And what did it mean?)

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

A faint memory shows a boy no older than sixteen. He was smiling and laughing. The icy-blue tone of the boys eyes matched perfectly with his pale skin and obsidian-black hair. The boy was talking another boy of similar age, perhaps a mere year older, and two other beings.

The second boy shared the same obsidian-black hair and possessed ocean-blue eyes, encircled by a subtle glow, unmistakably marking him as a ectoplasmic entity.

"I'm sure you two understand just how important the roles you two play are, yes?" Another had spoke up to the side of them. Beside them, a figure with pale teal skin and a dark purple cloak, concealing most of his form, addressed the significance of their roles. A clock eternally ticking resided within his torso, seen through a glass window.

"If I'm following your narrative correctly... I just need to ensure this idiot doesn't hurt himself?" quipped the older boy, pointing a thumb toward the younger, a playful grin adorning his face as the other boy perked up offended

"Hey-- Jason!" The youngest boy shouted at the older, now Jason.

"Now now, as the King of the Infinite Realms, Danny, you can't proceed without crowning a Fright Knight. Jason fits the role perfectly, not only due to your friendship but also his combat prowess," elucidated Clockwork.

"I know Clockwork, but couldn't I have gone another year without one? I've been protecting myself just fine," Danny protested, arms crossed. Even as King of the Ghost Zone Danny needed a certified babysitter.

Jason chuckled, "Yeah, if 'protecting yourself just fine' led to you tumbling down the stairs earlier." His smug expression remained intact as Danny quickly turned to face him:

"Irrelevant"

"As amusing as this banter is, the coronation ceremony is in an hour. I still need to instruct Jason on more of his duties and abilities," Clockwork expelled a gentle sough as he motioned for Jason to leave the room with him

Jason's eyebrows raised slightly, "There's more?"

"There's always more. You'll learn to get used to it" Jason heard Danny mention as he was escorted out of the door.

After a brief and short walk, Clockwork softly pushed Jason into a separate room. The room adorned several large windows that made up the entirety of a wall. Allowing for a mass amount of natural greenlight to enter and coat everything with a green room. In the middle of the room laid a suit of armer draped on a mannequin.

"The title of Fright Knight isn't bestowed upon any ordinary soul. Your experiences in the living realm have proven your worth," Clockwork murmured aside him. The voice held a tone of recognition and praise. Praise that caused Jason's core heart metaphorically skip a beat.