[Third Person Pov]
Danny let out a deep, guttural groan as he lay limply in Jackson's strong arms, his head lolling weakly to one side. His single visible eye drifted over to the worried faces of the Aqua-Family—Aqualad, Tula, Garth, and the others—who stared back at him with dark, horrified expressions etched across their features. Danny tried to muster a weak, lopsided smile, his cracked lips parting as he opened his mouth to speak. Before any words could form, however, he coughed violently, expelling a wet splatter of glowing green ecto-blood that stained his already ruined suit.
"Why the grim looks, everyone?" he rasped, his voice thin and strained. "Who went and died?"
"How is it that you're still alive?!" Tula exclaimed in pure horror, her eyes wide with disbelief. The rest of the group mirrored her expression, their faces pale with equal intensity. "Part of your face is literally missing from your head!"
"Oh… yeah…" Danny murmured slowly, his unfocused eye struggling to stay locked on them. "That'll patch itself right up. Don't you worry about a thing." He let out a shaky breath, the words slurring slightly as pain radiated through his broken form. "Geez, the looks on your faces… you all look like you've seen a ghost."
Danny started to laugh, the sound low and languid at first, building into a weak chuckle. "Hehehe… get it?" The laughter quickly dissolved into another harsh cough, more vibrant green ecto-blood flecking from his lips and dripping down his chin.
"Don't talk, son," Aquaman said firmly, his deep voice steady and commanding as he stood just behind Jackson, one large hand resting reassuringly on the young man's shoulder. "It's all over now. Just rest. All that remains is for us to clean up the mess."
Arthur led the way forward, his glowing trident held high, cutting through the dim, otherworldly light as they approached the sealed wound between dimensions—the tear that led back into the physical world.
Danny's battered body continued to be cradled carefully by Jackson, who kept glancing down at him with deep concern etched into every line of his face. One of Danny's hands rested weakly over the gaping wound on his stomach, while the other dangled limply off to the side, swaying with each careful movement.
"Worry about little ol' me?" Danny asked, forcing a stiff grin despite the agony twisting through him.
"Yes," Jackson answered without hesitation, his voice low and sincere. The honesty caught Danny off guard, genuine surprise flickering across what remained of his features. "I might not have known you for long, but you were a dependable comrade in battle. We've only managed to survive this far because of you. Your death would be… an unfortunate one."
"Aww, you can't see it because of all the blood, but I'm totally blushing right now," Danny chuckled softly. Garth and Tula giggled beside them as they flew through the water, their laughter lightening the heavy atmosphere just a fraction, while Jackson allowed only a faint, reluctant grin to tug at his lips.
Danny reached up with a trembling hand and gently patted Jackson's cheek. "Don't worry about me. You can't kill what's already dead… Well, half-dead. I'm like Schrödinger's cat."
"Who?" Jackson asked, his brow furrowing in genuine confusion.
"Not important," Danny wheezed, waving the question away with a weak flick of his fingers. "What I'm trying to say is that death and I… we're like this." He slowly crossed two fingers over each other, holding them up for emphasis. "We're pretty tight. So don't be too worried about me dying anytime soon."
"Hah," Jackson let out a sharp exhale and shook his head in quiet amusement. "If you say so, Danny."
Aquaman raised his trident high and channeled his power, shattering the thick layer of ice that had temporarily sealed the dimensional tear. The portal rippled open with a surge of ethereal energy, and the group passed through, emerging back beneath the churning sea within the ruined temple.
Batman and Robin were already there, having left Youngblood's ship to do their best to contain the chaotic aftermath still unfolding inside the ancient structure.
The entire group gathered closely around Danny as Jackson lowered him gently to the cold, stone floor. Danny winced sharply, clutching his side as fresh pain lanced through his body. The others instinctively took a single step back, giving him space while watching with tense concern.
"Ugh… no offense," Robin said, visibly wincing in sympathy as he took in the full extent of Danny's battered and mutilated form, "but you look horrible."
Danny slowly turned his head, fixing Robin with a perfectly straight, deadpan stare despite the gruesome injuries. "You better sleep with one eye open, Bird Boy," he rasped, "because I'm going to haunt you in your sleep."
Then it began.
Starting from Arthur's trident and spreading outward, all of Danny's duplicates began to exit their previous hosts. From Garth, from Tula, from Jackson, and even from Robin—every spectral copy phased free and streamed back toward their original, merging seamlessly into Danny's core form. The air around him shimmered with glowing green energy as the process intensified.
"Ughhh!" Danny cried out, his back arching violently off the ground. His arms twisted at unnatural angles, fingers curling into tight, trembling fists as wave after wave of accumulated pain crashed into him.
"What's going on?" Mera asked urgently, stepping closer with deep concern shining in her eyes. "Why does he seem to be in even more pain than before?"
"He's experiencing all the pain and injuries the previous clones endured," Batman deduced quickly, his voice calm and analytical even in the midst of the chaos. "Every wound, every blow they took—it's all being transferred back to him at once as they reintegrate."
The others watched with horrified fascination as his ruined flesh began to grotesquely stretch and bubble. Muscles knitted themselves back together with wet, squelching sounds while bones cracked and realigned beneath the surface. The missing portion of his skull slowly enclosed, the gaping wound sealing over as new bone, tissue, and skin crawled across the void. His empty eye socket filled once more as a fresh eye swelled back into place, the iris glowing a faint, eerie green before settling into its usual bright blue.
Tula took an involuntary step back, her face turning a distinct shade of green as she pressed a hand over her mouth. "That's… that's not natural. None of this is natural. I think I'm gonna be sick…"
"Eh," Robin shrugged with complete indifference, arms crossed as he observed the gruesome spectacle. "I live in Gotham. I've seen worse."
The entire group slowly turned to stare at Robin in unison, their expressions a mixture of deep disturbance and utter bewilderment. Mera and Arthur, in particular, shot Batman a pointed, questioning look that clearly asked, 'What exactly have you been allowing this boy to witness back in Gotham?'
By the time Danny had finished regenerating his most critical injuries, he shakily floated back up to his feet. He stood there panting heavily, both eyes droopy and half-lidded with exhaustion. Deep gashes and lacerations still crisscrossed his body, oozing slow trails of glowing green ecto-blood. He had only managed to muster enough energy to handle the life-threatening damage; everything else would have to wait.
Danny wiped the remaining blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, breathing heavily. "Let's finish cleaning up this place," he declared, his voice still rough but steadier than before, "so we can all go home…"
Everyone nodded in firm agreement and immediately got to work. Arthur and Mera focused their combined royal magic on sealing the massive tear between worlds, their trident and mystical energy glowing brightly as they worked to close the rift for good. Meanwhile, Danny and the rest of the team moved swiftly to round up the remaining ghosts still causing chaos throughout the ruined temple.
Danny chased the troublesome Youngblood into a far corner of the massive underwater dome, cornering the ghostly pirate boy until tears shimmered in his wide eyes.
"Alright, you little brat," Danny growled, hovering menacingly, "the jig is up. Your little play date is over."
"No! You can't make me!" Youngblood shouted defiantly, though his voice cracked with fear. "Stay back! As long as I, the young and extraordinary pirate Youngblood, son of the Flying Dutchman, am still around—"
"The Flying Dutchman was a ship!" Danny interrupted, looking genuinely perplexed. "Is he even your actual dad?!"
"Huh? Oh no, of course not," Youngblood replied, waving a hand smugly across his face and shooting Danny a look that practically called him an idiot for actually believing it. "I just thought it would make me sound cool and give me a mysterious background if I claimed to be his son."
Veins bulged prominently over Danny's temple as he clenched his jaw, forcing a dangerous smile that was anything but friendly. With a flicker of green energy, he opened his palm and materialized a glowing construct of a thick leather belt, letting it slap threateningly against his other hand.
Youngblood's face turned deathly pale. He gulped loudly, letting out a nervous laugh. "Hahaha… What do you think you're doing with that belt?"
"Get over here, Youngblood! I'm not done with you yet!!"
*Thwap!* *Thwap!*
"Waaaaaaaaah!!"
Youngblood swam away with all his ghostly might, tears gushing from his eyes like tiny rivers as he clutched his small behind.
He zigzagged desperately through the water, trying to escape the furious half-ghost chasing him around the entire dome. The chaotic pursuit drew amused and slightly horrified glances from the rest of the team as they finished their own tasks, the sounds of Youngblood's wailing filling the underwater chamber.
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