The last few days felt more short than Kael expected. Each sunrise brought him closer to departure, yet every night he found himself gazing at the ceiling, wondering whether leaving so soon was truly the right step. But then the memories came—the accident, the ghostly energy in his body, and the whispers of power he had barely begun to control. He knew hesitation would be his greatest weakness. He steeled his resolve for the unknow future.
At the Veyne mansion, the preparations for his shifting had already begun. Papers for his school transfer were finalized after a lot of hassles. Teachers expressed their regret at losing such a bright student, but Kael stayed quiet, offering polite nods while hiding the weight of his secret. He wasn't leaving because of grades or grief alone—he was leaving to build himself into something more.
The Fenton couple had been surprisingly supportive. Jack and Maddie visited the Veyne estate to inspect the mansion's long-forgotten portal. Jack rolled up his sleeves and Maddie calibrated the readings, the structure hummed with faint life. They studied the portal intently for sometime and found out the problems.
"Stabilizers were out of sync," Maddie explained, adjusting her goggles. "But the framework's solid. With a little care, this portal could run smoother than ours."
Kael watched intently as the pair worked, filing away every detail. The portal was a gate, a doorway, a promise, but also a danger he could not afford to mishandle. When Jack triumphantly clapped him on the shoulder, declaring, "She's good to go, champ!" Kael forced a smile. He would not open it—not yet. Rashly communicating with the portal could cost him his cherished second life. He did not have the plot armor to save himself and he was not arrogant enough to think some control over his power can make him ignore the dangers the portal represented. Even Danny had his friends to support himself. But Kael, he had no one for now. So until he at least achived the C tier, going there wasn't enough for him. Being patient for long term goals is one of his strong point.
"Not until I'm ready," he decided silently. "Not until I can stand on my own."
Training became his new rhythm. Each morning, Kael laced his shoes and hit the road outside the mansion grounds. At first, thirty minutes of running left his lungs burning and legs sore. But discipline drove him. Sweat dripped down his brow as he pushed harder every day, gradually extending his runs toward an hour. Endurance was survival. Ghost powers were one thing, but his body—the vessel—needed to be strong enough to carry the strain.
After running, he moved into the home gym, where weights, mats awaited. Push-ups, squats, sit-ups—basic routines at first, but relentless. Muscles that had grown soft during years of comfort began to harden. Each rep echoed in his head like a vow: stronger, faster, tougher. His enemies would not just be ghosts. If he was careless, humans—hunters, scientists, opportunists—could become threats too. He needed to be prepared.
Evenings belonged to ghost training. In the dim basement, where shadows flickered against the walls, Kael cycled through his abilities, forcing control through repetition. Invisibility came faster now, less of a flicker and more of a clean vanish. Intangibility no longer trapped him in walls; he phased smoothly, like slipping through water. Flight had grown sharper—his turns tighter, his speed steadier.
Duplication remained his weak points, but his clones held form longer, performing simple motions before going out. Overshadowing grew easier, though he practiced only on small animals, never daring to try humans. The Blue-Fire Ray crackled more reliably, striking dummies with precise bursts. And temporal perception—perhaps his most dangerous gift—slowed and increased his senses. In this ability he could sense more around him like a third eye and could predict one or two movements of the people in this area. He could use this in combat, though he dared not use it too long, fearing the toll on his mind.
By night, exhaustion clung to him like a second skin, but he welcomed it. Progress was visible now. He was no longer fumbling in the dark.
One night, Kael stood before the portal again. The green glow pulsed faintly along its rim, a heartbeat waiting for activation. His hand hovered over the control panel, temptation gnawing at him. Just one press, and the Ghost Zone would open before him. Countless secrets, powers, and enemies lay within reach. After hesitating for some time, he finally gave up the temptation again.
He clenched his fist, lowering it. "Not today," he whispered. "I'll earn my way in."
The last days in Amity Park became a quiet blur. Jazz still nagged him lightly about school, Danny invited him for games and occasional chatter, and the Fentons busied themselves with their own hunts. Kael, careful as always, revealed nothing of his secret life. On the surface, he was just a boy preparing to move for a fresh start.
But at night, behind locked doors, he was a ghost sharpening his edge.
The evening before his departure, Kael sat at his desk and drafted a plan for the next three months. He broke it down into precise goals, every line inked with determination:
• Improve core abilities to intermediate level.• Achieve combat fitness equal to C-tier ghosts.• Return to Amity secretly in three months to enter the Ghost Zone.• Establish valuable identity in Elmerton while maintaining contact with the Fentons.• Study both science and combat—knowledge and strength, balanced.• Commision more equipments from the Fentons.
Reading the list, Kael felt a calm resolve. This was no longer drifting experimentation—this was strategy.
That night, he stood by his bedroom window. The lights of Amity Park flickered in the distance, familiar streets and rooftops bathed in silver moonlight. A place of beginnings, but not yet of victories. His reflection in the glass looked older than before—eyes steadier, posture straighter.
"To the next step of my journey in this new world," Kael said softly, voice carrying into the night.
The city below slept, unaware of the phantom it had birthed. Soon, Elmerton would be his new stage. Soon, the Ghost Zone would open to him. And soon, Kael would no longer be a boy stumbling into powers—he would be something far greater.
Something unstoppable.