The Spirits of Amity Park Part 2
Despite dying an incredibly painful death and resurrection over and over and over again, Danny was adjusting rather well. Phantom mused that this was probably due to the fact that he wasn’t fully dead, and he wasn’t alone. Phantom hadn’t been alone either, with he and his grandfather regularly communicating and sometimes visiting, but even he hadn’t taken it well. Though that may have been due to Talia and Damian’s betrayal.
On the thought of his grandfather Phantom continued brainstorming how to introduce them. No doubt his grandfather would be pleased with the knowledge that not only was there another halfa but said halfa was incredibly powerful and loyal to Phantom. But he was….having rather irrational feelings. He knew his grandfather wouldn’t do anything to Danny, not if Phantom explained what he wanted their relationship to be, but for some reason Phantom was feeling possessive.
Every time Danny smiled Phantom felt as if his core was going to explode. But in a good way? Total body destruction wasn’t good, obviously, and he had no doubt that core destruction was worse but it felt good somehow? As if…he didn’t know how to describe the feeling, and maybe that’s why it bothered him so much. He always had a tight control of his mental, psychological and emotional state, and he knew many descriptors and ways to identify what he was feeling and why.
He had no words to describe these feelings, yet he only felt worried about that if he thought hard about it. Every other time it was simple to forget that he had no idea what he was feeling when Danny laughed at his attempts at jokes, when Danny smiled at him, when Danny’s face flushed when he complemented him. He forgot that he didn’t know why his chest tightened whenever Danny complemented him, the odd sweeping feeling that crawled into his head whenever he watched him skate.
He even felt anger when Tucker talked with Danny, though the more time they spent together the more that feeling lessened. And why did it lessen? Did he somehow take Tuckers presence as a threat, or did he simply not like him at first and now he was growing on him? Phantom had no clue. He wanted them to meet, both Danny and his grandfather meant very much to him, but he cared about Danny in a different way than he did his grandfather. It was all very confusing, complicated, and frustrating.
He was in a nice hotel in Amity Park close to Danny’s house, sitting at a desk writing a letter. Well, trying to. It would start normal but then, for reasons he still can’t explain, he would begin rambling about Danny’s favorite things, the amount of times Phantom successfully made him laugh today, his outlook on life, death and his new situation. Before he knew it he’d filled the paper with information his grandfather would find useless and he had to start again.
Maybe it would be easier to bring his grandfather to Amity Park so they could meet in person? His grandfather found his teleportation ability quite fascinating and useful, but Phantom had not yet teleported him anywhere for fear of something happening. It had been quite a new ability he still hadn’t gotten complete control over, and his grandfather understood that. But now he was much more confident in his abilities. Perhaps bringing his grandfather to Amity Park was the best way to go about introductions.
Though there was always the risk of Batman being alerted to his presence and coming to investigate. Not only would it make the town look suspicious and bring attention to Danny’s parents and their borderline-supervillain antics, but if he saw his face he’d immediately know he was his son. Talia always said that Damian looked identical to their father, but his grandfather always bragged that he looked the most like The Detective with his blue eyes. Another reason Talia hated him.
A knock at the door startled him, and he realized he’d been staring at a blank sheet of paper for who knows how long. He shook away his thoughts and stood to open the door. Standing outside was a girl he’d never seen before. She was pale with short black hair done half up with purple lipstick, eyeshadow and strangely purple eyes. She was dressed in goth attire, with a plaid purple and green short skirt, crop top, choker, and platform boots. She looked annoyed, but Phantom could tell she was very nervous.
“Hello?” He asked, and the girl scowled. She looked like she’d been crying. “What do you want with Danny?” Phantom paused. He didn’t recognize her, and Danny hadn’t mentioned any female friend. “Danny Fenton? He’s my friend.” Her glare became more intense. “You randomly appeared after he literally died, somehow got into his hospital room, and now you’re spending the rest of the summer attached at the hip. Who. Are. You. I know you’re not….alive.”
Phantom hummed. Now that he was thinking about it, Danny had mentioned a female friend. “You’re Sam Mason. Danny talks about you. Why have you not spoken to him about the accident?” Sam fidgeted. “I wanted to, it’s just—this isn’t about me!” She snapped. “This is about you and Danny. What do you want with him?” Phantom sighed. “Come in. We should not talk about this where the GIW or the parents Fenton could possibly hear. Not good for Dannys or my own safety.”
Sam kept glaring. “I have a taser and mace,” she walked in slowly, turning as to not show him her back. Smart. “Neither of those will affect me. Though I would refrain from using electric weapons around Danny, as it reminds him of his death and revival.” Sam took a deep breath. “He died. He really, actually died.” Phantom tilted his head. “You were aware of this. Why the change in mood?”
“I—I don’t know,” She said softly, “I guess it’s just different knowing for certain. I don’t know. What do you want with him?” “You are remorseful. Why?” She looked away, gripping something in her skirt pocket. From the outline it looked to be the mace. “Answer my question first.” Stubborn. “I am like him, though our deaths and revivals were under vastly different circumstances.”
“There are more dangers to ghosts than Danny’s parents. There is a government body, The Ghost Investigation Ward, whose entire purpose is to capture, experiment, and destroy ghosts and the afterlife in which many reside. Halfas, such as myself and Danny, are something of halfbreeds. We're both dead and alive, our spirits and physical bodies fused together during our deaths, resulting in our ability to walk on this earth and the underworld, shifting between forms as we please.”
“And as such, we fall under the GIW’s definition of a ghost. If Danny doesn’t learn how to control his powers, aura, and ghost form, he’d be lucky if his parents found him first, compared to what the GIW would do to him.” Sam was silent, and Phantom stared. She put up quite a strong and confident facade, but she was still a normal person—as normal as someone living in Amity Park could be. She wasn’t used to these intense scenarios.
“I’m the reason he died.” She whispered softly, her eyes glassing over with tears. “I wanted a stupid picture of him in the portal with his fake hazmat suit on, and he didn’t want to go inside but I pressured him and he went in and then—“ She sniffled, biting back a choke. She wiped her eyes and smeared her makeup. “There was green. So, so much green. I screamed, Tucker screamed, Danny screamed, and then it was over and he was lying outside the portal. Smoke was rising from his body, and I thought he’d been burned alive. Then he started twitching, Jazz called an ambulance…”
She cried softly. “It’s my fault,” Sam whispered, “I’m the reason he died. I’m the reason his parents and the government are going to start hunting him like an animal.” She sat on the bed and continued to cry, and Phantom watched awkwardly. How did he comfort someone who was coming to grasps with the fatal results of her actions?
“He wants to talk to you.” Phantom said instead, “He’s worried about how you’re handling everything. He thinks you hate him.” Sam looked up at him. She sighed and sniffled. “Of course he does. I killed him, and he thinks I hate him? He’s not even mad?” Phantom smiled softly. “He’s more worried about the adverse effects of being exposed to so much ectoplasm in such a short time. Talking to him would do you both good.”
Sam was a good addition to their little group. After her and Danny talked privately about The Incident as they’d started calling it, she joined Tucker in watching Danny learn his ghost powers and learning how to defend themselves. “You both have an ectosignature,” He warned them, “and the longer you’re around us, the portal, the larger it will grow. And with all the ectoplasm the portal is leaking, soon the entirety of Amity Park and everyone in it will be considered liminal.”
“How is the portal changing things?” Tucker asked, “Like, is it bending reality? Infecting us like a virus? Reconstructing our DNA like radiation?” “A mixture of radiation and reality warping. The portal isn’t actually a portal, not as we know it; portals are doorways, something that’s supposed to be there, whose whole purpose is to be peacefully and easily opened and closed.”
“What the parents Fenton did was, essentially, punch and stab a hole into the fabric of reality. This hole is an open wound, and bleeding freely. Incredibly difficult to open, accomplished only due to sacrifice and the several dozen ley lines FentonWorks is on top of, and impossible to close. There are no stitches to sew the hole shut, no bandages to slow the bleeding—all we can do now is wait for the blood to clot.”
Sam picked up hand to hand combat quickly, Tucker opting for throwable weapons such as javelins. They were light enough for him to easily run with, and his aim was surprisingly good. Danny had good control over his intangibility, invisibility, and flight, and his accuracy with his ectoblasts was improving, but he still had trouble with his wail.
Phantom was a Zabaniyah, a type of Guardian that was supposed to enact punishment onto sinners. Phantom didn’t do that often, but it was always in the back of his mind, whispering for justice, equity, fair trial and treatment. It made traveling long distances in the Infinite Realms a little difficult, especially in the more lawless areas where ‘punch first introductions later’ was common practice. Even more so when he’d be mistaken for a Ifrit.
Danny was a banshee, an uncommon ghost type. He’d met a few banshees’ during his travels and had invited a good friend, a fire core banshee named Ember, to Amity Park to help Danny with his wail. For most banshees’, the first thing they do when they form is wail. Sam and Tucker said that Danny had screamed during The Incident, but FentonWorks showed none of the destructive signs of a wail. Not only that but he seemed incapable of wailing again.
“It is possibly due to our halfa biology,” He told him, “Maybe because you formed in the Infinite Realms but immediately exited and turned alive it cut it off? I haven’t a clue, really.” Danny huffed from where he was floating, watching Sam and Tucker sparring. “Honestly? I don’t really want to learn the wail. If it can cause as much damage as you say, it’d be too dangerous to use. Especially with the guys in white walking around.”
That was a good point. Two weeks ago Danny’s parents were contacted by the GIW, and at first they were overjoyed to discover there was a whole government organization dedicated to ghosts. But according to Danny they’d already started to argue. The GIW only wanted to destroy ghost while the Fenton’s wanted to study them to find out how to destroy ghosts. They had the same end goal, but the GIW apparently refused to study the ghosts for fear they’d 'discover' they were actually sentient.
“If that is what you’d like, we can skip the wail for now. Ember will be here in three days time, and you can learn the cultural aspects of being a banshee instead. And fret not about the Ghost Investigation Ward; despite their government funding they are laughably incompetent. None of their ‘top of the art’ ghost hunting technology actually works.”
Danny frowned a little. “That’s why I’m so worried about them working with my parents. Our ghost tech works. Really well, too.” They discovered this after Danny was accidentally ‘souped’ into the Fenton thermos. “I don’t know what’d be worse—the GIW realizing none of their tech works and fixing it, or my parents getting government funding. They built the portal out of scraps, for Christs sake! Imagine what they’d be able to do with high quality materials.”
Another good point. “Then we have to make sure they don’t get access to those materials.” Sam cheered as Tucker tapped out of their wrestling match, laughing and helping him up. Phantom and Danny floated down, and when Danny’s feet hit the ground ice formed under him. “Good work, you’re improving far quicker than expected.”
“Sam, remember to keep your hands up and your stance solid. Tucker, don’t pull your punches. Use everything you’ve got.” Tucker and Sam nodded, and then they changed forms and walked back to town. “Are the Infinite Realms actually infinite, or is that just a metaphor?” Sam asked as they walked up the slope. Their training area was a crater like area in the woods, flattening out in the center. Perfect for fighting and hiding Phantom and Danny’s flying.
“I’d assume it’s infinite, but I don’t actually know. I do, however, know a few ghosts that have taken up cartography and successfully mapped certain afterlife’s such as Hades and the Duat, as well as most Undercity’s.” Danny hummed, kicking a stone. “What’s an Undercity? Is it like the Undercity in World of Warcraft?” “Not exactly.”
“Undercitys are city’s filled with ghosts who don’t want to go to any specific afterlife. Instead they stay in the Infinite Realms and reside in these cities, most of which are filled with specific kinds of ghosts. For example Watercolor is a city full of ghosts whose obsessions revolve around the arts. Music, singing and dancing, painting, poetry, anything to do with creation.”
“There is an Undercity close to the portal’s entrance. It is known as Internet City due to the fact most ghosts there either have electric cores or technological obsessions. These ghosts are actually the most common ghost to find on the mortal plane as they are able to connect the technology in the Infinite Realms to technology in this world, allowing for easy entry and exit.”
“That’s awesome!” Tucker exclaimed, “A whole city based on the internet? I know where I’m going when I die!” They laughed, and Sam asked, “Why are they allowed to not go to an afterlife? I thought if you didn’t go to one you’d go to nothing. The void, like, limbo or something.” Phantom shook his head.
“Think of the Infinite Realms as the space between afterlife’s. Hell on one side, the Realms in the middle, Valhalla on the other. If you don’t want to go to an afterlife, all one has to do is steer clear of that afterlife’s door. Some are immediately drawn to it, going inside without a thought, as if in a trance. Others are drawn to it but look away, and whether they stay or leave is their choice. Some are not drawn at all, instead immediately leaving.”
“Some ghosts seek out other, more knowledgeable ghosts or angels and ask questions. They'll learn that once you enter, you can never leave. No watching over anyone from Heaven. Avoiding the afterlife’s is easy; getting out once you’re in is the hard part.” Sam laughed nervously. “Are they strict?” Phantom nodded. “Very. No idea why, but apparently it has something to do with paperwork and no guarantee that the soul they let out will come back." "
I’ve also heard there was a…situation during World War Two with a certain German dictator that led to even stricter regulations.” Danny, Sam and Tucker gave each other concerned looks. "Do not worry," Phantom chuckled, "Adolf Hitlers spirit was ripped to shreds the moment he stepped outside of hell." Tucker sighed in relief. "God struck him down?" "No, a mob of ghosts from the concentration camps literally pulled him apart."
"Where did you stay before coming here?" Danny asked as they came closer to town. "I moved to wherever was most intresting. This was usually to any place I could find training. Most Undercitys offer many housing for a few days as roaming ghosts are common. If not in an Undercity I was in my Haunt." They stepped onto the street and began walking towards the burger place Danny loved.
"You keep mentioning a Haunt—is that like your house?" "Kind of. It's an area of the Infinite Realms connected to a ghosts existence and their obsession. For some it is a house, but I've seen Haunts that were restaurants, islands, farms. Some are recreations of the place they died, some make it into something completely new." They turned into the Nasty Burger, ordered milkshakes and fries, then sat.
"What’s your Haunt look like?" Tucker asked, "Does Danny have one?" Phantom hummed. "Most likely. For Halfas their harder to manipulate since we still have ties to this world, but his is most likely just outside the portal. Mine looks like an oasis I visited when I was a child with my grandfather." Their milkshakes came and they were silent for a moment.
"Oh! I have no idea what reminded me, but probably us sitting here," Danny lit up, "How long are you staying? Are you thinking about coming to school with us? Have you been to high school before?" Phantom thought for a moment. "I was homeschooled. I was planning on staying for the foreseeable future, but...I wouldn’t be against attending an American 'high school'. I've only seen them in movies."
"I knew you weren't American!" Sam exclaimed, "I couldn't figure out your accent. Where are you from?" Phantom smiled. "I'm from a cult in the inner valleys of the Himalayas." They stared at him. Phantom stared back. If he was going to introduce his grandfather to them, then they needed to know who he was and what they did. "Like...Jonestown, Heavens Gate, or...?" Tucker raised an eyebrow, and Phantom laughed. "More Illuminati assassin organization. We control far more than you think. My grandfather is the Demons Head, and I am the heir."
"Is that why you traveled to train?" Danny asked, munching on a fry. "To prepare?" Phantom smiled, his core feeling warm. They weren't scared, disgusted; they found it interesting. "Yes, as well as to enact revenge upon my younger brother and mother. They killed me." Sam nodded solemnly. "Fuck those guys." And then they all laughed. "Have the moves you've been teaching us come from the organization?" Tucker asked, and Phantom nodded.
"Yes, I've only taught you the non-lethal techniques so far, but if trouble arises I'll introduce you to the more dangerous moves." Sam's eyes lit up. "lethal moves? Do they look cool?" Phantom thought. "Well, most of them are more quick than cool, but combining them with the normal techniques do make for a show. I can invite Pandora to show you, maybe take you all to the Lazarus Islands for the tournaments."
Phantom explained the death tournaments and his win, as well as who Pandora was. They talked about death and battles and fighting for another half hour before leaving, and Sam and tucker waved goodbye before walking away. Phantom and Danny walked together in the opposite direction. "When will your grandfather visit?" Danny asked as they walked back to his hotel. "Well, I'd like to teleport him here, so maybe next week? It'll depend on his schedule. When does school start? He'll have to help me enroll."
"School starts August seventh, so you might want to enroll soon. I have no idea how it works, but I thinks its a process." Phantom hummed, stopping at the sidewalk in front of the hotel. "Well, I bid you a good night. I'll see you tomorrow, Danny." Danny smiled back at him, and Phantom felt that familiar warmth in his chest. "You too. I'll text you when I get home!" Danny continued down the street, waving before disappearing down the block. Phantom smiled all the way up the stairs and into his room, locking the door before opening a portal right into his grandfathers bedroom. Once it was stable, Phantom stepped through.
Grandfathers room looked almost the same as last time. Same green and gold curtains, same fur rugs, same large oak desk and poster bed with silk sheets. The only difference was the color of the pillows, red instead of green. Phantom looked around, not seeing his grandfather but hearing the water running in the bathroom. "Grandfather," Phantom called, "It is me. I've come bearing most wonderful news." There was silence for a moment, and Phantom sat on the bed, listening as the water stopped and there was movement. In three minuets the bathroom door opened and his grandfather walked out, dressed casually in green robes with black pants.
Grandfather smiled at him. "Dihyat, what a wonderful surprise. What is this news?" Phantom, Dihyat, stood and quickly hugged his grandfather. Grandfather squeezed him hard, a silent way of saying he missed him. "Oh Grandfather, there is another Halfa. His name is Danny Fenton, and I believe I'm in love with him." Grandfather paused, humming, something Dihyat did as well. "Tell me about this Halfa." And so Dihyat told him everything. From feeling his spirit enter the Infinite Realms to talking in the hospital to that very day, Dihyat told him everything he'd felt and seen. Grandfather was quiet while listening, asking the occasional question.
"He asked me if I would join him and the others in an American high school. I said I would like too, but needed a parent or guardians permission for enrollment. Would you like to come with me to Amity Park, to meet him?" Grandfather thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I would enjoy that. Building alliances is important, ya ruhi, and I believe there is much to gain from investigating the Ghost Investigation Ward and the Fenton parents." Dihyat agreed. "They've discovered how to bottle ectoplasm, Grandfather. Pure, unfiltered ectoplasm. If the Lazarus pits are corrupted, imagine what pure ectoplasm could do."
Grandfathers eyes gleamed. "Is that so? Even more reason to stay. When shall we set off?" Dihyat smiled. "Tomorrow we shall enter Amity Park. First, I wish to show you my Haunt." Grandfather went back into the bathroom, changing while Dihyat packed clothes and weapons for him. When he exited he was dressed formally but casually, well, as casual as an Al Ghul could be. Green robe lined with gold, polished boots, and Dihyat handed him his swords. "This will feel slightly nauseating. It will pass seconds after landing." Dihyat warned him, then took his hand and pulled the shadows forward.
For a moment he was weightless, surrounded by nothing but cold darkness, and then his feet were sinking into warm sand. Next to him his Grandfather took in deep breaths, and Dihyat squeeze his hand. "Easy," he said softly, "I vomited my first time, remember?" Grandfather lightly laughed, looking around. His Haunt was an oasis, one him and his Grandfather had visited during a mission.
Over a dozen fruit trees lined the edges of the oasis, mango and coconut and banana and avocados. There were patches of grass and flowers around the water, swaying gently in the breeze. The oasis itself was a pool of water about half a mile, coming up from an underground river and so clear and blue it almost looked fake. And honestly, it was. He'd added pebble rocks along the bottom and side, making the water shimmer. There was a fake sun in the sky, and they were surrounded by miles upon miles of golden sand. "Where do you sleep?" Grandfather asked. Dihyat led him closer to the oasis.
"Usually in the sand or water. It's peaceful, being apart of the earth. But I don't need to sleep, remember?" Grandfather gave him a look. "Your ghost half needs no rest. But your human half?" Dihyat looked away, embarrassed. "My human half needs food, water and rest, and I should not neglect either." Grandfather smiled, kneeling down and running a hand through the cool water.
"Fascinating. How did you create this?" Dihyat smiled, sitting next to him. The sand was warm, not getting into his clothes or shoes, a cool breeze coming from the water. "This ectoplasm is connected to my soul; its the first ectoplasm I touched when dying. It is connected to me in a way I can't fully explain. As such, I'm able to mold it rather easily."
Dihyat ran his hand through the sand, feeling each individual grain as if it was a limb. He grabbed a handful and focused, the familiar chill of ectoplasm rushing through his veins and out his palm like magic. The grains pulsed together, tightening, smoothing and growing stronger. Grandfather watched, hands still in the water, as he opened his palm to reveal a clump of emerald. It was bent and curved, his fingerprints visible, but it was real.
He handed it to his grandfather, who turned it in his hands, watching the way it caught the light. "You created all of this?" Grandfather asked softly, "Even the wind? The clouds, the sun, the sky?" Dihyat grinned, feeling proud. "Yes. Compared to other ghosts Haunts, it's nothing special. I've heard someone recreated their whole planet, another who turned theres into a star factory of sorts. I once visited a Haunt that had been turned into a never-ending school for dead Homo Magi."
"And Daniel's?" Grandfather sat the emerald into the water, and the sun created bouncing waves of green light. "Its just Danny. He gets very upset when called Daniel. And I haven't seen his yet, but I have a feeling it will have something to do with outer space and stars. Its his primary obsession." Dihyat stood, walking over to a mango tree.
He floated up and picked a mango, floating back to his grandfather. "Here. Try it. The fruit tastes fresher than real ones, and since its made out of ectoplasm it should give you a boost." Grandfather took the mango and quickly twisted it, breaking it in half like an apple. Grandfather handed him the other half before biting into his own.
"I believe if you intake more pure ectoplasm than Lazarus water, the corruption in your body may be reversed, or at the very least healed with minimal damage. It's what happened with me. This would also ensure you will become a ghost if you die, and maybe with enough exposure and intake you gain ghost powers like mine even in life."
It made Dihyat sad, knowing his grandfather would likely go to a hell. While Dihyat knew he wasn't a good person, he was never cruel with him. It was like his evil nature vanished, and in its place was his grandfather. His grandfather who loved him, who mourned him, who celebrated his return. His grandfather who hugged him like he was scared he'd vanish, who always reminded him he was worthy.
Dihyat only hoped his grandfathers intense lack of faith would mean there was no hell for him to be sent to. It had worked for others before, but Dihyat always worried it wouldn't for some reason. "It tastes wondeful, ya ruhi," Grandfather said after swallowing. "I can taste not just the sweetness, but the power." Grandfather flexed his free hand, as if he could see the ectoplasmic running through his veins.
Dihyat took a bite of his mango, tearing through the tough skin with sharp teeth. "What will your Haunt look like? If you died?" Grandfather thought for a moment, humming. "That is a good question. How large can Haunts be?" Dihyat took another bite of mango. "It depends on a ghosts power. More violent the death, the more powerful, the more ectoplasm they touched when entering the Infinite Realms."
"Some create only a small house, others entire planets and galaxies. I think you'd be a very powerful ghost; you've died in quite a lot of gruesome ways, and you're very ecto-contaminated. Not only that in order to manipulate ectoplasm to such an intense degree you need to be very strong willed, and I know of no mind stronger than yours." Grandfather hummed again, looking out at the vast sand.
"...I think I would recreate my home. The village I was born in, all those years ago." Dihyat swallowed his bite of mango. "What did it look like?" Grandfather smiled softly. "It looked different depending on where we were. Sometimes our huts were close together in a circle to protect against animals and the wind. Other times we were spread out, and I'd have to walk to someone else's hut."
"I remember the last time I saw it in all it's glory; fabrics were freshly dyed and hung to dry, waiting to be sold. Furs of coyotes that had attacked were hung to dry as well, and the meat was already cooking. There were children playing, men working the fire and the women mending clothes. In the distance you could see the sultan's city, glowing with gold and precious jewels, calling to young men like sirens to a sailor." His eyes became sad.
"We did not have much. We didn't even have proper metal. But we were happy. We sang songs, we danced, we always, somehow, had just enough food for all of us to have seconds. The city had wealth, but we had happiness." They were silent for a moment, the wind softly blowing and the water rippling. "Your village may still exist," Dihyat said softly, finishing his mango. "Many do. Punt, Roanoke, Pompeii, the Lighthouse and Library of Alexandria, dinosaurs even remain in a recreation of the Chicxulub crater."
"Ghosts, especially those from decades ago, tend to remain with those they were close to in life. Your village may still exist. I can look, if you'd like." Grandfather smiled. "Yes. Yes, I would appreciate that. Thank you, ya ruhi." They sat in the sand for a while, relaxing in the breeze and eating fruit. Eventually they got up and get ready to leave for his hotel.
"How is the sand not in my clothes?" Grandfather laughed, shaking out his pants. No sand fell out, and Dihyat smiled. "There is a thin barrier. Thin enough to break through with your hands, but thick enough that the sand can't move up unless pulled." Dihyat picked two bundles of bananas before they left. "You can eat them while we're there," He explained, "And so can Danny. His house is so contaminated all his food comes to life, so I think he'll appreciate fresh fruit."
Grandfather gave him a sly grin. "Ah, I remember how rare fresh fruit was. To gift it to someone else? You'll surely sweep him off his feet." Dihyat blushed and rolled his eyes. "Ready for more teleportation?" Grandfather nodded, gripped his hand, and then they were in his hotel room. Grandfather didn't stumbled but did sway, sitting on the bed quickly. "My, that does feel nauseating." He chuckled, looking around the room. At the same time his phone buzzed. A text from Danny.
'Training same time tomorrow?' Dihyat smiled. 'Yes. I have teleported my grandfather to Amity. Is it all right if he comes? He can teach us better than I can, and he'd like to meet you.' Dihyat sat next to Grandfather. "Danny has texted me," He told him. "I have been training him and two others, Tucker Foley and Sam Mason. Tucker and Sam were there when Danny died, and they are already very good fighters. Would you share some tips with them tomorrow?" His phone buzzed again.
'Sure! Are you going to register for school?' Grandfather smiled. "I will teach them. What have you taught them already?" "Mostly the hand-to-hand basics and jiu jitsu, as well as some basic weapons training. We didn't have access to many weapons, but Tucker has surprisingly good aim with throwable weapons such as knives and javelins. Sam is good at hand-to-hand, and she's picked out a bat as her main weapon. But we'll definitely need more, with all the ghosts waiting to come through the portal."
"Danny's intelligence is astounding," Dihyat tried not to swoon. "Despite how dense his parents are, and their blatant lack of common sense, they're incredibly smart—something Danny has inherited. He's already working on making our own ghost weapons, such as ecto-infused metal to turn into brass knuckled, bats, knives, and even repurposing his parents ray-guns." Dihyat pulled up some photos he'd taken of Dannys makeshift lab.
"On top of that, due to the nature of his death, he's incredibly powerful as well. It took me years to learn how to change my form, and months of constant meditation, remember? But not even a month after his death, he changed the way he looked completely! Without even trying! Once he figures out what's blocking his wail, I have no doubt it'll be powerful enough to level the east coast." Dihyat spent the rest of the night telling Grandfather about Danny, his favorite things, his laugh, Sam and Tucker, and many more.
Eventually him and Grandfather went to sleep, Grandfather humming a song he used to sing to him when he was small, wrapped in the hotel blanket with the soft noises of the city as background noise.
When Dihyat woke up Grandfather was already awake, and he'd somehow found a Middle Eastern restaurant serving breakfast. Grandfather handed him a bowl of shakshuka with tea while he ate a plate of full medames. They are in silence, and Dihyat felt incredibly calm. It had been so long since him and his grandfather had a moment like this, just existing near each other? It reminded him of when he was younger, and he'd sit next to Grandfather as he did paperwork, writing out his own essays with shaking baby hands.
He remembers tugging on his trousers, whispering 'jiddi', holding up his paper with wide eyes. Anyone else would've been hit, he'd seen him do it to servants and Damian before. But Grandfather never hit him. He smiled, whispered that he was doing wonderfully before going back to his work. Dihyat would smile and keep writing. "Thank you for breakfast." Grandfather smiled at him. "Of course, ya ruhi. What time is your friends training session? "
"They all have summer jobs, so we start training at three and end at six. Earlier, if they get time off or are let off early. I believe that will give us more than enough time to start my enrollment process." Grandfather nodded, they finished eating, and then set out to Casper High School.
