Chapter 36: The ghost
Frank had changed.
Three years ago, he was just a heartbroken man, stumbling into a forbidden party in search of his ex-girlfriend. Back then, he was unsure, emotional, and powerless. Now, he was something else entirely.
In those years, he had become a trained operative of the Okoli Family—one of the most secretive and powerful bloodlines in Nigeria. A family so ancient and resourceful that their roots were whispered about in both magical and political circles. Most had no idea they existed. Fewer had seen them act. And almost no one survived if they crossed them.
His re-encounter with Athena had been unexpected—but very real. After the events at the hidden temple, her family took notice. He was tested, judged, and eventually brought into their fold. To most outsiders, that would have been the end. But for Frank, it was only the beginning.
His training was brutal. Efficient. Unforgiving.
He lived underground for the first year, somewhere beneath Jos, in a sealed-off mana-drenched labyrinth used by the Okoli for generations. He trained daily with mana-infused blades, spatial perception drills, and psychic resilience modules designed to break his mind and rebuild it from scratch. Every day was pain and awakening.
For his efforts, he was granted access to an Intermediate Mana Circulation and Gathering Manual—a normal manual for their soilders. Despite itslow level, he advanced faster than expected. In only three years, he rose from an awakened level to the adept rank, and it didn't seem like he was slowing down. His mana orb had matured to commander level—dense, stable, and fiercely reactive. He just needed to condense it into a liquid state to move to the master.
Soon after, he was transferred to an elite division known as Excavation Unit 9—a team tasked with off-world extraction missions. These weren't ordinary operations. They were sent to brutal, wild planets rich in resources and nightmares.
His first assignment: Planet Ur.
Before departure, he was taken to Earth's moon.
That day changed everything.
Frank had always believed, like most people, that the moon was dead—a barren rock orbiting a tired world. But when the blindfold was removed, he saw it for what it truly was: a colossal, thriving city. A technological marvel and spiritual nexus.
Towers made of glowing alloy pierced the surface. Trains hovered silently along light rails. Domes shimmered with shields of mana. The atmosphere hummed with energy so rich it made breathing addictive. Children sprinted through levitating parks. Warriors meditated above floating pools. Some of the kids, judging by their aura, were already as powerful as him—or stronger.
The mana on the moon was denser. Purer. It wasn't Earth's magic. It was universal.
He and his new teammates were briefed quickly: They would be stationed on Ur for resource mining. Every month, a shuttle would arrive. It would bring supplies—and, if they were alive—return with the ores and crystals they'd gathered. Each team had a quota. Meet it, and they could keep the extra mana-rich materials for personal advancement.
Frank was thrilled. A chance to grow without limit.
Until he got there.
Planet Ur was hell.
The air was breathable, barely. The gravity was inconsistent. The terrain ranged from molten marshes to razor-sharp crystal plains. Nothing was safe.
On Ur, the phrase "humans are weak" became a reality. Everything on that planet was faster, stronger, or deadlier.
Frank's edge—the only thing that kept him alive—was his innate spatial talent. He could teleport short distances and had an advanced sense for spatial folds, allowing him to anticipate attacks and slip through reality's seams.
He was quickly appointed the team's scout.
His skills in space manipulation were rare and prized. During training, he had mastered two unique techniques: Spatial Walk: the ability to temporarily walk within the folds of space, invisible and untouchable, for up to 120 seconds. Fold Bending: a technique that let him bend the layers of space like a paper fan—attacking from distances or repositioning instantaneously.
His job was dangerous: survey mine sites, mark danger zones, and eliminate minor threats. If the area contained awakened or savage beasts, he would strike surgically, harvesting their cores, claws, or hides. If he sensed anything higher—commander-tier monsters—he'd vanish. Run. No questions.
Those creatures weren't just strong—they were intelligent, territorial, and unpredictable.
Over time, Frank's spatial sense grew sharper. He learned to feel the "tension" of folds around predator nests. He could detect malice in the air, or a fracture in reality caused by unstable mana storms.
He survived where others didn't. The average survival rate of a first-time Ur miner was three months. Frank was approaching a year. His mana core was saturated been too close to a mana vein so a long time.
The team began to respect him. Quietly, some even feared him.
They called him the ghost.