Ghostly Lessons

Ren's form flickered faintly, but he leaned forward with determination, gesturing toward the distant horizon. "We should check out one of the void tears," he said, his voice steady despite his weak appearance. "We need to know how much has changed since… well, since the past."

Lena immediately crossed her arms, her expression stern. "Absolutely not. You're still too weak to go anywhere near one of those things."

Garin nodded in agreement, leaning against the doorframe with his usual air of authority. "For once, I agree with her. You barely held yourself together after your last stunt. You're not ready to face whatever chaos those rifts might still hold."

Ren opened his mouth to protest, but Daniel raised a hand, cutting him off. "They're right, Ren," he said, his tone gentle but firm. "You need to recover. No one will benefit from you scattering yourself across timelines again."

Ren sighed, slumping back slightly. "Fine. No void tears… for now."

Daniel's expression brightened slightly, and he leaned forward. "While we're on the subject of things we're not good at," he began, a teasing glint in his eye, "I've got a question. If we plan on saving humanity, eventually, the world will return to being populated by the living, right?"

Ren nodded cautiously. "That's the goal."

"Well," Daniel continued, grinning, "that means we'll need to learn how to interact with the living again. You've got experience with that. Do you have any tips?"

Ren smirked. "Hopefully, if I succeed, none of us would have become ghosts in the first place."

Lena chuckled, but Garin's stern voice cut through the humor. "If you're serious about this goal, Ren, it's not just Daniel who needs to learn. All of us need to be prepared. That includes knowing how to interact with the living without causing harm."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "You want me to… teach you all? How do you safely interact with humans?"

Garin nodded once, his expression unyielding. "Consider it part of your recovery."

The impromptu lesson began in the clearing near their makeshift base. The faint shimmer of the remaining void tears in the distance added an ominous backdrop to the scene. Ren stood before the group; his form was more stable but still faint. Lena, Daniel, and Garin formed a semicircle around him, each wearing varying expressions of skepticism.

"Alright," Ren began, clapping his translucent hands together. "First rule of interacting with the living: subtlety is key. Humans don't like being startled, so let's start with something simple—moving a pebble."

He gestured to a small pile of pebbles he had gathered earlier. "This exercise will help you get a feel for focusing your energy without overexerting yourself. Just pick one up and move it a few inches. Easy, right?"

Lena scoffed. "Easy for you, maybe. You've been doing this for years."

Ren shrugged. "Practice makes perfect. Give it a shot."

The group hesitated before attempting the task. Daniel crouched next to a pebble, his face scrunched in concentration. The small stone wobbled slightly, then shot into the air surprisingly, hitting Garin squarely in the chest.

"Watch it!" Garin barked, brushing himself off.

Daniel grinned sheepishly. "At least it moved."

Lena burst out laughing, and even Ren couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, good start," Ren said, stifling his laughter. "Let's work on control next."

Garin, determined to maintain his dignity, stepped forward. He fixed his gaze on a pebble, his brow furrowing. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the pebble rolled slightly before sinking into the ground as if pressed by an invisible hand.

"Well," Ren said diplomatically, "it's… progress."

Lena's turn was next. She approached the pebbles with a mischievous gleam in her eye. Instead of focusing on a single stone, she waved her hand dramatically, causing several pebbles to hop into the air before scattering in all directions. One narrowly missed Daniel's head.

"Subtlety, Lena!" Ren exclaimed, dodging a stray rock.

She smirked. "Oops."

After an hour of chaotic pebble practice, Ren moved on to the next lesson: passing through walls.

"The trick here is to focus on your energy," he explained. "You're not trying to break through the wall; you're becoming part of it, just for a moment."

Lena confidently approached the nearest wall, only to bounce off it with an audible "thunk." She rubbed her forehead, scowling. "That's harder than it looks."

Daniel followed, walking toward the wall with an air of determination. He managed to pass halfway through before getting stuck, his torso protruding awkwardly on one side while his legs remained on the other.

"Uh, little help?" he called, his voice echoing strangely.

Ren sighed, guiding Daniel back to stability. "Okay, not bad for a first try."

True to form, Garin approached the wall methodically. He paused, closed his eyes, and stepped forward. To everyone's surprise, he passed through seamlessly.

Lena threw up her hands. "Of course, he's good at it."

Garin smirked. "Focus and discipline. You should try it sometime."

The final lesson of the day was about making themselves visible to humans without causing panic. Ren explained that projecting an image that humans could perceive as benign required precision.

"Think of it like creating a shadow version of yourself," Ren said. "Not too solid, not too faint. Just enough to catch their eye and make them curious, not scared."

Lena went first, her image flickering into view. Unfortunately, she overdid it, appearing as a ghastly, exaggerated version of herself. Ren winced as Lena's glowing eyes and sharp features would have sent any human running.

"Tone it down!" Ren called.

Lena laughed, letting the projection fade. "Fine, fine. Your turn, Daniel."

Daniel focused, and a faint, translucent version of himself appeared, waving awkwardly. It wasn't perfect, but it was friendly enough to pass. Garin's attempt was nearly flawless, his projection appearing calm and authoritative.

"Show-off," Lena muttered.

By the end of the session, the group was exhausted but laughing. Daniel sat cross-legged on the ground, his ghostly form flickering slightly. "Alright, Ren," he said, grinning. I'll admit it's harder than it looks. Do you have any more tips for us?"

Ren leaned back, a rare smile on his face. "Just one: don't take yourselves too seriously. You're ghosts, not superheroes. Interacting with the living is about understanding them, not showing off."

Lena nodded, still chuckling. "Fair enough. But I'm definitely going to practice the pebble thing. Next time, I'll aim better."