Chapter 11: More Questions
Night, Seoul
The last traces of violet mist were still fading when HUNTR/X saw another ripple run through the Honmoon.
Zoey went rigid first, head snapping toward the roofline. Rumi's grip tightened on her sword. Mira widened her stance.
Like before, Danny's ghost sense flared. He assumed it wasn't a ghost, but another demon.
From the way the Hunters stared into the distance, Danny could tell they were seeing something he couldn't. Danny tried again, pushing his senses outward. While he could tell that there was… something around him, he surmised that this was the Honmoon that they mentioned before.
Rumi raised her free hand and cut a short signal. Mira turned. Zoey moved with her.
"If there's more of those demons out there, I can help," he said, stepping forward. "We can split up and cover-"
Rumi lifted a hand. "We appreciate it, but no. This is our city. Our people. Our responsibility."
Mira shifted slightly, placing herself between Danny and the alley’s exit. "You can clearly fight," she said. "We saw that, but-"
"As of now, we don't know you well enough. If you're truly not a demon, and you mean no harm, then for tonight you stay out of the way," Rumi said.
Danny clenched his jaw. He understood the reasoning. That didn’t make it easier to swallow.
Disappointment hit fast and showed before he could hide it.
It was clear to Zoey that Phantom did indeed care for the wellbeing of others. "Hey, lighten up. Trust us that we'll keep the people safe. Hunters like us have been doing it for centuries."
He didn't argue. "Okay."
The word came out flatter than he wanted.
Rumi’s expression softened. "Don't worry too much. If it makes you feel better, we can talk again. Just not tonight."
"How about tomorrow?" Zoey said. "Midnight?"
"I suppose. Where do you want to meet?" Danny asked.
"Namsan Tower."
Danny blinked. "Uh… And that is…"
Mira chuckled. "It's the pointy radio tower over there." She pointed toward the center of the city.
Danny nodded. "Oh, okay. I'll be there."
Rumi turned her attention back to the rooftops. "See ya till then."
He held down the instinct to follow. "Stay safe out there."
Zoey met his gaze for a moment longer. Then she nodded. "You too."
HUNTR/X moved fast, vanishing into the city before he could say anything else.
For both parties, they would try to confirm the info the other gave regarding their respective enemy.
If anyone could tell Danny about demons, it would be Clockwork. He made a mental note to reach out the next time he could access the time-keeper's realm.
For HUNTR/X, they hoped Celine would know something about ghosts. As for Zoey, she considered asking Danny and Jazz. They had to know something, right?
Danny hovered at the mouth of the alley, watching the direction they'd gone. Every instinct told him to follow. If he wanted them to trust him, he had to put trust in them.
After checking once more for anything lingering, he headed back toward the hotel, hoping he'd run into another demon.
Later
The room lights were low. Jazz sat at the small table by the window, sorting conference materials into neat stacks. Jazz looked up the moment he phased through the wall and raised a brow at his traditional clothing. "Danny, so what happened out there?"
Danny plopped down on the empty bed. "Well, I fought what I thought was a ghost trying to eat someone's soul."
"I'm sorry. It tried to do what?!"
"Yeah, I know. Made my blood boil too."
Jazz’s mouth tightened. "You stopped it, right."
"I hit it and thankfully, the soul snapped back into him. He was shaken, but alive. That's beside the point. I'm not sure how to say this, but… demons actually exist."
Jazz pushed the papers aside and stood. "I'm gonna need you to start from the beginning."
"Yeah…" Danny went solid, set the Thermos down, and leaned back against the wall. "Demon attack near a convenience store. Five of them. They went after an older couple. One tried to suck the guy's soul."
"After stopping him, others came at me and I fought them." He paused. "And when that was over, three hunters dropped in and attacked me."
Jazz's brows lifted. "Hunters? Did they try to kill you?"
"Demon hunters, and yeah, I pushed back."
Jazz’s eyes widened. "Danny."
"I didn’t hit back that hard," he said, too quickly. "I tried to talk and de-escalate things. They actually thought I was a demon because of the clothing."
Jazz got up and checked out the clothing Danny made for himself. "Really? It looks authentic to me."
"That's what I said, but apparently, this color combination made me look like a…" He tried to remember what they were called. "Jeoseung Saja? They weren't pulling punches."
"I see. Did they have anti-ghost weapons?"
Danny frowned. "Technically? Those blades of theirs were meant to kill demons. They could basically one-shot demons into dust."
"Danny…"
"Thankfully, it only stung like regular anti-ghost weapons for me."
Jazz rolled her eyes. "Knowing I won't have to sweep you up is somewhat alleviating."
"Apparently, there's this huge invisible anti-demon energy field or something that they use to fight." 'I'm also pretty sure it's keeping me from recognizing them…'
She raised a brow. "You're telling me that they use the Force?"
"Not like that. It's like a weird net that keeps demons from entering the human world."
"Kinda wish we had something like that."
"Oh, definitely. They could even use that same energy to make their weapons. Pretty cool if you ask me."
"So, when you guys finally stopped fighting, what did you guys talk about?"
"I told them the truth," Danny said. "That I'm Phantom, a ghost and not a demon."
"How did they take it?"
"Suspicious," Danny said. "But they were willing to listen."
Jazz’s focus sharpened again. "Do you know who they are?"
"I could tell they they were women. They called themselves the Hunters," Danny said. "That’s all I got."
"What?! Why? I thought you were face to face with them."
"Not entirely sure, but remember that Honmoon thing, I think it blurs their appearance to humans. The demons seemed to recognize them, but I think I could only tell they were girls because I'm part ghost. I didn’t even get names.
"That sucks. Though, if you had that, you would have saved us a lot of trouble growing up."
"No kidding. Well, after giving them the cliff notes on ghosts, they told me about what they heck was going on. Apparently, there is a Demon World ruled by the Demon King Gwi-Ma.
"That tracks."
"Yup. He sends his demons here in order to collect souls so he can get strong enough to appear on Earth."
"Considering what happened with Pariah Dark, I assume it's something bad."
"Enslaving everyone is something we all want to avoid. Explains why they kill demons on sight."
"Well, as far as you've told me, these demons don't seem as morally gray as ghosts."
"Apparently only some of them used to be human. The rest were always demons. Knowing that they want to kill people really removes any sympathy I might have. At least with Skulker, it's mostly for sport and he goes after the strong."
Jazz folded her arms, then unfolded them, bracing her hands on the table. "What did they do after you talked?"
Danny filled her in on the rest, how the Hunters had agreed to meet again, but only after taking time to decide whether they could trust him.
Jazz studied him. "How did that feel?"
"Disappointing… It bothered me more than I expected." It really poked at his obsession.
"I'm not surprised," she said. "You’re used to being the one who steps in."
"They want to meet again," Danny said. "Tomorrow night. Namsan Tower."
"Try to sleep," she said. "You’ll want a clear head when we met up with our friends in the morning. I'll see what I can dig up regarding demons."
It didn't take long for Danny to knock out on the bed. In the meantime, Jazz figured she could spare an hour looking up Korean Mythology. She knew mythology and reality didn't always match. The first thing she looked up was that demon type Danny mentioned: Jeoseung Saja.
Suffice to say, the myth was much different than the alleged reality. These Jeoseung Saja were considered the traditional Korean Grim Reaper, acting as a messenger from the underworld who guides souls to the afterlife, usually under the authority of someone named King Yeomra.
As soon as she saw the visual depiction, she could see how Danny's new Phantom clothing could be mistaken for the same. These Saja were often portrayed in black robes and a black gat. Ironically for her halfa of a brother, these entities represent the transition between life and death.
The Penthouse
HUNTR/X entered their home, relieved that the day was finally over for them. Rumi kicked off her boots and collapsed on the couch. "I love you, couch. Never leave us…"
Mira headed straight for the kitchen and undid her hair ties. "After tonight, I'm starving again."
"Get me one while I shower!" Zoey was already dumping her clothes into the hamper.
Rumi raised her hand from the couch. "Same."
"Fine…" Mira started preparing ramen for each of them.
Rumi peeled off her jacket. Another night. More demons. So much for a demon-free vacation.
Mira disappeared toward her room. Rumi stayed put, staring at the ceiling.
#
About an hour later, all three were on the couch in their sleepwear.
Zoey wore an oversized hoodie and shorts, hair damp and twisted into a loose bun.
Mira had on a faded band tee.
Rumi claimed the end of the couch with a mug of tea.
"So," Mira said. "What do you think of the ghost guy."
Zoey looked up. "He seemed nice." 'Oddly familiar though.'
"He seemed to be telling the truth, but I don't know yet."
Rumi tilted her head. "He knows how to fight, that's for sure."
Zoey leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "Do we even know ghosts are real? Like, actually real."
Mira snorted. "Well, demons are real because we’ve been dealing with them for years."
Rumi set her mug down. "He said most of them are dead humans…"
Zoey frowned. "How do you think Phantom died?"
"Food poisoning?" guessed Mira.
"That's a lame way to go." Zoey grabbed her phone off the side table. "I’m looking up ghosts."
"I doubt you get anything useful." Mira shrugged. "Ghosts have been rumored as long as demons."
Rumi raised an eyebrow but didn’t stop her. Mira leaned over the armrest as Zoey scrolled.
The first results were what you’d expect: paranormal blogs, listicles, forums. Zoey flicked past them, skimming headlines.
Then she slowed.
A cluster of news articles, all from the same place.
Amity Park.
Her stomach dropped.
"Uh," Mira said. "You good?"
Zoey didn’t answer. She tapped the first link.
Ghost Attack Damages Amity Park High, Students Evacuated
The thumbnail showed a school with a caved-in section of roof, green scorch marks streaking the walls.
She scrolled.
Mayor Declares State of Emergency Following Ghost Invasion
Local Teen Hero ‘Phantom’ Saves Downtown
Amity Park: America’s Most Haunted City?
The dates stretched back years, starting about a year after she’d left for Korea.
Rumi sat up. "Amity Park. Isn’t that…"
"My hometown," Zoey said.
Mira stared. "No way."
Zoey opened another article. Photos loaded, blurry shots of green shapes in the air. One showed a huge armored figure with flaming hair. Another caught a smaller ghost in purple, surrounded by floating boxes.
Her chest tightened. She scrolled again.
Fenton Ghost Hunters Lead Defense During Ghost Zone Invasion
'Fenton… Danny’s parents… Did this have something to do with their Ghost portal?'
"The town was dragged into the Ghost Zone?" Mira read. "What does that even mean?"
Zoey clicked through.
The article described Amity Park vanishing for hours, pulled into an alternate dimension by a ghost king called Pariah Dark. It named the Fentons as "local ghost-hunting experts," credited alongside the teen hero Phantom for pushing it back.
Mira stared at the screen. "That’s insane."
Rumi’s brow knit. "If any of it’s true, why isn’t it national news?"
Zoey scrolled down. "Look at the comments."
User427: Obviously fake. Mass hysteria at best.
ParanormalSkeptic: Amity Park has staged these attacks for tourism since 2015.
GhostBeliever88: I was there. The sky turned green.
TruthSeeker: Controlled demolitions. Wake up.
AParkresident: It’s real. The media won’t touch it because it sounds too crazy.
It turned into the usual mess: arguing, mocking, conspiracy spirals.
Mira let out a low whistle. "People don’t believe it."
"I mean, I wouldn't either at a glance." Rumi said.
Zoey kept scrolling. More reports. More footage. Some grainy, some clearer than she liked. A ghost that looked like a rock star. A fire-breathing dragon. A clunky mech.
She clicked a video. Shaky rooftop footage. A green-and-black figure cut across the sky, firing blasts at a massive two-headed vulture-like ghost. The camera jolted, then dropped as the person filming ducked.
Mira exhaled slowly. "Either this is the most committed fake in history, or…"
"Or ghosts are real," Rumi said. "And they’ve been hitting that town for years."
Zoey’s hands went cold. She checked the dates again. The first big incident, a year after she moved.
All while she’d been here training and fighting demons, Danny and his family had been fighting ghosts?
She thought about their calls. How normal he’d sounded. How he’d never once mentioned evacuations, attacks, anything about his parents fighting actual ghosts.
Her throat tightened.
"Zoey?" Mira said.
Zoey blinked. She’d been staring too long.
"You okay?" Rumi asked.
"Yeah," Zoey said, automatically. "Just weird seeing my hometown like this."
Mira tipped her head. "You didn’t know?"
"No." The word came out sharp. "I didn’t." And that made the next question worse. 'Why didn’t Danny tell me?'
She scrolled a little more, landing on posts that talked about the Fentons: Jack and Maddie, eccentric inventors.
Zoey’s stomach turned. "Danny always mentioned that his parents were working on a ghost portal."
Rumi and Mira exchanged a look. "You don't think…"
"I don't know what to think." If ghosts were real, and Amity Park had been under siege for years, then what did that mean for Danny and Jazz?
Did they know? Were they involved with their parents?
Did their parents have something to do with any of it?
She closed the tab before she could chase it further.
Mira stretched. "Well. That's a rabbit hole for another day."
Rumi nodded. "We should ask Celine tomorrow. See what she knows."
"Yeah," Zoey sagged. "Good idea."
Mira yawned and stood. "I’m crashing. Night."
"Night," Rumi and Zoey said.
Rumi lingered, watching Zoey. "You sure you’re okay?"
Zoey forced a thin smile. "Just tired."
Rumi didn’t buy it, but she let it go. "Get some sleep."
"You too."
Rumi disappeared down the hall.
Zoey sat alone in the living room. She started scrolling through her past text messages over the years with Danny, and none of them mentioned ghost attacks.
'Why didn’t you tell me?' Was Danny trying to make it so she didn't worry about him? Did any ghosts ever hurt him or his family? Her fists tightened. She never had a chance to protect those she left behind…
Zoey put away her phone and tried to relax. Hopefully, she could get the truth from her best friend.
The Next Morning
After last night, Danny could have used the sleep, but everyone had burned vacation days for this trip. He didn’t want to be the one who bailed.
His phone buzzed on the nightstand. He squinted at the screen.
Zoey: morning!! u guys free for breakfast?
He sat up and typed with one thumb.
Across the room, Jazz was already dressed.
"Zoey?" she asked without looking up.
"Yeah." Danny typed back.
Danny: yeah we’re free
Zoey: perfect! We’ll pick you guys up in an hour and we’ll head over to ikseon-dong
Zoey: trust me it’s worth it
Danny sent a thumbs-up emoji. Then he opened the family group chat.
Danny: Morning. Alive and well. Seoul is awesome. Food is great. Don’t worry about us.
No ghosts seen yet.
He stared at the message. Total lie, but it would keep Jack and Maddie from trying to "help" and turning this trip into a disaster.
Jazz shut her laptop and stretched. "Breakfast with the girls?"
"Ikseon-dong," Danny started heading for the bathroom. "No idea what that is."
"It’s a hanok neighborhood," Jazz said. "Old houses turned into cafes and shops."
He paused. "How do you know that already?"
"I read on the plane."
Danny didn’t bother arguing. "Alright, shower time."
When he came out, showered and dressed, Jazz was sorting through a folder of conference papers.
Jazz closed her laptop, reluctant, but stood and stretched. "We should check our schedule for later this week. I’ve got three panels starting Thursday. I can skip the mixers since we’re here early, but I can’t miss the presentations."
"Okay?"
"I just want to make sure you’re fine on your own during those."
Danny sat to tug on his socks. "Jazz, I’ll be fine. Zoey and the others aren’t exactly going to let me sit in the hotel."
"You’re sure?"
"Yeah. This is your thing."
Jazz’s shoulders eased. "Thanks."
"Plus," Danny said, "it means I can eat whatever I want without commentary."
"I don’t comment. I observe."
"That’s the same thing."
She flicked a pen at him. He caught it and grinned.
They changed into the outfits the girls had bought for them the other day. Danny buttoned a dark shirt and put on a light gray jacket. Jazz came out in a soft green blouse, jeans, and a cardigan, and earrings.
They stopped by the mirror near the door.
Danny turned slightly, inspecting himself. "I hate to say it, because Mira will never let me hear the end of it, but we look good."
"We do," Jazz said, pleased.
His phone buzzed.
Zoey: we're downstairs!
He pocketed it and grabbed his wallet. Jazz slung on her crossbody bag.
On the desk, the hotel’s breakfast menu sat untouched.
Danny reached for the door instead.
"Ready?" Jazz asked.
"Let’s go."