Chapter 28: "Ghost Vibes and Haunted Friendship Jewelry"
In which Evan learns that lying to your best friends is harder than bench-pressing your own emotional baggage, and Toby tries to eat a necklace.
Saturday mornings were supposed to be sacred.
You know—
cartoons, cereal, and absolutely no life-threatening ghost drama before noon.
But nope.
Not in my life.
I was already late to the park, where Mara and Toby were almost done with their workout and looking annoyingly competent about it.
"Hey," I called, jogging over like someone who definitely didn't sleep in until ten and eat leftover pizza for breakfast. "Sorry I'm late. My mentor-slash-ancient-cultivator-life-coach gave me the morning off."
Mara raised an eyebrow, wiping sweat from her face with her sleeve.
"That the same mentor who keeps turning your life into a sci-fi horror movie?"
Toby didn't look up from his sit-ups.
"We figured you were busy transforming into a superhero... or a protein shake."
They weren't wrong.
I mean, I knew what was happening.
Mostly.
I just couldn't exactly tell them:
Hey, guys, the ancient Sect Head living inside my head has been using ki to speed up my recovery, drilling martial arts into me while I sleep, building supernatural combat armor, and occasionally borrowing my body to restructure organized crime.
That sort of thing doesn't go over well before brunch.
Instead, I gave them my best:
I'm totally not suspicious
smile.
"Yeah, funny thing about that..."
Mara crossed her arms.
"Evan, your body has literally changed in a few weeks. You went from 'kinda scrawny' to 'can probably punch through drywall.'"
"I did punch through drywall," I muttered.
Then immediately realized that wasn't helping my case.
Toby sat up and looked at his arms.
"And we're getting stronger too. I don't even hate push-ups anymore."
He stared at his hands with genuine concern.
"This is how I know we've entered the Twilight Zone."
Okay.
So maybe the training glow-ups were a little more noticeable than I'd hoped.
"Maybe..." I said slowly, "it's the supernatural vibes in the city. Like background radiation, but spooky."
Toby blinked.
"Ghost gains?"
"Exactly."
Mara narrowed her eyes.
"That's the dumbest explanation you've given us so far."
"Or," I added with a completely straight face, "maybe it was that experimental serum I put in your drinks last night."
Mara froze.
Toby froze.
I lasted approximately one second.
"Kidding! Kidding."
Mara's eyes narrowed further.
"Totally joking."
I raised both hands.
"I would never do that without at least a warning label."
They didn't look convinced.
But they also didn't punch me.
So I counted that as a win.
Then I remembered the real reason I'd come.
"Oh! Right."
I reached into my pocket.
"Gifts."
Two thin silver chains slipped into my palm, each carrying a sleek dark pendant.
They shimmered faintly in the sunlight, like they were trying very hard not to look obviously magical.
Mara tilted her head.
"Are those... haunted?"
"Almost definitely."
Her expression changed.
"But, like, friendly haunted."
"That's not reassuring."
I handed one to each of them.
"They're from me."
I hesitated.
"Well, technically my mentor made them. But they're for you."
Toby immediately started turning his over in his fingers.
"What do they do?"
"Protection charms."
That got both their attention.
I shrugged, suddenly feeling awkward.
"You guys are my best friends."
Then I looked toward Mara.
"And one girlfriend."
Toby gave a dramatic gasp.
"Wait."
He pointed between himself and Mara.
"Which one of us is the girlfriend?"
Mara rolled her eyes so hard I swear I heard it.
"He means me, you moron."
"Ohhh."
Toby studied the pendant again.
Then, with completely misplaced sincerity:
"Can I eat it?"
"What?!"
I nearly slapped it out of his hand.
"No!"
He shrugged.
"You said it's magical. Maybe it'll give me powers."
"It'll give you internal bleeding."
Toby lowered it.
"...Less exciting."
Mara was already examining hers, holding it toward the light.
"It's warm."
Her thumb brushed across the surface.
"And it kind of hums."
Yeah.
That would be the defensive formation Asterion had built into it.
Not that I could explain the whole:
ancient Sect Head from another universe who builds spiritual technology in his spare time
thing yet.
Still...
I couldn't help feeling a little smug when Mara put the necklace on.
Toby followed.
After briefly sniffing his.
For some reason.
It wasn't just protection.
It was...
I don't know.
Something that made the three of us feel more connected.
Like whatever came next, we were actually doing this together.
Even if I was the one carrying several extra layers of secrets.
I stuffed my hands into my jacket pockets and rocked back on my heels.
"So."
I grinned.
"You guys ready to start training again? Or should we go hunt some semi-corporeal horrors first?"
Mara smirked.
"Depends."
She cracked her knuckles.
"Will it involve punching things?"
"Almost definitely."
Toby raised one hand.
"Will there be snacks?"
You ever stretch so well you feel like a human rubber band?
Yeah.
Me neither.
Until today.
The sun was shining.
Birds were chirping.
And I was currently stretching like some kind of martial-arts yoga master in the middle of the park.
Mara and Toby were sprawled across the grass nearby, catching their breath and drinking water like it was holy nectar.
They'd just finished our usual training routine, which now included cardio, jump squats, footwork drills, and the occasional duck-and-roll away from possessed squirrels.
Don't ask.
Just...
don't.
Meanwhile?
I was in the zone.
"Wow," Toby said, watching me through half-lidded eyes behind his glasses. "He can actually touch his toes now."
"More than that," Mara muttered.
I dropped backward into a full bridge.
Then kicked over onto my feet.
Her eyebrows rose.
"He's basically Cirque du Soleil now."
Okay.
She wasn't wrong.
I could bend.
Twist.
Flip.
Drop into a side split without making noises usually associated with injured farm animals.
It was all part of Asterion's training.
Weeks of stretching, movement drills, martial arts, and recovery support were apparently starting to add up.
Who knew consistency actually worked?
Terrifying concept.
Before I could enjoy their admiration for too long...
It was time for the main event.
I cracked my knuckles.
Took a breath.
Then muttered:
"Alright, let's go, you brooding discount swordsman."
Because yes.
I was now fighting Kael Veyr.
Or...
More accurately, a mental projection of a younger version of Kael created by Asterion for training.
One of Asterion's actual students.
Sword specialist.
Light user.
Approximately as warm and cheerful as an iceberg holding a tax audit.
To Mara and Toby?
I was shadowboxing across a public park like a lunatic.
To me?
I was trying not to get mentally stabbed by a terrifying teenager with perfect posture.
Kael appeared.
Sword in hand.
Expression blank.
I darted forward.
He moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
I barely twisted away from the wooden practice blade sweeping toward my ribs.
"Too slow, broody!"
Kael didn't answer.
Of course he didn't.
He simply stepped forward.
I jumped over a low sweep.
Pivoted.
Countered with a punch.
He slipped outside it.
His practice sword tapped me directly between the eyes.
Thwack.
"Ow!"
Mara blinked from across the field.
"Did he just react to nothing?"
Toby had his phone out.
Recording.
"Either he's completely lost it, or we're witnessing the birth of competitive invisible martial arts."
I dove behind a bench.
Kael followed.
I rolled out from the other side and vaulted over a trash can like it was a flaming barrel in an action movie.
Kael came after me with terrifying precision.
No wasted movement.
No dramatic yelling.
Just:
I am going to correct your mistakes with violence.
Which was honestly very Asterion-school-of-teaching.
"Still silent!"
I ducked beneath a strike.
"Still judgmental!"
Another strike.
"You're basically a haunted honor student!"
Nothing.
Not even a facial twitch.
"Okay, you're less fun than Rian."
That finally earned me something.
A slight narrowing of Kael's eyes.
Oh.
Bad idea.
He accelerated.
"WAIT, I TAKE IT BACK—"
I barely avoided the next three attacks.
My heart hammered.
My lungs burned.
And yeah...
I had a stupid grin on my face.
This was the best kind of training.
Fast.
Brutal.
And weird enough to keep me from thinking about all the actual responsibilities piling up around me.
Eventually, after several more dodges and one surprisingly good kick that caught Kael in the chest, I jumped backward and raised both hands.
"Time out!"
Kael stopped.
"I need water."
He stared at me.
Then disappeared.
I walked back toward my friends, wiping sweat from my forehead and trying not to look too pleased with myself.
Toby lowered his phone.
"So..."
He stared at me.
"Should we be worried?"
"Only if I start naming all the voices in my head."
I grabbed my water bottle.
Mara shook her head, but she was smiling.
"You're weird."
"Thank you."
"Like, next-level weird."
"Less thank you."
She looked me over.
"But..."
I waited.
"You're actually kind of cool now."
I froze.
"Wait."
I pointed at myself.
"Now?"
Mara smirked.
"Don't ruin it."
We collapsed onto the grass together.
Me freshly exhausted.
Them already exhausted.
The sky was blue.
The wind was light.
And for once, no actual ghosts were trying to kill us.
The ancient cultivator living rent-free in my head didn't count.
That's just Saturday now.
There's nothing like a smoothie after fighting an invisible cultivator in a public park.
Strawberry-banana.
Extra protein powder.
Zero haunted calories.
Bliss.
I flopped onto the grass beside Mara and Toby, clutching my smoothie like it was a golden trophy.
Toby was already halfway through his blueberry blast—which may or may not have contained some mysterious energy syrup he bought from a sketchy website.
Mara was sipping hers like a queen who only tolerated smoothies because they were environmentally acceptable.
"Okay," I said between sips, "is it just me, or did I totally kick Kael's butt today?"
Toby stared at me.
"You looked like you were breakdancing against oxygen."
Mara smirked.
"More like interpretive martial arts."
Then she shrugged.
"But yeah. You're getting better."
I grinned.
Compliments from Mara were basically rare magical items.
Boss drops.
Extremely satisfying.
That's when the mood took a sharp turn into...
Awkwardville.
A pair of bicycles rolled along the path ahead of us.
Ridden by none other than Mara's parents.
Fantastic.
They looked like they'd stepped directly out of a catalog titled:
Wealthy and Unbothered.
Matching helmets.
Designer workout clothes.
Bicycles that probably cost more than my entire bedroom.
And they were cycling almost perfectly in sync.
Like rich Olympic swans.
The second their eyes landed on our smoothie-sipping trio...
I felt it.
Judgment.
Powerful judgment.
The kind normally reserved for people who wear socks with sandals at formal events.
Mara's mother raised an eyebrow so high I thought it might leave her forehead entirely.
Her father looked at me like I was a suspicious raccoon standing beside an unlocked trash can.
They didn't stop.
Just rode past.
Perfect posture.
Perfectly controlled expressions.
And enough parental disapproval to lower the temperature five degrees.
I watched them go.
"Did they just..."
"Judge us silently?"
Mara took another sip.
"Yep."
She nodded toward their disappearing backs.
"That's their cardio."
Toby whistled.
"Your parents look like Bond villains on vacation."
Mara didn't even blink.
"They've been judging my life choices since I stopped wearing floral headbands in fifth grade."
I scratched the back of my head.
"So, uh..."
I glanced at her.
"Do they know?"
Mara gave me a look.
"About ghosts?"
She leaned slightly closer.
"Or about the fact that I kissed you behind the soda machine last week?"
Toby nearly inhaled his smoothie.
"YOU WHAT?!"
My face went red.
"Not helping, Toby."
Mara leaned back as if she'd said absolutely nothing remarkable.
"No. They don't know."
She thought for a moment.
"Yet."
I swallowed.
"But I think they suspect something."
"About us?"
"My mom had her my daughter is sitting too close to a boy expression."
"There's a specific expression?"
"Several."
That was terrifying.
Toby wiped smoothie from his chin.
"This is huge."
He pointed after them.
"You're telling me Mara's parents might eventually tolerate Evan?"
I stared.
"Is that possible?"
Mara shrugged.
"They've noticed changes."
"In you?"
"Better grades. More discipline. Less getting into trouble."
She paused.
"Less setting things on fire."
I stared.
"How much stuff were you setting on fire before?"
"Not relevant."
Fair.
"They probably think some of it is because of you."
That made me pause.
"Oh."
For some reason...
I felt weirdly proud.
"Nice."
Mara leaned closer.
"So try not to ruin it by getting into a supernatural fistfight directly in front of them."
I took another sip.
"No promises."
She elbowed me.
Toby laughed.
Then Mara did.
And eventually, so did I.
The tension disappeared.
The breeze was soft.
The smoothies were cold.
And even if Mara's parents were somewhere nearby silently evaluating whether I was worthy of breathing the same expensive air as their daughter...
Things were good.
For now.
And honestly?
I'd learned to appreciate for now.