12 Years Ago, in a Mutant Facility…
A younger Ghost stood behind a cold concrete wall, trembling.
His back was pressed against it, shoulders hunched, eyes wide. His breathing was shallow – each breath fogging the air in front of him.
Across from him stood three older mutants. Stronger. Taller. Their burned with rage.
One of them snarled:
"You've got some nerve… pulling something like that."
Ghost clutched the wall behind him tighter, his hands shaking.
"Please… I-I didn't mean to." His voice cracked, barely above a whisper.
He had already tried to escape – tried phasing through the wall like he always did.
But it didn't work.
The guards had installed a new security measure: an electrified force field lined inside the walls. Designed to trap him specifically.
He was cornered.
He could've tried going through them… but they knew his secret.
They knew about his 10-second interval.
One of them stepped forward, his voice venomous.
"Doesn't matter if you meant it or not."
He raised his arm–
It shifted into a glistening blade of bone and steel.
Another mutant's chest pulsed with energy, plasma swirling and humming dangerously.
The third conjured an axe from nothing – formed from raw mass and rage.
They all charged.
Ghost's eyes widened.
He turned, trying again to phase – ZZZZZT!
The wall crackled. The field surged.
No escape.
He froze.
Tears welled in his eyes.
He shut them tightly – waiting for pain.
Waiting to be broken.
Then–
POW!
POW!
POW!
Silence.
Ghost's eyes remained shut, his breath caught in his throat.
Nothing.
No pain. No strikes. No laughter.
Slowly… cautiously…
He opened his eyes.
The three mutants were on the ground – unconscious.
Beaten.
And standing in front of him…
…was a kid.
The kid looks the same age as Ghost.
But something about him felt different.
Ghost still clutched the wall, his knees trembling, heart pounding in his chest. His white eyes stared wide at the boy who now stood between him and the others.
The kid didn't even look fazed.
He turned his head slightly, just enough for Ghost to see his expression.
"Are you okay?"
His voice was calm – gentle, even.
Ghost blinked.
Still breathing heavily.
Still shaking.
"Y-Yeah," he managed to whisper.
Then–
"W-Who the hell do you think you ar–"
One of the older mutants growled, pushing himself back up to his feet.
But then he stopped.
All three of them did.
They looked at the boy.
And their eyes widened in horror.
Panic began to set in.
"Y-You're… Hayato's," one of them said, his voice cracking.
"And Haruka's adopted son…"
Ghost's eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Hayato?"
"Haruka?"
"Adopted son?"
The boy slowly turned to them, hands still in his pockets, and smiled.
A smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"So what if I am?" he said, tone icy and unbothered.
"What are you going to do?"
He took a step forward.
"Fight me?"
The older mutants froze in place.
Their postures stiffened. Breathing uneven. The same ones who had just moments ago prepared to beat Ghost without hesitation – were now trembling.
They started backing away.
One of them stammered, "W-We're sorry. We didn't know…"
The second one added quickly, "W-We'll leave him alone! W-We swear!"
Then without another word, the three of them turned–
–and ran.
Ghost stood frozen, watching the three older mutants disappear down the corridor, their footsteps echoing as they fled in fear.
"They… they ran away," he murmured in disbelief.
He kid beside him chuckled lightly, smiling.
"Yeah, they did."
He turned to face Ghost again.
"But more importantly… are you okay?"
Ghost gave a small nod.
"Y-Yeah."
But the kid didn't look convinced. His smile faltered slightly as his eyes studied Ghost's trembling posture.
"How long have those guys been bothering you?"
Ghost looked down, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"E-Ever since I got here."
The boy's expression darkened.
A hint of anger behind his calm eyes.
"Tch… cowards."
Then – his voice softened again.
"If they ever mess with you again… let me know. I'll deal with them."
Ghost looked up, eyes wide.
"Huh?"
The boy simply turned to leave, waving casually.
"See you around."
But something sparked inside Ghost then – something unfamiliar but warm.
"WAIT!"
The kid paused mid-step and glanced over his shoulder.
Ghost hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What's your name?"
The boy smirked.
"My name is ???. And you?"
Ghost blinked, caught off guard.
The boy nodded.
Ghost looked down again.
"I-I don't really like my name."
The boy raised an eyebrow.
"You don't?"
Ghost shook his head.
"No. It… never felt like mine."
The boy watched him for a long moment, then sighed and crossed his arms.
"Alright then. If that's the case…"
He grinned.
"How about I give you a new name?"
Ghost looked up, confused.
"Give me… a name?"
"Yeah," the boy nodded.
"Something that actually suits you. But first – tell me. What's your mutant ability?"
Ghost looked at the boy, confused by the question.
"Why do you need to know about my mutant ability?"
The kid placed both hands behind his back, standing upright with a calm, almost mature aura, and offered a soft smile.
"Because… your mutant ability is like your talent."
"Talent?" Ghost raised an eyebrow.
The kid nodded.
"Yeah. In my opinion, your talent represents who you are. And it's the reason why I need to know more about your mutant ability, so that it can help me come up with a name for you."
Ghost stared at him. There were so many thoughts swirling in his head.
"Should I trust him?"
"What if he's just like the others?"
"And what if… no – he can't be."
"He just saved me. He's not like them."
He looked the kid in the eyes.
Then – he spoke.
"My mutant ability is… Permeation."
"Permeation?" the boy repeated, intrigued.
Ghost nodded slowly.
"Yeah. Permeation allows me to phase through solid objects by shifting my molecular state, rendering me intangible. I can walk through walls, evade attacks, and disappear into the environment like a ghost."
He took a breath and continued.
"I can also phase only specific parts of my body, like just my arm of torso if I want to avoid an attack."
Ghost nodded again.
"Yeah… I can also turn other people intangible by touching them right before I phase. That way, I can bring them with me through walls or floors… or trap them inside if I let go mid-phase."
The boy's eyes lit up.
"So basically… you can merge people with walls or the ground and trap them?"
Ghost nodded.
"Yes, that's right. But…"
The kid turned his full attention back to Ghost.
"Hmm? But what?"
Ghost hesitated for a moment. Then said–
"My ability, Permeation, has a weakness."
The kid raised an eyebrow.
"A weakness?"
Ghost let out a quiet sigh.
"While Permeation allows me to become intangible and phase through solid objects, it comes with a critical limitation."
"And the limitations are?" the kid asked, clearly curious.
"After activating Permeation… I can't go intangible again for ten seconds." Ghost said.
The kid's eyes widened.
"A ten-second interval?"
Ghost nodded.
"Yeah… if an opponent figures that out, they can bait me – force me to use Permeation early. Then I have no choice but to dodge the next attack."
"So it means timing is everything for your ability." the kid replied.
Ghost nodded again.
"Exactly. If I become intangible at the wrong time…"
"…you're wide open." the kid finished.
Ghost gave a small smile.
"Yeah."
Silence fell between them.
The kid began processing everything Ghost had just explained about his mutant ability.
His thoughts:
"So… like a ghost, he passes through walls, floors, and attacks without leaving a trace. Just when you think you've cornered him – he's gone."
"He appears where he shouldn't. Drops in from ceilings. Rises out of floors. You never hear him coming."
"They'll try to grab him, stab him, burn him – but he'll phase right through it. And if they do manage to catch him solid during his cooldown… well, good luck landing that hit before he vanishes again."
Then–
A smirk curled on his face.
"Perfect."
Ghost looked up at him.
"Huh? What's perfect?"
The kid looked at Ghost with a gleam in his eyes.
"I've got the perfect name for you."
He stepped forward, extending a hand.
"From this day on… your name will be Ghost."
Ghost's eyes widened.
"Ghost?"
The kid held out his hand, still smiling.
"C'mon now, Ghost. Join me."
Ghost narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Join you? To where?"
The kid smiled brightly.
"To your new friends – no, your new family."
Back to the Present…
In the courtyard of the Shaolin Temple, a storm of tension churned in the cold air.
The Elements – Hikaru, Reito, Ikazuchi (whose lower body has sunken to the ground by Ghost), Moriya (who was helping free Ikazuchi out) and the still-frozen Haruto – stood alongside Teshii and Master Takeshi. All of them now stood with renewed determination, their eyes fixed on the enemy before them.
Across from them stood Ghost.
Still. Silent. But no longer smug.
He gritted his teeth.
"Tch… looks like… they figured it out."
He stared at them with narrowed, white eyes.
But in his mind – he wasn't in the courtyard anymore.
He was back in that facility.
Back in the moment where everything changed.
If the leader hadn't saved me from those three older mutants… I wouldn't be here right now…
Ghost's fists tightened at his sides. The cold breeze ruffled his dark garments, but he barely felt it. His mind burned.
He looked at the Elements again. Not just as opponents. But as obstacles.
"That… when the leader saved me…"
His voice was low, almost a whisper.
"…I decided I would follow him to the end."
His eyes narrowed, face contorted with conviction and fury.
"So if you think knowing my weakness will stop me…"
He stepped forward, Permeation already starting to shimmer across his form.
"You're wrong."
"I will achieve his dream…"
His body flickered as if on the edge of phasing again.
"…for him."
The Elements tightened their stances, energy beginning to surge.
They didn't look at Ghost in fear.
They looked at him in confidence.
And Ghost could feel it.
For the first time – he felt like the ghost…
…haunted by the power standing before him.
TO BE CONTINUED!!!