Going Ghost

As the fire crackled gently in the night, casting soft shadows around the small campsite, Ethan sat back, thinking over the progress they had made. They had been walking all day, heading north toward the mana well, and even though he had no map or compass initially, his ability to create metals had allowed him to craft a compass from scratch. It wasn't perfect, but it was pointing them in the right direction.

Greg, in his silent and slightly confusing way, had also confirmed the direction by pointing north without being asked, which had thrown Ethan for a loop. He wasn't entirely sure how Greg knew, but it was a good sign nonetheless.

As the kids, Jak and Amara, curled up by the fire to sleep, Ethan felt the familiar itch of curiosity creeping back into his mind. He told Greg to keep watch over the camp, his golem standing sentinel as always, then slipped into the quiet forest nearby.

In the silence of the woods, Ethan's thoughts turned to his pure mana form—the state he had existed in before he created this human body. Back then, he hadn't needed to sleep, eat, or drink. He had been free of all those limitations. Now that he had regained access to his mana, he wondered if he could shift back into that form, at least temporarily. The last time he had tried, his mana channels had been blocked, but now… now he was different. He had control again.

But Kaelar's words echoed in his mind: "Your pure mana form and human body are now one." There was a risk. What if leaving his body disrupted something vital? What if it was dangerous?

"Only one way to find out," Ethan muttered to himself.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and focusing on his mana. Slowly, he concentrated on separating his consciousness from his physical form, feeling the familiar hum of energy building within him. It was like reaching into the core of his being and trying to pull himself out of his own body. At first, it was difficult, like tugging on something stuck, but then—after what felt like an eternity of concentration—he felt a sudden shift.

When Ethan opened his eyes, everything was… different.

He looked down at himself and gasped. Instead of his usual amorphous mana form, he now appeared as a see-through ghostly blue version of himself—his human shape, but ethereal and shimmering with mana. His body back at the camp still lay where he left it, but now there was a faint tether connecting his ghostly form to it, a thin, glowing string of energy.

"What the…" Ethan whispered, looking down at the tether. It wasn't just any element—it was an element he had sensed before, though faintly. But now, it was clear.

It was Soul Element.

"Soul Element, huh?" Ethan smiled to himself, feeling the excitement bubbling up. "Pretty cool. A new element to experiment with."

His form felt weightless, almost like he was floating in place. He didn't feel tired or hungry anymore, and any exhaustion from the long journey had vanished as soon as he entered this state. The tether connecting him to his body felt like a lifeline, keeping him grounded in this world, but it didn't seem restrictive. In fact, it felt almost comforting, like a bridge between his physical self and his soul.

It was almost like astral projection, something he had heard of in stories and books back on Earth. But this was real, and it was his. The tether of Soul Element was fascinating—a mysterious force that linked his mana, body, and consciousness together. He could feel it pulsing softly, and even though he was no longer in his physical form, he could still sense everything around him as if he were fully alive and awake.

"I could train like this," Ethan realized, a grin spreading across his ghostly face. "Without needing to sleep, eat, or rest. I can keep going."

The possibilities were endless. While in this form, he could continue his mana training, using Mana Breathing or even experimenting with Soul Element itself. And when he returned to his body, he'd probably feel the exhaustion return, but at least he could push past his limits like this.

"Well," Ethan muttered, "this is definitely an upgrade."

He glanced back at the tether and then over to the camp, where Greg stood silently guarding the sleeping children. Everything was quiet, peaceful. This new discovery had opened a whole new realm of possibilities for Ethan's training.

"Let's see what we can do with this," he whispered, feeling his excitement grow. With his ghostly form, there was no limit to how much he could push himself. He could train all night if he wanted to—mana breathing, exploring the Soul Element, or even working on space magic without worrying about physical fatigue.

It was time to make the most of this new power.

While his body slept peacefully by the campfire, Ethan's ghostly blue form hovered quietly in the dark forest. His thoughts were clear and sharp, no longer weighed down by exhaustion or hunger. It felt freeing to exist in this state—like nothing could hold him back.

With the kids sleeping and Greg standing watch over them, Ethan turned his focus inward, ready to make the most of this Soul Element form. He had all the time in the world tonight—no need for rest, no need for breaks. It was time to train.

First, he started with what he already knew—Metal manipulation. His skill with metal had grown, but there was always room for improvement. He needed to make his control over it perfect, especially if he was going to craft larger or more intricate things in the future.

With a flick of his wrist, Ethan summoned metal from the surrounding mana, the glowing particles coalescing into a small cube in front of him. It was smooth and clean, just like the ones he had created earlier in the day. But this time, he didn't just stop at forming the cube.

He pushed his control further, breaking the cube apart into hundreds of small pieces, each one hovering in the air before him. It was more delicate work—shaping each fragment, manipulating the individual pieces to move and shift in complex patterns. He shaped them into thin strands, coiling them together like wire, then flattened them into smooth plates. The more he practiced, the more precise his movements became.

His Metal Element was strong, but he needed it to be flawless—as fluid as bending water or as precise as cutting with a blade.

And all the while, he kept up his Mana Breathing technique. Mana in, mana out. The flow of energy through his spectral form was even more natural now, almost effortless. It allowed him to train for hours without feeling drained or tired, his mana channels continuing to expand as he worked.

After what felt like an eternity of practicing metal manipulation, Ethan's thoughts shifted to something more challenging: Space Element. The potential of teleportation and manipulating space had opened up so many possibilities, but it was still a difficult and unpredictable element for him to control. This was where the real work lay.

He focused his energy, drawing in mana and pushing it toward the space around him. His goal was to bend that space, warp it to his will. The first thing he tried was what he had attempted back in Greystone: moving objects through space.

In front of him, a small piece of metal floated. Ethan narrowed his focus, picturing the space around the object like a flexible sheet. Slowly, carefully, he bent that sheet, imagining the metal moving through the warp. The piece twitched, just like before, but this time, Ethan pushed harder.

The metal vanished, reappearing a few feet away.

A smile tugged at his lips. He had done it—short-range teleportation.

Excited by the success, Ethan repeated the exercise, each time focusing on moving the object further and further. His mana surged through him, and the space around him began to ripple as he continued experimenting with warping objects through it. After several hours, he managed to teleport a small shard of metal halfway across the forest clearing with relative ease.

The more he practiced, the smoother his control over space became. He wasn't just bending space; he was starting to understand it. The way it stretched and folded was becoming clearer in his mind, and he knew that with more training, he could refine this even further.

All the while, his Mana Breathing continued, feeding his energy back into him. The more he absorbed, the more he used, and his reserves steadily grew. It was a perfect cycle—one that allowed him to push further without the limitations of his physical body.

By the time the night had passed, Ethan had made significant strides in both Metal and Space Elements. He could manipulate metal with almost surgical precision, and his grasp on space magic had grown much stronger, though there was still much to learn.

Finally, as the faint glow of dawn began to filter through the trees, Ethan floated back toward the camp, feeling a strange sense of contentment. His body still lay peacefully by the fire, untouched by the fatigue of his training.

He glanced at the tether connecting him to his body—the shimmering thread of Soul Element. There was still so much to explore with that element as well, but for now, he had accomplished more than he expected in just one night.

"Alright, back to reality," Ethan murmured, a small smile on his ghostly face.

With a single thought, he began to drift back into his physical body, the world around him becoming sharper and more vivid as his ghostly form merged with his human self. As soon as he re-entered his body, the exhaustion from the day before returned in a rush, but it wasn't nearly as bad as he had expected.

He stretched, feeling the familiar weight of his physical form, and glanced over at Greg and the kids, who were still sound asleep.

"Time to keep moving," Ethan whispered to himself, feeling the excitement of his progress fueling his determination.

With his new skills and expanded mana, he knew he was getting closer to mastering the elements he needed—and with the mana well still waiting ahead, there was so much more potential waiting to be unlocked.

---

As the first light of dawn began to filter through the trees, Ethan sat by the dying campfire, his mind buzzing with the possibilities of what he had discovered the night before. His ghostly form and the Soul Element tether had opened up a whole new realm of potential, but there was something else now tugging at his thoughts—Mind Element.

He had used it before, mainly when creating intelligent beings like Greg, but he hadn't spent much time mastering it. Most of his experience with the Mind Element had been in strengthening Greg's mind and occasionally communicating mentally with him. It was a subtle but powerful force, and now that he had more control over his mana and elements, it seemed like the next logical step to explore.

But the real question nagging at him was whether he could use the Mind Element to control his body while in ghost form. Could he, in theory, project his consciousness outward and still keep control of his physical form? It was an ambitious thought, but it made sense—after all, Mind Element was tied to thoughts and control. If he could manipulate his mind enough, maybe he could puppeteer his own body while being detached from it.

Sitting cross-legged by the fire, Ethan closed his eyes and focused. He summoned his ghost form, feeling the familiar shift as his spectral self separated from his physical body. The soft glow of his Soul Element tether pulsed faintly, linking his ghostly form to the sleeping human body nearby.

"Alright, let's try this," he murmured to himself, already feeling a twinge of excitement at the challenge.

He reached out with his senses, trying to tap into the Mind Element, feeling its subtle hum in the background of his mana. It was always there, but it required more delicate control than the more direct elements like Earth or Metal. Slowly, he focused on his physical body, still lying by the campfire, and attempted to link his ghost form's consciousness to it.

At first, it was difficult, like trying to grab hold of something slippery, but Ethan kept at it. He concentrated on extending his mind, using the Mind Element to form a bridge between his ghostly self and his body. He could feel the faint pulse of thought in his physical brain, a distant echo of consciousness. He pushed harder, trying to reach out and control the body from afar.

Suddenly, his fingers twitched.

Ethan blinked in surprise, glancing over at his physical hand. It had moved, just slightly, but it was enough to show that his idea had merit.

"I did it… kinda," Ethan whispered, feeling the connection grow stronger. He pushed harder, his focus entirely on using the Mind Element to control his body while in this ethereal state.

His body moved again, this time more deliberately. His hand reached out, gripping a stick by the fire. The motions were slow and awkward, but the fact that he could control his body at all from this distance was a massive breakthrough.

"Okay, let's try walking," Ethan muttered, the excitement building in his ghostly chest.

He concentrated, imagining his body standing up. Slowly, his physical form obeyed, rising from the ground in stiff, jerky motions. It was like moving a puppet with tangled strings—the movements were far from smooth, but they were there. He could control his body while outside of it. The Mind Element was allowing him to bridge the gap between his consciousness and his physical self.

He walked a few steps, his body shuffling awkwardly around the campfire. It felt strange to be detached from his own body and yet still control it, but it was working.

However, it was clear that he needed more practice. The movements were clumsy and lacked the natural fluidity of being fully in his body. But the potential was there. With more refinement, he could move both his ghost form and physical body simultaneously, allowing him to fight or act in two places at once.

As he experimented, another thought crossed his mind. If he could use the Mind Element to control his own body, could he use it to influence others? The idea of mind control wasn't something he had seriously considered before, but the more he thought about it, the more intriguing it became.

The Mind Element was connected to thoughts and mental control. If he could strengthen his mastery of it, in theory, he could influence other people's actions or thoughts. He had already seen the potential with Greg, but Greg was a being of his creation. Using it on a human mind was another matter entirely.

"Could I mind control people?" he wondered aloud, his ghostly form hovering near the fire.

He had never tried to influence someone else's mind before, but it was definitely possible. He would have to tread carefully—it was dangerous territory, ethically and magically. But the potential was undeniable.

For now, though, his focus was on mastering the dual control—his ghost form and his body, both operating together. As the sun began to rise and the world stirred around him, Ethan knew he had made a massive leap forward in his abilities.

The Mind Element had opened a door to new possibilities, and Ethan was determined to explore it further.