The Phantom Song.

Chapter 15. The Master of Time.

"Just to let you know, you sound like a fortune cookie."

This elicited a small grin from the blue-skinned ghost, who was rather fond of the young ghost king if his teasing was anything to go by.

Minerva had been apprehensive of the elder ghost, whose form continually shifted from child to adult, to elderly. it was a bit confusing but she learned that by focussing on his voice which remained the same despite his apparent age, she could ignore the headache the constant change had brought on. 

He wore a purple cloak and gloves, watches covering his arms and a grandfather clock mechanism embedded in his chest. When he was in his elderly form he had a long white beard that rivaled Dumbledore's.

Avalon and Albion hadn't explained, only snatching the professor from the hallway and flying her to the stables at top speed, each with a grip on an arm.

They had been lucky she could transfigure her teaching robes into traveling cloak and she had been flown in a carriage pulled by pegasi to a strange clock tower hidden deep within the Infinite Realms. 

When they had entered Minerva was shocked. Inside were hundreds of screens, each depicting some long forgotten moments, others impossible futures, but most were of an impossible present. 

The screens suddenly flashed off and Clockwork, the ghostly Master of Time had appeared.  "The moments are not for humans eyes." He warned before whacking Phantom upside the head. " You should have come here sooner." He scolded. 

The strange pair continued to bicker before Clockwork had said something philosophical.

That leads us to the present, if such a thing exists in the Master of time's abode. 

"Just so you know, you sound like a fortune cookie." The Ghost King said.

Minerva looked up as Clockwork grinned. "Anyways. Let's get down to business."

"To Defeat... The Huns!" Danny said. 

He was definitely Danny now. It seemed most of the high ranking ghosts had two sides to themselves. 

Sam and Avalon.

Tucker and Albion.

Danny and Phantom.

It made her sad to see them have to put on such a facade but she knew from watching Dumbledore that the mask of a leader and warrior was far more important at times than the face beneath.

She silently scolded herself for forgetting that Phantom, Avalon, and Albion were many centuries older than herself and were the farthest thing from children.

But watching the King laugh with his friends made her reconsider.

"-speak when she's done debating the psyche of ghostly leaders." Clockwork said.

She was snapped out of her reverie by a pair of grinning ghosts and promptly blushed.

"Must you tease everyone?"  Phantom asked.

"Yes."

"That's the first straight answer in decades." Danny gasped.

Clockwork turned to the largest screen and waved his staff over it

It  flickered to life and showed a strangely familiar scene. A group of students rushed to a swirling Gate only for bolts of red light to flash and hit one of them. Minerva suddenly realized she was watching herself being hit by a stunning spell and dragged through the portal.

"But how-?"

"I am the Master of all Time. What Is, what was, and what could be."

Phantom had been imitating Clockwork behind his back. Apparently, he had heard this speech many times before.